Princess Ruth glared at the Gun Knight, boring a hole through him as he set his empty plate aside. She fumed silently as he carefully lifted his mug of coffee from its place among the warm coals of the cooking fire. The fire had long since burned out, as it was still the middle of the day, and there was little sense to keep it going after the food was done. He took a sip from his mug and stared peacefully into the forest. Birdsong lilted back and forth as Ruth shifted angrily in her seat. The Gun Knight sighed and looked over at her.

"I get the feeling that you've got something you want to say."

The Princess jabbed her finger viciously at the journal.

"Yes, there are a few things that need to be addressed," she protested hotly, "Firstly, how dare you? Secondly, I don't trust your 'story' that the great Musashi was done in by a bunch of nobodies."

Rathus nodded. "Yeah, I thought that might be it." He took a long breath and turned to face her more fully.

"First off, he wasn't hardly the 'Great Musashi' yet at that point. He wasn't famous, and hadn't done barely any of the things the world knows him for," Rathus explained. "Secondly, he wasn't 'done in'. He just lost the fight. A fight. He only had a few bruises, and was a little concussed. After he got some healing potion in him, he was right as rain. Gun Knights are hard to bring down."

Ruth shook her head emphatically. "No, no no. I'm not saying he died. Obviously, he survived, or else there would be no question that your story is a lie. Don't think for a second that telling an obvious truth somehow makes the rest of it true. Even if he wasn't a big hero yet, he's not about to lose a fight to a handful of thugs." She pursed her lips for a moment, before a thought passed her mind. She gasped, and her eyes lit up.

"Unless... Don't tell me that one of the fighters was secretly the Dracula you were after, and that's why he was so strong! I bet it was the sailor, nobody would expect it to be him."

The Gun Knight shook his head. "No, it was nothing so fancy or storybook as that. He just bit off more than he could chew."

Ruth opened her mouth to object, but Rathus continued. "Like Musashi said himself, his main strength was his gunplay. When it comes to close quarters stuff, he was good enough, but nothing special. He mostly relied on brute strength." Rathus scratched at his nose. "Plus, maybe I downplayed it a bit, but he was getting awfully ahead of himself with the showboatin' in his fight. He really shouldn't have lost sight of the brick guy."

The Princess flipped through the pages of the journal and let out a disgusted sigh. "Ugh! That's not the way it should have happened! You don't just have the hero lose in a fight to a bunch of thugs, it has to be a big important battle where he kills the villain and succumbs to his wounds, or a noble sacrifice, or or... or..."

Rathus set his mug down and looked levelly at the Princess. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, yer Highness, but life ain't a story. The hero doesn't win every single fight. Hell, sometimes he doesn't win the important ones. There isn't always some helpful clue that leads you to the villain's lair, or a secret weapon that you can use to turn the tide at the last minute. Sometimes the hero doesn't even make it back in time to rescue his beloved."

Rathus hunched over, quiet for a minute as the Princess processed his words. He reached over and grabbed his coffee to take a sip. The Princess gave him a pointed look.

"I'm not a child, you know. You don't have to tell me that fairy tales aren't real. That being said, there's a distinct difference between saying that Musashi didn't literally single-handedly beat a hundred men in the Battle of Drummer Falls, and saying that he lost a fight to 4 nobodies in a small-town bar. Just because you can remember perfectly doesn't mean you can't lie about it to make yourself look better."

Rathus set his coffee down and sat up straight, staring at the princess with authority. "I don't lie. I might not be prevented from it, but I avoid it on principle. I'm telling the truth."

The Princess rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Okay, sure."

Rathus sighed. "I am telling the truth. If you really don't believe me, just activate my Vow, and I'll tell you the same thing."

The clearing grew silent, save for the sound of the birds and the quiet rustling of the wind through the trees. Ruth stared at the Gun Knight sitting across from her.

"Your Vow? I... I couldn't... You can't just activate it for something so trivial, right?"

