A surprised Marcus stared silently at the figure standing on the ring. There couldn’t be any doubt that it was Alya Vilka, as not only was her physique immediately recognizable, but she was even wearing her usual attire, with the only addition being a stylized mask of a wolf that barely covered half of her face.

  “Hey Yasen, isn't that Alya?” He asked for confirmation, though he was pretty sure already.

  “It sure seems so.” The captain replied, looking as surprised as the Vex Queen himself.

  “What is she doing here? Didn't she go back to her country?”

  “She did. Last time I met her, she was embarking on a ferry headed for the Federation. She must have come back.”

  Marcus was about to ask more questions when the announcer started speaking again, interrupting him.

  “And now, for her opponents, we have a couple of newcomers!” The man said. “But don't let their lack of notoriety fool you, because these beautiful flowers pack some sharp thorns! Now, let us welcome these two! Give it up for the White Rose and the Black Rose!”

  Fireworks and sparks erupted from one of the entrances, and black and white petals fell from the ceiling as the challengers entered the arena. One of them was a tall and muscular woman —though she was still smaller than Alya— with long blond hair who wore a white sports bra and long white pants, with a white rose tucked behind her ear and her face covered by a white domino mask. Meanwhile the other fighter was much shorter, barely taller than Marcus himself, with black hair dressed in the same manner as her companion but with her clothes being black instead of white.

  Marcus narrowed his eyes. Both fighters looked rather familiar, but from that distance he couldn't tell exactly who they were.

  The newcomers also reached the ring and both of them jumped over the ropes. The two Roses then raised their arms to incite the crowd to cheer for her —to which most spectators obliged— while Alya just stared at them with her arms crossed and a smug, confident smile on her face.

  “Seems like the fighters are raring to go!” The announcer said. “This is a bit of a special match, so I'll explain the rules. The White Fang really wanted a challenge in this fight, so we allowed her to fight solo while her opponents shall fight under tag team rules. Now, will this handicap be enough for the challengers to defeat her, or will the White Fang keep her title of undefeated champion? Let's find out right now! Let the fight begin!”

  The bell rang, and the Black Rose jumped to her corner, while her companion turned towards Alya, assuming a crouching fighting stance. Meanwhile, the wolfwoman simply remained still, waiting for her opponent to act. She didn't have to wait long though, because only a few seconds later the White Rose suddenly dashed towards her. For a moment, it seemed that the woman would just charge directly at the Lycan but then at the last possible moment she instead circled around her opponent and attacked her from the right, trying to grab her. However, just as it seemed as if the assault would be successful, Alya just sidestepped out of the White Rose's reach with relaxed ease and her arms still crossed.

  Undeterred from this failure, the White Rose simply kept chasing her opponent and trying to grab her, but the wolfwoman simply kept effortlessly dodging again and again. Then, all of a sudden, as Alya dodged yet another assault, the blond woman suddenly turned around and intercepted the Thulian with a powerful kick to her side. This time Alya was forced to block using her arms, and her opponent followed with a low, sweeping kick, which the wolfwoman dodged by jumping in the air. The White Rose then stood up and launched herself at the Lycan before she could get back on the ground, finally managing to grab her sides, and then proceeded to arch herself backwards and supplex her into the ring mat. She didn't stop there however, and pivoting on the body of her opponent she spun into the air and delivered another supplex. And another. And another. But then the fourth attempt was stopped by Alya suddenly planting her feet on the ring, stopping the momentum and then proceeding to perform a suplex of her own, slamming the White Rose on the ring. The two then separated, immediately getting back on their feet and looking none worse for wear.

  “This White Rose seems quite skilled.” Marcus commented. “To be holding her own against Alya...”

  “Well, Alya is still just playing around.” Yasen replied. “She hasn't even used any Aura technique yet. But still, I have to agree. This White Rose gal has some impressive skills in close quarter combat.”

  The White Rose attacked again, this time trying to overwhelm her opponent by going all out and delivering a series of lightning quick blows. But Alya remained unfazed and simply deflected or dodged all attacks, dancing around the ring like a feather in the wind.

