Chrysalis

[Ha ha! Is this really all the fabled warriors of the Folk have got? I can do this all day long!]

Grey raises his brows as I send my declaration ringing around the stadium, broadcasting to all and sundry in the crowd. The audience, normally reserved and respectful, are well caught up in the atmosphere at this point, watching their skilled swordsmen fall one after another.

I mean, they don’t boo or anything, but many of them frown, which is pretty severe by their standards. I’ve been working this crowd all afternoon.

[Are you really that keen to continue?] Grey asks privately, knowing full well what the answer’s going to be.

[Absolutely not, are you crazy? I’m getting burned, I’m getting frozen, I’m getting… beams of… dragon-shaped light shot at me. The last one grew a tree out of their sword and hit me with it!]

[You seem fine.]

[I’ve been taking damage and healing it, that doesn’t mean I’m fine. My guts hurt, my carapace has fine cracks that’ll take time to repair and I’ve run my healing gland so often it’s demanding a paid vacation!]

Grey grunts.

[Those healing glands are cheats. Monsters can repair themselves with criminal ease.]

[You really want to get into a conversation about balance between monsters and you weaklings? Maybe we get to be stronger so we can survive the murderous hellscape of the Dungeon and not get sliced by people like you? Think about that?! I mean… how much money am I even worth at this point of evolution?]

Grey squints at my gleaming carapace.

[A lot.]

[Don’t get any ideas. I come in peace. Also, think about how hard it would be to get shoes in my size.]

[Well, the line for fighters hasn’t gotten any shorter. You can keep fighting as long as you want to. More and more schools are sending their pupils, even some of the better ones.]

[Like the sword-tree lady?]

Life. It is ranked in

might be complaining a lot, but I’m only half exaggerating. I’ve been fighting mostly eighth and ninth swords, with the proportion of nines going up over time. One on one, they can’t really hope to beat me, especially if I’m going all-out, but defeating them gracefully,

you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been

partners has begun to slow down. Where once there was a surge

people who need to see them. The entire point of my escapades here in the arena is to help make it a little easier for the Folk to accept us. Judging by the crowd I’ve managed to gather, and the sheer number

going to call it here for today, Grey,

his robes, the wolf-Folk only

wouldn’t it be

I shrug my antennae.

any toes, culturally speaking. I’m learning a bit about your people, but I’m hardly an expert. We want good relations between the Colony and the Folk, so… if it’s going to annoy a lot of people if I

his arms across

will be disappointed they didn’t get to see more good fights. Ninth swords lining up to fight a powerful monster one

Great.

[So… I should stay?]

for the fight is bottomless. You could stand on this sand for a hundred years and people

lack of people in the arena. Any time someone leaves, their seat is snapped up in seconds. Politely snapped up, but snapped up

tunnel ball,] I tell him. [I get the feeling your

good players, come to think

Grey seems less sure.

is… a

it’s not a

religious,

[Not yet.]