Rathus shrugged. "It's not just for killing people. Technically, an Imperial Sovereign can activate it to tell a Gun Knight to do whatever they want. Of course, the Regency takes a dim view of people who abuse the Vow. There've been a few cases of some jumped-up monarch trying to subvert an Imperial Knight to be their own personal errand boy, or abusing the Vow for... other distasteful whims."

Ruth cleared her throat quietly. "Um, you mean, like..."

Rathus waved her question off. "It's not the sort of thing worth dwelling on. Suffice it to say that the Vow has a few caveats built in for that sort of thing. It tends to wind up serving as a pretty telling example for anybody else who wants to flaunt it. One of those... self-policing sort of things."

The Princess opened her mouth to say something, but Rathus went on. "Which is probably not the most encouragin' thing to hear in this context."

The Princess nodded in agreement.

"You don't gotta worry about anything like that. Using the Vow to make sure we're telling the truth ain't that unheard of. Usually only reserved for the paranoid types, but if you really don't believe that I'm telling the truth, I'd rather you just be done with it and know for certain."

Rathus tipped the last few dregs of his mug into the coals, where they hissed and let off a pleasant coffee-scented cloud of steam.

"If you're gonna be doubting my every word, well, that makes for a bad audience. Not really conducive to storytelling, is it?"

Ruth hesitated, setting her journal to the side. "That would... settle the matter. But are you really sure that it's fine?" Rathus gave her a nod. The Princess took a deep breath, then nodded once back.

She stood and shook out her arms, then her legs. She rolled her neck and shoulders as she turned to face the Gun Knight. For his part, Rathus simply sat and watched her.

"Okay, so. How do I activate your vow? Do I...?" She held her hand out in front of her, striking a regal pose straight out of a portrait that might hang in a ballroom.

"You just have to say it," Rathus replied, giving her an amused smile. "You don't need to strike a pose or anything."

"It feels only proper, you understand," she protested.

"Proper is all well and good, but it's bad practice to waste time on a bunch of unnecessary things like that. A second or two can be the difference between life and death in a fight."

The Princess nodded. "Alright, then." She cleared her throat, and stared pointedly at the Gun Knight. "Rathus McGaff, as 5th Princess to the Throne of Dennis, and a member of the Imperial Sovereign, I hereby activate the Vow of the Imperial Gun Knights."

The air grew still as the words left her lips, and no sooner had she spoken than last then a glow came about Rathus' eyes. The glow traced itself out of the corner of his eyes, leaving a glowing line behind it as it moved and split at right angles, carving a shining web of white lines across his skin. The runes traced their way under his clothing, emerging at his forearms and spreading along to his hands. The air seemed to crackle with energy, and though the Knight did not physically change, he seemed to Ruth to grow to fill the space in the clearing.

Rathus stood slowly as the lines dimmed to a faint glow. Ruth unconsciously backed up a few steps as something inside her screamed at her to flee. She knew, rationally, that the Gun Knight posed her no threat, and even if he had wished her harm, she knew he wouldn't have been able to act on it due to the binding nature of the Vow. The Knight took a step forward, and dropped smoothly to one knee, genuflecting before her.

"By Your Will, I Serve." he swore, his voice echoing unnaturally. The Princess realized that her hands were balled up into tight fists, the nails digging into her palm. She unclenched her hands and shakily raised one and addressed Rathus.

"A-as an Imperial Sovereign, I o-order you to tell me the truth about Musashi's fight."

The lines on his skin flashed as she spoke her order. Rathus bowed his head and smiled. "I Swear By My Vow That Every Word Of My Story Has Been True."

The Princess stared down at him. Still kneeling, he looked up at her. "Satisfied?"

"Well... no," she admitted. "I trust that you're not lying to me, at least, but I don't think 'satisfied' is the right word to use."

"If It's Any Consolation," Rathus replied, "He Really Did Defeat A Hundred Men By Himself At Drummer Falls."

