16 Chapter 15

Johan and I took to our stages at the same time, for once, so I was not able t6o watch his quarter-qualifying match. However, I was fairly certain of his victory because he seemed to be facing a simple sword fighter while I was up against an older fighter. Like everybody I had actually fought against, this kid was at the age limit for the tournament and was a few inches taller than me, but like Rik he did not look down on me.

Setting himself apart from everybody else, though, this kid waited til the start of the match before saying, "Don't hold back, I won't."

"And I won't hold it against you," I replied calmly, inching slowly forward while circling as the other boy did the same. Almost at the same time, both of us lunge forward to close the distance and started swinging. Unlike with Rik, I focused more on bobbing and leaning away from the older boy's blows while wailing on his arms as hard and as fast as I could.

After only a few seconds of this, though, the older boy hops back out of reach and lashes out with a front kick that I am forced to block with both arms. Feinting an injury by backing up and dropping to one knee, I let the older boy move in to press his advantage before leaping up and ramming my knee forward between the arms that reached out to grab me. My knee slammed solidly into the boy's chest with all of my weight and strength behind it, forcing him to take several steps back.

Feinting to press my own advantage, I take two half steps forward as if closing the distance only for the other guy to once again kick out at me. Sidestepping easily, I punch the boy's leg in the ankle to throw his leg and balance to the side before once again leaping forward. This time, I feinted by raising my knee so that the boy who just caught his balance back would bring his arms up to block his chest only to take a falling punch right to the middle of his face.

The boy was staggered once again from the blow as a thin rivulet of crimson started running down to his chin, but he kept his wits and sidestepped my attempt to close in with a kick of my own. Sidestepping once again to start circling, the other boy would feint his own lunges to try and draw me out but instead I simply remained in place and swiveled around on my back leg to keep him in front of me. Finding no flaws he could take advantage of, the other boy threw caution to the wind and rushed in.

Just like in my first fight against the fat boy, I simply dropped into a roll the swept his legs backward out from under him and swiftly sprang back up to my feet. Leaping onto the older boy's back as he climbed to his feet, I wrap my legs about his shoulders and chest to pin his arms to his sides and then locked his neck in the crook of my elbow. The older boy actually jumped up to fall backwards, thinking he could crush and weaken me, but instead I just exhaled as we fell to minimize the internal impact.

Without his arms, the older boy could only writhe about and try to buck me off, but I refused to loosen my hold and even grabbing his face under his nose to try pulling his head up. In a 'real' fight, I would have had no problems digging my fingers into his nose to tear their head up and strangle the other person. However, between kids, I could only use a lesser version of this tactic.

Not even half of a minute after I had gotten my arm under their chin, they were quickly tapping and slapping at my elbow as a sign of submission. However, I simply looked at the judge and waited for the somewhat elderly man who remained nearby throughout the match to end the fight. As soon as he opened his mouth the end the fight, I released the other boy before the judge even finished his few words.

Johan was still on his stage as I was announced the winner, fighting with his back to me while staving off the rain of heavy wooden sword blows that his opponent was laying down. At this stage in his tournament, it seemed like only people around Johan's skill level remained and he was forced to put forth real effort. Luckily, this gave me a chance to gauge his actual skill while fighting against equals rather than weeding out the weak.

Despite the short length of my previous fight, I found myself feeling winded and both of my arms were still sore as I took my seat. Even this pain, though, was a learning experience that I needed to get used to my current body. Even though most of the real enemies I would face would be around my current size, their average strength was equal to average adults.

"What have you been teaching this boy?" Mr. Hiel asks incredulously after watching my ruthless victory, staring at my father with a gaping mouth.

My father simply shrugged and said, "The same stuff we learned in the military, and he's just as good with a spear. I don't mean to brag, but he's a bit of a natural at it. Just a couple months ago we had a mock staff fight for the first time and I stood in a circle like our old drill instructors. He knocked me out of the circle in less than five minutes. Speaking of which, what have YOU been teaching your boy? He's just as good as mine, it looks like."

"My boy's a little older so he's probably a little better," Mr. Hiel replies with a chagrined smile, turning is attention back to Johan's fight where his son was just whipping the fore end of his pole into the other boy's unguarded legs after feinted a head-height swing with the aft. "Just like you, I've only taught him the same stuff we were taught, but he's partial to staves and polearms. Boy says he's going to join the Guild once he's of age and I don't doubt he'll be a little terror with a halberd in his hands. If he had a knack for magic, I'd have nothing to worry about."

Chuckling lowly, my father says, "The way you say that makes it sound like you've never drowned somebody on land with magic or drained the air from their lungs. You know enough to teach him, so why haven't you?"

"He's got no knack for it," Mr. Hiel replies almost sorrowfully. "He can do basic mana manipulation and start fires, but his growth is nothing like mine was. Worse yet, he lets it get to him and so he kind of disregards training his magic in favor of training his body. Hugo might be able to help him with that, instigating his competitive nature and whatnot."

"I could try," I say without thinking, making it obvious that I was following their conversation as well as Johan's fight. Johan was just in the process of dodging and blocking his opponents thrusts and slashes, having let him get to his feet after knocking them down. Despite the look of fierce concentration on his face, it did not seem like Johan was over exerting himself or even having a hard time.

"I'd be much obliged," Mr. Hiel says without caring about my entering the conversation. "He's quick on the uptake for just about anything, but he just doesn't have the drive to train his magic. If you could help him find that want or need for magic, it'd change his life."

If I came out and told him the truth about myself and the future I feared, he would probably have all the drive he needed to help the friends of his family who he considered the same as family. However, if I did that then it would simply make its way back to Mr. Hiel and I have no idea what would happen from there. If my father went to Mr. Hiel first, then I could use it, but that would still involve getting the two of them involved.

I was not sure if all of the affairs I needed to have in order would be ready by then.