Robert-Chapter One-A Fiery Nature-Mountain Fort

My face and chest hurt. Why? Lucina was very displeased with me. That shown through in our vigorous daily training.

I feared this would be a constant in my life. We were nearing the ruins of a former Plegian encampment. They had been reaching out, and the Nohrians, under Hans of all people, had crushed them.

Just north of us, Hans was on his way to attack a nearby fort. It was run by Hoshidans, but was outside of Mikoto's realm of magic. She used some kind of Dragon Vein to force any Nohrian to lay down arms in peace when on Hoshidan soil. Since it didn't work out here, Garon likely sent Hans to capture it to provoke Ryoma into declaring war.

Garon could only send Faceless to Hoshido as of now, and due to their simple-mindedness, never created any lasting damage outside the fringes of Hoshidan territory. My knowledge of the game granted me certain advantages, but there were still some serious issues.

Realizing this, I had ordered Felicia and Lucina to rest up for our first skirmish. We were sneaking into Hans's camp and killing his men. Then I'd send him back to spread the word. The Nohrians would rally against me, their new enemy, and spread out to fight me. I didn't know who they would send, but likely the royals were off the table. Nichol? Daniela? Iago? We would see.

That night, our first major move would begin...

Lucina, Felicia, and I snuck into the outskirts of the camp, "I scoped out the place as best I could manage without attracting noise," Lucina reported to me, "He brought a small contingency of twelve soldiers, a small strike unit. The fort is likely defended by only a small group."

The fort in question was two miles north of us. Hans had planned to strike at dawn, so the units were asleep. Felicia and Lucina had both taken out the guards over watching the camp, leaving us with ten. I had at first suggested mercy, but Lucina had made a strong argument; these men had the blood of peasants on them. They had destroyed a small riverside village a couple of days earlier, and earned death.

"Five sleep in the northern encampment, five in the southern encampment. Hans himself is in the center," Lucina continued, "If Felicia sneaks into the southern camp and I strike from the north, we can kill his men in their sleep."

I nodded my head, "Do it, but be silent. We don't need to attract attention. Hans is mine; I have to let him go."

Felicia's brow furrowed, "But Milord, he's a cold-blooded murderer! Why should he be free if the others won't live to see dawn!?"

I put my hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes, "I assure you, Felicia. I would if I could. Hans has to live or Garon might come out in full force. I want him to think of me as a nuisance, not a high priority."

Lucina trembled a bit, her nose scrunched up as she closed her eyes and tried to regulate her breathing, "Another emperor with no regard for human life... Does the world ever better itself!?"

"Lucina..." She glared up at me before loosening her expression, "I understand your feelings. It feels like... like we never make any progress. I want to rectify that."

Lucina refocused her attention on the camp, "We should move in, Robert."

I gave them the go-ahead and waited for them to make their move. Lucina pulled off her kills flawlessly, though Felicia nearly gave her position away after getting caught on a tree root.

Once the men were dead, I honed in on Hans, asleep in his extra comfortable tent. Taking out my blade in my right hand, I lifted my tome in the left. Fire burned through his tent and I caught him in the blaze. As he jumped up screaming, I ran forth and dealt him a severe wound, slicing into his side. He fell backwards before crawling to his feet, reaching for his ax.

"What!? Who are you!?" Hans growled at me, but when he turned around to see Lucina and Felicia behind him, weapons drawn, he chose the smarter option, "Men! To arms!"

"Your dogs are dead," Lucina probably enjoyed watching his hope die in his eyes, but she didn't change her expression in the slightest when she said it.

Hans held his side, applying pressure to his cut as he stumbled a bit towards me, "You... Who are you!? Why do you have tomes!? That's Nohrian weaponry!"

I shook my head, "Hans, convicted criminal. Released from prison and given command by King Garon of Nohr to handle his dirty jobs. I want you to tell him that I, Lord Robert, intend to kill him. And his boss, Anankos."

"How do you know that name!?" Hans yelled, spit flying everywhere, "That's classified information!"

"Because I'm better than you," I smirked back at him, "Now go, shoo. Tell your master what I said. Before I change my mind..." I tightened the grip on my sword, and he quickly hightailed it outta there.

Felicia ran up to me and cheered, "Your plan worked, Robert! Er, I mean... Milord."

Lucina walked up beside her, arms crossed, "I'm surprised. Would you be so kind as to explain why you're engaging in war with an empire all by yourself?"

