They settled on a parking lot. Isn't that always the way? Parking lot to a strip mall late at night. Big, open, nobody around. Ryu and Ken would be proud. Well, probably prouder if we took the time to beat up a car for absolutely no reason.

Kyle wondered if he was blithering like that in my own head to take my mind off the fight. This woman was a lot more dangerous than anyone he'd ever fought before. And for all his bravado, he was fairly terrified. He had no idea what kind of moves she'd bring out against him. No idea what she could do to him. Hell, he wasn't even sure what she'd done to him already. He still could figure out what she's hit him with.

The only thing he was sure of was that it hadn't been the katana at her waist. There was no way she'd brought that huge thing into the dance. Tanya, Jenny, and Valerie stood on the sidelines, but if they interfered it would break the oath and ruin the whole plan. Of course dying would also ruin the whole plan, but he was left with limited options.

They faced each other across the concrete.

"So how does this work?" Kyle asked.

"We fight each other until one of us is dead. Most likely you."

"First of all, this doesn't have to be to the death. I was very clear on that. Second, I meant how do we start. Never fought an organized duel before."

"Oh. Normally, there us a signal to begin. Someone trows a rock in the air and we start fighting when it lands. Or when somebody shouts "Begin!" Sometimes there's a countdown but...

"Begin!" Jenny blurted out. Kyle wasn't sure what she was thinking, but he supposed he'd have to talk to her about it later, assuming he'd survived. Because he'd hesitated for a split second when she'd shouted, but his opponent hadn't. Before he knew it there was a sword coming straight for his face.

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He brought his arm up and deflected her strike, his arm slapping against the side of her blade. He'd gotten a lot of fight training in over the past few months, not all of it magical. It wasn't like the problem of weapons versus bare hands hand never come up before, and plenty of martial arts skills were specifically designed to even the odds. Enhanced speed and strength just helped.

To be fair, they helped a LOT. She was faster than he was, but not by much, and he was a lot stronger. He didn't exactly dominate in the first few minutes of the fight, but he was definitely coming out ahead. Well, to a degree. He hadn't hit her yet, but she hadn't hit him either.

Ultimately, that just made him more concerned. She had to have better tricks than this. After another inconclusive clash they slid apart, and she sheathed her sword. Then she reached up and undid her ponytail. Her hair turned out to be much longer than Kyle had at first assumed, hanging down all the way to ankles. It shimmered in the light, thought not the pale blond she'd had before. Almost silver, like...

Kyle groaned. He had a good idea what her real powers were now.

Her hair rise up like bladed tendrils, swinging through the like a dozen swords as she charged at him.

"Your hair is blades!? Really!?"

He just barely ducked out if the way of a dozen swinging blade, backing up across the parking lot. Now HE was the one clearly on the back foot, dodging and dancing as the swords darted around him, humming with energy. Her blades whirled at him from every direction, leaving nicks and cuts on his skin.

"You can do it!" Jenny called out.

Valerie just looked terrified, and Tanya looked tense. Those didn't seem like much of a vote of confidence. No serious damage had been done yet, but it was only a matter of time. He was going to have to take a risk.

He concentrated everything he had in the skin of his hands. Just the skin. He felt hot, and vaguely purple light shone around his hands. Then he grabbed her hair.

He had split seconds. She could definitely do what he had done, focus power into her hair to reinforce it. Even now, he could feel it starting to cut through his protection. He had to do this fast. He pulled with all his strength, swinging her over his head to crash down through the roof of the car. Whoever picked that night to leave their car in the parking lot was going to have a bad morning. He felt her hair go limp in his hands, devoid of power, as she slumped in the wreckage of the car.

Jenny and Valerie cheered. Tanya just sagged in relief. Kyle walked up to the car and waited a minute before slapping Hana awake. She opened her eyes, her hair jerked towards him, and them fell back.

"Oh. I lost. I cannot force myself to attack you."

"You were out for a full minute. That's a ten count in anyone's book."

"Then my assassination mission has failed." She pulled herself out of the rubble. "Alright. Ushbak Mulgantor."

"What?" Kyle blinked.

"That's who sent me to kill you. Archmage Ushbak Mulgantor, third minister of the high chamber of the grand and ancient kingdom of Uzbedi. You wanted his name, and now you have it."