“Beau, you’re not leaving?” I asked, confused by the cattleman following Al and I across the stone cut field where our Martial Training class was to be held.

“No, I think I’d like to watch today,” he replied with a knowing smirk.

Week four started about as expected. We ran an extra lap as usual, bringing us up to six laps. We did our usual push-ups, sit-ups, burpees, jumping jacks, and stretching, increasing the number of each by two. Then came the announcement I’d been looking forward to. “Close range and swords, shed one.” The rest of what he had to say didn’t matter as Al and I locked eyes.

I felt a thrill of excitement at the prospect of matching up against him. I hadn’t any opportunity to observe him fight during class. So, other than his weapons of choice, I didn’t know what exactly to expect from him. But he was the Hero, so he had to be good, right?

“After you,” Al said, motioning for me to go ahead of him toward the shed.

I grinned, “Thank you, comrade.”

I went ahead to the shed and opened the door. I got a few looks of confusion from the other close range fighters. What they didn’t know, what I’d barely managed to keep secret when it happened, was that I had recently gotten Grappling up to Intermediate Rank. It was time to mix it up a bit. I wanted to see if I could incorporate my Grappling skill with Knife Fighting.

I took a single wooden practise knife and tucked it into the back of my belt. I also put on a padded brigandine, something I’d gotten into the habit of doing after the first time I fought someone with a spear.

I passed Lulu on my way out and gave her a little grin and a wink, which she frowned at. “What are you up to?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

“Just . . . do me a favour. Tell everyone to let Al and me have it out. It’s been a long time coming,” I said.

Lulu looked at me with wide nervous eyes, “You want me to . . . o-order them around?”

I nodded and gave the mousegirl a kind smile, “I would very much appreciate it.”

“I’ll t-try,” Lulu promised.

Al came in right behind her to get his own things. Outside the shed was a long line of swordskin waiting to collect their own practise weapons.

I moved away from the shed and started stretching lightly while I waited for the first round to begin.

“Ready to put your money where your mouth is, Belov?” Al asked as he started his own light stretching, just a metre away from me.

I quirked an eyebrow, “A bet?”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Al grinned and nodded as he suggested, “Loser wears a dress to the next Charisma Class?”

That was just mean of him. Was he hoping to embarrass me in front of Bella? That didn’t seem very fair. Still, I didn’t plan to lose. “And make-up?”

“Naturally,” Al agreed.

“You know this is lopsided in your favour, yes?” I asked.

Al seemed to consider that and then added, “Fine, then if you win, I’ll toss in a favour.”

That favour could be very useful if I ever needed Al to do something, no questions asked. “Alright, you have a deal.”

Al grinned, and we shook hands.

“Round one, begin!” Signore Barducci yelled.

I could feel pure adrenaline coursing through my veins as I clasped Al's arm in my grip. His eyes shot open in surprise as I yanked him forward to unbalance him and twisted his arm behind his back, ready to pop the joint out of place if he resisted too much. With a sudden burst of strength, Al twisted out of my grasp and used the momentum to drive a powerful kick at my head. I staggered back instinctively and released my grip on his arm.

Seizing the opportunity, I lunged forward and wrapped my arms around Al's waist then hoisted him straight up into the air. With all the force I could muster, I slammed him onto the ground and heard the air rush from his lungs with a painful gasp. I wasted no time in shifting my weight to pin him down beneath me as I rained blows onto his ribs and stomach. Suddenly, I caught the scent of sweat, pine, and freshly-minted coins that hadn't been there before.

I rolled off Al, only to be met by the sight of another person standing over us brandishing a wooden sword. Seth's long, greasy hair and reptilian eyes were contorted into an expression of rage as he pointed a wooden blade at me. “You’re going to pay for what you did to my wrist,” he growled. The sight of this scrawny Mancer wielding a sword was so comical that I couldn’t help but taunt him. “Do you even know how to use that thing?”

Before I could blink, Seth let out a guttural yell and charged forward, bringing the sword down in an immense arc for my side. Using a combination of Footwork and Dodge, I leaned into the attack and ducked beneath the blade, quickly spinning around behind him and securing his waist in a tight lock with both arms. With all my might, I heaved him up high in one powerful motion and dropped him head first onto the ground with a satisfying thud.

I quickly scrambled away, checking to make sure Seth still had a pulse before rushing to search for Al. As I looked around with desperation, I caught a faint whiff of his scent on a gentle breeze. Suddenly, I heard the sound of rocks crunching underfoot and instinctively dived to the side. I landed with a thud, but managed to quickly get back on my feet. In front of me stood the dogboy, looking battered and winded. His right arm hung limp by his side, but he managed to keep a firm grip on his rapier with his left.

“Ready to give up?” I quipped, giving him a cheeky grin.

“Never,” Al growled, charging at me in a straight line, his rapier out in front like a lance.

I’d never admit it to him, but he cut an impressive, if battered, figure as he charged at me.

I saw the speed of his thrust, heard the wind rush before it, and reacted instinctively. My right hand reached behind my back for my knife and came back up just in time to meet Al’s blade and direct it aside. My left fist shot forward and connected with his stomach, forcing a loud gasp from Al’s lips. I dropped my knife as his rapier clattered to the ground. I heard the breath rush out of him as I stepped around his legs and pushed my arm into his throat, driving him back and tripping him over my leg.

Al hit the ground with a loud thud and gasped with pain. He surprised me by not passing outI'd knocked Robin out with that same move and he earned some of my respect there. But he was no match for me; I wrapped my arms around his neck in a chokehold and put him to sleep.

It was my win. Al owed me a favour. That he got embarrassed too . . . well, that was a really nice bonus.