The beauty of the System was the flexibility it allowed. Even excluding the powers it gave us, the application of some of the options made us almost superheroes. Almost. For when faced with strength and the ability to punch down, many chose to be more of a villain. Although, perhaps not that dramatic - after slaughtering hundreds, it was hard for even the most benevolent of us all to not become numb and apathetic. And I was certainly not benevolent. Being harsh on myself, I might draw a line from the hard points in my life back to this day, and how the ball was sent rolling far off course due to our actions and the resulting chase that ensued.

The card beamed across the gap, splitting at the last second to gouge both sides of the person's neck. I held them with a twist in hopes that I could cut through the windpipe if not the arteries, and then let them vanish. I wiped my bleeding hand on the grass idly as we both stared and awaited the outcome.

With a jolt, they clutched at their throat, and turned wildly as if confused or trying to raise an alarm. Their eyes met our half-concealed shapes up on this ledge before they then slumped down out of view. I raised an eyebrow at Ren, and she nodded.

I threw a second card - an Imp one. Partly worried that I wouldn’t have the range or skill to land it where I wanted. With a little pain through my hand, I was pleased to have it land just on the edge of the watchtower wall. The Imp rose up from a circle and wobbled a little, surprised to find itself on a precipice. After he stabilized himself against one of the wooden supports, he turned and gave me a little wave.

Start fireballing the houses, I thought toward him. I even tried gesturing with my head and eyes, for the little that I could move while remaining prone.

Regardless of which manner of communication he understood, a ball of fire began forming in his hands.

“Get ready,” Ren muttered, “maintain positional advantage until they force us out.”

“Understood.” This was what all the training and tough love had been for. Running our own ambush over the slight cliff gave us the height advantage and a means to escape if need be. The previous battles had put me through the wringer so that I didn’t falter when I stepped onto the main stage and all eyes were upon me. There was slightly more on the line than a few bad reviews. We had faced death before, but this had the almost tangible weight of Ren's revenge labored upon it. I could almost feel her radiating anger.

The first ball of fire careened down from the tower and struck the wooden roof of a hut, catching it alight.

Silent tension thickened the air between us. No immediate response from the cove, where the figures had gone into various buildings before our assault. A second fireball went out and struck one of the larger buildings. The door flung open and two figures stepped out, their raised voices catching the attention of two more that had been wandering over from the back where we couldn't see.

After some confused yelling, a fifth figure emerged from a different house, stepping out to where the others were gathered. A wizard in white robes cast a spell to douse some of the flames, as the rest of them scoured the area for the culprit.

"Up there!" A ranger pointed a finger toward my Imp, before bringing his bow up. Other than a wizard, it looked as though they had a medium armored fighter with a shield, a lighter armored fighter with an axe, and what might be a healer or other spellcaster.

Target the healer, I told my Imp. He switched targets and let the ball loose, just as the ranger fired his arrow. The latter traveling a lot faster, my Imp took the attack straight to the forehead and dropped back into the watchtower, out of view. Bastards.

"To me!" The wizard yelled.

They rushed together into a group, and just before the fireball struck, the spellcaster raised a dome-shaped shield that absorbed the burst of flame.

"Now," Ren hissed and leaped to her feet. I followed suit, in my... suit. Stressful performance, I apologized internally.

As the fire and shield faded out, Ren's entangling arrow immediately struck the wizard through the chest, blood soaking through his white robes. Just as soon as the light had left his eyes and he slumped to his knees, my card then struck him. Pact Demon. A difficult distance to throw Roger's card, but through bloodied hands I made the attack with enough precision and purple light began to pool around the dead spellcaster. Entangling roots gripped at the group, holding them in place. Rookie move to group up.

"Up there," the ranger pointed unnecessarily, at the two now very obvious figures on the ledge. Part of me wondered why Ren allowed me to continue to wear my garish suit, but I supposed that could be a question for a time less dangerous. As the opposing ranger drew back a skill, Roger lurched up at him, using the wand he was holding as a dagger and jamming it up into the underside of the man's jaw.

"Where the fuck are the main two?" Ren seethed as she drew back another arrow. We had been somewhat lucky in that these chumps had clumped up to avoid the fireball, which left them easy pickings. Punching down had clearly left them weak in other aspects. She was right though, something was off. Her arrow deflected from the warrior with the shield, and I feigned my card toward him before twisting it into two—one hitting the supposed healer in the face, the second severing fingers of the other fighter. Pain wracked my hands.

