Meera couldn’t see, but she was sure that Dirik was sweating. His eyes bulged as he looked at her, but he said nothing. It was clear he was stalling for time.
“Are you going to talk, or should I tell the Wardens you’re lying?” Meera turned towards the door.
“No, wait. Okay, you got me,” he said. “Yes, my real name is not Dirik. That’s what my mother used to call me. My real name is Da-Dalektor, and all I told you about my mother is true, I promise.”
Meera squinted at him.
“I swear, that is my name. You can confirm it with Prince Narikas when you see him next time.”
“I’ll be sure, too, because, honestly, I still don’t believe you,” she replied. “I need something from you to keep my mouth shut.”
“Anything. I’ll do anything. Just name it.”
“You said you had lots of contacts in the city. Go to them and tell them to find the location of Crown Prince Delkoris. And I need that location before we move on the Heart.”
Dirik frowned. “What now?”
“Yes, now.”
“But what about my training?”
“Then you better move fast.” Meera flourished a hand towards the door.
“O-Okay.” He hung his head and walked out the door.
Truth be told, she didn’t care about finding Delkoris, but if Dirik could find the Crown Prince, it would help keep the assassins off her back. After all, she had to watch her own back, and everyone was selfish in these worlds.
Meera left the room and found Dirik making an excuse about settling his affairs and saying he would return shortly. He gave her a side-long glance that was hard to read, thanks to his mask. She gave him a smile and a wave as he left the room.
“So, who am I fighting first?” Meera asked, turning to the Wardens.
“Me!” Pallas waved to her.
He was the last person she wanted to fight, and she couldn’t hide her disappointment.
“Oh, don’t be like that,” Pallas said. “I said I was sorry, and I meant it.”
“Fine, fine. Let’s go.”
A shimmering door appeared in the middle of the room. The Wardens hooped and hollered as they went through the door and came into a dense forest with mountains all around them. It was night, but Mirithia shone so bright in the sky that it might as well be day. Thanks to her Gem of Echoes, she could hear birds cooing in the trees, crickets chirping, and even the chittering of some monkeys and sounds of other beats. In every sense of the word, it was a real forest.
“This world is vast,” Brison began. “I created a peak for each pair, so you shouldn’t have any problem running into each other. Oh, and Lexa, these trees are fireproof, so your lightning shouldn’t create forest fires.”
Lexa pouted. “Aw, where’s the fun in that.”
The door shimmered as Dirik stepped in.
“You’re back fast,” Meera commented.
“I move fast in the night.”
Brison quickly explained everything to him. “Also, each day in the real world is four in this one. Sorry, Melas, that is all I could do.”
“Thanks, Brison,” Melas said. “Eight days should be enough. All of you know your pairs. They will switch each day. At the end of the day, you will get to sleep for an hour. There are seven of us, which means one group will have to fight in threes, and that will be a Warden-only group, as Meera and Dirik need to gain as many levels as possible. This will leave us a day…” A slow smile split his lips. “On the final day, it’ll be a free-for-all.”
“What’s the prize for the winner?” Tekton asked.
“They get to deliver the killing blow to the Heart.”
That got a response from everyone, even the stoic Zona, who cracked a smile. The rest mostly cried out in excitement. Some thrust their fists into the air.
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Delivering the killing blow always yielded more experience. It would be a nice bump in the levels. Meera wished she could be the winner, but given all these monsters, it was highly unlikely. However, she could always dream.
Brison opened more gates. “These will lead you to your respective mountains.”
“After you,” Pallas motioned to their gate.
Meera walked into the gate and emerged at the peak of a mountain, with Pallas following close behind. There was a small circular clearing here like the one Meera and Dirik had trained in, but it was even less than half the size of that one.
“Before we begin, why don’t you just cut me, and let’s see what skill you get,” Pallas said, rubbing his hands as if all was fine between them.
“Don’t think by doing this I’ll forgive you,” Meera said.
He visibly flinched. “I know I shouldn’t have, but I just couldn’t help myself. Your class is so special. I-I mean, you are too, but your class…”
“Okay, fine. That’s enough. Cut yourself on this.” She tossed him a chakram.
He caught it and admired the mirror circlet. “Honestly, I don’t think I rightly believe you don’t know how you got these. Blessed by Midiea…but how. Are you a great priestess of hers?”
