Our whole class went to the very back of the building until reaching a dead-end... for ordinary people, at least. For witches, It lead down a long series of catacomb-like stairs with torches mounted on the walls to light the way down, our steps echoing as we continued even lower until reaching a hallway. Light could be seen at the end of the tunnel which overwhelmed us once we crossed its threshold, forcing most of us to heavily squint our eyes until we adjusted...
In there, we were met with a large arena in the middle of the room, surrounded by a podium standing at a higher level and acting as the walls of said arena. We used to hold matches in the north area of the forest that was near the town, but ever since military activity grew last year we had to ditch the place and build one way below the church. Was it a good investment? Well, considering it was built by an acquaintance of the school's director, which made it pretty much free... I don't think you don't need me to say it.
"Good day, girls! Why do you look so anxious? It's a big day, you know!"
A voice boomed from the center of the room, which turned out to be the combat teacher and the one responsible for the last part of the test. This is Mrs. Bridget, an enthusiastic woman with maple-toned skin and a short afro hairstyle. While not as tall as Mrs. Charlotte she definitely wasn't average either, easily taller than all of us. Her eyelashes were looking pretty as ever– she keeps telling us they're natural, but it's a little suspicious how they're always in such good condition.
"As you know, this is the final part of your test! You are to engage in a little fisticuffs among yourselves in 1v1 matches. This is to see your progress in the Arts that you were taught and what fighting style you've developed!"
She said, throwing some random but precise jabs at the air on her right to keep us invested. Some of the girls were already dreading their fights, looking fatigued at the mere thought of being in combat... good lord, have some spine, will you?
"Anyway, start wiping off those worried expressions on your faces and get your heads in the game, ladies! Your matches have already been decided as soon as you stepped inside– specifically, the order in which you came in."
Some of us tilted our heads at these news, myself included. What, were we gonna be paired up like, even numbers against odd numbers?
"Let me make it simple for you. Those who entered as even numbers will be facing off against those who entered as odd numbers! Sounds fair, no?"
Oh wow, we actually are... Mrs. Bridget was always so peculiar when it came down to deciding matches, hence the randomness the girls and I mentioned. Well, I'm fine with anyone. I did plan to make it flashy regardless of who I'm up against.
Mrs. Bridget hummed to herself rather loudly while she stared at us, deciding who would start off the first match of many more to come. A sudden glint flashed in her eyes; she probably made up her mind, which became obvious once she raised her hand to point at two students.
"Alright, you two! You can have the honor of kicking off today's mock battles!"
I looked around to see who she was pointing at exactly. One of them was Abigail, surprisingly enough, while the second was... some random girl who looked as light as a feather, her blonde bangs covering her eyes almost entirely. And judging how much she tried to remain unseen, she probably cursed her luck. Not only was she going to be the first to fight, but she was also made to fight Abigail of all people– she was pretty fit, her muscles toned underneath her uniform... though now looking at it better, her legs do give you a rough idea of how strong she is.
Both her and the shivering girl walked forward to the arena, while everyone else made their way onto the podiums. Olivia and I sat together, expectant. We haven't seen Abigail fight since last year, so we were pretty curious to see how much she improved. As they stood opposite to each other from a moderate distance, the teacher spoke up to set down some ground rules.
"Before starting, remember! You may continue fighting until either person gives up or is physically incapable of continuing! Death Arts are also to be very limited in their usage, leaving it for only support or defensive reasons. Is that understood?"
"Eyup, loud 'n clear."
"Yes..."
I couldn't help but frown at the sorry sight before me, and I'm sure Olivia herself was somewhat uncomfortable too. The meek blondie was basically shaking like a leaf... this would probably end in a few seconds.
"This can't be fair."
"Yes, I agree... this match seems rather one-sided. But knowing Abigail, she's bound to show some mercy."
"Yeah, true. She doesn't like easy or annoying fights."
"Ladies, ready your wands!"
