The steely scent of sweat and iron filled my nostrils as I stood in the training area, watching Kate endure another grueling session with our trainer, Instructor Phillip Blackrest. To my surprise, he barely spared me a glance. The focus was all on Kate this time, pushing her to her physical limits.

"Ten more!" he barked at her, gesturing towards the gauntlet she was forced to run through.

The gauntlet was a cruel concoction of gears and mechanisms designed to test even the strongest of warriors. And there she was, Kate, bearing hundreds of pounds of weights on her broad shoulders as she gritted her teeth and pushed herself harder.

Her cyan eyes locked onto mine for a brief moment before she charged into the gauntlet. My heart pounded in my chest as I watched the padded bars swing in her direction, narrowly missing her blue tinted skin by mere inches. She leapt over one obstacle, then ducked under the next, her breath coming out in short, sharp bursts.

"You call that running?!" Phillip barked, his voice cold and demeaning. But Kate paid no heed to the insult; a fire burned within her, fueled by determination and an unyielding desire to prove herself.

"Gods love this weight," she quietly cursed as she came around the corner and passed me by. Then, she was back into the gauntlet, diving under a swinging bar before jumping and running up a wooden wall. Her muscles strained as she hoisted herself up, fingers gripping the rough wood like talons. I could see the pain etched into every line of her face, but she refused to let it hold her back.

"Losin' yer steam already?" Phillip mocked. "An' here yer mother thought you could handle the bare minimum!"

Kate came over the top of the wall and gasped as a fist sized ball struck her shoulder. Because the gauntlet could not be complete without weights, simulated battering rams, simulated attacks, wires, poles, and what looked almost like a pit trap. No, it also needed to simulate cannon fire. Which Kate ought to have dodged.

"Too slow, Gaurdson!" Phillip hollered.

Were I her, I likely would have quit.

Instead, I saw her keep going, approaching the next balance section. Poles had been driven into the ground, straight up. She now would have to run across them, mindful of their poor stability as she pushed off one and landed on the next.

It was absolutely treacherous.

A part of me wondered how quickly my Marks would grow if I gave that very same course a try. I marveled at her perseverance, the sheer force of will that kept her going despite the overwhelming unpleasantness of the experience.

And then another part of me remembered Marianne's advice. Increasing the bond Kate felt towards me would only be helpful, I thought.

Soon, an opportunity presented itself to better entwine Kate to my cause.

Kate stumbled as she landed on one pole, falling down into the pit. She fell sideways, clipping another pole with her chest. Were they sharpened, she would have just impaled herself. She bounced off the pole and went the last few feet into the ground, driving up a small wave of dust.

"Pathetic," Phillip Blackrest sneered.

Now, was my chest. I wetted my mouth, and allowed some of my horror and outrage to surface. I perhaps exaggerated it some.

"Enough!" I shouted.

The trainer shot me a withering glare, but Kate stumbled out of the gauntlet, gasping for air as she dropped the weights to the ground with a resounding thud.

"Are you trying to kill her?" I demanded, forcing my voice to shake with what could be either anger or fear.

"Progress demands sacrifice," the trainer replied hotly. "If she's going to excel like she strives for, then she must."

I clenched my fists at my side, pretending that I was struggling to control a fit of rage and fury.

Personally, I agreed with Phillip. Though their current practice seemed unworthy of a sapient being. But I could not just leave it off there as a complaint. I needed to couple it with actions. I rushed to where Kate had fallen and I jumped down into the pit, helping her to her feet and pulling the weights from her bindings.

"Kate," I murmured, reaching out to touch her trembling shoulder. "Are you well?"

It was perhaps over the top, but I thought Kate was buying it.

She looked up at me, her eyes filled with pain and exhaustion, but also steely resolve. She licked her teeth then bit her lip.

"No… Blackrest is mostly right..." she led off. "But I wouldn't mind taking a break right about now." Her gaze turned awfully lecherous. Something inside me squirmed in what could best be described as an unpleasant and messy excitation.