I motioned towards a clear area in the open field and tossed down that magical sphere, teleporting us back to my castle. Walking into the center, I pulled out my map of the world of Fates and laid it down on the bare ground atop the tiles, "Over here."

The two moved over, and I pointed, "So we're here. I need Nohr, this huge country, to hate us. I need to distract them," I drew the borders of Nohr, "Two rogue elements have intervened. Here," I drew a circle around the outer areas of Nohr, "The Plegians have revealed themselves. Closer to the main area," I circled a large part of the Woods of the Forlorn, "The Valmese have made themselves known. These outside elements will distract them long enough."

Lucina sighed, and Felicia asked, "You know them, right? They came with you?"

"To be honest, they were brought here. My allies and I came after them and were split up. Gerome believes that our parents might also be here, as well," Lucina explained, "The Plegians worship an evil deity named Grima, and the Valmese are war-hungry. Dad never explained why, but both groups are deadly enemies to have."

I circled Dragon's Gate, "Next, Grado has showed up. Some of the villagers in the last place we visited saw new forces, including flying monsters and skeletons. Rumors to most, but it matches my records. The Grado Empire is like Nohr, but with much more competent officers. Hoshido and Nohr are probably both going to investigate the area, so we can leave that alone for now."

Felicia tilted her head, "So basically, there are five kingdoms all fighting for power right now?"

Lucina's expression darkened, "It could be a bloodbath for anyone caught in the middle."

"Hence, my plan. Which is to say... Screw that," I circled Castle Krakenberg and the Bottomless Canyon, "My two friends, Chester and Magnus, are here and here. Chester is working for Nohr, and Magnus will try to broker peace. They will likely take the brunt of Plegia and Valm's forces."

"And what about Grado?" Lucina asked, concerned about the large forces surrounding where her friends came through.

I grimaced, "Too strong for us in our current state. Apparently, Corrin, the middle Hoshidan child, is being sent on a test of loyalty to investigate. If fate is with us, she'll hold them off for now," I circled the fort just above us, "She is likely to head here for supplies before making the final push. We must capture the fort before she does so."

"Capture?" Felicia asked, confused, "The Hoshidans still have it, right?"

"Exactly. We must provoke the Hoshidans to unite against us, too. They'll open up a northern front. That way, they can protect themselves from Plegian or Grado encroachments," I detailed, "By inciting them here, we can force them to play ball. It will hopefully minimize casualties in the first stage of this conflict."

Lucina nodded, "An excellent strategy. I presume we'll be sparing all of their men?"

Felicia thought about it, "Would that be enough to aggravate them?"

I smirked, "No. So I intend to take a hostage. A high profile target, actually."

With that cryptic statement, the three of us retired to our own quarters, each worried about the dangers we faced tomorrow at first light.

At least, that was what I presumed. I was awoken in the night by a knock at my door, "I need to talk."

Getting out of bed and slowly dressing myself, I called back, "Be right there." I made my way to the door and opened it up. Inside the lounge outside my room, Lucina glared at me as she leaned against the wall leading down the corridor, "Is there a problem...?"

Lucina didn't speak for a brief time as we both just tried to gauge each other's reactions and feelings, "You must know me to some extent if you have such knowledge of me. Correct?"

I slowly bobbed my head in agreement, "Yes, I know some things about you. You like flowers and other various cute things. Your eye has the royal emblem. You put too much pressure on yourself because you feel obligated to. What about it?"

"Then you must know that unlike Felicia, who may take what you say at face value, I am aware you likely have ulterior motives," She accused me outright, "Why do you have information about your friends?"

"Rainbow Sage gave us these special maps. Gives us markers for major battles and descriptions of the incident," I explained, "This way, we have some semblance of an idea what the others are up to. I kept it a secret because he asked me to."

Her stare delved into my very soul as she watched for any give-aways that I was lying. When she was finally satisfied, she asked, "Why attack Hoshidans? You could warn them of the enemies instead."

I sighed, "Okay, I thought about that. They just might not take me seriously. With Felicia in tow, they could even accuse me of attempting to misinform them," I added, "I need to provoke Hoshido and Nohr for my plan, okay?"

"But you said you intended to minimize casualties and prevent the war, did you not? Why lie? What does earning their ire get you?" Lucina was wise to question my intents. How could you travel with someone you couldn't fully trust?

What could I say? What was my goal? What did I really think a loser like me could do? I'm not good at tactics, like Chester, or lucky, like Magnus. How could I compete with them...?

