Is it over?

Erika pondered through scattered breaths as Kei’s crimson glowing eyes appeared out of the smoke before she herself did, eyes narrowed and lips pursed in annoyance.

“No, this won’t do. This just won’t do.” Kei muttered, “I request a personal ruling!” She then announced.

“On what grounds?” Asked one of the overseers.

“On grounds of failure to perform as a pack and instead relying on Lycantropy-like powers to singularly succeed.” Kei explained.

And after a long moment of muttering inbetween the overseers, Teol’s voice filled the arena. “Ruling accepted, continue sergeant.”

A thin smile formed over Kei then, as she suddenly appeared facing Erika, “Power alone will not help you on the battlefield pup.” She whispered, before turning to one of the other groups. “Del, Thorn, Seiki.” She called out before appearing once again at the arena’s centre, “Versus the supposed victorious squad.”

Erika visibly saw her squad mates tense up, as did the other.

“Same rules apply, except, Lycantropy is now allowed. Commence.” Kei announced, and immediately the Lycan called Del swept his glaive low, raising a smokescreen of sand and dust.

Unable to see their foes, Erika and her squad did little to communicate a defensive as they merely closed up on one another as the one called Seiki rushed through the left of the smoke screen, wielding a short spear and buckler shield.

Closing up on the sleek haired boy, his daggers stood little chance as her shield blocked his throw with ease before out-classing him in range even as she forced him on the defensive.

Out of nowhere then landed the boy named Thorn, a single short sword in his hand he faced the fox-like girl, slashing forth and clashing with her halberd’s staff. He was aiming to break it, and Erika immediately realised this, but she knew she was about to have her own visitor so didn’t immediately say so.

She turned to the dissipating smoke as before her now loomed a full fledged Werewolf. Bulging biceps covered in dark grey fur, Were-Del rushed at her, landing his foot squarely in her chest and throwing her back. The force sending her stomach wrenching and liquids belching as she was sent tumbling back.

Coming to a rolling stop, Erika slowly raised herself to face her opponent, only to find the beastman already turned on her ally. With his back uncovered and his mind focused on another, the sleek-haired boy did not see the lumbering wolfman lunge at his back.

Long curved claws slashed across it, streaking blood all over the floor as the boy then collapsed to his knees.

The sound of a loud snap then echoed out from Erika’s right, as she turned to find the fox-girl with her back to a wall and her weapon broken through, Thorn having his sword raised towards her as both’s eyes glowed fiercely and hands began morphing into claws.

Erika turned to retaliate but…

“Stop, I’ve seen enough.” Kei then announced, “As I believe did the overseers.” She mused, glancing up at the highest stands.

Shit!

Erika swore as she coughed out spit, falling back to her knees from exhaustion.

Teol nodded, as another overseer stood up to take his place, an old hunched-over woman. “Del, Thorn and Seiki, you pass and are accepted as trainees to receive personalised training by us trainers. The rest of you, are now recruits, and will undergo a longer period of training under sergeant Kei.”

Huh?

Erika’s gaze rose to the high platform, as the other fighters accepted the ruling in differing ways, Erika simply realised that this is for the best.

She wasn’t strong, she wasn’t skill either. She was just gifted, and had no inkling what do even do with said gift.

She needed training and she knew it. Be it with the sword, stance or magic, she wasn’t going to survive as she was.

The world isn’t so kind.

She thought to herself, rising dizzily to her feet then.

As blood, sweat and her own bile caked her body with sand, Erika found herself at her lowest ever.

A failure amongst creatures who cant even use magic.

Far from home, far from safety, far from family.

Erika felt alone, she felt terrified and bare naked before this unknown world.

A smart-ass attitude and difficult words only took you so far, and she knew that now, she couldn’t just talk her way out of the rest of what is to come.

Looking down then, she glanced over the other fighters, muscled far beyond her and built for their respective talents. Raised as warriors, they were all too far ahead of her.

She once again looked down at herself, not as petite as the other girls in the city, she still was far off from a warrior. She knew what warriors looked like, what they felt like.

She remembered squeezing her mother’s rough hands, a warrior’s hands.

She remembered sensing her father’s aura, a king’s aura.

The entire court spanned through her mind, sensations of their mana to simply looking them up and down, the sights reassured her.

She wasn’t just some tower-inhabiting princess.

Feeling then the fire scorch alive within her blood, Erika was reassured by this heat running through her veins.

