Rena neatly hopped to the left, clearing the attack with distance to spare. Flames blew past her as it scorched the grass. She turned and threw one of her kamas towards the giant serpent.

The blade connected with its body, but bounced off its hard scales. The kama ricocheted off and hit a nearby tree. Quickly making use of the situation, Rena pulled herself to the tree through the air. The chain that connected both kamas now had an enchantment that allowed gravity to be distorted temporarily by the owner.

Since the entire gravity of the item could be changed, the blade inside the tree came out as she approached it and she spun into the serpent. With the kama she had thrown flying back into her hands, she struck.

This time, the blades impaled the serpent and it started to flail around in pain. Blood seeped from the wound and she started to drag the kamas across its stomach. Organs slowly flowed out from the reptile as it slowly lost its life.

By the time it had went limp, it smashed two trees and made several dozen marks in the ground. Mounds of dirt were everywhere and it looked like a car decided to do several doughnuts before ramming into two trees.

He sighed as she put her weapons away. It had been a tough battle for the most part, but it only became more tedious towards the end.

Rune hopped down from his perch on the floating platform and took a look at the beast. Then, with a wave of his hand, Mir and Bel arrived and carried the serpent to his lab. Rune turned towards Rena and started to speak once the two maids were out of sight.

“That was… good for a beginner, but you must remember that you will face Dragons. And not just any run-off-the-mill Dragon, but trained and bred Hierarch Dragons. Here, watch me.”

He snapped his fingers and a flare blazed into existence in the forest. Suddenly another serpent arrived, and started to attack Rune. Instead of running or using other tactics, he simply pulled back a fist and seemed to lightly punch it.

A shockwave burst through the air and, at ground zero, it removed the serpent’s scales from its flesh and it stopped moving. Not because he skinned it, but because the actual force of the punch broke several nervous systems and its brain.

The blood seeped into the earth and the monster now was a large log of bleeding meat. One of its eyes had popped out of its socket and was dangling from its head. It started to leak a liquid from its head, presumably brain fluid, and those around Rune took several steps back.

“Nasty.”

Hula spoke and everyone felt the same way. It was an extremely bloody scene in every sense of the word. At the very least, no organs were spilling out, yet.

The student around him were sent back several feet as they dug into the ground. Their boots and armor were now more muddy than bloody. Of course, they decided that the dirt caked on them was at least slightly better than blood.

“Alright, now its Hika’s turn. Let’s see what you will be facing.”

He reached into his storage and pulled out a flare gun. It wasn’t like the flares from Earth, but instead used a light that blinked erratically and lasted for quite some time longer. This was also the same one from that was used in the forest.

He crouched and spun a small arrow on the ground. This was the tool that decided which direction to shoot the flare. As for distance, it was set so that it would be more likely that monsters run towards them.

The arrow stopped as it pointed to the right and Rune angled the flare gun and fired. It arced through the air and blinked in an annoyingly bright red light. The moment it disappeared behind the tree layer, large sounding footsteps could be heard.

“Seems like a big one.”

Rune leapt back onto his platform and the other students moved back, only Hika stayed her ground. It was to be one on one as Rune had stated and no one was going to go against him.

Several trees crashed nearby and Hika readied her blade. She held onto the edge of the sheathe and her right hand was caressing the handle, ready to draw at a moment’s notice.

In a blur of scales, a second reptile appeared. Luckily, this monster appeared which allowed Rune to kill two birds with one stone.

The Giant Crocodiles of the swampy ponds had proven difficult to handle since they were planning on modifying that area to become a lake for Lilac. If Hika was able to kill it, she would not only gain experience, but also the thanks of workers who were modifying the area.

It seemed to have killed something earlier, with its bits still hanging from its teeth. The odor from the breath of the beast was awful and several students instinctively went to cover their noses. Its teeth were stained red from all the meat it had eaten over its lifetime and several meat chunks flew from its mouth as it roared.

The roar was much like how a person would think a tyrannosaurus rex would and its body was just as long. Although, despite its fearful look, it was not as powerful as a Fenrir who used magic.

Of course, one should not judge a book by its cover and, even though it cannot use magic, it was a fierce opponent indeed. Not only was it fast on its tiny, stubby legs, but it was powerful enough to destroy a building with just its tail.

It rushed Hika, who was the closest, and tried to devour her with its maw. Being someone who excels at countering, she had swung her blade at the beast and moved past it easily. The blade, however, did not pass through it and glanced off its natural armor.

Hika pivoted with her right foot and faced the beast again. She narrowed her eyes and started to concentrate.

