Varya was struck in the middle of her chest plate by the acid-tipped bolt. The powerful corrosive substance was released when the impact broke the vial, and it started sizzling through the turquoise armor plating and consuming the flesh underneath right away. The burning, searing sensation was immediately excruciating and probably one of the worst pains Varya had ever felt. Varya stumbled backward, falling to her knees as she gasped and gripped her chest. She fumbled for a sidearm holstered on her thigh, unable to wield her sword effectively from that position. She pulled up the pistol and started shooting. Due to her injured hip, Nayla tried to avoid it by spinning, ducking, and twisting, but her movements lacked the quickness and accuracy they usually possessed. She wasn't quite fast enough because the throbbing pain slowed her down a little. She was hit by two rounds in quick succession. Her left forearm was struck by a single bullet, breaking the bone and making the limb instantly useless. The injury was exacerbated when the second tore into her already injured left leg. Nayla instantly shifted to escape and evasion after realizing that she could no longer win a direct confrontation. Disregarding the two pains, she pushed herself to run, limping as quickly as her injured leg would allow, and clambered frantically up the trunk of another big tree, several hundred feet farther into the woods. Now, her only chance was to entice Varya into a vulnerable position so she could try one last, decisive ambush.
Nayla was perched perilously on a high branch, fighting waves of nausea from the pain and bleeding, when her thoughts began to wander once more, revealing her lack of concentration. Why us? She asked vaguely. What on earth could the High Council want with five fighters of the Entry-rank? They would definitely hire proven Elites if it were a mission. What plans do they have? Is House Ravy somehow connected to this? Why is that, Kieran? Her jumbled thoughts were suddenly shattered by the thunderous roar of a huge explosion that was exploding right behind her in the tree. Thirty feet below, she crashed into a broken, immobile heap on the forest floor after being blown bodily from the branch by the concussive blast wave. She had a startled realization as her last conscious thought before darkness overtook her: Varya... must carry grenades.
In the sterile white infirmary of the same arena medical facility where Nora had just recovered, Nayla swam slowly back to consciousness a day later. At first her mind was confused. What took place? Was I successful? Where? Fragments of the fight gradually came together: the forest, the crossbow shot, the hip wound, Varya's return fire, climbing the tree, the explosion, etc. Everything came flooding back, including the blast concussion, the leg pain, and the crucial moment of distraction. Her eyelids fluttered open as she stirred feebly in the medical bed. Above her, Luna, Yan, and Nora's worried faces gradually came into focus. Wincing at the protest from her bruised body, she carefully pushed herself into a sitting position and noticed Kieran quietly discussing something with a doctor across the room, just like he had done when Nora was recovering.
Yan said, "Welcome back, sis," with a sincere but somewhat reserved expression of relief. His response lacked the obvious emotional outburst that one might have anticipated given his prior experience witnessing Nayla suffer more severe injuries.
"Yeah," Nora continued, making a feeble attempt at a joke, "we weren't sure if you planned on waking up before the next tournament for a while there."
As the bitter shock and stark reality of her loss weighed heavily on her, Nayla remained silent for a few moments. Her concentration had faltered. She had lost because of it. She made a mental error. Her focus in battle was normally unwavering and unbreakable. It felt more like a defeat than the actual physical loss because of this failure, this out-of-character diversion. Kieran stopped talking to the doctor when he noticed she was awake and went to her bedside. Nayla's golden eyes clouded as she gazed up at him.
She asked softly, "Did Varya cheat?" with a glimmer of desperate hope.
Kieran shook his head solemnly, meeting her gaze. "Nayla, no. Analysis verified that all of her ammunition and equipment were legal. You were clearly defeated in the match. He made no effort to soften the blow when he delivered the verdict. Delivering bad news tactfully was not one of Kieran's strong points.
As she absorbed the confirmation, Nayla leaned back against the pillows and closed her eyes. She felt the finality of it hit her like a physical blow. For her, losing was an uncommon occurrence that she never handled well. Kieran received a reproachful look from Yan, Nora, and Luna.
Yan growled, "A little tact wouldn't have killed you, Kieran," in a voice tense with defensive rage. When his sister was in danger, he was extremely protective of her.
Kieran raised his hands in a protective gesture. "I'm sorry, okay? All I did was state the facts. I was unaware of it. He trailed off, obviously uneasy. He hurried back toward the doctor, leaving the others to try to gently divert Nayla's mind from her loss. After a minute, Kieran came back.
