Kitool held Tigerstaff in hand, pointing it towards her oppo. She sized him up, w if she could truly beat him. Even with Tigerstaff in hand, she didn’t like her odds.

  Timojin inhaled deeply, before drawing his greatsword, pointing with it towards the sky, before slowly dropping his arms into position, warming up his muscles for the fight. “Okay?”

  “Okay,” Kitool replied, the words holding deeper meanings only uood by the pair.

  Once more, the arena was silent, waiting for the pair to begin. They had only just watched a younger version of the fight, but these two were so different.

  The st time Kitool had faced an Iyrman, it had been the Devilkin Iyrman with the mail. She had mao defeat such a great foe with her staff and fists, but this was no normal Iyrman.

  Timojin had been called the Grey Wall, partly due to the colour of his greenish grey skin, and partly because he refused to drop. He had yet to be even taken down by ahiour, and though he had yet to fayo the same calibre as Jurot and Amokan, he had still faced some great foes.

  It was a match between fists of steel and skin of steel.

  A bead of sweat fell down Kitool’s cheek.

  The normally quiet Timojin began to flex his muscles as his body turned red with rage, but his body fell still, his bde frozen still. Kitool’s Tigerstaff ressed against Timojin’s chest, her body having burst forward to strike him.

  Timojin wasn’t only Amokan’s rival because he was strong. Amokan and Timojin were both of equal strength, even strohan Jurot. They were both equally as tough as Jurot too, though Jurot’s family’s abilities allowed him to go against foes with different preater thaher of them. Jurot was nimbler than Amokan, but Timojin?

  Timojin was as tough as Amokan and Jurot.

  Timojin was as strong as Amokan.

  Timojin was as nimble as Jurot.

  Timojin was the greatest of them all.

  Kitool’s entire body was flush with heat, tellio act as quickly as she could, before he could mao break free. She struck him with a great flurry of blows with her staff, the magical staff gifted to her by Adam. One blow had struck his chest, but she forced as many blows as she could, nding as many as possibly as she could, before digging the staff into the earth to kick Timojin up into the air.

  Timojin’s body, which was frozen from Kitool’s most terrifying ability, almost slumped as he dropped, the great assault upon his body leaving rge bruises even on his skin. Kitool had did all she could to the Iyrman, and had mao deal as much damage as she could before he could fall into his rage. Thankfully, her damage, not minimised by his rage, had mao rock through the entire Iyrman’s body, and she had knocked him unscious.

  Still, Kitool leapt into the air, with her staff in hand as she tried to attack the unscious Timojin.

  For Timojin was not like Amokan, nor was he like Jurot, who had faced Timojin before. Jurot had faced both Amokan and Timojin simultaneously, and though he had mao defeat Amokan, Timojin was another beast entirely.

  Timojin, an Iyrman like any other, was still, as the Aldishmen might call him, if they were particurly polite, a Horcish Iyrman.

  As Tigerstaff fell down, threatening to crack Timojin’s skull, the Iyrmaire body turned hot red with rage, and his magical bde hummed to life as he spun. Kitool barely mao block the blow, which had used the momentum she had gifted to him by kig up him, causing Tigerstaff to almost bend as Kitool skid to the side.

  A shadow formed over Kitool, a shadow by the name of Timojin, as she barely mao catch Timojin’s bde with Tigerstaff. Her entire body screamed in pain as she blocked the blow, the bde slowly f her to the ground. She was almost forced to kneel, but instead of fighting against the bde, Kitool spun, allowing the bde to scrape off across Tigerstaff’s side, before her heel met Timojin’s skull. She pivoted on her foot and maht herself, letting out a quick sigh as Timojin fell before her.

  ‘Right,’ Adam thought. ‘She do that.’

  Adam wasn’t able to hear any more of his thoughts as the crowd’s raucous shouts and appuse filled the arena, the vibrations even shaking the wooden stands.

  Kitool’s heart pounded wildly within her chest, but as she held her staff tightly in both hands in front of her, she inhaled and exhaled deeply.

  Timojin jerked awake from the healing touch of a Guardian, instantly falling inte as he willed his body upwards.

  “Timojin,” Kitool called, stopping the Iyrman fr to swing at the Guardian nearby.

  Timojin stood, catg his breath, before turning to face Kitool. “Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  The pair left to the walls, and then up to the group, which were waiting for them. Adam had furrowed his brows together, doing his best to keep his faeutral.

  “Do you he bathroom?” Jaygak whispered.

  “No,” Adam replied, clearing his throat. ‘When was Kitool so damn strong?’

  “Did you bet?” Kitool asked.

  “No.”

  Kitool sat down. “Then you have gained .”

  “Did you think I’d bet against you?”

  “Yes.”

  “You could have put a crossbow to my head and I wouldn’t bet against you,” Adam stated firmly. The guilt struck Adam’s heart for even thinking Kitool would lose. ‘I shouldn’t be so taken by my emotions about that sort of thing, right?’

