Ch 1.35: Ranking
<span style="font-weight:400">Carline was already taking her jacket off as ina watched in horror, realizing the situation she’d gotten herself in. Gods though, Carline looked great in just her uniform shirt and skirt. <i><span style="font-weight:400">No, focus, damnit!</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">“Are you alright?” Carline asked, hanging her jacket up and grabbing one of the swords. “Oh, wait, you don’t have any experience with rapiers probably, right?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Ha, yeah, uhm, that’s true. But—”
<span style="font-weight:400">“The tournament will be standard rules, ranking style,” Professor Ranlit continued. “You’ll be paired randomly with someone that has the same record as you in each round, and I’ll use your final record and my observations to pair you up in the future. Come collect your round one pairings once you have your equipment.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Huh,” Carline said. “Been a while since I’ve been in a ranking-style tournament. Not since I was a kid, I think but it makes sense for this.” ina was staring at the sword next to her, the sword hanging from the same post that her jacket would soon be hanging from. She sighed, resigning herself to her fate and unbuttoning it. She could feel the wind through the thin shirt, and the bright sun peeked out from behind dark clouds to illuminate the fabric at the exact moment she shrugged her jacket off her shoulders, hanging it up as she took a training rapier in hand.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Anyway, since you’re new to this, I’ll exin—”
<span style="font-weight:400">Carline stopped speaking the moment ina turned around. “Honest, how bad is it?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Carline’s wide-eyed stare was enough of an answer on its own. “I— Uhm… It’s not that bad. Did you— did you forget a bra? I hardly noticed.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Uhm— yeah. The one I wore was dirty, and I didn’t think that I’d be taking off my jacket today. I guess it makes sense, since I took it off for the duel earlier too…”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah, well, you know?” Carline’s eyes were glued to ina’ chest, and a small grin was beginning to form on her face. “It looks nice! And I’m just so used to seeing you, so maybe I noticed and others won’t?’
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah, right,” ina said, crossing her arms over her breasts. “Let’s go get our pairings, I guess.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Carline led the way, ina walking behind her through the crowd, trying to hide behind her friend. It was futile, but no one was looking at her right now regardless. Why would they be, after all? She was just another student, dressed basically the same as everyone else. She built up a little bravery and put her hands down, walking normally, braless boobs bouncing away with each step, nipples hard from the cold clearly peaking out in her peripheral vision, <i><span style="font-weight:400">some</i><span style="font-weight:400"> amount of their color visible to anyone who would spare a look.
<span style="font-weight:400">Gods, she was wet already, and without underwear it was dripping down her leg. <i><span style="font-weight:400">I’m such an idiot,</i><span style="font-weight:400"> she thought, face burning red, far more red than it should have been possible to be on such a mild day. <i><span style="font-weight:400">I’m such an idiot that I let this happen, and enough of an idiot to get turned on by it too. </i><span style="font-weight:400">She couldn’t help but imagining what could have happened if Tira had forgotten about her clothes though. <i><span style="font-weight:400">Gods, what if I had to be here naked?</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">“So,” Carline said once they reached the line that snaked off from the side of he professor’s table, looking back again at ina, “standard rules are first to three points. Any touch with the tip or the de is a point. Uhm, I’m not really a sword specialist, but the best advice I can give you is to keep your body turned sideways, and try and use reach to get hits.” ina nodded, unable to keep her eyes off of Carline’s. Gods bless her friend if she was trying not to stare, because if she was she was doing a terrible job. <i><span style="font-weight:400">I wish I could show her more.</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">The two eventually reached Ranlit, who was sitting at a table holding an open box that people were reaching into and pulling lots from. “Next!” the woman called, over and over as each sessive student went up to get their own number. Carline finally got hers, and ina approached after the following “Next!”
