There was a lot to unpack within the whirlpool of her turbulent emotions. Disgust at Levi’s behavior, excitement at the crowd cheering her name, embarrassment at her state of undress, frustration with her lack of effective combat arts, but most prominent of all was the thrill of victory over her enemy.

It was more than just being happy at coming out of the fight as the winner. Similar to the way she felt when besting the gambler Suthan at his own game, she felt justified by using her power to gain the upper hand against someone she felt was trying to do her harm. She believed she had been in the right, and she had leveraged her strength to enforce her will as any other cultivator would have in her place. The problem was, she was detecting the barest hints of superiority cropping up inside of her and was having a difficult time working through her feelings.

Despite what the battle-oriented culture of cultivators preached, it wasn’t true that the strongest person was always right. She’d seen much injustice done by the hands of arrogant cultivators during her time as a mortal, and one of the reasons she had become a cultivator in the first place was so that she’d no longer need to meekly submit to the whims of others. Now that the shoe was on the other foot, she needed to avoid falling into the same trap herself. Having experienced a taste of the benefits power could bring, she was beginning to understand why so many cultivators became cruel or arrogant as they gained in strength. The feelings of invincibility, freedom, and vindication were intoxicating, so she needed to find an equally potent counterbalance. Something to ground herself in humility lest she become yet another ‘young master’.

As she was pondering the issue, she heard Tiny call to her from outside the tent.

“Hey, Lunara! May I come inside the tent to speak with you? I have a proposition you might be interested in.”

“We can’t talk outside?” Samantha questioned.

“A little bit of privacy is always preferable to none, isn’t it?” Tiny retorted.

Samantha briefly considered the possibility that Tiny was going to try and attack her while protected by the anti-scrying enchantments in the fabric, but ultimately decided to grant a small bit of trust to the older woman in light of their previous interactions. Besides, if Tiny wished to do her harm, she’d probably be able to manage it within the arena without the use of sabotage.

“Sure, just give me a minute to change.” Samantha acquiesced.

She rushed to switch her robes so that she wouldn’t keep Tiny waiting, folding up her loaned cloak and neatly setting it on the nearby table. There was a minor concern that her attire would be targeted again in the next fight, but she hoped that it wouldn’t be an issue. By her reasoning, it wouldn’t be very entertaining to do the same “trick” to the same person more than once in the tournament, so she was probably in the clear. If something did happen though, she resolved to just deal with it in the moment since it wasn’t like she could do much to prevent it other than ending the fight quickly.

After she finished tying the robes and resettled the mask into a comfortable position on her face, Samantha pushed the tent flap aside and allowed the larger woman to step into the small space with her. There was just enough room so that they were not forced to be physically pressed together, but it was a tight squeeze nonetheless.

“So, what’s the deal?” Samantha inquired, curious.

“Before all that I want to officially congratulate you on your first win! I figured you weren’t in much of a talking mood earlier, but I want to let you know how satisfying I found that defeat. Oh, the look on his face! The sound it made when you kicked him? That’s a kind of joy money can’t buy, I’ll tell you that.” Tiny beamed, sighing in contentment as she closed her eyes to relive the moment, “What a piece of work some of these guys are, though. Unbelievable.” she finished, shaking her head slightly.

“Thanks,” Samantha said, feeling her heart warm at Tiny’s compliments, “hopefully he won’t try that tactic on anyone ever again.”

Tiny snorted loudly, “I don’t think he’ll be going near any women anytime soon at least! Those wounds are going to take a while to fully heal, and I doubt his pride will ever fully recover. But, back to business. I gotta say Lunara, you have impressed me. I could tell during the fight that hand to hand wasn’t your specialty, but you really held your own. Levi, despite being a scumbag, is no slouch. He hits hard and plays dirty, and yet you managed to shrug off the damage and get back into the fight. Not to mention whatever movement art you used towards the end that made you faster than a Mid Copper has any right to be. The big question is if you can go faster.”