I had to keep my resolve or I'd lose my mind, so I nodded to myself, "I said it before. This land is Hoshido and Nohr. You are in the far past, as these lands are mere myths told to babes in the Halidom of Ylisse. Grima, even the Voice have not yet been born. Unless..." Fan theories aside, that was unimportant now, "You went back to fix the future once, right? Maybe we could do that here... You know, make the world better. If we could save one life..."

"But why would you attack Hoshido?" She was losing her patience with my vague answers, "What are you not telling me!?"

"...There's a third kingdom, Valla. Counting the Vallites, there are six kingdoms. Valla has been conquered by the Dragon King Anankos. He's the major player here. He's controlling Garon, trying to get both Hoshido and Nohr destroyed to make humanity suffer for their betrayal of him," I recited the story as best as I could remember it, "To battle Anankos, I need the greatest soldiers alive. Hoshido and Nohr's best. I intend to capture them instead of recruitment. Otherwise, they'd never bother."

Lucina loosened her posture ever so slightly, "If we could find my allies, you wouldn't have to-"

I cut her off, "No. You know as well as I do that finding them would be purely luck. Magnus, Chester, and Corrin will be gathering the major players as well. Running off on a treasure hunt would be a trivial waste of time. No, I must wage war. I must get them to come to me."

"But is that all?" She wasn't going to let up, was she?

I chuckled, "Fine, fine. I'll be transparent. I intend to forge a new empire. One built on peace, not by blood," I honestly answered, "This fort shall be my main base of operations in the coming days. I already have plans in mind to build a new kingdom."

"Hmph, another fool with grand ambitions, is it?" Lucina shook her head, "I should do everything in my power to stop people like you. Taking power is not sowing peace."

"If my ideas displease you..." I took my sword and its sheath off of my side and tossed it to the bed behind me, "Then slay me now. Otherwise, give me a chance."

Lucina grimaced, "I... will reserve my judgement," she lowered her guard and walked out of the room, but just before she stepped out, she spoke again, "I hope you know what you risk."

With that, I was left alone. Knowing tomorrow would likely be the last day I'd ever live, I had a surprisingly good night's sleep.

Just after dawn, Felicia, Lucina, and I approached the mountain fort on foot. The sign outside labeled it with a name, Fort Kaidu. This would be the beginning of our rise to infamy, or a side story of some damned idiot who dared attack a Hoshidan outpost.

Outside, a Hoshidan ninja greeted me with expected suspicion, "Halt! What business do you have here, stranger? This is a fort of the Hoshidan military! No place for rogues like you."

I slowly reached for my sword before swiftly releasing a ball of fire from my tome. The ninja jumped out of the way, only for my second strike to land on his chest, sending him sprawling, "Let's just say I'm not a villager."

I nodded to Felicia, who quickly stopped the burns with her ice magic, "He's unconscious, milord."

"Good. Time to launch an all out attack," I jokingly said, "I'll take point. Follow up the rear."

We walked inside the fort. Though it was recently inhabited, it was quite musty and dark. Eventually, the room led us to a large room with high ceilings. In the center was a group of guards, all Hoshidan. There were six of them.

From behind them, a powerful-looking woman rose from her seat. Black leggings, red extended gloves, and bandaging covering her forearms and chest were just part of the reasons she stood out. Next was her beautiful, light, almost white hair, adorned with a savage oni mask with red hair protruding from it. Under her piercing red eyes were two red lines, likely ritual paint. In her hand was a painful-looking steel club with multiple protrusions that likely caused bleeding on impact. This... was my target.

"The hell are you doing here!? What happened to our guards!?" She demanded to know, but none of her men could answer her.

I decided to play it off, "Oh, those were your guards? I mean, oh, what happened to the guards!?"

Her fist burned as she growled, "A wise guy, eh? Your ass is grass!" She picked up her club and swung it wildly, "No one dares mock Rinkah, daughter of the Flame Tribe Chieftain!"

I took a step back, looking around, "Are you really in charge? You're a Hoshidan guest of honor, are you not? Shouldn't an actual Hoshidan be in charge here?"

"That would be correct," I felt the blade of a kunai against my neck, and noticed that standing behind me was a very familiar guy, "Kaze, commander of Fort Kaidu. At your service."

"Figured you were well aware of us, considering," I sighed, "You may not be Saizo, but you are quite a skilled ninja in your own right."

