Crimson Guard

5 - Elevation

Sorry for the slow update! I've been crazy busy with school, but hopefully I'll be able to get back into it. Glad y'all like this story, enjoy!

    Of course friends were not going to help her in this thing. Either she would end up killing them, or they would kill her. Emotions, however helpful when fighting, were distracting when you had to kill someone you cared for. Something Yazasha had seen and done far too many times to pull that kind of attachment into a competition of this sort. So, while she engaged in conversation with Reyla and a few others, she kept her distance emotionally. Still, they were not the ones she wanted to go up against when it came time.

   Reyla was tall herself at five feet and ten inches, despite only nearly reaching Yazasha's chin, and her skill with a staff was incredible. The woman was concentrated power and sarcasm in a human body, and that metal stick was not something Yazasha wanted to be on the wrong end of. 

   Reznor was an unassuming man with a very intimidating name, and the other competitors consistently underestimated him. He was slight, but he was strong, and had a fondness for throwing knives and blasters. The man couldn't miss, and Yazasha never wanted to be his target. She also had a sneaking suspicion he may have a liking for poisons, as the few competitors who had bothered him for his size dropped like flies without any sign of physical injury, but she didn't plan on questioning him. 

   Iole was a little wisp of a woman, but to think her innocent would be the biggest mistake anyone could make. An old scar ran down the entire left side of her body, from the crown of her head to the sole of her foot. Apparently she had been in a fire when she was a child, and it had taken her family with her being the only survivor. Though given the look in her eye and the way she talked about her family, Yazasha sincerely doubted it had been a bad memory. The girl's family sounded like the people who had thrown Yazasha into the ring at twelve. Since then she had become rather fascinated with fire, and developed quite the penchant for explosions. Another person Yazasha did not want as her enemy. 

   And finally there was Rhys, a man nearly as tall as Yazasha herself and built similarly. He was a jack of all trades in his own way, decent at nearly every weapon they used in training, but he confided in their small group of acquaintances that his skills lay more in technology than in physical confrontation. According to him, the only reason he was here at all was because a lower-ranking official had run out of time to find someone on the same day he found Rhys had been the one to hack his bank account. It was impressive, considering the security, and they struck a deal. No jail time for Rhys, the official got a competitor. Given the security level of the Empire, Yazasha made a note to keep most of the credits she managed to earn with her, just to be safe. Still, Rhys was still a skilled fighter, and he was as calculating as she was, perhaps more so.

Needless to say, if they all made it to the end of this thing, they would be a terrifying team.

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    Strangely, a month before the whole thing was meant to end, Yazasha and one other competitor were called away by direct order of the Emperor himself. Reyla had grinned when the officers came to collect.

     "Seems like you've got his attention. Not that I'm surprised. Good luck, Yaz!" The others had shouted their congratulations as she left with the officers, and for once she almost looked back at them, her amusement plain to see. Perhaps she had allowed herself to like them, enjoy their company. Another first was when she allowed herself to hope to see them again.

   She didn't know the other man's name, but he was skilled with a sword. Hopefully she would be able to evade him long enough that he tired himself with offense, if he didn't try the same thing on her. That would look rather ridiculous, the two of them simply standing there or circling each other for minutes on end. She knew they were going to fight each other, or at least it was highly likely. Why else would the Emperor call for them? That was the purpose of this whole thing.

  The flight to the two Destroyers hovering over the planet was quiet, the only information given being that the ship they were headed to was the Emperor's personal transport, and the Destroyer connected to it was Vader's personal flagship, the Executor. This was going to be interesting.