An unusual display

Kael and Ria once again walk together down the halls of the palace, this time heading towards familiar territory. The training room is far more comfortable for Kael than the throne room, and he’s sure that Ria feels much the same. She smiles as they walk, taking his hand and looking at him.

“You know, it wasn’t that long ago that we had our little wrestling match, big guy. Amazing how far things have come.”

Kael smiles back at her. “It is. And almost all for the better.”

She nods, squeezing his hand. “And now we’re going to bring in some new champions. It’s a weird position.”

Kael chuckles. “Well, I’d like to have the same relationship between us and them as Lord Greyheart does with us.”

Ria grins at him. “Oh really? Even Bernal? Thinking of adding to your harem, big guy?”

Kael rolls his eyes. “You’re lucky I like you, Ria. I can’t tell if you’re joking or not…”

She laughs. “Neither can I!”

They both laugh, as the sound of weapons grows. As they approach the entrance to the training grounds, they spot Orin standing with his arms crossed. He’s watching the aspirants carefully, clearly focused on the task. He still senses their approach, however, and turns to greet them as they walk in.

“Ahh, the power couple arrives. I was wondering when you’d get here.”

Kael shrugs. “Gotta keep an eye on you. You might get it wrong.”

Orin rolls his eyes, and throws a lazy punch at Kael’s shoulder, which Kael deflects with a smile. He turns and looks out at the gathered aspirants, who seem to be gathered in small groups for sparring. There’s maybe fifty men and women, all in various gear, and they seem to be arranged by skill level. There’s several groups that clearly don’t have the skills, but the further he looks into the crowd, the more impressive the people get.

There’s a blur and a flash of light in one group, and two aspirants are sent sprawling. Kael focuses his attention on them, and through the break in the circle, Kael catches sight of someone who makes his eyes widen, and he feels Ria stiffen beside him.

The woman is clearly nonhuman, of a type Kael has never seen before. Squared off against several at once, she’s unarmed, though that seems to be no hinderance to her. Her wild white hair is barely contained in a loose ponytail, and she wears ripped white pants and a cropped black top, leaving her impressively muscular body largely exposed. Scaled plates, almost like armor, cover her shins and forearms, and her fingers are tipped with wicked claws. A long, wide tail, covered with fur the same vibrant white as her hair, swings behind her, though there’s also bony spikes protruding from the fur as well. Similarly, large horns emerge from her head. Her grimace shows sharp teeth, and her eyes, a shocking blue, seem to flicker with electricity.

As Kael watches, two more aspirants move in to attack her, both wielding swords with obvious skill. She deflects the attack of the first with the plates of her forearm, deftly kicking his legs out in one smooth motion. The other tries to get around behind her, but the tail swings up and clubs him in the chest. There’s a flash and sizzle of lightning, and the man is sent sprawling. The strange woman is left standing alone in the center of the circle, and it seems like she expended very little effort in the display.

Orin nods. “She’s been impressive.”

Ria grins. “Hell yeah she has. I think I’m in love, big guy…”

Kael rolls his eyes. “I think she’ll do. I’d like to speak with her, though.”

Orin makes a dramatic gesture. “By all means, your highness!”

Ria giggles, and Kael sighs. “You’re the worst, Orin.”