The entangles broke on the other two, the shield-bearing warrior now stuck between defending against our ranged attacks or helping against the demon possessing the dead wizard. Roger leaped unhindered atop the blinded spellcaster and renewed his assault. Ren drew up her Smite Shot and held it, waiting for an opening. It went out and struck the shield-bearer in the shoulder just above the metal object, rendering that arm weak and inert.

There was something in the air, and not just the smell of burning wood. Magic perhaps? A card spun over my hand as I paused, a noise distracting me from taking my next strike. Ren heard it too, and we turned around.

From within the forest, a large green figure burst out of the treeline towards us. Must have used a skill to get close. Invisibility? Teleportation? With a large hammer in each hand, he roared in delight at getting the jump on us. His face was a mess of scars between yellow tusks and yellower eyes.

“Grak knew you were sneakin’ about!” he bellowed with a grin, running at us full pelt.

Ren drew an arrow - but he was quick. A red energy flickered around his body, some ability giving him power. He swung both hammers down at us as she let off her arrow. I dropped my card to raise a Card Fan in front of us just in time.

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They weren't enough, and the glowing cards shattered. The remaining force pushed us back… over the edge.

A brief slideshow of pain, brown dirt, gray rock, and then I was on the sandy road with a thud. Blood dripped onto the ground in front of me. Naughty, I hadn’t allowed it to leave my body. My head rang as it tried to catch up with the distance traveled. Mentally, I made the note that I no longer liked heights. I broke the stick on my belt that held one of Ren's heals within it. My legs no longer felt numb, and I dropped a Hellhound card as I stood.

Vision still shaky, I raised my eyes to see Ren laying prone on the ground. Blood running from her mouth, and a leg looking like it forgot proper anatomy. Roger was rolling on the sand-covered road, grappling with the last of the group, and I'd help him right after sorting the elf. Ren healed her injury with a grunt, the bone cracking as it snapped back into place, and I stumbled over to offer my hand.

“Bad luck with that leg, huh?” I smiled as I helped her up, her eyes immediately shooting up.

“Move!”

We leaped apart, rolling across the ground as the orc slammed down onto his feet in the middle of us. How he managed to crack the ground but not shatter his legs was a trick I’d probably not find out the answer to. Maybe he was just built differently.

“Aw, Grak wanted to crush little friends.”

I stood back to my feet with a wobble, my hound standing in front of me and growling. Ren was not so eager to stand around and start a monologue to savor the moment - as soon as she was back to her feet, another radiant arrow pulsed into her bow and she fired it from the short distance.

The arrow burned out and was deflected mere inches from the large orc by a shield of crimson magic.

“Now, now - who is this come to spoil our fun?” A smooth female voice came from behind me, but I was hesitant to look away from the hulking barbarian in front.

“Lady in Red, I assume?” My hands were lowered, but a card spun in my right one. I tried to calm my nerves. Performing for a small crowd was always more stressful. All eyes on me.

“Correct. Are you looking for gainful employment, bard?”

I winced. A change of outfit was definitely necessary. A figure stumbled back to back with me, and somehow I could tell it was Roger.

“She looks even more disgusting than the elf,” he hissed through a mouth he wasn’t used to. “Being a giant is fun, but I’m pretty ruined. Have three more bodies to transfer to.”

“Thanks, Roger. Doing great.” Why I was whispering to my demon during this standoff, I wasn’t sure.

Ren fired another arrow at the orc, which again was blocked. I could see the fury and frustration in her eyes. Months of build up and she was driven to one thing only. That he was just ignoring her and her attacks were ineffective must be driving her mad.

“I guess not then…” the Lady continued, unconvinced by my silence. “Grak, show them out of this world.”

The orc tensed up and licked his lips. “Grak going to enjoy this. Will break man first… again.”

“Can you hear me when I command things in my head?” I muttered to Roger, flexing my hands.

“Yes, boss.”

Then he knew what to do. So did I, which was - not die. I didn’t fancy my chances against the figure a good two feet taller and three times as wide as me. From my side, I drew my new dagger into my hand. Ren was focused on Grak. Grak was focused on me. Lady in Red was focused on...

“Good news, Grak. You’ll be the first to die by my [Dagger of Luck].” I grinned and flipped it around. It only gave +1 Luck, whatever that did, but I needed all the help I could get.

He chuckled briefly. “Funny words for a pancake!” The orc leaped forward, amber energy flaring up his body. He was fast.

