Elemental Witch: Child of the Earth (Part I)

Earth Strong

Verana watched Shaktay pace the tent the three of them had decided to occupy together, his agitation borne more of his warrior itching for a fight than anything like nerves. She was sitting on the small wooden stool, watching him shift and roll his body to allow it to limber up. Her fight was done for the day, as was Sencha's, who sat cross legged in the corner watching Shaktay move, fighting the urge to give him advice. 

They were both teachers as well as excellent fighters who knew what needed to be done, what was expected out of them. Verana felt her own nerves boiling in the pit of her stomach, as she worried for her friend. They had watched every fight of Kavenay's and in every single one of them they had noticed him cheating or taking shots to injure even when he had won. He had been warned and always offered a fake apology and pleaded innocence, accident or something else. He was a good fighter, he didn't need to resort to these methods but he seemed to anyways. Now that the tournament had advanced and weeded out most of the weaker fighters, he was fighting Shaktay and the human would need all the help he could get.

Shaktay frowned and paused in his pacing as he glanced in her direction. "Do you think him better than me?"

"No. That's what worries me." Verana shook her head as she tried to work through her own concerns in order to speak them. "I can't imagine he will take losing to anyone, let alone a sugar sprite, very well."

"I will use his anger. I will be careful." Shaktay nodded, shifting to kneel in front of her, grinning boyishly up to her in a rare moment of tenderness. "I have had fun here, fighting like this. Humans do have more to offer than I gave them credit for, there are some here I would fight beside. And the good ones have proven themselves trustworthy. It is time to put those who would ruin this change, in their place."

Sencha glanced towards the entrance of the tent as he spoke softly. "It is time. I believe Lord Shelby has beaten his opponent, so the winner of your fight, will fight him tomorrow."

"One opponent at a time, isn't that what you always say?" The grin was still there as Shaktay stood and walked out of the tent, leaving the two of them to follow behind him. 

As they made their way towards the arena, Verana noticed that a couple of Sir Benchan's men walked with them, casually, but she noted their presence and it made her certain that her worries about Kavenay's character were well placed.

When they reached the fence, they saw the human already in the ring, warming up easily with his two swords. Verana let out a breath and nodded to Shaktay when he looked back to her. "Fight swiftly, my friend."

"Fierce as the sun, sprite." Shaktay grinned, having taken to calling her by that name upon hearing the old Lord Felix use it. Vaulting over the fence in a single jump and walking to the centre of the arena, his swords still sheathed, Shaktay moved like death itself.

She leaned against the fence while trying to steady herself, only glancing up as Lord Shelby stood beside her. The man's hair was damp with sweat and he was still wearing his metal armour. Seeing her glance, he grinned easily. "I didn't want to miss this."

"You think it will be an entertaining match?" She had come to learn that this meant there was an uncertainty of the outcome, that humans were entertained by not knowing who would win.

Shelby watched the two fighters salute the King before beginning to circle one another. Shaktay moved easily with his two smaller blades, though her friend was keeping himself slow enough to be seen by the humans watching. "No. Kavenay doesn't stand a chance. If I didn't hate the man so much, I would cheer for him because I'd feel easier facing him tomorrow. He will try to cheat, he has tried every time I beat him, but he doesn't know what to do when someone is faster than him. Speed is his main skill when he's fighting humans."