Lord Pike shuffled back to the center of the ring wearing a sheepish grin. “The rules are the same as every year. Three knockdowns or a knockout wins the match. Wait for the bell, boys, and let me get out of the way.” A little chuckle rippled through the crowd as the lord hurried out of the roped-off area.
The bell rang with a single hollow clang as Jacob charged to the center of the ring before coming to a dead stop. He then dropped down to one knee as he kept his staff pointed right at the brothers. He resembled a coiled snake waiting to strike. The three looked a bit confused. Surely they had been warned of Jacob’s skill, but his aggression made no sense. He had taken the center of the ring before any of them had even moved, even though he was outnumbered. However, he looked defensive now in that low stance, waiting for one of them to make a move. The brother in the middle did, but regretted it almost immediately.
Charging forward with his staff held high, he brought it down hard at Jacob’s head, but Jacob simply caught the blow using the middle of his staff as he turned it aside. Then he immediately struck the head of his large but slow pursuer with the right, then with the left side of his staff. The big man staggered back a step just in time to take blows to his left knee, his right knee, then an upward slash to his lower jaw, all in a fraction of a second! The challenger was unconscious before he ever hit the ground.
The other two, realizing how desperate the situation had just become, jumped over their fallen brother and rushed Jacob from both sides. He recognized the flanking tactic and quickly put his back to the ropes to keep his assailants at least mostly in front of him. He found out quickly that the girls behind him were no less aggressive as they groped and pinched away, but he needed to hold this position.
The two brothers were not without skill, attacking at high then low intervals to try to break through his guard, but Jacob blocked every blow with ease, whirling his staff back and forth, high and low, solidly parrying every blow. Suddenly he lunged forward, using his staff to pole vault, splitting the two as he soared through the air. Jacob kicked the one on the right squarely in the nose as he his flight reached its zenith.
The roar of the crowd was deafening now as Jacob turned on the other, unleashing a furious barrage of twirling attacks both high and low, each landing so squarely that the man just dropped to the ground, curling up into a defensive ball as he covered his head and the back of his neck with his hands. None of the blows were delivered with devastating power, but the speed and accuracy were so ferocious that the attacker felt completely overwhelmed.
The successful assault happened so fast that the last brother, who had now recovered from the kick, had no time to react. Jacob whirled around and pointed his staff at the last threat, who gripped his own weapon close to his body in a purely defensive fashion as he backed away slowly. Jacob waved his free hand in an upward motion as he began to play the crowd. They mob cheered wildly as he arrogantly egged them on. The final competitor just threw his staff on the ground and scrambled away under the ropes.
As the mob cheered, Jacob just did a slow victory lap around the ring, twirling his staff in the air. He loved the attention and was not going to give this up easy. Eric just watched in amazement with a huge smile on his face. Jacob was able to see his friend through the boisterous crowd and flashed him a quick wink followed by and ear to ear grin. He had certainly made his point this day!
*
Later in the evening the streets began to thin out a bit. Many of the folk who were just visitors tonight had eaten their fill and watched a competition they would all be talking about for years to come. Now it was time to go. Mothers carrying sleeping children worn out from a full day of celebration loaded their precious bundles into their wagons. Husbands with their arms around their wives headed back to the harsh life they were able to forget about for one day as their wagons began pulling out. But for many, the night was not yet over.
A final dance had been arranged more for the locals, but anyone who felt like dancing was invited. There were a series of poles set up in the middle of the main street. They had been there the whole day but now their true intent was revealed, as colorful streamers were now being attached to the tops of each one. The reds, yellows and blues matched well with the streamers that were already hanging throughout the town, as well as the street lanterns whose shades had been tinted all different colors just for tonight.