"I knew it," The princess whispered under her breath.

"Will There Be Anything Else?" the Imperial Gun Knight asked her. The Princess opened her mouth to say no, but then looked around the clearing.

"Could you... destroy that tree with your bare hands?" she asked, pointing to a tree at the edge of the clearing.

Rathus turned to look at the tree in question. "Hypothetically, I Could." he replied, "But Is There Any Reason To? It's Just Out Here Doin' Its Best."

Ruth stammered a reply, flushing bright red. "W-well, no, but I simply thought it would be a good... demonstration of your power. It would be good for me to have a firm grasp of your limitations, and..."

Rathus chuckled. "You can just say 'it would be cool'."

"it would be cool," Ruth muttered quickly.

The Gun Knight stood, energy corruscating across the lines on his skin.

"By Your Will, I Serve." He intoned; then, with a wink, added: "But just one tree. No sense in damaging the wildlife too much."

The Gun Knight walked to the tree in question, and paced around it, finding the best angle of approach. He tapped it a few times, before settling on a spot, and taking a step back. The lines on his skin drew themselves deep with a faint glow, and light gathered into his fist as he drew it back. Rathus struck out with his fist, slamming it against the tree. As it made impact, the opposite side of the tree exploded into shrapnel, sending bark and sawdust exploding into the forest behind it. The shockwave traveled the length of the tree, cracking and shattering it as Rathus followed through with his blow. The top of the tree collapsed onto itself, pieces splintering off and falling into a pile of green wood.

The Gun Knight brushed off his knuckles and turned to the Princess, giving a sweeping bow.

The Princess grinned at him, stars in her eyes. "That was amazing! Gun Knights are on a whole different level, aren't they?"

Rathus shrugged. "Wasn't nothing much," he said modestly.

Ruth laughed, but looked towards the cart. "We should get moving out again. You can tell the rest of the story as we go." She lifted her hands out towards him.

"I hereby dismiss your Vow."

The lines faded away from Rathus' skin, and the Gun Knight staggered for a moment. He grunted, and rubbed at his temples.

"Oof. It's always weird goin' into that. It's been a while since the last time."

Ruth began to pack her bag up and load their things back onto the wagon.

"What's it feel like?" she asked curiously.

Rathus frowned, blinking a few times as he thought about how to describe the feeling. "It's hard to pin down. It's kinda like, when you're a little kid, and you tie a rope around a brick and swing it around over your head. Except you're also the rock being swung around at the same time."

Ruth hauled herself up onto the wagon's seat, and gave him a dubious look. "I don't think I fully grasp your analogy. But it sounds like you had, um, a spirited childhood, at least."

Rathus tossed his travel-sack into the wagon. "I ain't much of a poet. Ask Obrez if you want somethin' fancy to put in your books."

Rathus saddled up Grue, and in short time, they were back on the road and on their way.

"So," Rathus began, "where was I?"

"You were about to start on the cage match. Against 8 people," Ruth replied. She started, and turned towards him. "Wait, why are you asking me, you're a Gun Knight. You obviously would remember where you left off."

The Gun Knight chuckled to himself. "Yeah, you got me. I was just trying to do a proper lead-in. Anyways, the cage match..."

Rathus stood in the center of the arena. He stood at the ready as the other combatants filed in behind him, and spread out to surround him. The Walpurg announcer twitched one ear as she watched the original four enter, followed closely by another four, until there were a total of 8 opponents surrounding the young Gun Knight. Each wielded a weapon of their own, and each of them looked seasoned and at ease in the arena. The announcer shook her head and chuckled to herself, before bringing the microphone to her lips.

"Ladies and Gentlepyon, we have another fight for you, right on the heels of the first! It seems we have more than one Gun Knight here with us tonight, and sadly, this one hasn't learned a thing from his companion. Seems like young..."

"Rathus McGaff," Rathus McGaff said.

