Chương 10: “We Get Paid Extra if She Loses!”

Ch 10 "We Get Paid Extra if She Loses!"

Amber Fang stood at the gate of Misty Hollow Village with the Village Elder as the morning rays of sunlight flitted through the rising mist. She adjusted her wide black travel hat, feeling the comforting weight of her midnight green cloak against the new clothes Old Daisy had stitched for her. She yawned and stretched a bit to pass the time and loosen up her body.

"Here they come," the Village Elder said. The caravan had been traveling for days in a massive procession winding through the countryside. One hundred and twenty porters carried goods on their backs or on hand drawn carts, their faces weathered from countless journeys across the lands. 40 carts led by horses were in the back with 10 carriages led by horses in the front. Sixty guards with glinting spears flanked the caravan, vigilant eyes scanning the surrounding wilderness for any sign of bandits or beasts.

Among the twenty passengers were merchants, doctors, scholars, and other wealthy travelers seeking safe passage through treacherous territories. The caravan leader was a burly man named Guren. He had a short thick beard streaked with gray, and he rode at the front of the procession. His old steel armor still glistened somewhat under his dark travel cloak. As they neared the village gates, he signaled for a halt.

"We're behind schedule! Get the purchased goods offloaded and the new wares on. We leave in 6 hours!" Guren announced with a voice that shook the air. The caravan's porters and merchants immediately got to work in what looked to Amber like lines of ants, taking care of business in an organized chaos.

"Come child," the Village Elder told Amber as they began to approach the caravan leader.

"Guren! Good to see you prospering for another season."

"Elder. Good to see you are still among the living!" Guren replied.

"Many winters have tried to take me, none have succeeded," the old man laughed.

"As long as you keep buying my grain you'll be healthy as an Ox Bear!" Guren laughed back.

"I have a passenger I'd like you to take as well." The Elder said, grasping his long walking stick.

"Sure. Ya know the standard. 5 gold."

"I was also hoping you might hire a guard from me."

"A guard?" The rough looking but commanding caravan leader said with a puzzled stare.

"I got sixty good men right here!" He gestured.

"Ah, but how about warriors that fight with Qi?" The Elder asked.

"A coupla Rank 1s in my elite boys. But alright I'll bite. Let's see your man," Guren said, intrigued. The Elder motioned Amber to step forward, and the young girl clasped her fist and bowed to the caravan leader.

"My name is Amber! This humble one greets the esteemed leader." She bowed respectfully and used her best words. Her mother had taught her to always be respectful when meeting new people.

"Bahahahahaha!" Guren burst out laughing, "You only get funnier with age!" He slapped a large hand down on the Elder, who tried to appear sturdy under the large man's powerful hand.

"If you doubt me, feel free to test her yourself," the Elder said.

"Seriously?" Guren ceased his laughter, eyeing the girl closer.

"A mosquito might starve suckin' on 'er!" he said, unconvinced of the girl's value.

"I will pay you extra freighting fees if you truly find her unsatisfactory," the Elder said. The offer was enticing. Guren stroked his short beard and stared at the Elder.

"All right, alright, we'll give her a shot. But I don't hire useless people. Dante! Come on over here!" Guren yelled and motioned towards his guards. A tall man with broad shoulders stepped forward from the ranks of men. His armor was leather with steel shoulder and forearm guards polished to a shine, and a long spear was strapped to his back. His stern face wore a short goatee with long black hair framing it, the rest tied in a ponytail. He looked as if he had a touch of foreign blood.

"Captain," Guren said, "this young woman believes she can serve as one of our guards. Why don't you see what she's made of?" Dante's eyes narrowed as he assessed the young girl who seemed squeamish under appraisal.

"You can't be serious."

"Play with 'er," Guren replied with a shrug.

"She's got Qi supposedly. And we get paid extra if she loses!" A small crowd of villagers and guardsmen had gathered, attracted by the exchange and began to mutter.

