"When you said you wanted a rematch, I didn't realize you meant an entirely different kind of fight," Theo said, holding out his bo staff and crossing it against mine.

"I let you call the shots," I returned. I threw my bo staff into the air and caught it with my right hand, giving it a quick whirl before setting one end to the ground against the hollow of my right foot. "I'll be honest, you chose quite the interesting game." My eyes trailed from his to the assortment of weapons displayed across the walls of the martial arts section of the gym.

"I call it 'Equipped'. No rules. No reason."

'Equipped' round one started with one of the most basic weapons known to man: the bo staff. Arms and legs were part of the players and therefore not considered added weapons. They could be used at any time to make the game more interesting.

In round two each player was allowed to select one sword type of their choice to add to their arsenal, despite whoever was the victor in round one.

Round three guns were added, loaded with rubber bullets that stung like fire.

Round four was when the 'no rules' 'no reason' fully came into play. At the time the bell chimed signaling the start of the fourth round, each player was allowed to grab any weapon they wished from where they rested on the wall. Since there were no rules, they could grab as many as they wished and change out when needed.

"How about we raise the stakes?" I murmured so only Theo could hear. "If I win, you have to help me steal something from your grandma's office."

"And if I win," Theo returned, "you can't pull any kind of trick for a month."

"Deal."

"Deal."

I could barely hear the crowd of students surrounding the matted area, chanting Theo's name. My eyes met my opponent's and his mine. It began the fight long before the referee—a teacher that was way too enthusiastic—called out, "Begin!"

Suddenly, Theo's staff was on my arm, creating a wave of pain from an unhealed bruise. I bit back a scream and jumped away.

I had applied the essential oils Wren had given me as often as it could soak into my skin. It had the ability to drastically lower the healing time of bruises, but it wasn't exactly a miracle worker that could heal in a day.

This was full contact. No holding back.

I couldn't cry after one hit.

Swish. Thwack.

The speed of his attack and my narrow dodge sent me flying off balance. But he didn't give me I chance to recover. His staff swung at my head, catching the small wisps of hair that refused to stay in my ponytail.

While I was low on the ground, I swung my staff at his legs, hoping to get him off his feet.

He jumped away, flipping in the air and landing a few feet away.

His distance didn't last long.

He pushed himself off his back foot and launched himself forward.

Step.

Step.

Swoosh.

I breathed in through gritted teeth as the force of the blow attempted to push me toward the right side of the crowd.

I refused to fall, shifting positions and wrapping my left arm around his staff resting on the side of my rib. It kept me steady on my feet long enough to recover.

"One of the most important rules in fighting is to make sure your focus is on everything," Theo said. "Not just your opponent and his moves."

The weight in my right hand disappeared.

In my moment of distraction, I failed to notice the staff flying toward my face.

The force of the blow threw me back and I slid across the mats. I rolled onto my feet, eyeing my opponent before he could catch me off guard.

There was my missing weapon. It was now in Theo's other hand.

"There's no rule against stealing your opponent's weapon," he stated as he walked toward me, whipping and turning both staffs through the air. "Although I don't need a second staff." He rested his staff against his shoulder and lifted mine into the air.

As he brought it down to his raised knee, I leapt at the staff, gripped it firmly in the palm of my hand, and followed through at an angle to avoid his body, falling into a roll.

I swung my staff a second later, and he blocked.

The sound of wood against wood resonated through the large room.

"Now you're getting serious," he said with the faintest hint of a smile.

I replied with a strike to his neck that went unblocked. I smiled at the small victory—until it sent him into a whirl of sticks and limbs, aimed in my direction.

I barely managed to block them all, taking a few smaller hits in the process.

As we continued on, I kept taking more and more hits.

The final strike landed on the side of my stomach, bringing me to the floor nose first.

He sat on top of me, bringing his staff into the air and landing it down a centimeter from my neck with enough force to blow my hair away from my face.

He leaned close to my ear and whispered, "It seems as though I am the victor."

I shrugged him off and slowly rose to my feet. "Of this round," I murmured back.

We gave each other the customary bow and left to take advantage of our five-minute break.

Wren held out a water bottle to me as I approached and I accepted it gratefully, chugging it in one breath. I wiped the water that had trickled down my chin with the back of my hand.

"The next round is swords," I stated as I watched the room from our spot in the far corner. "The bo staff isn't very useful in one hand, especially while concentrating on sword technique. But difficulty has never stopped Theo." I met my opponent's gaze from across the room. Water was falling from his mouth in a waterfall but he didn't seem to notice as he continued to heave the liquid into his mouth. Students gathered around him, blocking him from view.

"Wren?" I questioned as I turned away.

"Yes?"

"You know, I've never actually handled any kind of sword."

"I know."

I crumpled into a seating position on the floor, legs crossed and my arms flopped like noodles beside me.