Mrs. Bridget shouted, signaling both Abigail and blondie to prepare themselves. Witches used a number of items in order to cast their spells with greater efficiency or convenience, with most going for wands, books, and staffs. But the Whelsing Church? We opted for sharper objects, like knives or daggers. Considering the Arts that we learned–specifically pain and sacrificial arts–it was sound sense. Abigail had a ring on her ring finger with a small retractable blade within, while the blonde girl with bangs had a kitchen knife of sorts with her, holding the handle tightly with a shaking grip.
"... Begin!"
Right as Abigail was ready to take it easy on her and make an obvious attack, the other girl caught pretty much all of us off guard. She immediately cut into the palm of her hand, performing a Pain Arts to enhance her speed– appearing like a blur due to how unexpected the approach was, leaving even Abigail herself surprised. The girl tried to flank her from behind to get in a backstab, only to have her hand caught and suddenly slammed into the ground. The force used made her bounce off the hard floor, easily getting her to see stars.
Her ears were probably ringing from the impact... yet even so, slowly but surely, she got back up again, looking exhausted. Abigail huffed with a small smirk– she respected the way she took action, immediately going for tactics instead of cheap shots. The blonde student's palm kept bleeding from the cut she made on it which served as an offering to perform a Sacrificial Arts. By offering up the blood she shed, she granted herself a greater physical boost across the board. Abigail couldn't help herself from smiling widely– she liked the way this girl fought, respecting her commitment to direct combat than some ranged nonsense.
With gritted teeth and a fearful, but determined expression, she dashed through the arena, cutting the distance between herself and Abigail close within mere instants– the latter of whom made use of the hidden blade in her ring to make a cut on a finger, performing a Pain Arts for an overall boost also.
Abigail sent a straight jab to the girl's face, which got evaded by her ducking down and delivering a cut on her leg. It seemed like blondie had the speed advantage, narrowly avoiding her opponent's strikes and slowly chipping away at her. Slashes and cuts rained on Abigail; though only skin thin, it was pretty clear she was a bit outclassed due to the size difference.
"Color me impressed... she's hanging in there pretty damn well."
"Not even hanging in there. If it were anyone else, one would think she has Abigail on the ropes."
Olivia was right. If the blonde girl had fought anyone else, she might have won from the start without many issues, if any at all. She was probably seeing a glimmer of hope from her own performance; that somehow, someway, she might actually win. Thinking she had weakened her enough with a multitude of bleeding cuts, the girl with bangs back stepped to the walls of the arena. She built up strength by offering up more of her blood with another Sacrificial Arts, her leg muscles bulging with power. Then, like a bullet, she shot towards the other student with both of her hands gripping her knife, ready to deliver the finishing blow.
... Unfortunately for her, she was up against Abigail. She stopped her momentum entirely, the blade of the girl's knife caught between the bigger girl's fingers. Blood dripped but with only surface level damage done.
"Atta girl. You made this pretty worthwhile for me after all."
Abigail said, looking down at the blonde whose face went from hopeful to one that screamed "I'm screwed". She was then flipped over to the other side, her knife thrown and now her wrists snatched, then pushed back until crashing against the opposite wall of the arena. Her eyes–which had been closed as soon as her feet left the ground– slowly opened, a bit disoriented with a momentarily lost gaze.
Once she came to her senses, she found herself in a pretty embarrassing situation. There she was, both of her hands pinned against the wall with Abigail looming over her... very close to her face, which helped her appreciate the farm girl's rather handsome features.
"Close, but still very far. You did better than I thought."
Seeing her face in such close detail, the difference in their size and bodies so close, her voice that was barely above a whisper... it became too much for the blonde to handle, becoming a flustered mess, and thus, unable to keep fighting.
"And that's the match! Abigail wins!"
A series of cheers and claps ensued within the spectators who watched the whole thing. Olivia seemed rather content with how the fight turned out.
"That was very fascinating. It went completely different to what I imagined."
"Yeah... no kidding."
I said, drier than I intended it to sound. It's not that I didn't like the fight... far from it, it was a strong start for the first match. It's just that I was more busy on the way things ended. If I didn't know any better...
... I think Abigail awakened something in that poor girl.
[End of Chapter 6]