As the fights continued, Martha was racking up win after win. She had drawn a lot of bewildered and amazed gazes from the onlookers who were curious as to who this woman was and how she was reted to everyone present here today and especially wondering if this force of nature was going to compete in the dueling competition ter in the week. As Martha downed another person while giving them advice on how to fight better, the corner of her eye saw the next opponent enter the opposite side of the arena with an air of confidence that was particurly different from the rest of the opponents that she had sent crashing to the ground.

  She turned her head and saw a beautiful 6'2 (187.95 cm) tall elf dy with fair skin, silver hair tied in a fashionable ponytail resting on her back, and steel-colored eyes that locked onto Martha. She was wearing her own set of pte armor that had leather armor overys over a set of greyish elven silk robes, and her hands rested on the hilts of two twin swords that were curved slightly. Martha helped the other opponent up and off the arena before she walked towards the newest opponent, sensing that this elven woman before her was a much more interesting challenger all together.

  "Hello, as you may have heard by this point, I am Martha Sincir. I take it you are my next opponent?" She asked as she extended her free hand for a handshake

  "Yes, I am. I am Erika Faust, adventurer and High Marshal of the Kingdom of Bayle of the continent of Assinarius, and cousin to Curtiss Auger" The elven woman replied with a nod as she shook Martha's hand like many of the opponents before her

  "Ooo, High Marshal, I do believe that is a military appointment, is it not? A sort of commanding officer on the Bayle Royal Staff" Martha continued with a small smile on her face at the prospect of meeting a fellow service member

  "It is, but adventuring is my first and foremost profession and job. I am the 'Silver Speed Adventurer' as my peers call me by" Erika replied

  "I believe I have heard about you, a very dedicated and skilled adventurer. I will be honest, I have not fought a legend; most of the time, I am fighting those who wish to become legends" The former general said as she took a step closer to the adventurer

  "Then allow me to enlighten you on that experience" The adventurer replied with a smile across her face

  A few minutes ter, the two of them began circling one another, weapons in hand and ready to strike. But, neither of them wanted to make the first move. Martha, like the previous matches, was cautious and wanted to see how her opponents moved first, a habit that she carried with her even away from the battlefield when she commanded armies in the name of a crown. Erika on the other hand, had watched the previous matches and had come up with a strategy to defeat the opponent before her, one that she had a good time coming up with it too, because others before her were eager to get the win.

  'She doesn't like to move first...so I will just outst her' She thought to herself as they continued to circle one another

  'Damn...doesn't look like she wants to come and py' Martha thought in her own mind as she readjusted her grip on her weapon ever so slightly

  The two of them stopped moving as Martha stood her ground, her eyes did not leave her opponent who also kept her gaze glued on her. The crowd watching them felt the intense nature of the staredown and a few wanted to see sparks fly already or something but there was seemingly nothing going on.

  {!}

  Suddenly, Erika shifted her weight as she felt something emerge from the ground she was standing on, instinctively leaping into the air while gazing down to see what it was, her eyes widening a bit when she saw a hand made out of the arena's flooring that looked as if was going to grab her by the ankle. She shifted her gaze back to Martha who, to her surprise, was also in the air, one hand open while the other was on her halberd that she suddenly thrust forward. The elven adventurer grunted as her twin swords blocked the attack before she descended back down with a cool flip that allowed her to nd on her feet, crouching down instantly into a fighting stance with both swords at the ready. Martha on the other hand, simply dropped back down after her jump, her back towards the adventurer. The sound of her armor once she nded on the ground gave off a chilling feeling for most of those who witnessed it, even Erika, who tensed slightly at this dispy of nonchance.

  "I was beginning to feel that you didn't wish to fight me. I must be mistaken, Miss Faust, I thought you wanted a fight, not a staring contest" Martha stated as she shifted her gaze and then her full body towards the elven adventurer who was still in her stance, her voice dripping with challenge that wanted to be met with fury.

