“No,” Stone Cutter said.

“I’ve been training,” Gamer Man argued, “Leveling up a lot, grinding skills and getting better equipment!”

“You are not ready,” Stone Cutter said, “Hell Seeker has-”

“Hell Seeker has got to be stopped!” Gamer Man shouted.

“Hell Seeker is surrounded by hostages at all times,” Stone Cutter said, “His aura enrages civilians, driving them to violent combat. Can you beat Hell Seeker without getting civilians involved.”

“Yeah,” Gamer Man said, “1v1 dome works every time. I challenge him to a fight. He fights me. I win.”

“Last time you nearly got a fractured spine,” Stone Cutter said, “You should count yourself lucky you did not die.”

“I’ll do better, I can win!” Gamer Man insisted.

“Gamer Man, this is unlike you,” Stone Cutter said, “Something about you has changed. If you still want to work for me, tell me what it is. Now.”

“Uh, I’ve been having really weird dreams,” Gamer Man said.

“About?” Stone Cutter demanded.

“They’re dreams about,” Gamer Man started. In truth, he had been dreaming about the bard, and not in the way he expected to be dreaming about the bard. He had seen the bard, and knew exactly what dreams about the bard should normally contain. In his dream, he was climbing a mountain. A mountain so tall he couldn’t see the peak. What he could see was the bard, standing with shining brilliance among the stars. He was climbing up to meet her, Gamer Man knew that much, and the bard was…

Gamer Man rubbed his jaw in thought, trying to clear the waking haze around his dream. She was talking to him. It wasn’t just some mindless babble, the bard’s words were complete thoughts. Words became intelligent sentences, and those sentences formed paragraphs, and those paragraphs formed ideas. She was saying… Saying…

Saying he, Gamer Man, was doing well. Saying she was impressed with how much he had been improving. Saying he should stay true to the path of heroism. Saying he could do better. Saying he would do better. Saying how excited she was to see him reach the top, to speak face to face, to see him climb as high as he could. Encouraging him.

That mountain was always so very tall, and the bard was so very far away.

“This’ll sound weird,” Gamer Man said.

“Tell me,” Stone Cutter instructed.

“So there’s this smokin’ hot babe. I’m talking, like, woah,” Gamer Man explained.

Stone Cutter hung up with a burst of static.

“Fine.” Gamer Man grumbled, “Griefer.”

Gamer Man had been improving, and had tracked how much more he could lift, how much faster he could run, and how much better his breathing was. Gamer Man had the enchanted power frame, and had recently added a collapsing shield and a stun rifle, capable of firing electrically charged pieces of sticky gel. He had upgraded his armor to include an insulating layer of under armor and shock frills lining his suit.

Gamer Man was ready. He knew was ready, and if Stone Cutter wasn't going to help him then Gamer Man would challenge Hell Seeker alone. There would be nobody to save him, but Gamer Man wouldn't need anyone. Seriously. Probably. Hopefully.

What mattered was that Gamer Man was going to go out and be a superhero. There was also a lot of new systems in his armor that had never been field tested, so really this was just a practical excursion. If Gamer Man wanted to become the greatest superhero he could be, to climb to the top of that mountain, then he would eventually need to fight villains much stronger than Hell Seeker. Also, the higher he climbed, the fewer people there would be who actually could save Gamer Man if things went wrong, so it was a good idea to get used to working alone now. Gamer Man didn’t need help. Seriously. Probably. Hopefully.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

As Gamer Man jogged into town, he wondered why he never bothered to get some kind of motorcycle. He knew why. If he was going to drive around as a superhero, he would need to become an expert driver and there simply weren't that many hours in the day. Criminal psychology and classical literature already ate up his time, and so far had been of little use to Gamer Man. He knew that they would be important eventually, someday Gamer Man would encounter a themed villain and the ability to quote Peter Pan front to back would be their undoing. Still he had read Peter Pan a lot, maybe he could do with less classical literature and try to squeeze advanced motorcycle driving into his tight training regime. Maybe he should ask the adventurers for advice on this.

Or not, Gamer Man realized, the adventurers were busy digging a hole to… somewhere.

Rounding a corner, Gamer Man realized that he was now in South King’s Head. The power frame made running almost effortless, and Gamer Man wasn’t even breathing hard when he slowed down. South King’s Head was a dangerous place, and the lawlessness of it attracted criminals and villains from all over. Business had been bleeding away from King’s Head, Gamer Man walked by a boarded up motorcycle dealer and shook his head.

There was a motorcycle there, a nice looking one for how it had been abandoned. Gamer Man knew he could repair the poor thing, he had built all of his equipment. Still, stealing was wrong and Gamer Man didn’t know how to drive it anyway. It felt like a shame to leave such a proud machine to rust, but today Gamer Man had a mighty quest. He took a picture of the foreclosure sign to see if he could contact the rundown store’s owner.

