Free Freelance Heroics by Stephen W. Gee

lose.
    Gavi thrust her sword into the sand. She raised her arms to the sky, her face serene as if she was drawing power from the crowd. The noise intensified. Then she grabbed the tie holding her ponytail together and ripped it away, letting her hair fall loose.
    Gavi began bouncing from foot to foot like a prizefighter itching to begin, and took up her sword. She thought of Mazik, and imitated one of his roguish grins. She felt ridiculous. The crowd loved it. Cóstan gave no indication of how he felt, but if he knew anything about how she fought, he would know it didn’t start like this.
    “Let’s get this final match started!” said the announcer. The crowd roared. “Whatever happens, this is it. Challengers, are you ready?”
    They both nodded.
    “Attendees of the great Kitpicc Gladitorial Arena, are you ready!”
    The crowd shouted until they began to go hoarse.
    “Then let the seventh match between Vector’s Cóstan Sūréjà and Team Kil’Raeus’ Gavi Ven’Kalil—”
    Bwaaaaaaaaang!
    “Begin!”
     
     
    Gavi let loose a blood-curdling battle cry that split the air and made spectators jump. This time Cóstan did react. He flinched and almost covered his ears, until he remembered the spell hovering over his right palm. He stopped, aimed at the now-charging Gavi, and fired.
    “ Ichn ir ukk—Swiftness! ” Gavi’s body blurred as her speed increased twofold. She dodged and used her sword to bat the incoming spell away.
    Cóstan stepped back, but it was too late. By the time Gavi slowed down to her normal speed she was only a step away. While her Swiftness spell went on cooldown, Gavi lunged, and Cóstan raised his weapon to parry.
    “What a charge! Mis Ven’Kalil is not cowed by Mas Sūréjà’s power!” said the announcer. “Look at her fight! She fights like a demon out of hell!”
    And she did. Gavi attacked with unbridled ferocity and a reckless abandon that was unlike how she normally fought.
    She was scared, really scared! Gavi had never fought someone this powerful alone. Well, maybe a few drunks back in The Joker, but they were never serious about it. She silently cursed her lack of skill with protection magick. If I get hit once, this is over.
    So she didn’t get hit. With a numb realization, Gavi realized she was doing better than expected, and far better than she had dared to dream. She was driving Cóstan back, her blunt blade striking at his barriers as his own sword missed her more often than not. She realized this in a kind of daze, like her mind was watching her body as the crowd cheered and Cóstan faltered.
    Then a barrier appeared at Gavi’s shins, and she pitched forward. She recovered, but valuable seconds were lost. She lunged at Cóstan, aiming at his head—and connected, but there were more barriers now. Gavi hacked them apart, but they were coming up faster and faster now.
    Spells struck Gavi from the sides, and she could tell that Cóstan had realized she had no barriers save for her MPB. Smelling blood in the water, Cóstan pressed.
    Now Gavi was on the defensive. She parried, swatting blasts out of the sky and hammering Cóstan’s defenses, but now that he had gotten ahead of her he was only gaining ground. He was using a lot of mana, but Gavi doubted he was concerned, judging by his calm, workmanlike expression.
    The crowd gasped as Cóstan’s sword snaked past Gavi’s defenses and raked down her side from shoulder to hip. Were his weapon edged it would have split her open, but getting smacked with a heavy piece of metal still hurt. Gavi recoiled—and that’s when Cóstan raised his other arm and pointed.
    “ Quick Shot. ” Suddenly the air around Gavi exploded without the mana having crossed the space between. She reeled, and leapt out of the way as Cóstan fired again.
    Gavi looked at the distance between them. Half a dozen meters separated her from her opponent, open space she wouldn’t be able to cross without taking the spell he was preparing. Without her