Month 1, Day 2, 10:20:31; Arvium, High Council West Building, Weapons Center

"Next," the voice called.

She stepped forward, looking up at the tall man at the sign-in desk of the arena. He stared down at her, tapping the air in front of him.

"Name?"

She nodded, waving her hand over the scanner on the front of the console. "Aella Rynnex."

He typed the air, nodding after a moment. "Ring 3. Your match is in five minutes. Next," he called out.

"Wait," Aella said, shoving off the hand from the player behind her and ignoring the angry look on their face. "Who I am sparring against?"

"I said next," the man answered. "You'll find out when you get there."

Aella growled, stepping out of the way. She crossed her arms as she muttered, "Thanks. Even though you certainly aren't helpful."

"What?" the man called out.

"I said thank you," she called back. She frowned as she looked up at the signs above the rings, seeing them count down from fifteen, and she headed for the rings at the end of the arena.

"Ring 3" she said quietly as she stepped in front of it. Several Alphas and Betas clustered around the sides, cheering on two Betas. She winced as one of the players slammed into the ground with a series of sparks and cracks.

"Five minutes until next matches begin," a voice called out over the loudspeakers. "Please make your way to your assigned ring."

One of the Alphas stepped forward, holding a handpad. "Next match: Aella Rynnex versus Fox Blade."

Her eyes widened as she turned around, looking at the players who were gathered around the wing. She waved as she recognized the gold-haired man coming closer to her.

"Aella," he said, bowing his head as he came closer. "Ready to fight?" he asked her. "I won't be taking it easy on you."

"Cocky, much?" she said quietly, her hand reaching to her belt. She pulled out the staff, shaking it and watching as it extended to its full length.

Fox shook his head. "Not when I know I'm going to win." He pulled a sword several inches from the hilt on his side and her eyes widened as she saw the massive blade. It was separated into two smaller extensions curving outward at the hilt, and a small dagger-like blade extended from the top of the hilt. He slid it back into the hilt and patted it several times.

"You two are up next," the Alpha told them. "Get into the ring, and wait until I give out the instructions."

"After you," Fox said, motioning to the ring.

This shouldn't be too difficult. She bent over and slid through the ropes that marked the sides of the ring. She walked over to a corner, leaning against the metal pole. Her hand rested on her sword and she sighed. I really don't want to have to bring out my sword unless I have to. The quiver of arrows and bow on her back rattled as she bounced on the tips of her toes. And I have a bow, but it's useless in these tight corners.

She watched as Fox walked to his corner, leaning his arms against the ropes. She tightened her grip on the staff, seeing no weapons on his body other than the sword and a set of daggers in his belt.

Her grinned at her, raising an eyebrow.

Aella set the staff on the ground, closing her eyes. She breathed deep, holding it for several seconds before releasing, continuing the action.

"Rules are simple" the Alpha said, standing in the center of the ring. "No attacking a player with magic or weapons once they are on the floor. If a player is on the floor, they have five seconds to return to their feet. A twenty second timeout may be called twice by each player. The match will last for two minutes. Points are gained by attacks via magic or weapons with more points given for the complexity of the spell or move. A foul will be called if any rules are broken, and will cost the player fifty points. Any questions before we begin?"

"Players," the voice called over the loudspeaker, match beginning. Take your positions."

Aella opened her eyes, sliding her foot into a ready position, holding her staff out in front of her.

Fox closed his eyes, his mouth moving. Two swords appeared in his hands, the blades winking into the light.

She gritted her teeth, tightening her grip on the staff.

"Begin," the voice called out, accentuating with the blare of an alarm.

Fox began to pace to the side, swinging each sword in an easy motion, using the same formations she had practiced with the batons at the Facility.

She stepped forward, feeling her muscles loosen and warm up. "Defense spell," she whispered, extending her staff. A red grid a foot tall and wide appeared in front of her. She jumped forward, bringing the staff through the grid. The blast hit Fox, making him stumble.

She kept the movement going, and the staff met his crossed blades, electricity crackling over their surfaces. He shoved her back, bringing one sword down toward her head.

She shifted sideways, drawing one end of the staff up to meet the sword. She slid her foot forward, bringing the other end of the staff down to the back of his legs. She swept it around, pushing hard.

She jumped backwards as he fell. He lost the grip on his second sword and it slid to the edge of the ring and fell over.

The Alpha began counting. "One, two, three--"

She took a deep breath as Fox got to his knees, pushing himself up. He glared at her, his shoulders rising.

"Begin again," the Alpha called out.

Fox turned slightly, holding his sword out.

Aella gasped as he twisted, sending a dagger flying at her. She jerked to the side, dodging the dagger. She yanked the staff up in front of her face, groaning as the weight of the sword slammed into one end.