Kaze's surprise showed for less than half a second before his peaceful facade returned, "As you can see, I have you hostage. It would be in your best interests to lay down your arms."

I smirked back at him, "Then how could I take this fort?" I leaned into him and grabbed his green tunic, pulling him over my back. Both of us tumbled to the floor, and I unleashed a ball of fire towards one of the Hoshidans, an archer. He screamed in agony as he fell to the side.

Rinkah raised her club, "Capture them now! Don't let a single one escape!"

Kaze, who was already back on his feet, eyed me from afar, "Felicia, you take pretty boy."

"Pretty boy?" Kaze asked, confused.

Felicia coated her dagger in ice and jumped towards Kaze, clashing with his shuriken. Both were quick, but luckily for me Felicia's experience in battle had grown significantly after slaying the Risen.

Lucina stepped to my side, "Pair up, we take out the guards. Then I'll handle Rinkah myself."

"Handle me, eh? You're quite the arrogant brat," Rinkah had overheard me and called me out, "You'd be better off with a wet nurse than a battlefield!"

In between her and I were five Hoshidans, an archer, a spear fighter, an oni savage, a samurai, and another ninja.

It was game time.

I rushed towards the archer first. The spear fighter drew his naginata, but Lucina blocked it with Falchion, knocking him back.

The archer raised his bow and launched a flurry of arrows, but I burned through them with my fire tome. Through the exposed ash I struck out with my blade, cutting the archer deeply before I kicked him to the ground.

The savage launched a brutal assault, cracking my shoulder with his heavy club. Lucina struck him from behind, landing a critical hit as he slumped to the floor.

Felicia and Kaze clashed again, "You are quite good at battle," Kaze spoke as the two eyed each other, "I must say, you are not some amateurs."

Felicia nodded, "I was the personal maid to Lady Corrin herself. I pride myself on my battle skills," Felicia sped towards him and pierced through his defenses, piercing his armor with her raider dagger, knocking off his clothes and disarming him as well.

"What sorcery...!?" Kaze yelled out before Felicia pulled out the rope we had brought and quickly set about tying up our key captive.

The spear fighter and I glared each other down as Lucina launched a direct attack on the samurai/ninja duo.

Calming myself, I remembered Lucina's lessons. Be the blade, move with the momentum... My enemy brought out a set of javelins, and I realized his plans. Screw turn based crap. I charged forward, and he managed to re-equip his naginata just in time to block. I used my free hand to grab my tome and blasted him with fire.

As he fell to his side, Felicia struck the ninja from behind, allowing Lucina to close in and defeat the samurai at his own game.

With those three dispatched, we had six unconscious Hoshidans, a tied up Kaze, and Rinkah.

"Damn, you're better than I thought. Tomes and a Nohrian maid, but who are you two?" She glanced over at Lucina and I, "You two seem like a different breed. Still won't help you here."

I stepped forward, "Lucina, stay with Felicia. Keep Kaze safe. I have to do this honourably..."

Rinkah laughed at me for a moment, "Got spunk, don't you? I'm not like those Hoshidans... I burn!" She ignited the air around her and twirled her club with her free hand.

With my blade in one hand and my fire tome in another, I weighed my options, "Believe me, I know."

And with that, we engaged. Rinkah was much faster than me, making the first move. I could barely keep up with her movements, and only barely blocked. The advantage I had was that she was faster, but her weapon took longer to swing. I could block based on her arm's movements.

That wasn't to say she's clumsy or slow about that. She soon picked up on that and varied up her movements in an attempt to trick me. I paid for my mistakes in blood as every time she battered me, it cauterized the wound immediately.

My body was screaming at me to surrender, but still I held on. After taking a serious blow to my already bleeding shoulder, I finally struck back, dealing a small slice to her abs-domen.

With little effort, she jumped back out of my range, "Hey, there is some fight in you beyond that cocky attitude."

"Now might not be the best time to experiment, but..." I pulled my fire tome up and lit my blade. As fire circled it, my hand begin to burn furiously. I dropped my tome and gripped my blade in two hands.

Rinkah and I clashed once, twice, thrice, quatrice, both of our hands strained by the intense force from our blows. For every time I struck at her, she blocked me with all of her might, and both of us had begun to slow.

Felicia called out to me, "Robert, wait! I can heal you!"

"No, that's not fair!" I replied, "That's no way to win..."

Lucina interrupted me, "You might die if you don't! Why are you putting all of us at risk!?"

