By knife, and blade! And more knives! (Shiho/NINtoolLICA)

[Shiho]

Eastern Europe, in the remarkable year of 1663. The setting - a bustling bar in the northern part of town, second floor, with a brilliant evening sunlight sparkling in through the window. The stench of alcohol tasteful and tasteless envelops the air as the partygoers prepare for a night of drinking and the drunken. The floors are polished clean at the dawn of every day, with a sharp sheen like the reflection of a mirror. The tables hold sturdy despite the force of the crowd, and you can hear the beer filling the cups from the counter down below.

"Checkmate, ya bloody bastards!"

I proclaim my victory in the far corner of the bar. A chess match on a table by the far wall of the building, with a hefty sum of money on the line. Three pounds of banknotes each, wrapped in a bundle with golden string, for a total pool of six pounds.

The three men at the other end of the table look on as their loss had been confirmed. A complete checkmate from what should have been an easy victory. I snatch the money from their side of the table and set it into my bag. The would-be onlookers are all too drunk to make out such a small victory, though. It's a shame - sometimes an audience can be beneficial.

Names' Shiho. Shiho Esten Aglimarre. My grandmother traveled to this country from an island land across the deserts and mountains to the east. I've lived in this land all my life, traveling between a few of the nearby countries and making my fill of money through things like these for at least four or five years now. You'd be surprised how many people take on these absurd bets because they think a woman is an easy win. Or maybe because they hoped to be able to take advantage of the loss in some other way - the two are equally likely, to be honest.

21 years old, coming up on 22 next month. Light brown hair with a tinge of red, and black eyes upon a face more accustomed to foreigners from far-off lands. I've been told I have an alluring figure - breasts, hips, etc, but the compliments never feel sincere so I don't pay them much heed. Then again, I suppose that's because I'm not the type of a girl who gets to know someone very well. Compared to the waitress' clothing, what I have on might look like rags and scraps - a green shirt small enough that my stomach is slightly visible and short pants that only reach halfway down my thighs, along with a belt where I keep my knife in place - I have a few more spares in my bag too, usually kept slung along my shoulder. There's a pouch for water on the side, too.

"Waitress!~ One beer, please!"

Today's business is clear, so I head to another table and ask for a drink. I should be able to keep going for a few days with this, at least. Confident enough to take down those bastards by the chess table while drunk, too. They don't look like the type to know how to fight, nor do they really have anything like a weapon on-hand - even if they grabbed one from someone else, they wouldn't know how to use it.

All in all, a pretty good haul. Now there's just some drink, taking a quick bath and going to bed to prepare for morning.

 

[NINtoolLICA]

Eastern Europe, in the remarkable year of 1663. The setting - a bustling bar in the northern part of town, second floor, with a brilliant evening sunlight sparkling in through the window. The stench of alcohol tasteful and tasteless envelops the air as the partygoers prepare for a night of drinking and the drunken. The floors are polished clean at the dawn of every day, with a sharp sheen like the reflection of a mirror. The tables hold sturdy despite the force of the crowd, and you can hear the beer filling the cups from the counter down below.

"Checkmate, ya bloody bastards!"

I proclaim my victory in the far corner of the bar. A chess match on a table by the far wall of the building, with a hefty sum of money on the line. Three pounds of banknotes each, wrapped in a bundle with golden string, for a total pool of six pounds.

The three men at the other end of the table look on as their loss had been confirmed. A complete checkmate from what should have been an easy victory. I snatch the money from their side of the table and set it into my bag. The would-be onlookers are all too drunk to make out such a small victory, though. It's a shame - sometimes an audience can be beneficial.

Names' Shiho. Shiho Esten Aglimarre. My grandmother traveled to this country from an island land across the deserts and mountains to the east. I've lived in this land all my life, traveling between a few of the nearby countries and making my fill of money through things like these for at least four or five years now. You'd be surprised how many people take on these absurd bets because they think a woman is an easy win. Or maybe because they hoped to be able to take advantage of the loss in some other way - the two are equally likely, to be honest.

21 years old, coming up on 22 next month. Light brown hair with a tinge of red, and black eyes upon a face more accustomed to foreigners from far-off lands. I've been told I have an alluring figure - breasts, hips, etc, but the compliments never feel sincere so I don't pay them much heed. Then again, I suppose that's because I'm not the type of a girl who gets to know someone very well. Compared to the waitress' clothing, what I have on might look like rags and scraps - a green shirt small enough that my stomach is slightly visible and short pants that only reach halfway down my thighs, along with a belt where I keep my knife in place - I have a few more spares in my bag too, usually kept slung along my shoulder. There's a pouch for water on the side, too.