Deciding to be honest without giving too much away, Samantha simply replied, “I can, but I’d need to refill my qi pool first, why?”

“One more question first. What weapon do you typically favor?”

Getting a bit suspicious at the questions about her combat preferences, Samantha reluctantly answered, “Spear.”

“Good! That’s good. Distance will be your best friend…” Tiny mumbled to herself before refocusing on the smaller woman, “Truth is, I’m not the only one you’ve impressed. A few of the other High Coppers and I got to talking after your bout, and we think we can use you to win the tournament. Not for free of course! When one of us manages to win the whole thing we’ll pay you a portion of our winnings, if only to stick it to those tournament organizers for hiring that impossibly tough Peak Copper.” Tiny concluded, a mischievous twinkle sparkling in her eyes as she smiled.

“Wait, back up a second. How can I help you win?” Samantha asked, confused at this line of thinking.

“Oh, gosh. I’ve completely gone out of order, haven’t I?” Tiny lamented, lightly bonking herself on the forehead with the base of her palm, “Listen, I’ve got good news and bad news for you.”

Samantha suddenly didn’t like where this was going, “...Go on.”

“We’ve heard through the grapevine that you got an unlucky draw for the next round of fights. You’ll be fighting the Peak Copper, Samson.”

A queasiness immediately overtook Samantha as she looked up into the multi-colored eyes of her acquaintance. “Oh.”

“So, the next round is going to be your last in this tournament, I’m afraid. As good a fight as you put up against Levi... Samson is on a whole ‘nother level. But, like I said, the other High Coppers and I are keen on one of us taking the grand prize this time around, and we think we can use you to do it.”

Still reeling from the revelation that she would be fighting someone on the cusp of becoming Bronze, Samantha was incredulous at what she was being told. She was fairly confident in her abilities, yes, but she wasn’t delusional, “I don’t see how I can be of much help. As much as I hate to admit it, he’s two ranks above me and is literally a career fighter. I’m barely able to keep up when training with my High Copper cousin, so I’ll be lucky to last even a minute if Samson gets serious!”

“That’s just it though, isn’t it? He won’t be taking you seriously.”

Samantha opened her mouth to object, but Tiny held up a hand signaling for her to wait for further explanation.

“Samson is good at consistently winning these tournaments, else they wouldn’t bother hiring him. Part of what makes him so effective is his ability to pace himself throughout the night, only using the minimum required effort for each battle so he has enough energy to make it to the end. He’ll be a bit wary of you since you’re a new player in the game, but you’re also two full ranks below him and obviously less experienced. He’s not going to come out of the gate with his strongest combat arts blazing to face you--no offense.”

“None taken.” Samantha said a bit glumly.

Tiny continued, “So, instead of using your qi to defend yourself or try and make the fight last longer, we want you to use your speed to surprise him and land a single debilitating blow. Something like a spear through the gut or punching a hole through one of his limbs, where the injury won’t be able to be fully healed by the time the next round comes up. This will slow him down or make him unable to fight at his full strength, giving one of us an actual shot at winning for once. He’s familiar with all the rest of us by this point, so this is something that only you can manage and you’ll get paid for the trouble. What do you say?”

Samantha mulled over the information for a moment before voicing some concerns that she had, “So, I’ll be gambling my ‘put on a good show’ pay from the arena proprietors on one of you High Coppers beating Samson, keeping your word on giving me a portion of your payout, and giving me a payout that exceeds what I would have made by using my qi differently? It sounds like a bad bet to me, honestly.”

Tiny nodded in understanding, “Valid points, and it’s wise of you to not immediately take my word for it.” As she spoke, she reached into a small pouch at her side and brought out a few items, holding them out to Samantha to appraise. “We’ve pooled together a few things to give you in advance as a show of good faith, and as proof that we’ll be betting on you in our own way as well.”