"Fine," Dante sighed, "But playing with children doesn't require weapons." He laid his spear against a cart stuffed with merchandise, and took off his travel cloak. Seeing his actions Amber quickly mirrored him and took off her own cloak and bamboo hat. She also removed the obsidian knife that she now carried in her belt instead of her bag and set it aside. The crowd murmured. They formed a wide circle around the two as they walked away from the wares.

Although they could not sense his Qi, anyone could tell that Dante was a formidable opponent. He towered over the young girl, and his imposing demeanor said he had seen many more battles as well. Amber rolled her shoulders and hopped from foot to foot as she loosened her body for the fight. The man watched her curiously, wondering if it was pre-fight nerves. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. In fact, it was the opposite. She felt excited.

Her last few fights had been very disadvantageous for the girl. This would be her first fight where she was properly recovered since assimilating Saint Tiger Blood. Not to mention she wasn't outnumbered with weapons pointed at her from every direction. In this fight, not only did she feel well recovered, but they would be fighting one-to-one and without weapons. It wasn't even a death match! The girl couldn't help but smile at getting to test her body and condition.

"Dante." The man clasped his fist and bowed slightly.

"….. Amber." Amber bowed back, trying to mimic his mannerism. Guren raised his hand, "Begin!" Dante moved first, closing the distance with surprising speed. The edge of his hand came careening down, aimed at Amber's neck. He did not intend to harm the girl but to gauge her reactions. He would stop short if necessary. Amber shifted slightly, letting the chop miss it's mark by a hair's breadth. She spun on her left heel, driving her right foot towards the man's ribs with a flowing side kick. Raging Tiger!

The seasoned guard barely pulled his arm in time to block the vicious kick to his midsection, his arm throbbing and his footing forced to step back to regain balance.

"Hahaha! Did you have breakfast this morning Dante?" Guren shouted from the side, bellowing in laughter. Dante turned subtly red at the remark as he contemplated the power of the girl's kick.

"Unexpected, to be sure. Girl! I am Three Star Rank Flowing Qi Realm. May I know your cultivation?"

"Uh…" Amber was caught off guard by the question. Truth be told, the odd turns in her recent cultivation left her unsure of what to say. She had only unlocked her major channels and some of her minor ones. Technically she should be lower than Dante, at the two star stage, but with the blood baptism transforming her body to contain more Qi than she should rightfully have, it seemed almost comparable to the 2nd Realm, Nexus Realm. Yet, she hadn't formed an energy nexus.

It was too far from her situation to be called the same. It should be fair to split the difference, right?

"Also Flowing Qi, Three Stars."

"Not bad," Dante said, eyes narrowing.

"Show me more, I won't be unprepared this time." Amber nodded and raised her hands into a martial stance. Dante had already proven a much more formidable warrior than any normal man, but Amber felt nothing but confidence. Dante rushed forward again. Amber drew air into Burning Sun. Her Qi surged and readied for the onslaught as her eyes glowed with a golden sheen. If there was anything that the last week had taught her, it was how to shift her mentality into fight mode.

It helped that though he was tall, this man was much smaller than Wild Hog. Dante came with a series of hand thrusts and chops this time, faster than his initial strike. Amber batted three away, dodged two, and aimed a counter strike up at Dante's chin. His black eyes pierced hers as he stepped past her counter strike and past her guard, aiming another precise strike. She immediately jumped and aimed a swift knee strike at his face using his thigh as footing. Tiger Ascends the Mountain!

Dante swayed back and barely dodged the knee, the rough fabrics of her hemp pants grazing his face. She threw her left elbow behind her to twist her body mid air and brought her right leg around to connect with Dante's face. He quickly brought his elbow up to guard, but the impact rocked his clenched teeth. The two separated briefly as the crowd cheered and applauded in amazement. It wasn't often in their village they could enjoy such a scene!

"Captain! Don't take it too easy!" a guard shouted slyly from the side lines.

"Not bad indeed," Dante said calmly, stretching his neck and ignoring the heckles.