"Waitress!~ One beer, please!"

Today's business is clear, so I head to another table and ask for a drink. I should be able to keep going for a few days with this, at least. Confident enough to take down those bastards by the chess table while drunk, too. They don't look like the type to know how to fight, nor do they really have anything like a weapon on-hand - even if they grabbed one from someone else, they wouldn't know how to use it.

All in all, a pretty good haul. Now there's just some drink, taking a quick bath and going to bed to prepare for morning.

"Looks as though the party has started without me." Karbon said with a smirk as he placed his hand on the bar door and pushed it open. The noise erupted as the door made a soundproof barrier for the outside world. The smell of alcohol and cheap food filled the air as Karbon walked in. He looked across the crowd and noticed a group of his buddies were sitting together at the middle. Deciding to join them, he takes his broad sword off of his back and leans it up against the table, "evening gents."

Karbon looks like he has seen a lot of battles in his time, scars line up and down his arms and a prominent one appears across his face. His hair is short brown with sharp hazel eyes. Standing at 6 foot 2 inches tall and weighs 220 pounds. His body is toned but not overly muscular. He just came from work as a knight so he is dressed in his heavy armor, but doesn't seem like he has a helmet.

"Checkmate!" He heard a girl exclaim from across the way. He turned his head and saw her with a gleam on her face as the drunk guy sitting across from her looks on in bewilderment. "Well well, looks like we have a new face here boys." He hears her order another beer and decides that this is where he can make his move. As the waitress leaves her table with her beer, Karbon walks over and says, "Mind if I have a seat?" As he nudges the drunkard away.

 

[Shiho]

I bring the cup of beer to my lips, before a knight armored in iron comes up to my table.

"Mind if I have a seat?" He asks, moving a nearby drunkard who I pegged as harmless. I can see the other patrons are getting nervous at his arrival - the space around the table is suddenly free at patrons slowly back away from our location. Before now it was almost too loud to even hear myself think, but the man's voice is clear as crystal compared to the jumbled voices from earlier. I can't tell if his voice is loud enough to try and be intimidating or if his mere presence is enough to quiet the masses.

...I feel like he has a creepy smile. His demeanor is that of a man who acts like he owns everything he lays his eyes on, and it feels like he's staring at me like a hungry wolf glares at its next meal. I set my beer back on the table. Today just might be a bad day to get drunk again after all.

"Fine, fine. Sit where you will." While I say that, I nudge my seat a bit further from him out of safety.

 

[NINtoolLICA]

Taking a closer inspection of her, she doesn't seem all that capable of handling herself in a fight. Seemed like the perfect money making opportunity for him, but would she bite? He did notice that she doesn't mind gambling money, but then again, it was on a chess game, the furthest from any kind of contact activity like fighting. Sitting down, he edges his seat closer to the table and orders himself a beer as well. "Seem's like you like making money off of these poor saps." He tilts his head over at a drunker who is stumbling across the bar now, looking like he is about to lose his dinner. "But I take it you are looking for something... More." Leaning in closer on the table, "how are you with your combat skills?"

Karbon did notice a blade on her belt but the thing looked so worn that it probably couldn't even cut through a piece of paper. "Should be pretty easy money for me for sure." Karbon thought to himself if she was willing to take his bet.

He may be a knight but deep inside, he really hated his job. Protecting these kind of people? What have they ever done for him? Sure, it's good money and has its benefits from time to time but nothing ever exciting happens here that he finds himself just sitting around all day. He needs to create some action and if it's even just picking on this poor girl, it was enough for him.

 

[Shiho]

"No, I'll pass on that to be honest."

I've already got enough money for today, after all. Going for unnecessary risk is just suicide, especially if someone's out looking for blood.

"You want a drink?" I decide to pass my beer over to him. "Turns out I ordered the wrong one. Don't feel like something this strong at the moment, to be honest."

...I decide to keep watch for a bit, backing my chair up away from the table a tad more.


The sunset's rather bright outside - It hovers next to the clock tower to the west, enough to blind one's vision if you looked into it directly for too long. The town stretches on for almost as far as the eye can see, until you hit a great mountainside covering the horizon. It's starting to get late. Maybe I should head home before things get worse.

 

[NINtoolLICA]

Karbon studies her expressions a bit and then takes the beer. "Sure, I don't mind at all." He takes a big swig from it and sets it down with an "Ahhhhhh" sound afterwards. "Alright, well suit yourself then. I could even make it interesting for you that we wont even use weapons, just a straight up one verses one and, on top of that, not only will you win the wager money we put down, but I will even throw in my whole month's paycheck." He knew this has to catch her attention. With the way she is dressed, she looks like she could use all the money she could get.

