“What!?” Mathias shouted when he saw his sword being offered as a prize. “That’s my sword. Hey, that’s my sword.” His words were drowned out by the cheers of the crowd


    Mathias tried shoving his way toward the mage, but Holden quickly grabbed his arm to stop him. “Don’t be a fool, kid. If you try claiming that’s your sword, they’ll just ignore you. Worst comes to worst, they might just tear you apart.”


    “But that’s-.”


    “I know. But this is the Undercity. There are no laws down here, no guards, and no one to stop all of these degenerates from making your head roll. If you want that sword, you’re going to have to win it fair and square.”


    “Fair and square in some underground tournament? I never thought I’d hear those words.”


    “Better find yourself a sword to use, kid. You won’t be able to enter the tournament without one.”


    “Where could I possibly get a sword at this moment?”


    Holden looked around for a moment until he spotted a scrawny looking man wearing black leather armor and a hood. The man appeared to be a thief, given that Holden just saw him lift a coin purse off of an unsuspecting woman.


    Sable was still standing on Holden’s head, and was watching the man as well, curious to see what Holden planned on doing.


    Holden gestured for Mathias to follow him. He then made his way through the crowd to the man. Holden yanked the man’s sword from his belt with one hand, while punching the guy across the cheek with the other. “My friend will be borrowing this.” Holden also grabbed the coin purse the man had stolen and handed its owner, a blonde-haired elf woman, as he walked by her.


    “Hey, wait,” the woman then realized that her purse was missing. “Oh, thank you,” she shouted, hoping Holden would be able to hear her. “That man is awful generous for someone in the Undercity.”


    Holden and Mathias then got in line with the other participants who were waiting to join the tournament. Holden than shoved the sword into Mathia’s hand. “Alright, kid. Use this. Win the tournament, and you’ll get your sword back.”


    Mathias tried to return the sword to Holden. “But this sword is stolen.”


    “Yeah, from a thief who probably stole it, too. He might’ve even taken it off a dead body for all we know. Don’t complain. And if he asks for it back, don’t be a pushover.”


    After waiting in line, Mathias paid the entry fee to enter the tournament and was brought right out into the middle of the fighting ring. His opponent was an elven man who wielded a rapier. There was no bell or announcer to signal the start of the fight, nor was there anyone to explain the rules. The elf just charged at Mathias the moment he entered the ring.


    Mathias barely managed to parry the strike, but he lost his balance in the process. The elf took advantage of this to land a hit on him, piercing Mathias right through the shoulder.


    Ah! Mathias yelled in pain. “I yield. I yield.”


    The elf just grinned before taking a few steps back, not taking his eyes off Mathias the entire time until Mathias made his way back to the crowd. The elf than joined the line where all of the other fighters who won the first round were standing.


    “Well, that fight ended quickly,” holden said when Mathias returned to them.


    “I’m starting to see why the sword wanted to find another master.” Holden added.


    Mathias sighed. “I know, I know. I suck. I’m an embarrassment to my family because of my terrible sword fighting skill. Now I’ll be an even greater embarrassment after losing my family’s sword.”


    Holden grinder his teeth in anger at Mathias’s words. “Mathias, did your family call you an embarrassment?


    Mathias was surprised, because this was both the first time Holden had used his name, and the first time Holden had shown any emotion in front of him. The anger Mathias saw in Holden’s eyes frightened him. “Uhm, we’ll, yes. That’s why I left home. I’m the only son, so there’s no one else to inherit my father’s title. But my skills as a knight are lacking. He’s hoping this journey will help me improve.”


    “Going to see the world, getting caught up in all kinds of trouble, maybe having some adventures. Makes sense.” Holden then sighed. “I’ll get your sword back. Don’t you worry about it. Just make sure you don’t lose it again.”


    Holden placed Sable on the ground, and took the sword from Mathias. After paying the entry fee for the tournament, he was quickly brought out to the fighting ring where a dwarven warrior was waiting.


    Sable climbed onto Mathias’s shoulders. Despite having been around Holden for a full week, the two of them didn''t know much about each other. They mostly just bickered rather than talk. During that full week, the only emotions Sable saw from Holden were annoyance, and boredom. Seeing his angry side was a new experience. “I wonder what’s got him so on edge?”


    “So, you don’t know?” Mathias said. “I would’ve thought by the way you two bickered that you were secretly really close.”


    “What!? He and I practically hate each other. I wouldn’t know anything about him. Frankly, he hasn’t mentioned anything else about his past, aside from being a spy, which I already knew before we started working together.”


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    “Wait, you said he’s a spy. For who? Chrimoria?”


    “I don’t know. But I have to admit that he is more knowledgeable than I give him credit for. Never seen his skill with a sword, though.”


    “Have you seen him fight at all?”


    “Only once after I had been kidnapped by some people who were involved in the fairy trafficking ring. Holden is an expert at stealth and knife fighting. He says he’s no match for a real warrior in a head-to-head fight. So, then why does he seem so convinced he’ll win?”


    Meanwhile, Holden stared directly into his opponent’s eyes. After unsheathing the sword and tossing the sheath aside, Holden took on a defensive stance, waiting for the dwarven warrior to make the first move.


    The dwarf growled after realizing Hilden had no intention of striking first. “So, what are you just going to stand there all day? Fine then, I’ll go first.” The dwarf thrust his sword forward, while taking a step closer to Holden.


    Holden parried the thrust, then kicked the dwarf in the side. The surprise kick caused the dwarf to stumble, giving Holden the opportunity to sweep his feet. The dwarf fell backwards, then Holden drove his sword straight toward the dwarf’s neck, stopping right before breaking skin.


