Finding a Fight (3)

Pursing my lips, I stared out the window as I watched the Orc and Catkin parade around the sandy floor, wide grins and enthusiastic movements riling up the crowd.

A mixture of applause and jeering fell down onto the two fighters, which only fueled their grins further.

"Barbaric."

Glancing at Dama, I smirked at her as she frowned back at me, before I added "But fun. Seems like it'll be a rather fun time."

Watching as her frown flipped into a smile, I turned back to the window and observed the four fighters vacating the field, before two more stepped out, staring at one another neutrally.

Leaning against the wall, I continued to watch the next few fights, idly chatting with Dama as we discussed what the fighters did or didn't do.

Taking note of what my more experienced Dama said, I continued to add onto the repertoire she had beaten into me and put it to use, finding more and more weaknesses or openings in the women fighting before us.

We had to wait for quite a while, but eventually we heard our numbers called - together - which made us raise a brow as we approached the organizer.

The thin Elf smiled warmly at us before asking "May I see your medallions?"

Leaning down, I raised the small chunk of metal for her to inspect, observing her as she scratched down some notes quickly before doing the same with Dama.

"Good, it's all in order. Alright, your first match is a double battle. You two will be going against two other Gladiator challengers who have won their first fight. The Boss is curious to see which set should be allowed to continue forwards, so..."

Smiling, Dama nodded to the Elf, who stepped aside and gestured to the empty hall behind her.

"Down that tunnel is a set of doors; please take the door that says 'Challengers' and step out into the arena. Best of luck to you both!"

Bowing to the woman, I rolled Dama as we made our way towards the doors, the silence in the tunnel almost deafening when compared to the boisterous waiting area.

"Our first match, and its together~! How about that~!"

Ignoring her, I continued forwards and pushed open the door, hearing a quiet huff behind me as I climbed the stairs.

Walking down another shot tunnel, we reached a spiked gate, which opened as soon as we approached.

The roar of the crowd returned as we stepped out, and I briefly covered my eyes as the suns harsh rays slammed against us.

Wincing, I walked a few steps forwards before stopping, taking in our opponents.

A Rabbitkin and a Wolfkin stood opposite us, both riddled with scars and wearing battered leather armor.

Seeing that, Dama scoffed quietly as she muttered "Amateurs...", the disdain in her gaze apparent as she relaxed her stance.

Furrowing my brow, I studied them further, wondering where her swift assessment came from.

They stood with experienced stances, providing almost no openings, while also remaining calm and unbothered by the crowd.

"This match is a special one! Two sets of women aspiring to conquer the Gladiators Gauntlet, but only one set may emerge victorious! On one side, we have the brave Hunters of the Opolar Mercenary group, already tried inside the arena! As for their opponents, a pair of Northern Deerkin have just begun their first battle! Who will be crowned the winner?! Place your bets now!"

Glancing over at the tall walls around us, I found the orator standing on a special platform above us; the orator was a Harpy with beautiful red and yellow plumage, which matched her cheery smile.

"Gladiators, are you ready!?"

Dama donned a cocky grin as she clasped her hands behind her back, while I nodded as I stood beside her.

The Rabbit and Wolf glared at us, obviously annoyed at our relatively nonchalant attitudes.

"Ooh~ Rather arrogant challengers, aren'tcha? Alright, begin!"

Taking a few steps to the left, I split off from Dama, finding myself face to face with the Rabbitkin.

For the moment, I focused on myself and my fight, dropping into a stance as I waited for the woman opposite me to make the first move.

Narrowing my eyes, I focused on her, already hearing the sounds of fighting coming from the right.

Seeing those long ears twitch, I stepped to the side as the Rabbitkin launched herself forwards, kicking out with her short, but powerful leg.

However, instead of returning her foot to the ground, the Rabbitkin retracted her knee before kicking out once more, slamming her foot against my braced forearms.

Frowning, I ignored the stinging of the blow, focusing instead on her attempting to repeat that again.

When her knee had retracted once more, I waited for her to begin her third kick, pivoting to the side slightly as she did so.

Not moving too far, I hooked my arms around her outstretched leg and yanked backwards, instantly pulling her off balance and earning a worried gasp.

As she was pulled towards my body, I readied one arm and slammed my elbow out, raising a brow as she tried to desperately block the blow, only to fail as I slammed into her nose, breaking it.

Hearing the loud crunch, I frowned as I released her completely, letting her drop to the ground with a soft thud.

She reached up and gingerly held her face, tears streaming unwillingly from her eyes as she ground her teeth together.

"See? Amateurs. No one skilled has that many scars and that terrible of equipment... after all, the more you get hit, the worse your body gets. So... don't get hit."

Turning towards my Dama, I furrowed my brow as I saw the Wolfkin knocked out cold on the ground, her body a few feet away from some skid marks.

Blinking, I noticed then that Dama was standing right beside me, her arms crossed as she stared down at the pained Rabbitkin, before she looked up at me.

Her amber eyes were unusually cold, and I shivered.

She hid it well - so well that I had nearly forgotten - but she had told us that she used to be a soldier.

Dama kept her past close to her chest, but she had given us enough clues - all rather obvious too - that she was a trained, professional killer, a woman used to death.

The crowd around us was silent, likely not expecting us to have finished so easily; that included the orator, who was staring down at us blankly before turning towards someone behind her.

When she turned back, she wore an awkward smile as she shouted "W-Well, it seems the Deerkin challengers are for real! This is the first of their seven victories for the Gladiator's Gauntlet! Will they keep it up?! Well, we'll be able to witness two more of their fights today, so stick around folks~!"

With that, Dama nodded her head towards the way we came in, guiding me back down into the waiting area.

---

I know it was quick, but...

Remember, even if it isn't... the greatest, Aethisia does still have a system of her own, and she has also been training for her entire life (albeit a short one)

The rest of the fights won't be like this though, so don't worry~!

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