The Angel Express, Chicago, Illinois - 9:47 AM

Mercury screamed as he sailed head-first towards Jeff. The Knight sidestepped the ninja-turned-projectile and looked down at me in surprise. He had been distracted by the Golden Bowling Ball and had not expected me to come at him from the blind spot, which I felt was a little naive.

Ready to take advantage of the hole in his defenses, I swung the Staff of Raphael just as Jeff reached out with his free hand. He was still wearing the Handwraps of Powerful Throws. It gave him access to a few judo moves that could immediately toss me like a rag doll. I leaned back to make it harder for him to grab me.

But I wasn’t his target. Mercury was.

He grabbed the ninja by his arm and, in the next fraction of a second, Mercury was swinging my way. I Pushed my hoodie backwards towards the ground, sliding slightly on my back. There was no room for me to alter my staff’s trajectory, so I kept it on its course with Orbit and let it go. It struck Jeff in his side, causing the man to stumble, and another item appeared in my now free hands.

Mercury landed on the end of Vermon’s Smash Stick. The club was an oversized Vespae mandible, and he had to swallow a scream as he was thrown onto the largest of its protruding spikes. Kayla removed something from her inventory, and the ninja was quickly replaced by a pillar of marble. I was barely able to Lift it before it fell on me, simultaneously sending the club back into my inventory.

I made the bowling ball Orbit me when Jamie approached. It rolled along the ground in front of her, threatening to trip her up. She was wielding Firefly and Silhouette, her gold and silver scimitars, and swung at my prone form once close enough. The blow bounced off the ball, which appeared where I needed it to just in the nick of time.

Reassessing the situation, I saw that Mercury was now using the golden shield to protect Kayla. She looked determined despite having been hit by Boneshake, which was good. Even at 50% pain, it was a terrible spell. I was about to shoot the pillar of marble towards Jeff to take out his legs when he stepped on top of it.

It became much heavier with his weight and Constitution riding it, and I had to raise my knees and hand to physically help hold it up. Mentally, I commanded the Vambrace of Wires to release the Cable Conglomerate, snaking it around the pillar. It nearly snagged his leg before he dodged, and he actively tried to fence with the rope.

The bowling ball continued to shift back and forth as Jamie moved around me, swinging her twin scimitars in a deadly dance. Like Jeff, she had started speeding up after Kayla sacrificed more of her hit points. I was still waiting for Shield to recharge from breaking and didn’t want to give up Force Field by letting them shatter that, too.

I attempted to parry with the Vambrace of Wires and catch her swords, but she cautiously layered feints one after the other to make attacks that I simply wasn’t in a position to defend against. Even though I was effectively pinned, I could tell by her aura that the Weapon Master was getting frustrated that she wasn’t doing more.

Jamie jumped over the pillar to get to my undefended side, and I sent the bowling ball after her. She would have landed on it and fell if it weren’t for Jeff. He snatched her out of the air by the arm and set her down gently, all the while fencing with the rope.

The moment Jamie’s feet were on the ground, she was back on the offensive. My tricks weren’t helping nearly as much and my arm was still occupied keeping the pillar raised. Her attacks were hitting, but the cuts were shallow thanks to my efforts with the ball.

I really needed to stop the Double Agent’s buffs.

With my focus already split on the pillar and bowling ball, I could still grab one more item. I Lifted a KA-BAR from Jamie’s thigh holster, Spinning it so I could plunge it between the joints in her armor. The knife stuck deep into her hip before I Pulled it back for another attack. She grunted in pain and knocked it away, continuing her attack.

Leaning into its new trajectory, I sent the knife spiraling towards Kayla. Mercury attempted to intercept it with the golden shield, but I easily avoided his efforts. What stopped it was Crusader’s Wrath. I hadn’t expected it to remain active for this long, and I briefly wondered if Jeff had picked up a passive that extended how long his skills worked for.

The Angelic gauntlet moved into position to stop the knife without error. It couldn’t grab the weapon even though it was shaped like a hand, just block it, and I used Spin as Kayla watched it from her circle. Sparks flew as the weapon was basically turned into a drill, constantly damaging Crusader’s Wrath.

