The roar of the crowd woke me from my slumber. I had been laid outside the mass of Hunters that formed the ring to recover from what I assumed was a scaly punch to the face, but I honestly wasn’t sure. I touched my swollen cheek and winced, confirming that my face had indeed been punched. Djadja had knocked me out cold with a single blow.

  "Ersabet wins the first round!" Roan yelled to the crowd. My scattered thoughts slowly fell back into place, and I made my way to my feet.

  I could barely see Ersabet through the crowd, so I gently pushed my way through. At first, I'd catch an angry glare, but they parted for me when they recognized my swollen face.

  Ersabet’s eyes found me as I emerged from the back of the crowd. I gave her a thumbs up, which she returned with a neutral nod.

  At the far end of the ring, an unconscious human was being carried out. He was a big guy, but it seemed like she had no trouble dealing with him.

  "And now, we ask that a second-tier fighter steps forward to test our newest initiate!" Roan said.

  The crowd gasped when a Kurksin stepped forward. Apparently, this was seen as odd from the audience's perspective. I imagined Kurskins were only allowed to fight in the final round, but they had decided to make an exception for Ersabet.

  For her part, she didn't seem to mind her new opponent one bit.

  "Please introduce yourself to me before I dispatch you,” she said.

  The Kurskin hissed at her. "If you want my name, come take it. Defeat me, and I will tell you."

  Ersabet shrugged. "As you wish."

  Roan started the match, and the Kurskin bolted forward and went low for a tail sweep. With a graceful side flip, Ersabet avoided the tail and positioned herself to land a swift punch into the crouched Kurskin's face.

  He scrambled backward and rose to his full height, which was still shorter than Ersabet. He showed his teeth and attacked, but she had better range and prevented him from getting close enough to land any meaningful blow.

  The way she moved in combat was mesmerizing. She was so fluid, never wasting energy, bobbing and weaving like she was as weightless as a flower. Her every move was calculated and executed with precision.

  Ersabet was beautiful and terrifying.

  The Kurskin had thrown and wasted at least thirty punches in less than a minute, not including the kicks he had failed to land. He was tiring quickly; his strikes were slowing.

  When Ersabet landed a stiff knee on his side, the direction of the fight changed dramatically. The Kurskin almost caught her with a right hook but missed by an inch. Ersabet punched the spot she had just injured, and the Kurskin yelled out in pain.

  She leaped into the air, and I thought she was going to kick him in the face for a moment, but instead, she wrapped one leg around his throat and the other around the back of his neck. She spun around him until she had enough momentum to make her move. She twisted her hips and launched the Kurskin hard onto his back, her legs still wrapped tightly around his throat.

  "Do you yield?" she asked him in a sweet tone.

  His only response was a muffled hiss as he tried desperately to pry her leg from his throat.

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  "Fine." The muscles in Ersabet's long legs flexed even more as she tightened the hold on the Kurskin.

  The lizard's eyes bulged, and with three taps on her leg, he submitted.

  Ersabet released him immediately and hopped up to her feet. There were cheers, but I noticed those cheers only came from the humans.

  I whooped and gave her a double thumbs up. She winked at me, which surprised me more than her victory. Ersabet might actually have a personality underneath that cold, unreadable exterior.

  "A decisive victory for Ersabet!" Roan shouted into the crowd of Hunters. “Ersabet and her companion, John, have already proven they have what it takes to join our Order." Roan held up a finger. "But there are some monstrosities in this world that could kill even the best of us with a single swipe of their talons. This is why we test ourselves; to prepare for the battles to come.”

  He turned to Ersabet. "Are you ready to face your final opponent?”

  "Indeed,” she said.

  "Then I ask our Order to send out someone who can truly test her mettle!" Roan bellowed.

  On the other side of the ring, a group of Kurskins, including Djadja, argued about who should step forward. I could tell that Djadja was campaigning for himself, but there was another who wished to challenge her. This Kurskin was a big one. His thick arms were dusty white, and his face had a light blue tint, which eerily complemented his brilliant blue eyes.

  After some time, Big Boy won out over Djadja, and so the blue-white monstrosity of a Kurskin stepped into the ring."

  And that's when Ersabet started laughing.

  "What is so funny, blue demon?" her opponent said.

  Ersabet regained her composure and pointed to him, "I know you. I’ve seen you fight in arenas years ago.” She cocked her head. “But I don't remember seeing you win anything. You're no champion like Prajio Vrentris. You're the bottom rung of the ladder that he used to climb to the top."

  I barely had time to process what she said before the enraged Kurskin bolted forward, attempting to tackle Ersabet to the ground, but the lithe Dalari flipped seven feet in the air and landed gracefully behind him. She then rocketed her shin right under his tail and between his unsuspecting butt cheeks.

  The Kurskin howled in pain and collapsed to his knees. Ersabet leaped onto his scaly back while he gasped through the pain.

  He leaned forward, putting his hands on the ground, unwilling to fall to the stone floor. Ersabet moved up his back and locked her legs in a death grip around his throat. It looked like he was giving her a pony ride.

  The Kurskin didn't have the strength to dislodge her, yet he refused to give up.

  All it took was for Ersabet to lean back a few more inches, tightening the pressure on his throat, for him to fall to the ground, finally unconscious.

  Roan rushed in to check and make sure the Kurskin was alive. I noted that he checked for a pulse in a similar way to how he did with humans, just below the base of the jaw.

  The Kurskin did indeed have a pulse because Master Roan said, "Can two or three men please help me get Hunter Surach out of the ring? He'll wake up soon enough."

  Two humans and Djadja came forward to carry the fallen Hunter out of the ring.

  "Ladies and Gentlemen," Master Roan said, his voice proud and powerful. Today, we are honored. Mother Erda herself has blessed us with an individual of vast potential to help aid our endless quest to rid this world of malevolent beasts, unnatural beings, monsters, and creatures that do not belong. Today, fellow Hunters, we celebrate the initiation of two new members. I present to you Hunter John and Huntress Ersabet!”

  The crowd erupted into cheers, and Roan gestured me forward. He grabbed mine and Ersabet's hands and raised them in the air. The crowd cheered again, louder this time. They began to chant 'hunter, hunter,' but I noticed a certain demographic was not engaging in the celebrations. Each and every Kurskin looked like they wanted to cut my throat.

  The hatred they were projecting towards me paled in comparison to the vibes they were sending to Ersabet. From the look in their eyes, I'd be surprised if Ersabet survived the night.

  Master Roan had a few more proclamations, but the only one I actually heard was about an initiation party later tonight.

  Honestly, I could use a party. My thoughts had been teetering too much into the dark side lately, and that's a big no-no for me. Sometimes, it seemed like everything was hopeless, like there was no good in this world. When I thought like that, it made it easier to hate. Like the way I hated Prajio. Like the way I hated all the Kurskins. I didn't know if I hated Ersabet. I didn't want to. I didn't want to because I liked her. She was here for a chance to have her name etched in history, but she was also a person, complex and enigmatic. I couldn't hate what I didn't know, and as long as she kept helping me, I had no reason to hate her.

  I'd have to think about the rest of the Dalari, though. At the moment, they were high on my list of enemies.

  The point was that a party might cheer me up and clear my mind of these wasted thoughts. Hopefully, there would be alcohol.