Lowlife, Scoundrel, Bandit Queen

I'm a little impressed by the graceful way the tattooed woman slips in between the ropes to get into the ring without ever slowing down. I'm pretty agile myself and I'm not quite sure if I could have pulled off a graceful entrance like that. I'm not quite sure what her role in this whole business is, but she certainly isn't just a low level grunt. Could she be the actual ring master hiding in plain sight?

The crowd quiets down as she raises her bare arms to get everyone's attention. Those arms too sport intricate tattoos all the way down to the fingertips as far as I can tell. Damn, just the thought of getting the back of my hands or fingers tattooed like that makes me shiver. And those tattoos don't end where they disappear under her clothes either. No doubt about it. That takes some serious dedication.

She is one of the women who flanked the man I took to be the ring master the last time we were here. Could it be that we were mistaken? Or is she just one of his trusted, hand picked assistants? That too is of course a possibility. It could be a little like with our guild too. Maybe there is no strict, absolute hierarchy?

Sure we have a hierarchy. Jerzy and his brother, they obviously have some clout, but I have no idea so far if one of the two is actually our guild master. And of course there is Wiktor too. In a way that woman reminds me a little of him. Yes, that could be it. That would mean that she could be quite dangerous.

Finally, as quiet descends, she speaks up. Her voice easily carries to every corner of the barn which has filled up nicely, at least down here on the ground floor where the common rabble like us is up and about. The seats on the second floor are still mostly empty.

"Alright, gals and lads, welcome back with us! I'll tell you, it's good thing that you're here early today! You're in for such a treat! All treat! No trick! I'll tell you! You better believe it! Usually you'd only get a fight like this late in the night. Not this time though!"

She pauses briefly, to build a little more suspense.

"We couldn't in good conscience mix these two in with the new comers though. That would be too brutal even for us. Let the new faces duke it out among themselves first so they can gather a little experience, before they'll get to face one of these two forces of nature."

The announcer turns to gesture at Sylwia.

"In this corner we have Sylph. She has only been here once before, but she already made a lasting impression with you! Love her? Hate her? Let us hear it!"

Sylwia straightens up and enters the ring with a cocky grin spread across her face, as the crowd goes wild. Some are cheering. Others are booing. It seems there is no one who doesn't have an opinion, a very strong one at that, here.

I join the faction cheering for Slyph too, because doing nothing right now would be the picture book definition of suspicious. And what else would we do but cheer for our companion anyway?

"You go! Smack them silly!"

Matylda chimes in too.

"Show em, Sylph!"

Finally the announcer turns to the other corner, gesturing with a little extra flourish. Some people might think that this implies that she has a favorite, but I'm pretty sure that isn't it. She just gives the crowd what the crowd wants when one of their favorites is introduced.

"And in the other corner, a fighter you know and love! The man who smacks his opponents about as if they were lumps of dough, Oliwer!"

That certainly is some introduction. She doesn't even need to prompt the crowd to go wild. It seems the people really like him. There is a whole lot more cheering than booing. Well, we can't really have that.

"Boo! I bet you aren't half as dough as you act! Boo!"

Matylda almost chokes on the drink she got herself, doing a spit take, as I start smack talking Sylwia's opponent at the very top of my lungs. She isn't the only one who takes note of my words either. I earn a lot of incredulous looks, but a few chuckles too.

The announcer shoots me a look too. I'm not quite sure what she might think in detail, but she certainly seems amused. Entirely unlike the man getting into the ring across from Sylwia. If he would glare at me any harder I might actually drop dead. Either that or his eyes could pop out of their sockets.

Never mind though. A notification whispered in Fox's clearly amused voice makes me almost forget about the brute.

[*Ding!* Your skill Bluff has leveled up to level 8!]

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

Oh! Sweet! This one counts towards the progress of my masked mediator class. Even better though I can feel my charm and magic power improve indirectly as well.

A moment later an identification skill washes over me. It doesn't manage to penetrate my [Shrouded Soul] skill, which improves a little once again, but this one felt particularly unpleasant anyway. Oh! He didn't, didn't he? I'm almost certain that he just used an appraisal skill. The kind of identification skill usually reserved for objects. I promptly refocus on the man introduced as Oliwer, to glare at him in turn.

I'm not sure if it's the glare or simply the fact that his skill failed to provide the information on me he probably expected. It probably doesn't even really matter what the exact reason is. The result is that my [Intimidate] skill makes some progress.

It's just one more reason not to back down. No, quite the opposite is true. If anything, now is the time to press the attack. I increase my scowl and glare combination and I up my smack talk some more as well.

"You go Sylph! Twist his arms! Until, you know, he's pretzel shaped and cries for his mommy!"

There are a few more laughs this time around. Seems the crowd can appreciate a nice pun. Matylda meanwhile does another spit take, but Sylwia doesn't seem to mind. She just chuckles. And as the noise from the crowd slowly dies down again, while the announcer leaves the ring, she picks up on my last barb. Her words, directed at her opponent, drip with venom.