"You're right..." I loosened my grip on my blade, "If I die... You two get out of here. Go join Corrin, she'll need you guys..."

With the last of my strength, I slowly moved towards Rinkah. No unnecessary movement, no rushing, no stupid mistakes.

Rinkah stepped back a bit, taking a leaned down stance, clearly aiming to rush me since I was being slow and calculated. I waited, and she took that opportunity. She swung to the left. I clenched my teeth and hunched over as I swung to the right. As her club struck my back, causing intense pain and likely third degree burns, and as my blade sliced into her side, she flopped to the floor, trying to apply pressure to the wound.

I fell backward, and Felicia ran over and began healing me as best she could. With her heal staff on hand, my wounds swiftly dissipated, "Thanks, Felicia."

When I had been fully healed, though I did feel Lucina's disapproval across the room, I placed my tome back in my pack and my blade into its sheath. I walked towards Rinkah, who was doubled over and wincing in pain. It must be intense for her too, but she maintained a brave face.

"Go ahead and kill me, already," she stated with such disdain for us, and her gaze was pure daggers, "Isn't that what you came for?"

Instead of answering, I tied her up, making sure not to cover her wound with the rope. Once she was properly bound, even though she shouted every curse in the book at us, I turned to Felicia, "Heal her. Lucina, take the Hoshidans outside and close up the gates. This fort is ours."

Felicia used the staff and began the healing process. As she did so, Lucina and I removed the newly healed Hoshidans to just outside the fort and lined them up before heading back inside and closing the gate behind us.

With all of that taken care of, it was time to address our captives.

Felicia had finished healing Rinkah, so I asked her to stand guard for Kaze.

As I walked back up to Rinkah, she glared up at me, "Why, then? Taking pity on me?"

"My objective wasn't just this fort. You were," I began, "Had you been elsewhere, I'd have fought to get there."

"So why is it me you're after?" Rinkah's face was scrunched up in anger and defiance, "Are you going to take advantage of me now?"

I stepped back, a bit offended, "Do I look Nohrian to you?" After coming to terms with the disappointment I had for myself, I asked, "I want to visit the Flame Tribe. I wish to battle your father, the Chieftain, for control."

Rinkah just laughed, "What, you want to die that badly? My father is much stronger than I..."

I nodded, "I... I know, Rinkah. But I need to. I need the Flame Tribe's power, or else the world might be destroyed."

Rinkah sighed in annoyance as she realized why I had gone to all this trouble, "You invaded this fort, nearly got slain fighting the Flame Tribe Chieftain's daughter, and captured me all for a guide to my village? You expect me to betray them!?"

"The truth is, I could find out with ease," I pulled out my map, "I have the whereabouts of settlements nearby, so it wouldn't be too hard to ask for directions. No, I want you with me because I need your strength, too. You're one of the most powerful people in this country, and I need your aid."

"Why should I help you?" She asked, now that she knew the power was in her court, "You have done nothing but dishonour me since you arrived."

"I fought you fairly," I reaffirmed my own choices, "More so than that, I battled you one on one after taking damage from the others here," I still felt the heat on my shoulder as if I'd never been healed, "The least you can do is escort me..." With a little reluctance, I untied her, knowing how she might react.

Once she had been freed, she jumped back, flames on her fists and arms. She must have considered just whooping my ass right there, but she hesitated, "I won't fight them with you, of course, but it'd be even more dishonourable of me to turn tail and run. Don't expect me to trust you, though."

I ran forward and wrapped my arms around her, once again forgetting myself in the moment, "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm so glad we don't have to fight!" Didn't this happen before, too?

Like Lucina, she pushed me off without a second thought, "Do that again and I'll crush your skull."

"You're...so warm, though." Did I just say that out loud, "Excuse me... I..." I looked away, wondering why my face was so hot.

"That's an interesting turn of events," I jumped forward into Rinkah's arms, and she caught me with ease as Kaze made himself visible behind where I was just standing, "I broke out a while ago. I was just... watching."

Rinkah dropped me and stepped over me in anger, "You-! Why didn't you help me out earlier!?"

Kaze folded his arms, "I desired to know the motives of our captors. So I hid myself away to observe them. Now I'm just curious as to what their real goal is..."

