The two days had flown by as the two tried to get Zahra as ready as possible for the fight. Valna'a found her armour that fitted well enough and the two settled on a weapon similar to the human Jo Staff. A metal rod just over a metre long with rounded ends and a small circular guard like a plain Tsuba.

For a back up, they chose a plain double edged straight bladed dagger about twenty centimetres long. Without training a shield would be more of a hindrance than a help and a dagger would at least giver her a backup

Valna'a chose the same dagger as Zahra and a longer version of it for a sword. A metre long and double edged the blade had a very slight taper for most of its length with a more pronounced one at the tip to form a point.

Eschewing her normal light combat armour Valna'a chose a set that matched Zahra's. Almost making them look like twins.

Zahra had never felt so nervous in her life. This was literally going to be a matter of life and death. Valna’a had explained the rules to her until she could, and possibly did, recite them in her sleep.

The two of them would enter the arena together and approach the Clan Father’s private box. The Master of Ceremonies would explain, for the crowd, that this would be two separate fights with the winners facing off, in necessary. If Korsephan and his partner forced both of them to submit then they would be his slaves for the rest of their lives.

If either girl died then their curse meant that they would both die. If, however, they could pull off a victory then they, and everyone else from Cestus would be transported there and released. With a guarantee that they would never be taken as slaves again.

All four combatants would be allowed to use combat drugs, which went in the girl’s favour as the bloodlust it caused could cause one of their opponents to go too far and kill them. It would also allow them to continue fighting after suffering injuries that would normally render them incapable of continuing. Korsephan had not wanted that but the crowd would want the fight to go on for as long as possible.

Zahra straightened her armour yet again, only to get a slap on the arm from her partner.

“Sorry, honey, but it’s really uncomfortable. It wasn’t designed for a human and pinches “

“I know, but it’s the best I could get. And don’t think I missed you calling me Honey.”

With a smile Zahra replied “We can’t get punished for it now. Either way we’ll free of this.” She then kissed her lover on the cheek. "For luck."

The two of them then walked through the door, into the arena. Despite being warned how impressive it was Zahra was still awed by the place. Easily one hundred metres at its longest and seventy five metres at the widest, the arena was an oval shaped space sand pit. Around the outside was a wall, easily three metres high on top of which were hundreds of spikes.

Impaled on a number of spikes were the heads of previous challengers. Well the heads of those who had lost their trials.

Beyond the spikes was were the similarities to ancient Earth arenas ended. Instead of thousands of baying citizens there was a single row of seats, filled with the great and powerful of the realm.

In the centre of these was Valna'a's father's private area. Surrounded by dozens of guards the whole area was pitch black stone with blood red seats and curtains. And not a single seat was empty, despite none of the Clan Father's three children being with him.

As Zahra was taking this in the door opposite them opened and two male elves appeared. Korsephan on the left and one of the more sadistic prison guards on the right. Seeing him Valna'a hissed.

"Strayh'el."

"Honey?"

"An old enemy. I'll enjoy killing him."

Halting in front of Valna'a's father the two groups turned towards him, with Zahra throwing him a salute.

"Hear the rules for this challenge!" Boomed an augmented voice. "And the consequences for defeat.”

"This battle is between Prince Korsephan Nightshade, Son of the Clan Father, heir of the blood throne, and his sister: Valna'a."

Zahra was fairly sure, at this point, who’s side the MC was on.

"This will be a two on two fight decided by death or submission.

"Prince Korsephan will be assisted by Strayh'el Heartripper, of the Cattle Guard, while Princess Valna'a will have her pet."

Cheers for Korsephan and Strayh'el, jeers for Valna'a and Zahra.

"As the contest is so one sided." Laughs. "The challenged have graciously agreed to an equally lopsided prize. Prince Korsephan, please tell us your demands."

"Certainly, Your Grace.

"If both submit then they will both be my personal slaves to do with what I want, for the rest of their miserable lives.

"If either dies in this holy arena, then they are both to die."

Cheers from the crowd.

"Challengers?" Asked the MC.

"We accept their terms, Your Grace." Called out Valna'a.

"And your terms?" Asked the MC of Valna'a.

"Can I?" Asked Zahra quietly, to her lover.

"Why not?"

