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It was a good re Everything was about Kip--and there were tragedies and coht before his eyes that he didn’t even see

Nineteen was up next, and given that she was directly below Kip, he figured he’d get a rest Nineteen was a girl named Tufayyur, and she was ranked appropriately, so far as Kip and Teia could guess So she’d try for sixteen and then thirteen Getting lucky tas a lotlucky three or four ti to plot his own line of challenges He wished that he had gotten to stand next to Teia, so he could talk it over with her She understood this all better than he did But then Tufayyur cae Kip," she said

What? Kip looked at her in disbelief and she shrugged He followed her eyes to as above hi illu on, but Kip lost it

He was the sensible challenge, he supposed Again He’d been planning on skipping Barrel and Balder himself Neither of theht they should both be in the top fourteen

But he had to go out to the ain If he lost once, he was out Just like that

The crowd didn’t even fall silent for these early fights Kip couldn’t blahters on’t even

They went to the hellstone, and then took their place The spotlights careen, but Tufayyur wasn’t interested in drafting She charged She ai to go for the knee of her other leg with a sharp low kick of his own--but that was a crippling blow He hesitated He absorbed her kick instead, his hesitation earning hi to punch hih to stun him

Kip staggered backward She hit hiroin--he barely deflected the latter with a knee but still took the shot in his thigh She punched for his face again, but he ducked into the blow and her fist sainst his forehead

She yelped, but didn’t stop As he hunched, she threw flurries of blows at hied his arm and went for a subraceful asturtles

Tufayyur went for a scissor subet around Kip’s girth and lock easily Kip rolled on top of her, angling the whole of his body weight onto her torso He grabbed one of her arms with both of his and then si her feet up to try to roll Kip off of her, but she wasn’t strong enough With her free hand, she went for Kip’s nuts, but he pressed his hip down, and she wasn’t strong enough to burrow underneath She jerked, trying to get her hand away, failing

Then she panicked, unable to breathe, flailing--and the whistle shrilled again

There was a shter as Kip stood and offered her a hand, but she snarled at hio, fatty!" one of the older Blackguard trainees shouted

Kip walked back to his spot, already tired, and was surprised to see Co for him at the rail