The one day to show off

The crowd cheers. Blood flies. Another Magical Girl is taken out of the tournament after sustaining “reasonable injuries”. The winner gets her beating delayed for another round and is given a day break until the next round.

I’m not even sure why I’m here. I was just told to go, that I could be evaluated better. Sure, I guess I could use a fight or two around here. Even Eightball said I could use some. But then there are the differences. People are watching our every move. There is a prize for the taking, though this is mostly just about bragging rights. But I think the biggest thing of all is that this is real training. Hitting a big sack of sand is good and all, but here there is danger, there is injury and there will be blood. I guess I’m more experienced in that then some others here.

There are of course rules. No Culexus’ allowed, since it would be down-right unfair. Only use weapons that are a part of you, so no swordsman switching out for spears or knife-throwers going gunslinger. No using the audience, period. Nobody talks about the last time that happened. It’s better that way.

Fights are stopped after “reasonable injuries” are sustained, or death. Death is… easier to pull off, but stopping a fight without doing anything extra might be good in terms of honor, or something. Most don’t try that, they say it gives an extra adrenaline when your life is on the line, makes fights harder, last longer and more appeasing. You could always surrender, of course, but it’s considered the sissy way out.

But maybe… maybe I’ve had enough unnecessary death in my life already. Plus this officio is already filled to the brim with blood-thirsty killers. I’ve heard enough stories about the crème ala crème of the Eighth, and especially about the Wonderland Corps. They are probably looking for more of themselves out here, and their searching is easy.

All you need to look at is the gleam in the girls’ eyes when they fight. They tell everything.

“Oh, you’re here. Didn’t think I’d see you in a place like this.”  I already know where the soft voice comes from as I turn to the petite girl behind me. Short white hair barely touches her bare shoulders as the black/white dress goes down to her knees where her black stockings and boots take over. The biggest show is the red ribbons tied to her wrists that flow behind her, a lead to what she can do as a magical girl.

“Well I knew you would be here, Sami. This stuff is exactly what you like. Complete Eversor potential right here.” I know it’s this personality that makes me unlikable, even as I grin about it, but I’ve been around Sami to know she doesn’t care at all.

“I’m here to practice. If I win then I win.” She scans the room with her violet eyes, devoid of most emotion. It’s even scarier in combat. “I don’t get why people get so bloodthirsty over this stuff. Everyone who dies just gets brought back.”

“It’s because things have been going slow as of late. Plus some bloodlust is what the higher-ups are looking for in the group.”

“They just want stuff dead. Of course that’s what they want to see.”

“Good point.”

It’s not really much of a friendship other then just talking every now and then. We just happen to agree with stuff, including the necessity to be on your own to practice. It works out nice, at least when we agree with each other.

“Sami Richardson, Cloey Hughes, next to fight!” The announcement rings over the system, already energizing the audience for the blood to come. Sami already makes her way to the stage.

“Show them pain.” She gives this look at that… I can’t really decipher, and then enters the ring.

I should really teach her a lesson some day.

The two enter the big square that is the arena. It looks like her opponent, Cloey, is a vindicare from the revolver clearly stashed on her side. There’s probably one on the other side to. She doesn’t even bother transforming from the looks of it, though it’s probably because of her cheeky cowboy outfit. Sami’s already ready to go.

“Three, two, one, fight!”

*FWOOSH*

Samis’ first move is intimidation, immediately flourishing her ribbons to two extra, then four, eight, until she’s nearly surrounded in them. Cloey tries to take a few shots, but nothing gets through the barrier.

Then it’s over in seconds. Quick and clean, charging in followed by a few ribbon cuts to the abdomen, the arms and one straight to the head for a decapitation. All the while her expression never falters. It’s what makes her so devastating in combat. Either she never saw her coming so quickly or never had a chance to use her ability.

“The winner is Sami in our fastest match yet!” The crowd cheers, but Sami just leaves the arena and heads straight for the exit. A few come into the arena to gather the body and soul gem for reviving her, cleaning it up for the next fight.

My turn.

While making the tournament voluntary made things easier for the one’s who weren’t broken by reality yet, it has a slight downside; where not every girl knows what to expect when they enter. The last fight was over so quick because Sami knew what had to be done, while I could see the terror in the other’s face moments before her head was removed from her body. I hope the same doesn’t happen to my fight.