    “I concede,” the dwarf said, dropping his sword and putting his hands up.


    Holden went to join the other first-round winners, and the first round of the tournament continued from there. The next time it was Holden’s turn to fight, the opponent he faced was a human from the trio of men who had been eyeing Camille before entering Ike’s Undercroft Pub.


    The man laughed after recognizing Holden. “Well, lookie here. You’re one of those reprobates that was with Miss Camille. Your presence really made things difficult for me and my boys. Oh well. I can use this opportunity to get rid of you.”


    “I don’t care what your business is with Camille. She and I are hardly acquainted. She just asked for my protection in exchange for some information.”


    “Oh, we’ll. Still sucks to be you. I’m going kill you either way.” The man opened the fight with a horizontal slash, only to be blocked. Holden then kicked the man in the shin.


    Agh! The man cried. Despite wearing leather boots that were thick enough to protect him from swords and other weapons, the man still felt extreme pain shoot up his shin from Holden’s kick. “What was that? Are you wearing steel toed boots or something?”


    Holden knocked the sword out of the man’s arm. “Pretty good guess. And you''re right. They’re effective, right?” Holden pointed the tip of the sword at the man’s head. “Now concede.”


    Holden won the second round, then proceeded to win even more after that using a combination of swordsmanship and mixed martial arts.


    Sable watched with bated breath, enamored by the skill with which Holden defeated each opponent. “I don’t get it. That idiot always said he’d be no match in a straight up fight against a real warrior.”


    Mathias gave Sable a knowing glance. “He might not have been lying. I’m no expert fighter myself, but even I can tell that most of the swordsmen here lack much formal training. Real training doesn’t just involve fighting with a weapon; it also involves using your body, and magic, if it’s available. Everyone Holden’s fought so far are just a bunch of untrained thugs with a modicum of talent.”


    “What does that say about you then? You lost in the first round.”


    “That elf actually knows how to fight,” Mathias grumbled. “He’ll likely end up being the winner of this whole tournament. I doubt Holden will actually be able to beat him.”


    “You know an awful lot about swordplay for someone who sucks at it.”


    “Now I see why you and Holden are always bickering. You’re just a pompous jerk.”


    Mathias and Sable continued to mock each other while Holden continued winning round after round until he found himself in the final round against the very elf who defeated Mathias in the first round.


    Like Mathias had said. Most of the swordsmen in this tournament were untrained, or just had average skill. Although there were plenty of skilled fighters who came to the Undercity Arena to prove their metal, most didn’t stay long, since it was hard to find someone who could challenge them. Furthermore, when skilled fighters did show up in Chrimoria, they were usually recruited into the city guard, or hired by traveling merchants to protect their caravan, leaving the arena with very few truly talented warriors at any given time. Holden was just lucky that the elf who stood before him was the only skilled swordsman present.


    When Holden and the elf both walked into the fighting ring, the two of them didn’t even say a word to one another before making the first move. The two of them both lunged at each other at the same time. The elf would strike with his rapier, Holden would block it, then go for a kick, only for the elf to respond by dodging and striking back with a kick of his own.


    The entire crowd gasped when the saw the elf using his entire body to fight, rather than just his sword. It was the same method of fighting. Holden had used, suggesting this elf really was a skilled fighter who knew what he was doing.


    It was obvious to everyone watching Holden and the elf fight that the two of them knew what they were doing.


    The excitement in the room continued to grow as the fight dragged on. It looked like a combination of a sword fight and a mixed martial arts match between Holden and the elf. The fight went on long enough that both sides had to stop to take a breather.


    “So, you’re a real warrior,” Holden said between heavy breaths. “There’s something familiar about you, too. Have we met somewhere?”


    The elf ignored Holden’s words, and thrust his sword forward. Holden parried, then continued clashing with a series of locks, punches, and slashes from their blades. All the while, Holden analyzed the elf’s posture and fighting style.


    For the next clash, Holden decided to make the first move. He put all the force he could into a single stroke, and the elf blocked it. Both their blades were locked against one another, neither able to overpower the other. However, now that they were close, Holden was finally able to speak to the elf without anyone else hearing. “Hey, you might be able to hide your appearance and your mannerisms, but you can’t hide your fighting style.” The elf’s eyes popped after Holden’s next words. “Hi, Alwin. I know that’s you using a disguise spell.”


    The elf growled at him. “Screw you, Holden.”


    Alwin was an inspector for the Chrimoria Police Department. He and Holden had been acquainted with one another for quite some time, and Holden somehow knew far too many of Alwin’s secrets, including the fact that he would disguise himself with magic and fight in the Undercity Arena using various identities to make some extra digmata.


    It might have been underhanded, but Holden had no problem using this information to his advantage. “Alwin, take a knee this time. I’m claiming this sword for a job. I doubt you’d want it anyway. The sword’s possessed.”


    Alwin grumbled. “I guess I can’t use this disguise anymore. Fine. A possessed sword is more trouble than it’s worth anyway. You better share some of your winnings with me from this, though.”


    “I’m a man of my word, Alwin,” Holden said. “I’ll give you thirty percent.”


    “Fine. It’s a deal.” Alwin then acted as if he were being overpowered by Holden, before intentionally loosening his grip on his rapier so Holden could knock it out of his hands. Alwin wasted no time conceding after that, but not before telling Holden he’d be waiting at Holden’s office for his cut.


    “Don’t worry, Alwin. I’m a man of my word. Plus, I won’t be telling anyone why you come down here for these tournaments.”


    Alwin just grunted before walking away from the ring. Meanwhile, Holden eagerly looked forward to finally finishing this job.