"Well, I do love pretzels. Lad, you better get ready to get your ass fried."

Next to me Matylda whimpers a little.

"Don't make him mad like that."

I don't think anyone but me heard that. She isn't wrong in general. Usually making an opponent mad like this is not wise. Sure you want them to get careless, but you don't want them to actually fall into an utterly thoughtless rage. That makes them unpredictable and thus more dangerous than necessary. I don't think we have to be afraid of that though. Sure, the guy is angry now, but not to the point where it would become a problem.

And the time for talk of any kind is over anyway. From the sideline the announcer calls out again.

"Alright! Let's get going! Let your fists do the talking! I'm curious if they can keep up with your loose mouths!"

After that there is no more holding back. At least not for the spectators all around the ropes of the ring. The cheering goes both ways. Some root for Sylwia or rather Sylph, while others are firmly behind her opponent.

It's not bad. Not as far as the spectacle is concerned. Not for the raccoon gang running the racket either probably. This isn't the kind of fight where a lot of money will change hands, but some bets have been placed. Enough to make sure the gang, and the city guard too, gets their cut no matter which way the result swings. It's just the way it is.

As far as I'm concerned, I'm reduced to a spectator for now. Everything else is in Sylwia's capable hands. Well, at least unless I want to do something that would result in a riot. Well, a small one at least. People who stand to either loose or win money usually do not take kindly to cheating or straight out table flipping. Of course the option of flipping the table is not off the table, but that is very much a measure of last resort. For now I watch as the two in the ring start to circle each other.

It's the baker boy who acts first. He goes all in with his attack, trying to catch Sylwia with two hooks, one a left, the other a right. Sure, those look like there is a lot of power behind them, but in the end they are too obvious and too slow. He should have gone for two straight punches instead. Maybe then one would actually have connected.

As it is, Sylwia deflects both. I would have dodged, but I can see why she went for this approach a moment later. By deflecting his attacks instead of dodging them, she manages to move up and step inside his defenses. Instead of going for a punch she slams her forehead into his face though.

There is hollering, cheering and groaning in equal measure, as the ruthless attack connects, sending the man stumbling back with a bloodied nose. She is off to a good start and the crowd seems to like it too.

As the guy wipes away some blood with the back of his hand and Sylwia starts circling again, like a shark that has smelled said blood, I take my attention of the fight itself for a moment, to risk a glance at the tattooed gang members. Especially to take in how they are taking the fight and its development.

Is this how they expected it to turn out, or not? Do they even care? And if, how so? Trivial as it may seem, this is what will matter in the long run. So far they don't seem clearly invested in the outcome of the fight. They do pay close attention though. If we have to confront them eventually they will probably be well aware of her capabilities.

It's not unexpected. She is the one in the ring after all. It would be silly to assume that they wouldn't study her and especially her fighting style in detail. She will be the well known threat, drawing our opponents attention towards herself. It's a curious position she finds herself in. She is part anvil against whom we may smash any opposition and part bait. She has to appear both tough and yet vulnerable.

Well, I for my part am glad that I'm not in her position, although the progress she should be able to earn for her skills is probably pretty nice. I certainly wouldn't say no to those either.

Then, just as I return my attention to the fight I can feel the gaze of someone else on me. Not because the person is using an identification skill. No, this is something different. I can feel the small hair at the back of my neck stand on end. Oh yes, this is something I haven't felt in a little while. It's my [Danger Sense] both acting up in warning and progressing a little at the same time.

It's the announcer, of that I'm pretty certain even though I only dare glance her way briefly out of the corner of my eyes while pretending to focus on the fight again. She is at the side of the apparent ring leader again now. I'm certain now though. She is dangerous. Judging by the strength of my skill's reaction not quite to the same degree as Lady Izolda, but she still is someone I shouldn't trifle with.

Sylwia in the meantime is taking potshots at her opponent in the ring. At the same time she keeps deflecting his more powerful hooks while actually blocking his faster but slightly less powerful straight punches. Not the approach I would pick, but this is very much her fighting style. She just soaks up attacks I'd rather dodge altogether.

It takes me a while to realize that she is actually lulling him in, focusing on punches herself. He is so focused on defending against the attacks she delivers with her fists that he barely pays any attention to her legs at all.

Finally, after toying with him for a bit, when he brings up both of his hands to block a powerful punch she pretty much spells out for him, she switches tracks.

The lads eyes widen in surprise and he lets out a strangled groan, as her foot smashes into his exposed side. Silence descends and a moment later he keels over, clutching his abdomen. He isn't unconscious, but he certainly isn't getting back up. Not right away and not by the time the announcer gets back into the ring either.

The announcer grabs Sylwia's arm and raises it high, while Oliwer's pals drag him out of the ring.

"We have a winner! The fabulous baker boy has been blown away by the wind. Let's hear it for our winner, Sylph!"

And the crowd does cheer. Not halfheartedly either. No, it downright goes wild, and so do Matylda and I as Sylwia slinks over to us with a big grin on her face.