As weapons developed, fighting was never done face to face. Swords, shields, punches became obsolete, well, until the great invasion.
With the invasion of Solaris, the Empire had to find new ways to defend them without getting massacred. Body combats came back, hidden and silent, it was the best way to take the enemy down without being noticed.
The premise of the fight is easy: a background music composed of drums and flutes starts playing. The beginning is slower in beats so we introduce our weapons. We keep our eyes pierced on the enemies while raising our swords with one hand. Then the music starts a repeating monotone pace, composed of four beats and a lower one. With one hand we rotate the sword, while we raise the opposite leg and start jumping forward towards the enemy four times; at the lower beat, we put our leg back and bend sideways. This process is repeated three times before the actual fight begins. This was made to approach the enemy while making them think that we are dancing and therefore not a threat. When the beat drops, it’s time to get real in business. The activation of the warp is essential, from an external point of view we’re teleporting, while in reality we’re running inside the bubble. Keeping focus, strength and not losing momentum isn’t easy inside a warp: when you’re running faster than light, you’re also running faster than the air itself. Therefore the whole process must be done while holding your breath. When we reached our desired destination, we come out of the bubble and attack our opponent. The music keeps going and it scans the duration of the fight. Once the beat becomes monotonous again, the fight is over.
This was our introduction to society itself, showing everyone that we’re worthy of our title. It wasn’t rare that many nobles had to repeat their fight, the Emperor considers worthy only those who are able to win.
Qy’a, for example, was a Roky’as who was suspended from the fight for two years. Voices were that he used an air enhancer while being in the warp, allowing him to breathe inside the bubble. Today, he was sitting with us in the changing room. His greenish face was fully focused, he knew that this was his last chance to impress the Emperor.
While the people around me mingled, I used this opportunity to change into my traditional fighting clothes. Black, ankle boots over some equally black pants. The sleeves of my jacket presented holes for my fingers, allowing me to move without exposing much of my skin.
“Aren’t you hot in that?” a voice behind me asked.
I quickly turned to find myself facing the Sabar. His straight and purple eyes were in high contrast with his downturned eyebrows that gave him an innocent and sweet look. His pouty lips were stretched into a deep smile that exposed his sharp canines, while his pointy ears that were adorned with all types of chains.
“No.” I claimed.
“Agh lucky you, I can barely breathe every time I visit VTR.”
I had no interest in him, nor in this conversation. Yet my father took interest in his liking, so that made me somehow curious of his persona.
“I’m used to being clothed, more revealing clothes make me feel naked.”
“What a waste! With such a body like yours!”
I turned back to my locker. Not because I was intentionally ignoring him, I just didn’t know how to reply. Yet he didn’t leave, he kept staring at my back, making my skin tremble in irritation.
“I heard that you have a brother.” I blurted trying to conceal the silence.
“What do you know about him? Do I know you?” He was getting just as irritated as I was. Although his reaction confirmed that what my father heard was true.
“Forget it.” I said while heading to the arena.
“Hey, wait!“ he screamed while following me.
We entered the massive space. In the middle, a circular ring was decorated with a painting portraying the Imperial family. All around, the seats were reaching the sky, all full of nobles anticipating the fight. In the middle, the Emperor, his wife and daughter were looking down on us.
I reached their seats and bowed down, one fist and one knee on the ground, waiting for their blessing.
“Sdravek, your legend precedes you.”
I kept bowing down while looking at the floor.
“You may come up.”
I quickly got up straight while keeping an awkward smile.
“I am pleased to meet you this well, Emperor.”
“Today is your day, time to show to your old man what type of Gliesek you are.”
We both let out a small giggle. I looked over the right side of the arena. My father was coldly looking at me.
“I am aiming for a travek, your majesty. If I succeed, I’ll dedicate it to you and the Empire.”
“A travek? On your first try?”
Saying that committing a travek is difficult would be an understatement.Travek is a word derived from Gliesek itself, no one besides my people were ever able to do it.
[Travek: a fight between two parties where one wins without ever being hit by its opponent, the perfect fight.]
If the fight included only the debutants of this year, it would be easy as drinking. But the fight is full of aliens who are repeating it, people who are experienced and that not necessarily they lost for their strength.
“Sen.” the Emperor claimed while looking over me.
Behind me, the Sabar was still bowing, waiting to be excused by the Emperor. I let them have a conversation while I headed over the ring.
A bunch of kids around my age were stretching and refining their warps. We could cut the tension with our own swords, but I had to stay calm, as cold as the Gliesek ice. I didn’t want to stretch nor warm up, any glimpse of my fighting would give the enemy an advantage. After all, I’m the only son of the duke of Gliese, everyone wanted to beat me, I was their common enemy.
After a while, the general murmur was cut by a solemn voice speaking in Kedran.
“Welcome to VTR, nobles of the Empire.”
