Tested (The Life of Uktesh Book 1) (27 page)

“Pole weapons forfeits next!” shouted Repus and again the crowd approved.

“I can’t very well fight myself and win!  I, as Archery, forfeit to myself as Sword.”

The announcer looked from one to the other in confusion, but quickly caught the meaning, “That means that the final fight of this year’s tournament will be Riu as the mixed champion versus Uktesh as the sword champion!”

Riu, as the mixed champion, had to pick his three weapons. But this time, instead of his normal unarmed, he equipped two partial arm, wrist, and knuckle gauntlets. 

“Well this is an outcome that most people saw coming!  The betting will remain open for fifteen minutes!  Who will win? So far they’ve fought twice, Riu coming out ahead in the first and they tied the second. Is Uktesh learning fast enough to win the third or will Riu finally armed come out victorious?  Remember there are no ties in this fight!”

“I am looking forward to this fight.” said Riu with a cold sneer.

“As am I.” Uktesh replied and tried to ignore the look, “Four hits is going to make this a long fight.”

“Yes, how is your shoulder?”

“Good enough to beat you.”

Riu’s eyes took on a look of madness.  “Did you make a wager on the outcome?”

“I didn’t, but my friends did. They bet on me.”

“I am saddened for their loss, for I cannot lose. I have bet on myself enough money to keep our order fed for another year.”

“How much is that?”

“We live simply, but there are many of us. When I win I have bet enough to earn one thousand gold coins.”

“Oh, we bet twenty five million on me.”

His eyes grew wide, “How did you amass such a fortune?” 

“We all started betting on each other with five gold coins, and sometimes we lost, but most of the time we won.  My first two fights alone, the odds were forty to one. So the seven of us made two thousand eight hundred gold coins off those fights alone.  With the limiter removed on betting today, we’ve raked in the money.”

“Had I known then what I know now, I too would’ve bet on you, but I made both those bets the other way.”

“Well, the announcer’s heading this way. I’d offer you one thousand golds just to fight for fun.  But I assume you’d turn it down.”

“Yes, you’re going to need luck to survive this fight, not money.”

Uktesh smiled and said, “Thanks, ‘good luck,’ to you too.”

Uktesh started to stretch out his muscles as the announcer shouted to the crowd, “You’ve been patient. You’ve been waiting, but wait no longer!”  The crowd roared its approval. “Who thinks that Riu will win?” The crowd cheered loudly. “and who thinks-” He wasn’t able to finish before a great wave of sound erupted from the crowd.  The three who stood on the sand looked at each other, stunned by the sheer sound. Riu glared at Uktesh for a moment, before he shook his head and began to stretch his muscles.  “Wow!  There you have it! Who will win?  Who will lose? Only time will tell!  Fight!”

The announcer quickly ran away and Uktesh continued to stretch.  When he was done, he waited for Riu to finish.  Once they were both done with their stretches, Riu nodded, his eyes cold, and Uktesh nodded back.  Riu sprinted at Uktesh and Uktesh quickly Rushed, Soared, and then attacked in the perfect Serpent Strikes.  But as soon as he felt Riu block his sword, he shifted his weight to the perfect Rising Knee and felt the strain instantly in the leg he jumped with.  His knee connected with Riu’s gauntlet in a close, and desperate defense, but still in the air, he brought his sword down onto Riu’s shoulder. He pulled his attack to not kill, while Riu punched his stomach.  Uktesh lost control of his muscles for a moment, as his body bent forward to absorb the attack, but that caused his sword to slice deep into Riu’s shoulder.  Uktesh flew backward, skidded once on his back, but quickly rolled to his feet, ready for an attack that never came.

Riu held his shoulder, in an attempt to slow the blood loss. “Wow, Riu. I tried to pull my attack, but I jerked forward because of your punch.”

“So this is my fault?”

“Yes. If you hadn’t been trying to kill me you would be fine.”

“I cannot lose, and you have the greatest chance of anyone here at beating me. So I must beat you quickly and mercilessly.”

“How’s that working out for you?”

“I was trying to end this before both of us are killed, that’s the most likely outcome between two masters fighting with real weapons.  No one can move at our speeds, and halt their movements quick enough after hitting, to avoid major injury.  It is inevitable that, in this fight, one of us will surely die.  It will not be me.”

