Arthur released the kiss and Valkyrie still had her eyes closed.

He turned and removed the whiskey-smelling shirt. He grabbed a towel and started to wipe down the liquor on him. He turned on the water and feminine hands took the towel from him and put some soap on it.

"You'll need to soap it or you'll just smell it when you fight," she said while helping him clean up.

"Why did you choose me?"

"I... Something about you calls to me. The first time we met, I just felt like I could trust you even though we didn't know each other. I guess I liked that you didn't fawn all over me and treated me like anyone else. Not the pretty girl, not the famous adventurer. Just another human," she replied while wiping the soap off. "That smells better. Your turn, why defend my honor and... the kiss..."

"A gentleman should defend a woman's honor, especially when they are... together. And the kiss... felt right. Besides I'm just returning your first kiss," grinned Arthur when Valkyrie looked at him from the mirror's reflection.

A woman entered the room and placed a clean white shirt down. She bowed and left without a word.

"By the way, you accepted the challenge with me as the prize without my consent. I know with my skill and strength I could probably take two. And that's assuming they weren't trained. I think these three might be trained. What do you think your chances are of winning? I don't want to be their plaything you know."

"I'm fairly certain I can win."

She stared him in the eyes then grabbed his crotch and squeezed affectionately, "You better. And if you win, I'll consider being your prize for the night."

"You know you don't need to do that for me right?"

"I know, but I want to ever since our first kiss," she whispered while their eyes locked. Arthur thought that it was like looking at a tigress and a kitten at the same time.

A console beeped twice and both of them walked over to look.

The profiles for the hobgoblin showed up. Valkyrie pointed at a line. The three hobgoblins were part of the same troop and military arm of the Imperium.

The tall one was marked as a commander of two teams. It showed that he was part of the force for the elf-hobgoblin skirmish.

Arthur looked on with a blank. He didn't know any of the history that dealt with non-humans. Valkyrie noticed the look and filled him in.

The elves and hobgoblins have had an ongoing cold war since World War II. The elves knew that Japan was going to be the site of a nuclear explosion. An explosion that would thin the barriers. Immediately after the explosion, the elves and hobgoblins clashed while multiple races crossed over. Many of the races that entered the world died from the clash. The races that crossed included mystic foxes, oni, and kenku. The hobgoblins retreated in defeat and the elves managed to convince the foxes and kenkus into a non-aggression treaty eventually entering the Veiled Council. The oni sided with the hobgoblins and later on, entered the Veiled Council but the enmity was still there.

Valkyrie looked to see what the odds were insane and placed a bet on Arthur.

Arthur looked at the profiles and read them several times. He was trying to remember what each of the opponents could do. He noted that they were part of the same team, so he expected a coordinated attack.

"If you can take out the leader, you will get an advantage," suggested Valkyrie.

"Not with these, the other two are sub-commanders. Any one of them could lead. I'll figure it out when the fight starts. Each one of them has a weakness. I just need to find out what. This one," he pointed at one of the lackeys. "He had an injury on his left leg that had recovered. I'm hoping that it can be aggravated."

Arthur put the console on the side and sat on the floor cross-legged. He took a deep breath and began to meditate.

Valkyrie sat on a bench and watched Arthur calm himself down. She thought it was odd, it was something a martial artist or experienced warrior would do. She kept quiet and observed. She knew he was unusual. She felt drawn to him since the rental office. Now that he seems to reciprocate the emotions, she's both ecstatic and bashful.

"Arena three will be ready for the three-on-one bout. Participants have ten more minutes to prepare before the door to the arena opens. Best of luck participants and remember this is a non-lethal challenge.

"You should go up to the arena viewing area. You can see better from up there," said Arthur while his eyes were still closed.

Valkyrie walked up in front of him and tilted his chin up. He opened his eyes and she leaned in and kissed him. "Be the last one standing."

He watched her walk out to head to the viewing area. He whispered in response now that she was gone, "I will."

He glanced at the clock and stood up. He started to stretch and warm up. Kelrick's memories were guiding him on how to prepare for a fight.

The door slid open and the hallway was a tunnel that showed bright lights at the end. The arena where he knew he was walking into a trap that he made for himself.

He took a moment to click on the console and placed a wager on himself for all the credits in his account.

When Arthur entered the arena, the three hobgoblins stood on the other side. The lights changed to spotlight from him to the hobgoblins.

