"This is Trevor," said Yun. "His companion, Scarface, shall train with us. I expect the same level of dedication and discipline from each of you as if this were one of our blood brothers. Understood?"
"Yes sir!" the entire assembly said in unison.
"Continue!"
As if there had been no interruption, the mass continued with the same level of energy they possessed only moments earlier. Not one of the students was distracted as the two men led the raptor Scarface through the center of the warehouse. Scarface, however, took in as much as he could. Here, he saw humans fighting each other on a level he had never before seen. Jumping and spinning, kicks and punches, and wielding weapons he had seen in The Pit on a level he did not know existed.
The trio came at last to a large door with four guards who did not move a muscle. Two fiery braziers bordered the door, giving the feel of an ancient temple. Yun stopped just before the first of the guards.
"You must remain here," said Yun in a warning tone. "I alone am allowed to enter without being summoned. If anyone else steps beyond these guards, they will kill without hesitation. Do you understand?"
Trevor nodded. He motioned for Scarface to stay as Yun opened the door just far enough to allow himself to enter. As the door closed with a loud clack, Trevor could hear it bolt from the opposite side. Looking at the guards, he felt a bit uneasy.
Each guard was dressed entirely in black, only their eyes being exposed. Although they stood with arms behind their backs and faced onward in a blank expression, Trevor had heard how quickly well-trained guards of the Black Dragon were to act. Stories had circulated through the Khepri Military how a single guard could, in only a few seconds, disarm three men, kill them, and stand exactly as he had been as if nothing had happened.
Yun emerged a few moments later, again opening the large door only enough for him to exit, and closed it before approaching Trevor. "I have spoken to our clan leader," Yun explained. "Your Scarface shall undergo the first level of training. If he succeeds, we will train him further. If not, you will both leave and never speak of this place again. If you do, you will be silenced. Am I understood?"
Trevor nodded, understanding perfectly what being silenced meant. "Yeah. Just what is the first level of training?"
"Follow me."
Yun guided Trevor and Scarface into one of the doorways on the side of the building. Looking back, Trevor glanced one final time at the guards who appeared to be nothing more than statues from his vantage point. A few curious glances came from students that had finished their rounds, but none approached. They knew better than to intrude on business that was not their own. Opening the door, Yun led the two into a room with leather straps and various weights.
"The first level of training deals with discipline and building muscle strength," said Yun as he opened a cabinet. "As we have never before had a type of student such as this, some modifications must be made to our equipment."
"I don't understand," Trevor said as he looked around the room. "How do you expect Scarface to lift weights?"
Yun opened the door and shouted a command, to which five of the nearest students responded and stood in a straight line. Yun pointed to one, who bowed and entered the room. The remaining students continued once again as if there had been no interruption. Yun spoke a few sharp words and the student removed his outer tunic and laid it on the floor.
Trevor's eyes grew wide at what he saw. The student's visible muscles appeared to be toned to perfection, but straps of leather held metal weights all over his body. Yun issued a command and the student answered in an affirmative tone and both men entered a fighting stance. The student attacked first with surprising speed despite weights on his arms, legs, and torso.
Yun moved gracefully, but only dodged. Not once did he bring his hands up from his sides, appearing to be dancing as the student fought to lay but a single strike. After a short pause in fighting, Yun issued another command and the student shed all of his weights. Through the marks left by the straps, Trevor saw even more clearly the perfectly shaped muscles on the student’s body.
Nodding, Yun assumed a fighting stance once more. The student charged and leapt higher than what Trevor believed to be humanly possible while delivering no fewer than ten kicks before landing on the ground. The student's speed appeared to have more than doubled and now Yun was actively blocking strikes. Still unable to land a blow, the student persisted until Yun held out his hand. The student immediately halted in mid-strike and bowed himself before Yun and retrieved his weights.
"As you can see, Trevor," said Yun, "not everyone will be able to pass this first stage of testing. More than half the applicants fail to sustain their movements after sustaining the weights for any extended period. They are branded, never again being able to apply again. But those who succeed are granted speed and strength far beyond any normal man."
"So this is why the military had such a hard time facing you during the war," said Trevor. "I understand now."
Yun nodded. "Yes, and now that you know this secret you can never speak of it. Do you understand?"
"Yes. Do you think Scarface will be able to pass?"
Both men looked down to the raptor. His eyes burned with excitement after having witnessed such a feat, and there was no doubt in their minds.
"He will pass."
****
The weights were difficult for Scarface to say the least, as was the task of the Black Dragon finding the means of attaching it to the raptor’s body. Though proportionate to his body weight and distributed evenly with customized straps, the raptor's body was unaccustomed to carrying much weight at all. After the first day he was exhausted, but refused to give up. It soon became easier and Scarface was rapidly moving as if there were no restraints on his body.