<span style="font-weight:400">ina stepped up, the professor writing on a piece of parchment next to the box. “Go ahead and grab a lot. Your number is…” Ranlit’s voice trailed off as she looked up, eyes stopping on ina’s chest. And gods if she wasn’t hot too. It was a iner type of attractiveness than some of the other girls ina had seen in her time at Endrin, simple, shoulder length brown hair andrge green eyes, but possessing a maturity the students obviouslycked. Up close though, it was obvious she was even younger than ina thought too, mid tote twenties at best. <i><span style="font-weight:400">How’d someone so young start teaching here?</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">“Uhm, my number is what?” ina asked, crossing her arms over her tits again. <i><span style="font-weight:400">Gods, this was such a bad idea. What if I get in trouble?</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">Ranlit blinked, meeting ina’s gaze as she opened her eyes again. “Your number is the ring you willpete at in round one. At the end of your match,e back here and I’ll give you your new assignment.” Her words were nonchnt, almost as if nothing was amiss.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Okay,” ina said, reaching into the box and pulling out a slip with the number one printed on it.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Ah,” Ranlit said. “In that case, if you win your first round, just stay in that ring, you won’t have to move if you do win.” She ced a fist to her mouth, coughing. “I understand you are Miss Weaver, correct? Amoner?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Ah, yes ma’am!” ina said, fixing her posture and throwing her hands down. It was an automatic reaction at hearing that name, “Weaver,” that had been forced on her due to herck of an actual surname, but it also uncovered her tits and threw them upward, bouncing them around as she straightened her back and pushed them out. She heard giggles and snickers from off to the side, her situation finally being realized by other students as well.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, I’ve heard that you already had one duel. Please keep in mind that there are no aspects allowed in fencing. Do you have any other questions?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Uhm, no, my friend exined.” ina was still standing at attention, breasts thrust out directly into her teacher’s face, thighs growing more wet every second. <i><span style="font-weight:400">Fuck me, it’s going to start dripping below my skirt if I can’t get this under control. </i><span style="font-weight:400">She couldn’t bring herself to look at the crowd to her right; that just might do it if enough people were staring. <i><span style="font-weight:400">I hope they all are.</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">“Good. I’ll call out the start of the round to everyone. You may go now, but do keep in mind that not wearing proper undergarments can affect your performance. Next!”
<span style="font-weight:400">ina’s mouth gaped as she tried to sputter out a response, failing. She covered herself again, storming off in search of her numbered circle. <i><span style="font-weight:400">Gods, getting in trouble would’ve been better than that! </i><span style="font-weight:400">Ranlit had just been so <i><span style="font-weight:400">casual</i><span style="font-weight:400"> about seeing the state ina was in. Still ruminating about her teacher’s response, she reached ring one.
<span style="font-weight:400">The boy standing across from her was about her height, and already practicing swings and thrusts in the air as she arrived. He nced up at her and nodded. “Brink,” he said, focusing on his sword again.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Uhm, ina?” she replied, hoping that he had been offering his name and not some other greeting she was unfamiliar with. He nodded again, so she thought she’d answered appropriately enough and started looking around. Other students were likewise focused on themselves, giving her a quick reprieve from the attention from earlier. She wondered what she should do, and realized stretching was probably not the worst idea. She took a deep breath and leaned over to reach for her feet, painfully aware of her skirt riding up in the back as she did. She close her eyes and pushed her arms back, sticking out her shoulders as she imagined the whole ss looking her way. She went through the stretches she knew, ending by reaching her arms as high up as she could, pushing them up with her eyes closed. <i><span style="font-weight:400">Gods, what if I really did have to do this naked?</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">She opened her eyes. The entire field wasn’t looking at her, of course, but Brink was, staring at her tits with wide eyes. “Uhm, sorry,” she said, turning to the side and blushing. It seemed strange to her, that she should be worried what a guy thought of her body when she didn’t care for theirs at all, but it had always been that way. She knew they’d like leering attractive women just as much as she did, and that drove her crazy just as much as a pretty girl actually being the one looking. “I wasn’t expecting to take off my jacket today.” Brink just nodded again, eyes never moving.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Alright,” a shout came from Ranlit. “Round one: begin!”
