Vior had been living at the church's orphanage for three years now, and ever since the day she had lost her parents to the accidental backlash of a mage's duel she had been preparing for this moment: The church's selection day where impoverished six and seven year old children were given the chance to fight for the right to win a place in the church's apprentice program. Three rounds where each child was given the chance to prove the potential they had inside of them, their right to earn a place in the church's ranks.
Last year she had lost two of her three rounds, the last defeat bringing her to within an inch of her life, and she had been passed over, but this year would change things. This year she was going to do it. She was going to prove that she was more than just a penniless orphan, she was more than just a helpless victim of the whims of fate and magicians. She would become one of the ones holding fate by the reins, she would be the one taking lives through the whims of her magic. She gripped the hilt of the small dagger at her waist. She was ready for this.
"Vior?" Her friend, Kelly rasped, her hand on the door that led into the sanctum where the fights would be held. She had participated in the selection process the year before and nearly had her throat slashed out. The healers had done their best, but her vocal cords hadn't been completely restored, and she still bore a jagged scar running down the front of her neck.
Vior nodded. Kelly pushed open the door and they stepped into the room crowded with children. A line had formed in the corner where a priest in a white and golden robe was writing down names on a list as the children in line registered to participate. All around the room groups of children armed to the teeth milled around, talking often in whispers as their eyes raked through the crowd at their possible competition. Each with their own staff, bow, sword, dagger, some with jagged scars and harsh eyes, others with a sweeter and innocent air, their eyes brimming with the excitement of the uninitiated. At the edges of the room a few adults stood, uncertain and anxious, as if they wished to stop their children from participating, but knew better than to try.
There weren't any other priests in the room, watching from the walls, Vior assumed as her eyes swept the room, her gaze just as cold and cunning as the rest of them if not more so. She followed Kelly to the back of the line and continued watching the other children until it was their turn to register.
"Ah, Vior," The father greeted her when she reached the front of the line. "I assumed you'd be participating. You weren't too bad last year. And…" he looked at Kelly.
"I know I can't participate." Kelly rasped. "I'm just here to watch."
The father nodded. "Very well, of course there's no issue there." He wrote down Vior's name, and they left the line. There were only a few more kids behind them who had yet to register, so it wasn't that long before the Father gathered his papers and left the room, leaving the children to continue stewing in their anxiety and anticipation a little longer.
Vior looked over her competition once more, returning to the few kids she had marked as possibly being some trouble for her. There was a big kid, tall and beefy, and he had a scar running down his cheek. If he knew how to use his strength and make up for his weaknesses he could be trouble. Another kid, thin and lithe, but his fingers were dancing around a tin coin he had pulled from his pocket, and his eyes spoke of arrogance, which could be his downfall, but could also speak of hidden strength. There was a girl with a staff that looked like it had an expensive blue crystal at its head, the way she gripped it and held it made it seem like it was very familiar to her—potentially a rather powerful magic user. And finally the girl that she was the most uncertain of—no visible scars, no fancy weaponry, just a short dagger like her own, but her eyes betrayed a sense of…not naivety, or cunning, nor anxiousness, but just pure confidence, almost contempt, like this whole challenge was beneath her, like she had already won in her mind. There was a possibility she was wrong, but Vior felt somehow that this girl had the power to back up her confidence. Of all the kids she had marked out, Vior felt the least confident about beating her.
At last the Father returned to the room. "Alright everybody!" He said in a voice loud enough to overcome the room's ambient conversations. "The match-ups have been decided. Come view the board to see who you're paired up against, and when your matches are. The first fight will begin in ten minutes, so please be prepared." He projected a magic board of glowing names onto the wall and the children began crowding around.
Alright, it looks like I've got… one fight today, one fight tomorrow, and one on the last day. Vior scanned back through for the names. Finnus… that's the bulky kid, I know him from the orphanage. Hmm, not the easiest of match-ups but I should be ok. Evelyn… she just came in didn't she, that's…Her eyes widened. That's the girl with the powerful staff! Ugh, ok, two strong match-ups, that's annoying, I'll have to think of good ways to beat her. And lastly it's…Persimmon…hmmm, I don't know who that is, luckily they're my last fight, so I can watch they're other fights to see their style. Persimmon's other fights…She scanned back through the board looking for Persimmon's first fight. Oh, it's the first one! Nice! She went into the arena room with Kelly and they found a place among the stands to wait for the fight to start.
Alright let's see who this Persimmon is…She watched two kids get up and make their way to the middle of the arena. Wait, that's…Vior's eyes widened. There's no way… that's…that's the confident girl with the dagger, the one without any scars…you have to be kidding me.
She was up against not just the big sturdy kid, but also the expensive staff girl and the confident girl? How was she going to do this!? She could lose! She could lose all three matches!