Being that his body was still developing, Scarface found himself at an advantage. Most of the recruits for the Black Dragon had long since reached their adult size. Approaching four feet in length, Scarface was nearly half his adult size. When things became difficult it angered Scarface, but he held onto the anger and let it fester inside of him. In his mind, the anger gave him more strength. Finally, the day of the first test had arrived.
"The time has come," Yun said before his students. A modest assembly of black clad figures sat on the exterior of the rectangular arena, come to witness the testing that would prove to be a groundbreaking moment. "Bring forth the raptor."
Two of the members stood simultaneously and retreated, returning with the raptor Scarface. The saurian student was bound with straps to keep him from acting out, but at a motion of the hand by Yun the bonds were released. Scarface, still held down by the weights, approached. Parting his jaws in a menacing hiss, the raptor remembered the day only a week previous where Yun had humiliated him in The Pit.
Scarface was stronger now, his muscles having grown accustomed to the weights. He had observed how these humans fought. He knew the movements. He was ready. At a signal from Yun, Scarface attacked. Without shrieking, he moved quickly and faked an attack. As expected, the human moved to deflect. At the last second, Scarface altered his approach and spun around to strike with his tail.
Yun saw the change in tactic and responded in kind with a sweeping technique. The strike was solid, taking the raptor's feet from under him. However, Scarface recovered quickly and used the falling momentum to lash out with his foot claws. Yun again dodged and recomposed himself just as Scarface had regained balance.
Scarface leapt, slashing his forelimbs as Yun dodged. Yun began to counter only to see that Scarface was turning in mid air and lashed out with his jaws. Yun dodged this and jumped to another position in the ring. When he landed, Yun dropped his fighting stance and motioned to two students. Immediately they stood and ran to remove the weights from Scarface.
Once the weights were removed from the raptor, Yun resumed his fighting stance. Scarface crouched low and lunged. He was surprised by his
new speed and slashed with his claws only to meet empty air. Spinning around in a blur the raptor lashed blindly and was rewarded with the satisfying resistance of cloth and flesh.
Yun stepped back, examining the fresh wound on his arm before returning his gaze to the young raptor. In a flurry, Yun executed a series of punches and kicks. Scarface struggled to dodge but managed to avoid the blows. In a quick decision, the raptor lunged forward and dashed between his attacker's legs.
Yun spun around to see Scarface skid to a halt, tearing the floor mat with his claws. Scarface hissed and leapt high, higher than he had ever jumped before. Nearly ten feet in the air, he sailed over his opponent and cleared a large distance. Upon landing, Scarface righted himself and lunged once more, only to be struck hard on the side by one of Yun's spinning kicks.
Scarface could feel at least one of his ribs break from the blow as he fell to his side. Struggling to stand once again, he forced his way to his feet and limped toward his opponent. He would not allow this injury to rob him of his victory. This would be twice the human had defeated him.
Yun saw the determination in the young raptor's eyes, and then dropped his stance. He motioned to a black clad figure in the corner that removed a small blowgun and fired a dart at Scarface. The raptor fell almost instantly, remaining conscious long enough to gaze venomously at Yun.
"He has a broken rib," said Yun. "Treat his injury. He has passed."
Chapter 12
A week passed and Scarface returned to full health. The Black Dragon had treated him using advanced medical techniques to ensure he would recover quickly. The weights were returned to Scarface's body and training intensified. Being unable to learn the traditional way, Scarface was allowed to fight and spar with the human students. In time, through much observation, he learned their maneuvers and the training sessions he attended lengthened.
It was not until several more months had passed that Scarface began to expand his view on what he could be capable. During one session after he had successfully defeated one of the younger students, Scarface became acutely aware of another student crying out in pain. Curious, the raptor removed himself from the presence of the other students to see a group standing around a fallen man, Yun on his back pressing deeply with his thumb.
"There are many points on the body where clusters of nerves meet," Yun explained. "Exacting pressure on these points can cause severe pain with minimal effort. To win a battle you do not always have to engage your opponent in direct combat. A victory, even if minimal physical effort is used, is still a victory."
The student's nodded as the demonstrator stood, face bright red from exertion, and bowed to Yun. Yun nodded and the student found his place among his comrades. A few turned to see Scarface approach slowly. The raptor met their gaze with a menacing hiss before falling in line.
"It would appear that our saurian brother wishes to participate as well," said Yun. He waved his hand and immediately a man clad entirely in black was by his side. "The raptor wishes to learn of pressure points. We cannot allow his claws to be free during training purposes. Have something devised for him."
The man clasped his hands together and bowed quickly before blending in with the shadows. The students watched nervously and stepped away from Scarface, whose jaws were opening in a wicked raptor grin. The saurian student had always made them nervous, especially given the freedoms he was allowed. Many had sparred with him, suffering minor cuts and an untold number of welts and bruises, and now he was to learn more accurate points for causing pain.