She stepped backward, using one hand to pull her sword from its sheath, twisting the staff so it was upright.

Her breath knocked out of her as Fox slammed into her, her foot catching on hers. She slammed into the ground, her dagger sliding across the ring. She pulled her arm in as the flat side of his sword slammed down into her side. Light flared in her vision, blurring her surroundings. She took a breath, wincing as pain flared in her ribs.

"Time," she called.

"Twenty second time out," the Alpha called.

She gripped her staff, feeling the cold surface dig into her palm. She growled, pushing up from the floor. She breathed heavy, feeling her arm muscles tremble.

"Are you giving up?" Fox taunted.

"Never," she whispered. A golden sign appeared in her vision as she stepped backward, wincing as pain throbbed in her side, and her vision blurred for a moment. "Staff Upgrade: Level 2," the mechanical voice announced.

"Five, four, three," the Alpha said, counting down.

She paused, her hands gripping the staff. She tensed, waiting until the Alpha drew down his hand before she yelled, slamming the staff down onto the floor. "Defense spell."

The wooden floor bent downward, the spell dissipating into the wood. She stood as the shock wave traveled outward, slamming into Fox. He tottered, falling back against the ropes.

She leapt forward, running across the empty space, swinging her staff around and down. The end slammed into his chest, sending a bolt of electricity across his body.

"Time," the Alpha called.

She shifted the staff and tapped Fox's head with it. "Good game."

He groaned and nodded, his eyes narrow.

She turned her attention to the Alpha as he glanced down at his handpad for several seconds. "Draw--both players received thirty points," he called out, stepping into the ring. "Both players will be awarded the minimum amount of fifteen credits and fifteen experience points."

She nodded and pressed the button, watching as the staff retracted.

"End of match 1," the loudspeaker called out. "Match 2 beginning in ten minutes. Please make your way to your assigned rings."

Aella slowly walked over to the edge of the ring, leaning over as she held her arm to her side, taking shallow breaths.

"Come on," Sigmund said.

She turned her head, seeing him standing next to the ring, his hand stretched out to her. She nodded and slid under the ropes, pain flaring in her side.

"There we go," he said, his tone soft as he helped her to the ground. "Let's get you out of here."

"I believe I can help," a voice called to her.

Aella looked up to see a tall woman in a black uniform similar to her own, but augmented with matte black armor. An Alpha.

"I'm a healer," she said. "My name is Jakki."

Aella smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

"Bring her over here," the woman said, pointing to a row of seats in the walkway.

She let Sigmund support her weight as she shuffled over to the seat, easing into the chair with a soft moan.

"May I?" Jakki asked, pointing to her jacket.

Aella nodded.

The healer placed her hands on Aella's side, and closed her eyes. Her lips started to move, though she made no sound, and within moments, a cool sensation filled her side and the pain diminished.

Aella closed her eyes and leaned her head back.

"How is that?" Jakki asked, opening her eyes and leaning back.

Aella sat up and twisted slowly, her eyebrows raising as she felt no pain. She turned to Sigmund and grinned, then turned to Jakki."It's gone,"

Jakki smiled and nodded. "It was a deep bruise. You are lucky--it could have been much worse."

"Thank you," Aella said, turning to her and smiling. "What can I do to repay you?"

Jakki nodded. "I was hoping you would ask. I saw your match, and I was impressed with your skills. I want to offer you a recurring job guarding my fields at night. I've been having problems with small animals coming and eating it, but I don't have the time to guard it myself. You could start tonight, and I would pay you twenty credits a day, starting tonight."

Sigmund tapped Aella on the shoulder and she looked up at him. "You would level up your staff skills, and you would be able to use scouting magic. It's a good offer."

Aella nodded and turned back to Jakki. I haven't been sleeping well anyway. She held out her hand and smiled. "I accept."

Jakki smiled and shook her hand, and gave her a small nod. "I'll send the coordinates to your inbox. I look forward to doing business with you." The woman stood, glancing over the rings as the match ended. "I must go, but I will keep in touch."

Aella nodded, standing. She watched as the Alpha walked off toward the entrance of the Weapons Center, then turned to Sigmund. "Thank you for helping me."

He shook his head and smiled. "We are teammates."

Aella nodded. "Shall we go check out the Magic Center? I need to invest in some magic spells if I'm going to be out in the fields all night."

"Certainly," he said, holding his arm out to the side in the direction of the door.

She stepped past him and started walking down the aisle between the rings.

"By the way," he said.

Aella looked up at him, an eyebrow raised.

"You did well."

Aella smiled, and glanced around the arena. Some of this was like home.