When the damage over time exceeded its hit points, the skill allowing it to block on its own would end. Once again, I felt my stats lower again as the J on my chest got brighter.

I really needed to stop the Queen’s Knights debuffs.

Jamie was at my side and the Cable Conglomerate continued trying to wrap around Jeff’s rapier. His feet had so far proven elusive, his Sure-Step Sandals allowing him to remain balanced on the pillar and rope, but I could keep him busy. The longer he spent playing with that, the less time he was spending attacking me.

I rolled away from Jamie, putting the pillar between us, and the moment I did she put her scimitar under her armpit and reached into her inventory. She retrieved Conquest’s Crown, and an oppressive feeling fell over the battlefield. Everyone’s aura, except for hers, flickered like a candle in the wind.

Seeing an opportunity, I released my Tyrant’s Will. Jamie steeled herself, Kayla and Mercury shuddered from the feeling, and Jeff jumped onto me, rapier pointed downwards. I had learned early on that his instinct upon feeling the unnatural dread was to protect his wife. It was a slight relief to see that hadn’t changed.

I activated Force Field, not to block but to redirect. The blade hit it and slid to the side between me and the airborne pillar that my rope was now securely tied around.

My open wounds began to fester thanks to the crown’s influence as the power of Conquest, who was also known as Pestilence, invaded the battlefield. I couldn’t hold back a grimace at the pain. My Constitution slowed it down, but it wasn’t something I was going to be able to ignore for long. Not with my lowered stats.

Grabbing onto the Cable Conglomerate with my hand, I used Orbit on the pillar of marble to give it some speed and allowed it to pull me to my feet. Jeff jumped back, but not before slicing my arm just above my elbow. It began going numb as the blade piled on the debuffs. Honey spilled out with my blood to lower my Dexterity, and my flesh began to crack from the Skin of Papyrus curse. Conquest’s Pestilence only exacerbated that issue.

I began swinging the pillar of marble over my head, and the effort of doing so strained me. With almost no finesse whatsoever, I used it as an impromptu, oversized ball and chain. I lashed out at Jamie and Jeff, and they backed away from me as I broke the floorboards every time it so much as grazed the ground.

With my free hand, I retrieved the Staff of Raphael and had my bowling ball hover between Kayla and myself. She was aiming Jamie’s Desert Eagle at me, but hadn’t fired yet. Her stance was excellent and her finger caressed the trigger; it was easy to tell that she was waiting for her shot.

No matter where she aimed, however, I moved the bowling ball to block. Absolute Awareness was amazing when it came to figuring out angles. My mind worked towards figuring out the best way out of this predicament; I was starting to feel the pressure. It was exhilarating.

While Jeff and Jamie were watching the pillar, spreading out to flank me, I shot the bowling ball at Kayla in a way that Mercury could easily intercept. He did so, jumping in its path with the golden shield in front of him to deflect it. Both his and the Double Agent’s line of sight was disrupted.

I activated Crash Test in their direction just as the KA-BAR broke through the gauntlet’s hit points. Jeff seemed to anticipate this, and his body flew sideways with Killer Queen outstretched in his arm. Triple Thrust, a movement skill not unlike the one I had just activated, put him next to me and then in front of me.

His rapier went through my chest as we crashed into each other. Pain erupted as the blade skewered me to the hilt. A split second later, the same attack came, piercing me a few inches towards my heart. Jeff had a skill that let him replicate an attack, and he had picked a good one.

But it wasn’t fatal, and my movement didn’t stop. If it weren’t for his Cincture of the Complete Body, his hand, wrist, and arm likely would have broken against me. Instead, Jeff was pushed back into Mercury. He was fine, thanks to the shield, but the Queen’s Knight’s back burned when he slammed into it.

Jamie’s shield had been modified with the scales of the Pharaoh and could build up damage to reflect back at those who attacked it in melee in the form of fire. This could travel along weapons held by the attacker, making it very versatile. Thanks to Crash Test, Jeff was the one who was between me and the shield, taking that damage.

