COI C80
Coral and Iggy choked a bit after what they seen so far in this duel. The music keep riled them up as they continue to eat more with other people who drinks the Aphrodite’s glass.
“Cough* Eating while watching that match is too intense for me to cheer with my mouth is full”
“You’re having problem there, Iggy? I couldn’t agree more as we fight our battle here in the table”
Reya looks at the other way seeing Siren and Andui mesmerizing the music played up from the platforms. Their eyes were focus on every musical instrument as if it their key finding to find the sweet melody.
Siren walks up to the band with Andui coming along out of excitement. The elf who plays the violin hears their step as he walks to the stairs blocking their way.
“Excuse me, I kindly please to clean yourself before proceed to go up here. The battle music needed their tunes right or the crumbs of your meals might taint some of it”
Andui asks “Is there an instrument react to food?”
“The goblin’s instruments with upstanding beats from their drums attracts the spirits. It lively beats will actively run amok with that scent”
Siren and Andui looks at each other for any leftover tainted on their clothes, there are some and easily wipe off with their magic.
The elf replies to them with smiles of confidence and let them through. Siren and Andui walks up and witness the theatrical majestic balcony they never seen before. All Horsin crafts and other cultural arts on it. All of the complete races are here, even the demons. Their forms are in full wooden dolls that can differentiate among the spirits. Siren speaks to the elf again.
“Demons, I thought we can’t see their true self”
“A demon that fits inside this balcony is a myth to me too, young lady. These are their avatars and its glory. I should ask in return, why are you here to be at top and away from the arena?”
Andui continues to hear some musician testing their instruments, even without being played all together like an orchestra. It feels the harmony as it prepares their songs.
“It’s because we admired your music especially someone using the violin”
Everyone is staring at the elf. Siren notices it was him.
“It was you?”
“Apologies, I’ve never knew people admired my instrument”
They look at the elf as they look at the violin. The instrument is actually manufactured from their city. They gaze on to him as they want to speak with him more. The musicians start playing where the duel is starting. The elf stops joining them as he must show his company for the both of them.
Moving to the back of the platform as they discuss about the instrument he is playing. Siren takes the first step
“How did you get it? Most people will take picture of you once you step forth inside our city”
“My friend sends it to me as a gift, if you can guess it was a dwarf”
Siren checks her social media as she searches someone who is buying the instrument. Deeper within the history of internet, she manages to find only one picture. She shows it to him.
“You mean this guy over here”
He looks at it, his friend looks confused as he stared something unordinary.
“That’s him, if I remember correctly that is the first time, he visits the city”
“Really? How do he know about the violins?”
The elf has his eyes look away for a bit and pulled out something from his pockets. An old journal, aged quite badly and little crumples with the edges already dirtied.
“I have a journal who teaches me how to use violins. I don’t know which world he came from but this is the model of his old violin”
They look at the picture and they were a bit underwhelm how the picture faded its color. The elf uses his magic to recover a bit of pieces of it and a picture of a man shows up holding a violin. Both see a foreign rural man playing along with his friends.
“I remember the man said this picture took place back in their world. That’s where I got to know it”
Andui remembers back in the sphere that is mention who entered this world. Once again, the foreigners who entered this world had left something they wish to leave. Siren noticed her distress
“What’s wrong? The picture looks old, wait a minute, since when you get that picture?”
The elf reassures them “Don’t worry, it was more than 700 years ago. I guess I preserve the picture with my magic laugh*”
“Yeah laugh*” Andui tries to laugh but the knowledge she remembers made her look worried. She tries to ask
“Then what music you learn from that man. Do you remember any of the names?”
The elf responds by playing the violin. “I have forgotten the name but I will never forget these notes”
The elf plays the music. Siren listens to it as she slowly copying what Andui is expressing now. The playful tunes from a foreign land, emotional and captivating like it was coming from a powerful nation. Free and prideful to the land of brave men, Siren leans to Andui as if she knows. She whispers to her
“700 years, huh. It sounds more than a decade old”
“You know this song?”
“I heard it when I was a kid, it mostly those foreign cartoons I watch playing violins. Now then, you notice it first. Care to share?”
Back to the duel where Thean and the rogue prepared the rules they are making. A little improvement here and there, and a lot of questionable themes are setting up just for her. That social media benefits of little fame really made her do a lot. Just she did before in the lounge, but her friends are bit jealous when they see the fight that looks too cinematically. Her eyes beam like stars as she gets excited. Illtended is out who is now with them talking to Heist about the match he had.
