The Legend of Hombarume (Legends Series, #1)

47.

Of all the people who were anticipating the sparring contest, Dererai was the most grateful for how it finally turned out despite all of the obstacles involved. It was far much better than he had imagined it would be like this season. The villagers of Rujeko were in high spirits though the recent tragedies had really shaken up the community.

Dererai had his sons deliver the large pots of beer very early in the morning, just before dawn to the village square. The brew was younger than he would rather have it before it was given to the people, but it would have to suffice today. Hopefully, the villagers' gourds would not run dry at any moment during the anticipated proceedings.

Every single person in attendance at the seasonal event always approved of his beer and his fighting as well, thus he enjoyed the day immensely. He had not become the greatest fighter in the land by sleeping after all. Every compliment he received from his supporters fed him more energy and made him aspire to best his previous efforts whenever he stepped into the sparring ring. Last summer, his most famous fight with Simba had been extremely close. It was a pity that his friend was not there this season to give the spectators another fight to remember.

If it wasn't for Dererai's quick and clever thinking in the ring, he would have lost the title on that fateful day, but he did what best he could do and he prevailed. He was sure that Hombarume would come close to snatching the title from him, but after the stressful ordeal that the hunter had endured, he  wasn't sure that he was fully prepared for what was to come. Other than him, he couldn't see anyone who could come close enough to taking the title away from him this season.

Tongai was a formidable fighter but he never seemed to take it as far as he could. He had the favour of the village maidens because of his striking looks and impressive physical appearance but that was all there was to it. Gengezha was swift and thorough in his attacks and most of his opponents often received scars they would surely tell stories about in the future, but his height was destined to put him at a grave disadvantage eventually.

After Dererai was done sizing his major opponents one by one, it was time to prove himself, as he did every single season he stepped into the ring. The first few rounds to him were mere practice, they were easy to go through and he would handle his opponents without letting out a drop of sweat or blood. He drifted through the double matches all the way to the single rounds, barely scathed, barely bruised and absolutely not phased by any of his opponents. Lucky for him, he was yet to face his biggest competition because of the separate groups they had been assigned.

The drummer's rhythm set the pace for him. Whenever it changed, so did his speed and agility and the outcome would always be utterly appreciated by the roaring crowd of onlookers, all with a gourd of his fine brew in their hands and cheering his name as if their very lives depended upon it. He was satisfied by his efforts halfway through the tournament but he was careful enough to not reveal his best tricks yet. The more he fought, the stiffer the competition became and soon enough a fight between him and his sized competitors would only be inevitable.

Slowly but surely, the large groups of fighters became smaller and smaller with each fight, each punch, each tackle, each kick until only eight remained and amongst them were the ones he believed were the best among the rest, the ones who fought like they had fists of iron, who were warriors and could easily have the fortune of the gods on their side.

They all stood at the center of the sparring ring as the crier struck his gong thrice before he thrust forward the bones that would determine the next couple of fighters. The crowd had now quietened down so that they could witness the outcome. Sure enough, they went up in cheer as Hombarume and Mativinga, a farmer, were announced as the next two fighters of the contest.

The match was tough as both of them had near equal skill, but halfway through the match, it started to seem like Hombarume was at an advantage. His overall energy was rejuvenated quickly and his thrusts were much more vicious than before. It was a sudden turn in the fight, much so that one of Hombarume's kicks landed Mativinga on the ground and he immediately finished him off while he was incapacitated.

Dererai was completely fascinated as he watched Hombarume move across the ring with a white mark under the red one to signify victory at a much advanced stage of the contest. The hunter had been gravely underestimated.

The final stage of the competition consisted of the three people Dererai had predicted, with himself as the the fourth. He was no longer as sure as he was at first that he would easily prevail as the greatest fighter of the land. The talent and skill his rivals had exhibited was quite unmatched and incredibly threatening. The first to spar were Tongai and Gengezha.

It was quite interesting to watch, those who had previously been too preoccupied with their neighbors' stories to pay attention to the fight were finally amazed. Among those attentive watchers were the men of the village who had bid that their favorite fighter would win the tournament. It was hard to not concentrate when your bag of cowries was in jeopardy, or the goat that had been providing milk for your children, suddenly taken away after the loss. Some of the men even went as far as cattle and those who were foolish enough bid their next harvest.

Dererai watched closely as the two great fighters clashed. His greatest trait had always been assessing his competitors and watching them, move by move. Gengezha's blows were much more brutal than anticipated. Once he began pummeling, he did not stop until his opponent yielded or started bleeding. Once he tackled his opponent, they would think twice before returning to their feet.

Tongai suffered such blows at the beginning of the fight and Dererai could sense the uneasiness of the crowd, most of who had anticipated that Tongai would be the victor. It was tough for the crowd favourite to recover, infact, one of the blows caught his jaw and disoriented him almost immediately as he staggered off towards the periphery of the ring. A few more steps and he would have been disqualified.

Tongai quickly returned and sure enough gave Gengezha some tough bruises, unexpectedly pushing himself like Dererai hadn't expected. Gengezha staggered and when he regained sight of Tongai, his fist was about to meet his face in another destroying blow which sent him straight to the ground.

For a moment, it seemed as if he would not get up, but sure enough, he returned to his feet, dizzy at first and while Tongai was busy enjoying the praises of the crowd, he received a tough kick, then another, followed by a blow to the chest which sent him to the ground with a thunderous noise before Gengezha finished his work and won the round.

The next round was between Dererai himself and the hunter, his long time friend, Hombarume. The match proved that indeed, he had underestimated him as he won and for the first time he did not leave the ring unscathed. Now that Dererai  had lost, his next match would be with Tongai who had also lost his first match.

As he had done previously, he watched his opponent closely, learning his tactics so that he could best them and for that, he won his match with Tongai, also using what he had gathered from his failed match with Hombarume. Since Tongai had now lost both matches, he was disqualified, while Gengezha also went on to lose his match against Hombarume, solidifying Hombarume's place in the final round. Dererai and Gengezha had to fight for the other place. If Dererai lost this match, his reign as the champion of the village would be finally over.

The village drummer now played a tense tune, signifying how heightened the emotions in the tournament had become. The last few matches had not gone the way Dererai had anticipated, but now it was time for him to start pushing himself. It was time for him to start tapping into the arsenal of tricks he kept so that he could prevail against the formidable Gengezha who had so far proven to be the unsuspected giant.

Gengezha's tricks had managed to suffice against Tongai because he had recklessly underestimated his opponent, but Dererai knew exactly who he was up against, a vicious and cunning man who would crush him mercilessly if he permitted him. From the onset, the striking of the gong, Dererai did not provide a chance for Gengezha to destroy him with his devastating blows and as a result, he won the match and thus secured his place in the final with Hombarume.

After the fight was over and the crier was announcing the final fight, Dererai could see Revai, the Chief's most trusted guard limping off to his master's side to watch what was about to happen. Perhaps the question was on everyone's mind. Would he retain his title or would he fall at the hands of the hunter?