Savage POV
"C'mon, Savage. Scared?" Marcel, a trainee needles me. I remain silent. Does this kid have ANY sense of self preservation? I'll have to speak Darir about this. This kid is gonna get himself hurt if he keeps on challenging full fledged members.
"Just one bout? I want to see how I measure up against full fledged agents. Please?" He's practically begging now.
I can feel his presence starting to annoy me. But I was taught to keep my emotions just underneath the surface.
I need coffee. But a bout might wake me up, and it'll deal with any attitude problems later today.
This is why I don't work with trainees. They ask too many questions.
He's still behind my chair, waiting expectantly. I huff out a sigh. "Fine." I stand up, exit my office, and head to the arena, a smug apprentice on my trail.
I'm already in my workout clothes, so I'm loitering around, waiting for Marcel to get out of the changing rooms.
He strides out, a cocky grin on his face. As if he wasn't about to face one of the ZSS's best agents.
We're in the arena, knees bent, elbows cocked, hands loosely clenched.
A robotic voice counts down for us.
"Three. Two. One. Fight!"
He launches towards me, bearing down with all his weight, and reaching out with his forelegs to crush me in a bear hug.
It's a predictable move.
I calmly sidestep, let him crash head first into the ground.
He twists, lashing out at my ankles. I jump, using my natural gifts. I come down hard on the small of his back. He grunts in pain.
"Give up, greenie?"
"No!"
He quickly twists, seeking to throw off my balance. But I had felt how his muscles had bunched under my feet.
When he twists, I gently lean over and punch his stomach-just hard enough to remind him who I am.
We continue for a while, the adrenaline flowing through my bloodstream enough to keep me awake.
I could have ended this at any time, but this isn't just about me. Marcel will one day have to go out into the field, and he'll need every moment of practice he can get.
"I-I'm done. You win." Marcel coughs out.
I relax from my battle stance. "Had enough?"
He stands up, rubbing his bruises. "Yeah. I have."
"Good. But next time, THINK before you go around yelling challenges. It's not a healthy habit."