"Perhaps at a later time," I told her, scurrying up and out from the pit, leaving her behind and below me gazing up. "I still need to finish my own sets."

Though my drills were nowhere near as demanding as Kate's.

Soon, Kate returned to the start of her gauntlet, and I turned my attention back to the ribbon.

The long, silken strand seemed almost alive in my hands as I flicked it through the air, coiling it around a nearby wooden post. Two out of three times it worked perfect and beautifully, with my movements full of fluid grace. But one out of three times, I wound up tangled in the ribbon, failing in a spectacularly embarrassing fashion.

Eventually, Phillip turned his chiding gaze back towards me. "Enough of that nonsense!" Phillip complained. "This isn't some performance for an audience. Break it down into something useful. Don't try to make it look good. Get it functional first! Daft git."

I frowned slightly but did as he asked, focusing on the more practical aspects of the ribbon's use. I wrapped it tight around the post, yanking it hard to test the strength of my grip. Then, with a quick twist of my wrist, I sent the ribbon snapping outwards to tangle around an imaginary foe.

"Better," Phillip said, his tone still dismissive. "But you'll need to practice more if you want to be as effective as a sword or spear. Not too late to pick up knives instead…"

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I ignored his suggestion. The battle-ribbon might have been unwieldy, but I saw potential in it. I could imagine using it to distract and bind and perhaps even parkour. The best part was how so few people recognized it as a weapon. It was underestimated. And, if used as a weapon, bloodless.

As I continued to work through the various techniques, my ears caught the murmur of voices nearby. A group of caravaneers had gathered near the edge of the training grounds, their faces etched with concern. They were speaking with several of the free-lance guards. It seemed they were trying to pick up extra security guarantees.

Curiosity piqued, I paused in my practice and listened in.

"...round ears are causing trouble again," one of the mercenaries said, a burly man with a thick beard and numerous tattoos. "They've been harassing our caravans, picking us off one by one. It's getting harder and harder to make it through their territory without losing half our goods."

"Tell me about it," a knight commiserated. "And now there's this competition brewing between the Knights and the Baron's Men for funding. It's making it impossible to know who to trust or where to turn for help."

"The baron needs to step up and deal with this mess," a third chimed in, his voice low and venomous. "His precious tolls are gettin' wasted and squandered while we're left to fend for ourselves. It's only a matter of time before something breaks an' gives."

As I listened to their complaints, I couldn't help but feel sympathy for their plight. The caravaneers were victims of a power struggle, caught between the shifting tides of politics and ambition. And yet, as much as I wanted to help, I knew that my own place in this world was far from secure.

"Jackie?" Kate's voice called out, her breath coming in heavy gasps as she emerged from the gauntlet. Sweat and blood marred her face, but her eyes were still bright and determined.

"Hm?” I asked, seeing Kate making her way over to me.

“Distracted by something?” she asked.

I scoffed, and picked my battle-ribbon back up. “Maybe,” I said.

"Well don’t. But… I can see you’re getting better. It might feel like it’s going slow, but you’re getting better," she said, watching me work through a series of blocks and grabs. "Your form has improved significantly," Kate observed, joining us after completing her grueling gauntlet run. "But don't forget your footwork; it's the foundation of your balance."

"Right," I murmured, shifting my weight to adjust my stance.

As I blocked and countered imaginary foes, my thoughts turned to the conversation I had overheard earlier – the round ears' attacks on caravans, the struggle between the Low Knights and the baron's men, and the uneasy relationship between Southbridge and the capital. These were but pieces of a larger puzzle, one that stretched across the empire like a tangled web of intrigue and deception.

Athleticism: 6/9 (+1)

"Jackie," Kate said, her voice cutting through my reverie. "You're getting distracted again…” she followed where my eyes lingered on the gossipers. She pouted. “And it’s for all the wrong reasons.”

"Sorry," I replied, shaking off the weight of the world and focusing on the task at hand. There would be time for contemplation later; for now, I needed to hone my skills and prepare for whatever lay ahead.