“Gina Falette, Alexi Gomez, next to fight!” The crowd cheers are a bit louder this time. True to Eightballs words, that mission in the museum made me quite popular among the newbie crowd. I know that it’s natural to look up to someone, but it doesn’t need to be the first MG who does something so “cool and awesome”.

…Okay, maybe I was asking for it for being so flashy, but at least I got a fight ahead of me with-

…Is that a mancatcher? Well, it’s a variation of one, but damn! It’s a spear in the front with a scythe-like curved blade in the back, meant to impale and drag people back. Due to the double-sided weapon, it’s held by a handle connected to the hilt.

Well this should be fun.

“Three, two, one, fight!”

…And she goes invisible. My fucking day.

I put as much focus as I can in the shield and walk out to the center. Even with any heightened senses I’ve gotten from becoming a magical girl won’t help me for long.  I need to react first to her going onto me, and the shield should…

There!

Too late, but it absorbs the first attack. Turning towards her I summon and swing the mace at her weapon to get it away, but she maintains grip.

That’s when I realize I don’t know how to fight against this weapon.

For a while I just delay the fight, reading her patterns and techniques. It may be boring but this is a part of practice. Retirements happen every year and there’s no telling me when the next one will be on my hands. The more you know about someone the easier they become to deal with, like Sami. Or if you want to turn it around, me.

“Come ON you stupid! Just fucking fight already!” She’s getting agitated for her lack of bloodlust as I successfully dodge or parry her attacks. But fine, if she wants action…

I force her weapon to slide a different direction using the small gap in my mace then desummon it. If I can’t fight her like that, I can bring the fight where it’s uncomfortable for her. I dash in for an elbow to the chest, a knee to the stomach, grabbing her free arm and putting it in a lock behind her where-

OW. Of course I forget it’s a fucking mancatcher. The scythe rear of the weapon finds a nice place in my backside, and it’s slowly digging in further. My magic boils as it seeks an exit point. I wrap an arm around her neck and release it there, a direct bolt to her upper body.

Now it’s fighting time.

We broke up after that. Well, more like we decided to stop putting each other in a painful position where neither of us could move so we could find our footing again.

That… sounds odd when I put it like that.

My opponent, Alexi I think it was, wastes no time in charging back at me with her weapon raised flat and in front of her. It’s an offensive move in a defensive form, so I just need to make her decide between the two or loose balance. I put up the gap in the mace again to catch the bar and use its forward force to slide myself under her, bringing the mace up as I do to hit her near her…

Well, nobody should really be hit there, ever. Men can make fun of it all they want, but it still fucking hurts. That’s why it works for me.

She doubles over, giving me the opportunity strike. One swift strike against her hips with the mace. Bones crack and break, the leg nearly disjoints, the spine rattles from the vibrations and she falls to the floor in more pain. After all of this she still attempts to get up, but trembles under her current load of pain, leaving her on her hands and knees.

“This was never a fight.” I coldly state as I walk to her, mace in hand and still itching to strike. “This is a lesson to you, to NEVER fight with someone like me!” The coup de grace is one massive blow to the center of her spine from up high and brought down hard. The spine breaks and shatters in a few places, even the ribs feel it. The heart stops for one second and the wind is knocked out of her.

My opponent falls completely unconscious, and soon after I’m declared the winner. Whoopy-fucking-doo.

I’m not so certain yet how I think of the crowds cheers. Is it because they want me to succeed? Are they proud of me incapacitating one of their fellow girls? Or are they just all savoring the bloodlust, for each round that someone nearly dies or does die?

Hell, if they needed more rabbits why don’t they just look at the audience?

Still, I savor the reactions. Their yelling, cheering, applauding, it makes you feel better. It’s somewhat good after almost killing a fellow girl, something to get your mind off of what had just happened in the few minutes past. I nod my head and wave at them as I walk myself out of the arena and out of the building. No smiling, though. That’s what they’re looking for. Just a limp, backstab still hurts like hell.

“Good job.” To my surprise, Sami stayed in the arena and joins me on the way out of the building. “Could have done it quicker. Why did you wait?”

“Was practice, ow.” I hold onto my back, still bleeding out. My magic takes care of it a little but it still hurts. “Just in case I ever get called to do a retirement. Plus I can now safely assure myself I want to try out that weapon.”

“Collecting trophies now?” Sami asks me, completely deadpan.

“Is there a problem with liking weapons?” I meant this partly as a joke, but her response was a sign of things to come.

“The world always turns it eyes to the ones showing theirs. You’ll be noticed eventually.”