In Tiny’s large palm lay a small spirit pearl, a hefty piece of Jerky, and a medicinal pill. Samantha took the three items wordlessly as Tiny explained what each was.

“This beast core is Rank 1-Low Quality, this Wind Fox Jerky grants +1 to Agility for 2 hours after eating it, and this pill slightly increases the rate your Dantian absorbs ambient qi for a short time, making your qi pool refill faster. All together these things are worth between 2-3 silver, which is more than you would likely get from a single round payout anyway. If you give your word as a cultivator to do your best to uphold the terms of our agreement, they are yours to use now in preparation for the fight.”

Tiny didn’t need to warn Samantha what would happen if she accepted these items and then reneged on her oath to multiple High Coppers.

She didn’t love the idea of gambling her pay away when she wanted more money for shopping, but when thinking about it a bit more, it wasn’t guaranteed that she’d get nothing for the fight if she agreed to this scheme. In fact, managing to land a major blow against the ‘reigning champion’ might bring in even more coin depending on the upset it caused in the crowd.

She deliberated for a few more seconds before finally giving her answer, “I mean, if he’s going to take me out anyway… I might as well, right? I’ll make him pay for the victory, at least. But what happens if I lose the coin toss and can’t pick--? oomph”

Tiny enthusiastically clapped her on the back in the middle of her sentence, and Samantha felt the wind rush out of her as she stumbled to the ground from the impact.

*Ding* Damage to Spine has activated “As One”. Minor Wounds for Samantha have been negated.

“That’s the spirit!” Tiny laughed as she picked Samantha up from off the floor, “And don’t worry about the coin toss, we’ve got it covered. In any case, you have about an hour before you need to face Samson, so I’d recommend taking those now to maximize their effectiveness. See you in a bit! If you’re not back by the time it’s your turn to fight I’ll come back for you.”

Tiny picked up the loaned cloak that was neatly folded next to the other sets of clothes, tossed it over her shoulder, and was gone in a blur of motion, leaving Samantha mildly stunned and alone in the tent.

Deciding there wasn’t any point putting it off, she followed Tiny’s advice and took the medicinal pill first. Immediately she felt the change, small as it was. She estimated that it increased her qi regeneration by around 25%, bringing her up to about 2 qi/ hour if she were using Sage’s Rumination. This wouldn’t do much on it’s own, but she guessed that it would also make her consumption of the beast core more efficient as well. Testing the theory, she entered the lotus position and began meditating, drawing the energy of the tiny pearl into her center. As expected, the qi flowed more easily from the core into herself, and she got to work on processing as much as she could as quickly as possible.

Around halfway through the energy reserves of the spirit pearl, the cultivation pill ran its course, but by that point Samantha didn’t really notice. She had lost herself in the process of absorbing the spirit pearl and the ambient qi around her, each breath soothing the inner turmoil that hadn’t quite settled yet. Before she realized it, the core was depleted and turned to dust in her hands, and her hour was up, if Tiny’s voice outside the tent calling for her was any indication. Looking over her status, she saw that she had regained 7 points of qi in the last hour, bringing her pool up to 16/18.

The walk back to the arena was a bit surreal to Samantha. She knew for a fact she was about to be mercilessly pummeled, but the distinct goal at the forefront of her mind prevented her from losing her nerve. Upon returning to the preparation area and approaching Samson, he smoothly rose from his meditative pose on the ground and looked down on her.

The somewhat terrifying mask he wore was of superb make, and the sturdy-looking metal was beautifully decorated with detailed filigree that was reminiscent of strands of fur. The mask itself appeared to be modeled after several different spirit beasts put together, with vicious looking teeth bared in a snarl, sharp horns, and horizontal eye slits that gave the impression of goat-like pupils. She could not see anything of the human face beneath, but the unsettling headwear in combination with his oppressive aura, large muscular build, and countless scars made her feel as though she was confronting a demon.