As Gamer Man strode through the streets, he could feel Hell Seeker long before he could see him. The way his heartbeat began to race and his stomach lurched. Gamer Man did his best to shake it off, steadying his breathing to try and calm himself. The further he walked, the more he felt Hell Seeker’s presence. He started to hear the crowd chanting “Hell! Seeker! Hell! Seeker!” and quietly launched his grappling hook onto a nearby roof. Creeping to the roof’s edge Gamer Man saw Hell Seeker.

And Gorestrike. The giant knight stood before Hell Seeker, his sword and mace at the ready. Hell Seeker stood with his fists clenched and ready to fight. Memories of Gorestrike saying he wanted to form a team flashed through Gamer Man’s mind, and fear of what the two could do combined flooded his thoughts.

“You know why I am here,” Gorestrike declared.

Hell Seeker said nothing.

“Indeed!” Gorestrike declared, “We are, and shall forever be, set against one another! You surround yourself with pitiable weaklings while I gather the greatest champions of this age! You disgust me.”

Hell Seeker still said nothing.

“Hah! Is that truly what you believe?” Gorestrike bellowed, “In that case, why don’t we settle this. Yes! Here and now!”

Gamer Man wondered if Hell Seeker was somehow telepathic. He didn’t remember any foreign voices in his head when he fought Hell Seeker, but Gamer Man didn’t talk much for that either. Hell Seeker charged Gorestrike, and Gorestrike warded him off with a sweep of his mace.

“You see?” Gorestrike declared, lunging forward with a thrust of his sword, “You crumble before me!” Gorestrike made an overhead strike with his mace, and Hell Seeker dashed forword to grab the club only for Gorestrike to land a chop to Hell Seeker’s calf. “You cannot stand in my presence!” Gorestrike slammed Hell Seeker across the face with his morning star, sending the giant sprawling backwards. As Hell Seeker fell, a crowd of people caught Hell Seeker and tossed him back to Gorestrike. Gorestrike kept the point of his sword forward and Hell Seeker dove to one side before leaping at Gorestrike. Gorestrike ducked backward, smashing Hell Seeker into the pavement with a swing of his morning star. “You fool!” Gorestrike thundered, striking Hell Seeker again, “You lack training! You lack discipline! You lack resolve!” Hell Seeker ripped his sawed off shotgun from its holster and fire. “Feh,” Gorestrike grunted as the pellets shattered against his armor. Gorestrike kicked a metal boot into Hell Seeker’s helmet, knocking Hell Seeker onto his back, and kicked the shotgun into the crowd.

Hell Seeker fought to rise, only for Gorestrike to drive his sword through Hell Seeker’s knee. “You see?” Gorestrike inquired, “I am a driven man. I have earned my armor. I have earned my weapons, my birthright! And what do you have?” Gorestrike twisted his sword, digging a line out of Hell Seeker’s leg and through the concrete. “And what do you have?” Gorestrike demanded, hacking at Hell Seeker’s other leg, “Pawns that you can hurl at problems? Common thugs to fill your ranks? No, I will not be merciful. I assure you, you will die and die in agony.” Gorestrike thrust his sword for Hell Seeker’s chest, and Hell Seeker caught the sword in his palm. Gorestrike wrenched his sword downward, pushing into Hell Seeker’s arm. Blood fountained up from Hell Seeker’s arm as Gorestrike pressed the sword in deeper. Hell Seeker kicked out with his leg, slamming into Gorestrike’s side. Gamer Man could hear the resounding clang and could nearly feel the impact even from the roof he was hiding on. Hell Seeker’s hand was pressed against his chest, clenching at the sword. Hell Seeker’s other hand swung up, digging into the blade and flexing at Gorestrike’s weight. “No, no, no,” Gorestrike chuckled, leaning harder into Hell Seeker, “Don’t you understand? You have lost. You are nothing! Don’t you understand! Who am I?”

“Gore! Strike! Gore! Strike! Gore! Strike!” the crowd chanted.

“Your champion!” Gorestrike declared, “And to the victor go the spoils.”

Gorestrike pushed down, driving his sword through Hell Seeker’s heart. Gorestrike ripped the sword up, leaving a gaping wound in Hell Seeker’s chest. Finally, Gorestrike brought his sword down one final time, cutting through Hell Seeker’s neck. The shock hit Gamer Man like a truck as all at once Hell Seeker’s aura vanished.

“I have a message for you,” Gorestrike declared, turning to face a terrified crowd, “Soon, I shall establish a mighty kingdom here! All I ask of you is that you inform any great warrior how dares challenge me, my hour is fast approaching. And Gamer Man.” Gamer Man leapt away from the edge of the roof. “Let the people know.”