DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Dawn of Revolution

The Underdog

Four years before the coalition war began...

Alwena Scurlock had already performed over 2,000 punches and kicks during today's practice session, and she didn't even need her coach, Ebrill Sullivan, to keep track anymore. Not after a long, hard year of nothing but... well, this.

"Are you tired? Exhausted? Aching to stop?" Ebrill barked, arms folded over her chest as Alwena kept it up in the school's gymnasium. "You're just getting started, Alwena! Keep pushing!"

Alwena knew all that, but she appreciated Ebrill's gruff moral support all the same. Being constantly reminded of what quitting and failure looked like always kept Alwena in the fight long after her lungs were on fire and her muscles were screaming for release. Being born without magic just meant working ten times harder to prove herself worthy of the Ryth Gawaid Martial Institute name!

Alwena had executed the same handful of moves over a million times, which was no exaggeration. Last year, just after enrolling at the Martial Institute, Alwena had entered the Academy Battle Tournament as a fresh-faced fighter, eager for a taste of glory... and lost badly. She had almost quit the Institute after that. Instead, she vowed to practice beyond all human limits. And she had Ebrill to thank for getting her this far.

2,600 moves for today... 2,700... 2,800... 2,850...

Alwena executed a rapid series of punches in thin air, then whirled around to throw dozens of roundhouse kicks into the air, then vaulted on her hands to another spot and practiced jabs, short kicks, and left and right hooks. Sweat droplets flew off her body and her brown hair whipped around, her lean, toned body aching for a respite, but she wasn't finished. 2,950! No stopping yet!

"And... DONE!" Ebrill cried, and Alwena held her arm out after throwing her last practice punch, her arm trembling until she let herself collapse in a gasping, panting heap. The gym's smooth wooden floor was refreshingly dry and cool on her skin, the room's arched stone ceiling towering over her, an odd silence ringing in the brick-walled room.

"I..." Alwena wiped her brow. "I think I'm ready, coach. Ready as I'll ever be. I can feel it."

Ebrill handed her a waterskin, and Alwena wearily sat up, eagerly drinking it dry. "I can feel it too, Alwena," the burly firbolg woman said. "Tomorrow's the big day, one year since your humiliating defeat. I was watching you closely then. And I'll watch you win tomorrow."

Alwena tossed aside the waterskin and saluted. "I'll stake my honor on it, coach!"

Ebrill stared at her for a moment. Then she broke into a wide smile, a rare sight indeed. That was a good sign! It sent an excited chill down Alwena's spine. "Take it easy this evening, Alwena," Ebrill told her, walking over to her student and offering a hand. "Big day tomorrow. Save the rest of your strength for the real thing."

Alwena took her coach's hand and put her hands on her hips. "Give it to me straight, coach. Do you think I stand a real chance against magic-using opponents tomorrow?"

Ebrill pursed her lips. "You want my take on this?"

"After a million punches and kicks, I think I'm due a straight answer, coach."

Alwena had never seen her tough-as-nails firbolg coach hesitate or glance away like this before. That can't be right.

"Just get to your dorm, Alwena," Ebrill finally said, motioning toward the gym's nearest set of doors. "And have yourself a nice, warm bath. You earned it."

Alwena opened her mouth to protest. Ebrill wasn't giving a straight answer? That was so unlike her! Alwena didn't dare press the issue, though. She knew that look in Ebrill's eyes. Instead, Alwena sauntered off, confused, and settled into a fire-warmed bath in the Martial Institute girls' dorm. She just stared at the paintings on the marble walls, one of which showed a Trassian galleon cresting a wave, another of which showed an adoring triton couple seated side by side on the beach. Alwena gathered up the soapy bubbles around her, sinking a little deeper into the water, letting her muscles relax as her mind tightened like a tense spring...

It wasn't easy getting to sleep that night. But then the dawn came, and with it, the Fae Queendom of Talwydd's biggest event of the year.

Alwena hoped she could watch at least one of the festival parades in Ryth Gawaid's streets before the Academy Battle Tournament, a week-long event, was over. But right now, she was the star of the show, right here in this combat arena downtown! The magic combat tournament had begun, with students from twenty different schools taking part.

