Another student came to the leader’s aid; this one was the smallest and most slender of the three. She raised a hand, aiming a poorly executed chop towards Quang’s neck. Selene reacted to the oncoming strike and seized the attacker by the wrist. With the other woman’s limb secured, Selene placed her other hand underneath the upper arm. In one fluid motion she placed the student’s arm over her right shoulder while turning herself around. With a single heave, Selene gracefully tossed the attacker over her hip. The woman’s petite build put more distance between her and the floor than Selene expected, making her land on the cold tile floor back first, creating a cringe-inducing thump upon contact.

Everyone looked at the scene. Selene was startled, flushed red with embarrassment as she looked down at the opponent clutching onto where she landed.

“Didn’t they teach you how to fall?” Selene asked. She had gotten out of her throwing stance to reach down and try to help the woman up. “You’re supposed to land on your side!”

“Leave me alone!” The other woman exclaimed. Her face reddened as she wobbled up to her feet, parting the hair from her short black bob cut away from her face as she backed away in tears. Quang kept his rival pinned down as he watched the other person flee further into the dojo.

“What happened?” He exclaimed as he kept his restraint on the squirming foe.

“She was aiming for your neck!” Selene barked back. The remaining student darted towards the two, his entire body trembling but still approaching as held out his hands as if reaching for a grapple. Quang eyed the oncoming threat, intimidated more by his large size rather than his martial prowess.

“I didn’t want to start a fight,” Quang remarked as he eased his grip. After repositioning himself to create more distance away from the heftier instructor, he released his captive. Once free, the leader rubbed his aching wrist while giving Quang a sinister glance. He shook his freed hand, switching his gaze from his rival to the aching limb before looking towards Quang once more. Without a word he threw a hook using his unscathed hand and aimed at Quang’s face. The execution was slow, giving him ample time to deflect the strike away.

“Gah! Well, you got one!” The scrawny instructor jumped back in frustration, raising both of his hands in a defensive posture. He turned to his peer who stood motionless in a stiff and awkward karate stance. “Help me out here, Jake!” A small jab to the arm brought his partner back to his senses.

“I got you, Spencer.” Both men remained fixated on Quang, feeling a surge in their confidence as they moved in on their target, hands outstretched and ready to seize whatever limb they could. Quang began to retreat to put himself in a more favorable position until he saw Selene come in from the side.

“Which one are you taking?” She whispered to him with her back to his. He watched with bewildered eyes as she put herself in a traditional Hapkido stance; her legs spread to balance her body while one hand extended out in front.

“Which one?” Quang replied with confusion. He looked at the two men approaching and got into a kickboxer’s pose, his back still pressing against Selene. “I’m not trying to fight!”

“I think that arm lock sent the wrong message.” Selene threw a swift jab at Spencer, intentionally missing. He bobbed back nervously despite the attacking whiffing by a large margin. “You can take the big one.”

“Just get him, Jake!” Spencer poked his partner’s gut with his elbow. “You’ve got at least fifty pounds on that guy!” After a friendly shove on the back by Spencer, Jake charged forward with his arms in front towards Quang. His quick reflexes found him taking hold of the Jake’s as he stepped to the side like a matador to a raging bull. Unable to fully stop himself, Jake’s momentum and size sent him to the ground in a violent manner and taking Quang down with him.

Spencer joined the fray and took hold of the bottom of Quang’s jacket. As he tried to pry him off his friend, Selene took the opportunity to strike. A single jab was thrown towards Spencer’s exposed gut, her fist colliding into his stomach in a single precise strike. The man flew backwards, landing on his back as he curled inwards, tucking his arms between his knees and stomach while letting out a lengthy moan.

“Great.” Quang got off his attacker, watching him regain his breath as he remained hunched over on his knees and hands. “I just wanted to talk,” Quang said to whoever would listen. “Now what are we supposed to do?” He then turned towards his partner. She rubbed her neck while giving him an awkward smile.

“We’re already here. Might as well ask about my necklace.” She made eye contact with the receptionist. The horrorstruck woman backed up, hovering her hands in front of her.

“You don’t mind if we go in, do you?” Selene didn’t wait for the woman to respond, instead dashing past the desk and urging Quang to follow by the wave of her hand. “Come on!”

“Hold on a sec, Selene. Maybe we should…” She had entered the main training area before Quang could finish his sentence. Selene made her way the center mat, her arms crossed as a plethora of students stared at her. On the far end of the room stood the man that was on the poster behind the reception desk, looking exactly as he did in the photo save for a gaudier uniform. Fur lined the collar as well as the sleeves of the gi while the name Dragon’s Bite was embroidered on the arms and Noah Belanger onto the belt. The dojo owner scrunched his face, choosing not to hide his annoyance as he walked towards Selene.

“Are you lost, ma’am?” Belanger asked scornfully. Selene looked around the room, ignoring the irked owner in favor of scanning the crowd for a specific individual.

“No. I’m just looking for someone,” she said as her gaze wandered around the room. “Where did that girl with the blue necklace go?” Quang ran in behind her, coming to an abrupt halt when he realized that everyone in the room was staring at them.

“Come on Selene, maybe we should get going,” Quang whispered. He took hold of her arm and stepped towards the entrance, hoping to lead her away. Despite his nudging, Selene remained steadfast.

“Not until I get that necklace!” She said to Quang before turning forward to address the head of the dojo. “You know who I’m talking about, right?”

“Don’t you have any manners?” There was a snarl as a frown stretched across his sagging face. “You can’t come barging in here and make demands.”

Selene’s expression turned deadpan. Her arms crossed as she tilted her head, angling it ever so slightly upwards to make eye contact with the middle-aged man that stood just a few inches taller than her. “I don’t have any manners? Your students just finished trying to attack us. Emphasis on ‘trying.’” Her serious demeanor gave way to a faint chuckle.

“What do you mean by that?”

She raised an eyebrow, exaggerating her sense of confusion for the audience. “Aren’t you a so-called martial arts master? You think you’d teach the most basic of techniques first. Like how to fall properly. Or the correct way to chop. Or even just standing right.”

The faint murmuring of the students turned into silence. Belanger could feel all the eyes focus on him; sweat formed on his neck and in the wrinkles of his forehead. His students looked on with worry, questioning his validity through their blank stares.

“That’s because what I’m teaching is a fighting style that I’ve personally developed.” Belanger spread his legs, making sure to stomp his foot on the mat as he stood upright. He clenched both of his fists and bent his elbows so they were protruding straight from his waist. “I’ve been teaching it longer than you’ve been alive. It’s called Tondojitsu,” Belanger moved one leg back and rotated his arms in a large circular motion. “And it takes the deadliest techniques from fighting styles across the world and condenses them into one lethal martial arts style. I have my methods of teaching and they’re proven to be effective!”

“Show them the Wyvern Claw!” A tired voice barked from behind. Everyone turned towards the entrance and watched Spencer and Jake drag themselves in the room.