“Yes, let’s go with that.” Meera gave him her earnest smile. I learned my lesson the first time. I’m not telling you anything.
“Really? Have you seen her? I mean, how did she bless you? And if you are, then why are you here fighting instead of, you know, praying in your temple.”
Meera sighed. “I got a great mission from her, which she told me to keep secret.”
“Really, you’ve talked to her—”
Meera interrupted him before it got out of hand. “Are we here to fight or talk? Cut yourself on the chakram, and let’s begin.”
Pallas’ shoulders slumped. “Yes, you’re right.” He ran his thumb along the chakram’s edge, leaving a scarlet streak, before throwing it back.
Meera caught it and opened her notifications, which had popped up as soon as he cut himself.
*ding!*
[Class Ability Activated. You have stolen the skill Guardian’s Light. Guardian’s Light – Type: Active. You can shine a light around you, creating a zone of safety where you and your allies recover health and receive a temporary boost to their defenses. Would you like to acquire this skill?]
*ding!*
[Class Ability Activated. You have stolen the skill Bastian’s Strength. Bastian’s Strength – Type: Passive. You can absorb damage for a short period of time, which in turn will fuel your next attack. Length of time will increase as the skill levels go up. Would you like to acquire this skill?]
Meera raised an eyebrow at the second skill. It had its merits, but the problem was she had to take damage first, and if she didn’t survive that much damage, the retaliating attack wouldn’t matter. On the other hand, she didn’t need another healing skill, but this one also raised her defenses.
“What did you get?” Pallas asked.
She told him. After all, who better to explain the skills than the one whose skills she had stolen?
“Hmm, they’re not bad, but I was really hoping you would have gotten Divine Aegis; that would have been something, but no matter, both of these are good as well. I don’t suppose you end up in many fights with allies backing you up.”
Meera shook her head. “Not really.”
“Didn’t think so. You should take Bastian’s Strength. All the damage you take, while it’s activated will only buff your next attack. It comes in handy quite a lot, especially once you level it up. I have it so that all the damage I take for the last five minutes will make my next attack devastatingly strong. In most cases, it’s enough to finish off the enemy.”
“Okay, mind telling me what level it is at?” Meera asked.
Pallas smiled. “One eighty-six.”
Meera’s eyes widened. “Okay, so I have some ways to go.”
*ding!*
[You have acquired the skill Bastian’s Strength – Level 1]
The skill slotted into her Shadow Skills section, but she quickly swapped Bastian’s Strength with Mist Concealment. It was dark enough in the woods that her Shroud of Shadows could keep her invisible. On a whim, she also swapped out Petrifying Surge for Inferno Storm. She had no plan on using it but kept it just in case.
“Should we begin?” Meera asked.
“Lets.”
Meera moved first by activating Shroud of Shadows and turning invisible. She flew into the cover of the woods, but Pallas stayed where he was—not even moving. Meera stopped in the cover of darkness and squinted. She realized that she hadn’t used Identify on him yet. She was high level enough that she should be able to see his level now.
[Guardian Warden – Level 282]
His level was not that much higher than his brother’s. He would be challenging, but Meera was confident she could take him. But the way he just stood there doing nothing unnerved her.
She took off her level 2 chakram, activated Druvis Power, and launched her chakram at him from his back. It looked like it would part him in two, but a mighty shield with the emblem of an armored giant holding a shield appeared.
Her chakram crashed against the shield and nearly cut its way through. It was wedged a few inches deep.
“That’s impressive,” Pallas said. “But I’ve seen you fight, remember? I know all your tricks.”
Meera activated Mirror Wing, ripped the chakram out, teleported to it, and used Mirror Blast. But the metal dome covered him entirely. She took off both level 2 chakrams and activated Shadow Coating.
Her chakrams were covered with darkness, with the mirror twinkling underneath like stars. She figured with Shadow Coating, her chakrams got the bonuses from both her affinities. She slashed open Pallas’s dome.
His eyes widened, and before he could form another shield, she shot him with Mirror Shard Barrage. He took the full brunt of the mirror and light beam. He had nowhere to escape, as his dome blocked him off.
When Meera’s attack finished, he fell on all fours. His chest had been scratched bloody, and shards of her mirror had been wedged in deep. He looked up and smiled. “Thank you.”
He clapped his hands together. Two shields materialized on Meera’s sides and squished her in between.
Meera felt her bones crush and turn to mush as she was crushed to death.