  Then, all of a sudden, the White Rose suddenly sped up to an impossible degree, moving so fast that she became a blur and catching the Lycan woman with a powerful shoulder tackle that sent her flying into the ropes, only to bounce back and be hit by a lariat that sent her spinning in the air before crashing onto the ring floor.

  “What was that?” Marcus asked, his eyes wide with surprise behind the mask.

  “Aura Arts.” Yasen replied. “And used pretty skillfully to boot. The White Rose must be an Aura Warrior.” He chuckled. “Dieter really went all out trying to find good opponents for Alya.”

  For a brief moment the Vex Queen felt worried for the wolfwoman, since the blow she had just received would have killed a normal person. However, he hadn't even finished formulating this thought when Alya jumped back on her feet, seemingly completely unharmed. In fact, she even started smiling cheerfully —a predatory smile full of eagerness for violence.

  For the first time since the start of the match Alya went on the offensive. Without any warning she threw herself at her opponent, launching several blows too quick for the eye to see. The White Rose barely managed to dodge or parry most of them, but then she got hit by a kick to the stomach so hard that it made her bend over in pain. Not letting this chance slide, the wolfwoman grabbed her opponent by her neck and waist and jumped in the air before slamming the White Rose's head on the ring with both their combined weight. This time the blonde woman definitely felt the blow, and when they separated and got back up she was a bit wobbly on her feet. However, Alya didn't give her much time to recover and assaulted her again, grabbing her by her arms and overpowering her with ease, forcing her on one knee. For a moment it seemed as if the match was going to end then and there, but then, all of a sudden, the Black Rose jumped from her corner and launched herself at Alya, hitting her in the side of her face with a drop kick that sent her tumbling away from the White Rose.

  Some people in the crowd booed at this clear foul, but most cheered since this would allow this entertaining fight to go on longer. The Black Rose then grabbed her companion's hand and helped her get on her feet, before gesturing for her to go to their corner. The White Rose obliged, and left the brunette alone in the ring to face Alya.

  The Lycan, meanwhile, stood up again, once again seemingly unharmed, and just tilted her head left and right before looking at her new opponent. The Black Rose returned the stare with equal confidence, and then, without any warning, she darted towards the Aura Master with insane speed, attacking her with a series of lightning quick kicks. Though physically smaller and probably weaker than her teammate, the Black Rose was nonetheless incredibly quick and agile, moving around the ring with inhuman speed.

  However, Alya was more than a match for her.

  Every attack was dodged or parried and immediately followed by a counter, which was in turn dodged and followed by another counter, in a never ending chain that was equally brutal and graceful, like a wild dance between partners. It was breathtaking to look at and the crowd stared in silent fascination, almost as if worried that making any noise would break the spell and bring an end to this display of martial perfection.

  However even without any outside interference one of the fighters was bound to make a mistake sooner or later, and that was exactly what happened, and unsurprisingly it wasn't Alya who did, but rather the Black Rose.

  After dodging one kick with a jump, the black haired woman spun in the air and attempted some kind of somersault kick, but this time she was a tad too slow and Alya managed to catch her leg mid-air, swinging her like a flail and slamming her on the floor. Then, before the Black Rose could recover, the wolfwoman delivered a powerful kick to her side, and while the girl managed to parry it the sheer force of the attack sent her flying against one of the corner poles. Alya then raised her arms and the crowd cheered, but her celebrations were very short lived as she was once again caught by surprise by her opponent. The White Rose, seeing her companion losing, sneaked behind the Lycan and grabbed her by the waist, lifting her as if she weighed nothing. Then, without hesitating, the woman then ran towards one of the corners and, using the poles as a trampoline, leaped more than ten metres in the air before dropping like a meteor on the ring, delivering a devastating supplex to Alya. The impact was strong enough to make the scaffolding where Marcus and Yasen were seated tremble as if hit by an earthquake, and the Vex Queen grabbed the railing in order not to fall from his seat.

  “Shit!” Marcus cursed in his native language.

  “Is everything alright, sir Marcus?” Yasen asked, turning towards him with a worried expression on his face.

