Katerin was content with her quiet life of studying the arcane, and wanted for nothing in her life. She had friends, family, and plenty to do.
But life has a way of changing people--a way of pushing them to do things far outside their comfort and ex...
The tournament was in full swing, and in fact, it was almost over with. Katerin watched Lugaria and Agrata in the ring, and it looked as if they were winning with ease. The pair were known as the best in Sahn-Raidar, and that was for an excellent reason.
Mordai slept in a bed not far away, with half a dozen clerics tending to his wounds, all of them thanks to a very large, happy Uhma'zarhin man. Koi'mu wielded an axe with the grace of a dancer and the power of an avalanche. It seemed the luck of the draw had been against Mordai, for this tournament. Kindra sat on the edge of a similar cot, staring at the drink in her hand. Her loss was also thanks to Koi'mu, though their fight had been a much closer thing.
"Katerin, stop pacing. You're going to end up tired before we even have to fight them," Fykes said.
She paused and turned to face him. Faint bruises still showed on her cheek, a reminder of their hard-won victory in the past matches. "I'm nervous! It's the last match..."
Lugaria and Agrata were an intimidating pair. They were both astounding fighters, and Lugaria was the only person she had met that terrified her, despite the fact that he held no ill will against her. He was deadly and serious, letting nothing get in his way.
Agrata was his match in skill, though far less intimidating. He was quiet, never saying more than a few words, but he was kind, and still she thought he looked far too innocent to be as good with a weapon as he had proven to be. They worked together better than anyone she had ever seen, and she knew without doubt that they would win this match. She had gotten to know them both a bit better in the last few months. And was glad for it, even if it had made the thought of fighting them in this tournament that much more nerve-wracking.
"It's just a competition, love," Fykes told her, grinning.
"I know. But I want to win."
Fykes laughed, and Kindra snorted. "So you can claim all the prizes?" He raised his eyebrows.
"No... " she said.
"So you can rub it in their faces?" His smile widened.
"Maybe if I kick his ass enough, he'll stop calling me a nitwit, at every opportunity," she said, annoyance coating her words as she thought of Lugaria's annoying expressions and countless insults.
Kindra laughed, downing the rest of her drink. "If you weren't such a nitwit, he probably would," she said, grinning.
Katerin sighed, shaking her head, and resumed her pacing.
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Katerin stood alone and tired in the arena, staring down Lugaria and Agrata. Fykes was some distance away, unconscious, and normally she would have worried for his safety, but all the warding had come from Graiden himself, and she had no time to worry right now. The wards kept the pain from being anything akin to its normal level, kept them from any danger of dying in these fights, but it still hurt like hell.