Something sharp suddenly poked into the top of my head. "You should go with the ulfverht. It's easy enough to handle for a novice like you."

I looked up and saw Theo leaning his elbow on my head, pressing his weight through my scalp and triggering the slight pound of an oncoming headache. I grabbed his arm and threw him over my shoulder. "Get lost," I said.

He landed on his feet and straightened out to loom above me. "It's time for the next round. Choose your weapon wisely." He gestured to the sword display on the wall to my right.

I stood up beside him and followed the direction of his hand. Each sword's name was etched in gold plating beside its owner and gave a brief description.

"Ulfverht, you say," I murmured, my eyes trailing to the long Viking-style sword settled a few inches above me. It was sheathed in a gold-lined crimson scabbard, its wrapped handle ending in a golden tip protruding from the open end. I gripped its handle and unsheathed it, pulling it across my chest and freeing it from the scabbard.

I could only describe it as magnificent.

Its shiny exterior reflected the lights overhead and made it appear as though it were glowing. The smooth surface stretched a few feet forward, which meant it was a close-range weapon, but I didn't mind.

I swung it in my hand, listening to the sound of the blade cutting through the air.

This was the sword I wanted.

I just hoped Theo wouldn't pick a far-range sword in response to my choice. My eyes flickered to the zweihander taking over an eighth of the wall. I've never seen such a long sword.

But the one he pulled off the wall surprised me. The flambard. It was flammenschwert in German meaning 'flame sword'. Supposedly it was very similar to the monstrous zweihander my eyes had caught before. The description explained that there wasn't anything particularly special about it, other than its unique design. There used to be theories on its ability to do more damage than the normal sword, but they were proved mostly false.

Theo waved his sword a few times to test it, before walking back onto the mat to prepare for the next round. I joined him, giving him a quizzical look. He just shrugged in reply.

The sword he held ended in a rapier hilt, making him look a bit like a dark prince with the flambard's undulating style of blade. His broad shoulders and perfect stance added to the effect.

"Each sword has been rigged to slice everything but skin," the referee said, walking to stand at my right and Theo's left. "Ladies, be sure to keep your hair up and away from the opponents' chosen blades."

"It might not tear flesh, but it will leave a nasty mark," Theo whispered. "One that will last as long as the cut would have."

"Noted," I murmured back.

"And begin!"

This time, I was the one who leapt forward first, weapon raised.

I was stopped short by something that slammed into my ribs.

It threw me into the crowd of people, who quickly scattered before I made contact, letting me fall to the mat on my left arm.

My sword skittered away.

I looked up and saw Theo, his right hand gripping his sword and his left holding on to the edge of his bo staff. His muscles stretched from the strain, but his face showed ease.

"You're using two, two-handed weapons and still able to throw me across the room with one blow? Not only that but with your left hand?"

"I'm actually left-handed," he replied, feigning humility.

I jumped onto my sword and rolled, switching our positions on the floor. I pounced, slipping past his long-range protection and clashing against his sword.

I kneed the hand holding the bo staff and it fell from his grasp.

I kicked it up into the air and sliced it into three neat pieces, watching as they fell uselessly to the floor.

Then our swords met again. The sound echoed through the room, so different from the earlier clash of wood against wood.

I used an opening to send my heel through his stomach.

He fell back but came forward with a knee raised to my jaw.

It slipped past my sword, but I was quick enough to move out of range before the blow could knock me out.

My leg shifted in a half circle, landing back in a fighting stance. It opened me to attack, urging Theo to make the next move.

He did—and so lighting fast that all I was aware of was pain shooting from my neck down my back and the hilt of a sword appearing in the corner of my starry vision.

His stomach was revealed in front of me, his arm still hovering above me.

I pushed my weight into the force of my punch, hitting him in the solar plexus and pushing him down to the floor.

He rolled and was back on the balls of his feet, wincing slightly at the pain.

Again and again, our swords met in almost deafening clashes.

Then his rigid sword broke the skin on my shoulder. My hand automatically went to put pressure on the wound, but the skin felt smooth. I turned and saw a black mark crossing the top half of my arm. It burned like fire, but no damage had been done.

"You forgot to mention the pain," I said through gritted teeth, turning back to face my opponent.

I jumped back, narrowly avoiding his sword and sliding against the mat. My free hand brushed down beside my bare feet, and I leapt forward.

My ankle twisted and the pain sparked, causing a scream to burst out of my mouth.

Tears flew through the air, but I passed them without a second thought, waving my sword at Theo's chest.

He blocked and pushed my body away.

My weight landed on my twisted ankle and more tears slipped down my face.

I wasn't going to lose.

I couldn't lose.

This wasn't just about the stakes we had placed on the table anymore.

But in my moment of blind fury, I became reckless. Theo was able to swat down my guard with one hand and knock his sword hilt into my temple.

Then everything went black.