  "I'm sorry for disappointing you, I just had a feeling that attacking you first would lead to my body crashing to the ground we stand on" Erika replied with a serious tone as she shifted her footing slightly

  {!}

  Martha then moved back as a series of spikes shot out from the arena ground, each one mere millimeters from skewering her foot or even her armor. When the spikes stopped, that was when she had stopped moving. She gnced up to where Erika was and noticed she was gone, her eyes darting around looking for her before her instincts told her to jump forward and she did, performing a flip over the spikes and catching a glimpse of Erika and her twin swords unleashing a pair of sshes at where she once stood, destroying several spikes in front of her. When Martha nded, she quickly turned to her foe and knew that now was the end of pleasantries; it was fight time.

  'Oh, I'm going to love this' she thought as an unknowing smile formed upon her lips

  {!}

  The moment the spikes vanished from the arena, Martha used her body-strengthening magic to put her into overdrive. She kicked off the ground and rushed Erika, who was surprised at her going on the offensive. Sparks flew as their weapons met time and again as the former general expertly swung her halberd around faster than most users of the weapon could do. She swung her halberd in wide arcs that Erika believed she could exploit, but found herself repeatedly dodging the swings and sshes as they came at her faster than she anticipated, forcing her to repeatedly use her twin swords to block and redirect the incoming head of the halberd that would have torn her asunder if it nded cleanly. She danced around the halberd's reach, pulling her swords up just in time to block or push and redirect the blow, at one point, she had to leap over the halberd head when it came with a horizontal ssh at her legs, she had leaped over Martha who had crouched down to avoid the retaliatory sshes from Erika while she was airborne, not paying attention to the elf as she twisted midair and nded behind her to unch a counterattack but one that Erika was unable to do as Martha whipped around at a blinding pace that forced the elven adventurer to bring up both of her swords close to her face to block the halberd head which nearly got her, pushing it off once more and leaping back to gain some space.

  {!}

  As another thrust came forward, Erika saw her chance as she used her left sword to meet the incoming head, forcing it aside as she took a step forward with her right foot and then lunged with her right sword right at Martha's undefended abdomen, but to her shock, the former general's free hand had caught the bde mere millimeters before it struck the armor, Martha's armored fingers gripping it tightly as she yanked the elven adventurer forward out of stance.

  "Overextended yourself there" Martha said with a smooth voice before channeling electrical magic into the sword in her grasp

  Erika screamed as her entire body felt the surging charge of electrical magic course through her body, locking her limbs as the voltage overwrote the actions she was trying to send to her limbs, her head involuntarily facing upward as she screamed. Martha looked on with an unreadable expression as she watched on before it shifted over to slight shock as the elven adventurer stopped screaming and as she looked back at the former general with a determined gaze despite the pain pulling at her,

  "Return" She muttered and then, sent the voltage back at Martha whose eyes widened in surprise

  {!}

  Now, it was the former general's turn to be shocked to hell and back, making Martha grunt in pain as her body locked up from suddenly receiving the voltage pass through the bde back into her hand that she had cmped on the weapon. Her magically enhanced armor did not activate as it still detected the magic to be her own and thus, didn't stop the electrical spell that was now reflected back at the same level of pain. Before Martha could do anything else, Erika used her free arm to nd a decisive ssh with her left sword that smmed into the neckguard of Martha's armor, had it not been reinforced, it would have drawn blood, but the blow made more of a dent that sent the temporarily paralyzed former general staggering back and defenseless as the elven adventurer then whipped around and nded a powerful turning sidekick that struck Martha's breastpte, sending her crashing to the ground and rolling for a bit before she recovered and was now on one knee.

  The crowd that was watching this unfold remained silent as their breathes hitched on their throats, waiting to see what would happen next. Erika for her part, tried to push forward to at least level her bde at the former general's throat but found her muscles still involuntarily resisting and twitching, the barrier effects of the arena, which ensured no one would die and that damage done to them would be fixed, were still slowly kicking in. She watched as Martha looked up at her, the former general had a small smirk tugging at the corner of her lips and a twinkle in her eye while she slowly got back up on her feet, her stance a bit wobbly from the electric current that had now subsided. She looked at Erika and saw that she was also suffering the same thing. The smirk turned into a smile, and that smile turned into ughter as Martha slowly straightened up, much to the confusion of the elven opponent.

