-Callia-

  The moment was interrupted as the elderly butler intervened.

  “Heir Reginald, your guests have arrived late in the day. I believe now that the meal has finished, it's time to let them rest.” Reginald nodded in understanding, and we watched as he almost visibly swallowed the questions that had surfaced. The sun had finished setting, and I finally realized that this impromptu dinner was likely something unplanned, which might be why Jasmine had been in such a bad mood being dragged out. With a short farewell, we parted for the night. Jasmine had to be carried away by the butler as she tried to follow us back towards the guest lodging.

  I made it back to my room and found my travelling gear neatly displayed on a clothing rack by the walk-in wardrobe. Next to it was a set of sleeping clothes. It felt strange seeing something so common in my previous life for the first time in this life. Getting close, I noticed a small note attached to the clothing explaining the purpose and nature of sleepwear. I wanted to both cry and laugh at the absurdity but eventually settled in for the night, enjoying what I would rate a five-star experience.

  The next day started with the sound of knocking at the door. I groaned, trying to sit up in the soft bed. After last night I don’t think I can ever go back. Before I could begin scheming how to steal the bed, Vivre entered the room.

  “Miss Callia! It’s time to get up!” She managed to drag my confused body out of the fluffy warm blankets and onto a stool in front of a mirror. “There, now, your companions are already up, so I was sent to get you prepared for breakfast!” I barely even thought about her as she got to work spiffing me up. That bed was now something I needed more of in my life, and I eventually settled on plan A to make a wager to accompany our fight. I’m sure Callen could make something intriguing enough to place as a stake in the fight. I focused back on Vivre and noticed that she had taken to styling my hair into massive drill shapes.

  “Vivre, can you make it something simple? Like straight down. I don’t think I would survive the embarrassment of my brother seeing me with hair like this.” I hear a weird sound of disappointment from Vivre as she complies with my request.

  “Nobody appreciates the effort it takes to shape hair like I can. It should be a mark of status to have hair like this, but everyone just thinks it's embarrassing or impractical. To think only little Lady Jasmine understands my art!” I just let her grumble while my head is returned to normal. A similar dress to the previous night is provided, and eventually I follow Vivre as she leads me down to breakfast.

  Nothing special to say about breakfast; our group ate at a large table, and our hosts provided some food leaning into the nicer side. The Nox family seemed to be busy elsewhere while we ate. I took this chance to let Callen know about my intention to get the bed. Afterward Reginald met with us.

  “Callia, do you mind if there is a crowd watching the fight? Guard training and public matches occur on an alternating schedule, and today is for the public. Getting an opening made for a special guest wouldn’t be a problem, but I also didn’t want to throw you in without warning.” I nodded along. Crowds never really bothered me, but for someone more secretive, it would make sense if this kind of change was unwelcome.

  “Crowds won’t be a problem. What kind of fights will joining the event entail?” Since I would be joining as a special guest, it likely meant I wouldn’t be going up against guards or knights chosen by Reginald; instead, I would be facing whomever was originally planned for the arena.

  “As a special guest you’ll get brought in at the end to face off against whomever won the general matches, and then you’ll get a chance to fight the reigning champ. Usually civilian champs are around the level of a veteran guard, but the reigning champ is significantly stronger. From what I’ve heard, people suspect him to be around the level of a knight, but reports are mixed, and he hasn’t been pushed to his limit, so it's hard to say.” For a brief moment I imagined raising my arms to the spectators while standing on whoever the previous champion was and shouting, “Are you entertained!” However, I shook myself free of that thought. Fighting a knight was a big deal, and I have yet to beat one in a solo fight, so I needed to take this seriously. Still, one comment slipped out before I could help it.

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  “If I win, can I get the bed? Whatever the normal prize is, you can have it in exchange.” Noticing the strange expression on his face, I feel a bit embarrassed and justify myself. “What? I liked it!” He just lowered his face into his palm before chuckling briefly.