After two days, a customized set of gloves arrived. They were fitted over Scarface's feet and fore limbs, allowing the digits to move freely but not cause piercing damage. It took another full day for the raptor to become accustomed to his new attire, but quickly found himself before the instructor.
A diagram of the human nervous system was displayed before the students, showing the exact points where pressure was to be applied. Yun had retired from the training grounds to deal with business elsewhere, which was for the best for Scarface as he was ambitious and eager to test these new pain areas.
A different instructor demonstrated the pressure points and the students began to practice using mild strikes with their hands and fingers. Scarface, unable to maneuver his own digits in the same manner, modified his technique to include jabs with his snout and swinging motions with his fingers.
Many attempts at finding the specific points under his opponent's cloth uniform failed. In his frustration, the raptor lashed out with a jab from his snout against a student's thigh. The student immediately buckled and fell to the ground. Scarface cocked his head curiously and looked at the instructor. The instructor nodded and pointed to the spot Scarface had struck on the diagram.
Pleased with himself, the raptor faced his opponent again and lashed out. After two failed attempts, he was rewarded with a twinge of pain on the student’s face. Once again, the instructor pointed on the chart where Scarface had struck. Smiling with his wicked raptor grin, Scarface continued in this manner until his opponent requested to be retired from training. A fresh opponent was supplied and the training continued.
Months passed further, Scarface balancing his fight training with the pressure points. As he grew larger and stronger, more weights were added to his frame. He struck harder during sparring and quickly became more accurate with pressure points. After a full year, he was on par with the best of the students and refused to work with any other than the best.
"He has done quite well, Trevor," Yun said in the office as he handed a glass of wine to the bounty Hunter. "He has progressed faster than many of my best students."
Trevor took a sip of wine and looked out the glass window to see the students training alongside the raptor. "Hard not to think of him as one of your own," he said. "But how long until he gets bored again? Last year he nearly took out a military officer. I'd hate to see what he'd do to the guy now."
"We still have means of keeping the raptor occupied. He has yet to experience an opponent wielding a weapon. Perhaps a demonstration for the other students is in order. Normally they must master hand to hand combat before being allowed training weapons, but since the raptor will not be wielding them we could advance his training."
Trevor drank the remaining liquid in his glass and set it gently on the table. "I appreciate you doing this for me. He will be a valuable asset in my endeavors. I have been able to get a few good bounties but not without my fair share of personal loss and injury."
Yun nodded slowly as he rubbed his chin. "Perhaps another year and the raptor will be yours again."
"It seems a long time. Isn't he ready now?"
"Come with me."
Trevor followed Yun into the training area. Students jumped to attention and Scarface casually stood, more out of habit than respect. Yun motioned to Scarface, who stepped forward and narrowed his eyes in hatred at the human. At a motion from Yun, the raptor's claw restraints and weights were removed before he made his way into the ring.
"You have come far, Scarface," said Yun. "But you still have far to go. We will begin the next phase of your training."
Yun nodded to a guard, who presented him with twin wooden swords. Scarface cocked his head, unsure of what to make of the new development. He remembered seeing the objects being used before, but he quickly decided it did not matter. With his constraints removed, he would defeat Yun with no difficulty.
Trevor watched anxiously. He did not know if Scarface had seen him, much less recognized, but he was about to see just how far the raptor's training had come. The two combatants stood, barely moving as they studied each other. Scarface attacked first.
With lightning speed, the raptor lunged. Yun dodged the initial attack but quickly realized it was a ruse. The raptor's tail was already bearing down on the intended area where Scarface knew Yun would move. Yun adjusted his body to avoid the solid blow but was grazed by Scarface's elongated tail feat
hers.
The next few seconds were a blur of attacks, dodges and counter attacks. Both were well trained and skilled, but the training swords were something Scarface had never before seen. After the combatants broke from the scuffle and returned to a ready position, Yun smiled.
"You fight well," said Yun. "But the first round is always to gauge an opponent's skill, strength, and weakness. The second round is to test their defense!"
Yun charged, swinging the wooden blades in a well-choreographed technique, causing Scarface to stagger. The raptor was able to dodge the first strike but was struck hard on the neck by the second blade. He hissed and retaliated, trying to get between the swirling blades and tear at the man he despised so much. His speed was an advantage, but Yun had experience.
Changing tactics, Scarface went after the blades. He tried to knock them away but only succeeded in being beaten by them several times sequentially. His anger rising, Scarface attacked more fiercely. Using every technique he knew, the raptor engaged his enemy. In a split second, an opening presented itself.
A more primal part of Scarface took over. Rather than a controlled technique he knew, the raptor lashed out with his claws. The blow landed squarely on Yun's face, producing three deep parallel cuts.