<span style="font-weight:400">Brinks gaze jumped to the sword in ina’s hands as he fell into some stance, side-facing, just like Carline had said. ina did the same, forcing herself to uncover her chest, but now Brink’s eyes were glued to the tip of her rapier. “Start?” he asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Sure,” ina said, and he was moving towards her before she closed her mouth, sword tip thrusting at her torso. She swiped her own de to the side in reaction, connecting with his, but he twisted his wrist, swiveling his de around hers and striking her in the thigh.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Point.” He backed to where he was, leaving ina stunned in her original position. It had happened so fast, far more quickly than she could even process. <i><span style="font-weight:400">I hit his sword though. </i><span style="font-weight:400">Her body had just <i><span style="font-weight:400">moved,</i><span style="font-weight:400"> the same as when she’d blocked that first swing from Waine. <i><span style="font-weight:400">No, faster, even. </i><span style="font-weight:400">She looked down at the hand holding the unfamiliar tool. <i><span style="font-weight:400">Is this what having a ss does to you?</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">“Start?” Brink asked again.
<span style="font-weight:400">ina looked up, nting her feet more firmly and sticking her sword out further, mimicking his stance again. She’d be ready this time. “Start,” she replied.
<span style="font-weight:400">Brink moved first again, striking in the same way he did the first time. <i><span style="font-weight:400">That won’t work again! </i><span style="font-weight:400">She caught his de from underneath this time, and when he went to strike her again ran his sword down hers until it caught the handguard at the bottom. She pushed it away and jumped forward, heart racing as she stabbed him square in the chest, her own chest jiggling with the movement. <i><span style="font-weight:400">Holy shit!</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">Brink coughed, stumbling back to his original position. “Point?” he asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, point!” she replied, blushing, both at her ownck of call and her breasts’ movement as she shuffled back. <i><span style="font-weight:400">Gods this is so fun!</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">Brink nodded. “Your point; you initiate start.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Right,” ina said, nodding back and stepping into her starting position as well. She’d got a point, an actual point! <i><span style="font-weight:400">Wait, is this cheating? </i><span style="font-weight:400">Nothing she could do, really. Using [Restraint] was obviously not allowed, but she couldn’t control how fast her reaction time was. <i><span style="font-weight:400">I can only do my best. </i><span style="font-weight:400">“Start?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Start.” Brink moved again, but ina had got the start first first this time. She could afford to take a risk, so she tried copying the thrust Brink had done at the start. He sidestepped the attack, ignoring her de and rapping her on the wrist.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Ow,” she said at the same time he called, “Point!”
<i><span style="font-weight:400">Okay, so your feet are important too, not just your sword. </i><span style="font-weight:400">She should have realized that before, but it was better now than never. “Start,” Ranlit said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Start,” she was moving again, hanging back a littlepared to the previous time. Brink swung at her from below, and she swatted his weapon away while stepping back. Brink’s sword flew towards to ground, burying itself in the sand as ina jumped forward and stabbed at his leg.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Point!” she yelled as she hit, beaming. <i><span style="font-weight:400">This is fucking awesome!</i><span style="font-weight:400"> She could do this, actually do this. <i><span style="font-weight:400">And every move I make causes my tits to bounce everywhere! </i><span style="font-weight:400">Gods, she wasn’t going to stop wearing bras, was she?Brink was staring at her in astonishment. She realized she’d done something strange, but he wasn’t calling her out for breaking the rules, just staring at her arm. “Start,” she said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Start.” Brink backed up as he said it, hopping away while keeping his stance as ina charged, stepping forward one foot in front of the other. She swung down at her opponent, and he brought his de up to catch hers just in time. Her de carried through though, pushing his down until both weapons came down on his head.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Point!”
<span style="font-weight:400">Brink was the one stunned now, staring at the two des still pressing into his forehead. “How did you—”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Move over, Brink.” Both he and ina turned to the side, seeing another student standing there: Prisma Fireguard.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Ranlit says we can start whenever our round ends,” she said, looking directly at ina. “It’s you and me next.”