Uluriq

I looked at the list of destinations once again.

This time it only took a couple of seconds to go from the top to the bottom.

Those 'test1s' certainly did their toll on my competition.

I unfurled my wings and began a dive to gain some speed.

It won't be long now my beloved, there's only a small amount left to do.

Hold on for just a little longer.

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Yuluulth

Our [Worldbinder] had slumped against the wall of the control pit, completely unmoving.

I stood up and looked at her. "Are you alright?"

"I need something to drink, and some painkillers... that really hurt."

Lviyr stood. "I'll get you that drink, what would you like?"

"I don't want to think, just surprise me."

"Understood." Lviyr then walked off toward the kitchen.

I looked at her with confusion. "Wait a second, what hurt?"

"'The Archtoxin', gaining that many Stages all at once was a lot of data to process all at once... not to mention how unfair that was!" Suddenly our [Worldbinder] stood up, fists clenched. "How dare he make such a request if he was just planning to break the game as soon as he got it?!"

Vindicost raised a hand to say something, but a single glare from our [Worldbinder] shot that down immediately.

She continued. "Is it really that hard to just stay in the bounds of the rules?! I mean, what am I? Chopped falalf?! I have to process every stupid [World Request] he makes, so can't he show me the basic decency to at least not send so much data at once?! Great interspanse, he just refuses to quit! I even made sure to choose heavy and thick trees so that people wouldn't use that as much as in the last round... BUT NOOOOOOO! This quizbleching meat-chafer says to himself 'Oh no, I guess I'll try everything I can think of until it works!'" She slumped back into a sitting position. "Ow my head."

I walked over to our [Worldbinder] and put a claw on her shoulder, which I could only do because she was sitting. "I feel your pain, don't worry, this round will be over soon."

She looked up at me. "I have a feeling it's going to get worse before it gets better."

Lviyr finally arrived with the drink and our [Worldbinder] took an idle sip.

She suddenly sat up and shook her head. "Chundunberry?"

"You told me to surprise you, and I figured it would be the last thing you would expect." Lviyr explained.

She looked at the drink and took another tentative sip. "Well, you're not wrong..."

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Andrew

A little bit after that whole starfish fiasco, Ayula's mood didn't seem to break... which is understandable I suppose, considering the circumstances.

"Well on the bright side, you're no longer weaker than Hund." I said, privately trying to coax Ayula out of her bad mental state.

This attempt did not seem to amuse her however. "Andrew, I see what you're trying to do, but it won't help, I don't deserve this power."

Now we have impostor syndrome on top of everything else... as soon as we're out of here, I'm taking all of you to therapy.

"Ayula! Sweetie! I get that the last few days have been a lot to take in, but there's no reason for you to feel that way. Listen, repeat after me: 'The past is the past, and will not come back'."

"Andrew, the past is what defines us, we can't jus-"

"No!" I interrupted. "The past does not define us, the past is part of us sure, but we do in response to our experiences is what defines us."

Ayula, while surprised by my sudden interjection, didn't seem particularly convinced.

I switched tactics. "How about this? Talk to the other Nemeses about it, maybe they can offer you better insight than I can."

Ayula slowly nodded. "I'll try."

"I wish you luck."

She looked at her feet. "Thanks I suppose."

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Sydui

A while after everybody reconvened, Ayula caught up and walked next to me. "Hello Sydui, can I speak with you privately for a moment?"

"Are you sure?" I asked, hoping the answer would change to 'no'.

"You see, it was suggested to me to discuss Nemesis matters with those who are Nemeses."

I silently cursed Andrew for this conversation. "What did you want to ask exactly?" I asked, once I had successfully prevented myself from sighing.

"How does being a Nemesis make you feel?"

I was afraid of exactly this.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

I wracked my brain for a response to that question. "Um... I don't know... I feel... bigger?"

"No, I mean like... what do you think of it?" Ayula clarified.

"Well... it helps me fight, so I think it's a good thing."

Ayula looked up and pursed her lips, before looking back at me again. "Doesn't it feel like a big responsibility?"

I cocked my head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"Well, having so much power... what if I use it wrong?"

"What if you don't use it wrong?" I countered.

"No, you're not listening, what if I use it really wrong? What happens if I accidentally hurt one of the Fifskae or Andrew?"

I shrugged. "That happens sometimes... before I got a solid grasp of firearms, I accidentally shot my dad more times than I care to admit."

"Sydui! That's horrible!"

"And it made me feel horrible too. In fact, I wasn't able to completely get over it until recently... when Andrew came along."

Ayula nodded, silently acknowledging the implied event. "How did you deal with it up until now?"

"I didn't, I pushed it to the back of my mind and focused on other things... usually the fight I found myself in at the time."

"That couldn't have been healthy."

I chuckled. "I know that now, but at the time, I thought it was just how it was supposed to be. I think part of the reason I found Andrew attractive was because he was just so...free from it all."

I took me a moment to process that I had said that out loud and to remind myself and that that was an embarrassing thing to say.

Ayula sported a mischievous smile, which shifted into a conflicted expression. "Sydui, I have something that's been on my mind a lot recently and I wanted to ask you abo-"

"Everyone scatter!" Andrew yelled from the center of the group.

Fifskae tried to see what was happening, what there was to run from.

Hund sprinted toward us. "Ayula! Watch out!"

A musclebound creature fell down from the sky and sundered the ground where he landed.

The chunks that once were ground, flew in every direction, sending everyone careening away from the center of the blast.

When my vision finally clarified again, I found myself looking up at a slender-looking champion pointing in my direction.

"[Master's Duel]!"

[All targets within the radius are temporarily granted their most favored weapon, this effect lasts until all but one target is killed, or until the original user is killed.]