  “Eh... nothing.” The Vex Queen said. “I was just surprised.” He turned to the ring, where the White Rose had stood up while Alya laid motionless on the floor. “Is Alya going to be ok? That was one hell of an attack.”

  “That it was.” The captain nodded. “But don't worry. Alya is fine. She has taken much worse hits than that without problem.”

  Yasen's judgement proved to be correct, as a few moments later the wolfwoman suddenly jumped back on her feet, once again without showing any sign of being hurt. Her smile just widened even more, showing her sharp canines, and she gestured for both of her opponents to come at her at once. At the same time, the aura of danger surrounding the Lycan suddenly increased, to the point that Marcus could feel his hair standing.

  “Seems like Alya is finally starting to get serious.” Yasen commented. “This fight won't go on much longer.”

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  The two Roses exchanged a glance, visibly looking a bit worried, but after only a moment they started moving against the wolfwoman, circling around her and getting ready to attack her from two different sides. Then, as soon as they were in position, they darted towards Alya at the same time, one attacking from the front and the other from the back. The White Rose went for a grab, while the Black Rose tried to kick her from behind.

  Both failed, as Alya easily dodged both attacks. The two women repeated their assault again and again, but the Lycan seemed untouchable and moved around both of her opponents apparently without effort. This went on for less than a minute until, all of a sudden, she delivered an open palm strike to the Black Rose, sending her flying out of the ring and into the fences that protected the spectators, while with the other hand she grabbed the White Rose's wrist and somehow managed to throw her into the floor, with a move that reminded Marcus of Aikido. Then, without pause, she seized the girl's legs and started spinning, dragging her opponent with her. Meanwhile the Black Rose had stood up and, while reeling from the impact, managed to get back on the ring, but by the time she had reached it Alya's spinning had gained a crazy speed, and she and the White Rose together looked kinda like a miniature twister, to the point that they even produced a gale that could be felt even in the furthest corners of the arena. The black haired woman stared at this display in confusion, but before she could do anything the Lycan let go of the White Rose, who, carried by the centrifugal force, was thrown towards her companion, hitting her like a cannonball. The two then flew in the air and hit the metal fences, leaving a very visible dent before dropping to the ground.

  “And here it is, ladies and gentlemen!” The commentator cried as the bell rang to announce the end of the match. “The White Fang's famed Tornado Throw! The Wild Roses have fought extremely well, but in the end that wasn't enough to beat the Fang, who keeps her title of undefeated champion!”

  The crowd cheered as Alya lifted her head and let out a victorious howl, while the lights all focused on her. Meanwhile, the Wild Roses slowly picked themselves up, clearly battered but somehow still mostly fine after the beating they had received, and they headed out of the arena.

  “Eh, so Alya won.” Marcus commented. “No surprises there, but at least it was a good fight... or at least it seemed so to me.”

  “You're perfectly correct.” Yasen agreed. “None of them were actually fighting seriously, but it was a fine performance. And besides keeping up with Alya, even when she's playing around, is no small feat. The Roses must both be Aura Warriors, and high ranked ones at that. At least Yellow Sheaths... maybe even White.” He paused and turned to the Vex Queen. “However, what really matters is that you enjoyed the show.”

  “I did.” Marcus nodded. “Watching Alya fight is always... fascinating. And the fights before that were also fun to watch. So, all in all I'm happy that we came here to the Arena. This place was definitely worth a visit!”

  “I'm glad to hear that.” The captain nodded. “And besides, the night is still young. So, what do you want to do next, sir Marcus?”

  “I don't know... do you have any other suggestions?”

  “Well, since we now know that Alya is here, we could ask her to join us.” The Aura Master proposed. “We did have fun drinking together back in Treval, and she seemed to like you in her own way.”

  The first, instinctive response Marcus had was to immediately shut down this idea —possibly before it had even been expressed, so that he wouldn't have to even think about it. He was barely capable of being near Yasen without blushing himself to death after all, and adding Alya to the equation would probably make him die of sheer awkwardness.

  But, just as he was about to shout his refusal out loud, he realized a couple of things. First, he would probably have to justify his refusal to invite the wolfwoman, and that was easier said than done. Explaining how he really felt about the matter to Yasen was out of the question, but at the same time he didn't like having to lie to him either. And second, and perhaps most importantly, Marcus was just tired of having his actions restricted by what he felt awkward.

