††† Siegfried †††

Kesh exploded forward, chunks of stone erupting from the ground behind him. He was fast.

Siegfried saw an opening as his opponent lunged out with the left arm. He leaned right to evade the vicious-looking fingers and hit Kesh with the heavy swipe to the side. The hardened steel bounced off the exoskeleton with a clang, taking only a tiny chip out of the black surface.

The blow had hardly shoved Kesh aside, and Sieg was off-balance, unable to avoid the segmented tail that smashed into his chest.

It sounded like a sledgehammer hitting a wall.

Siegfried was launched backwards, his skin and flesh scraping from his back as he ripped a groove into the granite floor of the pit.

Before he could attempt to raise, the alien figure of Kesh filled his view, and the stinger was descending.

He had miscalculated and underestimated his enemy by far. And if it wasn't for his inhuman reflexes, that would have been the end.

Siegfried wrenched his head to the side while hitting the tail with the flat of his blade. The stinger struck the stone a fingerbreadth next to Sieg's ear.

For a fraction of a moment, Kesh's eyes widened in surprise. A regenerator should not have been able to react in time, no matter the battle experience.

Sieg had not wasted the opportunity and gripped the tail with both arms. Bracing a foot against Kesh's waist, he used the leverage to pull with all his might.

Despite having the weight and strength of four men, Sieg couldn't tear off the deadly appendage. His enemy let himself fall to the side and combined the momentum with a flick of its tail in the same direction.

Siegfried lost his grip and was hurled across the pit once more. He bounced off the ground and lost consciousness for a moment. The sword left his fingers and flew out of range when he came to a stop.

By now, the worst of his injuries had regenerated. But he felt a worrying sensation of emptiness in his core. There wasn't much energy left, and he had no idea how to handle that monster.

Kesh was stronger, more resilient and even slightly faster than Sieg. And that didn't count the stinger that would definitely be venomous. It reminded him of the first time he fought a monster on his own — without ability.

Siegfried rose, flinging conscious thought and emotions from his being.

Kesh came in with a wide swipe of his claws that would have either eviscerated Sieg or left him open to a stab with the stinger.

Siegfried registered the movements of both joints in time and jumped wide to the right side.

The swipe missed, and Sieg had ample time to deflect the stinger with a palm strike. He didn't follow up as he saw that Kesh's left shoulder tensed and backed up again as the claws swished through the space he had occupied.

After that threefold attack, it was Kesh who was off-balance, and Sieg used the moment to wind up a devastating strike. His knuckles connected with Kesh's temple.

Sieg's fingers and knuckles broke. The stinger jabbed towards him as he left himself open. And Kesh missed.

Siegfried backed up, focusing his energy on repairing the knuckles. Kesh followed again with the same speed as before, but hope flared within Siegfried's chest. For that short moment, his opponent's aim had been thrown off.

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Kesh movements became even faster, his alien face a mask of concentration.

It was all Sieg could do to evade by reading the movements. When his body wasn't fast enough, he traded taking a slight wound for avoiding the stinger. All while subtly guiding them in a half-circle, so Kesh blocked Zschrisch view on Sieg.

Once his fist had healed, the shapeshifting warrior let the bones on his knuckles grow and harden. A layer of enamel coated the bone.

Sieg ducked beneath a left hook and let the next jab strike his upper left arm. With a wordless shout, he put his weight into an uppercut, aiming for the chin. A deafening noise sounded as the enamel shattered against chitin, and the bones cracked.

Sieg quickly let the bones recede as his opponent dropped into a tangle of limbs. There was no visible damage, but Kesh was definitely out cold.

The pit was utterly silent, save for Siegfried's laborious breathing. Unbelieving stares met his gaze wherever he looked. Even Kaz stood there, slack-jawed, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

"Siegfried!" a piteous cry shattered the quiet, startling everyone from their trance. Haylee dropped down and burst in Sieg's direction, tears falling from her eyes. Despite his weariness, a smile came to his lips when the cat-girl jumped into his arms. He stifled a grunt when his battered body complained.