  “Did you bet?” Kitool asked, looking to Jaygak.

  “No.”

  “Then you have lost .”

  Jaygak grabbed Kitool’s shoulders and pulled her in closer. “I’m still strohan you, Kitool.”

  “It was a good fight,” Jurot said.

  “A good fight,” Amokan firmed.

  Ilyakan held out her hand, to heal her panion. Timojin snorted in respoaking his seat beside Amokan, refusing the heal. His entire body still hurt, and the bruises against his body swelled. Though they pulsed, they were still the proof of an Iyrman’s effort.

  “What a great fight it was!” Adam firmed, his voice stilted. “Let’s drink!” Before Adam could pay for the drinks, a set of drinks were pced down in front of Kitool and Timojin.

  “From the one known as Rose,” the server said, before a familiar face popped up nearby.

  “Rose?” Adam called, gng across the party. “Ah. What are you guys doing here?”

  “We’ve been watg the fights,” Rose replied, taking a seat nearby, while her panions gathered around her.

  “You didn’t join?”

  Rose sighed, rubbing her forehead. “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “This tour wasn’t ours,” she replied, simply. She had seen the way all the warriors fought. “The Aldish and Iyrmeainly live up to their reputation.” She always sidered herself det in her order, certainly no match for the greater members. ‘To think our best are matched by so many within the nd beside us.’

  “Have you beeing properly?” Adam asked.

  “We have. We’ve bet on you, Jurot, Kitool, and Jaygak.”

  “Amokan and Timojin are some of ours too,” Adam said. “They deed adventuring with me. I ’t bme them, I would have shown them up.”

  “You knew?” Amokan asked, leaning in towards him.

  “It was just a joke…”

  The Iyrman smiled, throwing a wink Adam’s way.

  “I thought you guys didn’t joke?”

  “We have our jokes.”

  “Aren’t jokes, just lies?”

  “Some are, some are not,” Amokan said. “Have you heard the joke of the Aldishman and the Iyrman?”

  “It’s the only joke I know.”

  “What is the joke?” Rose asked.

  Timojin pced down the first mug of ale, before pig the up. He raised it to Kitool, who was still making her way through the first mug.

  “He’s no knight!” Amokan said.

  “He’s an Iyrman!” Adam fihe punch line of the joke.

  “Ah,” Rose said, nodding her head. sidering the set up, it certainly made sense. She smiled slightly, before exging a look with her panions, who smiled slightly.

  “Let’s get wasted!” Adam spent more from the party fund.

  When night fell, the group returned back to the guild to sleep. Kitool stared at the ceiling above. She thought back to fag Jaygak, how she had mao stun the young woman before beating her unscious, and doing the same to Timojin. It was her greatest ability, but there was no doubt that Tigerstaff allowed her to defeat her oppos with greater ease.

  Amokan exged a cup of wih Timojin, having barged into his best friend’s room to share more drinks. “You need not worry,” he began, smirking slightly as he brought the cup to his lips, “I will win on your behalf.”

  “You will have to face her too,” Timojin replied simply, sipping the fruit wine.

  “No, she will have to face me.”

  “Do not fet, there is still Jurot,” Timojin said. “Last time you needed me.”

  “Last time he had learned his family’s way,” Amokan said. “This time, he will have to face me when I have learnt my family’s way.”

  Timojin thought about Amokan’s grandmother. Even though she had held back, the fact she had lost against Adam was still shog. “This tour was not for our Jin family to win.”

  “I would not have thought Faool could have beaten Uwajin.”

  “Jurot picked up a strong warrior.”

  “My cousin will be fighting iop four,” Amokan said, p Timojin more wine.

  “Bavin will be fighting.”

  Amokan hinking about the teens, and how they must be feeling. Amokan thought about how he had beaten one of the favourites to win, and how Adam had mao beat two of them. ‘This is how the ust have felt.’

  “Naqokan, Bavin, Nobby, Faool.”

  “Amokan, Jurot, Kitool, Gordan,” Amokan said, feeling his heart sink slightly. “If we had more luck, it would have been your name.”

  “Roseia, Kanna, Vasera, Adam,” Timojin tinued.

  Amokan thought Adam’s segment. Their own may have been stacked, but Adam was going against the likes of those three? The future King’s Sword, her panion who rivalled her, and of course, that Vasera of the Golden Savages.

  They thought about the reat names iher ranges.

  “Stone Sword,” Amokan said.

  “Raging Bull.”

  “The Hawk.”

  “Moon Dancer.”

  “Rising Suhe pair said, together.

  There were others too, those loired, but these were the names which would take the world for the geion.

  “This tour will go down in history,” Amokan stated.

  Timojin’s mind wao something else. “I would like to see the fight between the brothers.”

  Amokan’s smile widened, but he said nothing.

  Kitool is so scary.