Reincarnated as the Only Human

The moment she reached zero on the countdown Sari zipped forwards and slashed her wooden blade down towards my skull, the power behind the blow bringing a wry smile to my lips as she made it clear she was aiming for a real fight.

One that bordered on not being a spar if either of us weren’t as skilled as we were, but even as I stopped her blade from cracking my cranium into dozens of pieces and turning the pink noodles beneath it into a paste I still felt that she was going at this too hard.

She was apparently that serious about using this as a wakeup call to me, and that became even more apparent as she dragged her blade back from the haft of my spear so that she could try and stab me in the chest, her precision guaranteeing that she would land that blow below the sternum and angled up in order to dig even deeper with the potential to deal extreme damage.

Extremely serious and willing to do real damage to me that would require a skilled healer to ensure nothing bad happened meant that I needed to treat this like a real fight, so when I spun away from her stab I swung my spear horizontally and cleaved it towards her midriff, threatening to crack her ribs and force her to crumple to the ground.

Of course she knew how to avoid that, utilizing her momentum forwards to stumble past the attack and stand where I had been a moment earlier, which made it all the easier for her elbow to connect to my side and force some of the air out of my lungs.

It provided an opening for her to press the attack even more and swing her blade at me once more, and as I hastily blocked the blade with the haft of my spear she continued to unleash a flurry of blows that forced me to be entirely on defense, ensuring she could dictate the flow of the battle.

As more blows rained down upon me the Catkin shifted ever closer, giving her the ability to apply far more pressure that was always coiled up in that sexy body of hers so that she could hiss ”Sure this is a spar, but ain’t this a quick turnaround for the oh so talented and strong Rhefia!”

Catching her next swing, I pushed back and followed through with a knee to the gut, driving her back and creating space that enabled me to swing my spear at her legs; when she leapt over it she wasn’t prepared for the backswing that cracked against the side of her knee, nor was she ready for me to pull the spear back and jab it at her chest.

At least, that was what I thought, but the Catkin had incredible reflexes and control as she still brought her sword up and brushed the spear aside, ignoring the pain and allowing my momentum to carry me into a headbutt that disoriented me, her forehead connecting with my nose.

Something cracked and tears welled in my eyes as a sharp pain blossomed on my face, but this was also something that I was able to fight through after years of training and similar experiences, so as her blade circled back around and lunged for my chest once more, I bashed the haft forwards and bounced the blade away before jerking my arms back, allowing the butt of the spear to whack against her hip.

For awhile there we traded blows in silence, but once the bruises accumulated we wordlessly agreed to back off, giving the other a few seconds to recuperate and address those wounds, though she took that time to speak as well.

”You’re still a criminal, the Nobility are still - and will always be - afraid of any who hold power and are not born of them and their ilk, and our wife is far too powerful for them to ignore! The Goddesses return soon enough to plunge the world into chaos for their own amusement, and here you are, growing dull and rusty! For what?!”

The edge to her voice was as sharp as her real blade, and just like it it cut deep as I glared at her, not appreciating nor liking what was happening, but even then... how could I respond without completely lying?

”And now you’re just silent! Congratulations Rhefia, you found your peace, found your heart! What is your purpose here, hm? You claim to be strong, to be the protector, and yet...”

Waving her sword around, she continued to prowl around me in a circle before adding ”I know you can be those things, but how good of a protector are you if you aren’t allowed in one of the dangerous places? And aren’t doing anything to get in there?”

”If you are using this spar as a benchmark then you are far less intelligent than any of us gave you credit for.”

That made her fur bristle as she hissed at me, though she calmed down a second later and smiled sweetly as she said ”Oh, you’re right! The magic you have, the weapons you have, all of it makes you stronger~! But also- oh wait! Those are things that Astra bestowed upon you like she had me~!”

It felt like she was intentionally trying to get on every single one of my nerves right now to piss me off as much as was possible, and to be honest... it was working just a bit, but I had dealt with worse... just not from someone this close that I continued to trust.

At least the last person to do this type of shit was someone I had grown to barely care about, but now..?

”Sari, I understand the anger and the desire to see improvement, but do pick your words carefully, hm?”

Her smile widened before she rolled her shoulders, relaxing her posture a little and replying ”Perhaps I take it too far sometimes - at the very least consider yourself lucky that I am not like Inik - but the point remains, Rhefia. What the hell is your actual purpose here besides being someone Astra loves? At least some of the others know the only reason they are here is because they caught her fancy and provide her pleasure. You though...”

”Am more important then the rest of you because the only reason Astra is where she is at right now is because of me. Is that what you want me to say? Is that what this is all about? Using the worry about the future as an excuse to shake things up a little around here?”