"Want me to show you the right reasons?” she asked, smirking.

“Pardon?” I asked in confusion, stopping mid-pivot.

“The right reasons to be distracted,” she elaborated, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh–” I started to find a convenient excuse, when a fortuitous interruption occurred.

A cacophony of screams and cries for help tore through the air, jolting me from my focused state. The sounds seemed to emanate from runners coming from the direction of the caravaneer's district.

Kate and I exchanged a glance, our training interrupted.

"What?" Kate asked, her eyes narrowing as she tried to discern the cause of the chaos. "That… sounds like something interesting is going down? Maybe a brawl…” she had a dreamy grin upon her face.

Before I could respond, we heard the distinctive thud of boots hitting rooftops. A group of quickly moving youth, brightly costumed with their identities covered, leaped from building to building, their powerful forms slicing through the air like arrows loosed from a bow. When they hit the boulevard, several carts went crashing in the wake of their paths.

"Velvetcall,” Kate spat as she laid eyes upon the first of the forms. “And Guesswork…" Kate muttered, her voice dripping with disdain. "Creeps... I can't stand either. Any of them, really. But those two are the worst."

"Who?" I asked, missing some context. Were I not so skeptical, I would have compared them to vigilantes, or heroes perhaps. But that would be preposterous and foolishness, even more so than I expected from these lands.

"It's a story and a half," Kate replied, still disgusted.

As Velvetcall and his friends disappeared from view, racing toward the epicenter of the disturbance, Kate turned to me, her hand outstretched.

"Come on, Jackie!" Kate said. "If those creeps are going, and if the Knights are involved, then let's check it out! Maybe we'll get to fight!"

As we were about to depart, heading towards the partition between the training grounds and the Mercantile Quarter, Esmerelda called out.

"Wait!" Esmerelda's voice cut through the tension like a knife, causing us both to freeze in our tracks. She strode towards us, her eyes locked on mine with an intensity that made me shiver. "Kate, I have no authority over you, of course, so do as you desire. But Jackie must stay here. She is not ready yet for such a lively scene."

Lucky Break: 2/9 (+1)

"Esmerelda?" I asked. "It would be a fine way to practice some of what I've been learning. And with everyone else headed that way, I don't think it'll be overly dangerous. I can do this."

"Your dedication is commendable, Jackie," Esmerelda replied, her expression softening ever so slightly. "But this is not a mess for you or I to involve ourselves in, I think. We have little to gain, and much to lose."

Kate hesitated, torn between her desire to aid those in need and her loyalty to me. I could see the struggle play out across her face, the weight of the decision pressing down on her like a crushing burden.

"Go on, then," I said, encouraging her to do what she wanted to do anyway. It is always better to be on the winning side of temptation, after all.

Kate glanced back from me towards where the heroes had run. I rolled my eyes and shooed her. "It'll be fine," I assured her. "Not like Esmerelda would let anything happen to us."

Esmerelda snorted in amusement, but shook her head rather than deigning to reply.

Kate finally made her decision. With a quick nod, she took off into the crowds, swerving around obstacles with a prescient grace. I had a feeling she could have blindfolded herself and still navigated the crowd. She must have had some good Marks. I wondered if I could convince her to help me get some of the same?

Blessings: Rank (1/9)

* Body: 65

* Mind: 75

* Spirit: 49

Talents:

* Athleticism (6/9) (+1):

* Climbing I (4/9)

* Featherlight I (3/9)

* Inversion (2/9)

* Stealth I (7/9)

* Trackless Tracks I (3/9)

* Area Coverage (5/9)

* Alchemical Immunity (ineligible for growth)

* Eschiver I (1/9)

* Evasion I (1/9)

* Impending Sense (1/9)

* Lucky Break (2/9) (+1)

Spells:

* Illusion I (5/9)

* Touch (8/9)

* Guise of the Kitsune (5/9)

* Closed

Gifts:

* Obsession (3/9)

* Closed (0/9)

* Closed (0/9)