“There, just like that. You’ve got the footwork down just fine now but it’s all about how you use your body in the heat of combat that determines whether it pays off or not. If you lose focus on where your body is stationed then you’ll regret it when the enemy comes swinging at you from an unexpected direction.” Abir Al-Sadek coached Humayra, his Fanalis companion. She had strength and the will to fight but her actions were blunt and often times far too straight to the point. An experienced fighter could land the girl on her rear at a moment’s notice by using her own strength against her and he was here to make certain she learned the proper fighting etiquette in order to avoid just such a situation.
He’d been helping Humayra train in combat technique now for several weeks and she’d been improving greatly, especially over this last week of their training. In the beginning it’d been easy for Al-Sadek to ground the girl by taking the balance away from her feet. This was of course a fatal situation to be in so their sessions would restart every time he managed to knock her down. Humayra’s frustrations at the ease with which he’d been able to win over her brute force mentality eventually evolved into her willingness to learn the intricacies of what she was doing wrong. Her form had greatly improved over time and so too had her overall strength and execution when it came to combat performance.
Resetting their positions, the two combatants once again assumed ready stances. “On three.” Al-Sadek instructed, to which Humayra nodded approval. His count began and on three the two moved into one another, becoming a blurred flash of light and color. Humayra’s fist reached out but Al-Sadek swiftly parried, returning with a punch of his own which the Fanalis girl managed to stop with her hand. He withdrew his hand lightning quick before Humayra could obtain a grip and his second hand wrapped itself into a ball, reaching for her jaw. She saw the thrown punch coming and cocked her head just enough to avoid the blow while returning with another punch of her own. Al-Sadek was ready and dodged under the blow by dipping his knees. Extending one leg out he moved to sweep at the girl’s legs. It looked like he might succeed in knocking Humayra down but she responded in time with a prompt backstep. “Good” He immediately praised Humayra’s improvement. She’d become aware of more than just the opponent’s fists. Every part of the body was a weapon to be wary of and therefore all parts of an opponent required attention when engaged against them.
Al-Sadek came up, angling a punch towards Humayra’s jaw but she drew back and spun around to deliver a roundhouse kick in response. He blocked and almost immediately regretted it as the force of her kick made his arm smart, but he couldn’t be slow on the response or else his teaching lessons would serve little purpose for the girl. The moment her kick connected; his free hand grabbed. He’d expected to throw Humayra off balance with his counter and end the match but something was different this time around compared to the countless times before when she’d attempted this maneuver. He couldn’t throw her off! Despite only one foot being planted properly on the ground, Humayra stood firm and strong. Without the added momentum of her kick, the Fanalis girl had managed to force a position in which Al-Sadek could not throw her down. Instead, he felt the weight of Fanalis strength pushing him to his knees!
Shoving Humayra’s foot away, Al-Sadek moved to regain control over the fight. He’d failed to witness the swiftness with which the Fanalis girl had altered her posture. She’d regained complete control over the pushed limb and alternated to the other in order to deliver a low sweep at Al-Sadek’s legs. He’d been unprepared for an immediate counterattack and soon found himself sitting on his rear.
The two of them remained motionless for a time. Throughout their training together Humayra had always been the one ending up in the sitting position after each match. This situation was new. Humayra wasn’t the one sitting in the sand wondering what had just happened. This time, for the very first time, Abir Al-Sadek was the one to find himself sitting and staring up in bewilderment at what’d just happened.
”Did I just do it?” Humayra asked, seeming to be just as bewildered by her success as Al-Sadek was to be the one sitting after a match.
“Yes. It does appear that you did. Congratulations!” Al-Sadek replied with a warm smile. Her growth was profound in more ways than one and it hadn’t gone unnoticed. This was perhaps a good moment for her to celebrate her success after their weeks of training together.
”I really did it!” Humayra exclaimed, offering a hand down to help Al-Sadek back onto his feet. He gladly accepted her offer and she pulled him up, after which Humayra promptly jumped around joyously at the wonder of her success. ”I did it!” The two enjoyed the moment, laughing and celebrating Humayra’s success with a little victory dance. This was by no means the end of their training, but in this instant Humayra had earned her right to revel in the moment of her achievement.
Once she’d calmed down from her excitement, Humayra returned to Al-Sadek’s side, a big smile played over her face as she embraced him in a hug. ”Thank you for always sparring with me like this! It means a lot!”