"The wager doesn't even have to be money, it can even be a material item if money is what your low on." He picks up the beer again and finishes it off in another large gulp. He still has his other beer next to him too that he is about to start on. Karbon again studies her expressions and see if she becomes interested in his offer this time.

 

[Shiho]

"Money's not really a problem at the moment, to tell the truth. I have enough to last at least a few days and there are a lot of safer bets out there to take. It's a lot of money, but I can do without it."

Most notably is the fact that changing currencies is a bitch when you want to establish something the next country over. It's not exactly easy to use foreign money in a lot of places, so I'd probably end up throwing it away next time I move off. Beyond that, he has the advantage on a barehanded fight from his size alone.

"Besides, if I end up losing that's a good chunk of food I can't really eat anymore. When there's nothing established money comes and goes from day to day pretty quickly."

 

[NINtoolLICA]

"Fine, fine." Karbon says with a shrug of his shoulders and again, picks up his beer to drink about half the glass down and sets it back on the table. "If you ever want to reconsider the offer, I work for the knights at Culzean Castle, northwest of this bar." He points in the direction of the castle to show her the location. "There isn't much to do at this time since we haven't had an attack in years, so drop by even if you just want to chat."

Karbon stands up and grabs his glass, puts it to his lips, and chugs the rest of it. Putting the glass back down, he says, "Well it was nice meeting you Shiho, maybe we will see each other again." With that, Karbon turns around and heads back to the table with his friends. He says some words to them, shared some laughs, and then picked up his broad sword and attaches it back onto his back. With a bit of a wave, Karbon heads out of the door and onto the street.

His house wasn't too far from the bar so even if he was drunk, he could still make it home without much trouble. Stumbling a bit as the liquor started to take its toll, Karbon manages to get to his doorway and reaches for his key to unlock the door. With a small creaking sound, the door swings open and darkness fills the rooms just like the outdoors. "Gah, forgot to keep the fire going..." He mutters to himself as he makes his way cautiously through the room.

 

[Shiho]

"Waitress! Another beer!"

Five minutes after Karbon's departure, the situation seems to have calmed down. I'm already grabbing a next drink from the waitress, planning to drink down after another day's work well done. Considering he actually managed to leave me be, maybe he's not as bad as I thought at first. A troublemaker, sure, but not really bad inherently.

A few hours later, the sun's already set. It's about 9 or 10 PM if I'm remembering correctly - I'm a little dazed but it isn't too much. Beautiful stars shine down from above in the night sky, and the streets are lit with burning torches to mark the path home. I should be sleeping soon, after all-- If I don't, I won't be able to get up in the morning to start collecting money and buying food. After eating, it's probably best to-"Hyah!?~"

My body tingles as a runner slaps my rear as he goes by-- "Thanks for that, missie!~"

...I feel like hitting him, but he's already far ahead of me by the time I think to chase.

I check to see if I still have everything. It doesn't look like he took any clothes (obviously), my knife's still here, my money...

...Nine pounds of banknotes have vanished from my bag. I'm a little drunk and my butt is still tingling.


After stopping by home to pick up something, it takes about twenty minutes for me to stop by Korban's castle. The guards let me in without too much difficulty when I explain what I'm here for.

The inner hall is large and luxurious - an empty stone floor with no furniture to speak of, only a single exquisitely crafted chair, likely for meetings with the castle lord, on the other side of the wall. Large pillars rise to the top to keep it supported, and from them hang green banners with the castle emblem emblazoned upon them.

"Hey!" I shout.

"I'm here for Karbon about a deal. Is he here?"

 

[NINtoolLICA]

A door opens at the west side of the castle and another knight approaches Shiho. "You asking for Karbon? Yes, he is at the training yard right now, I can show you the way." The knight swiftly turns on his heels and starts going through the door that he entered through. The hallway was filled with pictures of the lord and of his family, candles lit the way as the sound of burning wood crackles from a nearby stove. The air soon becomes filled with the rich aroma of food... Not just any food though, but roasted chicken.

The knight stops and points to another door. "This door will lead you outside to the training yard, he should be practicing on his sword skills right now so you can't miss him." The guard then walks past her and returns to his post.

 

[Shiho]

The night sky shines down from above, overflowing with a thousand stars glimmering in the distance. Below, the mountains - even further is the castle flag. Another step down, and you reach the castle itself, overlooking the town from the top of a hill.

