Heading back into the ‘support building’ as it were, she was met with clapping as she walked past the training area. It seemed like they didn’t want to throw fodder in all the time, and made sure actual warriors were trained for some good bloodletting. The woman who had been clapping was a yellow-named Druchii with white hair and very little in the way of clothing. Though if she was here, then she was clearly not just for show.. 

“You know, when we throw slaves in without weapons, they usually start begging the audiance for something, or run around trying to tire out their foe, or other ways of avoiding engaging. But you just went ‘no weapons, no fucks, bam’ and took Jack out. Absolutely amazing” The Druchii exclaimed, nodding heartily and then getting up from leaning on the wall and walking over.

“So it’s uncommon for someone to fight with just their fists?” Estaria asked. Though at first she wanted to get a good sword as soon as possible, the idea of using a niche and theatrical weapon to get her name out there was blossoming in her head.

“Well. It’s not uncommon for someone to fight with their fists. It’s just uncommon for them to win with their fists. Usually they just get kicked around and then defeated or executed as the crowd demands. Your little show out there was exceptional for that alone”

The Druchii got in close and gave a grin, looking over Estaria’s outfit with an eye that made her feel awkward. “And your outfit of choice is certainly an eye catcher as well. A shame you are already claimed, but understandable really. You are a gem, though that kick you tried was hilarious” The Druchii continued. Hearing about the wild failure made Es blush and shuffle her feet, but the Druchii wasn’t done yet. Walking around behind Es, she’d put her hands on the woman’s thighs.

“You ne-” she started, before Estaria jumped from the touch and backed away. 

“Don’t just touch me like that. Please” Estaria spoke, looking at the woman cautiously. Though it was the wrong way to go about things, as the Druchii surged forward, pushing Estaria against the wall and holding her chin tightly to stare into her eyes. Estaria didn’t move, not wanting to do anything rash and ruin the whole thing. 

“Please? Haha, ohh, pet, you are adorable. The World’s treasures exist for the Strong. It is paltry, pathetic, and degrading to beg for something, and only solidifies your nature to be crushed under heel by your betters. The Strong take, the Weak obey. So-” the Druchii moved in close and whispered in Estaria’s ear. “-Make your choice. Take, or Obey~”

As much as Es didn’t want to start anything, she had her limits, and they had just been reached. Thrusting a punch into the Druchii’s gut, Es slide out from behind the wall, so there was plenty of room to maneuver. The Druchii rolled back, gasping for air for a few seconds before wheezing a few words.

“Yep. Like that” she staggered a bit before managing to right herself, and shake off the blow. “You just might be what we need to shake off the rust” the Druchii exclaimed, shaking her hair out and trying to regain her dignified pose while dealing with the pain of the gut punch. “I’m Triala, of the Witch Cult. And if you don’t mind, I would love to tutor you in the ways of bloodshed. You had a decent run out there but it was raw, wild, and untamed. I can only imagine the beauty that you’ll be able to paint once you are fully trained”

Despite the terrible first impression, Estaria couldn’t deny that she was lacking in the unarmed vein. And she had made her stance clear in a way that Triala seemed to accept, so she probably didn’t have to worry about that happening again. So she accepted the woman’s offer and got into the training grounds. Here, Gladiator and Slave fought each other to keep fit and keep sharp, or struck dummies to perfect their blow. Triala claimed themselves a dummy and began teaching how best to fight with only yourself as the weapon.

There were some analogues to swordsmanship, but also some differences, and it would take Es a while to really get comfortable with this whole thing. Was a real toss-up between getting a sword and fighting how she knew, and sticking with her fists to fight in a way that would get her known. The training helped her grasp more than just the basics, and after a few hours she was throwing punches in a more comfortable gait than close combat brawling.

“Stealing my girl already, Triala?” came Filnon’s voice from behind. Looking back, Triala rushed over and lept into Filnon’s arms, getting spin around by the Druchii in a display of delight that Es thought was beyond the whole race.

“Well, you know how the world is. When you find a pretty gem, take it before another can” Triala replied, looking back to Estaria. “And you found the prettiest of gems indeed~ Your sisters are watching, Filnon”

With that, the Witch would leave Estaria in Filnon’s hands and head off back to her own training, only having come out to see Filnon’s new toy. 

“Friend of yours?” Estaria asked, keeping the bobbing weave of her combat flow going so she could engrave it into her very muscles. 

