The Amorous Three [D-tier Job]

Spoiler:

As Zubaidah made her way down the main trading street of Heliohapt, she pondered on her recent job with the white haired, chakram wielding, Rami. She smiled at the memory, thinking back on their capture of the crocodile,
     ‘It’s sure been awhile since I've enjoyed myself as much as I did with him, hasn't it. Quite sad, though, if that’s been the best interaction I've had in 5 years… but I really am looking forward to that meeting in the bar.’
As she said that, she suddenly started to panic, ‘I did tell him where we’re meeting, right?!’

    Unsure as to whether she did or not, she thought she should go back the way she came and ensure that Rami had been told of her plans. As she started to trace her steps back to where she had left Rami, a loud female voice from behind stopped her, saying,
    ‘Heya, young lassy! You look like you're in need of some excitement at the moment! Why don't you have a stab at our little challenge!’

    Before she could question the girl who had just invited her in for any more information, the door shut and left her alone in the alleyway. Curious as to what this ‘challenge’ of hers would be, Zubaidah followed her through the door and into the long corridor that lay behind. As she turned the corner, the passageway opened up into an open room that seemed almost to be the size of a palace’s hall, with torches lining the perimeter of the room. In the middle of the room sat a large wooden ring of around 5 metres in radius, with hundreds of people sitting round tables as if waiting for a theatrical show. In the centre of that wooden ring was the young girl from before, bouncing around with an unnatural energy as she asked, ‘I'm sure by now you understand what our ‘challenge’ is, right! My name is Koko, and I'm gonna be your first opponent tonight! As well as me, you'll be facing off against my two siblings. Don't worry, there'll be a reward (probably) if you beat us, not that it'll be easy!’

Word Count: 360/1000

With that out of the way, she beckoned Zubaidah towards the centre, breathing in deeply as she prepared herself for the upcoming fight, as did Zubaidah. Once they had both taken sufficient time to get prepared, Koko looked Zubaidah in the eye before stating, ‘This battle’ll be one for the books, I'm sure of it, so let’s get it started right now!’ Whipping out a sharp-tipped fountain pen from nowhere, Koko ran towards Zubaidah and stabbed forwards into her chest. In retaliation, Zubaidah sidestepped the pen and swept Koko’s feet from right underneath her, causing her to fall headfirst into the wooden ring and collapse onto the floor. Expecting her to get right up, Zubaidah remained in a tense stance, but after a few minutes of Koko rolling around in pain, it was evident that the fight was already over.

    As Koko was helped from the ring by a few audience members, another person approached Zubaidah and entered the ring, this time a scholarly-looking man whose thin body looked like it would shatter into many pieces if hit hard enough, and whose voice was equally delicate. ‘It seems you beat my dear sister,’ he exclaimed, ‘but don't expect such flimsy opposition from one such as myself. I pride myself on my skills, be it in academic subjects or martial arts, As the famous Heliohaptian philosopher Ahmose Koru once said, ‘the body is an equally important part of the human essence as that of the mind, as the processes of thought can only be fully utilised when the body is in harmony with the mind.’ It is obvious that this sentiment holds certain truth, as Darian scholar Tiye Juteri once attested through his ess-’ He was unable to end his sentence as the butt-end of a spear came down full-force onto his head, knocking him right out.

Word Count: 666/1000

Zubaidah sighed in exasperation while Nono was dragged from the ring by some audience members, her hopes for having a few challenging fights dashed by the previous two examples. However, they were raised once again as she saw the next opponent draw closer to the ring. ‘I hope you're not too disappointed by the lack of ability my darling siblings have shown in these matches,’ said a brunette lady twirling a few knives skilfully, ‘so hopefully I'll be able to satisfy you. I thank you for coming to this show, and invite you to a final game with your host, Popo.’ She bowed towards Zubaidah, before taking a position around five metres from her and procuring a knife from out of her belt.

    Upon her signal, the match began and Zubaidah ran towards Popo and swiped at her with the body of her spear, which was deftly dodged with a sudden cartwheel. Again, Zubaidah swung at Pop’s legs, but it hit thin air as Popo jumped over it and landed behind Zubaidah. So began a deadly dance of silver that was continually dodged by Popo’s lithe figure weaving in and out of her spear, gradually wearing down Zubaidah’s stamina until she finally was backed into a corner and let her guard down from exhaustion. Knowing full well that Pop would use her lowered guard to strike her down with a quick knife-throw, Zubaidah attempted to raise her spear, bracing herself and closing her eyes as Popo let loose a knife.

    Yet no pain came. Confused as to what had happened, Zubaidah looked around the room to search for answers. Sure enough, the knife Pop had previously been holding was no longer in her hand, but rather than being lodged in Zubaidah’s body, it was stuck in the wooden ring seven metres away from her. Sighing once again, she approached Popo, who was sheepishly staring at her missed throw, and lunged the butt-end of her spear into her ribs, knocking her out cold, before walking out of the room with a bitter look. All of the audience member’s were left in shocked silence, all three of the previously reigning champions knocked out.

Word Count: 1027/1000