"Nice to meet you. Let's have a good match," Alwena's first opponent in the single-elimination tournament said, a wood elf boy in a red and white school uniform. He and Alwena stood on the square, stone-tile battle arena about ten feet apart, with thousands of spectators cheering them both on. The warm sun shone right overhead, while a breeze kicked up and fluttered the twenty school flags that hung around the arena.

"Right back at you," Alwena said with a cocky grin, tensing as she adopted her primary stance. "I'm Alwena Scurlock."

"You're from the Ryth Gawaid Martial Institute, aren't you?" the elf boy asked. "I can tell from your uniform. Green with black trim and black shoes. I'm Fynn Aerdoc, from the Olentreacht Battle School in Elwyn Llwyfain."

"You're from the capital?"

"I sure am. Feel free to visit sometime."

The referee arrived, a violet and gold-skinned fairy, and she blew her whistle. "BEGIN!" she shouted.

Alwena was already in motion, moving in a blur, her well-practiced muscles flexing in perfect unison, Alwena's balance carefully honed, her instincts razor-sharp. She sank a right hook directly into Fynn's stomach before the ref even finished blowing her whistle, and as though in slow motion, Fynn was knocked right onto his back.

Alwena was already moving again. She leaped at her prone opponent and swung her right heel down in a vicious kick, and Fynn barely had time to throw up his hand and create a circular, glowing white magic shield to block the attack. Fynn rolled from under his shield and sprang to his feet, conjuring a handful of magic darts in his other hand. He flung them right at his enemy, his other hand holding his aching stomach.

Alwena saw the magic missiles coming, and spun in place, sweeping out her foot and kicking half of them aside. She twisted and let the remaining darts whoosh right past her.

"What the..." Fynn blurted out. Clearly, he'd never seen someone fight magic with their bare hands before!

Alwena retook the initiative, and in a flurry of blows, it was over. She pummeled Fynn from head to toe, and once again had him flat on his back, groaning and rocking back and forth, no doubt aching all over this time.

The fairy blew her whistle again. "Match!" she cried, her voice magically amplified with a thaumaturgy spell. "Winner: Alwena Scurlock of the Ryth Gawaid Martial Institute!"

The crowd went wild, and a grinning Alwena approached Fynn, offering a hand. "You okay?"

Fynn winced and groaned as he painfully got up, taking Alwena's hand to hoist himself onto his feet. "What... was that? What kind of magic did you use to augment your strength?"

"None. My coach formally made an exception for me to take part in the magical combat bracket instead of the non-magical one."

Fynn stared at her in shock. "What! You could get yourself killed doing that! You're really not a wizard? Or a sorcerer?"

Alwena shook her head. "I'm just 100% me."

Fynn kept staring at her, then shook his head and made an incredulous smile. "That's a pretty gutsy move, Alwena Scurlock. Best of luck to you. I've gotta get to the infirmary. Ugh..." He limped off.

After that remarkably quick match, Alwenaa stood on the sidelines with her fellow students and watched the magical bracket's other round 1 matches proceed, with magic spells of all elements lighting up the air in one electrifying display after another. Another of Fynn's classmates won his match, a human fellow who specialized in lightning and thunder spells, and then one of Alwena's classmates, a gnome girl, lost to a wizard from the Gulbraith Alfedd Combat Academy. That one had to hurt!

Then round 2 started, and Alwena's match pitted her against a tabby tabaxi girl, also from the Gulbraith Alfedd Combat Academy. Her uniform was white with gold trim and a navy blue belt and shoes.

"I saw your first-round match. You've got some moves, human," the tabaxi said brightly. "Think you can take me on?"

Alwena gave her answer twenty seconds later, when she flattened the tabaxi with a merciless combo move of fists, kicks, and a single headbutt.

Wherever Ebrill was, Alwena hoped she was watching this! If Alwena won three more matches, she'd get into the final match, and prove what a year's worth of bone-breaking training can do!

Then her third match arrived. Alwena's opponent, a red-haired human girl from the Leghann-Du Wizard School, offered a hand. "I'm Ciana Murphy. Nice to meet you."

"Alwena Scurlock. A pleasure." Alwena shook Ciana's hand and tried not to wince. What incredible magical power in Ciana's grip! The other girl's body was practically buzzing with arcane power, and it sent a chill down Alwena's spine. She'd have to be careful with this match.

"BEGIN!" the fairy referee shouted.