The pillar continued on its path and I pulled back once I stopped. Kayla was still safe, but thanks to my motion it had a new target. It smashed against Mercury’s back, causing him to groan in pain as he was slammed into Jeff. I Pulled the pillar towards me, pinning him there. The ninja panicked, trying to turn so he could find something to change places with.

He was unable to. The KA-BAR I manipulated would have gone right through his head if it weren’t for the rules of the arena.

Mercury Moonslayer turned gray and collapsed to the ground. Kayla uprooted herself and dove for Crusader’s Wrath. She activated Guardian Shield just as the knife turned on her. The Double Agent’s Constitution wasn’t going to be higher than her husband’s, but it was effective in a pinch.

On my chest, the J burned as brightly as I had seen it now that I killed one of Jeff’s companions. My movements were sluggish as I attempted to back away from the Queen’s Knight. He stepped forward with me, pinning both of my arms to my torso in a bear hug. Though I struggled, I didn’t have the Strength to break free.

His rapier was still in my chest, and he made it impossible to pull it free. I couldn’t rely on Entwined With The System because it was an item owned by another player, though that didn’t stop me from trying. It was good to find out that it wouldn’t work now instead of in an actual life or death situation.

Jamie ran towards us, swords ready to deal a killing blow. I summoned my Vague Stick into my hand and willed it into the shape of a spear, but she wasn’t intimidated by it in the slightest. Knowing it wouldn’t make it in time, I used Orbit on My Golden Bowling Ball, sending it around the room.

“By the power of-”

I attempted to activate Ostwriter’s Plot Armor when Jeff slammed his forehead into my mask, breaking my nose. Reactivating Shield did nothing to prevent the rapier from hurting me, but I still threw it up.

“- Enigma Hemingway!” I finished as he struck me again. With the chant completed, I began charging up something else.

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The next two seconds were agonizingly slow.

Thousands of pages of paper appeared from my inventory to cover me in armor just in time for Jamie to slice at my back. Both scimitars glowed brightly as they attacked in tandem, boosting the damage beyond what they could do on their own. I felt Shield shatter immediately. Her swords cut through the paper and into my skin. It wasn’t deep thanks to my armor and defensive passives but, with Conquest’s Crown, depth didn’t matter. Pain exploded up and down my spine.

My Golden Bowling Ball struck her in the back, causing her to stumble. Her armor slid against the rapier sticking through me, cutting me further, and I made myself concentrate.

The Double Agent disappeared only to reappear beside me, finally approaching with Fae Step after all this time playing keep away. If she had more magic at her disposal, she could have been a much bigger problem. I activated Force Field, but two shots from the Desert Eagle shattered it. Her Drakefang Dagger disappeared into my side, and I was only barely able to shift it with Orbit to keep it from hitting something vital.

I grunted in pain; even with the 50% reduction, that Credibility damage boost hurt. While I couldn’t take the time to check, I knew my hit points were critical. My Constitution was in the gutter thanks to the plethora of debuffs they had put me in, and it was only thanks to my skill at skirting around lethal blows that Heavenly Hero hadn’t activated yet.

It was finally time, though. As Jeff lifted me off of the ground, Jamie regained her footing, and Kayla tried to shoot me again with the Desert Eagle while twisting her knife, I disappeared from between all of them.

Thanks to Skill Mimicry, I also had access to Kayla’s Fae Step. I decided that this was the best moment to use it.

Killer Queen clattered to the ground without my body there to sheathe it. I appeared a few feet behind Jeff just as the Crusader’s Wrath fell to the ground. The spinning drill that was the KA-BAR struck Kayla in the temple. She and Jeff both glowed brightly as he activated his most powerful defensive ability, giving the Double Agent yet another protective shield while he was buffed again.

Opening my mouth, my Dragon’s Breath blasted through the Kingtin’s Foil and Ostwriter’s Plot Armor, forming holes in both. The golden beam of holy energy struck the Queen’s Knight in the back of the head. The KA-BAR spun against Kayla’s shield as she tried to flee behind Jamie.

Jeff turned to face me, hand up to block my breath weapon, but even with his new buffs he wasn’t durable enough. It only took a second longer for his body to gray out. My stats rose across the board when I was no longer being affected by the Queen’s Knight’s Marked Target.