"If you can handle my next move, I will deem you worthy." He fell into a low stance and suddenly Amber could feel a subtle shift of Qi towards him. Now things were getting interesting. She found herself smiling at the thought. Amber channeled her Burning Sun technique and got into a low stance of her own. She saw a trickle of green energy around Dante as he abruptly shifted forward.

His dark eyes shone with green Qi as his fist came crashing down, his Falling Boulder technique rushing to crush the young girl who he now acknowledged as dangerous. Amber knew better than to passively defend the attack. She leapt forward as fast as she could and careened her elbow forward into his sternum, intercepting his technique! Tiger Breaks the Mountain! Seeing the young girl jump straight into his technique was quite surprising and caused hesitation in Dante, and now he paid the price.

The large force concentrated through the girl's small piercing elbow sent a precise surge of pain and force through Dante's inner chest, rocking him to the core. A large retching sound came from the man as he stumbled backwards. He swallowed a mouthful of blood, refusing to let any out, as he painfully pulled himself upright.

"You pass," he said sternly, controlling his shaky breath as he clasped his hands behind his back. The crowd erupted in cheers for Amber as they witnessed the small girl triumph against the large guard. The corners of her mouth upturned slightly. It was a very foreign but pleasant feeling to have people cheering for her.

"Thank you for taking it easy on me," Amber bowed to the man with her fist grasped." A-Ahem, No problem. It's just a test, no need to be serious," Dante said, clearing his throat of residual blood.

"Well done!" The Village Elder exclaimed with joy.

"Remember that on the road, real fights are done with steel, A-hem," Dante paused to cough again, positioning his fist carefully in front of his face.

"Before we depart, I'll lend you a spear from our guardsmen. Familiarize yourself with it well," he said. Before Amber could thank him, a voice rang out.

"Ha-ha! I guess you're made of tough stuff kid! Today you become a temporary member of the Lucky Tiger Caravan." Guren's large voice rung out over the crowd noise as the Caravan leader entered the small ring made by the crowd. He was visibly pleased from the impressive display of martial prowess exhibited in front of him. Amber blushed a bit as she felt a warm feeling of acceptance flooding over her. Although her mother taught her much, she was never praised for it. It was a nice feeling.

"Thank you sir! I won't let you down!"

"Very interesting," a musical and soft called out. The crowd began to part, turning their heads to view the voice as a figure stepped out. A young girl with bright red robes and long black hair that seemed as if it was spun out of silk entered the small arena built by the bodies of the small crowd. She held a small fan made of dark red fabric with smooth black handles that she waved gently in front of her face. Most notably, she had red colored eyes.

It was something Amber had never seen before, and she couldn't hide the look of wonder on her face. She barely seemed older than Amber, though her face had budding adult features.

"How about letting this sister get a taste?" Her red eyes narrowed subtly as she smiled.

"Hey, hey, hey now! This right here's my newest guard, and she won't be fightin' a customer!" Guren quickly intervened, crossing his arms.

"It ain't policy."

"Oh Guren dear," she looked at him with an enticing smile.

"Let these sisters play." The girl threw a small pouch at the man. Guren's expression softened while peeking at the contents of the bag.

"Anybody gets hurt and I'm leaving you here for breach of contract," Guren told the young passenger in red, stepping back. Amber was surprised at his quick turn of demeanor. Perhaps this was the "merchant sickness" her mother had taught her about. Many merchants became ill and their minds became weak when faced with money, she was told.

"Thank you, Guren darling." The girl in red smiled. Something about her sent a shiver up Amber's back.

"Are you also headed for the Great Clan trials?" The girl asked from behind her fan. Amber was caught off guard by being read so easily, she could only nod in response.

"Good," She continued to fan herself gently.

"I have a proposal. But first…. I need a taste of what you gave dear Dante here."

"You mean…. a fight?" Amber asked. She could not see past what the girl's red eyes were planning.

"A fight? Nothing so vulgar my dear. Merely a bit of friendly exchanges." The girl in red smiled so big that her eyes closed. Her fan snapped shut in a way that disturbed the air around her.

"I don't-" before Amber could protest the woman in red leapt towards her, thrusting quickly at her with a closed fan strike!