Prodigy

-- April 17th, 2011--

J'Zaki clashed with an older woman clad in two pieces of cloth that covered all of her important parts but left everything else open to be seen. Each of them was wielding a pair of Khopesh. On the side, General Linoh and two other women were watching the spar. These women were the teachers from the Hyena and Crocodile Cult that General Linoh had brought to teach the young prince.

"My goodness. I knew it when I trained him but this boy is truly a prodigy. He is mixing all of our styles together while battling her," a woman wearing all green said

"Exactly what I was thinking. Even with those Khopesh swords that are not a match with my Hyena Cult's style, he is able to pull out the parts of the moves that fit him and modify them."

It had been more than a year since Prince J'Zaki started learning under them. At first, they had just taught him about their cultures and their gods. The women said they were unwilling to teach someone who didn't understand their ways.

So J'Zaki had to learn. And learn he did.

The prince didn't mind their rules as he was eager to learn about their cultures. Each of the cults had a rich and powerful history before its fall. J'Zaki became fascinated with each one, especially the Lion Cult.

Unlike the other cults, especially the Black Panther Cult, the goddess of the Lion Cult, Sekhmet, would appear before any of her followers and not just her priests or representatives. This group was also the third most powerful, very close in power to the White Apes and Black Panthers.

After he learned about the various cults and got inducted into their ways, that was when his training began.

The first cult he learned from was the Hyena Cult. They were originally a clan of thieves and scavengers before they came to Wakanda. After they joined the nation, they became the scouts and first line of defense. Their fighting style mainly revolved around the use of knives and daggers to disable their enemies so they could steal from them and run away. Almost none of their moves were designed to kill since you could not rob a dead person more than once.

After the Hyena Cult was the Crocodile Cult. These were the most savage fighters of them all. They were originally slaves of Wakanda until they rose up in the name of their god. The first group rebelled against Wakanda and put up such a fight that after the Wakandans were able to suppress their rebellion and kill all the originals, many other citizens converted to their cause. Their fighting style was less of a style and more of a mindset. It was to let loose and let one's instincts take over until they either killed all their enemies or they were killed themselves.

The last group's style that he mastered was the Lion Cult. Of all the clans, they were the best hunters and warriors. While they lacked the supernatural abilities of the Black Panther Cult and the White Ape Cult or the technological prowess and wealth of the Hyena Cult, they made up for it with sheer skill. Dreah, the teacher from the Lion Cult, required J'Zaki to master the use of 7 different weapons before she finally agreed with the test he was currently taking.

The young teen clashed with the woman once more. The clash was so hard that both of their swords broke during it. J'Zaki was shocked when he saw this, and Dreah took advantage of it.

The woman kicked out and struck the young prince in the chest, sending him flying across the room, into a pillar.

General Linoh nodded before walking forward to check on J'Zaki's condition. The young prince was breathing heavily and clutching his chest in pain but the general didn't see any major injury.

'Hmm. Looks like he was able to mitigate the damage from the blow.'

"How is he?" Dreah asked

"All good. Just give him a moment to catch his breath."

J'Zaki stayed on the ground for about 30 seconds before he finally stood up. He looked at Dreah with nothing but respect in his eyes. He had inherited the Lion Cult's code that respected martial strength above all else. Even if he had a weaker body, he didn't take that into account since she beat him with technique.

Prince J'Zaki bowed at his waist in respect to the woman, "Thank you for your teachings."

Dreah smiled and shook her head. "The honor is mine. To think that a member of the Royal Family would become a student of mine and learn my ways. It is more than I could have ever wished for."

General Linoh called the two other women over and decided to ask their opinions.

"You all have seen what he is capable of. Do you think he is skilled enough to go to the Jabari and learn from them?"

"Hmm. As long as he does not forget the ways of the Lion Cult, he is more than ready."

"I have a few other things to teach him but those require us to go on a journey. We can do that after he comes back. The Hyena Cult says that he is ready."

"He is still fresh and has yet to fully develop his instincts but that takes time. As for the basics, he is more than qualified. The Crocodile Cult says that is prepared for the trials ahead."

General Linoh nodded before she turned to J'Zaki.

"Then it seems that all of your teachers are in agreement. I will have my contact bring you up the mountain tomorrow. Be prepared, my prince."