The Giant Crocodile glared at her for a moment, waiting to see if she would complete an action, but then attack once more, seeing as she wasn’t moving. This time, it was with its tail that plowed the ground and tossed trees around as if they were sticks.

It was certainly more powerful than the fire-breathing serpent earlier and was easily more monstrous. With green scales that glinted the light and talons as black as shadows, it was a sight to behold, especially with all the blood on it.

Hika leapt upwards and dealt her attack. A skills known as Four Downward Strikes. It allowed her to strike four times with a ranged spatial attack, but could only be dealt downwards. An attack that had the ferocity of a wild beast and the control of, well, a car. If controlled correctly, it will help the user, but, if not, then it would backfire and likely hurt someone else.

The four strikes all landed on the tail, severing it to the bone, but not completely chopping it off. Blood spewed forth as the tail went limp.

The tail only quivered a moment after being struck and it stopped moving in the next. The Crocodile was angered, immensely, and it swung back around.

It bared its fangs, but everyone could see its hind legs quivering in fear as it felt that death was near. But, being the primal creature it was, it continued to fight and was going to until its last breath.

Hika hopped back, using her sword to propel herself from the beast. She skidded along the ground and, in one fluid motion, swung her sword towards the ground and the blood came off. Above them, Rune was smiling like a lunatic as he finally saw someone else swing their sword and the blood flying off of it.

Hika made her way into a defensive position, ready to counterstrike whatever came at her. Instead of the Crocodile running at her directly, this time it moved its maw upwards and made a deep roaring.

The sound reverberated through the forest and, almost instantly, four more roars sounded back. Trees crumpled in their wake and the ground pounded where they stood. Four more Giant Crocodiles had arrived.

Ruen looked down with disinterest and reached for his waist. With a single quick draw, he obliterated the four foes and the bullets broke their spinal columns, effectively paralyzing and killing them.

Everyone, including the original Crocodile, looked at the carnage and stopped moving. Four opponents that were similar to the beast Hika was dealing with had just died within a blink of an eye.

The Giant Crocodile facing Hika started to shrink back in fear, but she quickly turned to look at it and swung her sword. Air strikes lashed out at the Crocodile’s head and blood flew, but only from the shallow cuts she made.

The crocodile was now covered in its own blood and it became blinded by the red liquid dripping into its eyes. It started to whip its body around as the tail followed behind. It couldn’t move its tail anymore, but it seemed powerful enough to deal a lot of damage if it landed.

However, even as it whipped wildly, none of its attacks landed. Instead, it was met with a counterattack as Hika swung her blade.

It connected with the base of the tail and cleanly chopped it off, using the open wound to get to its bone. The tail flopped to the ground and twitched as Hika started her combo.

A slash upwards followed by a downward slash. Then a stab that pierced its eye with a twisting motion at the end.

The crocodile promptly died as its brain was now just mangled juices and matter that slowly spewed from the empty socket. The eye was still on the blade and Hika swung it to loosen the eye that now flew to the ground.

“And that is that. Okay, now I will take orders. These beasts you killed will be part of your new armor, but you can also procure more materials in this forest if you so choose. Now, submit your designs by the end of the week and give me the materials. I will try to finish as soon as possible.”

With that, the eight students dispersed. Jayn, the female Dragonborn, was not part of the Honor’s class, but was waiting at the edge of the school walls for them to return.

Hyht and Yula left as they held hands with one another. Hika clicked her tongue as she saw this and walked away with Erin and Rena. Akta and Nija talked as they moved and walked in an annoyingly jaunty manner. Mynn had become somewhat of a loner with very few friends and had headphones on.

Jared noticed that he was alone one day and asked him if he wanted something. Mynn responded by saying, “Something to block out all the voices around me”. Jared had only smiled and nodded.

The next week, he developed prototype headphones, but the only music was the kind found in Arborea as there was no pop or rock or jazz or dubstep. Truly a backwards world was a thought he had while making it.

Rune sighed. It was tiring not doing anything but watching and observing.

“Boring…”

A figure snuck up near him and spoke in a light tone.

“But you got to learn more about their fighting styles, right? Was that not your plan?”

A second figure appeared, larger than the first and much more endowed. She spoke in a deeper, but still a higher pitched voice.

“If that was the case, he would have told us sooner, would he have not?”

Mir followed by Bel. A somewhat squeaky, sweet voice followed by a more regular, but tough female voice. The returned from their jobs in the lab and stood under the shade of an upturned tree.

“Well, I’ll admit, I was more focused on how they would be able to handle themselves, but, yes, it would be good to get a grasp of their combat styles.”