She bowed low at the waist to the higher leveled man, showing him his due respect before they walked to the center of the fighting ring together. The crowd was as rowdy as she had ever seen them, screaming Samson’s name as they pounded their feet against the bleachers in a chaotic rhythm.

The announcer held up his hands high above his head in a placating gesture to calm the audience, and within a few moments the onlookers fell silent.

“Here we have two individuals that need no introduction! Our champion from the last tournament, Samson, and the newcomer Lunara who had a dramatic victory in her last fight.” As he spoke the last sentence, he crossed his hands over his groin and mimicked an agonized expression as the spectators laughed. “That kick was nuts, but she better not get too cocky!”

“Oh gods…” Samantha spoke under her breath, fighting the urge to cringe at the awful puns.

“Do you have anything you’d like to say before the coin toss?” the announcer queried.

“I won’t waste my breath on a Mid-Copper.” Samson said with obvious disdain, spitting out her cultivation level like it was a slur.

Before Samantha could formulate an appropriate response, a elderly, masculine voice loudly called out from the stands, “Coin toss? She’s two full ranks lower! Let her pick! Let her pick!”

The chant was picked up by the folks surrounding the man, and spread throughout the entire amphitheater until the entire audience was involved with the demand. Samantha could see using her Prey’s Perception that Tiny was openly cackling in the preparation area. She supposed this was what Tiny meant when she said that they would have the coin toss covered, they must have planted someone in the stands.

The announcer did his best to regain his control over the crowd, but it took a full minute before they quieted enough for his words to be heard again. The announcer glanced over to Samson, and Samson gave him an imperceptible nod of approval.

“Very well! We are nothing if not people pleasers for our cherished patrons! How about a free choice for both parties?”

The crowds riotous cheers was all the confirmation he needed before two racks of weapons were brought out. Not worrying about what Samson was picking, she looked for the spear that would suit her needs best. She ended up settling for a 9 foot long traditional Qiang, similar to the one she had originally brought into the Eastern Reaches on her cultivation quest. It was nothing special, but at least it was sharp.

Samson and Samantha took their places at opposite ends of the ring as the gambling period started, and she got a look at his choice of weapon: a whip, of all things. The handle of the whip was solid metal so it could be used to deflect strikes, but the rest of it was a thick-braided leather of deep red which she immediately associated with the pelt of a Firestorm bear. As it was coiled in his hand, it was difficult to tell the exact range it would have in the fight. Looking at the state of her own weapon--a basic wood shaft and iron spear tip with a fraying tassel hanging just beneath--she couldn’t help but notice that the proprietors were tipping the scales in Samson’s favor however they could despite the existing power gap.

In the end, it didn’t matter. She wasn’t trying to win, only wound. If she could land a body shot then she’d count it as her victory.

The announcer began his countdown, and Samantha activated Inspect. As soon as ‘1’ was called, she and Samson both sprung into action, him advancing and her retreating. The first thing Samson did was direct his potent killing intent towards her, trying to suppress her from a distance and imbalance her. It worked to a degree, causing her to nearly gag with the onset of nausea and making her sweat with the effort of cycling her own qi to offset the effects.

Samson sent out the first probing attack, lazily flicking the whip towards her as she jumped back as far as she could to escape its range. Though the strike looked effortless on his part, the whip came down with a resounding “crack” and a burst of fire exploded at the point of impact. The crowd cheered as the flare lit up the space, but Samantha could only curse the wretched proprietors for giving her opponent a qi-infused weapon on top of everything else. On the bright side, she now knew that the effective range of his attacks was around 6 feet, or approximately the same as her own attack range. She suspected this was a deliberate choice on his part to counteract her extended reach.

She decided to send her own probing strike forward in kind. Pointing her spear forward to keep it between herself and her opponent, she fell back on the spear techniques that she had practiced for years. Wiggling the base of the spear slightly to create an unpredictable weaving motion with the speartip, she thrust forward as Inspect noted Samson tensing for another whip attack.

