Release that Witch

At night, the Skull Cup became the liveliest place in the small oasis.

”I watched the duel between Osha and Sandstorm with my own eyes!” A customer swilled down a jug of Firelantern Wine and exclaimed. ”The black-haired Divine Lady was simply unstoppable! The instant the gong was rung, she charged straight up to the opposing Divine Lady and knocked her out with a single blow from her shield!”

”Isn’t the Divine Lady from the Sandstorm clan called Sandra Sandrain? She can use sand to create armor and launch attacks. How did she lose so easily?” Another customer questioned. ”Even if she couldn’t respond in time, the sand armor she was wearing should be tougher than the Northerners’ armor. How did it not block the attack?”

”You think I’m lying? I wasn’t the only one who saw it!” The customer bawled disgruntedly. ”The sand armor may be tough, but I didn’t see it work at all. The moment that Osha’s Divine Lady charged up to her, the sand covering her body spattered on to the floor, and her face took a full blow from the shield. Don’t you remember that in the first duel, Osha’s Divine Lady stood up to a dozen Cut Bone warriors on her own? With that kind of strength, it’s only out of mercy that Sandra isn’t dead!”

”Spattered on to the floor...? Was she wearing a God’s Stone of Retaliation?”

”Maybe, but I’m not sure about that. The Cut Bone and Sandstorm duelists were certainly wearing them, however. Maybe these things don’t work on her.”

”A Divine Lady who isn’t affected by God’s Stones...? How’s that possible?”

”Will you stop interrupting?” Someone whined. ”Give this man some more liquor and let him finish speaking!”

”Thank you.” The customer took a sip of his newly-filled jug and continued, ”Sandstorm clan probably didn’t expect their Divine Lady to fall first, and quickly lost their formation. They had only sent out half of the quota, and Sandra was surely their side’s linchpin. Once she fell, there was virtually no chance of victory.”

”Not one person died, again?”

”Indeed. All 15 of them are alive. They were either struck by arrows on their shoulders and knees, or were knocked out by Osha’s Divine Lady!”

A flurry of whispers was heard amongst the crowd.

”But this is nothing.” The customer suddenly became even more excited, and stood on to the bar counter so that everyone could see him. ”The duel two days ago was the truly unforgettable one! Osha versus Black River, a large clan infamous for its audacity and cruelty! I’m sure everyone has heard its name before. Of the duelists that fought against them, very few managed to survive! Though they don’t have a Divine Lady, they are entirely made up of top-top-class warriors, and always send out a full strength of 30 people. Compared to the other two duels, a lot more blood was spilled this round, but...”

The entire tavern quietened down when they heard the word ’but’. Everyone was eager for the customer to complete his sentence.

”But... once again, not one person died on the platform!” The customer exclaimed.

Everyone in the crowd gasped.

”That’s impossible! When I did some trading in Iron Sand City today, everyone was discussing the news of Black River clan’s heavy losses. They even hung a black flag on the Stone Castle for mourning. And you claim that not one person died?”

”Ha, you really need to listen more carefully.” The customer twitched his fingers. ”I said that not one person died on the platform!”

”I can attest to that,” someone swiftly chimed in, ”I was also watching!”

”That’s right. Although I wasn’t in time for the second holy duel, I was able to make it the day before yesterday. The platform could be said to be flowing with rivers of blood, hence it’s extremely impressive that no one died!” Another person added.

”What exactly do you mean?”

”Please elaborate for everyone’s sake.”

”Miss, give him another three jugs!”

”It’s easy to understand. The Divine Lady gave them a chance, but even when their limbs were broken or fractured, they tried using their teeth to bite her. Under this circumstance, she was forced to nullify their counterattacking ability completely...,” The customer deliberately paused for a moment. ”She used a long knife to sever their limbs before she kicked them off the platform one by one!”

”If just an arm or a leg was severed, they would have been able to survive after some treatment. But without all four limbs, they weren’t able to hold on until they reached Iron Sand City. The blood loss alone killed them. Can you really blame Osha for this?” He gulped down a large mouthful of wine and repeated his question. ”What do y’all think? Speak up!”

”Probably not... they hadn’t done so in the previous duels, and were forced to do so this time.”

”That nobody died on the platform is sufficient proof that the Divine Lady had no intention to kill.”

”That’s right!”

”In my opinion, Black River deserves it. They didn’t even know who their opponent was, and thought that their usual appearance would intimidate Osha!”

”Well said!”

”Barkeeper, give everyone another jug of Firelantern Wine. It’s all on me tonight!” Someone shouted towards the second floor of the tavern.

Thuram, who had all the time been leaning against the window on the second floor, clapped his hands and replied, ”No need. This round is on me. To Osha...”

”To Osha!”

The first floor of the tavern burst out in cheers.

Thuram finished the drink in his hand and let out a long sigh.

In the past week, the number of customers to Skull Cup had been rising. The first floor, which had been considered spacious, became overcrowded instead. Everyone was busy discussing only one thing, and that was the holy duels.

In fact, it was not only the tavern but also the small oasis which became packed. Wherever he went, he would see moribunds and half-deads from various clans inquiring about news of Osha. This was something that could never have happened in the past.

An upsurge in population was a huge burden for the administrators of the small oasis. The granaries never had enough stock to begin with, and furthermore, it was easy for people who came with bad intentions to blend into the crowds. According to the watchdogs’ usual practice, the small oasis only allowed in Ironsand people who were able to bring benefits to the place - they had to be either merchants or warriors who sought refuge.

That the clanspeople from all corners of the Silver Stream Oasis were now free to gather here was entirely because of the orders of the new owner, Drow Silvermoon.

If he was the Thuram of old, his daily work would simply be intended to earn a few gold royals for the watchdogs, and at the same time set aside some money for himself. The transformation was more than he could ask for. At present, his fate was firmly interlocked with that of the Osha clan. It was exhausting enough to make sure that his men maintained order in the small oasis.

Fortunately, the new owner had already considered his circumstance. After the first duel, Drow allowed him to remain in the small oasis and focus on the domestic situation.

To ensure an adequate food supply, Iron Axe not only brought back a batch of food from the Cut Bone clan, but also offered gold royals to two other oases. When one of them rejected the deal, they were raided and seized by Graycastle soldiers the very next day, and their territory was exchanged for food from the food-abundant Silver River clan.

In reality, by this point in time, Thuram did not have the faintest idea what the Osha people’s intentions were.

They not only accepted the challenge of a clan which had been previously unharmed, but also spared the warriors of Cut Bone and Sandstorm clan, allowing them to recover their full strength after a short rest. Even if they desired to be the top clan, doing so seemed completely meaningless!

The one thing that comforted Thuram was that the Divine Ladies brought back by Drow Silvermoon were indeed extremely powerful. The party always consisted of only four people, yet they had already beaten three large clans in succession. There were, at present, only two clans to go.

And tonight, there should be news from the Land of Fire once more.

The outcome of Osha’s challenge against the Wildwave clan.