I push open the doors to the training yard. Fresh grass covers the field like the day before a declaration of war - yet to be soiled by the blood of a thousand men and women. Footsteps of knights running laps across the training yard's length cover the outer boundary after years of use. Training dummies lie on the far wall damaged and cut by the edge of a blade. A chilled wind rushed throughout the arena - If I had known I'd be out here this long, I'd have brought a scarf or some longer pants. It was much warmer than this in the morning.

"Karbon! Are you here? We have a gamble that needs solving." I shout out and wait for his arrival.

 

[NINtoolLICA]

With a vicious strike, Karbon brings his broad sword vertically down onto the training dummy. Almost as though a flash of light appeared in the center of the dummy, a thin line traced where Karbon's blade had cut through. Then, the training dummy fell over in two perfectly symmetric slices to the ground. "Heh... Not bad... Need to get quicker though." With that though, Karbon heard a voice call his name!

"I wonder if that's the Shiho girl I talked to earlier..." He looked over at the enterance to the castle and saw the same girl he met at the bar. "Well look at that... She actually came to visit." Putting his sword back onto his back, he brushed off the remaining dirt and sweat on his armor and walked over towards her. He could hear a couple of the other knights start to talk about why a girl was here but he didn't pay much attention to them.

"Well, to be honest, I wasn't expecting you to come at all, a gamble though, you mean about my wager?" Karbon asks placing both hands on his back and pressing forward to crack his back. "What made you change your mind all of a sudden?"

 

[Shiho]

"Bastardized thieves, apparently."

It's not a lie, in the end. I walk forwards to Karbon's position. I take out a wad of three pounds of banknotes and set them on the ground. The backup money I had left at home.

"After the actions of annoying little shit in a cloak, this is all the money I've got left. Usually I'd be able to try and get some more tomorrow, but this isn't even enough for a good meal in the morning after paying rent on my cramped-up room."

I unbuckle the knife from my belt and toss it back near the entrance. "One on one, no weapons other than our own bodies. I put down my money, and you the month's pay wager stated earlier. If mine isn't enough, we can talk about that if you manage to win. Understood?"

Finally, I take some spare gloves from my bag and put them on. I can expect them to be taking quite a use tonight.

"Also, set down the bloody armor. Not really fair to fight a lady dressed in a thousand pounds of iron, is it?"

I steel my mind and prepare for the fight, setting any extra unnecessary weight to the side. Everything is set.

 

[NINtoolLICA]

A grin curls on Karbon's lips as he hears her rules. "Sure, I can do that." Karbon starts to unhitch his armor. First, he unstraps his arm plates and drops them to the ground. Next he takes off his breast plate and throws it to the side. Taking off his leg guards next, he picks them up and the rest of the pieces near him and throws them to the side along with his breast plate. "Ahhh... This feels a lot better." Karbon says with a satisfying sigh.

"Now then... How shall we set the rules? First one to give up or passes out loses?" Karbon then starts to jump in place to warm himself up, throwing punches at the air. Thing is though, Karbon has never faced a female opponent before... He was used to overpowering male foes but this couldn't be any different right?

 

[Shiho]

"No arguments from me." I reply.

The fight 'begins'. I keep in place waiting for Karbon to make his move.

 

[NINtoolLICA]

Karbon, wanting to make this quick and all, goes straight for Shiho and tries to elbow her right in the gut! Karbon thinks to himself, "This is probably going to be the easiest three pounds I'm going to make in my life!"

 

[Shiho]

You know, everyone - it's not actually that hard to learn how to fight. It takes willpower, sure, but compared to waking up every morning to making money for food off of gullible men who always overestimate themselves? Not really something too difficult in the end. You just keep fighting and fighting and fighting and fighting and fighting until everybody else falls to the ground and--!

It isn't even a hard attack to dodge. He's charging at me from so far away that he has to run almost half the whole field. With someone as big as him, you wouldn't even need much warning before figuring out what to do.

I sidestep the blow to his right in one movement and his momentum almost carries him right past me. His right elbow is jutting out in front of him, and his arm is in no position to deflect a blow from here as a result. With the momentum from the dodge, I spiral inward, before carrying the force into a fist and sending it right towards his face!

 

[NINtoolLICA]

Seeing her body move like that was actually a surprise to him. Usually a man would just try to block it, making it easier for him to do a take down move but instead she sidestepped away. Seeing her punch coming right for him, Karbon instinctively ducked out of it and jumped back a bit, "I'm impressed... You actually use speed to your advantage rather than brute strength. But speed will only get you so far against me!"

With the distance a lot closer now, Karbon goes in to try and grapple her. He knew that his strength outmatched hers by a fair amount so getting her on the ground should be no problem.