  “Sure, but how about instead of giving you that one, I have a new one made for you before the day ends? No need to exchange the prize, just a free bed. You do have the means of taking it with you, right?” I pump my fist in victory, completely ignoring Callen’s secondhand embarrassment. Then I run back into my room to switch out the stupid dress for my combat gear.

  I meet back up with everyone else, and Reginald arrives last wearing his full plate armor. Together with several knights and guards, we make our way back into the dark of the city and then to the outer districts, where a large coliseum is built on the far side of the city from the ocean. The coliseum stands nearly as tall as the second wall and twice as tall as the outer wall. Even outside, the rowdy cheering echoes through the surrounding markets. We are led to a private entrance at the back of the arena, but right before I enter, I look back and lock eyes with a cloaked individual several blocks away. They dive into an alley, and I decide it's best not to chase an unknown stalker for now. It wasn’t like we had caused any trouble here to be targeted, so it was likely that Reginald was the real target. I made sure to let him know while we settled into a private viewing platform.

  “Your fight will begin a bit after the current one ends. It looks like we have Malcom from the guard team fighting Brock from the lumber guild. Whoever wins this fight will be your opponent.” I looked down towards an intense exchange between a man wielding a flail ducking under a high-speed swing from an axe. “Just like your town, we also have our local earthkin specially make nonlethal weaponry for fights like this. However, being struck by a swing like that would certainly require emergency treatment. A nonlethal knife will be provided for you when they’re done with the current match.” I almost feel like this is a jab at me. Just because nearly everyone I fought in the tournament needed treatment doesn’t mean I can’t control myself! I paused a bit before sighing and accepting that maybe I was a bit out of control back then.

  Down below, the flail fighter tried to get in close using the opening from the axman’s swing only to get caught as the man didn’t fight his swing, instead riding it and spinning around completely. Flail Man was sent flying, and the crowd roared as an official came down declaring Brock’s victory. Another team went in and dragged Malcom away for treatment.

  At this point I was pulled away for my appearance in the arena. I was led down to a tunnel leading into the arena and provided a knife and a pair of gloves and boots for the fight. They weren’t exactly a great fit, but at least now I didn’t need to restrict myself when punching. I sat on a bench just before the entry to the arena proper and relaxed. Finally the voice of the announcer rang out, and I stood up. It was time for some fun.

  Spy

  Shadow had lived in the underbelly of Nox City for as long as he could remember. While he didn’t remember his origins, he was taken in by the sky people gang. A coalition of rich merchants found that with enough money and pressure they could seize complete control of the expensive homes at the highest position in the inner district. Shadow was their means to drive out rivals, being trained since his earliest memory to care for nothing but the instructions of his master. Things had seemed strange recently, though. Priorities had shifted from keeping outsiders under control to an unsustainable expansion.

  Shadow and his fellow agents had been dispatched repeatedly to hunt down and abduct countless commoners in the lower district. The abductees were taken by the masters to use for personal pleasure, often suffering horrific deaths. Shadow also noticed the shift in culture among his fellow shadows. Previously nothing mattered, but now various shadows would spend time playing with victims before delivering them to the masters. It was clearly some kind of unnatural plague of sadism addicting those who were most inclined to darker actions.

  However, despite all the issues, Shadow didn’t care. He was created to fulfill his purpose, and nothing else mattered. Now he had a new task. He needed to find the guests of the city lord and report their movements back to the master so that he might win favor with the “Dark Lady.”

  It didn’t take long to catch up when rumors announced the passage of the young lord heading towards the city arena. Just before they moved into the secret entry to the arena, Shadow found the guests, but he was immediately spotted in return. Shadow dove for cover and for the first time felt shock. For years he couldn’t be found without making a major scene, yet just now in barely a second he was identified from several blocks away. Still, his task was completed, and he moved through the darkness back towards his master in the inner district.