“Well I don’t plan on kicking any buckets either!” 
Lame come back, think of something cooler! 
“You’ll be the one greeting your parents today! 
Dang it!  What if his parents are still alive? 
“That is, of course, if you’re parents are already dead, if they’re not, then you won’t meet them!” 
Stupidest retort ever!  I just need to let my sword do the talking!  Oh, wait, I could say that to him!

Before Uktesh had a chance to continue his retort Riu shouted, “Enough of this!”  Uktesh saw the torn muscle and skin in his arm reform until it was completely healed, “I’ve been granted powers by my masters.” He made a circular motion with his shoulder, “I still have the best chance of winning this. We’re still tied with only three more points each. Here I come!”

Uktesh had no time to think about this new revelation before their next clash. Even from his perspective Uktesh could tell they probably looked like a whirlwind of sparks.  They moved faster and faster, as each tried to score the second point.  The clash of sword on gauntlet soon sounded like nothing more than one continuous sound, instead of the multiple sounds Uktesh knew it was.  Sparks started to strike their skin and clothes.  Quickly Uktesh grew hot, but he couldn’t stop for fear of being hit by one of the blurring gauntlets.  Suddenly both of their shirts started to impede their movements, Riu because his was cut to ribbons and Uktesh because his was soaked with sweat. They broke away and Uktesh threw off his jacket before he could get his shirt off, while Riu slipped out of the tattered remains of his shirt.

Again, Riu sprinted at Uktesh, who didn’t attack in turn. Riu’s first attack was a punch that Uktesh easily swayed away from, but into the path of Riu’s knee.  Uktesh pivoted and brought his knee up into Riu’s thigh, but Riu spun with it to avoid any damage and swung a left hook at Uktesh’s face.
If that connects my neck will snap! 
Uktesh ducked and felt the gauntlet skim across his head. Uktesh stabbed his sword at Riu’s unprotected side, but was blocked again by a blurring gauntlet.  Uktesh kicked out and heel stomped Riu’s right foot, and accepted a diminished blow to his back that still hurt.  Riu’s left hand came in towards Uktesh’s stomach and, instead of the retreat they all expected, Uktesh slipped in away from the punch. His back was now to Riu, and his sword trapped by Riu’s left hand.  Uktesh slammed his head back into Riu’s nose and shattered it, as he felt Riu’s right fist glance off his temple. 

They both remained on their feet and Uktesh lifted and pivoted under Riu’s left arm. His right hand broke Riu’s left arm and freed his sword, as Riu’s right leg snapped into his rib.  Uktesh felt some of them snap.
It feels like three of them
.  Uktesh rolled away, as Riu moved in to finish the fight. Uktesh desperately stopped his roll and stabbed up at Riu’s stomach. Riu tried to block, but Uktesh swerved the sword around his defense.  Riu vainly tried to stop himself, but ran into Uktesh’s sword. Uktesh saw that he’d done too much damage, but as he pulled his sword out, Riu’s skin healed instantly. Uktesh pulled it free and jumped to his feet. The crowd roared, and a rush of exhilaration caused him to ignore Riu’s strange healing. 
I did it!  Four points against Riu! 
He raised his arms above his head and looked for Laurilli. When he saw her, the fear in her face made him roll forward.  He felt Riu’s gauntlet pass where his head had been moments before, and thought,
he’s trying to kill me!
 

The crowd started to boo Riu. The announcer bravely placed himself between Riu and Uktesh and held up his hands for silence.  Once he had it, he shouted, “Ladies and gentlemen. Uktesh is not yet the winner!”  Uktesh could feel his jaw drop open. “Uktesh is fighting in the sword category, while Riu is fighting in mixed. So, Riu can choose to use his body as a weapon to score points, but Uktesh can’t!  The score is held right now three to two in Riu’s favor. Furthermore Uktesh is warned against using his body as a weapon anymore.”  Uktesh was stunned. He’d gone from being the winner to behind by a point, and one penalty away from a one point loss.  “Fight!”