Taking in a deep breath of the sweat-filled air, she did her utmost to hold it in, before letting it all out.

No flame, not even a spark of lightning.

She smiled, it wasn’t apparent, but she felt it still.

A feeling that burned away her worries, a sensation that turned her fear into a bonfire, a rising blaze of resolve.

Erika turned and met Kei’s expression as the sergeant grinned, a mocking grin which faded as Kei saw that flame in her eyes.

Suddenly she stood at attention, “Recruit Erika Draconia, to Sergeant Kei.” Erika suddenly announced, “I look forward, to being under your charge. Please, make me a warrior!”

“Oh?” Kei mused, as many of the recruits broke out laughing.

“You? You could barely swing that sword!” Bellowed out the fox girl.

Who was promptly ignored, as Kei and Erika continued to lock gazes.

“A warrior eh? Do you think you really have what it takes? Trainees are the finest of the bunch, basically they are set to become true warriors. Recruits? Only a dime in a dozen make it, it’s a grinder, filtering out those who just can’t keep up. Tell me pipsqueak, can you keep up?”

Opening her stance wide, Erika pumped her chest forth with air, “My parents led a revolution that changed my entire world before I was even born. My mother, tamed a Dragon known to have previously turned the entire world into chaos. My father, conquered an entire world and fought off hell itself.” The flames in her eyes, although not physically there, were indeed visible to all who looked now.

“If I fall behind, weigh me down more! If I stumble, kick me back up! If I resign to defeat, break me further into mindlessly pushing onward!” Erika exclaimed, “Because if I die here, if I die in this world without even leaving a mark, then who am I to call myself my parents’ daughter?” Her hands clenched, as she felt as if the entire world weighing down on her shoulders, Erika then screamed out.

“Who am I!? If not…If not a Dragon!” She bellowed out, and they all sensed it then, an aura rising from deep inside her.

Not much unlike from that of a mighty Demon, yet less chaotic.

Similar to divinity even, but far more primal.

It was barely a kindle, but they sensed it.

Within her the entire arena saw it, a dragon’s aura.

As Erika’s legs then gave out, her eyes rolling back into her head, she fell face-first into the sand. Unconscious.

-

-

Opening her eyes to a familiar ceiling, Erika pulled herself out of the lower bed of her bunk, accepting the wet towel from the passing by caretaker of her dorm she quickly wiped her face before starting to get dressed.

All around her spanned a large room made entirely of wooden logs and planks, one double door leading in and two side doors going elsewhere. Within lay three sets of bunk beds, each having a still rousing denizen, as usual she was the first one up.

Being knocked aside as her neighbour from above came down and went by, Erika had to hold on to the wall not to be thrown to the floor. Sighing, it was just another day, as it had been for the past week.

“Comon scaly, you’ll miss line-up!” Said Liz, the dark-skinned fox girl as everyone quickly dressed up in their training clothes. Dark brown T-shirts with a still somewhat furred leather vest, dark brown-red shorts reaching their knees and a snake-skin rope holding it up.

She knew all of their names by now, Liz, Tejil, Gula, Lune and Celest. She never had a reason to use those names though, as they never used hers either.

Mostly keeping to herself, Erika suffered through the same day, each day, all week.

As she rushed out into the early sunrise, a large bit of bare jungle laying before her, on the complete opposite side she saw the boys also rousing and coming out of their dorm.

Both meeting at the center of the vast piece of stripped land, boys and girls lined up as a Kei with a very bad hair day came yawning. “Ahh-Where’s Clarence?” She asked for the sleek-haired boy, with an unfortunate name, as most of the recruits did their best to keep in a snicker.

Knowing the blood payment to be handed if they didn’t.

“S-Still asleep Ma’am!” One of the boys announced.

“What the hell is that stutter? Need me to beat it outta you too recruit!?” Kei exclaimed suddenly, looming over the boy as he paled several shades whiter.

“No Ma’am!” He replied.

“Good, straight and concise! I don’t wanna hear no fucking stutters messing up communication, is that understood!?” She exclaimed to the entire line.

“Yes Ma’am!” They all replied, by now fully brainwashed never, ever, to say Sir. At the very least Sargent, then the punishment would be lesser just for being out of sync with the rest.

Stretching out her right arm and twirling it around, Kei walked up to a pile of heavy looking logs.

Bending forth she grabbed hold of the one at the top, one-handedly handling it, Kei took aim…

At the boy’s dorm.

And with a hefty throw, a young lycan was horridly awoken by morning wood.