  "Hahahahaaa, now that was fun. Proper fun. I thank you for the time Miss Faust. If you were a student under my care in the academy, I would have given you perfect marks for that [Reflection] spell. Brilliant, truly brilliant" The former general decred with a massive grin on her face

  Martha couldn't respond even as she tried speaking, the pain of moving her head and jaw a bit too much for her to even let out a peep.

  "I concede this match to you dear Marshal. I hope I didn't disappoint" She added as Martha's left hand let go of her halberd which cttered to the ground, cementing Erika's victory.

  The crowd that was silent now erupted into cheers as they praised Erika and Martha for the dispy both had shown during the entire battle. 'Leini' and Mathilda cpped their hands with smiles on their faces with nods of approval while Lucy simply shook her head with a smile before she cpped.

  "You said you had students in an academy Miss Sincir. What do you mean by that?" Erika finally asked as she slowly walked over to her, the two of them moving off the arena ground for others to duel, sitting on a bench nearby.

  "Oh right, I never really told you my profession. I used to be a soldier, but then I retired early and became a Combat Professor at Imperia Academy" Martha answered her with a small smile, her body still slightly twitching and her gaze noticing the elven adventurer's eyes widen at the name of Imperia

  "Oh! I see, no wonder you are such a formidable fighter" Erika added with a small smile, her body now coming back into function

  "Yep, I hope I did not disappoint you despite my loss" Martha said as she extended her hand for a handshake that Erika returned

  "Not at all, in fact. I had heard during my travels that those from Imperia are monsters when it comes to combat. A few parties with those who came from the academy solidified that. But, when I asked one of them how did they get so strong, the man merely told me that if he were amazing, his professors back in the academy were monsters, and you surely live up to that comparison"

  "I appreciate the compliment then"

  As they eased up and rexed, watching the fighting before them unfold. Erika gnced at Martha and saw the Combat Professor subtly evaluating the people who were before them. Every swing, every spell casted, every attack blocked and parried, the elven adventurer saw Martha nod, twitch her lips or even frown. It was as if she was still in the academy, at least by what Erika could tell, and that was intriguing.

  "Have you asked Miss Mathilda permission to help instruct these people?" She asked, bringing Martha out of her concentration on the match

  "Uhhh, no. I have not" Martha replied as she looked at her and then over to the arachnia guild leader, who was chatting with 'Leini' and then gncing over to where Lucy was standing but surprised to not see her there

  "Well you should Miss Sincire, it would be interesting to see how the tournament would be if the fighters were taught for a few hours by a combat professor of an academy with worldwide renown"

  "You can call me just by Martha, and I don't wish to impose on these people nor on Mathilda and her adventurer staff"

  "I don't think she would mind. In fact, I think she would agree, she gives me that sort of vibe"

  Martha took a moment to consider it, a feeling of mischief and actually wanting to try it out tickling at her brain and her heart. She took a deep breath and let out a small sigh that was followed by a nod and a smile as she stood up and walked over to Mathilda, with Erika silently following behind. The two of them stopped right before Mathilda who had just finished a conversation with 'Leini' and the two of them were looking at the pair that just arrived.

