With some hesitation, Fátima’s crew obeyed her command. The trio separated, looking around the area for something to break. While the rest of the Dragon’s Bite dojo went on their rampage, Fátima picked up her bokken again and took her familiar stance, shaking off the last bit of lingering sting from her fingers. Her eyes cut towards the old man, both pairs of eyes locking with each other. Their anger was visible.
“The only reason you got away with that was because I wasn’t paying attention,” Fátima said in a low voice. “Now I’m all focused.” She rolled her fingers as she held onto the hilt, keeping the weapon steady and straight. “You should’ve taken that offer.”
“Now I know what kind of person you really are, Fátima.” Rodney remained calm, positioning his weapon in such a way that would allow him to defend himself from any sudden attacks. “You’re just as bad as Hudson.”
Fátima took a step to the side. Rodney responded by moving in the opposite direction, keeping the distance between them a consistent length. “I… I didn’t want it to come to this,” she said with a tone that had a mix of sadness and anger. “But I can’t let you get away with a cheap shot like that. Not in front of everyone here.” The kendoka went in for a forward stab. Rodney sidestepped and deflected the attack towards the opposite direction.
“So you got a fragile ego, huh? That’s all it takes to get under your skin?” Rodney responded with a diagonal slash directed towards her shoulder. Fátima bent her arm and angled the bokken closer to her, stopping the attack an inch short from her body. The force of Rodney’s attack made her stagger back a bit. “You attacked the wrong studio if that’s the case!” The old man continued his onslaught, striking from a variety of angles. Fátima’s sword continued to clash with Rodney’s, with each impact making a loud crack that overcame the noise of shattering glass and porcelain.
Fátima managed to keep up, but her resolve began to weaken. Her posture became sloppy as she tried to properly defend a rising swing directed towards her left side. “That’s not proper kendo form!” she exclaimed as she struggled to block another upwards attack from the opposite direction.
“This isn’t kendo!” Rodney stepped forward while bringing his bokken behind him with one hand. With a crimson streak, the weapon travelled in a low arc and smacked Fátima in her shin. The woman bent down on the knee of the afflicted leg and let out a sharp whine. She closed her eyes as the sting travelled up the course of the leg. Despite the pain, she still held onto her weapon with both hands but had abandoned trying to maintain a proper stance.
“Give me that.” The old man grabbed the bokken by the edge and tore it out from her hands with one tug. Fátima kept her head down, but the glistening tears were visible as they traveled down her cheek. She reached down and held onto the point of impact with both hands. Rodney lowered his bokken and placed it against her shoulder. The kendoka didn’t open her eyes.
“You and the other three. Get out and never return,” Rodney said in a low voice.
Fátima rose to her feet, keeping her head down as she walked out through the front door. The other instructors stopped with their destruction, looked at each other before running towards the exit. “Fátima! Is everything alright? Fátima!” Spencer said as he burst out through the door with the other two not far behind.
After watching the members of Dragon’s Bite leave, Quang watched on in rage as Hudson took his hammer and swung at the potted plant that was placed along the studio wall. The vase shattered to bits, sending dirt and leaves across the floor. Quang struggled to break free from his captors, only to have them hold him tighter as they laughed.
“You can’t do anything without your goons, can you Hudson?” Quang shouted once he realized that becoming free from the clutches of the two Union men was futile. Hudson put a pause on the destruction to look at the captive man.
“You think I’m as dense as I look?” Hudson said as he pointed towards Quang with one finger. “I already put you through a table once and I can do it again. Once we’re done here, looks like you’ll be due for another lesson!”
“It’s three against six now, Hudson!” Rodney shouted. Hudson turned from Quang to the old man. He then darted his head around the area, soon realizing that Fátima and those she had brought along were gone.
“Where did…?” The Union leader grit his teeth as he looked to see what his other men were doing. One was tearing into a punching bag with his crowbar while another was smashing the floor’s tiles with his hammer. Another stood at the other end of the studio and was hacking away at the door to the office with an axe. The remaining two held onto Quang, both nervously looking around the studio as well.
With a bokken in each hand and at his sides, Rodney stepped closer. Hudson clutched onto his hammer and spread his legs in a fighting stance that contradicted his nervous face. “Hold on a second, you old geezer. You don’t want Quang getting hurt, would ya?” He turned to his two men who tightened their grip on his command.
While the two men tried to keep Quang still, Selene approached from behind, striking one in the back with shaft of her tonfa. He fell forward, releasing his captive in the process. With one arm free, Quang took hold of his concealed weapon and with a blinding forward fling, hit his other captor in the face. He fell backwards, giving Quang full control of his body once more.
“Hudson!” Quang shouted as he dashed forward. The leader took his attention off from Rodney and angled his hammer at the right time to block a backhanded nunchuck strike.
Using his handle, Hudson pushed Quang back. He maintained his balance from the blow and straightened himself to face his opponent. His weapon moved between his hands with grace, the nunchucks creating fluid arcs as he twirled the weapon in the air before letting one of the batons rest underneath his arm and the other in his hand.
“Those fancy maneuvers don’t translate to a fight, little guy.” Hudson angled his body to the side and performed and another shove, but with the head of the hammer instead of the handle. Quang turned tilted his torso to the side, dodging the shove and counter attacking a swift strike at Hudson’s vulnerable arm. The larger man jerked back, his skin turning red from where he was struck. Despite the attack, Hudson didn’t take his attention off Quang.
Towards the other end of the room, he could see Rodney approach the two men behind him with the two wooden swords drawn. The two Union men tearing apart the studio looked up from their work and began to cower when they saw Rodney heading their way. They took up a defensive stance, quivering with their weapons blocking the front of their bodies. Rodney attacked, swing his weapons with precision, hitting them in their sides with a series of lashes. Both men tumbled to the ground, placing their hands on the afflicted areas. Once downed, continued his barrage, smacking whatever exposed area he could with the edge of the weapon.
“Rodney! Look out!” Quang shouted as he saw the Union member with the axe close in. He carried his weapon to the side, preparing to perform a vertical hack. When Rodney’s eyes met his, he trembled, starting up a swing but failing to commit to the full motion. As his attention remained focused on the studio owner, a flying tonfa struck him in the side of the head. He dropped his axe to cover his face. Rodney let go of one the bokkens so he could seize the weapon on the floor.
It became clear that Hudson’s nerves were getting to him as he watched his men soon become overwhelmed. He continued to look around the room, inching closer to the front door as he kept his hammer up in a defensive stance. Now both Quang and Selene were staring at him as he tried to get closer to the exit.
“Let’s get out of here, boys. I think we got the message across,” Hudson said, unable to hide his embarrassment. He rushed through the front door and the rest of the men began to follow. Quang and Selene tried to stop one of them, only to hear Rodney shout at them.
“Let them go!” the old man exclaimed.
“What?” Quang stepped out of the way of the door. One of the Union men gave him a shove on his way out. “But—” After looking at Rodney, the explanation for his command became clear.
“Because I’ve already caught one of them!” Rodney placed a foot on the back of the man that he had taken the axe from. He lay on the ground stomach down with Selene’s tonfa lying next to his face.