"I was so afraid," Haylee sobbed into his chest as he held her close and stroked her back reassuringly.

As the spell was broken, roaring cheers rose around the pit. People started chanting his name, but Sieg had only eyes for Haylee. Holding her felt so right — he never wanted to let go. "I'm sorry I made you afraid. I'll do better," he said, kissing her head from above.

As the commotion calmed down, Torg declared Siegfried the winner, eliciting another ovation from the crowd. When Sieg looked up, Zschrish had already left the stage. He just hoped he had succeeded in hiding the shapeshifting between his and Kesh's bodies.

Several hands clapped him on the uninjured should or back as the rest of his and Kaz's team surrounded them.

"People will speak of this fight for generations!" Kaz boomed, laying an arm around the couple. "Cmon, let's get out of here and find a place to celebrate," he barked with a laugh.

Haylee let go of Siegfried's chest just to throw her arms around his neck and give him a deep passionate kiss. More cheers rose around them, and the cat-girl finally allowed him to move but didn't leave his side for a moment.

Ryden walked next to them and wordlessly put a hand on Sieg's other shoulder as if to show camaraderie.

Sieg breathed a sigh of relief as the pain vanished, and his wounds began to heal at the same pace he could have regenerated. The healer had guessed that Siegfried was burned out and didn't have the energy to tend to his own wounds. He shot Ryden a grateful smile.

"Good work," was all Ryden said. But the warmness of his expression spoke of renewed trust and acceptance.

When they climbed out of the pit, Torg approached the group, nodding to Siegfried with respect. "You have made yourself a name today, warrior," he stated. "That was a most impressive display of skill and discipline. I'd like to have a word with you in private before you leave."

"He's going nowhere without me," Haylee narrowed her eyes and tightened her arm around Sieg's waist possessively.

Siegfried chuckled. "You heard her, Torg. Whatever you need to discuss, Haylee will know it as well. I keep no secrets from her."

Torg's eyes moved from Sieg to Haylee, and his hard features softened for a spell. "Very well," he acknowledged and walked away, beckoning them to follow.

"We won't go out of sight," Sieg assured his comrades. "Just wait here for a while. I'm curious to see what he wants." He wasn't afraid of Torg trying to harm them — not with everyone watching them from a distance.

When they were out of earshot, which was quite the distance in their case, Torg turned around. "I've told Zschrish that I believe you to be a prodigy but nothing beyond that," he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I don't think he bought it entirely, but at least he has nothing concrete to show. Unlike Kesh," he added with a frown.

"I don't know what you mean," Sieg answered, a bead of sweat forming on his brow. He forgot it in the heat of the moment, but Kesh had seen him shifting the bones on his knuckles.

"Battle is all I've ever done, young man," the heavily scarred veteran explained. "Everything about you — your reflexes, speed and resilience — screams of inhuman abilities. Regenerators can push their body to great heights, but not nearly close to that. And their senses stay human. You have the reflexes of a feline."

"But you didn't tell Zschrish," Sieg stated, his voice hard. "What do you want?"

"Only to warn you of leaving Kesh alive," Torg said, uncrossing his arms. "I owe you for going along with Zschrish scheme, even if I didn't have much choice. That's why I'm telling you that Kesh is near as experienced as I am. He might not look the part, but his race doesn't visibly age, and if I could deduct this from a distance, Kesh knows as well."

A shadow fell over Siegfried's face. Kesh was likely still unconscious, but could he really kill that honourable warrior in cold blood? "Thank you, Torg. I appreciate it," he muttered. "Just one more thing before I forget. Was there a man in brown robes with a wooden mask taking the trial in the past few days?"

"I knew he was trouble," Torg muttered. "He came with Zschrish and was allowed to pass without trial. Better stay clear of that person if he has Victor's favour."