"Our demands, Your Grace." Shouted Zahra. "Are that if we are victorious the slaves from planets 06ADH and 03DTU are to be released immediately. Healed of any and all injuries and returned to their home worlds, with their trackers flagged as Inviolate, safe from ever being taken again.

"Any of Clan Nightshade who wish to leave with us are free to do so and are also Inviolate."

This caused a murmur amongst the crowd. No one was expecting either the human to make the demands for her team or for her to add the slaves of a second world to the equation.

"Do you accept, Raid Second?" Zahra asked Korsephan, deliberately using his far less impressive military title. "Or do you sufficiently doubt your prowess that you need to renegotiate?"

The terms were always agreed beforehand and very rarely changed at this point in the procedure. However, in doing so, Zahra had trapped the prince. Denying her at this late stage would make him look weak.

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"We accept its terms." He called back, trying to insult her.

"Prince Korsephan and his opponent will remain here, Strayh'el and his victim." Jeers from the crowd. " To the far side."

With that the pairs split and went to their respective starting points.

As Zahra and Strayh'el crossed the arena, Zahra loosened the fittings on her armour a bit more. While it didn't make it any more comfortable it did expose more of her breasts. Something she hoped would give her a bit of an advantage in the fight to come.

Once each pair was set a drum started beating the countdown to the start of the contest. After eight strikes it stopped and the fights began.

Valna'a and Korsephan danced around each other as the experienced fighters they were, each using the short thin sword and dagger combination. Korsephan feinted and then swung a vicious cut at Valna'a's head, followed up by a stab with the dagger.

Expecting the feint and slash Valna'a easily countered them, but Korsephan using the dagger stab was unusual and caught her off guard. On the back foot from that, Valna'a was in trouble from the start.

Always faster and stronger than his sister, and her now slowed by being bound to Zahra, Korsephan pushed his advantage, flicking his sword just out of her reach, teasing her, just nicking pieces of her armour or scoring a slight wound.

It did not completely go his way though as he misjudged a theatrical twirl intended to evade her blade and earned a cut across his chin for his troubles. Nevertheless, this was a rare victory in the unequal struggle.

Forced back against the wall of the arena, Valna'a knew she was the only real hope for her team and that she could not yield. Korsephan, however, was winning and was obviously enjoying playing with his victim.

An obvious feint to her right had Valna'a ducking that way to avoid the blow to her left. Which was in turn a ruse. Pain erupted through her right arm as Korsephan skewered it to her body with his dagger. The blade shattering her upper arm before impaling her in the chest.

Her useless right arm no longer able to hold her sword and her breathing compromised by having a punctured lung she staggered back away from her brother. Picking up her sword to replace the dagger still in her chest he approached her whirling the blades in an hypnotic pattern that ended with them either side of her throat ready for the killing blow.

"Your wound is fatal, sister." He sneered. "Yield and the healers can save you."

The move had been beautiful and impressive, electrifying the crowd in the arena, and the thousands more watching it remotely. However, it had also been a mistake. Stabbing her own dagger into his chest, she deliberately just missed killing him, but the wound would be fatal if not treated immediately.

"If I die brother, so do you. Yield and we both live."

Stunned, Korsephan stared at the hilt of the dagger threatening to end his existence.

"Fine." He gurgled, the sound amplified by the acoustic enhancements designed to allow the audience to enjoy every nuance of the experience

"I yield!" He whispered.

Valna'a released her grip on the dagger before sinking to the floor, praying that Yslana and Saphie would have enough time to patch her up before she had to face Strayh'el. Alternatively, that Zahra had hurt him enough that he would agree to medical intervention.

Sobbing she raised her eyes to see what fate had in store for her.

The fight on the other side of the arena was just as entertaining for the crowd, just for much different reasons.

The elf, while quick and graceful, was only used to beating up defenceless victims. He also had very little military training, and none on duelling. The human had also never used duelling weapons but her relative clumsiness was countered by her determination and the training Valna'a had given her.

Combined, these factors made the two equally poor at fighting and the spectacle more of a clown show. However, the fight was just as desperate and just as deadly.

The combat started with the two swinging wildly at each other, Zahra with the staff and dagger combination as recommended by Valna'a, while Strayh'el had gone for a vicious looking spiked sword and spiked buckler. On the attack he would use the sword two handed, defensively he used them separately. In both modes the hooks and spikes would threaten to foul Zahra's blades.