"Seems like young Rathus here has more balls than sense, to not see how things went for his friend over there. We wish him well, of course, against his EIGHT OPPONENTS!" The crowd roared, and a small fracas broke out around the betting booths, as the odds suddenly shifted rather precipitiously. Rathus looked to the table they had been sitting at before, but Musashi was missing. He scanned the crowd for the other Gun Knight, but couldn't find him.

The announcer giggled into the microphone. "Maybe he'll learn a valuable lesson when our fighters get done with him! He won't be so ballsy once they hand them back in a paper bag!" Rathus looked to his opponents, as the sailor dragged his thumb across his neck, and the man next to him made an identical gesture, but around belt level. Rathus blinked at him.

"So," the announcer asked, "Anything to say before we ring the bell?" She held the microphone down to Rathus, and it let out a slight ring of interference. Rathus leaned towards it. He opened his mouth to speak, and his master's words resonated in the back of his head: "Remember, Rathus. The core of Puroreso is an iron soul. You must know when to speak, and when to act. Never forget the tenets of honor, humility, discipline, and above all else..."

Rathus snatched the microphone from the announcer, and gave her a quick salute. He turned to address the crowd.

"When I asked to fight..." he began, "I admit, I was feeling rather sure of myself. I told him that I would fight eight people at once, thinking that I would be able to fight on even ground against them."

He looked at his gathered opponents, and shook his head. "But, I can see now, that I was wrong. I made a mistake, and the next time I come to fight, I won't make the same mistake again." Rathus took a deep breath and closed his eyes, reflecting on his master's advice.

"Above all else... know how to work a crowd."

The Gun Knight grinned a smile, then opened his eyes, and gave the audience the most scathing, disgusted sneer he could manage.

"I SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR SIXTEEN!" He roared. The crowd erupted into boos and hisses. Those closest to the cage reached out and shook it violently, as Rathus held up his arms and beckoned their ire, basking in his impromptu heel turn. He swaggered over to the middle of the ring and pointed his left hand at the closest of his opponents, holding forefinger and thumb in the shape of a gun.

"I'M ABOUT TO SHOW YOU LILY-LIVERED WEAKLINGS WHAT A GUN KNIGHT REAAAALLLLLY LOOKS LIKE. THE KID GLOVES ARE COMING OFF."

He handed the microphone back to the announcer, and picked his metal chair back up, folding it and holding it by one leg. The announcer laughed and shook her head.

"Well. Big words! We'll see if he can live up to them!" She gave the rope a quick tug, and it reeled in, bringing the microphone to the top of the cage as she exited the arena.

Rathus silently appraised his opponents. The rat-like man with the bag of bricks; the massive chain-wielder; the Orc woman with the sledgehammer— her face freshly healed— and the sailor from before were all present. Joining them was a Dwarf wielding a cinderblock on a rope; a younger man wielding a bat with nails driven through it; an older, white-haired man with no weapons save for two barrel-like arms and a fistful of rings; and last but not least, a shorter woman, carrying no weapons, but sporting a pair of red fox ears atop her head.

Rathus set the chair on the ground in front of him. He rested it — still folded — on two legs while he held the top. He took a deep breath and readied himself. The bell rang out, and the battle began in earnest. Rathus reached his hand up in front of his face, catching the brick that had been immediately thrown at him. He half-turned and threw it behind him, flicking his arm out to toss it into the stomach of the boy with the bat. His opponent reeled over while clutching his stomach instinctively, momentarily stunned.

Rathus began to walk forward, holding the chair ahead of him. In response, the white-haired man adjusted one ring, then came running full tilt towards the Gun Knight. Rathus tossed the chair towards the man, and it unfolded, landing open and upright. He leaned forward and kicked the back of the seat hard, sending the chair rocketing in the direction of the white-haired man. It caught the man in the leg as he ran, and he stumbled, tripping over the chair. Rathus seized him by the shoulders as he fell, and hauled him further over the chair before falling to his knees, slamming the man stomach-first onto the back of the chair. The steel frame of the chair jabbed into the man's solar plexus, and the white-haired man let out a wheeze as the air was driven from his lungs.