My eyes automatically followed the right wing’s lane, focusing on my father. He, however wasn’t even looking down on the ring, he was instead entertaining the Sabar family. I squeezed me eyes in confusion.
“A new year of the fight has came along, bringing many talented kids from all around the galaxy.”
In front of us a screen lightened up.
“The AI will choose your opponent, the name will appear in the screen in front of you. Good luck everyone.”
The names started appearing. I anticipated who my opponent may be. From the top of the screen I could read “Sen of Sabar vs Alakeya of Zaidan G”. He had it easy this time, fighting against a Zaidan.
The names kept going and right before the end, mine appeared as well: “Andrew of Gliese vs Qy’a of Rok’yas”.
I was at a disadvantage. Not only did he have two years to prepare knowing what the standard is, but he was also determined to win to mask his shame. What better way to make his comeback if not beating a Gliesek himself?
I turned over and looked at him. He was glaring me with his red eyes as if I was his prey. A creepy grin appeared in his face, I could read his intentions like a book. But I wasn’t scared, I had no reason to be. That was his occasion to redeem himself but so was mine. I had to show no mercy, I had to show to my people and my father that I’m a Gliesek myself.
I reciprocated the smile and quickly turned over to get seated. I had to wait my turn but as the last combat, I had more time to prepare.
The fights went on quickly. On the fourth try, the Sabar guy was able to win his combat, leaving the general public cheering for his success.
“How lame.” I thought until I looked over my father. He was standing up, smiling while clapping at this stranger. Will he have the same expression when I’ll commit a trakev? I had to find out.
Through the other fight, I was able to find out many structural advantages. For example: the ring is outlined by a force camp, forcing the fighters to stay inside the ring. That could’ve been used to jump through a side to the other of the ring.
While I was observing the other fights, I could feel the Rok’yas’ eyes piercing through my shoulder. Rok’yas are known to be hot headed, it was easy to irritate them and make them lose focus. Me ignoring his stares, made him nothing but more angry. His feelings were brought out, right before we stepped on the ring.
“What happened to your eyes? Someone washed them with ammonia?” he asked laughing at himself.
“Try not to cheat, I’m trying to commit a trakev.” I replied. He particularly didn’t like my comment and started throwing a fit at the bottom of the ring.
“I’m going to smash you, you lowly being! How dare you talk to me like that while having slave blood in your veins?”
Those comments didn’t make me feel anything. Not anger, nor embarrassment. He was right, my mother was a human slave from Earth, I do have her blood in my veins, hence my name. He was trying to attack my pride but failed miserably.
“Qy’a of Rok’yas, if you won’t get into the ring in the next five seconds, you will be disqualified.” the AI claimed.
“I’m coming, I’m coming.” the kid replied while entering the ring. He then glared at me and with his sword, showed me the places where he wanted to cut me.
Such a childish response.
The music then started and, as the dance goes, we started with our positions. First we showed our weapons. We both had a sword. The Rok’yas’ one was a straight sword with electrocution over it, while mine was a traditional Gliesek curved sword.
The monotonous beats started and we both started dancing towards each other. The first three beats were scanned by us juggling our swords on one hand and jumping on the opposite leg. Then the low beat arrived and we both bent our sides. The process started again for a second time and again for the third.
This time the low beat was longer than the preceding ones, making us understand that the fight will soon start. I quickly activated my warp and waited for the music change. As soon as the beat dropped, I jumped and ran towards my opponent. I quickly saw how he was aiming for the upper part of my body, that made me understand that he was a ground fighter. I then slid through the painted flooring and hit him right on his knees. His shield turned a bluish color, showing that I completed the first hit. Before he could understand what it was happening, I quickly took a breath and jumped in the bubble again, this time from above. I descended as soon as he came out of the warp to attack, as expected, he thought I was going to appear on the opposite side of the ring. I completed my second hit by hitting him right in the head, and the third by hitting him on the side when I descended. I took a long jump backwards trying to catch a breath again. I could see the fury in his eyes, this was the first time I saw his face since we started fighting. The most obvious aspect was that he completely lost focus, he was screaming and waving his sword all throughout the air. He then saw me appearing on the other side of the ring and with a grin on his face, he started screaming and running towards me.
I quickly went in the bubble and jumped backwards again to rest on the ring’s force. Thinking I went back to the opposite side of the ring, the Rok’yas was opening another bubble when I hit him from backwards.
The music went back to the monotonous beat that scanned the ending of the battle. As the outcome was evident for everyone, the AI claimed:
“Andrew from Gliese committed travek!”
The general public cheered on my win, while the Rok’yas was punching the floor, too embarrassed to raised his head. I, on the other hand, raised my head proudly and saw my father clapping in the crowd.
I could distinguish a faint smile and eyes I had not seen before: eyes of pride.
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