You have to fight Nihara next

You wake up with a sharp kick to your leg by a guard.

"Let's go loverboy. On your feet, it's time to put on a show."

You groan at always being woken up with ****, but comply "what about my axe?" You ask as you rise to your feet

"It's at the gate waiting for you. Should count yourself lucky."

"Ya, sure. I'm the luckiest person alive. Living in a prison, fighting for my life, never able to get the smell of **** and shit out of my nose. Why am I so lucky?"

"The guards were casting lots for that axe last night. Somehow the Boss got word and nixed it, said it was too important to be taken from you."

You nod gently. You're actually surprised that the Boss would have done something to help you like that. "I guess that is good news"

"Ya ya, don't count your blessings loverboy. You cost me five gold, and quite a few guards are out more. Don't be surprised to find maggots in your food for a while."

You spit at the warning as you leave with the guard "I've had worse. You could make the situation better on yourselves though. Bet on me to win. Bet it all, and you'll forget all about what you lost."

The guard chuckled at your arrogant confidence "You're that sure mate? You don't even know who you're fighting"

"I don't have to. Fighting has been the only thing that's kept me alive, even before the arena. If I wasn't good, I'd be dead. Anyone else here can make that claim?"

"I don't know greenskin, your next fight might."

"Who is it?" You ask, with a slight degree of concern

"Nah ah. No telling, you find out when you get there, just like everyone else." You quickly approach the gate, where another guard is waiting with your double axe. "There we are, now go have a good show loverboy" You are unceremoniously pushed out into the arena, worried about what the guard meant.Your worries are quickly confirmed, and you understand why the Boss made sure to let you have your axe. Your next opponent is Nihara, the redheaded woman who you contingently fought alongside before, and who you've set your heart on. This also explains why The Boss was so sure to let you have your axe. Pitting the two of you against each other is going to create a huge spectacle, regardless of who wins or loses. By starting off with the strongest opponents, he creates word in the streets, bringing more people to come see. You're also certain this was the Bosses way of weasling out of the agreement; even if you win the championship, you don't get what you want.

Nihara is standing at the opposite side of the pit with her tomahawks in each hand, already taking aim against you. There's a sizable distance between the two of you, but having seen what she can do, you know she could hit clear it with a good swing. She has a fierce, menacing face that puts you on edge, even as it turns you on. Once again, you have to have a fight with your third arm before you have your fight with her. The crowd roars as the trumpets blare to indicate the start of the fight. The only way to even have a chance to win is to close the distance between you and her, but doing so also makes it easier for her to hit you with her thrown axes. In the moment, the only option you see available to you is to close that distance as fast as you can. You just hope that this plan of yours works, and that both of you can walk out of here alive when this is all said and done.

You charge at her with everything you have, your axe hoisted in the air as you go. As you cleared halfway, Nihara throws her first tomahawk at you, a sideways toss aimed for your midsection. You get lucky, the blow strikes, but just a grazing of the handle against your shoulder. It does cause you to flinch and readjust your arm in motion, but you don't lose complete balance as a result. It does cause enough of a problem that as you swing down towards her, you miss completely, allowing her to slash against your weaker arm with her other weapon, before she runs back to get her other weapon.

Dual-wielding again, and with you having an injury, she's in the better position here, but you can't surrender now. You try to close the distance again, and are met with more bad luck; her attack lands, striking in your upper leg and staying there. You find yourself in a similar position as the champion was just yesterday, this could be the end of everything already. The pain and blood loss is enough to make you stop, putting a knee in the dirt. A stationary and **** target, Nihara tries to capitalize on the opportunity by throwing her other weapon at you from a safe distance. This throw was deflected by the face of your larger axe, her tomahawk going high into the blinding sky before burying itself in the sandy earth between the two of you. The key to victory for either of you, you surrender your larger axe as you both make a sprint to her one free weapon, and arrive at the exact same second.

Both face down in the dirt, you each move to deny the weapon to the other. Nihara has flexibility but you have strength on your side. You cleverly toss the tomahawk away, denying it to both of you, and attempt to grapple her. She seems more familiar with fighting this way than most, but it's not enough to best you. You manage to put her in a chokehold, which she frantically resists, as if tapping into some ****, primal fear. While this close you try to talk to her, something nobody else will hear over the din of the crowd. "Listen, I don't want to kill you. I want us both to get out of here alive. We can work together, but you have to trust me."

Nihara responds predictably, by trying even harder to break free. You maintain your hold, but don't take any further shots at her. She seems to understand, and discretely taps your leg before her body stops resisting; she's faking a fall in order to stop the match.

There's a mix between cheers and boo's, far more of the latter than there was last time. A clean, nondeadly victory like this was not what the crowd is used to, or what they want. You roll her off of you, and slowly get on your feet, hobbling away to get your injuries checked out, and to have someone remove Nihara's other tomahawk from your leg.