  “What the hell.” He told himself. “I am a grown man —at least mentally— and not some virgin choirboy still scared of cooties. I came here to this Red Light District specifically to have fun and there is the chance to drink with a woman who I do find actually rather attractive. Back in my old life I wouldn't have hesitated to go for it.”

  He thought about it for a moment, and then took a deep breath and decided to throw his reservation aside at least for this one night and see what would happen.

  “Well, why not.” He said. “Besides, this would actually be the first time we drink together... back in Treval, it was my double who was with you, not me.”

  “Oh, right.” The captain nodded. “I forgot about that. Well, in this case let's head to the changing room before Alya leaves.”

  “Alright... but we've got to find someone to lead us there first.” The Vex Queen said.

  “Don't worry, I know the way.” Yasen replied with a smirk. “I've been there a few times already, back when I dated one of the female arena fighters.”

  “Ah, I see.” Marcus nodded, desperately trying to let his mind be led astray by the captain talking about dating. “Make way then.”

  The two descended the stairs, and then the Aura Master guided the Vex Queen through a series of corridors, until they finally arrived at an anonymous closed door with the words “No entry” written on it in bold characters and a burly man standing in front of it, probably a member of the staff. The man glanced at them menacingly as they approached, but immediately recognized Yasen and when the latter asked to let them pass, the security guard immediately stood aside. The captain then led Marcus inside and they found themselves in a little space separated from the rest of the room by a wooden folding screen. As the captain closed the door behind them, the Vex Queen could hear female voices coming from beyond that screen.

  “It's just a shame, you know?” A voice that was unmistakably Alya's was saying. “You could easily become an Aura Master if you just put in the effort.”

  “You sound like my seniors in the Order.” Another familiar voice replied, though Marcus couldn't remember to whom it belonged to. “They all say the exact same thing, but I'm just not interested. I'm perfectly fine with staying a White Sheath, thank you.”

  “Alright, I can respect that.” Alya said.

  “No need to respect it. Nemi is just a lazy bum.” Yet another familiar voice chimed in.

  “You shut your mouth Merva. You're just jealous because you're still a Yellow Sheath.”

  Before they could continue their discussion, Yasen interrupted by announcing their presence.

  “Excuse me.” He said loudly enough to be heard. “Sorry to interrupt, but we're looking for Alya.”

  There was a moment of silence, but after a few seconds the wolfwoman's head, still wearing her white mask, poked over the folding screen and looked down at the newcomers.

  “Well well well... look at who showed up.” The Thulian said. “What are you doing here Yasen?”

  “Well, me and sir Marcus just happened to be watching the fights tonight, and after seeing you we decided to come by and ask you if you'd like to have a drink with us later.” The captain explained

  “Oh, sure.” Alya nodded, shifting her gaze to the Vex Queen, who was still covered head to toe in his disguise. “Just give me a few minutes to get ready. In the meantime, come on in.”

  “Uhm... we wouldn't want to bother you and the other ladies while you get changed, so we can wait outside.” Yasen said.

  “Don't worry, we're all presentable.” The wolfwoman said.

  The captain looked at her for a moment, but then shrugged and walked around the screen, followed by Marcus. The rest of the room was long but quite narrow, with several dressing tables lined against one side and coat hangers on the other. Apart from Alya there were just two other people —the two girls who had fought against her, who had now removed their masks. Now that he could take a better look at them, the Vex Queen actually recognized them: they were members of the Order of the Rose, the mercenary group that he had met back in Brettholz.

  “Oh, greeting captain Yasen.” Said the short brunette, Nemi.

  “Evening, captain.” Echoed the tall, blonde one, Merva.

  “Good evening, ladies.” Yasen replied.

  “Hi there.” Marcus also saluted them, and the two female Aura Warriors immediately turned their glances towards him.

  “Wait... Are you the Vex Queen?” Nemi asked. “The one that looks like a bug version of Sarah?”

