The cold floor offered no comfort, but she didn't care. The brutal pendulum mechanics had chewed through her endurance phase by phase, leaving her completely spent.
Every sequence—the erratic timing, the shifting momentum, the unforgiving arcs—had pushed her to her absolute limit. And then came the ripper dummy. Its ruthless, automated precision had dismantled her defence entirely, leaving her defeated, battered, and flat on her back.
She was entirely consumed by the bitter taste of failure, her body too tired to move, her spirit too crushed to try again.
Then, a small shadow broke her line of sight.
As she kept lying exhaustedly on the cold, hard floor in the courtyard, her heavy eyes shifted to where the small shadow had appeared, her heavy eyes focusing on a familiar face. Standing over her was Sophia, the black-haired little girl she knew so well.
She stood over Maya, smiling as she revealed her set of teeth.
" I thought we were training today", she asked.
" AAARGGGH!" Maya rolled her eyes, turning to face the courtyard floor.
Maya lay her face still turned to the floor of the courtyard, her clothes now torn in different places with brown dust all over them. Her hair seemed really messy as a few strands clung to her neck.
She was so tired and had forgotten she had been put in charge of training Sophia.
She had put all her devotion and strength into the whole pendulum mechanism so she could test her agility; she had always tried to finish the three phases but never passed.
She constantly kept having different trials, and she had finally been able to pass the full stages. She was so glad and filled with hope that she had thought she was going to be able to defeat the ripper, but when she was sent flying in defeat, all her hope had gone crashing down.
"Maya ", Sophia called out confusingly.
Maya turned over to Sophia, who was still standing above her head, and twitched to the side as she looked confusedly at Maya, who lay on the floor.
"Mayaaa, "
"Are we still on for the training?" Sophia asked, looking down at her messy-looking Maya, who was now staring at her.
Sophia had on an off-white tunic shirt and brown fitted trousers, with leather boots. Her hair was packed neatly into a short bun to avoid it getting into her face.
She seemed prepared for her training.
"AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH " Sophia groaned in frustration.
She stood up slowly, brushing off the dirt from her clothes. She looked a mess, as she had dirt all over her; her clothes seemed to be torn in different places, and a few hair strands plastered all over her face.
The courtyard was already empty as some of the trainees and the instructors had started leaving one after the other.
"Alright, come on, come with me "
" I am going to need to have to clean myself up ", she continued.
" Come on"
Maya straightened her sleeve while still dusting the dirt off her clothes, beckoning Sophia to come along with her.
Maya picked up her sheath, which was lying on the floor. She wore it on her waist, buckling it so tightly that it would sit well and properly.
" Let's go ", she continued as she sheathed her dagger.
" What's that for?" Sophia asked
"Well, I just like having it with me ", Maya replied.
As they walked out of the courtyard, the heavy wooden gates of the courtyard creaked shut behind them, cutting off the rhythmic hum of the estate. They both stepped onto a narrow, hard-packed dirt path that snaked through the high grass. The evening air was cool and sharp, carrying the scent of damp earth and distant pine; she could feel the cool breeze as the wind kissed her softly on her face.
With every step away from the stone walls, the silence grew deeper, punctuated only by the occasional flutter of a hidden bird.
The path dipped downward, guiding her toward the edge of a wide, mirror-like lake. Its surface was impossibly still, reflecting the pale amber streaks of the evening sun. Seeking to wash away the dirt off her clothes and the sweat off her face, she knelt down beside the river, dipped her two hands carefully into the water as she scooped up a handful of the clear water, pressing it to her face and neck.
The water was crystal clear, as she could see her reflection clearly in the water.
" Ohhh my…" She stopped halfway as she let out a huge sigh of relief
As she pressed the cold, icy water onto her face, the cold shocked her skin in the most wonderful way, instantly clearing the fog from her mind and washing away the grime of all she had gone through that day. She held her wet palms there for a long moment, breathing in the scent of clean stone and open air, letting the refreshing chill sink deep into her pores before smoothing her damp hair back.
