Fierce

6. Routined Training

Walking away from the conference room. I got stares from many trainees. Most looked on in jealousy, while others looked at me longingly.

I never understood these trainees or people on a whole. Everyone desired what I had but they never stop to think that there lot in life is better than mine.

The excitement of being an assassin, was not worth the work of getting to that position,  I had to live up to expectations of the academy, and the government . Being an assassin carried a lot of responsibilities.

The soldiers trainees often complained about their position, not having enough excitement.  But the grass is not greener on this side.

I wished they could do my job for a day, I knew after that they would stop complaining about being soldiers and accept what life throws them.

I tried not to ignore their stares and report to my final class for the day; Tactics class. I was right on time so we started as soon as we got our fighting gear.

In the corner of the room was a board. It told us who we would be fighting against everytime we had tactics class.

Today I was fighting Joshua Benham, the tallest trainee on our team and the hardest to beat.  He took the term "no mercy" to another level and had put many of our fellow trainees in the hospital wing of the academy.

I've never fought him before but I had no doubt that this was the harder training headmaster was referring to. Still our fights where not gender based.

Which enemy would not bother to engage in a fight just because you were female? None, so our instructors taught us to fight everyone. However this was harder training because it was past our limit. Me fighting some one who was literally twice my height is really a big deal.

If I won it would prove that I'm unstoppable, and who didn't want to be?

"Get prepared " my tactics teacher Mr. Wolfe shouted across the room. He was a short man, slightly bald at the front of his head and slim. He was a misery to be around. The scent of liquor followed him wherever he went.

"Today Raven and Joshua will lead the first round".

I stood up and moved forward to the centre mat. My eyes were now keenly on Joshua, studying him, trying to figure out his weaknesses and his strengths.

I thought back to his previous fights with my classmates, he did not protect his face. He hovered over the rest of us, so he probably thought that no one else could reach him that high.

Well I'll  try to get him to lower himself without him realizing that this was my tactic. That would be a win for me.

My subconscious and I were thinking along the same lines. That would be my play.

Our teacher gave us the signal to start, Joshua charged at me right as the signal was given, I watched him use his routine tactics.

I did not move until he was 10 feet away.  I laid on the floor with my feet behind me waiting patiently. I closed my eyes concentrating on my plan. A shadow formed over me.

I quickly opened my eyes to see Joshua bent over me trying to grab me, but I was faster. I quickly brought my fist to his face sending him crashing to the floor.

A look of pure shock enveloped his face and I used that minute of distraction to speed to him and land a blow to his chest. 

I moved to attack again but he prevented my hands from damaging him further. He held my hands in a fist and quickly sprang up and backhanded me to the floor, that was nothing so I back flipped and added a kick to his face.

He left his body defenceless trying to tend to his face. I used this moment to land a roundhouse kick to his chest causing him to wince and fall to the floor,  I added another to his privates where he proved unable to protect.

I straddled him and began pounding his face with my fists. He was a bloodied mess when I was through and I roughly kicked him to the wall, he hit his head and went limp.

I would've continued if not for my instructor's voice ordering me to stop. They took Joshua to the hospital wing to get treatment.

My classmates looked on in shock,  no one had ever defeated Joshua. I was a first. I walked to my mat awaiting the next fight. My face stung with the blow Joshua had inflicted on it but it was a small tap compared to what I had faced both in the academy and in the outside world,  so I ignored it.