"So, you say you work as 'security' for the Union?" Ulyssa asked of Fátima. The kendoka looked at each of the members of the White Swan, her hands and upper body shaking slightly as she thought of what to say next.
"Yes. I am security," she said aloud. She managed to hide her nerves in her voice by standing up straight and looking at the other woman directly in her eyes. Ulyssa looked back, giving her a stern stare as she continued to eye her up and down.
"If what you say is true, then that means you can fight, correct?"
Fátima nodded. "Yes… your majesty."
"I suppose you wouldn't mind putting on a little… exhibition for me then, would you?" Ulyssa walked in front of the three men that accompanied her. Despite their leader walking in front of them and looking up towards their stoic faces, they broke neither posture nor formation. "My good men have been bored as of late. For a bunch of bodyguards, they haven’t been doing much ‘guarding.’ I'm worried that they might be getting a bit rusty without anything to give them a proper fight. Perhaps you would be willing to offer them a bit of practice?" She stopped showing off her henchmen to face Fátima. She turned to Hudson to look for help. He made no response, only shrugging his shoulders slightly.
"I'd be more than willing to give your men a challenge," Fátima said she bowed her head.
"Oh good," Ulyssa smiled and gave the left most man a pat on the back. "You can go first. Just imagine that woman is… an assassin. And she’s just eager to kill me!" she said as she pointed towards Fátima with anger in her eyes but a contradictory smirk on her lips. The man walked forward, putting his two fists up in front of him like a boxer as he approached Fátima. Caught off-guard by Ulyssa's statement, Fátima instinctively took an aikido pose, stretching one hand in front of the other with open palms and angling her body towards the side to minimize the amount of area her attacker had to hit.
The man in the white suit threw a hook with his left hand towards Fátima’s face. She swerved her head to one side, feeling the wind of the glancing blow move across her cheek. The man followed up with another hook from the opposite arm towards Fátima's gut. She stepped to the side and took hold of his arm using both her of hands. With his momentum, she was able to lower the man the ground in a single graceful tug. His entire body fell forward as his stomach slid across the dirt of the ground. She then took his arm and bent it upwards while pressing her knee into his back. The man struggled to break free, but the fear of his limb being broken from Fátima's hold limited his movement options. The kendoka held onto his fingers, prying his fist open and continued to pull back, making the man scream in agony.
"Okay, that's enough," Ulyssa said. She had her eyes closed and one hand covering an ear. "I don't think I can listen to him yelp anymore." Ulyssa shoved the second one in line, making him advanced towards Fátima. The kendoka released her grip on her opponent. He got up, clutching onto his wrist that wasn't aching and scurried off to the side. The second attacker didn't give Fátima a chance to ready herself. He charged at the woman at a full sprint, leaning his shoulder in for a shoulder tackle. Fátima dodge the attack, grabbing hold of his arm. Her hand clasped onto his wrist as she crouched down with a firm still on her opponent’s hand, making his entire body flip over. The White Swan’s legs lifted high into the air before tumbling back to the ground. Still grasping onto the man with one hand, she hit the White Swan member with her forearm in the back of his head, making a loud crack from the impact.
The attacker's struggling weakened. The pinned individual tried to roll over but the Fátima strengthened her grip and dug her knee further into the opponent's back. Ulyssa walked in front of Fátima, shaking her head as she stared at her downed subordinate with utter disappointment.
"I expected better from you for what I pay." She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, and as she did so she raised one of her gloved hands, indicating to Fátima that she wanted her to release the man. "I don't know if you're talented or if my men are just incompetent," she said, resting her hands on her hips.
"It's probably a combination of both," Fátima said as she stood herself upright.
"They can shoot a gun just fine, but anyone can do that after a class or two at a local shooting range," Ulyssa said with a shake of her head. She turned to the last man in the line. Ulyssa curled her finger towards her, telling the last henchman to come towards her without saying a word. Once he was at her side, she pointed towards a long metal pipe that lay on the ground by the memorial.