  "Something on your mind dear?" 'Leini' asked as she looked at Martha

  "I have a suggestion for Mathilda regarding the preparations for the tournament" The former general said as she looked at the arachnia guild master who had a raised eyebrow

  "Ooo? What does it entail Miss Martha?" Mathilda asked as she crossed all four of her arms

  "I bet you all enjoyed the fights from earlier and the fight that is currently ongoing is cking no? I wish to use my knowledge as a Combat Professor in Imperia to help them and provide a more entertaining and skillful tournament" Martha said with a straight face that intrigued the aracnhia

  "Hmmm, I see. I do think the proposal is intriguing, but I do not wish to go forward with this without the approval of Grandmother. After all, it could jeopardize everything if they start questioning who you are" Mathilda said as she gestered to both of them

  "Umm excuse me, what do you mean by that?" Erika chimed in, clearly hearing something she wasn't supposed to yet

  "That will be expined ter dear. But Miss Martha, do you think you can do it?" The arachina quickly answered before turning back to Martha

  "I mean, if I am allowed to" Martha's gaze shifted over to 'Leini' who gave her a nod, seemingly also intrigued at how the former general would perform and wanted to see how her mother's lover performed in a teaching role

  "I'll allow it. My beloved knows what to do after all, so we can be safe with her teaching the family before the tournament" 'Leini' said as she put her hand on Mathilda's shoulder which told the arachnia guild master all she needed to know

  "Alright then, if Grandmother is rooting for you, then so will I. Miss Martha, you may have the floor in teaching these family members once the sparring is done. I will do my best to help you"

  "Thank you Mathilda"

  The two of them shared a nod and 'Leini' was about to say something but she saw in the corner of her eye, Carter, who had just arrived, with a few of the other former heads, signalled for her to come over to them. 'Leini' quietly moved over to them after saying that she had something to deal with and once she arrived at Carter and his group, they all disappeared into a cloaking bubble one of the former heads set up.

  "Something going on Carter?" Ash asked as she dropped her disguise as her mother

  "No not really. Just wanted to check on you is all. Grandmother is back in the main building, something about 'Moving stuff around' as she said it" Carter replied with a small nod

  "I see, well. You missed Martha's fights. It was very entertaining" The former empress added with a smile filled with respect

  "Was it now? Well. I always assumed she could fight. The woman who had the balls to become Grandmother's beloved should be able to fight off hordes on her own you know? It is something Grandmother would want in a person" The former patriarch of the Alga family said as he shifted his stance slightly and crossed his arms with a proud smirk on his face

  "I agree with you on that"

  "Well, if you have nothing else, I will be returning to-"

  "Oh and one more thing" Carter said as he stopped Ash while she was turning around to move out of the bubble

  "Go on" Ash replied as she gnced back at him

  "The rest of the family is arriving earlier than Joachim thought, most of them are on the caravan arriving in the hour"

  "Oh, that is fortunate" The former empress said as she once more turned to face the former patriarch

  "I agree, but Joachim wants the two of you back in the estate soon as the opening ceremony will be held tonight instead of tomorrow. So wear something nice"

  "I will, don't worry"

  With that, Ash transformed back into a picture-perfect copy of her mother as she stepped out of the cloaking bubble. Carter and the rest meanwhile, began walking back to the estate to do their own things in preparation for the nightly festivities. All was seemingly going smoothly and there was nothing that could bring this mood down.

  .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

  But not everything goes to pn. For as the party was in full swing that night, with the sounds of music and people enjoying themselves in the fortress being heard across the forested mountain range. Lucy or rather the real Leini, found herself in the middle of a small clearing, her maid outfit dirtied with the blood of the elven woman she was cradling in her arms whose head rested on her p, unconscious after blocking an attack that would have struck her.

  She found herself surrounded from all sides by figures dressed in dark cloaks that covered up the hodgepodge of armor they were wearing underneath and led by a dragonkin whom she had seen earlier in the estate. Many of them snickered, others chuckled while a few remained silent. All of them looking at the little maid before them who seemed to be in shock. But what they saw as fear, the eyes of the person they were looking at were actually filled with innate rage. A rage that only occurs when family is on the line, a rage that at multiple points in time, wiped out a nation, a rage that wiped out civilizations and generations, a rage that only the woman who had seen it all since the beginning held inside her.

  A rage that called for blood and for the screams of those who had wronged her.

  A/N: WE ARE ENTERING THE DANGER ZONE WOOOO