The earthen pot came flying towards Aditya, and he crossed his hands to block it. Upon impact, it shattered to the ground.

  Mathew smirked as he brushed the ashes of the burnt parchment from his hand. "Good! So, you know how to fight."

  Aditya was visibly shocked. 'What kind of treatment is this? Who throws a pot as a greeting? Is he a madman or a psycho itching for a fight? What if someone else had been here? They could have been seriously injured..'

  He couldn't understand why the emperor trusted this man, let alone how he can expect to discuss his confidential pns with this mad man.

  Sensing Aditya's confusion, Mathew continued, his thick voice cold and scrutinising. "I know why you came here. The emperor has asked me a favour to help you out. But I am not obligated to help you, am I?"

  Turning his back, Mathew pushed the table to the end corner of the room, clearing more space between them.

  He took a stance clearing his intent. "Come and beat me, and I shall answer your curiosity. Or stay right there and forget it. Will you?"

  Aditya's expression hardened. He took a fast look on Mathew's imposing figure which was more taller than him even though his own height was not less compared to Mathew's edge.(~a/n: around 6 feet).

  His muscles gleamed under those ragged robes under flickering torch light and his stance gave Aditya a feeling to not take him lightly. Yet, another troubling thought nagged at him, 'what if the Emperor had sold me out to provoke such violence? But why..'

  Despite the seeming ck of sense, Aditya felt compelled to confront Mathew, to unravel these doubts and meet the challenge he presented head-on.

  Aditya entered the chamber cautiously, never taking his eyes off Mathew. Mathew, in turn, maintained his stance, inviting Aditya into his domain and matching his readiness. They circled each other, anticipating the first one to move.

  Without warning, Mathew lunged forward, aiming a fist at Aditya's face. Aditya swiftly dodged to the side, responding with a quick jab to Mathew's ribs. The blow nded solidly, but Mathew showed little reaction, unching into a rapid flurry of punches.

  Aditya defended himself with crossed arms, absorbing the impact but feeling Mathew's hands grasp his waist. In a sudden twist, Mathew flipped Aditya upside down (body lock takedown move), causing him to momentarily lose his breath.

  As Mathew circled around him, he taunted Aditya, "You know the moves but ck strength."

  Without warning, Aditya initiated the attack with an upward strike (Sok Ti) aimed at Mathew's chin. Mathew deftly dodged to the side, his movements fluid and calcuted. Aditya followed up immediately with a downward strike (Sok Krathing) forcing Mathew to block with a raised forearm .

  Not missing a beat, Aditya closed the distance, aiming a sharp elbow strike (Sok Kp) at Mathew's temple. Mathew, quick on his feet, parried the blow with his forearm and countered with a straight knee strike to Aditya's midsection. The impact made Aditya stagger back slightly, but he quickly regained his footing.

  Aditya's eyes narrowed with determination. He lunged forward with flurry of hook and punches as feint and, went on for knee strike (Kao Dode) toward Mathew's ribs. Mathew used his forearm just in time, blocking Aditya's knee with a powerful block .

  He took the opportunity to unch his own offensive with left elbow strike to create gap and followed through a series of rapid punches from both arms, each one aimed with finding gaps of opponent's cross arm block.

  Aditya managed to block the first few with cross arms but was caught off guard by a swift uppercut that clipped his jaw, sending him reeling backward.

  Using the momentum, Mathew followed up with a powerful roundhouse kick aimed at Aditya's torso throwing him off to the array of used empty pots, shattering them to pieces.

  Mathew taunted with a smirk, "That's twice now, brat! Show me something interesting, or just get out!"

  Aditya rose with a determined look, the flickering torchlight casting dynamic shadows around them.

  "Alright, old man, you made me serious," He decred, his eyes focused.

  He closed the distance swiftly, unching into a flurry of punches and leg strikes, mixing up his combinations (Te Tat, Thip Khao) to keep Mathew on the defensive. Mathew blocked and parried as best he could, but the relentless assault began to push him back towards the wall of the chamber.

  Aditya feinted a left hook and swiftly followed through with an uppercut elbow (Sok Ngat) aimed at Mathew's chin. Mathew anticipated the attack, ducking just in time to narrowly avoid the strike. He countered with a quick jab to Aditya's midsection.

  Aditya agilely sidestepped the jab and closed the distance, initiating a clinch by grabbing hold of Mathew's nape of the neck, gaining control over his movements.

  Mindful of his close-quarter moves, Aditya used his knee to deliver a rapid series of knee strikes to Mathew's ribs, forcing him to back up and stumble on the table behind. Mathew, struggling to keep his footing, received a powerful kick that sent him falling onto a table.

  Seeing his opportunity, Aditya aimed a devastating downward leg strike (Thip Khao) at Mathew. The force of the blow shattered the table, but Mathew managed to roll away.

  Gasping for breath, Mathew hit the ground hard, the shock evident on his face as if he had just received a harsh reality check.

  Aditya, with a pyful smirk, mocked him, "What happened, elder? Did you break any bones?"