“Speaking of which, what is yours?”

Bel asked with some curiosity as Mir slowly slid away into the shadows. While she could stand the sun, it made her skin tingling and hot and she hated that feeling.

“My style?”

Bel nodded.

“It is a combination of full frontal attacks and assassinations.”

He saw how the two looked at him in confusion and sighed once again. He looked around and saw that his coliseum was on the horizon.

“I’ll show you over there.”

Bel and Mir both followed Rune to the arena as he quickly walked. He spoke as they walked over there.

“So underused… Anyway, there will be weapons that you two can use. I assume that you have favorite weapon types?”

Bel spoke first without hesitation.

“I like long reaching slashing or piercing weapons.”

“I prefer to use rapiers or one sided daggers.”

“We have both. I want to show you my style of fighting as well as getting a grasp of what you two can do. Do remember that you were hired as combat maids.”

“Of course.”

The two answered at the same time as they walked. No more talking occurred after that back and forth. Rune was thinking about new fighting techniques with halberds while both Bel and Mir were thinking of what dinner was going to be.

It took quite a bit of walking, but they finally reached it. Grand in all its glory, the arena’s entrance stood before them.

“Open the gate!”

Rune shouted suddenly which made Mir jump a little bit.

The gate slowly groaned open and the two parts swung to either the right or left. The oak colored wood was actually not oak wood, but Trents who had crossed Rune’s path when he was stalking the forest.

Trent wood was a material that was able to protect against several different types of magic, except for fire for obvious reasons.

The three entered and found themselves in a giant hall. There were three doors, two to the left and right and one straight head of them. The hall itself was larger than five cottages placed side by side.

Rune gestured for them to follow him as he moved to the door in front of them. He swung it open with the two handles and the double doors opened to reveal a great spectacle.

Rows and chests and shelves of weapons inhabited the room. On one shelf alone, twenty daggers lay, each different in its own right.

“I’ll also choose a weapon from here. Take your pick and we’ll return it later.”

Bel took a lance, one with a spiral tip, as Mir grabbed a rapier with a hand guard and a small blade at the bottom of the handle. Rune decided to go with a bardiche, essentially an executioner’s axe, with a spear tip at the bottom and an axe head that was curved.

“Alright. Good to go. Come with me. Oh, it might be a bit sandy.”

The arena’s floor was covered in a layer of red sand newly imported from the Demon continent. It had been placed just an hour ago when the students left after Rune’s speech. It looked desolate with several jagged rocked pushing out of the thick layer of light red sand.

“What the…”

“Ugh.”

Bel was mystified by how quickly people were able to place the sand, even though it was done using machines. Mir was moaning and was starting to rant about how much she hated deserts now. Not only was she in one for many years, in Hell’s Gate, but she also hated how the sand would absorb the heat and burn her if it got on her skin.

“Ahem. First things first. Rules. The rules are as stated by me, and do not try to find loopholes. Do not kill each other. Do not use cheat-like magic. Do not use weapons that are not given to you unless explicitly told otherwise. Do not damage the coliseum, in any way, shape, or form.

That is what I’ve come up with so far… this arena has a barrier that is not on now. It prevents fighters from accidentally injuring people or going up to the seats. It also has two gates other than the ones we just entered from. One to the left and one to the right. There are healers in place to heal you when you get injured…”

“‘When’? Isn’t tha-”

“... And guards in place to stop you if you go for the kill. Any questions? No? Let’s fight.”

Rune sent Mir to his left, about a hundred yards away, and Bel to his right, also about a hundred yards away. It might have looked like overkill to have the distance be so long, but they were beings of speed and strength. They would be able to close the gap in no time flat.

Mir tightened a ribbon in her hair to keep it from flailing about. Bel did not need anything for her hair as it was short enough that it wouldn’t get in the way. She did, however, fiddle with a watch on her left arm and tightened it.

Bel had only received the watch recently, but to her it was a treasure on par with gold. It was something she now never left the room with and she had Rune enchant it so that it would never get damaged. It was a regular watch, one with a minute and hour hand, because digital watches had yet to be created.

At the moment, both Kelly and Jared were occupied with different things and were not able to work on any recreational ideas. They were being put to work by Rune to craft a new item of the utmost importance.

“On your mark!!”

Bel crouched low to the ground as Mir lifted her weapon in the air and pointed it at her opponent with a practiced grip.

“Get set!!”

Bel shifted her feet and the lance tip pointed ahead, but was leaning downwards.

“Go!!!”

Two blasts of sand. Two equally as powerful launches. Two very different weapons in two practiced hands. A great battle was about to commence.