“. . . It’s complicated, the boss battle rule that I have to defeat him with high defensive buffs while I am get none. That’s the basic rule I can explain in it to you”
Heist pulls his hair as he read the complete rule set. “You mean to tell me you are having a long chat with the dwarf that should have taken longer”
“The dwarf was helping the city and he can comprehend a lot of the details then recommend some key parts. That destroying his experimental is one of the rules of his defeat. Cough* that’s how I can use the cheat”
Heist thought it would be an amazing fight with his rule sets, but there is a loophole might damage his image.
The rogue busts in their conversation as she shows off the stream she recently made. “Look, I made myself a streaming account”
The two adventurers look at her stream and the detail of the match she made. Heist gets a surprised that the rules will take longer than the usual duels they are watching.
“Turned base? What are you trying to do? Giving the first turn the enemy to attack you, I don’t get it”
“Uh-uh, read carefully. Thean made it easier for them to understand too”
Illtended finished reading the details as he didn’t get it. He is going to say “I’ll just have to see what you guys are doing”
“Alright, seems both of you didn’t understand. Thean, you’re right one thing. We have to show it how it plays”
“Groan* You added a little bit too define of your rules there”
“I’m not going to win and not knowing what you guys can do. At least it gives me an advantage”
“We have a little advantage of your abilities though”
“You guys can handle it, the dwarf beat Illtended twice”
Illtended tries to explain it to her “The rules we made had a loophole”
“Hah, then mine will be too then”
Heist looks at her moody attitude once again. It will take a long time with that childish characteristic of hers to mature even she is 17 years old. He looks up to the balcony to see how his friends are doing. Sanquin waves her handkerchief to him, he notices its coming from her bosom, she returns it back to her dress collar after she is waving at him. He turns around ask Illtended.
“Can you help me made my rules for the duel?”
“Wait what? I told you there might be loopholes. Me and the dwarf agree with it because we have something to try”
“Please, I’m not even showing to her what I can do”
“You mean that Enders woman, she even tells you talk with her seriously during the banquet”
The man remembers that he stuttered a bit, he was very serious to want her be his side. A lady, a virgin lady, he didn’t care that she is immortal as long as he had to experience a pure romantic life. His experienced with other girls back in his world is expensive and time consuming on his hard earn money on them. They were selfish, but not like her. Sanquin made plan for this to fits all the events he wanted to show to her in one date. Yet she declines the late-night hours. He regretted to say it to her, but she was reasonable enough to understand why.
The banquet-talk with her and the women too agreed to her opinion, “I have rarely seen good examples of men or even acknowledge their romantic customs are daring. As long as you understand womanhood in my world, we won’t be dragging each other to our personal and selfish needs”
She leans to him softly and giving this affection to him as an example. “Dare to just this as affection or lust. Many women quickly lean forward quietly instead to talk more serious term. Trust your partner as much as yourself, time is the greatest challenge for both new lovers. I hope you can understand that”
Heist was almost at loss of her smooth talking. Until his chances grow back when Rusic comes along to their table talking about romance.
“Romantic huh? I guess that woman is off of your pride. Laugh*”
The dwarf brings a photo who were married. Not from his race but a certain demon and man alongside.
“You see this lad, there is a chance. Back in Enders Bridge there is a marriage of female demon and man was granted immortality. Demons have the power to do so, but I don’t know what world it came from. Anyway . . .”
Sanquin stops Rusic by silencing him. His runic gloves counter off her magic as he responds for her rude actions.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“. . . That’s so unladylike of you, heavenly demon”
“I apologized, but it’s between me and him”
“A man like him needs to choose. He might be staying here if he wants too”
Sanquin remained silence but her gazed shines on her eyes into dawn color glow. Her pupils remain intact but she looks more charming as they see her. Rusic moves closer at the back of Heist as they got distracted from her glowing beautiful eyes.
“It’s your choice lad, she maybe a bit feisty because she is a warrior but at least try all what love you can show to her. Even you have nothing to give her. The demon on that drawn portrait. Read at the back, there is a note that there is why they fell for each other”
Heist checks his device to see the portrait. The real demon form covered well with traditional wedding gown and the man with her. He didn’t have a chance to look at the back of the note because everyone wants to see it. Thanks to the Rogue to take pictures of it back and forth, his curiosity comes back and read it at the back.
“For how many years they have taken from me, the man I love finally comes back from the clutches of demons. Truly the man from earth who shows the fragment of his examples of his home of the brave”
“Earth?” Heist eyes went widen to the point of shock, as he continues to read the part of the husband’s note.