He turned her speartip away from his torso with the handle of his whip, almost as an afterthought, as he began to create an offensive pattern in front of him. It started slow at first, as if to give the crowd time to appreciate the movement before it became so fast that it was difficult to track with mortal eyes. Moving in circular motions from left to right, high to low, Samson crafted a near impenetrable wall of fiery leather. The sparks and flames left glowing trails in the air, confusing the ultimate position of the whip similarly to how the tassels on her spear functioned.

She tried to focus Inspect on the movements of his wrist to predict where the whip attacks actually were going to land, but her stomach dropped as she was greeted with a notification she had never seen before.

*Ding* Inspect on Peak Copper has failed! Target not notified of attempt.

Before she could dismiss the message, two loud cracks followed by searing pain broke her concentration.

*Ding* Damage to left leg has activated “As One”. Moderate Wounds for Samantha have been transformed into Minor wounds for Silas and Samantha.

*Ding* Damage to torso has activated “As One”. Moderate Wounds for Samantha have been transformed into Minor wounds for Silas and Samantha.

Samantha cried out in pain and retreated back out of range of the whip, taking stock of the damage. Two crisp lines had been burned through the now-smoking fabric of her clothes, and blackened cuts on her thigh and stomach slowly oozed blood. She felt healing energies slowly filter through her bond with Silas, but his limited herb supply must be running low after her last fight. Still, anything helped.

She had never failed her Inspect attempt before, though she knew it was always a possibility. She had considered what to do in a situation like this, and was left with two choices: continue to expend one point a minute and risk her art occasionally failing, or invest more qi and hope that it would overcome the power gap between her and Samson. Seeing as this wouldn’t be an extended fight where she needed to conserve qi, the decision was easy. Unsure if two points would be enough, Samantha played it safe and invested 3 points into Inspect as she observed the slowly approaching champion.

Time did not slow, exactly. It was more like she had been suddenly granted perfect sight after a lifetime of blurry vision. The complex pattern of the whip and its trailing flames now seemed elementary to pick apart, and she noticed a small imperfection in the movement that would give her an opening. Granted, she would still be hit at least once as she pushed through that area, but she would be able to make it so long as he did not alter his whip’s course.

There was something else she noticed too, an impatience in his stance that warned her that he was already bored of taking it easy on her. If she didn’t act quickly, she may find that her window of opportunity had closed as he moved in to finish the fight.

She waited for her chance.

Just as Samson committed his whip to a cross-body movement, Samantha pumped the entirety of her remaining 12 qi into Swift, pushing her Agility up to 22 and beyond the limits of even a Low Bronze.

*Ding* WARNING! Exceeding physical limitations. Self-damage imminent.

After nearly tripling her Agility, this time, time did seem to slow as her reaction time was enhanced. A horrid ripping sensation tore through her entire body as she sprinted towards the gap, her muscles wrenching themselves apart with each step.

*Ding* Damage to right leg has activated “As One”. Moderate Wounds for Samantha have been transformed into Minor wounds for Silas and Samantha.

*Ding* Damage to left leg has activated “As One”...

Her heartbeat rang like a gong in her ears as she neared her target, the pain of the fiery lash across her back hardly registering in the sea of suffering she was already experiencing. She couldn’t see Samson’s expression behind the fearsome mask as she thrust her spear towards center mass, but she liked to imagine that it was one of great surprise.

Her speartip pressed against Samson’s torso, just beneath the rib cage. It experienced a brief period of resistance before piercing through cloth, flesh, and muscle, punching through to the other side and out his back. Her unstoppable momentum carried her forward and she felt a fleeting moment of ecstasy at her success before the hot metal of the whip handle smashed into the side of her face.

*Ding* Damage to head has activated “As One”. Fatal Wounds for Samantha have been transformed into Serious wounds for Silas and Samantha.

And all became darkness and silence.