Bea's confirmation echoed faintly in Kain's mind.
Kain's hand drifted to the edge of his coat, lightly tapping twice. Bea stirred invisibly beneath the fabric, Chewy pulsing faintly from somewhere near his inner sleeve. Both were already summoned and hidden
Now came the others.
The referee stepped to the midpoint and raised a hand. "Standard match. First to yield, incapacitate, or full contract recall loses. Beast-tamers are not off-limits. Begin when ready."
The match had officially begun.
Kyria didn't rush. She didn't flinch. She simply stepped forward with confidence like someone who had walked into dozens of battles and walked out of most, if not all, victoriously. Her fingers twitched slightly, and the faint glimmer beneath her bare feet pulsed again. The material was buried just deep enough not to be immediately obvious, but he could still sense the distortion in the surrounding energy field.
Something metallic.
