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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/DestroyatronMk8 on 2024-10-28 22:46:08+00:00.

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“I have done it!” Scarrend’s triumphant roar reverberated through the training room. “A fatal blow!”

Mims picked himself up off the deck. The human didn’t move like he was worse for wear, but Yvian was sure he was in pain. Or maybe not. The man might have activated his void armor’s PAIN REMOVAL.

“Good hit,” said the human.

“Good hit?” The Vrrl was practically vibrating with excitement. “Good hit!? I killed you Scargiver! If not for your armor, your throat would be gone!”

“Like I said,” Mims drawled. “Good hit.”

The training room was one of several. The Dream of the Lady was over a kilometer long, and while most of it was filled with spare parts and food production, there was still plenty of space for amenities. This particular room was actually three rooms put together. The floor and ceiling were padded, along with three of the walls. The fourth wall was lined with melee weapons and sparring equipment. Mims called it the Dojo.

The Dream of the Lady was floating in one of the empty sectors they’d passed through previously. The engines had been under repair for the last six days. Scarrend and Lissa had been helping Kilroy control the drones at first, but Mims had pulled Yvian aside. He’d suggested they take this opportunity to get some training in. Yvian had agreed.

“Did you see, Captain?” Scarrend’s upper arms were waving in the air. “Did you see? I killed the Scargiver!” His lower arms pointed emphatically at Mims.

“I saw,” said Yvian. She was glad she was wearing her helmet. Scarrend’s excitement was adorable, and her smile reflected that. She didn’t want to insult the man. “Congratulations, Scarrend.”

She remembered the first time she’d managed to hit the human. She’d been ecstatic for days. After over a year of failure, knocking Mims on his ass had felt like the greatest moment of her life. Of course, her strike wouldn’t have killed the human. She wasn’t a super strong murder-beast with claws.

Scarrend roared again. The roar of a Vrrl was deafening, and had a paralyzing affect on the nervous system, but Yvian’s helmet protected her. “Behold the Way of the Starfang!”

The Way of the Starfang was a style Scarrend had been developing with help from Mims. The human had taught the Vrrl how humans fought, but human techniques did not take advantage of the Vrrl’s strength, natural weapons, or second pair of arms. Scarrend had spent the last three days trying to use it against the human, but Mims had stayed one step ahead. Until now.

“I’m glad you’re excited,” said the human. “I’d bake a cake if you liked sweets.”

“I cannot taste sweet,” Scarrend reminded him, “but I appreciate the thought.” He roared again. “Victory!”

“You managed to hit me.” the human continued, “and that’s worth celebrating, but you only managed to hit me once.” He took a stance. “Do you think you can do it again?”

The Vrrl stopped hopping in excitement. An eager light filled all three of his eyes as he regarded the human. “Let’s find out.”

The first exchange went poorly. Scarrend tried to snatch the human’s arm, but Mims was ready and reversed the move. The Vrrl was brought to his knees by a joint lock.

“Match,” Yvian called. “Reset.”

“I’m not finished,” the Vrrl protested. “I could…” Mims bore down on his wrist, stopping just short of breaking it.

“Match,” Yvian insisted. “Reset.”

“Yes Captain.” The Vrrl lowered his head in disappointment.

Six more attempts ended in failure. Yvian called for a break and threw a water bottle at Mims. The human removed his helmet and drank greedily. Yvian got a bottle of her own. Hers was filled with beer.

“I don’t understand,” said Scarrend. “Why isn’t it working, now?”

“Two reasons,” The human leaned against one of the walls. “First, you’re still predictable. You keep looking where you’re about to strike instead of using your peripheral vision, and you’re reacting to my movements instead of forcing me to react to you.” He took another drink. “We’ve talked about that before.”

Scarrend grunted.

“Second, you’re not abusing your advantages enough.” Mims finished his water. "You’ve got four arms, Scarrend. You should be latching on every time I go for a joint lock. Hell, if you get ahold of me at all you can throw me around like I’m nothing.

“You don’t need to aim for his weak spots, either,” Yvian cut in. “We have to do that because you’re a lot tougher than us. You’re strong enough to hit almost anywhere and turn our bones to powder.” She took a drink of her own. “More lines of attack will make you harder to predict.”

“I smell.” Scarrend finished his own water and stretched. “Are you ready to continue, Scargiver?”

“Sure.” Mims took another sip, then handed the bottle back to Yvian. He put his helmet on. “Let’s see what you got.”