“My ancestors couldn’t made it to return home. I don’t know when they came to this world or worse, losing their values and virtues. Even I made it out from hell and this demon come to save me. I hardly pronounce her name but I called her Lilith as we wed. I wish someday to save those souls once more. Acurse will someday will be coming back, and I for one to place this invitation to show you any of you who remembers him”
Heist sees the writings are starting to get smaller where the man wrote longer than his wife. What he sees surprises himself to find out that the writing is in English. All translated to his device, he closes it and continue to be surprised throughout the night. Sanquin sees his eyes that he did read the note from the portrait. She whispers to herself
“That dwarf, can’t even read or figure out that man is related to his people, yet they look differently as human. Nonetheless, it is possible but why it has to be the man from earth . . . I am still waiting to see my sworn brother’s children. We are even part in the same guild”
Thean and the Rogue walks to the arena, as it momentarily analyzed the rules from the Rogue wrote. Still under a minute, the arena still has plentiful fighters go around fighting. She made the rules complicated but remain simple, but the requirements of time magic and theatrical effects inserted to the fight. The elf leader read carefully about her rules. The citizen wants this fight entertaining, but the requirement for this fight to process for both the Horsin and the citizens. Other leaders are curious and the dwarf leader have no words to announce what fight the young girl is making.
The two takes their position, with all of their abilities available but their powers are under control. The arena had sets up their perceptions high. Frame by frame in motion, it is only them who felt it. While the audience covered in view, made it difficult for the orchestra to play from what they see. They cast down their magic to sense how they are doing inside. The feel, the sense of movement, and fight play are slowly trying to get the tunes as they feel it is timed. On that moment, it looks natural but it is already passed five minutes.
The rules are:
* “The fight is turned base on timing, initiator versus the reactor”
* “All weapons and magic are available but base on balance stats. But all hits caused painful effects when contact”
* “No resistances allowed”
* “The attrition is required and applied affecting their performances”
* “Finally, it is one hit fight”
The rests are trivial examples what they are allowed to fight. Still complicated, but the two will be setting themselves as the example.
Thean and the Rogue feel their senses of time had stop. New perceptions fill through their body and mind. Once the first turn begins, a random magic appeared rolling around in the air. It is the Rogue turn to initiate. The rogue grins happily as this is what she had expected. The arena handled by the authoritarians see the rules missing some basic methods, luckily one of them who knows to play turn base game but those are board games. They see the preparation and it would take more time to please the citizen’s ideas to proper use.
Turn 1: The rogue pulls out her dagger, Thean raises one single weapon. The two skipped time for just preparing their weapons. The time set such misappropriate motion between their next move. It is still new to them but Thean quickly try it out.
Turn 2: Thean appeared in front of her already connecting closer to her chest, the rogue sees him paused for the moment, and suddenly moved. The second turn was over, as Thean already closing in, he sees her stop in motion as her turned end. She uses her magic without knowing she her magic took longer turns to cast it.
Turn 3: The rogue quick casts her magic, Thean counter stun her. The motion takes its scene with such sudden frame. Their senses reveal as Thean connects his sword by pummeling up to her chin. The rogue froze in place as as painful hit. ‘It’s game’ as the duel broke off her first fight.
They return to their senses as it was over. Thean looks at her with a smug. The rogue touched her chin as the bruise persists. She then checks her device what is being seen. The replay started alongside with the music from the balcony. Her eyes and her face grin diabolically as she tapped herself. The second duel commence.
The adventurers couldn’t believe it what they saw. The illusion how those two know what going to happen as they maneuver each other’s skills. Heist sees it perfectly and Illtended was shock.
“How did that girl didn’t move dodge it fast?”
“Yeah, she’s a rogue and could have perform more moves than move once”
“Yeah, it feels like they are choreographed in a small step”
“At the same time, lands a hit, I hear her chin cracked”
The two read the details about their rules as Heist grew more the idea. The replay shows Thean advanced and take two hits to her, while the Rogue timed wrong by counter it with magic. It leaves Thean to curved his swings to pummel her chin, and it was dead fast.
One more duel with Thean and the Rogue, another random flip and it is still Thean.
Turn 1: He quickly moves forward. The Rogue throws her dagger with attached magic link.
Turn 2: Thean attached his magic bind on her magic link. The rogue stops as she UI reveals the details of that move, then she pulled the magic link.
Turn 3: Thean grabs the magic link but pulled closer to her. His sword is grabbed during this moment scene, he let’s go and side off. The rogue sees him closer to her reach, already grabbing his weapon with her other arm. She uses steal and redivert the weapon to hers and quickly thrust him.
