21 December 2012
"Dionys! Enter the Pit!" the Tertie Matriarch commanded.
Pinai was already standing in the middle and gave Dionys a sarcastic smile as their eyes met. The wind was blowing sand in Dionys' face but she was determined to endure everything in the Pit and didn't let it bother her.
The Matriarch raised her hand. "Begin!"
Next to the her stood the other initiates watching the fight in obedient silence. The combatants drew their moon-shaped knives and kissed the ruby-clad steel as they had been told to do for as long as they could remember.
Dionys entered a defensive stance but Pinai lunged towards her so fast she barely had time to respond with a block. Pinai unleashed a flurry of slashes at Dionys face and forced her to focus all she had on deflecting the deadly attacks. They had long since passed the transition to sharp blades but Dionys had never thought she would ever face the fiercest of her fellow initiates. Everyone knew Pinai was going to advance to High Sister someday.
Pinai's knife found Dionys arm and the pain wrecked her off balance. Pinai tackled her to the ground and raised her arms for a downward attack. Dionys saw the craze in her eyes and performed a back roll before her skull could be split in two.
She rolled up on her knees and expected another attack but Pinai had lowered her guard.
"You're a truly sorry sight down there in the sand."
Dionys didn't as much as blink as she slowly rose back on her feet and spat out the sand in her mouth.
"Silence!" the Tertie shouted, "a real enemy will never trade friendly insults, only death."
Dionys took her chance and charged at Pinai with a chain of attacks that was easily blocked by the senior initiate. Pinai ducked under Dionys last slash and punched her in the stomach. Dionys crumbled in pain and didn't even see Pinai's roundkick coming at her face.
When Dionys opened her eyes she could see Pinai's silouette looming above her against the afternoon sun. She realised she was lying down.
"Hah! You will only be a scribe if you are going to be this weak!"
The Tertie Matriarch jumped down from the ledge and approached them with stern steps. She looked down on Dionys, laying there with her hair full with gravel.
"Thank you, Dionys," the Tertie said.
"What?!" Pinai said, just as confused as Dionys.
The instructor looked up on Pinai. "This duel is meant to teach you both humility. The best against the worst, that's how it is done. Dionys will now practice harder than you ever have."
Pinai scoffed. "Maybe so, but she will never be as good as me. Didn't you see how she moved?"
The Tertia bored her eyes into Pinai. "All I saw was one of you passing this trial, and it was not you." She drew her knives. "On your guard!"
Dionys had never before seen one of the matriarchs fight and it was a wonder to witness. Her speed was twice that of Pinai and it looked like she was dancing with a rag doll. In a matter of seconds she had pushed Pinai to the other edge of the Pit and then she shoved her to the ground. The Tertia kneeled on top of Pinai and pressed her knives against her throat so that they made it bleed.
"A High Sister would've countered all of my attacks even in a newly woken state. I came at you with an assassin's attack pattern. You have as much to learn as Dionys if you think you are her superior."
The Tertie Matriarch removed her knives and paced away.
Dionys approached Pinai and offered a hand to help her up. Pinai looked at her for a long time, then the hand and slapped it away with a snort and stormed off.
"The Matriarch was right," Dionys thought as she watched Pinai disappearing through the gate, "I will practice harder than ever before."
Dionys - The High Sister (part 2) • Opuss № I