With neither of the combatants having formal training the hooks and spikes on Strayth'el's sword were never in the same plane. This required Zahra to constantly be on the move, avoiding strokes more than blocking them, as she couldn't risk her weapon getting caught up and ripped from her hand.

Constantly backing up, however, was tiring. Walking backwards used different muscles than walking forwards, constantly having to look around to ensure she didn't back herself against the wall. Plus worrying about and sneaking looks at Valna'a. Combined with the weight of the weapons stressing her arms, Zahra was starting to struggle.

Ducking under a wild swing, nearly losing her staff to Strayth'el's sword as she used hers to deflect his, she stumbled back against the wall of the arena. Panting with the untrained for effort this battle required she forced herself to roll along the wall to distract the elf. Facing him again she noticed that he, too, sneaked a glance at the other two. A longer glance than she allowed herself to.

Pushing off from the wall, as though to attack, she dodged around him and put herself between him and the main event. This would take great willpower on her part as she would be unable to check on Valna'a without turning round. Hopefully the elf would suffer a distraction she could exploit.

Forcing even the thought of the other fight from her mind she concentrated on the foe in front of her. This was when it really sunk in how much of an amateur her opponent really was. Before now, she had seen his weapon choice as deadly and unpredictable, now she saw them as slow and unwieldy. Yes, they could trap hers and rip them from her hands, but that sword weighed at least twice as much as her staff, and the way he was starting to swing it - the strikes diagonally down from his left shoulder - made her think his right arm was starting to tire.

Then she saw her opening. As he started a swing, she acted.

"NOW!" She yelled, causing him to look past her in distraction. Collapsing down to her right she avoided the blow, easily, but swung her own weapon at his knee.

Distracted, tired, with both hands trying to control his sword Strayh'el made no effort to avoid her strike as it crashed into the joint. The blow was not true in either angle of attack or force, but it was perfect for location. Crashing into the knee joint the crack of breaking bone was unmistakable, the sound amplified for the entertainment of the spectators.

Somehow, the elf managed to stay on his feet and gestured that he was prepared to carry on. Ignoring a memory from an old film Zahra started to believe that she could win this and prepared to finish him off.

Circling around to her opponents right she made him follow, often having to use his sword as a crutch for balance, before jumping to his left and feinting and attack. Instinct cut in and he turned to face her raising his left arm to shield himself, and his right to launch a counterblow. As she expected the move caused the elf to transfer weight to his ruined left leg, which just collapsed, pitching him face first into the sand.

Grabbing her opportunity with both hands, literally, she dropped the staff and jumped onto his back, using her momentum and what little strength she had left in her arms to drive her dagger into the back of his right had shoulder, through his torso and into the ground. The crossguard of the blade actually pressing into his flesh.

Grabbing his sword, she swung a deathblow at his head, only to miss as she underestimated how clumsy the blade actually was.

"I YIELD!" Screamed her foe. "I yield, I yield, I yield."

Raising the blade for another attempt, she barely registered his words in time to release the sword before the swing, letting it land next to her defeated enemy.

Unarmed, now, she finally turned to the other battle to see the healers rushing over to tend the fallen.

Seeing both combatants down she realised that the worst case scenario had Korsephan injured and Valna'a out. If true, she couldn't afford to let his healers patch him up.

An adrenaline surge allowed her to abandon her weapons and jog across the thirty metres that now separated the two pairs, ready to pick up her lover's weapons and defend her. Her charge cut short as Saphie Winter intercepted her, crushing her in a massive bear hug.

In her exhaustion, Zahra tried to throw her friend off to get to the weapons, only to be brought up short by a slap to the face.

"It's over. It's over, it's over." Eventually the words started sinking in.

"What?"

"Both you and Val won. It's over." Saphie gleefully told her.

"Val's badly hurt." Less gleeful now. "But not bad enough to worry Lana.

"Let me check you over, while Lana does her thing, and then you can go over there."

The minute it took Saphie to check her over, slap on some salve, and let her go was the longest minute in the young woman's life. Finally able to free herself from the medic she rushed over to her partner's side. Just in time to see Yslana spraying a foam over a heavily bandaged arm. The spray rapidly hardening into an emergency cast.

Another minute and the princess declared the two good to go, for now, finishing off with a multi-purpose energy shot in each girl's arm.