Alwena leaped into motion, feinting a forward charge and then breaking off to the right, hoping to bait out a magic spell. Sure enough, Ciana had flung a handful of thick icicles straight ahead, but at the same time, she also stomped a foot and spread a layer of ice all over the arena.

Alwena felt her stomach whoosh with vertigo as she suddenly slipped on the icy arena, trying not to panic. She could shift forward and to the left to compensate, then put down her left foot there and -

A chunk of ice the size of Alwena's head slammed right into her gut, and she felt herself thrown off her feet and flung onto her back, gasping for breath. That HURT! And she was still vulnerable, sliding on her back across the slick ice, not having enough time to get up as Ciana heaved another ice ball at her.

Instead, Alwena rolled to the side, her gut aching as she went, scrambling across the frustratingly slick ice. Out of desperation, Alwena punched straight down, and she actually shattered enough ice to expose some of the arena floor. With that stable ground to support her, Alwena finally got to her feet, still panting as she adopted another, more defensive combat stance.

Ciana skated across the ice, arms held wide, her red hair fluttering around as the audience gasped and whooped in delight. Such skill! Ciana was no ordinary wizard, moving with an acrobat's grace and a predator's agility. She summoned another handful of icicles, and zoomed in closer to her enemy, throwing the icicles every which way.

Alwena let out a shout and spun around, kicking away the icicles, already plotting her counterattack. She got ready for another kick -

Her right leg wouldn't move. Alwena quickly glanced down, and found her foot frozen to the arena floor. So those icicles were a distraction!

Ciana got right up close and swung her own ice-crusted fist, smashing her frozen knuckles onto Alwena's left cheek. Alwena staggered back, her right foot still stuck in place, waving her arms desperately to stay standing. She blocked Ciana's next ice punch with her arms and threw a counter punch, only for a small shield spell to block it. Curses!

"You've got some moves, all right. How about I get serious now?" Ciana taunted her.

Alwena's gut went cold. Then everything went cold as Ciana summoned a massive array of icicles and frozen mist around the to fighters and sent the countless icicles right at Alwena like a swarm of furious, stinging insects.

Alwena's mind went hazy as hundreds of icicles stabbed her head to toe, and she fought even harder to stay upright, even if she felt dizzy and her body was exploding with sharp pain. She couldn't give in! Not when Ebrill was counting on her!

"I... I'm still in this," Alwena spat out, her voice trembling.

Ciana responded with a frozen punch to the jaw, then a kick to the chest. "I suggest you concede! Why suffer any more?"

Alwena was too slow, and too disoriented, to block Ciana's blows, and her counterattacks were too sloppy to hit their intended target. Ciana, meanwhile, sank another fist right into Alwena's chest, standing close enough to hug her.

"Concede," Ciana hissed. "No shame in giving in."

Alwena raised a shaking fist and landed a solid blow to Ciana's temple, snapping the other girl's head to the side. "N... never," she wheezed, cold tears of pain and desperation welling in her eyes. She just had to land another punch while Ciana's guard was down. Then execute a combo... and...

The last thing Alwena saw was Ciana forming another head-sized ice ball in her right hand and heaving it right at her face.

Sometime later, Alwena groggily awoke, numbly aware that she was laying down, but not on Ciana's ice. Was this a bed?

It was. Alwena frantically looked around and recognized the wood-paneled, lamplit infirmary of the Ryth Gawaid Martial Institute. Two more students were in here too, while a pair of fairy nurses tended to them and spoke comforting words. Oh yes, the school nurses, Flitta and Flatta.

The full reality of the situation sank in, and Alwena groaned, covering her face with her hands. Her wounds were superficially sealed with magic and she was bandaged all over, but she'd rather suffer another magical beatdown than complain or cry, especially if her coach was watching.

Then the infirmary's wooden door creaked open on its brass hinges, and Ebrill cautiously made her way inside, ducking to fit through the doorframe. "Is she awake?" Ebrill asked the nurses.

Flitta and Flatta buzzed right over to Ebrill and nodded. "She's conscious. But in distress," Flitta warned her.

"The patient was beaten badly. Icicle wounds all over, and blunt trauma and frostbite, too," Flatta added. "She'll make a full recovery in time, but..."

"I've gotta see her." Ebrill motioned, and the two fairy nurses parted to let their firbolg colleague march right through the infirmary and toward her favorite student. Ebrill sat on a four-legged stool by Alwena's bed, her face fraught with worry. "Alwena. I saw the last match."

