Fusing Martial Arts

The three prisoners were at least happy that they wouldn't fight an undefeated powerhouse like Michael, but Ulysses was no joke. 

'Out of the fire into the frying pan.'

The three prisoners all shared this thought.

Ulysses signalled for the battle to start and the toothless man did not hesitate. The latter dashed forth with his dagger. He had less range, hence he had to get close. And he was confident in his agility. But speed wasn't all that mattered. With a sidestep that lacked any fancy, Danny had dodged his opponent. 

Ulysses was particularly good at observing the opponent and countering. All members of the Batur family had to be familiar with the human body and were doctors by profession. The first Patriarch of the Batur Clan had started out as a doctor, before becoming the Monarch  after usurping the previous King.

This was the tale told to current generations. The Batur Clan, as the royal family was known, was indeed a medical clan that developed martial arts based on understanding biophysics and medicine. Analyse and react before the opponent moves. This was known as Batur Bagua. 

Danny had not moved faster. He had simply predicted the opponent's move before he had made any excess movements and acted the moment the man launched himself. 

Since Day 1 of the siege, Danny had been sparring with Michael in the wee hours of the morning. Getting ready for battle. He was going to get involved and had no intention of sitting back. 

'I need to lead by example. Cowardice weakens one in crucial moments.'

Ulysses had raised the morale of the army, but that morale hinged on him leading by example. When there was treatment to be done he was there. He dug in the trenches most of the day and spent the rest either monitoring the situation or training in hand-to-hand combat with Michael. 

He also took time to socialize with the troops. Asking them about their well-being and comforting those who needed their King's support. There were many zealots who worshipped the royal family, and they were particularly moved.

Most Kings, Myca The wise included, would spend most of their time in a camp in bed with women. Strategizing and training took up little time as they were both tiring. No King stooped as 'low' as Ulysses had, to kneel and apply treatment to a stranger. And it was not just any treatment, it was the Batur touch.  Many soldiers wanted to refuse because it was too awkward. Danny always refused until a stern look from the officers behind him forced the recipient to acquiesce. 

'I have to be heavily involved. For maximum effect, I have to meet Gavin in the town square and...'

Plans and schemes ran through Danny's mind as he leisurely dodged the attacks from the toothless man. 

The observers were not shocked much, because Ulysses was originally quite skilled. But Michael's experienced eye caught something.

'His footwork. It's changed. It's now less rigid and smoother. His movements have become more efficient and use less energy. He is somehow actually moving slower than his opponent!'

Michael's eyes narrowed in thought as he tried to make sense of what was before him. The changes were slight, so barely anyone noticed, but Michael was in a whole different league compared to the rest. Even the previous Kings who had perished in battle would admit inferiority to Michael, the Guardian of Batur!

Hence only Michael noticed these odd changes in the Prince. He had personally taught the boy all his Mmrtial arts and half of his military knowledge. 

'If he had an aptitude for magic. He would have been incredible.' This was one of the few regrets Michael had in his life. 

'But that odd footwork. I am considering well travelled cut I've never seen these movements. Is this from foreigners?'

As Michael pondered his question, Ulysses continued to toy with his opponent. Ulysses was finding it easy to dodge, but not so easy to attack. And the reason was not because he was weak.

'It's because I'm too strong.'

Ulysses was not only a superb swordsman, but he was also a short-range anti weapon specialist. He was weak in unarmed battles against unarmed opponents. But if he and his opponent had a short-range weapon, he had the utmost confidence in victory.

Danny felt that finishing these fools off had to have some sort of benefit to him. Then he had an idea. As he danced around the toothless man, the thought crept in.

'What if I used Taichi and fused it with his anti-weapon martial arts and Batur Bagua?' It was a rather bold idea but it was worth trying. 

Batur Bagua was about reacting to one's opponent. Anti Weapon specialization was about understanding how an opponent attacked at close range and what the best positions to block or counter from. These two were formidable formless skills that could be applied to martial arts that had forms like Taichi. 

But it wasn't something that could be pulled off in an instant.

'First, let's start with the movement. The footwork and natural flowing posture.'

Slowly as he kept dodging, Danny kept shifting his movements slightly. At first, he was clumsy and didn't move as well as he would have wanted, after all, he wasn't a Taichi Fighter, he practised mainly for peace of mind and fitness. But it was still a martial art. A dance that could turn into a lethal form of combat.

"His movements, is it just me or are they becoming more circular?"

"It's not just you, look at the ground beneath his feet, the markings, barely any direct cardinal or ordinal movements."

Even the other soldiers started to notice that something was different with Danny. The toothless man was getting tired and impatient, as this rapid movement made it difficult to breathe. It was like a normal human sprinting. There was a limit to it, and he was nearing his.

The toothless man, in desperation, lunged at Danny with all his strength for a stab aimed at Ulysses' right chest, dagger placed in both hands.

To the shock of the observers, Ulysses dropped the sword. He stepped forward with his right foot and brought himself closer to the blade!