My Dragon’s Breath immediately became wider and more powerful. As a skill whose damage was dictated by my stat total, getting close to normal was a huge boon.

Kayla was no longer protected by Jeff’s ability, and the knife pierced her temple, removing her from the fight immediately.

Jamie sagged when the Double Agent’s buffs disappeared without any warning. Ever the opportunist, she dropped Firefly and grabbed the falling man by his jacket. She hid behind him, using his large frame as a shield. As morbid as it was, the choice wasn’t a bad one. It wasn’t like he was taking damage or feeling pain anymore.

She took a step towards me, swinging Silhouette. I parried with the Vague Spear, backing away as I continued to shoot my Dragon’s Breath. We exchanged a series of attacks, me trying to get around her human shield and her trying to stay out of the line of damage streaming from my mouth. I had no doubt that Kayla had told her and Mercury how expensive it was for me to keep it up, and she seemed to be taking her time.

It was strange but thrilling at the same time. Jamie's preferred style was aggressive and swift. That was what she was good at. It took me a good while to mold her into a more patient fighter, but she had come into it on her own. Between protecting Kayla at the beginning and waiting out the clock now, she had clearly learned that lesson earlier than usual.

Unfortunately for her, it wasn't going to be enough.

Once her Desert Eagle was a few feet behind her, I Lifted the weapon off of the ground. Aiming for the Weapon Master’s leg, I fired its last bullet. It pierced her plastic armor, striking her in the back of the knee. With gritted teeth meant to prevent a pained scream from escaping her throat, she dropped Jeff as she fell.

Casually, I glanced down. Before she hit the ground, Jamie slapped her arm and the golden shield flew to her. I lifted my leg to prevent it from crashing into me, and continued to fire my Dragon’s Breath. She curled up, hiding behind the sturdy barrier. It started glowing as it accumulated damage to reflect, and I took a step back.

I attempted to Lift the shield, but the Weapon Master was holding onto it tight. Thanks to Absolute Awareness, I could still see her clearly, and I flinched back as she pulled a new, very large projectile weapon out of her inventory. It was already aimed at my ankle. There was no time between when it appeared and when it fired.

The sound of a revved up chainsaw muddled my senses, and I nearly fell as a projectile went through me. My ankle had been cut clean through, but the damage spread through to both sides. Spiral cuts worked their way up my lower leg, stopping right below my knee. My foot, which was flying away, was torn to pieces from the same pattern. The pain, exacerbated by Conquest’s Crown, was nearly damning.

My hit points began rising at an alarming rate, and I knew that Heavenly Hero had been activated.

<<<>>>

[[Passive]]

Heavenly Hero

Heroes are known for surviving no matter how difficult the task, and those heralded by the Heavens are even tougher than most. Your body knows the form it needs to take, and is resistant to wounds and effects that try to change it.

Your recovery speed increases to 50% of your Constitution stat per minute, and missing body parts will regrow slowly. Once per day, if you would die, survive with 1 hit point instead. You become invulnerable to everything except damage from Demonic sources for 5 seconds, and you regain 4% of your hit points per second during this time. Angelic skills cost 10% less to activate or sustain.

<<<>>>

I had been a tad too reckless, overconfident due to the training room rules. If I didn’t have multiple contingencies against death, this would have been their win.

The thought of it made my heart swell. They had done better than I expected, being so early in the run, but it wasn’t over yet; I earned those contingencies, and the system didn’t call the duel.

A circular saw blade was embedded halfway into the training car’s door ten feet behind me. It was still spinning despite not going any deeper. The wall all around it continued to accumulate damage that spiraled out from the point of impact, just like my foot and leg. It would continue to do so for several seconds.

I Lifted myself by my hoodie so I wouldn’t hit the ground, blood dripping from my lacerated stump leg before it healed over. I ended Dragon’s Breath before I could use it to land the final blow. I had a morbid option now, too, and I needed the Mental Points for it.

Taking note of the pieces of my foot scattered throughout the arena, I picked out the largest piece of bone I could find, the heel, and Pushed it under her shield. She stared at it for a split second before trying to stand up. I used Drop on her Shield, keeping her down just long enough for me to verbally activate my last attack.