I jumped up and held out my hand for a handshake, but Kaze, of course, did not know the intents, so I pulled my hand away, "Oh, um... I'm trying to stop Anankos. He's the one using King Garon of Nohr to spread war and strife. To do that, I seek the power of the Flame Tribe. I also have antagonized both Nohr and Hoshido in hopes they send certain people after me," Boy, was that a mistake, huh? "I wish to capture or recruit them if possible, for the upcoming conflicts. As I did with Rinkah, I would request your aid, Suzukaze. My mission is perilous, but if I am successful, maybe Queen Mikoto won't have to die."

"What!?" Kaze couldn't contain his surprise anymore, and for good reason.

"One of my former allies, a man named Chester," I explained, "He is likely being sent to assassinate Queen Mikoto. We could intervene, but I need some extra firepower for ourselves before we can do that."

Kaze turned away from me, his concern growing, "Assassinate the Queen? Does he wish to obstruct her barrier protecting Hoshido?"

I nodded, "He's working for King Garon. His aims are to minimize casualties, but with Nohrians like Iago, Zola, and Hans, that's a fruitless endeavor. It stands to my friend, Magnus and I, to debilitate Nohr before they can move in force."

Kaze pondered on his potential options before he eventually offered, "Then may I aid you as well? It is both in my best interest to monitor you, a new force, and to inquire about everything you know."

"I'm willing to tell you all of that, but first, we must prepare for Corrin's arrival," I addressed him and Rinkah both, "There's a nearby village where I wish to go. We need recruits, potential warriors or at the very least, house cleaners. If this fort shall be my new capital, we need manpower to get it up and running."

Felicia ran in, "Kaze escaped, milord!"

I held out my hands to her, "Excellent timing. Felicia, take Kaze and go out recruiting in the village to the south. Lucina, if you could glean information from the villagers as well, that would be of great benefit." Felicia blinked in slow motion as if she had been completely left out of the loop. No time to explain, my dear.

Lucina, who had been watching from the shadows under the opposite side balcony, nodded, "As you wish."

The three of them headed out, leaving Rinkah and I alone. Rinkah spoke up first, "Just the two of us, hm? Better not try anything funny, punk."

I walked towards where she had been seated earlier, a throne for the commander of this fort, obviously, "Rinkah, I assure you- I'd never lay an unwanted hand on you. I respect you, both as a warrior, and as the beauty standing before me..." I shrugged off that last comment, not even knowing I'd said it aloud, "I wanted to discuss your tribe with you. The stuff that's safe to talk about, of course. I don't wish to pry into secret affairs."

"Is that so...?" Rinkah eyed me suspiciously, "I'm not convinced you care enough to know, but a little bit of information couldn't hurt...

Rinkah and I talked about the Flame Tribe for a couple of hours, but it wasn't too long before she asked, "The others have yet to return. Want to spar in the meanwhile?"

"You just want to beat my ass, don't you?" I joked before we headed into the courtyard, the sunset in the distance illuminating the two of us, "I'm ready and willing." I pulled out my blade and tome, my coat blowing in the wind as it picked up, shaking the tree leaves in the distance.

Rinkah, club drawn, smirked with that bravado that carried her, "We'll see how long that lasts."

We made a rule, first contact got a point. After one of the most brutal hours of my life, we were tied at 20 each.

"Tiebreaker, now..." Rinkah and I were coated in sweat, her abs glistening in the dying sunlight peeking through the yard. She was breathing harder, but still she fought on, strong and reveling in my exhaustion.

I wiped my brow, the copious sweat soaking my sleeve, "Alright, alright..." This is what I get for trying hard, huh? Maybe I should just let her win... No, that wouldn't be right.

The two of us charged towards each other. Deciding to play mind games, I slowed myself down significantly. Once Rinkah observed this and attacked at full force, I sped up and struck her first with my blade, nicking her shoulder. Her club missed me entirely, and we collapsed into a heap on the dirt ground below us.

I struggled to wipe the sweat from my eyes to find Rinkah was rubbing her shoulder and straddling me, "Uh...Rinkah...?"

Rinkah nodded, ignoring our positioning, "Yep, you're better than I thought. Took advantage of my instincts, hm? You're more interesting than I expected..." She got up with ease and held out her hand, pulling me to my feet so fast I nearly fell forward.

"You were great, too..." I said, blushing slightly. It was the heat, most likely.

"Milord! We've returned!" I heard Felicia call out from the front gates.

I strained towards the door, my every muscle aching and screaming at me to just collapse, "Well, Rinkah? Let's say it was a draw?"

Rinkah smiled back at me, one of her fangs peeking out of her mouth, "Next time, I'll be sure to beat you hands down!"

...Next time?