My Servant System - Chapter 1000: Payouts (2)

The screeching of metal followed by the showering of sparks as the two Jackalkin engaged in a deadly dance of blades drew the attention of all standing within the plaza, and the initial curiosity and intrigue that had drawn them in was now replaced with morbid fascination as we all watched the spar in progress.

The third spar of the series that was owed to the Sultana and already Anput looked absolutely battered, but she needed to push on and give it her all even if she wanted to rest, hence why her grunts had become more plentiful as she went on the offensive, seizing the initiative and trying to take control of this spar.

Her olive skin was riddled with cuts and bruises, while her sweat ran red as it dripped down her muscles and over those open wounds, shrouding her in a glimmering red sheen as she lunged forwards, the scimitar in her hand lancing straight for the Sultana’s head.

By now, we were all watching on with bated breath, following the trajectory of the scimitar and wondering where it would be in another second, since the current target was the black veil that covered the Sultana’s scarred visage… and that simply wasn’t going to be where it landed.

And right on time, the Sultana flicked her wrist and used her own scimitar to slam Anput’s down towards the ground, the flourish moving the curved blade to the side before she pushed it downwards and into the ground, trapping it with her own.

Then she took a step forwards and slammed her free hand forwards, her palm striking against Anput’s sternum and sending the Jackalkin staggering backwards, gasping in agony as the thick, flat bone was cracked beneath the force of the Sultana’s blow.

Even with the agony of a cracked sternum, Anput pushed forwards and yanked her scimitar back, raising it just in time to block the heavy overhead swing that threatened to cleave her in two, though the clanging of the metal as the two blades met was a terrible sound for us all

Anput in particular as she listened to the sharp, high pitched crunch as part of her scimitar cracked, the power behind the Sultana’s attack almost shattering her weapon that had been coated in mana and forcing Anput to make a swift decision.

The Sultana was fighting with a single hand on her blade and the other completely unhindered, relying entirely on technique instead of power – though she had an ample supply of that lingering within in her rope like muscles – as well as speed, so Anput was in a precarious position.

Trying to launch another attack with a cracked sternum and scimitar was extremely difficult, but she couldn’t let the Sultana have time to contemplate what to do since that would allow the veiled woman to begin weaving traps into her current fighting style, setting the younger Jackalkin up for guaranteed failure.

So what could she do to try and last a little longer than she was currently?

In the same moment that her scimitar was damaged, Anput angled her blade and made the Sultana’s slide downwards, forcing the taller woman to lean forwards somewhat as the momentum of her swing carried her that way, which left her open for her daughter’s counterattack.

Though instead of aiming for the upper body like most would expect, Anput just raised her foot and slammed it down atop her Mom’s foot, specifically on her ankle, which made the Sultana shudder slightly as the pain of the stomp coursed up her leg.

Kicking off of the Sultana’s foot, Anput moved backwards and dragged in deep breaths, all while her scimitar began to morph into a longer, thinner blade, one that she stabbed instantly towards the stationary Jackalkin’s shoulder, hoping to score a blow whilst she was still shocked from the attack.

Sadly, the moment that thin blade seemed destined to pierce through the Sultana’s shoulder, the lean Jackalkin swayed to the side and allowed the blade to brush past her harmlessly before swinging her scimitar straight up into Anput’s weapon.

Specifically straight into the still present crack, and without much surprise Anput’s weapon shattered from being targeted a second time, the shards of metal whistling through the air and stabbing into the ground around us, whilst the half of the blade mockingly clattered against the tile, audibly letting Anput know just how screwed she was.

With half a blade in her hands now, Anput tried her best to fend off the flourishes from the Sultana, the various swings and cuts aiming to inflict small yet substantial wounds on her and make her fall a painful one, and Anput knew that… but was unable to do anything about it.

Her broken weapon was too short to catch all of the attacks and too light to be useful against the ones that she did catch, and we all watched as she was given a few more nasty cuts before the Sultana lunged forwards and rested the edge of her scimitar beneath Anput’s chin, forcing her to look up and into her veil.

“Finally decided to start making use of your magic? I thought you told me you were adept with more than just a single weapon… show me. Stop waffling about and be decisive.”

Anput gasp as the Sultana bashed her collarbone, pushing the Jackalkin back and towards the thin man that reeked of medicinal herbs as well as Leone and I, giving her her third break as she instead turned towards her Death Jackals, gesturing for one of them to offer up their blades.

Ignoring her for now, I joined the older man and began to heal my mate’s cuts and superficial wounds, my Water Mana washing over her body and seeping into the cuts as I did my part, while Anput leaned into Leone’s hands as the Vampire gently pushed her mana into the Jackalkin’s back, her flames sinking into Anput’s muscles and working at the tears and cuts.

The Jackalkin gulped down the potion that the older man handed her, the reddish gold liquid sliding down her gullet and infusing her body with more mana than it knew what to do with, spurring her awake and getting her worst injuries healed.

All the while, the Sultana appraised the weapon handed to her before walking back towards the center of the ‘arena’, where she waited for Anput to return so that she could hand her daughter a new weapon to begin round four.

“She’s right you know. You need to start fighting like you always do; stop being reluctant to switch it up. This weird reluctance to step away from the traditional fighting style…”

Pinching Anput’s arm, I glared at the Jackalkin when she opened her mouth to retort me, only to remain quiet when I added “You aren’t here to earn brownie points with the Sultana, you’re here to showcase your skill and show her how well you’ve improved. So stop being stubborn and fight like you always do. Last minute muscle memory will only make this more painful than it needs to be!”

Biting her lip, she looked away from me and kept quiet, saving her energy and breaking away from us after her wounds healed, the Jackalkin stepping back into the arena and accepting the scimitar the Sultana tossed her way.

Instantly, the younger Jackalkin turned the scimitar into a straight edged blade, which she lengthened into a longsword that she seemed to be more comfortable with after all this time fighting inside the Empire and training against Jahi.

Like the other three rounds, this one was started by Anput whenever she wanted, a single benefit given to her for these spars, and one that she always tried to make the most of.

Leone and I retreated away and rejoined Jahi, who was watching the fights with a stoic expression and crossed arms, her attention given wholeheartedly to the fights, entirely undivided and unable to be taken away by anything else.

Meanwhile Lady Kio remained in a mood as she stood with her five pups, the Dogkin glaring at me whenever she could before occasionally giving an answer to Aisha, who watched the fights with curiosity and slight fear.

Lunging forwards and stabbing at the Sultana, Anput made use of their now equal reach to remain just outside of the Sultana’s range, which allowed her to push the Sultana back just enough to give her the time to switch her weapon again.

Now wielding a spear, Anput stabbed forwards as swiftly as she could multiple times, forcing the Sultana back even more as the older Jackalkin constantly leapt around, trying to find an opening around the various metallic stars that dotted the air around her.

When Anput’s thrust almost nicked her cheek, the Sultana stepped forwards and into the range of the spear, but as Anput was yanking her weapon back, the spear tip curled around as she shifted the weapon into a scythe, which was about to pierce the back of the Sultana’s skull.

And yet, we were once more reminded of how far above these warriors were when the Sultana grabbed the haft of the scythe and stopped it in its tracks before stepping into Anput’s guard, her scimitar snaking towards her daughter’s belly.

It was also where we were reminded that we were born of the stock of these warriors, since Anput had no issue slamming her knee into the Sultana’s groin before kicking at the Jackalkin’s knee, resulting in a groan of pain from not only the Sultana, but also all of the men and futanari around us.