“Boneshatter,” I dramatically chanted as I stepped onto the pillar of marble, excited to witness the explosion from material strengthened by a vague, synthesized passive. It hadn’t been enough to prevent me getting maimed this time, but this was the upside.

<<<>>>

[[Passive]]

Bones of Steel

Your bones have been altered to be several times stronger than average.

<<<>>>

Because I was using material from my own body, the difference between my Willpower and Constitution didn’t matter; it exploded with the full force of the attack. My bone made for fantastic shrapnel that bounced between the arena’s floor and Jamie’s shield, shredding her to pieces like a grenade.

The next second, I was in one piece again. My errant body parts had reattached and my hit points were full like the fight had never happened.

<<<>>>

[[Duel!]]

Congratulations! You have won the duel.

[[Patron Quest Complete!]]

That was really touch and go there at the end, but I knew you would be able to pull through!

Please don’t make a habit of using your own bones for grenades. I know they’re strong, but there’s something about exploding your own body that I’m not comfortable with. Last resorts only.

Also, I had an extra bet with Ares that you could win without resorting to Break Free like he watched you do against the Uuska. The next big quest you get, I’m going to offer something special because you did such a good job.

Reward: 8,000 points.

<<<>>>

The others slowly stood up now that they were no longer considered dead, and I watched them from atop my marble pillar of victory.

“Damn!” I exclaimed jovially, hands on my hips. “Y’all almost had me. How are we feeling, folks?”

“I think that was par for the course,” Kayla was the first to say. “Everyone else was right. You’re a scary bastard, psychic boy.”

“And yet you still call me psychic boy,” I teased.

“Always,” she said firmly.

“Kinda disappointed I… we couldn’t push you into your Angel form,” Jeff admitted.

“I had spent too much on Dragon’s Breath there at the end,” I told him. “Break Free costs me points after I run out of MP, and that wouldn’t do. The training car doesn’t reimburse those like it does feet.”

“Eh, still.”

I smiled. “How about you, Mercury?”

“I’m just happy it’s over,” Mercury said, though he was looking at me with admiration. “I’m really glad you’re not the bad guy, Warmonger.”

I looked at Jamie, who was still sitting on the ground. Jumping down, I offered her my hand. “And you?”

She eyed it for a moment before taking it, and I helped her up. “Like I promised, I’m being a good sport,” the Weapon Master said. “But don’t push it.”

“Heard, loud and clear,” I said, still smiling. “Man, I'm really proud of all of you. That was the best fight I've had in a long, long time. The coordination between you guys made it way harder than when I was a raid boss.”

“Wait, really?” Mercury asked. “Didn't you fight 40 people or something?”

“42,” I answered. “And they were barely working together. Nothing like this.”

“Lots of dead weight,” Jamie complained.

“But not you guys,” I said happily. “You're all climbing the wall. Getting better at a much faster rate than I anticipated. Maybe it's because of Kayla’s leadership giving things a more personal touch than I could provide, or Jeff sharing his strategies. Might be Jamie being an excellent specimen of skill and wrath.”

“You said it, not me,” she stated. Though she sounded grumpy, her aura showed that she was pleased by my words.

I laughed. “Or Mercury's raw talent and enthusiasm scaring the adults in the room into thinking they're going to be obsolete soon.”

“You really think so?” the ninja asked, hopeful.

“Could be. It very well could be,” I admitted. “Whatever the reason, you four are good for each other. I was almost humbled here today, and that's something I didn't see coming. I meant it; I'm really proud of all of you, and you all should be proud of yourselves.”

I watched as they looked at each other. Some were easier to read than others, but even Jamie's usually frosty aura had thawed some. Morale was high despite the loss, and I loved to see it.

Stretching, I started heading towards the door that would get me to my room. “I’m going to go get washed up. Thanks for the good fight, everyone!”

I was met with four different levels of enthusiasm, and waved backwards as I left them behind to ride this magnificent high and take care of my laundry.

“Alright,” Kayla said with a clap of her hands. “So, next time, I'm thinking…”

The door closed behind me, leaving them privacy to plan.