-Callia-

  I begin twirling the knife in hand as the announcer's voice rings out.

  “Everyone! Today we have a special event for everyone. An honored visitor of Reginald Nox, heir to our great city, has volunteered to show off the distant skills mastered in the most remote corner of our kingdom. I present to you Callia, honored daughter of Sir Marek of Port Town. A rising champion of humanity who hasn’t even reached adulthood yet has already been awarded the rank of Common Knight through merit in battle!”

  In front of me the gate slowly opened, letting me casually walk out. I casually walk out as a stunned silence settles over the crowd. I would be intimidated by the silence, but instead I feel a bit shy from all the shock my introduction gave the crowd. I reach up my hand, waving out to the crowd. They burst into cheers, letting me relax and shift my attention back over to the other entry tunnel. The cheers continue briefly before quieting down, letting the announcer speak again.

  “Now it isn’t necessary for me to introduce him, but I’m proud to do so anyway. This month's rising champion. Boss of the greatest lumber team in the whole city. Brock the great greataxe!” My opponent violently kicked open the gate opposite me, forcing his way in. With flair he swung his axe around menacingly while stalking in a roundabout manner to show off to everyone above. After finishing his lap, he slowed to a stop in front of me. He scowls a bit looking at me, but I just give him a wide smile and a thumbs-up.

  “Girl, the weapons might be blunted, but don’t deceive yourself that it won’t hurt. I don’t want to hurt someone so young.” His words were blunt but unexpectedly kind. I felt a bit offended I was being estimated so lowly, but the perfect answer to assuage his concerns came to mind.

  “Don’t worry, axe guy! My Pain Resistance skill is just short of 90. You could break every bone in my body, and it’ll only be a bit uncomfortable. The only person who made me feel notable pain in a while was the maid who combed my hair this morning. She’s way too aggressive.” I lean a bit into the joyful psycho child vibe and begin taking a relaxed stance. In truth, this guy likely doesn’t have the skills to fight me. I saw his previous fight and clearly identified a slower, heavy-hitting strategy that relied on momentum and tricks to deal with faster opponents.

  “Fight!” The announcer's voice rang out as our banter came to a close. Despite his earlier warning, Brock didn’t hesitate at all as he jumped forward, swinging his axe downward in a violent swing. I leaned over sideways, breaking into a smooth cartwheel as Brock impacted a moment too late to catch me. I expected his axe to take more effort to remove from the ground, but he just shifted stance, doing a sort of Iaido sword draw from the earth using his axe.

  The swing swept low, intending to cut off my ability to duck or dodge to the side. However, instead of retreating, I gave a burst of speed, closing the distance between us. Brock tried to pull in his swing but struggled to do so in time as I got too close for the axe blade to threaten me. However, despite closing inside his threat zone, I didn’t have a good opportunity to go for an attack, as I had to position my knife to brace against the shaft of his axe. I let myself ride the momentum of the swing, keeping myself standing upright in an act of extreme balance and focus as my feet slid across the gravel smoothly without compromising my stance.

  Brock dug in forcibly, trying to increase his spinning speed, but I had fully adjusted to riding his swing and leaning onto the axe. I jumped up from the ground, balancing completely on the axe. I crouched down with my feet at the head of the axe, bracing to jump forward and finish the fight, but Brock wasn’t down yet. Seeing my imminent threat, he elected to hurl me and the axe skyward.

  Like a Frisbee, I flew upward, the world around me spinning uncontrollably. I focus on my instincts and perfectly time my jump from the axe to bring me back down to the ground. I hit the ground rolling but skidded to a stop on my feet. Brock takes a step back with wide eyes, and I waste no time to close the distance between us in a flash. I bonk the man in the face with my foot, and he gets launched several feet before sliding to a stop, knocked out cold. A few moments later the axe falls from above, crashing down right next to Brock, lodged with its blade in the ground perfectly in line with his neck.

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  I reached up to wipe some imaginary sweat and waved back towards the crowd. If I’m honest, while Brock was an interesting opponent, he was just far too slow. My reaction time and instincts practically broadcast his every action, and while his pure strength was similar, I still had a decisive edge in almost every aspect. I would rate him around Grandpa’s level but with significantly more practice against humans. Honestly, I thought about letting the fight drag on longer to let the man show off because he clearly cares about these kinds of events, but playing around in a fight was something Grandpa and Callen had insisted I stop doing.