" I really needed that", she said, looking a bit relieved.
As she leaned back to smooth her wet hair, the serene silence broke.
" Um Maya", Sophia, who had been standing there watching Maya enjoy her time in the river, suddenly called out.
She looked really frightened.
A sudden, deep ripple fractured the glassy reflection. A few yards ahead, the water began to churn, bubbling violently from some unseen depth. Maya froze, the water dripping from her fingertips back into the lake with rhythmic, agonising taps. The bubbling stopped, replaced by a low, resonant hum that vibrated through the water against her skin. Then suddenly, the surface broke.
A dark, sleek shape surged upward, shedding sheets of cascading water that caught the morning light like shattered glass.
Maya quickly moved back in time to avoid being snapped in two.
" Sophia, find somewhere to hide ", Maya called out to Sophia, who was frightened; she had never seen such a creature before.
" Hide over there Sophia " She pointed to a huge log of wood beside the rows of bushes.
Sophia followed her hand and ran towards the direction where Maya had pointed.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
The creature was now towering high, breaking the surface, blocking out the evening sun. The creature was a monstrous, sleek leviathan, looking like a cross between a giant predatory amphibian and a serpent. Its hide was a smooth, iridescent midnight-blue that shimmered like oil on water. From its broad, flattened skull, rows of needle-sharp teeth jutted out in a dripping maw, and two large, glowing amber eyes stared down at her with cold, predatory intelligence. Heavily muscled, webbed forelimbs tore through the lake, ending in elongated black talons.
With no time to flee, she lunged backwards toward her discarded bundle on the shore, her fingers wrapping around the hilt of her single silver dagger. The blade looked pitifully short against the leviathan, but she locked it into a reverse grip, her muscles coiled as the creature lunged.
Its massive jaws snapped shut with a hollow crack right where she had been standing. Ducking beneath the strike, she threw herself sideways into the deep water.
The heavy resistance of the lake dragged at her limbs, but the creature's massive momentum carried its neck right past her. Seizing the split second, she drove her dagger downward, burying the short blade into the soft, pale flesh just beneath the monster's jaw.
Blue, iridescent blood welled from the cut, and the beast roared—a resonant, booming sound that vibrated painfully in her chest. Furious, the creature whipped its massive tail beneath the surface. The underwater displacement struck her like a swinging log, knocking the breath from her lungs and flipping her completely off her feet.
She splashed violently into the shallows, gasping for air as she scrambled backwards on her hands and knees over the slick stones. The beast reared up, casting a massive shadow as it prepared to crush her with its webbed talons. Realising she couldn't outrun it in the shallows, she planted her heels into the mud. Raising the dagger with both hands, she braced her weight and aimed the silver point directly at the creature's glowing amber eye as it plunged toward her.
SSSSPLASSSSHHHHH
The Leviathan dropped heavily into the water, it's body floating lifelessly on the water as it turned blue due to its blue blood seeping out slowly from its eye where it was impaled.
" Oh, that was a bit easy ", she said under her breath, panting.
" I guess today's training really did work" She continued
" You can come out now, Sophia ", Maya called out, looking at where Sophia had hidden.
" Oh my God, Maya, that was incredible"
" It came at youuuu angrily, and you…"
" And you went at it head-on, fearlessly, like this ", Sophia continued, this time demonstrating Maya's moves.
Maya smiled as she cleaned the blue coloured blood and then sheathed it.
" I want to be good like you, Maya"
" Train me, please"
" Please, Maya", Sophia continued tugging at Maya's clothes.
" Alright"
" We will have to start tomorrow then. I think I have had enough combat for one day," Maya continued.
" Okayyyyy Maya"
" Let's head home now, okay, so we can get ready for an early start tomorrow "
" Come on, let's go ", Maya said as she held her hand out so Sophia could hold on to it.