From his knees, Rathus grabbed the side of the chair and spun, sweeping his left leg up to kick the man in the side of the head while he simultaneously pulled the chair out from underneath him. The Gun Knight continued his spin, stepping to his feet while he brought the chair sweeping sideways into the head of the Chain man behind him. As the man staggered back from the blow, Rathus lifted the chair up over his head and dropped it behind him. It landed upright, folding into an open position as it hit the ground. Reaching back with both arms, Rathus braced himself on the chair and lifted both of his legs to deliver a powerful kick to the Chain man's chest. The force of the blow knocked the man clear from his feet, sending him careening back several feet and rolling onto the ground. Rathus ducked another thrown brick, as the Dwarf and Nailbat advanced upon him.

The Gun Knight turned and interspersed the chair between the two and himself, backing up a few steps. A sudden movement from the corner of his eye made him turn, and he barely avoided a swing from the Sledgehammerer. She swung again at him, wide horizontal swings that sent the heavy head of the hammer barreling through the air. Rathus ducked back at the first swing, then the second. As she wound up for the third swing, he seized the head of the hammer in his right hand and pulled it towards him, and delivering a blindingly-fast palm strike to the haft of the hammer with his left, splintering it. He pulled away with the head of the sledgehammer, tossing it slightly into the air to get a grip on the short remnant of the haft, instead of the head itself. As the Orc woman looked in surprise at her destroyed weapon, Rathus took the opportunity to sweep her off her feet, albeit with a low sweep kick instead of poetry or a golden apple or some romantic bullshit like that.

The Dwarf kicked the chair aside, and Rathus turned to meet him. The man chuckled at Rathus as he spun the cinderblock in a wide loop above his head. As he swung it, Rathus leaned out of the way, but stuck his arm inside the man's reach. The rope hit Rathus' arm and went taut as it started to wrap around it, shortening the cinderblock's course and smashing it right into the Dwarf's face. Rathus swung the sledgehammer head, smashing the cinderblock into dust, and sending much of the force of the impact into his opponent's head. The Dwarf staggered and collapsed onto the pavement of the arena, face-down. He tapped the ground weakly with his hand, bowing out of the fight before losing consciousness.

Rathus pulled back, shaking the last bits of cinderblock off of the rope now wound around his left arm. He turned to face the Nailbat, as the Chain man and the Sailor both came for him. Behind him, the Orc woman tossed aside the bit of jagged wood, and took up a boxer's stance. The Walpurgis and the Brick hurler both stayed back, watching intently. The Brick hurler gently tossed a brick in his hand, waiting for his moment to shine.

The Nailbat man swung his bat, and Rathus lifted his left arm to block it, the nail-heads tearing up and catching in the rope. The Gun Knight twisted, binding the bat further, and rapped his opponent on the wrists with the sledgehammer. The Nailbat man drew away, leaving his weapon behind while he shook his hands in pain. Rathus shook his arm free of the rope and tossed it - and the Nailbat - to the far corner of the cage. The Chain man began to spin his arms, unfurling his Chains. Rathus pointed at him, before turning to face the Sailor, who was using the opportunity to advance on the Gun Knight, swinging the bottle wildly.

Rathus blocked the bottle with the sledgehammer, shattering the glass on its steel head. The Sailor gave him a cocky grin, and lashed out with the jagged remnants of the bottle. Rathus ducked the makeshift weapon, before bringing both hands above his head to clap together on either side of the Sailor's fist. With a quiet crinkle, the glass handle of the bottle shattered, and the Sailor cried out in surprise and pain. The Gun Knight grabbed the man around the waist, before lifting up and arching back, suplexing his unlucky opponent. The Sailor went slack, and Rathus dropped him. He flicked his hand out to grab one of larger shards of the bottle, before darting to one side, away from the whipping chains of the Chain man. Rathus tucked the shard into his belt, and grabbed his chair.