Alwena sat up and heaved a sigh. "I guess that's that, coach. Hey, at least I beat two of 'em before I went down, right?" She made a watery smile.

Ebrill hesitated, then clutched her knees tightly, looking down. "I forced this on you, Alwena. I'm the one who pushed you into trying to prove to everyone that muscles alone can beat magic. What you went through is entirely my fault, and for that, I am terribly sorry."

Alwena could hardly believe her ears. She had never seen the brutal coach Ebrill Sullivan like this before! All for her sake...

"Wh... why?" Alwena asked quietly.

Ebrill's long ears perked up. "What do you mean?"

Alwena swallowed. "Coach, I have to know: why didn't you give me a straight answer when I asked if I stood a chance at defeating my magical opponents in the tournament?"

"That's because..." Ebrill gave Alwena a helpless look. "I was afraid to say yes and be proven wrong with even the faintest possibility of you losing. I had, and still have, the utmost faith in you. But I couldn't bear being a liar. It would have crushed your spirits."

Alwena nodded. "And you didn't want to doubt me up front either, right?"

"Correct."

"So, you'd sit back and let me prove for myself whether I had what it took."

"Well said."

They stared at one another. Then, with a surge of sudden relief, Alwena beamed. "You honor me, coach! You gave me exactly what I needed. I was worried last night, and I even lost some sleep over it. But I was just nervous. I didn't need a verbal pat on the head like a child. I just needed one fair shot at glory, with my mind perfectly clear. Thank you for that."

Ebrill cracked a smile. "You're one smart kid, Alwena. You know what? I admit it: I was also worried I made the wrong call by not giving you words of encouragement. I wanted so badly to tell you that you'd clobber 'em all with your fists."

"Well, I clobbered two of 'em. Good enough for now, right?" As best she could, Alwena flexed her left arm and patted her bicep with her right hand.

Ebrill snorted in amusement. "That you did, kiddo. I'm mighty proud of you. One million practice moves paid off, one way or another."

Alwena chuckled. "So, I'll just practice two million for next year! So what if I got beat up? Like you said in my first tournament, there's always next time. My spirits remain unbroken!"

"About that: this'll be your last magical tournament."

Alwena's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Alwena, you got beaten half to death!" Ebrill cried. "You're the best fighter I've ever seen. Truly! But you were reckless in that match, and the human body can only take so much. The officials spoke to me, and we agrees to revise the Academy Battle Tournament rules. From now on, no more non-magical students in the magic bracket, not even with written exceptions from staff."

"But..."

"But that's final, kiddo! You hear me?" Ebrill barked, finally back to her old self. She scowled, her eyes flashing. Firbolgs can be scary when provoked. "You're the strongest student - no, the strongest fighter in all of Talwydd. And you've finally reached your limit with your dream to defeat every magic user in the Queendom. Accept it."

"I..." Alwena wanted to protest, but she knew when her coach had put her foot down. Alwena sat back down, staring at the ceiling, her hands folded over her chest. "I concede. Not just to Ciana, but to you, too, coach. You got me."

"Good," Ebrill said sternly. Then she relaxed again, a small smile crossing her face. "And think of it this way: you may have been an underdog in the magical bracket, but next year, in the non-magical bracket, you will demolish the opposition. Won't you?"

"I could arm-wrestle a goliath and make him cry for his grandmother." Alwena couldn't help a giggle.

Ebrill firmly patted the edge of the bed. "That's my girl. Now rest up! Tomorrow, or the day after, we can check out the parades and shows, and get a bite to eat. The tournament has more than combat to offer, after all."

"Oh, I know. Looking forward to it, coach." Alwena offered a thumbs-up and another smile.

Ebrill got to her feet and cracked her neck. "See you around... champ." She stomped out of the infirmary, with Flitta and Flatta buzzing over to their patient to check up on her.

"You shouldn't be moving so much," Flitta warned her.

"Let's soothe you back to sleep for now," Flatta decided, and she tossed her hand, coating Alwena in a fine layer of sparkling dust.

"Go right ahead. I'm... a champion..." Alwena yawned widely and felt herself drifting right off, the Academy Battle Tournament already a distant dream in the farthest recesses of her mind.

...Until next year, that is! Ha ha!