Kayle and Paolo looked at one another and began to laugh. They both bowed and offered to allow the other to step first into the sparring ring. Kai walked to the far side and took a ready position. His sword held in his right hand, his left ready to cast mana bolt.

The two entered the ring and took up a ready stance across from Kai. Kayle smiled and Paolo cracked his knuckles. Someone on the side shouted. “Begin!”

Kai got a Mana Bolt off aimed at Paolo. His sword blocked a knife that Kayle was wielding. A fist smashed into his jaw and the lights went out.

Kai woke to a kind face that hovered just above him. “He’s waking up now.” The face turned away but continued to speak. “Please try not to break the new arrivals so quickly.”

“Hahaha, he delayed that punch with a simple Mana Bolt. Must have taken you twice as long to reach him as it took me.” Kai heard Kayle’s voice but hadn’t sat up yet.

“Hohoho, he must have seen me as the larger threat and that’s why he used the Mana Bolt on me. I saw him block one of your knives even. You must be getting slow if he was able to do that.” Paolo’s voice was a rich baritone. The soothing quality of the voice contrasted with the words he was saying about the fight.

“Ugh, what happened?” Kai sat up.

Alric smiled. “Paolo hit you is what happened. You’re pretty lucky you still have a jaw.”

Kai reached up and felt at his jaw, everything seemed to be in place. “Wow. That was fast. How on earth are you two so fast and so strong?” Kai looked at the two laughing men.

Paolo looked seriously at Kai, “There is no way on Earth we could have been. But on New Earth that’s a whole ‘nother story. Never underestimate anything anymore. Not people, not monsters, not even someone’s pet dog. There are things out there that could kill you just looking at you. Welcome to Donnyton. You need to get stronger. At least if you don’t want to be stuck having to join old man Kayle’s squad one day.”

The two men and their squads began to walk away. They resumed the argument about which was faster, stronger, better looking, it was a bit ridiculous, but so was that guy’s punch.

“And now for the sparring partner I had in mind for you from the beginning. She’s this way.” Alric offered his hand to Kai who waved it away and climbed to his feet. “She has also shown rapid progress for a new arrival. It will be good having you two train with each other.”

They walked further down the parade ground and arrived at a sparring circle where a familiar red head had her back to the two men as she performed a slow moving kata with Kai’s bokken. Kai couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “You want me to fight Emily?” He began to shake his head no. “That’s just not fair to her. I’ve been using a sword so much longer than her. This wouldn’t be a fair fight.”

Emily spun in place and leveled the bokken at Kai’s chest. “Who says I’m only using the sword?” A small flame played across Emily’s right hand as she held the bokken in her left. “You’re not the only one who has learned a thing or two.”

Alric chuckled at the tension. “Excellent. You two know each other. That makes the competition even better. Kai step into the ring and prepare yourself. And remember, no one is who they were before the world changed.”

Kai nodded at Alric’s words and stepped into the sparring circle. “Emily I’m glad you’re doing well. I missed seeing you when the group arrived in Donnyton. I wanted to-”

Emily didn’t wait for Kai to finish his sentence. She raised her left hand and a flame shot forward as he spoke. He dodged to the side at the last second barely out of the way at the last moment; another small firebolt was right behind the first. “Shit, shit, shit.” Kai cursed. He weaved between the small firebolts to within striking distance. The moment Kai stepped within her reach Emily struck with the bokken in her left hand. Off balance from his last dodge of a firebolt Kai took the blow across the top of his right shoulder and the bokken bounced into the side of his head. “Mother fucker. Em, that hurt.”

“Then learn how to dodge better and don’t take it easy on me. You shouldn’t have thought you’d beat me so easy.” Emily taunted. Kai jumped back and appraised Emily once again. The moment he was more than a meter away Emily shot another firebolt. The moment she cast it Kai noticed her face drain of color, she had bottomed out her mana. Kai capitalized on the mistake. He moved in and smacked her left wrist with his wooden practice sword, his old bokken that Emily had stolen went flying. He spun past her left side and smashed the back of her knee with quick kick. As she began to fall he fired a mana bolt right next to her head. He ass bounced on the ground and a small shriek escaped her as the mana bolt flew past.

“Never forget your situation when you’re in a fight for your life Em. Small mistakes can be life or death.” Kai stepped up to her and offered his hand to help her up. She took it, as he pulled her up Emily used her momentum to tackle Kai and take him to the ground. She rolled over him and grabbed the bokken from where it had fallen earlier when Kai disarmed her.

“Remember Kai, the fight isn’t over, until it’s over.” Emily reset her stance and began to move toward Kai as he got back to his feet. Kai crouched and waited for Em’s approach, the moment she was within two meters he exploded from his squatted position. She reacted well with a quick step back but it was what Kai had expected and why he already shot a mana bolt at the position she would land from her backwards leap. The mana bolt arrived at the same time she did and slammed into her stomach. This time Kai pulled no punches. Emily was doubled over from the mana bolt to her gut and Kai used Heavy Blow to smash her leg out from under her again. As she landed Kai climbed on top of her and held the wooden practice sword across her throat as his knees pinned her arms to the ground.

“Do you yield Em?” The smile gone from Kai’s face as he asked the question. “And I want my bokken back.”