Beyond Christmas : World War Elf (A Santa Clause Fan fiction)

Chapter 8: cut from the same cloth

While Carbon had Kafka help her set up a stealth exercise, that wouldn't be an exercise she'd run for the day, but instead, Kafka and Penelope. The first exercise Carbon and Bernard would be running was a simple hand to hand combat training task that would be used in the event of being disarmed by an enemy soldier. 

Carbon was still a little tense from the incident with Dagger at breakfast, so she figured that this exercise may help her let out a little bit of the extra frustration she couldn't let out onto Dagger's face through her fists. He was really pushing it with this second in command crap, with his newfound power and superiority to the other Southern and Northern elves that weren't herself and Bernard. But the fact that Bernard could put him into his place, even if only temporary, gave her a little hope that this issue would be resolved soon, hopefully before war at least. 

"Alrighty! For today's exercise, you'll be back in your lovely pairs again, one Northern elf to one Southern elf until double ups are necessary like last time!" Carbon announced, sat on the boxing ring they had set up inside of a large gymnasium alongside Bernard who chose to stand instead. 

The gymnasium would be where they'd conduct all of their exercises for the day, since it would be easier to do all of those certain activities within the gym rather than switching to inside and outside constantly. 

"Your first activity for today will be hand to hand combat in your pairs, pretty simple, and common knowledge ground rules will be applied to the stage," Carbon explained, then cracking her knuckles, "losers of each match will have to fight me, no mercy. That way, while we fight, I'll be able to personally mentor you."
She then looked to Bernard, who continued the explanation of the rules.
"A win will be achieved when you're able to pin your opponent down for a solid three seconds, or obviously if you knock them out or something which I do not condone," he added, crossing his arms, "the winners will be fighting me as a disciplinary measure."

Once they had finished their explanation, Carbon clapped her hands together with an intimidating grin. 

"Alright, let's begin." 

The first pair that would fight would be one of the notorious trap maker boys, Lynch Cobra, who, coincidentally enough, was paired with one of the tinsel boys, Jeremiah Holly. Carbon already knew how this match would end, all of the trap makers were dirty cheat fighters, but she wouldn't say anything, she'd simply watch and see how the Northern elf would take it. 

Bernard held a hand out at the start of the match, the two fighter preparing themselves to go hand to hand. 

"Ready...set..." he brought his hand up abruptly and shouted, "fight!"

When they began to fight, immediately was there strengths and weaknesses set up between them while the surrounding Southern elves howled in excitement. While Lynch seemed more persistent on his attacks, Jeremiah was very efficient in his defence. That meant that their weaknesses were each other's strengths, which was sure to make a close fight given Lynch didn't try anything too dirty. Carbon figured that the Northern elves didn't trust the Southern ones to play fair, a fair judgement when two thirds of the precinct were the scum of the earth. That would mean that they'd have their awareness heightened, where as the Southern elves would let their guards down because they didn't think that the Northern elves were capable of a good fight. How wrong they were. What Carbon also noted was that the energy conservation method seemed to be used throughout the Northern precinct as a common skill, which she cursed herself for not taking into account for her own soldiers. That's why Jeremiah's defence was so good, because he had to keep it up long enough to wear out Lynch to the point he could find a decent opening and pin him down from there.