Alice stepped through the small wooden door and into the ring.
The noise of the arena rose again almost immediately.
Several spectators leaned forward in their seats.
"Alice?"
"He picked her?"
"Now this will be interesting."
Unlike many of the others, she didn't look annoyed or nervous.
She simply walked toward the center of the ring with slow, controlled steps.
Up close, the small scars across her arms were even more visible under the torchlight.
Old cuts.
Old fights.
Alice stopped a few paces away from Osric.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
They simply studied each other.
Osric noticed it immediately.
Her stance.
Light on her feet.
Balanced.
No unnecessary tension in her shoulders.
She looked completely relaxed.
But not careless.
'She's experienced.'
Across from him, Alice was observing just as carefully.
He was taller than she expected.
Broader too.
And the way he stood in the ring… steady and patient.
Not like the reckless fighters she was used to dismantling.
'So this is the man who knocked out Lanor and Karel.'
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
'Interesting.'
The referee stepped between them.
"You both know the rules."
Neither fighter answered.
The referee glanced between them once more before stepping back.
The arena quieted.
Then—
They moved.
Alice stepped forward first.
Her footwork was quick and smooth as she closed the distance.
Osric raised his guard.
The first exchange came fast.
A probing strike.
Osric blocked it easily.
But Alice had already shifted to the side.
Her body turned with the motion, and her arm snapped forward again.
This time the strike slipped past his guard.
A sharp impact landed against his cheek.
Osric felt the sting immediately.
Not heavy.
But clean.
He stepped back instinctively.
A thin line of blood appeared where her knuckles had cut the skin.
Around them, several spectators shouted in surprise.
"She hit him!"
Alice lowered her hand calmly.
Her expression didn't change.
But her green eyes watched him carefully.
Osric wiped the small trace of blood from his cheek with his thumb.
Then he smiled slightly.
'Good.'
Alice didn't rush after landing the first hit.
She simply adjusted her footing and began circling again, light and controlled.
Osric followed her movement carefully.
The sting on his cheek was already fading, but the message behind the strike was clear.
She was fast.
And precise.
Alice moved in again.
Another quick step forward.
This time Osric struck first.
His fist shot forward in a direct punch meant to test her defense.
Alice slipped it effortlessly.
Her head tilted just enough for the strike to pass by her cheek.
Before his arm had fully retracted, her hand snapped forward again.
A quick jab landed against his ribs.
Not hard.
But perfectly placed.
Osric tightened his guard and stepped back half a pace.
'Fast.'
Alice didn't press recklessly.
She circled again.
Waiting.
Watching.
Osric moved forward.
His reach gave him a natural advantage, and he tried to use it now.
Two quick strikes.
Alice avoided both.
One step back.
One small turn of her hips.
Every movement was economical.
Nothing wasted.
The crowd began murmuring again.
"She's playing with him."
"No… she's reading him."
Another exchange followed.
Osric lunged forward, trying to close the distance and force a heavier clash.
Alice pivoted to the side.
Her hand flicked out again.
Another clean strike landed against his shoulder.
Osric felt the impact but ignored it immediately.
It wasn't damaging.
But it was another clean strike.
Another sign that she was dictating the pace of the fight.
Across from him, Alice's expression remained calm.
But inwardly, her focus sharpened.
'He's adjusting already.'
Most opponents reacted poorly after the first few clean hits.
They grew reckless.
Angry.
Desperate.
Osric didn't.
He simply kept watching.
Learning.
Alice shifted her stance slightly.
'Good,' she thought.
'This might actually be interesting.'
Osric steadied his breathing.
Alice continued circling lightly, her steps quiet against the cold stone floor of the ring.
For several moments neither of them attacked.
They were both watching.
Waiting.
The earlier exchanges replayed quickly in Osric's mind.
Her timing.
Her angles.
The way she slipped his strikes just before they landed.
She wasn't stronger than him.
But she was controlling the rhythm of the fight.
'She's reading my attacks.'
Osric shifted his stance slightly.
Then he stepped forward again.
This time he didn't rush.
He advanced slowly, forcing Alice to move.
She stepped back once.
Then again.
Her feet remained light and balanced as she adjusted her position.
But Osric didn't stop.
He kept moving forward.
Closing the space little by little.
Alice noticed it immediately.
'He's changing his approach.'
Osric stepped deeper into her range.
Alice reacted instantly.
Her leg snapped upward in a quick front kick aimed at his stomach.
Osric barely lowered his arm in time to block it.
The impact pushed him half a step back.
Alice followed immediately.
Her elbow flashed toward his head.
Osric turned his shoulder and absorbed the strike before forcing his way forward again.
This time he didn't give her room.
Their bodies collided briefly in close range.
Alice twisted sideways, trying to slip past him again.
But Osric moved with her.
His arm shifted across her shoulder, cutting off her angle.
For a brief moment their balance locked together.
Alice's eyes sharpened.
She drove her knee upward toward his ribs.
Osric tightened his core and shoved her away before the strike landed cleanly.
They separated again.
The exchange had been quick.
Violent.
And different from the earlier rhythm.
Alice adjusted her footing.
'He's forcing close distance.'
Most opponents tried to keep up with her speed.
Osric was doing the opposite.
He was removing space.
Another clash followed almost immediately.
Alice struck first again, her fist snapping toward his face.
Osric blocked.
But this time he didn't stay on the defensive.
His leg swept forward in a low kick aimed at her thigh.
Alice stepped away just in time.
But the movement forced her back again.
For the first time since the fight had started, her footing shifted slightly.
Not unbalanced.
But pressured.
The spectators around the arena noticed it immediately.
"He's pushing her now."
"Took him long enough."
Alice exhaled quietly through her nose.
Her calm expression remained unchanged.
But inwardly she adjusted her assessment.
'He learns fast.'
Most fighters took much longer to recognize what she was doing.
Osric had needed only a few exchanges.
Across from her, Osric watched her just as closely.
Her counters were still sharp.
Her movements still precise.
But now he understood something important.
She relied on space.
On angles.
On rhythm.
If he disrupted that rhythm—
The fight would change.