“Anytime” Al-Sadek returned the embrace and offered Humayra an equally big smile of his own. Though the excitement of his features did fade, it was mostly due to his knowledge of what was to come beyond this moment. Humayra was training to become a better fighter and she, like himself, already had blood on their hands. In reality this practice training was only necessary to further the continuation of their goals.
The future still held a lot more bloodshed to come for the young Fanalis girl…
WC: 1,026
He’d been helping Humayra train in combat technique now for several weeks and she’d been improving greatly, especially over this last week of their training. In the beginning it’d been easy for Al-Sadek to ground the girl by taking the balance away from her feet. This was of course a fatal situation to be in so their sessions would restart every time he managed to knock her down. Humayra’s frustrations at the ease with which he’d been able to win over her brute force mentality eventually evolved into her willingness to learn the intricacies of what she was doing wrong. Her form had greatly improved over time and so too had her overall strength and execution when it came to combat performance.
Resetting their positions, the two combatants once again assumed ready stances. “On three.” Al-Sadek instructed, to which Humayra nodded approval. His count began and on three the two moved into one another, becoming a blurred flash of light and color. Humayra’s fist reached out but Al-Sadek swiftly parried, returning with a punch of his own which the Fanalis girl managed to stop with her hand. He withdrew his hand lightning quick before Humayra could obtain a grip and his second hand wrapped itself into a ball, reaching for her jaw. She saw the thrown punch coming and cocked her head just enough to avoid the blow while returning with another punch of her own. Al-Sadek was ready and dodged under the blow by dipping his knees. Extending one leg out he moved to sweep at the girl’s legs. It looked like he might succeed in knocking Humayra down but she responded in time with a prompt backstep. “Good” He immediately praised Humayra’s improvement. She’d become aware of more than just the opponent’s fists. Every part of the body was a weapon to be wary of and therefore all parts of an opponent required attention when engaged against them.
Al-Sadek came up, angling a punch towards Humayra’s jaw but she drew back and spun around to deliver a roundhouse kick in response. He blocked and almost immediately regretted it as the force of her kick made his arm smart, but he couldn’t be slow on the response or else his teaching lessons would serve little purpose for the girl. The moment her kick connected; his free hand grabbed. He’d expected to throw Humayra off balance with his counter and end the match but something was different this time around compared to the countless times before when she’d attempted this maneuver. He couldn’t throw her off! Despite only one foot being planted properly on the ground, Humayra stood firm and strong. Without the added momentum of her kick, the Fanalis girl had managed to force a position in which Al-Sadek could not throw her down. Instead, he felt the weight of Fanalis strength pushing him to his knees!
Shoving Humayra’s foot away, Al-Sadek moved to regain control over the fight. He’d failed to witness the swiftness with which the Fanalis girl had altered her posture. She’d regained complete control over the pushed limb and alternated to the other in order to deliver a low sweep at Al-Sadek’s legs. He’d been unprepared for an immediate counterattack and soon found himself sitting on his rear.
The two of them remained motionless for a time. Throughout their training together Humayra had always been the one ending up in the sitting position after each match. This situation was new. Humayra wasn’t the one sitting in the sand wondering what had just happened. This time, for the very first time, Abir Al-Sadek was the one to find himself sitting and staring up in bewilderment at what’d just happened.
”Did I just do it?” Humayra asked, seeming to be just as bewildered by her success as Al-Sadek was to be the one sitting after a match.
“Yes. It does appear that you did. Congratulations!” Al-Sadek replied with a warm smile. Her growth was profound in more ways than one and it hadn’t gone unnoticed. This was perhaps a good moment for her to celebrate her success after their weeks of training together.
”I really did it!” Humayra exclaimed, offering a hand down to help Al-Sadek back onto his feet. He gladly accepted her offer and she pulled him up, after which Humayra promptly jumped around joyously at the wonder of her success. ”I did it!” The two enjoyed the moment, laughing and celebrating Humayra’s success with a little victory dance. This was by no means the end of their training, but in this instant Humayra had earned her right to revel in the moment of her achievement.
Once she’d calmed down from her excitement, Humayra returned to Al-Sadek’s side, a big smile played over her face as she embraced him in a hug. ”Thank you for always sparring with me like this! It means a lot!”
“Anytime” Al-Sadek returned the embrace and offered Humayra an equally big smile of his own. Though the excitement of his features did fade, it was mostly due to his knowledge of what was to come beyond this moment. Humayra was training to become a better fighter and she, like himself, already had blood on their hands. In reality this practice training was only necessary to further the continuation of their goals.
The future still held a lot more bloodshed to come for the young Fanalis girl…
WC: 1,026