"I want to see what you do against someone that has a weapon," Ulyssa said without looking at Fátima. Instead, she faced her White Swan solider who held the steel rod in one hand and cradled it in the palm of the other. "Maybe you can actually hit her this time." Ulyssa shoved the man towards the kendoka. Instead of rushing in head on, he took a more methodical approach; he spread his legs apart and held onto his weapon with both hands, clutching onto it at the very end.
His approach was slow and steady. The White Swan's hold on the weapon was loose and sloppy, evident by the way it bounced around in his hands as he slowly circled the woman. Fátima remained calm, keeping her aikido stance as her eyes remained locked on the soon-to-be attacker.
"Don't be afraid to hurt her," Ulyssa called out. "Remember, she is supposed to be security. It's her job to be in danger."
"Yes, your majesty," the White Swan replied. Everyone could hear the fear in his voice. Not wanting to keep Ulyssa waiting, the man went for a high strike, swinging the metal piece towards Fátima's head like it was a baseball bat. The attack whiffed after the kendoka bobbed backwards. The sound of the metal cutting through the air overcame the sound of machinery buzzing and hammers wailing against wood in the other areas of the site. Hudson winced when he saw how close it had gotten to Fátima's face.
Fátima moved to the side, avoiding a downwards slash from the White Swan. The end of the pipe smashed into the ground, kicking up dirt as it vibrated and made a hollow ring that echoed throughout the area. The man grunted, having quickly grown frustrated of the battle. As Fátima retreated, he followed up with a stab at Fátima's gut. With quick movement, the kendoka was able to let the attack graze her side by shifting her body. Her face scrunched from the pain, but with the weapon close to her torso, she was able to wedge it underneath her arm. The White Swan tried to pull the weapon back and out of Fátima's grasp, but as he lunged back, Fátima moved forward, negating his pull.
She got in close enough to allow her to seize the man's wrists. In response, the attacker removed one hand from the end of the pipe, giving Fátima only one hand to latch on to. With his free hand, the White Swan hit Fátima upside the head with a hook.
"Son of a...!" Fátima shouted once the attack connected. She twisted the White Swan's arm around, making him open his fingers and release the weapon altogether and let it fall to the ground with a clang. Not wanting to get struck again, she turned her entire body in half of a circle so that her back was towards his front. She then lifted the White Swan’s hand high above her head, leaving his arm twisted and contorted.
Fátima then lowered the man's arm with a single graceful motion, balancing her body one knee as her opponent spun through the air like a top, landing on his back and sending up a cloud of dust as his body kicked up a cloud of dirt from the crash. Still holding onto the White Swan's arm, Fátima used her other elbow to strike the man in the side of his head. Twice. She was ready to strike a third time until she saw Ulyssa's red boots come into her vision. She looked up and saw the woman staring back down at her, this time with an eyebrow raised.
"You do have potential. I'll admit that," Ulyssa said. "There's one more test I want to see you go through." Fátima stood up, giving the White Swan that she had floored a small kick in the arm as she rose. Ulyssa's eyes were focused on her bodyguard. "Malthe, come here please."
The masked man stepped forward, his white cloak blowing behind him as he advanced towards the pair of women. "Yes, your majesty?" he asked in soft yet commanding tone.
"Could you show her a thing or two about fighting? I'd like to see how she handles herself when her life is on the line."
“Of course.” Malthe stood over Fátima. He towered over her; the moonlight only illuminated half his mask, leaving the rest hidden in a shadow. “Do you have a weapon?” he asked. The kendoka turned around and saw the bokken that she had taken from one of her followers leaning on the side of the memorial. She reached over and grabbed it. When she returned, Malthe had taken a few steps back but remained staring at her.
Fátima froze, terrified. She stared back at the masked man. There was no emotion in his eyes as he looked back at her. The massive bodyguard stuck one hand out of cloak, revealing a short black staff. With his other hand, he removed the robes he wore and tossed them to the side. Underneath the garment was a well-built man, armored only from the chest down to just below his belly button. Behind the black armored vest he wore, his chiseled stomach muscles were clear and visible.
He angled his weapon towards Fátima. His gloved hand pressed a button on the staff and the weapon unfolded, doubling in length. A steel blade tipped the end of the spear. It created a silver glow in the light as Malthe swung it down and pointed it at Fátima.