  Mathew quickly regained his bance and retaliated with a sweeping low kick aimed at Aditya's legs. Aditya jumped back, avoiding the sweep. Seizing the momentary respite, Mathew propelled himself upward, hanging his leg in the air to gain momentum.

  Gasping with exhaustion, Mathew took another stance. "I'm not done yet, brat!"

  Aditya smiled gleefully, having spotted his prey after a long-long time. "Good, here I come, old man!"

  Aditya, with fierce determination in his eyes, charges at Mathew, catching him off guard. He lunges forward, grabbing Mathew's shoulder to propel himself higher, locking Mathew's upper body with his knees.

  With Mathew's upper body immobilized, Aditya started delivering rapid elbow strikes (Sok Ti) to Mathew's head and shoulders.

  "WHAT NOW? WANT MORE? HUH! WANT MORE?" Aditya shouted, delivering strike after strike like a man possessed, forgetting his purpose. His only intent was to smash Mathew's to smithereens, not caring if every hit nded perfectly. This relentless assault gave him a dangerous edge, pushing towards a potentially fatal conclusion.

  Mathew desperately raised his forearms in a cross guard position, using them to absorb the incoming blows aimed at his vital head. The chamber echoed with the sound of elbows meeting forearms and shoulders.

  Feeling the relentless assault, Mathew decided to act. He lowered his head and with a sudden thrust, used the top of his head to strike Aditya's chest, creating a brief moment of distance between them.

  Seizing the moment, Mathew quickly wrapped his arms around Aditya's thighs, shifted his weight back, and with a swift upward motion, attempted to dislodge Aditya from his body.

  "Not so easy, elder," Aditya remarked defiantly.

  Anticipating Mathew's move, Aditya grabbed Mathew's shoulders and released his knee lock. He then wrapped his legs tightly around Mathew's torso (Kao Loy), securing his grip. With a surge of strength, Aditya delivered a powerful headbutt (Khao Chae) to Mathew's face.

  The impact of the headbutt disoriented Mathew momentarily, but his grip on Aditya remained firm. Using the momentum from the exchange, Mathew shifted his weight and smmed Aditya forcefully to the ground. The collision echoed through the chamber with a resounding thud, jolting both fighters.

  Separated by the force of the impact, Aditya rolled away, grimacing as he stretched his sore back, snapping out of his intense trance. The adrenaline that fueled his earlier aggression began to settle, repced by the exhaustion and the sharp pain in his back.

  Mathew wiped his nose, blood smearing across his hand as he steadied himself. He remarked with a smirk, "You are indeed skilled, brat. Shall we finish this?"

  Aditya stretched his sore muscles to ease the pain and refused to back down, "What are you waiting for?"

  With a thunderous dash, both fighters surged towards each other, their movements fueled by the st reserves of their strength. Amidst the shattered remnants of the chamber, they exchanged powerful blows after blows with fierce determination.

  Aditya seized an opportunity, swiftly maneuvering to shift his body downward and locking his legs around Mathew's neck. Using his weight, Aditya attempted to destabilize Mathew, tightening his grip around Mathew's neck.

  Feeling the constriction and recognizing the danger, Mathew made a split-second decision, allowing himself to be pulled down to prevent his neck from snapping under the pressure. As he descended, he twisted his body to mitigate the impact of the fall.

  In the execution of the move, Aditya's shoulder bore the brunt of the impact, dislocating with a painful pop. The force of the fall sent both fighters crashing to the ground, the collision reverberating through their bodies with a jolt of agony.

  Lying on the ground amidst the debris, both warriors gasped for breath, their chests heaving with exertion. Each took a moment to adjust their positions, wincing as they sought to alleviate the sharp pain coursing through their bodies.

  Aditya, "uh!"..

  Mathew, "oh!"..

  Aditya, "....'

  Mathew, "...."

  Mathew, "HA! HA! HA! HA!"

  Aditya, "HE! HE! HE! HE!"

  Amidst their gasps for breath, a chuckle escapes Aditya, quickly followed by a ugh from Mathew.

  Mathew struggled to stand, his voice strained but resolute. "You, brat, are indeed a worthy opponent. I shall grant you the opportunity to stay with me."

  Aditya, taken aback by the unexpected praise, adjusted his response to appear humble, "Th.. Thank you elder. Still, I am in the learning stage."

  Mathew, visibly impressed, retrieved a used jar half filled with wine and an packed pot from his metallic trunk kept at safe corner of chamber. He approached Aditya, handing him the jar while keeping the packed pot for himself. "It's been a while since I found someone worthy of a heart-to-heart. Take this."

  Aditya hesitated, unsure of Mathew's intentions, but before he could respond, Mathew gently patted the dislocated shoulder, causing Aditya to yelp in pain. "Now now, boy, don't act like a mb when I've compared you as a lion. Man up and Drink this if you wish to know the message of the emperor?"

  The chamber fell silent, tension thickening in the air as Aditya, cautious, pondered Mathew's offer: the jar of wine holding potential answers, yet unknown consequences.

  *************************

  //A/N:Only Muay Thai moves are included, as Musti Yuddha moves made it complicated and disrupted the reading harmony. I felt that not including names would be better, but just in case any enthusiast wants to check on Google, I left them for now..