  I smiled a bit to myself, as clearly those lessons had gone to heart. A moment of silence echoed around the arena before wild cheering began cropping up all over the place. Soon deafening cheers filled the air. The medic team recovered Brock while I walked slowly around the arena waving upward.

  “What a fight that was! I’ve never seen anything like it. At the start it looked like an easy win for our champion, but out of nowhere Ser Callia rushed forward riding the man’s axe! I thought he was done for, but then he threw his axe and his opponent skyward! Despite that, Ser Callia just casually jumped back from the ascending axe before it could even carry her away.” I listened a bit as the announcer gave the play-by-play of the fight. Looking up over to Callen and Reginald, I noticed him looking at my brother while Callen seemed to be facepalming in embarrassment.

  I didn’t have time to figure out what it was, as the announcer called for a brief break before I would get a chance against the reigning champion. With a last wave I moved back into the prep area, and a team of earthkin collected my gear to inspect and repair any damage it might’ve received. As I waited, a short, chubby man waddled his way over towards me.

  “Respected Ser Callia, might I have a moment of your time before we begin the championship fight?” I just kept quiet while giving the man a cautious nod. “You see, Ser I’m the current master of spectacle for the arena, but I also run a betting ring on the side of my business. Normally this wouldn’t be the kind of issue I need to bring up; however, an unusually large bet has been placed on your triumph. If you win, I would find myself in an unbearable amount of debt.” Having gotten the general idea the man was conveying, I just angrily grunted.

  “So, you thought I would get my ass kicked, and now you're worried I might win. Betting was a risk you chose. Why should I care?” Something about betting money on fights just seemed to push my buttons in a way I hadn’t realized someone could.

  “NO, no, we were very generous with your odds. It's just a rare patron from the lord's mansion whom we can't turn away. That person happened to bet money equal to my entire life savings! I wanted to refuse, but I didn’t dare. I’ve managed to negotiate an out. I just need my champion to land a single hit, and the bet is cancelled!” The first person that came to mind was Reginald, but he didn’t seem the type to force someone like this. His father was busy dealing with whatever information that gangster had delivered the previous night. That left only one culprit, which felt both ridiculous and surprisingly likely: Jasmine.

  “Does your patron happen to be a girl around the age of 12?” I asked while carefully watching his body freeze, tensing at the question. He immediately sputtered out denials, but my answer was clear enough. Now I just had to ask myself the question: do I want to help the scummy business boss or encourage a small child to gamble while throwing life-ruining amounts of money at unfortunate businessmen? I ignored the rambling pleas of the old man while I contemplated my options.

  Sword-hopping style

  Callen and Reginald sat in the booth watching the fight below. As it drew to a close, Reginald looked to Callen and asked in a voice containing genuine confusion.

  “When I fought Callia before, she also rode my shield to ruin my balance. Is weapon riding some kind of advanced fighting technique or skill?” Callen just froze briefly before lowering his face into his palm, sighing.

  Meanwhile, in the stands at the gambling stall. Jasmine, accompanied by an entourage of maids and soldiers, stood at the booth, signaling Vivre to bring forward her money. A large bag of coins thumped onto the table as the greedy merchant's eyes lit in glee.

  “The first part shall be my confidentiality fee. I presume it’s sufficient.” She barely waited as the man eagerly nodded. Then in a smooth motion Vivre moved into the back of the group, letting out a strained gasp before additional hands came to support her as she dragged over a sack of gold bars as tall as she was and filled to the brim. Jasmine’s face shone with satisfaction as the merchant's jaw dropped in shock and dawning horror.

  “Now merchant, you’ve accepted my confidentiality fee; now comes my bet. All of this on Callia kicking that boring champion’s ass! My maid will collect my winnings once the fight has ended.” The man sputtered in distress trying to escape the deal but, under the heavy gaze of Jasmine’s guards, meekly gave his ultimatum.

  “Fine, but if the champion can land at least one hit, then the bet is cancelled!” Jasmine didn’t even hesitate to agree as she and her entourage left to watch from the noble’s spectator box with her big brother.