The Orc woman lunged at him, punching. He blocked her strike with the seat of his chair, and as she struck again, he tilted the seat down, letting her fist pass through the gap between the seat and the headrest. Once her fist had cleared the gap, he slammed the chair back into a folded position, slamming the seat on her arm. He twisted the chair, pulling her off balance. Leaning back, he shoved his foot up onto the seat, clasping her arm firmly in the chair, before lifting and rolling backwards onto his back. As he reached the apex of his roll, he released the pressure on the seat, letting her arm come lose, and consequently flinging the Orc woman into the White-haired man, who had barely staggered to his feet. The pair went down in a pile of sprawling limbs.

Rathus rolled to his feet, and took a chain across the side of his face. He reeled back in surprise and cursed under his breath. The Chain man advanced towards him, spinning his chains. Rathus lunged out and grabbed hold of one of the chains. Rearing back, he pulled, trying to yank the massive man off his feet. The man laughed, and simply let out more chain, catching Rathus off guard. The Gun Knight stumbled slightly and held up the chair as he turned, blocking a hit from the Nailbat, who had found his weapon once more. Rathus backed up, further into the range of the Chain man, letting the chain go slack once more. As Nailbat advanced, Rathus unfolded the chair and set it on the ground between the pair. Nailbat paused for a moment, and Rathus used the opportunity to step onto the chair and leap into the air.

Nailbat's eyes widened, as Rathus landed seated on his shoulders, hooking his legs under his armpits. Rathus shoved the man back, and slammed him onto the ground, delivering a punch to the face as he landed. He quickly wrapped the chain around the man's neck, and rolled to the side, dodging one thrown brick, but being caught in the shoulder by the second. Rathus stood and surveyed the scene. The Nailbat was out cold, as were the Dwarf and the Sailor. Both the Orc woman and the white-haired man had retreated to the edge of the Arena, either bowing out or gathering their bearings. That left the Chainman, who was gathering up his chain as best he could without hurting his teammate, the man with the bag of bricks, and the fox Walpurg.

Rathus made for the brick-thrower first, dodging another thrown brick. As he closed on his opponent, the man reared back, and swung the sack of bricks like a freight train directly for the Gun Knight. Rathus fell to his knees, powersliding under the swing. As he slid, his hand went to his belt, and brought the shard of glass up, rasping the jagged edge through the canvas of the sack. As Rathus slid underneath, the man's weapon reached the apex of its swing, and tore apart, spewing bricks across the Arena. Rathus popped up from his feet, tossing the shard aside. The rat-like man stared at the empty, useless sack he held before dropping it, and making a plaintive gesture to the Gun Knight.

Rathus mercifully powerbombed the man, shoving him down at the waist before lifting him, flipping him backwards, and slamming him onto his own pile of bricks. Rathus turned to face the Walpurg and rolled his shoulders. The woman gave him a wide smile, full of fangs, before lunging at him. She swiped with one hand, that transformed mid-swing into a massive, clawed paw. The Gun Knight leapt back, carefully stepping between the bricks. The Walpurg leapt into the air, transforming into a fox and skipping across the rough terrain, before jumping for the Gun Knight. She transformed back into a human mid-leap, lifting two arms above her head. Her arms transformed into massive, muscular limbs, bristling with red and white fur, and ending in two paws, which were clasped together. She slammed her fists down upon the Gun Knight, who shielded the blow with his arms.