Turn 4: She misses and the sword disappears after use, then she turns around sees him countered her at the back. The turn ends, time stood still as she needs to think a way to get out from this moment of attack.
The rogue checks her UIs once again, regretting that she cheats but it analyzes very well on this turn base duel. The motion by frames consisted of them by the same speed. It is impossible for her to dodge it because she turns her head. The number of ticks of frames used up and her body was focusing moving forward. Only movement of momentum she had is forward, but Thean’s reach can aim anywhere in this stop motion.
The rogue tries to take this moment seriously. Even the arena itself will delay in five minutes, but she feels like her turn is almost over. Not moving for any waste of her in frame motion. She remembers the dagger pulled, not knowing where the dagger pulled either its handle or blade. She randomly pulled it to see what happened as she chose to duck down. Thean’s turn starts, as his eyes seeing the dagger pulled back to her then aimed at him. The motion sets in where the blade can touch him. That small frame remaining that would hit his hand. It is a hit, a small graze cheat.
Turn 5: The dagger hits his hand then bounce off to his chest, luckily get hit but the pointed blade stabs him.
The rogue wins as the replay shows them the full video. The duel went; Thean charges forward with his sword lunging forward. The rogue throws her dagger then quickly tied her dagger with a magic line. Thean dodges it then grabs the magic line but she pulled him in steals his sword under a second then attacks forward. Thean barely dodges it and passes her, resummoned his sword then slashes at her back. The rogue luckily pulled the dagger hits his hand then bounces to his chest. The match is over.
The audience and the viewers from the stream saw another short run fight, but they waited for five minutes for this. They thought it was choreographed but the rules said it was turned base. Silfa starts to understand the rule.
“The girl is using that video game mechanic. What was it again?”
“You mean that new game where time moves when you move, and shows the reply in normal time frame”
Ruby thought about the game but she doesn’t know what that game is called. Sanquin reads the arena’s set ups, she understands what they are trying to say but the Rogue has many advantages when she is using the UI in mid fight, while the man had no chances at all under a minute of thinking.
The fighters were intrigued how the fight turns out, they look at Thean and Rogue congratulate each other with the new rules implemented to them. Thean keeps his attrition as hers with her chin.
“Now you have a rule that you can fight against them”
“Yeah, but I honestly used my UI to figure out what moves you’re using to the last moment”
“It’s fine, ugh! My chest. That’s part of the rule, all magic and weapons are available. You should be wary of secrets then”
The rogue kept rubbing her chin as the pain persists.
Thean left the and to be treated as the pain kept hurting him, only thing now is for him not dripping his own blood on the floor. The fireworks however, it seems shining on him like his heart founds a spark. He jokingly said to himself
“I never thought a flying dagger hits my fingers then to my chest”
Haw greets him as walks by “It’s not long to see you again, Agathean”
“Haw, I never see you being around the fort either”
Thean looks at the others as they are curious about the match. Thean knows what he is getting at.
The rogue returns with the two as they huddled her around as she still streaming. Heist said to her “Where did you get those rules from?”
“Ouch my chin, it’s from the video game. I can’t explain it well even I have to make a description of it. I can only reference a game called SUPERHOT”
Heist research it and he found it. He understands how it looks well choreograph but he asked one more thing.
“Why one hit?”
“I told you that’s the game I mention, I am not good at making the rules here, buddy”
The stream starts to rile up asking for more, they don’t care about it to be fake but it looks amazing how the fight scenes go, even it was short.
While the duel is going on, a mage comes forth asking the young girl for a duel.
“Hello there, I would like to have a match with you”
The rogue was a bit surprised. “Really? I thought you guys are not confident to face us”
“It is because the rules made it easier for us. Just one hit with any contact. It would be fine and interesting to play it with you”
“You can borrow the rules from me”
“Sure, but with these rules. I think I’m confident to fight among you three”
Illtended apologizes “Sorry, I’m out lethal”
“Then how about you, cat man thing”
Heist realized he can ask a duel using this rule. Excitement is climbing on his head as the Rogue sees this opportunity for her new recent stream.
The rogue continues to make her games as the stream starts to pile up with new viewers. She has a following as an adventurer, but her surprised stream boomed out of nowhere as it was hiatus as it was planned to use it outside of the city blogging about adventuring outside. Now this is the time for her introduction, she sets foot in front with an Agathean mage. The rogue feels the mage presence with demonic influence, she feels wary but the arena negated his magical presence. The rogue feels a bit confident as the damage is equal. The mage stares in to her eyes as the impaired mimic glowing eyes lit to hers.