Arthur looked up and noticed the rest of the screens were empty but the whole arena was full of people.

"Second thoughts human? You can save the beating you are about to get and give us your woman?"

"Or you jackasses can give up because you'll never get any respect from anyone when they find out a scrawny kid like me beat three Imperium soldiers."

The laughter and derision echoed from the crowd.

"The kid got guts even when he is about to get his face caved in."

Stolen novel; please report.

"If the bets were for courage, I'd bet on the human."

"Someone make sure there is a medic or healer ready. That human just painted a bullseye on his face."

Valkyrie watched with her hand on a new drink, her hand gripped the glass tightly. An orc woman sat down near her and sipped her drink, "Boy will be ok. Relax hand."

The brunette looked over, "What brings you here Vreena?"

"Looking for leads for a new home. I gave old labyrinth to the boy."

"Why did you do that?"

"Danger was coming. Shieldtusk is not ready for it, but when the time comes. Shieldtusk will side with the boy."

Valkyrie looked back at Arthur, "What makes him so special?"

"He has a protective soul and he doesn't see black and white. He will help anyone who needs it. The more he cares about someone, the more he will invest more of himself."

The warmth grew on the braided woman's cheek, turning into a deep blush. She now seemed to understand why Arthur was adamant about taking this challenge.

"Due to the nature of the challenge in the arena, all betting will be closed in five minutes. Place your last bets and enjoy the show."

The crowd's decibel level rose while people argued about who to bet.

The doors to the changing rooms close and the lights to the audience dimmed. The light in the arena evened out to cover the whole area so that the opponents were on the same playing field.

The hobgoblins spread out and slowly closed in like a pack attack. Arthur walked calmly to the center of the arena, almost like he was giving up.

The shortest hobgoblin moved closer and threw a punch. Arthur ducked under and did an uppercut. The hobgoblin took the punch and laughed, "If that's all the strength you got, you are going to wish you were dead by the time we are done."

The tall hobgoblin squinted while looking at the human. While the strength didn't seem like much, the technique was fluid and the angle was right. He glanced at the other hobgoblin and noticed that his two subordinates already underestimated the thin man.

The second hobgoblin saw an opening and launched a flying kick. The kick hit Arthur in the chest. The redhead grabbed onto the leg and dragged the kicker down with him. He punched at the leg, which the second hobgoblin laughed off. He disengaged and got up. Arthur slowly stood up holding his chest.

"Norg, Bushad, don't underestimate him," barked the commander.

Norg rolled his eyes, "It's just a human with barely any experience." Norg goes into a boxing stance and moves to engage Arthur.

Arthur left his hands open more in the style of Tai Chi. Norg flexed his muscles and everyone knew a punch was coming. Arthur shifted a little slow and the punch connected with his shoulder before he was able to push the punch away with his hands.

"Tai Chi, that's an interesting technique for Arthur to know," whispered Valkyrie.

"That is not Tai Chi. It is Rain from the mountain flowing to the sea. It is elf style. Watch closely, it is very graceful. Boy just starting to use it. He needs to learn the timing. The longer he fights the better he gets," answered Vreena and sipped more of the drink.

"When the hobgoblins get serious, the fight will be done quickly."

The crowd believed this fight would have been over in maybe ten or fifteen minutes. They were wrong. The fight went over the hour mark. People were on the edge of their seats waiting for the outcome.

Arthur suffered multiple punches, kicks, and grapples. He escaped but bruises were showing on his arms and the lower part of his face was swollen.

The three hobgoblins were starting to show tiredness. Bushad was now limping after Arthur's repeated punches and kicks that targeted the left leg. Norg was sporting a swollen eye that couldn't open. The commander was the only one that appeared to be the less damaged of the three.

Norg surged forward again. Arthur saw that the other two were using the time to recover. He knew it was time. He wrapped his arm around the punch and swept to get the hobgoblin onto the floor. He grabbed the attacker's head and slammed it a few times into the ground. Norg twitched then went still.

Bushad and the commander rushed up. Arthur backed up and kept alert. Bushad kept watch and the other hobgoblin checked for a pulse. "He's unconscious."

Arthur cracked his neck and yelled, "One down."

The commander stood up and nodded to Bushad. The other hobgoblin knew that they were going to attack at the same time.

