"There, darling, now we match!" Simon laughed as he collapsed on the bench next to a still-sulking Asim. "I lost too!"

"Mm-mm. Losing on purpose doesn't count," Asim grumbled, turning his face away while Simon clutched at his heart with mock shock on his face.

"How dare you accuse me of losing on purpose! I'll have you know I was aiming for a draw. Vieux Len just happened to be an experienced tank and outlasted my damage burst! That reflection attack at the end was really unexpected..."

"Yeah, yeah, sure. I believe you."

"Aw, don't pout! C'mon, kissy kissy and make up!"

"Hey, hey, not in front of-"

Brigit swiftly covered Kira's eyes right before Dani smacked both Asim and Simon in the back of the head. "No PDA in front of the kid!"

"I've seen people kiss before," Kira muttered, but didn't move away from Brigit's protective cover since she didn't want to seem like she was gawking.

"That was going to be a bit more than a simple kiss," Chen said, clearing his throat and moving to sit his bulky form between Kira and the offending couple.

"Sorry, I forgot!" Simon laughed, the sound muffled as Dani swept him into a playful-but-firm headlock.

Seeing everyone else protecting Kira's innocence, Brigit lowered her hand and hid a smile.

Brigit had her sword and shield ready before she even set foot on the stage, much to the amusement of her opponent. The red-headed Demi-Elf laughed and shook his head, preparing his own sword and shield - ones that looked much more expensive than Brigit's, their surfaces shimmering with enchantments.

Brigit refused to let any shock or other emotions appear on her face. Her golden gaze slid easily off her opponent's gear, as she limbered up and readied for the monster to materialize.

It was a large suit of armor, the metal plates rusted and worn, with a long halberd clutched in one hand. Animated Armours were ideal opponents for sword-and-shield fighters, since they actually used proper techniques and dueling methods when fighting.

Animated Armours had an unspoken code of honor, and it made them valuable training opponents.

The match barely started before Brigit felt a rush of wind at her neck. She spun, her shield clashing with Axel Redtree's shimmering blade.

"You know," Axel grunted, straining with his sword to push Brigit back. "My sister wanted me to warn you about something."

"Warn me?" Brigit said, narrowing her eyes. She tried to think of who the man's sister might be, but her mind was pulling up blanks. She didn't recognize him at all.

"Something to do with your Human brat. But honestly? I don't really care." Axel grinned, digging his heel into the ground to brace himself. "【 Crimson Arc 】!"

His blade shone red, and Brigit hurriedly dodged the strike aimed at her neck. She barely had time to process the fact that he referred to a Human before she was under assault from a flurry of blows, Axel's sword clanging loudly against the surface of her shield.

Axel's strength was great, but his technique...

Brigit smiled.

The Animated Armour wouldn't move to attack so long as they were locked in a 'duel'. To interfere would be dishonorable, so the illusory enemy would merely watch. That meant her only opponent for the moment was the redheaded Demi-Elf.

"What are you laughing at, lizard!?" Axel snarled, his blade glowing red as he prepared another skill.

Brigit wasn't the type to exchange quips and taunts. She blocked his blow with her shield, pushing to the side to force his arm out, disengaging his combat stance. His chest was wide open for a moment but she aimed a blow at his face instead, using the pommel of her sword.

His shield moved to block his chest just as he realized she wasn't aiming a blow for the obvious target. Axel barely managed to clench his teeth before the pommel made impact with his jaw, flinging his head back.

Brigit followed up with a new skill, 【 Shield Bash 】, slamming her buckler against Axel's arm to get him to drop his sword.

Axel had higher raw stats, and great teachers. His technique was textbook. And just like Ailsa said during training, being coddled in a dojo was no replacement for actual field experience.

And field experience was something Brigit had in spades.

She kicked the blade in mid-air as it fell from Axel's grip, sending the weapon flying out of his reach. Then she leaned into the kick, putting weight into her shoulder to turn the movement into a short charge.

"Admit defeat," Brigit said, her sword edge against Axel's neck.

The Demi-Elf scoffed, slowly sinking to one knee. Brigit nodded, and stepped away to give a salute to the Animated Armour waiting patiently to one side.

Then she staggered forward, white-hot pain erupting on her back. Two swords bit deep into her scales and flesh, splattering blood on the arena and on the opponent who quite literally stabbed her in the back.

"I admit nothing!" Axel hissed, holding two long blades he'd undoubtedly pulled from his inventory. Brigit staggered forward, barely managing to ignore the pain long enough to twist and shield herself from another attack when-

SKRUNCH!

Axel coughed up blood, the head of a halberd shoved deep into his stomach.

The Animated Armour did not appreciate the breach of duelist honor, it seemed.

A shimmering golden light surrounded Axel, teleporting him to the medical tent for immediate aid.

Brigit wanted to laugh, but couldn't bear to make it seem as though she were mocking the illusory monster that just saved her. What a way to go out! Axel probably thought he had the match in the bag, but he forgot about the Animated Armour's specific habits.

"Stupid," Brigit scolded herself and Axel at the same time. She shouldn't have assumed he was surrendering until he actually admitted it out loud. And even then, she shouldn't have turned her back.

She shouldn't have assumed her opponent would have any honor just because she chose to display her own.

Brigit exhaled, closing her eyes for a brief moment. The Animated Armour wouldn't attack until she either saluted, or attacked it first. How it behaved in combat would depend on which approach she chose.

Her back ached. She could feel blood soaking her clothes and leather armor. The wound was deep, and she was losing a lot of blood fairly quickly. Her movements would be limited by the injury.

"Sorry," Brigit whispered, and immediately lunged to attack the Armour.

It swung its halberd to block her sword, but she used 【 Shield Bash 】 to land a hit on its waist. The thing towered over her in stature, and the halberd extended its reach far beyond what she felt comfortable coping with.

A duel would have been honorable, but disadvantageous. Injured as she was, her best bet was to make it angry, and thus reckless.

They exchanged blows, each hit costing Brigit both HP and blood. She grit her teeth and endured, waiting for an opening. It was a huge gamble, but if she could just be patient, if she could just endure long enough -

Brigit swore as she woke in the medical tent, the ache in her back now just a memory. One of the healers gave her a sympathetic smile, patting her shoulder.

"You did great sweetie," the healer said, the sympathy in her voice genuine. "It was impressive to watch! But you should be more careful in the future, fighting like that with such an injury. We barely got you out in time!"

"I lost." Brigit said, clenching her hands into fists.

"It was a draw," the healer said brightly, but it did nothing to lift Brigit's mood.

Axel injured her in a way that prevented her from continuing the fight. In essence he won, even if the scoreboard said otherwise.

The Drakke sighed, covering her face with her hands. How embarrassing. She needed more training.