Maxim sighed as he stared at Sydney, who was standing in front of him, holding her weapons. Confirming what he heard through the stories he had read about her, Sydney sported a heavily modified pistol and a saber that would better be described as a dagger.
Sydney glanced at the pistol and saber that Maxim was holding. "I see you've decided to keep your pistol this time."
"Well, I AM going to be fighting one of the aces of the military. I don't stand much of a chance against you, but I am going to use everything in my power to give me at least a chance."
Sydney shook her head. "I think you have a better chance against me than you realize. Despite its decline, the Steiger school has trained some of the best swordsmen in history. From what I've seen, you're a skilled practitioner in the school, and that's not including that it appears you've combined your saber skills with that pistol of yours. I don't know why you decided to hold back in that mock fight, but now it's just the two of us. No need to hold back now."
Let's just get this over with. Maxim thought to himself.
Getting into a fighting position, he stared at Sydney as she held her weapons, not using any known stance that would give Maxim any clues about how she fights. As the seconds began to mount, Maxim had to fight the feelings of anxiousness and nervousness that were slowly building up.
Right as his anxiousness was at its peak, Sydney dashed forward with such speed that Maxim was caught off guard. Blocking her dagger with his saber, Maxim quickly stepped back to try to gain some separation while simultaneously firing his pistol several times. Sydney effortlessly dodged each blast and instantaneously closed the distance that had formed between them.
Using her speed, she slashed at Maxim several times, from several different directions.
This isn't good! She's keeping me from being able to set my feet, and her speed makes it impossible to determine her next move! I'm at a serious disadvantage here!
As Maxim desperately parried her blows, he started walking backwards, relieving the pressure from the assault. As Sydney moved with him, he relieved the pressure of her assault just enough to gain enough time to stick his feet out, tripping her up.
As Sydney regained her balance, Maxim rushed forward, firing a shot from his pistol and thrusting his saber forward. Sydney, seeing the blast, allowed herself to fall, avoiding both the blast and the thrust. After a quick roll away from Maxim, she used her hands to front flip back on her feet, aiming her pistol at Maxim, and pulling the trigger.
Shots rapidly fired from her pistol, forcing Maxim to stop his attack and deflect as many shots as he could. Just as he was focusing all his energy on deflecting the shots, Sydney rushed forward, her dagger managing to graze the right side of Maxim's stomach. However, since it was in training mode, no actual damage was done.
Maxim jumped backwards, breathing heavily, and was grateful that Sydney didn't advance. "I'm impressed." She said, grinning. "Usually in a one-on-one battle, most people aren't able to keep up with my assault for very long."
"I'm not...surprised..." Maxim said between heavy breaths. "I...can hardly...keep up with you."
"That's the point. As you are right now, you can't reach my level, not for a long time. You keep holding back, and you'll never be able to improve, to grow. Your life will end on the battlefield, killed by both the enemy and your own pride. It's my job as your instructor to beat the pride out of you–literally!"
Sydney again dashed forward, firing off several shots from her automatic pistol, feigning an attack on the left before switching to the right at the last second. Maxim dodged the attack, abandoning trying to follow her with his eyes, betraying the training he had gone through. Simply reacting to every strike and step Sydney took, he was backed further and further into an unwinnable corner. However, as Sydney made another strike at his legs, Maxim used all his strength to parry the blow, causing Sydney to stumble backwards ever so slightly. Wasting no time, he desperately swung his saber as quickly as he could, trying to land a strike.
Sydney, like last time, simply dropped to the ground and swept Maxim off his feet with a leg kick. Before he could react, Sydney had her dagger to his throat. "And that...should show you just how far you have to go. You may be a fully trained swordsman, but you lack the experience necessary to adapt, to counter, and ultimately to win a fight to the death."
Sydney deactivated her dagger, putting it back on her belt and held out her hand to Maxim, who took it. After he was standing again, Sydney continued speaking. "I don't know why you decided to come to this academy. I don't even know why this class was established in the first place. However, it's clear to me that you are the strongest of the bunch so far, and I'm sure you know this as well. That's why it baffles me why you didn't go all out. Why you aren't trying to stop Aidan from becoming the leader of this class, despite you being more than capable of that role."
Maxim, who had finally regained his breath, remained silent for a few moments before speaking. "You...were right about me holding back in the mock fight. I did see where exactly Freya was going to dodge my blast, allowing me to easily gun her down. However, dominating them in a practice fight wouldn't inspire confidence in themselves, wouldn't do them any good other than destroying whatever confidence they had and deny them the opportunity to grow. People are more willing to learn from their successes, and that reinforces their desire to improve."
Sydney stared at Maxim, silent. After several seconds, she finally spoke. "You know more than you're letting on...don't you?"
"I'll leave that to your imagination, Instructor."
Sydney chuckled. "Well, at any rate, I now know what you're capable of and what you need to improve. I know the Steiger school trains you in figuring out your opponent's next move and using speed and precision to stop them. However, as you demonstrated today, you haven't quite mastered their teachings to match my speed. Focus on improving that first."
"Yes Instructor."
"You passed the test. You're dismissed."
Maxim saluted Sydney and walked towards the exit of the arena. Sydney watched as he left, deep in thought. Just who is that boy, and what role does he have concerning this class? I'll have to keep an eye on him. Using her holo-watch, she sent out a quick message before starting the long cleanup process of the arena.
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Meanwhile, in the Republic capital Deumi, the elderly man had turned off his computer and started packing things up before he heard a knock on the door. "Come in."
The same young man from before entered. "Mr. President, the negotiations are finally complete. The legislative branch of congress has agreed to give you full authority regarding day-to-day activities of that class."
A smile spread across the President's face. "Good, that's the biggest hurdle out of the way. I hope you didn't give up too much leverage in order to achieve this result."
The man nodded. "Thankfully, we didn't have to compromise on many issues. Your agenda should still proceed relatively unimpeded."
"I'm glad to hear that. Anyways, you know what to do next."
"I do. I'll be leaving right away."
The President nodded. "Safe travels on your journey. Keep me personally informed on what you're doing and what the situation is."
"Will do." The young man left the room, leaving the President there alone. "One step closer to maintaining peace...I just hope we're not too late."
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