"He got lucky. He's going down now."

"What do you mean he got lucky? Do you think you'll last against three Imperium soldiers for over an hour? This guy is scrawny but he's a beast."

"Boy will win," patted Vreena on Valkyrie's shoulder then turned to leave.

Valkyrie nodded but kept her eyes on Arthur, concern clearly on her face.

The commander feints and catches Arthur's arm. Bushad took the opportunity to grab the other arm. The two hobgoblins pulled like they were going to yank his arms off his body.

Arthur knew what was about to happen and jumped up and aimed both legs to kick at the commander. The move pulled the unsteady Bushad down with Arthur. The human scrambled over wrapped his legs around the hobgoblin's head and pummeled right between the eyes.

The commander got back up and rushed back but it was too late. Bushad was unconscious.

"Two down," yelled the human.

The tall hobgoblin growled. He was beginning to wish he didn't accept this challenge. He was getting tired and he guessed that the human was exhausted. He went in and forced Arthur to react. The commander was trying to tire him out more. After a couple of minutes of this, Arthur was stumbling.

The commander grinned and went in for the kill.

Arthur accepted the punch into his gut and folded over onto the ground. The hobgoblin came in to kick his head. Arthur protected his head with an arm and tried to grab the leg. He missed which gave the commander more confidence and kicked into his body a couple of times.

Arthur grunted and groaned in pain. The hobgoblin grabbed his hair, raised his head, and hissed, "Your girl will be in my bed tonight. Say good night."

Arthur reached up and grabbed at the hobgoblin's wrist. The young man pulled the hobgoblin forward when he did a roll forward, unbalancing the hobgoblin, and smacked his temple against the ground.

Valkyrie held her breath.

Arthur rolled over wrapping his arms around the hobgoblin's head and performed a sleeper hold. He could feel the struggle getting weaker and hissed, "Good night."

A referee came out and checked the commander then he tapped Arthur. "The hobgoblin is unconscious.

Arthur let go and took deep breaths. The referee waited for him to get up and announced, "The winner by subdual of three on one, and the last man standing is Arthur."

Valkyrie found her breath and cheered loudly with the crowd that went wild. Most of the losers still cheered because of an exciting fight. The brunette warrior shoved her way past the crowd to get to the door. She hurried her way to the changing room so she could see Arthur.

Arthur was helped by the referee to the changing room where a healer and medic were waiting. The medic started to check and found several fractures and sprains amidst a lot of bruising. The man's once light skin was mostly purple.

Valkyrie walked in and the sight made her tear up. She sat down and waited for the medic and healer to conduct their checks.

A man walked up and tapped Valkyrie on the shoulder, "Please take this key for a room on the second floor. Your boyfriend's performance was beyond expectation. The winnings can be collected in the morning. Our manager wants to have breakfast with the two of you. They will ring you in the morning around 10 am."

Valkyrie nodded and looked back at the healer.

"We can help you take him to the room. I doubt he has the strength to walk."

She accepted their help and went to the room.

They laid him down on the bed and left. Valkyrie sat beside him and stroked his head.

"They called you my boyfriend," whispered the worried girl.

"Only if you are my girlfriend," croaked Arthur.

Valkyrie hugged him tightly.

"Ow ow ow, lightly. I just got beaten the hell up for you."

She cried while holding him lightly. "I'm... I'm yours if you will have me."

Arthur slowly made his way to sit up, his swollen face and battered body making Valkyrie's heart hurt more. "Keep my secret."

Valkyrie watched not knowing what secret she was supposed to keep.

Arthur released mana from the Doll's Heart and uttered words that created a green glow around him. The purple bruises faded and the swelling on his face receded.

Valkyrie blinked as she watched a healing spell happen in front of her. "You can cast HEALING???"

Arthur continued to focus until the healing was done and got up to stretch. "Yeah, so your turn to keep my secret."

She nodded, "I will."

Arthur leaned in and kissed her lingeringly, "And yes, I will have you."

The phone rang at ten in the morning. The two of them woke up. Arthur reached for the phone and heard that breakfast would be ready at 10:30. An escort would be waiting to guide them when they left the room.

Valkyrie looked at Arthur with flushed cheeks while hiding most of her naked body under the blanket.

"Shower?"

"Shower."

She shrieked when Arthur pulled the blanket off and raced her to the bathroom.