“Yea. The Witch Cult is a close-knit place, as Druchii go. I’m still not enthused around them, but they at least would get an explanation before I stabbed them” Filnon explained, stepping over and watching Estaria run through the basic five step drill. 

“You seemed pretty happy with her” Estaria commented, a casual observation.

“It would crush her heart to tell her how I actually feel. And I don’t do things that cruel without reason” Filnon would reply, and then before the conversation could go any further, she nodded to the training dummy. “So. Fisting”

 The tone and eyebrow flick was enough to make Estaria snort, and turn her head away.

“Do you have to be so crass?” Estaria asked, though there was no hiding her amusement. Some things, you just never grew out of.

“Yes” was the straight and direct answer, said with such a serious tone Es couldn’t help but laugh some more. And then she recovered and looked to the dummy in front of her, putting on an exaggerated upper-class accent. 

“The Noble art of Pugilism is an honored pass time of the Nobles of the Empire. It is fitting that I engage in this art, to polish it to the highest possible degree” Estaria would then give the signature look of superiority, but shattered when Filnon started laughing. No doubt a sign of madness to be having this childish moment of laughter in the situation they were in, but it was important to be able to relax from time to time. 

Getting back to the training, Filnon added in a few more pointers, until Estaria felt that she had it all down and could replicate it in a heartbeat. A good first training session, even if hanging around for four hours raised a lot of eyebrows. Heading out from the training grounds, Filnon pulled Estaria off the beaten track to go to a small cafe, where they got some breakfast and sat opposite one another. It was times like these that Estaria could almost forget the situation she was in. 

“So” Filnon would exclaim when they were eating. “Logistics for the future. I was delayed coming down because the Arena Manager wanted you in more fights. And also one of the minor nobles here wanted to fight you because he liked Jack The Knife, and was angry you killed him. I managed to placate him for now, but you might come face to face with him in the arena some time, so just be prepared for that. I can talk to Triala about getting you into the training ground there so we can farm tokens and sort out the equipment problem” 

Filnon was pretty administrative when she needed to be, which was good for them both, but Estaria raised an eyebrow at her priorities.

“And the clothing problem?” Es put in, though Filnon just grinned.

“I don’t see a problem. It is getting you noticed wherever you go. People will spread the word of my Crimson Whirlwind, and then we’ll get better fights. Though, I will say. If you make a show of it and get the crowd to adore you, I will make you a new uniform that is more..covering” 

Filnon’s offer was not exactly sound, but the reasoning behind it was hard to ignore. Nobody could deny she was attracting attention dressed up like this. And winning arena fights, dressed like this? That absolutely would get them the reputation they needed in the arena to get into the big leagues. So, after delaying for a bit, she blew out her breath and nodded.

“Fine. Fine. I’ll play your character. It won’t be the first time I’ve managed discomfort for the sake of what I can get out of it” Estaria exclaimed, sitting back in her chair for a few seconds before looking to Filnon with a sharp stare. “Have you looked into the tattoo problem?”

Filnon scooped the last of the food up and nodded, quite enthusiastic in her tone when she began to speak.

“Mmm! There are a few traits I can pick up in the coming levels that reduce how much xp you lose. They clone the exp you gain, rather than just taking it. There are three of them, and if we get all three of them, I will be getting 50% of your gains while you simultaneously keep 100% of your gains. Effectively creating ghost experience” 

That was definitely a cause for enthusiasm, to be sure. A temporary discomfort in exchange for an advantage in the future. And if Filnon had traits…Estaria opened her own screen and scanned the trait list, eventually finding three of her own that did the same as Filnon’s and created ghost experience. The two of them together would allow Filnon to gain 90% of Estaria’s exp while Estaria kept 100% of her exp, effectively almost doubling their earning. Of course, 3 traits was 12 levels worth, which was a while away…

“So I am keeping this mark” Estaria commented, looking up and explaining her reasons, which made Filnon’s little eyes light up with delight. The time and effort it would take to get these rewards would be absolutely well worth it. 

“When we pull this off…ohh, there is going to be levels for days. I’m actually excited now. Come on, I am not putting this off for later, let’s go talk to Triala” Filnon stood, dropped some money, and then practically dragged Estaria off. Fame, Fortune, Power, and The Truth, were all on the horizon. She was close enough to taste it~