The force of the impact shook the cage, and the Gun Knight slid back as she landed, staggering to keep his balance. He quickly grabbed the chair and lifted it, blocking another clawed swipe. The Walpurg's claws tore through the metal of the chair, and one of its legs came loose in his hand. Rathus tossed the chair up and at the woman, before lunging and shoulder-checking her. She knocked the chair aside, then was struck and lifted off her feet as the Gun Knight charged her across the Arena. He slammed her into the cage of the ring. His grip loosened as she shifted form moments before the impact, her muscles swelling to brace the blow.

Rathus stepped back, before being struck with a blow by the Chain man. He whirled as the Chain man swung again. Rathus charged the man, ducking the blow, and grabbing the broken chair leg from the ground. The Gun Knight leapt over another swing of the chain, before leaping and delivering a flying kick to the man's chest. His opponent was lifted off his feet and sent careening back, landing hard and rolling a few times, becoming entangled in his own chains. Rathus scrambled and grabbed the sledgehammer head as the Chain man started to free himself. Working quickly, Rathus leapt to the other side of the bound man, and shoved him with his foot, sending him rolling and further wrapping him in the chains. Rathus dove and jabbed the chair leg down where two links of the chain overlapped, pegging them together. He slammed it into the concrete with a blow of the hammer, then hit the chair leg once from the side to fold it over onto itself, pinning the chain links in place.

The Gun Knight calmly stood and walked towards the Walpurg, who was dusting her long skirt off while carefully watching his approach. He paused to casually elbow-drop the brick-hurler, who was trying to get up off of the pile of bricks.

The Walpurg charged at him as he approached, swiping with her claws. Rathus ran to meet her. As he ducked under her swing, she brought one foot up, which rippled into a clawed kick. He twisted out of the way, grabbing her leg and lifting it. The Gun Knight continued to twist, lifting her off her feet and spinning her horizontally in the air. He landed on one knee, slamming her —still spinning— into the ground. She bounced off of the impact, and shifted into a fox, shrinking in size as she darted quickly around Rathus. She leaped up and became full size once more, delivering a flying kick that sent Rathus reeling back.

He moved with the impact, running for the far wall, as the Walpurg landed and pursued him. Rathus reached the chain link fence and leapt into it, turning himself in mid-air. The chain link caught him, before tension brought him bouncing back. Rathus accelerated out of the bounce, and held his arm out at the side, clotheslining the surprised Walpurg. She landed hard on the ground, clutching at her neck and gasping in pain and shock. She had not had time to shift before taking the blow, and felt the full effect of the hit. Rathus walked over to observe her, breathing heavily. The Walpurg slowly gathered her wits, and began to shift, her muscles rippling as she began to enter her full beastlike combat form. He wiped the sweat from his brow, before turning back to the wall.

Lining himself up, he ran for the wall and took one, two, practiced steps up it, lifting himself several feet from the ground. He pushed off the wall's surface with one kick, backflipping into a perfect moonsault.

"" As Rathus shouted the Named Move, the power of the move surged through him, amplifying his movements. He accelerated through the air, and slammed into the Walpurg with a mighty blow that cracked the concrete below her. The heavily muscled combat form of the Walpurg shuddered as he drove his knees into her torso. The Walpurg tensed up, before withering back into her normal human form, and going limp.

Rathus dragged himself off of her before standing to his feet. The audience held its breath in stunned silence as he looked around the arena. The Orc woman and the white-haired man gave him a dismissive wave, and made no motion to stand. The Chainman was struggling in vain to free himself. The rest were unconscious. Rathus gave an understanding nod, and raised his arm triumphantly into the air.

The audience erupted into cheers and rioutous noise as Rathus grinned, giddy despite himself. He had fought plenty of people at the House of the Rising Sun, and plenty more when training to become a Gun Knight. This was the first fight he had been in that wasn't just sparring. He found Musashi in the crowd, pushing his way up to the side of the ring. Rathus gave him a thumbs up, grinning wide. As he made his way to the exit, his smile faded quickly, for there near the door stood his Captain, Agatha Grimm, her eyes cold and full of wrath.

"Oh shit," Rathus said to himself, out loud.