  “Yeah, that's me.” Marcus replied, lifting his mask to show his face. “And you are... Nemi and Merva, right?”

  “That's correct.” The short woman confirmed. “I'm surprised you remember our names.” She paused and gave a side glance at the Vex Queen. “And I'm also surprised by the fact that I can't sense your aura... like, at all. Which is impressive considering that back in Brettholz I could feel you from several rooms away.”

  “Uhm, well...” The Vex Queen hesitated. He had been warned not to tell too many people about the Crown, but Nemi's question was very on point. So he decided to tell the truth but not give away too many details. “I got an item that helps me control my aura now.” Then, before the girl could ask more questions he tried to change the subject: “By the way, I was also surprised to see you two fighting in the Arena. How did you end up here as Alya’s opponents?”

  “It's nothing exciting really.” Nemi shrugged. “We are currently staying at the temple of Pretheve waiting for our next assignment, and this evening the owner of the Arena showed up searching for Aura Warriors that could put on a good show while fighting Alya. Since we were free and the pay was good, we decided to take this job.”

  “I see.” Marcus nodded. Then, eager to keep the topic away from the matter of the Crown, he turned to Alya, who had taken off her mask and was currently busy wiping his fur with a towel. “Tangentially related, can I ask you why you’re here Alya? Last time I saw you, you were heading back to your country because it was under attack, was it not?”

  “Yeah, but as it turned out it was just a waste of time.” The wolfwoman replied. “The Djinni were poking at our borders but they got cold feet once our army got there, and after that we just spent a week just staring at each other and waiting for the other to do the first move.” She shook her head in pure disgust. “I hate that kind of stand-off. Though thankfully it didn’t last long, since the Djinni soon packed up and left. That left me bored and with nothing to do, so I decided to head for the northern kingdoms to see if I could find something interesting to hunt in the Great Northern Forest. I was on my way there when I decided to stop in Rennhafen for Toathal.”

  “I see.” Marcus nodded again.

  “I’m personally a bit surprised that your commanders let you go so easily.” Yasen commented. “After all, the Djinni could very well come back later. It wouldn’t be the first time they used this kind of feint.”

  “The Djinni have other fishes to fry.” Alya replied as she grabbed a pair of boots and put them on. “Apparently there is a major raid coming from the Winter Wastes this year, which ought to keep them occupied at least until spring.”

  “Ah, I see.” The captain said. “It makes sense now.”

  Curious as he always was about the history of this world, the Vex Queen was about to ask for more details about the Djinni and these so-called Winter Wastes but before he could say anything the Lycan woman put on a jacket and spoke again.

  “Alright, I’m ready. We can go out now.” She said. Then she turned towards Nemi and Merva and asked: “How about you two? You wanna come along?”

  “Thank you very much, but we have to get back to the temple.” The blonde woman politely declined. “We’ve got training tomorrow, and we really need all the sleep we can get.

  “Yeah… I would have liked to take tomorrow off, but sadly the captain just won’t let us off the hook.” Nemi added bitterly.

  “That’s good.” Alya commented. “It means she knows what she’s doing.” She turned back to Marcus and Yasen. “In this case, let’s go get something to drink.”

  “As you wish, Alya.” Yasen said, and then waved towards the two Gold Roses. “Good evening ladies.”

  “Good evening to you, captain Yasen.” Nemi replied. “And good evening to you too, sir Marcus.”

  “Good evening.” The Vex Queen replied, before turning and following Alya and Yasen out of the room. As he walked behind the two Aura Masters who towered over him, he once again felt the usual pang of awkwardness that always plagued him in their presence, which made him question his decision to go out drinking with them. However, after thinking about it for a moment, he doubled down instead.

  “I can’t spend all my life scared of my emotions!” He told himself. “After all, you all live once… ehr, twice in my case, but the point still stands! I don’t know when this life will end, so I ought to try and enjoy it when I can! I do find Alya somewhat attractive and drinking with her sounds fun, so I’m going to do it, awkwardness be damned!”

  With this resolution he kept walking besides the two warriors, but still, despite all of his determination, he just couldn’t get himself to calm down, and he could still feel his cheeks blushing and his heart pounding in his chest.