"Good news," he declared, speaking directly to Nayla while maintaining an impartial tone. "Your primary injuries are already healing nicely, according to the physician, because of the regeneration treatments. Due to the lingering effects of the concussion and some minor fragmentation wounds in your back from the grenade blast, he advises limited activity for another day or two. However, you are technically free to travel whenever you feel ready. When you're ready, we can leave for the homeworld."
Wincing a little as her abused muscles protested, Nayla nodded silently and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her restless spirit was irritated by inactivity. Yan slipped a generous quantity of credits into the attending physician's hand as they were leaving the hospital. (Regular fighters were technically entitled to free tournament medical care, but generous 'tips' for attentive care were a common, if informal, way to show appreciation.) They were all back on board the Kyara ten minutes later. Kieran immediately headed for the Ravy homeworld facility on the other side of the planet. Due to the tournament schedule and the Treskan incident, the plan to customize their cabins was never carried out. As expected, Nayla went straight to the simulator after boarding and began participating in rigorous training exercises. Five hours later, she reappeared when the Kyara docked at the expansive House Ravy headquarters complex.
A large reception committee was waiting for them on the landing platform as they disembarked. Kieran's parents and his four other siblings stood on either side of Taran, who was in the lead. Behind the family was a respectful group of senior shipyard employees. Kieran embraced and clasped hands with his family members before formally introducing his friends to the Ravy clan. His friends had already communicated with Taran, but now they were able to meet the other siblings, each of whom seemed to have unique skills and quirks.
Kieran's sixteen-year-old sister, Nivika Ravy, was the first. Despite her youth, she already led House Ravy's crucial Armor Research and Manufacturing division. Her eyes were a bright, active green, and her straight brown hair was cut in a practical style; she was almost six feet tall, inheriting her father's height. The third oldest sibling, seventeen-year-old Lexan Ravy, followed. In the prestigious Rimland Security Force, he was presented as a young sergeant. His gray eyes, which were exactly like Kieran's and Taran's, were coolly and professionally detachedly evaluating the newcomers. His black hair was cropped severely in a military style. At maybe five feet four, he was noticeably shorter than his siblings, but he made up for it with a small, strong body that had been refined through intense military training. The youngest, Zev, who was still considered a baby, came next. His parents joked that despite his inexperience stacking synth-blocks, he already demonstrated "promising engineering aptitude." Last but not least is Jyn Ravy, an 18-year-old gladiator who is Kieran's closest sibling in his chosen field. At five feet ten, Jyn was almost as tall as Nivika, with short, disheveled brown hair, bright green eyes that resembled those of her mother and sister, and an infectious, carefree spirit. Nora instantly connected with her.
Kieran concluded by introducing his parents, the current House leaders Ryna and Jaron Ravy. Ryna Ravy was a small, gentle woman with a friendly manner who was easy to get along with. She reportedly had a passion for experimental mixology and cooking, frequently introducing her guests to her newest culinary creations or unusual drink concoctions, sometimes to their dismay. At five feet one, she was the shortest person in the immediate family and had brown hair with silver strands. She had green eyes like Nivika and Jyn. Quite unlike his wife, Jaron Ravy was essentially Kieran, only bigger and older. He had a thick, well-maintained graying beard that complemented his long, brown hair, which was heavily streaked with gray and pulled back in a handy ponytail. He was six feet six inches tall and had a strong, muscular body that could easily weigh 250 pounds with very little fat on it. Years before, Jaron had retired from his own successful career as an Elemental-ranked fighter after suffering near-fatal injuries from a grenade blast that had catastrophically damaged most of his internal organs. He was a gregarious, boisterous conversationalist and a fierce debater when roused. He still had the physical and possibly psychological scars from that terrible experience, even though he was completely recovered thanks to sophisticated cloned organ replacements—perfect biological replicas of the originals. As a result, Jaron Ravy was far more appreciative of sophisticated medical science than his oldest son.
Following the introductions, Kieran excitedly went with Taran to supervise the promised improvements to the Kyara, while Jaron Ravy swept the other four away for a thorough and enthusiastic tour of the enormous House Ravy headquarters and shipyard facilities. Jaron was fiercely, visibly proud of his family's 'little enterprise,' and Yan, Nayla, Nora, and Luna were not shown to comfortable guest rooms in the main Ravy family residential complex until two hours later, followed by a substantial dinner. They all fell asleep almost immediately, exhausted from the journey, the recent battles, and the events of the day.