The fight begins, after the five minutes delay, it ended in 12 turns. Everybody was shock after the delay. The last moment where the Rogue’s dagger is block by the mage’s hands, bleeding through as a spark of fireworks dripping down. She looks tired after that match, as she uses her magic dashes back with her friends. The video buffers for a moment, the rogue breathes heavily and only pointed at the screen to explain why. Heist and Illtended are watching what happened. The illusion appeared but on screen is closer and more cinematic, as they saw something strange about the mage.
The fight starts when the mage quickly unleashes all his spells. The rogue quickly silences all of his spell as she dashes pass him. All the spells polarized itself among the other spells continue to build up his magic. The rogue begins dashing left and right, as the spells awaken and an eye appeared looking for her. The mage is silenced, he tries to removed it and stretches the silence like it was a slime blocking his mouth. Causing to make a sound between magic without disrupting to control it, he tries to make faint sound to any loose hole from her silence. The rogue reacts and screams at his chants, the spells broke again as he counteracts her screech with his roar breaking the silence.
His roar reaches her as she is forced to attack him directly. She looks around her as his magic stagnated everywhere as it starts to link again to him. At that moment she stops, that’s when she had to think hard. The UI is used as fast as the time of her turns focus on it. The mage continues to reconnect his spells more as she applied silence, forcing it back to his mouth. Her silence kept loosen and tighten with every turn to break his channel. The man’s eyes grew brighter whereas the stray of spells transform into balls of light. The rogue quickly unleashes her secret weapons, silencing throwing knives, around her.
Perfectly aim to the magic light as it dispersed like bubble. The rogue had analyzed enough to see his capabilities, in one swell swoop. She throws her daggers at him. The mage grabs it by the handle and quickly throws to the light. The dagger burns off the magic she casts. She gritted her teeth as he knows now her tricks. He waves grabs the stray magic around him and swings around. Like a deranged lunatics fighting out of nothing, the rogue’s hidden images were blown away as sparks of light disperses the images hidden within the shadows.
The mage casts his spell forcing up his magic to himself, shredded away from the silence that is attached to his mouth. He partially morphs his mouth without lips with exposed teeth. The man chants in different language. The rogue uses her dagger to cut through his channeling spells charging towards him. Reaching closely as she was stop, the mage’s magic light touches her and hold her in place. Her inventory forced open and dropped her blinding bomb. It exploded, the rogue disappeared and blinded the mage, as he retaliates then swings around his hand and grabs her dagger. The rogue won, and the demon responds
“Welcome to the attrition”
The rogue turns to her screen and explained what happened.
“I’m facing a demon, if you don’t tell. It is the first time that I won against him with my own rules. I don’t even know what spells he is using and I don’t care when I have to taste it”
She laughs ironically to think her UI cheats become essentially to her duel.
“Laughs*, but that welcoming greeting that bastard said means a warning to me”
The pop up of notification with donation added to her stream her eyes weren’t focusing on the money but the cheers and supports.
She is a sucker for that. The deep breathes she is having is because how mental she has to plan out during her turns. That 12 turns are no joke under the time of five minutes, it speeds up fast because of that demon in seconds time respond. The clouds of magic are blocking his true intention as multiple spells were disarmed like weapon but reactivate when he regains from his silenced. She was excited at first but stressful at the end through thinking so hard. Another challenger pops up to her wanting a duel. It is a goblin wearing like an assassin outfit.
“You seem to be tired out fighting from a demon. Why not fight with shamanism? If you are not into it, then can I borrow your rules”
The rogue sees the viewers keep popping out of support of fighting the goblin. She checks her UI as she gains a personal trait, fighting against that demon made her gain a level. She was hoping to have reach mastery of control like Illtended did, but she just expect things. Her eyes look straight at the details of the goblin. He has some great skills for her rogue class, and with her new trait ‘copycat’, this makes her want to fight him and win. The problem was, the rules will benefit this experienced assassin.
Heist founds something strange about him and heed him
“Hey, you have an injury”
“Well, she has a bump on the chin”
The goblin hurt his ankle and his last fight was cheap like most goblins. Some goblins brought a gun to a sword fight, cheeky but sneaky if they read their own rules. The rogue notices it, then quickly agrees.
“SURE!”
“What?”
Heist was confused and also the goblin looking at the her like she is scheming. As the chat keeps dropping donation, but one of the viewers with a unique trait hacked her UI. The hacker gets the information of her class then log off. The stranger left leaving another mystery through the night.