Chapter 160 A Friendly Competition* (2/2)

He helped Jeremiah to his feet, and the Captain in question chuckled, ”I'm old, but I'm not quite that old that I can't take a hit”.

Jeremiah graciously moved to the sidelines with Aegin and the next fight was called out.

There were a few more rounds before Rassa was called up to fight, this time against the Quarter Master, a hard looking man named John.

”Alright kid, let's see what you've got,” John stated.

Rassa was not opposed to fighting bare-handed, and he stood still as he faced John. He knew that he couldn't let too much of his Vampiric abilities show, as not only would it scare the crew but it would also be incredibly unfair. John, who was not quite as bulky as Tank but still a large man, was nothing more than a mouse in front of Rassa. Still, Rassa would show a bit of civility if it would save him the pain of explaining himself afterwards.

John didn't move quickly as he advanced, he had a strong and determined gait though. Rassa stood ready, and stepped forward so that he was at least a metre from the edge of the circle as John threw the first punch. Rassa moved ever so slightly, allowing the fist to glance off of Rassa's palm before Rassa turned and hit the inside of John's elbow.

John gave a look of surprise. He had heard of some tribes in the west using this style of fighting, but he had yet to see it himself. A style that focused more on the redirection of the opponent's strength than strength itself. As the two traded blows, it became evident that Rassa was a proficient fighter, there was nothing that John threw at the young man that Rassa couldn't counter.

When Rassa drew too close to the edge of the ring he would duck and spin out of John's reach, situating himself safely back in the centre.

The battle became a drawn out one as John tried to get more creative with his movements only to be thwarted by Rassa's own careful and calculated movements. Eventually, John began to move slower, until Rassa took the opportunity to duck inside John's guard and deliver two quick punches to his torso that immediately winded John and made him stumble to the side, catching himself on his hand...a finger just outside the ring.

”Rassa wins,” Ebony declared.

John chuckled as he stood, ”Where'd you learn that technique? I thought you hadn't left Eldovia before coming onto this ship”.

Rassa shrugged, ”I had a well-versed Master”.

That was putting it mildly. Vampires lived for a very long time, and while they didn't actually fight that often, they all thoroughly enjoyed it. Hence, when they found a new technique it had been all the rage until everyone was versed in it. The technique Rassa had shown however was not as popular. Only those who would frequently face opponents stronger than themselves had bothered to learn it. Vampires possessed immense strength as it was, what was the point in learning a style that didn't make use of it? Rassa's training hadn't missed a thing however, and Rassa found himself quite liking the style as Victor had before him. Not because they frequently faced opponents of higher strength, but because it allowed them to be somewhat lazy. Victor especially had liked the style. Rassa, who had yet to meet opponents who were stronger than him, had had less of a chance to use it. This competition had given him that opportunity. It really was advantageous to someone who wanted to hide their true strength.

With that fight said and done, the top 25 participants were ready and waiting for the next day's events.