Jane's Story

Prologue part 4

The armory of the Guild wasn't particularly impressive—a few different weapons were strewn about the walls. They all looked a bit worn out. They must be used for combat practice or maybe just lent to people who don't bring their own weapons for an exam.

Jane spent only a minute before stopping in front of a common sword, taking it in her hand. She waved it around a bit to check its balance before nodding and turning her head to the beautiful receptionist who was analyzing all her movements.

    - I'll take that one. Feels fine enough for a simple exam.

The redhead's tone wasn't her usual one. She had lost her sweet and happy demeanor since Regg disdained her like she was just a pebble on the road. Of course, that attitude didn't escape Eliza, and the receptionist was curious about what would happen in the arena. She couldn't predict the outcome of the exam. Jane seemed like a total beginner, but the way she checked the balance of the sword earlier indicated some experience with bladed weapons. Who knows, maybe the redhead would surprise her.

Without really saying anything, Eliza turned around and led the young woman all the way to the back of the building. The walk wasn't very long, and soon they found themselves in front of a huge double door that seemed very heavy. Strangely, it opened by itself the moment they approached.

    { - I feel some magic in these doors, Jane. Why the hell would they use magic for this kind of little thing? Show off? }

    [{ - Concentrate, Anna. We're here to put some arrogant bastard in his place. }]

Her friend let out a snicker but fell silent afterward. She was wondering about the real capabilities of her new host. All she saw were her gifts, but those didn't mean anything if Jane couldn't use them properly. Since they didn't encounter anything on the way here, Anna couldn't judge how Jane fought.

After the door fully opened, the duo of red hair and white hair stepped into the room it concealed. It was a circular room with a sand-filled center and nothing else. All around were seats. The whole room resembled a coliseum, albeit a smaller one.

Regg was already waiting in the center of the arena, arms crossed, with a huge two-handed sword on his back. There were some people in the seats—some of the mercenaries who had been in the main room when Jane was asking questions to Eliza.

The redhead turned her eyes to the man in the center, her demeanor calm and collected, her hand gripping the sword a bit tighter. Nobody had ever disdained her like that back in her village. Everyone was respectful of one another, and she intended to teach Regg a lesson in respect. It didn't occur to her that she could lose; she could tell at a glance that he was powerful. But not powerful enough. She wanted to go all out, but her father's teachings came back to mind.

"Even if your opponent is weaker than you, you need to use everything in your power. But you still need to keep some cards hidden, something you can use to catch him off-guard or even just react to his actions."

Jane walked until she was about ten meters from her opponent, her head bowed so that nobody could see her face even though she didn't have her hood on. The end of her sword pointed to the floor. She seemed like a lone tree, still and calm, without a hint of the anger she had displayed before. Regg raised an eyebrow at that attitude. Earlier, he had disdained the young woman on purpose. Of course, he knew a woman could still fight, but his methods always involved angering the rookies so they would lose composure. After all, being in control of one's emotions was paramount on a battlefield.

    - Not bad, rookie. Maybe you really can wave that stick of yours! Come on! I'll let you attack first since I'm so generous.

The young woman lifted her head, and for a brief moment, her eyes were visible. Nobody could tell what Regg saw, but it made him draw his sword in panic. Soon the reason became clear: the robed person was only a remnant. A loud clang echoed in the arena, lifting and dragging some sand away. Jane and Regg were locked close to each other, their swords between them. The redhead had moved so fast that only a few spectators could follow her speed. Of course, she didn't use her gift at all—it was her normal speed, as she had been training since her youth.