Hellhound darted in with a growl. Roger moved away, screaming as he went. Ren drew back another shot, unbridled fury in her eyes. My card left my hand, a calm amount of acceptance across my face.

The hammers hit me, unopposed. Upper right arm, shattered. Left shoulder, dislocated and broken. I hit the ground like a sack of potatoes and rolled, skimming my head on the sand-swept stone. My ears rang, but I still heard the sound clearly.

“No!” a female voice screamed out.

Not Ren’s though. Different. I twisted my head around on a complaining neck to see the orc standing confused, an arrow lodged in the back of his neck. He pawed at it briefly before a second hit right next to it.

A flash of blue illuminated his face, and any other surrounding objects my fading vision could see. My body dissociating from the pain, I had perhaps been more injured from the cliff fall than my hubris allowed me to believe.

Third arrow - then a forth struck the back of the barbarian. His arms were slung low now, as if his energy was being drained. An awkward plodding came over to me and my vision was filled by the face of a corpse with purple eyes.

“Ugly bitch vanished, boss. You okay?”

He stood back up straight, allowing me to see the elf run up and stab the dying orc over and over. I closed my eyes so I could pretend not to see her tears. My Hellhound came over and licked my face to make sure I didn’t fall asleep.

“Good… job, guys.” I managed to murmur out.

They had telegraphed their scheme too easily and I saw through their trick with Ren's assistance. The Lady put some manner of shield over the orc so that he couldn’t be hit. He thought himself invincible and overconfident. Ren was hellbent on putting an arrow through his thick skull, so I had to work around that - take away the shield.

On my mark, both the hound and Roger had run straight for her. I had the demon scream so that I could approximate her location and send my card her way, split it to be sure. Forced the error. Overwhelmed by sudden threats, she had to save her own life rather than hold her protection up on Grak.

A gamble on my part. I couldn’t aim the card at the same time as bring up the Card Fan. If I had been struck in the head, I would be dead. If I had been way off the mark on how her abilities worked, I would be dead. For telling myself I was averse to risk taking, I had taken a big gamble.

Still, though. Some tricks you can only pull off once. It wasn’t good magic, but made for a good story. As long as there were people around to see it.

A burst of radiant energy flowed through me, the awkward crunch and pop of my limbs resetting grating at my senses. The heal was comforting and warming, for as long as the pulse lasted. I opened my eyes to see the whining hound paw at me.

“Max?”

I exhaled. The side of my face against the ground seemed to be wet with what I hoped was my own blood. “Yeah, Ren?”

She didn’t reply. Which was partly concerning, but perhaps it wasn’t right to address a sort-of-princess while laying as a broken body on the ground. Arms aching, but mostly functional. I managed to push myself to my knees, and then to my feet, allowing myself a long groan as I rose.

The elf stood before me, a furrowed brow as usual, but a face spent of emotion. Eyes red and tear tracks down her face, she had managed to compose herself almost to her normal state.

“Thank you.”

I smiled and held my arms open, unsure what really to do with myself. Shocked that she actually came in for the hug. It was brief and awkward, but I managed to hold my own emotions in check.

“Easy,” I said as she stepped back and observed the carnage we had wrought.

“Just don’t do dumb shit again. You’re not actually expendable.” She sighed and rubbed at her face.

Behind her, the orc began to move and stood up straight again. Tension flooded through us, before the barbarian’s eyes popped out and ears burst from his head.

“Woah, this fucker is rrripped!” Roger flexed the arms.

“That’s half the job done, at least.” Ren shook her head, a long sigh escaping her mouth as she lowered her bow.

“Half?” I narrowed my aching eyes across the village. For some reason, I expected another wave of bad guys to pop out of the rest of the huts. As if I hadn't courted death enough for one fight.

“Lady teleported to the mainland.” She gave me a glum expression, almost too tired to keep her brow lowered.

I clucked my tongue. “You want to level up and go hunt her down, then?”

“Most sensible thing you’ve ever said.” She nodded and a bit of life returned to her eyes.

“One thing first, though.” I gave her a stern expression and raised a finger.

I brought down my blood-soaked top hat and twirled it around. Reaching a hand inside, I withdrew two sweet cakes and held them out.

“You are the worst.” Ren shook her head with a sigh. She grabbed the cake, and a smile almost graced the very edges of her mouth. Not allowing me the satisfaction of seeing if anything further was about to bloom, she crouched down to pet at the hellhound as she ate.

Giving the rest of the buildings in the cove a side-eye, I imagined the worst was yet to come.