The next two exchanges went to Mims. The human easily saw through Scarrend’s attempt at a tackle, tossing him to the ground. The Vrrl tried for a grab next, only to find himself on the ground with one of his arms held out straight behind him.

“Match,” Yvian called. “Reset.”

“You’re trying too hard,” the human told him. “Thinking too much.”

“How do I outsmart you if I’m not thinking?” Scarrend demanded.

“You don’t need to outsmart me,” Mims answered. “You need to overwhelm me. Use your physicality. Hit me with more than I can deal with.”

The Vrrl growled. “I will try.”

“Don’t try,” said Mims. “Don’t even think. Just do it.” He raised a finger. “When there is an opening, I do not hit.”

“It hits all by itself,” Scarrend finished the quote. His eyes widened. “I understand, now.”

“Show me.”

They took their stances. Scarrend let out a roar and advanced, all four arms lashing wildly. The human danced back, dodging and blocking. The Vrrl’s eyes narrowed, focusing on the man’s head and shoulders. He surged forward, dropping the wild swings in favor of tight efficient movements as his training took over. Mims tried to reposition, looking for a counter, but Scarrend gave him no room to react. In just under twelve seconds, the Vrrl slipped a set of claws through his guard to rake against his armor.

“Match!” Yvian barked. “Reset. Good job.”

“I…” The Vrrl panted. “I did it again…”

“That’s what you want,” Mims agreed. “You don’t need to process each individual move. Let your conscious mind pick the strategy, and trust your instincts and training to do the rest.”

Scarrend tried the same strategy again. Mims was ready this time. He darted to the side, spinning into a kick just outside the reach of the Vrrl’s claws. Scarrend caught his ankle and yanked the human off the ground with brute force. He roared and whipped the human around, slamming him into the deck.

“Match,” Yvian called. “Reset.”

“Gimme a minute.” Mims groaned. “I need to rethink my life choices.”

The rest of the hour saw Scarrend making mincemeat out of the human. Mims still won sometimes, but an increasingly confident Scarrend overwhelmed him more often than not. The human was more skilled, more savvy, and more efficient, but Scarrend’s superior strength and extra arms let him bridge the gap.

“I think that’s enough for today,” Captain Yvian decided.

Mims took off his helmet and slumped, sitting against a padded bulkhead. His nose and mouth were smeared with blood, and his hair was matted with sweat. “I think I need some time in the pod.”

Scarrend laughed. “I know that shouldn’t make me happy. But it does.” He held out a hand. Mims took it. The Vrrl hauled him to his feet with ease. “Thank you, Scargiver. Perhaps I should be the one baking you a cake.”

Mims chuckled. “I’ll pass. The last time someone baked me a cake it almost killed me.”

“That was one time,” Yvian objected.

“Once is enough.” Mims smiled at her with bloody teeth.

A rhythmic rumbling filled the Dojo. The Vrrl purred in front of them. Yvian walked up and wrapped her arms around the beast. Scarrend reached out and pulled Mims in, too. The three of them hugged.

“Do you know this means?” Scarrend’s voice was thick.

“It means you’re more dangerous than the Warmaster,” said Yvian. “You’re the only Vrrl to ever beat Mims.”

“No.” Scarrend’s arms squeezed a little tighter. “Well. Yes, I suppose. But no. It means you were right, Captain. The Vrrl truly can reach the Apex.” He purred louder. “We really can be more than we are.” He sniffled. His hug tightened even more.

“You want to ease up there, Scarrend?” Mims grunted. “I’m a little delicate right now.”

“Heh.”

Mims wandered out of the Dojo, muttering something about beer and med-pods. Scarrend watched him go. He was still purring, but a slight frown appeared. “He did not seem upset at his loss.”

“He isn’t,” said Yvian. She went to get herself another beer, but her cooler was empty.

“I would be,” the Vrrl admitted. “Any Vrrl would be furious to be surpassed by a student.”

“Humans don’t think that way,” Yvian explained. “He told me once. The goal of a mentor is to be surpassed. If you never managed to beat him, he’d consider it a failure.”

“He wanted to lose?” Scarrend’s frown deepened. “To be helpless in my claws?”

“Yes.”

“Madness.” Scarrend shook his head. “Humans are mad.”

“It’s how they make progress,” said Yvian. “Each generation tries to boost the next, so the humans are always improving. Always reaching higher.” Now it was her turn to frown. "I don’t think I’ll ever reach higher than Mims…

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