Another one of their scouts, this time a dog person, was filling Afilada in on the details of the large structure in front of them. It looked like a keep from their world. The walls were made from wide, thick wooden planks and extended twenty meters into the air. At each of the four corners there was a rectangular tower that extended at least another five meters higher than the walls and had a roof over it. A moat of brackish green water ran completely around the walls and the only way to cross was the drawbridge in front of her.

  “The time dilation is 20:1 which is the highest we have seen so far. We don’t know what’s inside because the first group that tried to enter got a warning. Only one party member was allowed inside and it said it was a one time only dungeon. Not wanting to waste a possible great opportunity they chose to save it for you,” the dog finished.

  “Thank you, Lieno, I appreciate the consideration. See that the group who reported it is appropriately rewarded.” The dog quickly bowed and backed away to give her space.

  Afilada turned to the rest of her group. “I don’t know how long this will last. If I don’t return in an hour go check out another battle dungeon. Can’t have you guys getting fat and happy on me.”

  They chuckled as she stepped forward. What new opportunity would she find on the other side? Striding across the bridge she was focused entirely on the shadowy entrance in front of her.

  New Quest: Becoming a squire (50)

  [You have come to compete to be the squire of a powerful warrior. Beat the other contestants to earn one of the coveted spots as his student.]

  She found herself standing in a line with nineteen other corellians. Before them was a larger version of the keep and she could see several buildings through the open drawbridge. The ground around them was beaten dirt. It had clearly seen a lot of use as inside there was not even a trace of the lush grass that grew around it.

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  Scanning her competitors she was not impressed. She was by far the largest of the group and the best equipped. Most had common iron weapons and some were even wearing mage and healing gear. The only one who looked close to her size was an elephant person carrying a wooden club.

  “I’ve never seen a sorrier looking bunch of maggots in my life,” bellowed a large lion person who strode out from the keep. “This is a disgrace, not a one of you looks like they could ever be worthy of being my squire.”

  Here was a worthy foe. He was even bigger than Afilada, at least two hundred and thirty centimeters tall. He was the largest beast person she had ever seen. His mane was bushy and brown, shooting out from his head like fireworks. His body was covered in a gleaming metal chest piece that seemed tightly fitted to him and yet it didn’t impede his movements.

  His arms were as big as tree trunks and his hands looked like they could crush the head of most of those around her. Over his shoulder was a giant sword. The blade was at least twenty centimeters wide at the base and even though it stuck up well above his shoulder, the tip was almost dragging in the dirt.

  The large lion man ran his golden brown eyes across the other beast people. There was a clear look of disgust that only faded when he looked over Afilada. “Well, maybe one of you has what it takes. Here’s the deal. There are twenty of you and only one can be my squire. Today we’ll get that number down to ten. Look at the person next to you. That’s who you’ll be fighting. Winner stays, loser leaves. Now don’t worry about pulling your punches. Here are some protection amulets.” He tossed out a couple of necklaces in front of him.

  “Each fighter will wear one of these. It will only activate if you are about to take critical or even lethal damage. If it activates, you lose. If you surrender, you lose. Now, who’s first?”

  Afilada smiled. She wasn’t sure about being someone’s squire, but the man in front of her was clearly on another level compared to her. If she could learn from him, why not? And the fact that she was also being given the opportunity to beat up on her fellow beastkin was just an added bonus.