Chapter 136

I didn’t hesitate.

Morningstar, for all his incredible strength, was at the simple disadvantage of having two arms while the fiend essentially had three attacking appendages. I felt that delicious surge of energy once again as I surrendered to POWER, and I abandoned myself to AGILITY as well.

My visor blazed with heavenly light as I cast myself forward. My body sprang, more energetic than ever under the enhancement of POWER. I spun through the air, leaping onto the beast with urgency, moving to intercept its spearing tail.

Despite his immense strength, Morningstar’s arms were gradually folding under the relentless pressure bearing down on him. He had sacrificed his ability to defend himself by taking control of the creature. He had bet everything on my ability to come through. Even now, I can't tell if that was reckless, a demonstration of his judgment, or a strange endorsement.

Whatever the case, it wasn’t rewarded with a violent death. My feet, guided by AGILITY, landed squarely on what could only be described as the back of the creature’s neck. My sword, blazing with CUT, crashed into the tail. I deflected the attack rather than meeting it head-on. Even so, my arms vibrated like a gong, and the edge of my sword peeled off rags of flesh and oozing black blood from the fiend’s tail.

The tail recoiled, but without missing a beat, it reared back to lash again.

“The brain! Tiberius, now!” Morningstar snarled, his powerful arms slowly being overwhelmed by the monstrous force.

I spun on my heel, raising my sword high over my head. CUT blazed so brightly that, even in the fully lit arena, I could see the dark red glow of my blade reflecting off the creature’s back. All the enhanced strength of POWER flowed into that blow. My blade pierced the flesh like air, met a wall of bone—maybe metal—its progress briefly halted. Then, I felt the recoil as my sword broke through the resistance, sliding effortlessly into what felt like nothing.

The writhing that followed was undirected but no less dangerous than before. AGILITY carried me back into the air, leaping from the back of the beast. I hadn’t fully considered the direction when I launched myself from the suddenly thrashing, dying creature. I just wanted to be out of there. The arena floor rushed up to meet me, and I couldn’t suppress the feeling that this was going to hurt—falling from such a height that began atop the beast and only grew higher as I leaped upwards.

But the suit bore me safely to the ground, the strength of POWER and the grace of AGILITY guiding me. I rolled easily and came back to my feet, safely away from the monster as it twisted and thrashed. Boards shattered, ash and embers scattered, and the fire spread even further. It was a tantrum of death.

Morningstar must have extricated himself as well because I felt his hand on my shoulder. He laughed, a mix of relief and amusement coloring his voice. "Well, kid, that’s a maiden battle unlike most Griidlords will face. But you’ve done this whole thing differently than most folks have ever gone about it."

I stood there, my breathing heavy, and said, "Where the hell did that thing come from? How... why?"

Morningstar replied, "I might’ve been at this game too long, but I’ve stopped trying to figure out the logic behind these fiends. It’s dead now, surely that’s all that matters."

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Even as we spoke, the fiend’s massive form crashed heavily to the ground, the fight finally coming to an end. Its body twitched and quivered, but the violence of its demise had ceased. The crowd erupted once more. There was confusion, some thinking the creature had been part of the show, thrilling at the spectacle. Others sensed, or knew, that this wasn’t planned, and their cries carried relief.

Teams of men were streaming onto the floor of the Arena now. They came to contain the fire that was still swelling. I saw Lance being helped from the floor. He was hobbling, hurt in the fall or during my fight with the fiend, I did not know. For everything that had passed between us, it saddened me to think of how it must have felt to know the suit was gone from you forever. Lance had been like me in that way. He had cherished the suit for what it was.

As he limped away, he turned his sagging head and looked at me. I expected rage. I expected hatred. I only saw defeat. Defeat, and regret, and desperate longing.

"We can’t... I can’t just accept that," I said. "We’re on the edge of the city, and that... that’s a rare fiend if I’ve ever heard of such a thing. What are the odds it would show up here and now of all places? You can’t be satisfied calling this a coincidence."

He slapped my shoulder again. "Ah, there’s time enough to wonder about that. You need to learn to enjoy these moments, kid. You just won—twice! Unclench for a second and think about what that means, what just happened. There’s forever to ponder the mysteries, but the moment of victory? That passes faster than any of us would want."

I breathed in deeply. His words brought me back to reality. The shock and confusion of the fiend’s appearance lingered in my mind, but my other thoughts pushed it aside for now.

"Holy shit..." I gasped, "I’ve... I’ve done it."

Morningstar’s helmet hissed as he pulled it off and turned to face me. He was taller—not by much—but the sheer weight of his presence made me feel like he was looking down at me from a mountaintop.

"You sure did, kid," he said. "I knew you could. I won’t lie and say I never had doubts, but I knew you had it in you."

He punched my shoulder lightly. "There’s something different about you."

Gathering my breath, I reached up and removed my own helmet. It was a strange sensation. Even in the suit, I could feel sensory information from its surface—like the air on the suit was my skin. But now, with the air on my face, it was... different.

"Thank you..." I said, still processing everything. "I couldn’t have beaten it on my own."

Morningstar said, "I’m not sure I could have beaten it on my own either. That thing was pretty exceptional."

I looked around, the crowd still screaming. With my helmet off, I could no longer zoom in on faces, but I knew Harold was up there. I knew Lauren and Katya were too. The bitterness would return eventually, but for that moment, my elation was too strong for anything to bring me down.

"What now?" I asked.

Morningstar arched an eyebrow and replied, "Well, for most folks, there’d be feasting, drinking, ceremonies, and bedding to be done. But I understand you’ve already filled your immediate schedule."

A small pit formed in my heart as I remembered. Father—missing, probably dead. The expedition might start in a few hours, certainly very soon. I thought about how easy it would be to detest him. I thought about the moments I was giving up to search for him. But he was my father, and I had to go.

Morningstar sobered as he watched my face. "I’ve known your father a long time," he said. "I’d go with you gladly if I didn’t have commitments of my own. I’m glad I had the chance to be here today, but we serve different cities, kid. You need to do your duty, and I need to attend to mine."

It struck me then, as he said that, how we belonged to different factions. Indianapolis was on good terms with Boston. The cities had good relations, good trade. But the Falling season would come in a few months. When the Orbs rained down and the forces of every city poured forth to collect them, all bets were off. It was understood. There wouldn’t need to be enmity or war, but cities waged battle for the Flows in the Orbs—it was a rite nearly as old as the Towers.

Morningstar turned his head to watch the procession of priests approaching us.

I watched him for a moment, considering the possibility that one day, our swords might cross.