There, appeared in the champion's hands, what looked to be some sort of long-range pulsar, but significantly older in make.

What appeared in my hands, was the R45-556, the rifle I had unwittingly left behind by entering the Deathworld Game.

It suddenly felt like after all this time, a piece of myself had finally been returned to me.

That was all ruined by a sudden yelp beside me.

I looked to my right and saw Hund breathing heavily and wide-eyed, and Ayula, who was as confused as I was about Hund's unexpected noise.

The champion then fired at the space between us, instantly catching all of our attentions.

[Tiyntr The Marksman]

Danger Level: High Threat

Tiyntr grinned.

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Aesos

I was simply walking by myself, contemplating the state of the world, and my place in it... as one might if they suddenly appeared one day.

I heard something before I saw anything.

Andrew's warning only solidified it in my mind... so for whatever reason, the first thing that came to mind was Leyn.

I dashed over to him and threw him onto my back, inadvertently grabbing his mentor as well, who he happened to be talking to at the time.

Then the whole 'exploding ground incident' occurred, leaving us cut off from the others.

I looked around and saw no immediate threats, so I checked on my passenger and the tag-along.

"Leyn, are you still okay?"

"I'm a bit rattled, but I'll be fine, thanks for checking on me."

"I'm fine too, thanks for asking." The mentor added sarcastically.

I focused my eye on him. "Oh did I ask? I don't remember doing that."

Leyn crossed his arms. "Aesos, be nice!"

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, let's find the rest of the group."

"Hey down there!"

All of us looked up and saw the girl who flies shouting down to us.

"You moron! You'll give away our-"

"[Chain Gang]!"

Suddenly, it felt like there was a massive pressure around my entire throat.

This was a first for me... I-I couldn't breathe!

I waited and waited for my [Regeneration] to activate, but it refused to do so.

Then, all at once, my airway was clear again... followed by the flying girl falling and hitting me in the back.

All of the others around me coughed and sputtered in unison with me.

A form stepped out of the shadows, a champion who seemed to be overly enamored with hugging himself constantly.

[Yingmoy The Strait]

Danger Level: Moderate Threat

"Will you go first, or shall I?" Yingmoy asked.

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Andrew

I heard a strange whistling noise, so I looked up.

I immediately anchored myself to the ground yelled for everyone to scatter.

The ground ruptured and sent Fifskae in every direction, but before I could even think of trying to save anyone, the muscle-bound gorilla-rabbit thing ran up to me.

"[Champion's Circle]!"

Suddenly, Hole Puncher disappeared from my hands, moments before I could squeeze the trigger.

[The user and one target have had their Skills sealed and any weapons placed in escrow temporarily, all Skills and weapons will be returned after the Skill "Champion's Circle" is released.]

I looked to see the champion squaring up in a boxer stance with a very loose guard and a cocky smile.

[Ulto The Pugilist]

Danger Level: Certain Death

Well, I suppose it's good to see that some things never change.

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Nilyid

My name is Nilyid, and before you comment, yes I know my name sounds old, I was named after my grandmother.

The day was like most days... which is to say, a lot of walking.

Which was exactly what I was talking to my husband Divyn about at the time.

"I'd take the drills that Andrew organized over all of this endless walking any day." I complained.

"I kinda liked the drills, it felt like a test, almost a race against myself so to speak." Divyn replied.

I paused and looked up into the sky. "You know, all of that feels like it was so long ago... it's actually kinda hard to picture what life used to be like."

"Even more so during our exile... or even before that."

I began to tear up. "That reminds me of when Dad was still around."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't-"

I put up a hand. "Divyn, it's okay... he was a part of most of my life, there's very few memories I have that don't involve him somehow."

He and I just walked quietly for a while.

"Are you doing any better?" He asked.

I wiped my eyes. "I don't know if I'll ever be okay honestly... I miss him so much."

"It was nice of Andrew to have that monument made... even if it's currently in... disrepair."

I nodded. "Yeah, it felt like the first time any of us exiles had a reason to be remembered."

Divyn was about to say something, but he never had the chance to do so.

Andrew told everybody to scatter, and so we tried to do exactly that.

None of us villagers were anywhere fast enough to actually accomplish that though.

We were thrown like dolls in every direction after the champion impacted the ground, all of us left reeling.

Once I could, I stood up... luckily, I had a soft landing so I was mostly fine.

I looked around and saw a number of other Fifskae who didn't quite have the same luck I did, each clutching a different limb.

In total, it looked like we were down about nine people.

I looked around for Hund, but I didn't see him... actually... where were any of the Nemeses?

I stood and cupped my hands around my mouth to better project my voice. "...!"

Nothing came out.

I began to panic.

"Shush now little one, there will be no more tears to cry soon."

I turned to see a man who almost looked... non-euclidean.

[Ewart The Twisted]

Danger Level: Certain Death

I tried to cry out for help, but again, nothing came out.

"[Land Of Shadows]."

A hand made of shadow grabbed me by the wrist.

I tried to pull away, and almost succeeded, until another grabbed my other wrist.

And then another... and another... it didn't take long until I was being pulled downward by an uncountable number of hands.

I screamed, I begged for help but still nothing came out.

Then I saw all of the others who were in the same position, all pleading for a mercy they knew would never come.

I was dragged down until all I could see was darkness... and then I landed on my butt.

I wasn't being grabbed anymore, but it was so dark.

As my eyes adjusted, I saw all of the other villagers, similarly panicked.

Then all at once, the screaming became audible, and then desperate.

Our attention was suddenly grabbed once again as the champion spoke, somehow sickeningly cutting through the noise. "Even if you all can hear each other again, nobody in the outside world will hear it... I have you all to myself."

It became dead silent again as the truth of our situation finally hit us.

We all had to fight this champion by ourselves.