~"Understanding is a three-edged sword. Your side, my side, and the truth"~Upon leaving the arena Alicia was greeted with a round of applause from some of the other fighters, both victors and those who were defeated. She smiled warmly and held up a hand to express her desire for them to relent, after all it wasn't much of a fight from her point of view. The so called champion didn't know his swords any better than she knew how to breath under water which allowed her to easily plan her advance. That and he was over confident which she truly believed lead to ignorance and defeat. As she stood among the other fighters her eyes caught the red hair of a fighter holding a rifle who appeared to be talking to a girl with an eye patch. She caught him looking her way and held his gaze for a moment before she simply walked onward. She didn't have much interest in those who fought with guns, of course she'd fight them if she had too, but it was swords which she held a greater desire to fight against.
When she pushed through the door and walked out into the sunlight she took in a deep breath, exhaling with a smile before she decided to head over the road to a small tavern where she could relax till it was time for the final match. She walked into the small tavern, glancing around at the other men and women who had come to wet their lips with alcohol. More than a few turned to face her, some of them looking away with disinterest while others looked slightly afraid. Alicia was aware of the rumor about her and while she didn't pander to it, she didn't care to deny it either. She walked across the room to a bar before taking her seat, the bartender clearing his throat before asking, "Can I get you anything miss?" he asked, "Just water for me, please" she said before pushing a piece of silver across the tough oak surface of the bar. The bartender made a 'hmph' sound before walking away to get a clean glass,
"Bow Black my ass..." he muttered.
The tavern had an old feel to it and had a band playing instruments in the corner. All in all it had a nice feel to it which was likely what made it such a popular spot for punters. The bartender returned with her water, placing it down in front of her. She raised the glass to her lips, taking a small sip from it before letting out a soft sigh. Some of the other punters muttered among each other, of course such a powerful swordsman was supposed to be some kind of drinking machine. And since she was apparently a man trapped inside the body of a women it was expected that she drink something hardier like Rum. But that story was ridiculous.
A long time ago there was once a captain of a pirate ship named Davian Bow who gave his soul to a demon in exchange for incredible fighting prowess as it was his dream to become the worlds greatest sword fighter, however as the demon granted his wish it also tricked him by trapping him inside the body of a women who naturally would be weaker in strength than his previous body. The women was thereafter known as Bow Black, abandoned by his crew who no longer recognized him and cursed to continue his existence as a women.
"Hey you!" a voice snapped her from her thoughts, "We saw your fight against Elise, how dare you cheat against such a great man!" protested one of the two men who looked rather angry about what had happened. Alicia regarded them from the corner of her eye as she took another sip of her drink before placing it down gently, "Elise underestimated me and stepped beyond his reach when he thought he could match me. That was his downfall and the reason he lost" she said, her words soft and smooth. The two men sneered, "You're a liar, a no good Bow Black impersonator. If you're so good, you wont have trouble taking us on" he said as one pulled a sword while the other took out a pistol. The bartender moved himself away as did some of the other punters, moving to the edges of the room so they didn't get in the way. Instead of leaving however they seemed to stay, eagerly wanting to see what would happen.
Alicia didn't move from her seat, "I would strongly recommend you put those away, we have nothing to fight about" she said before she turned to face them, "Why don't you join me in a drink?" she offered kindly. The two looked at her like she was a fool and seemed to get angrier as they felt she wasn't taking them seriously. "Let's just finish this!" his friend spat before the one with the sword rushed towards her, aiming to impale her side. In a flash her sword parried his stab and slid down to lock against his sword's guard, holding his blade away with one arm as her other hand held the glass of water. She finished the glass before placing it down again, "Thank you for the water" she said to the barkeep before she stood up, her sword still locked against the mans blade. In another flash she disarmed him, the blade sailing up above them before she struck the man with the back of her sword with such speed and strength that he flew across the floor to land beside his friend with the pistol. The other man's eyes were wide as he saw the symbols on her blade, "I-it is you!" he hesitated.
As the mans blade reached it's apex before falling back down she caught it with her other hand. The man with the pistol raised it and fired at her, Alicia's blade deflecting the bullets with a single movement. Her wrist holding the other mans sword flicked it around her wrist before she gripped it at an angle, throwing it like a knife causing it to hit the pistol. The pistol then exploded, destroying some of his fingers in the process. He screamed and fell to his knees, nursing the hand in his other. "Now if you'll please, I'm here to relax before the final" she said and returned her sword to it's scabbard before taking her seat again. The two men would scurry away shortly after.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~