Riu pulled something from behind his back and threw it at Uktesh’s head.
That’s right he might have two other weapons
, Uktesh jumped to the side and saw that the throwing knife stuck into the coliseum wall.  Riu said, “A warning.”  Uktesh nodded and Riu smiled a cold smile, before he threw three at him of which Uktesh deflected two and dodged the third.  He heard the crowd gasp and against his will, he turned and saw that the knife he’d dodged had struck Laurilli in the shoulder. Tylor and Repus were already on the move toward her, while Heathyr held her.  Uktesh looked back to Riu who said, “And that was a warning of a different kind.  I’m going to win and you’re going to die, or your pretty little girl’s going to meet some strangers in a dark alley one day and end up not so pretty and not so innocent.”

Uktesh’s vision turned red around the edges and he tried to fight the urge to all-out attack and hope for the best.  He also knew that with Riu’s left arm still broke, and not somehow healed, he had the advantage, but he had to be careful.

“These masters you’ve spoken of?  Are they going to attack Laurilli?”

“You are insignificant, a bug to be stepped on.  You are beneath their notice.”

“Why are you doing this?  I thought you, at least, had some honor.  Is this the power and resolve of the dragon clan?”

“You tied me! A third flame of the dragon class!  A deed which would’ve demanded retribution alone. But my apprentice wouldn’t shut up about you last night.  Before our tie!  If both of those weren’t enough, the crowd believes you a mere child, unblessed by the Voukidists could defeat me!  I must win this for my home, for my friends, for my masters, and for myself, but more, so that everyone here will remember the power of the dragons.”

“That’s so petty!  I would say that if it’s about the money we can give you two hundred thousand easily!  However, you attacked Laurilli!  I’ve never wanted to kill anyone more than you in this moment.”

“Maybe. But if you can’t kill me I’ll never stop hurting you and that ones you love.”  Riu had turned his body so his right arm was forward and Uktesh stuttered through Rush, Soar, and ended on a perfect Crescent Moon that he knew Riu could block, but not without a near complete loss of his balance.  Instead, Riu did not even try to block. Instead, he accepted the hit on his shoulder, that healed nearly instantly, and threw a lightning fast jab at his face, that just barely missed.  As Riu followed up with a round house kick, Uktesh found himself in a frantic defense.  Uktesh blocked and put some distance between himself and Riu, only to have a dagger thrown at him. 

He dove out of the way and came to his feet. Instantly Rushing, he allowed his sword to be blocked down and spun an elbow at Riu’s face, that he hoped didn’t connect because he would lose a point. But Riu had years to hone his reflexes and instantly dropped under it. He paused half way between a dodge and an attack, as he remembered the same thing Uktesh feared. It was too late. Uktesh continued his spin letting his sword connected with Riu’s neck, and there Uktesh left it, victorious at last. 
I should kill him. He threatened Laurilli and he’s the type who doesn’t bluff.  We don’t need the money, and even if we lose, we’ll have more than enough for Myrtin’s family. 
He couldn’t do it, though. He wasn’t a murderer.  He lowered his sword and stepped back to the roar of the crowd, though he never lowered his guard and didn’t turn his back on Riu, whose neck had already healed the small cut.  The announcer came forward, took Uktesh’s hand, and raised it above their heads in victory. But before he could say anything, Riu struck, as Uktesh had expected, with throwing knives all aimed at Laurilli. 

With clarity he’d never known, almost as if time had slowed down, Uktesh bypassed Rushing and Soaring, and moved straight to Thunder Rolls in the Hills to block all of the knives, even though he felt the muscles in his arms and legs begin to tear.  He attacked with the perfect Rising Knee, and felt his thigh and calf muscles tear, only to be blocked by Riu.  With the last of his strength and with his vision beginning to blacken on the edges, he brought his sword down in a third perfect attack; Woodsman’s Work, straight down towards Riu’s gauntleted guard. As his sword descended into Riu’s block, Uktesh felt himself start to lose consciousness.
I have to finish this! 

As his sword still descended, he attacked again in Woodsman’s Work, doubling the speed and strength. He felt his body start to vibrate like when he first forced his sword through imperfect.
The god form,
he thought excitedly. He didn’t see if his attack did anything against Riu’s double guard before he felt the muscles tear throughout his body.  In a moment, he convulsed and crashed to the ground, unable to slow his fall, as his vision dimmed.  When it came back, he saw Tylor and Larut, as they ran towards him, and Laurilli being helped by a man in this stands.  The last thing he remembered before he blacked out, besides the pain in his body, was a vision of sand that bled.