Sharkey, who had been screaming and cursing at his troops throughout the battle, had fallen ominously silent. He stood over his cauldron, eyes closed, a flickering yellow Skill nimbus beginning to form around him. A sinister fractal rune took shape in the air above his head.

Jeff, sensing imminent danger, moved as quickly as he could to close the distance between them. But before he could approach within striking range, the goat-headed alien opened his eyes and raised his hands, fingers splayed out forming a peculiar gesture, akin to a Buddhist mudra.

In the air gap formed between his hand seal, a violent spatial rift was torn open, exposing a chaotic void pulsing with darkness. From this dimensional gap, a ripple of something malevolent oozed out, coalescing into a perfectly circular ring of potent, chaotic energy. The ring shot directly across the terrace towards Jeff, expanding as it approached, making it impossible to evade.

Completely enveloped by the strange energy pulse, Jeff’s world blazed white as intense pain wracked his entire body. He was engulfed in agony, a horrible sensation, like demonic claws rending him inside and out, carving deep gashes in his flesh. An excoriating wave of invisible fire seared his skin, probing and attacking every nerve ending, equal even to his ordeal in the bone tempering bath.

Congratulations!

Your High Pain Threshold Skill has now reached Level 24

Jeff struggled to stay upright under the withering blast. The anguish generated by Sharkey’s Skill was intelligent by design; one second the probing attack stimulated pain across the surface of his skin, before switching to the sensitive nerve endings in his teeth, and then back to the skin, randomly targeting neurons across his body. A lancing, excruciating sensation attacked his legs and knees, the debilitating pulses almost sending him to the floor. The Skill shifted focus, successfully attacking the fingers of his hands, causing him to lose his grip on Leech. The sword clattered to the floor.

Sharkey continued to hold his fingers ritually bent in that strange mudra position, the hand seal obviously keeping the gateway to that hellish dimension open. In spite of the blinding veil of agony, using [Mana Essence], Jeff was still able to perceive the symbiotic link between Sharkey and the cauldron at his feet, how Sharkey seemed to be drawing on the reserves of pure Pain mana stored within the device to keep the link alive.

As the Skill ramped up, Jeff felt the waves of excoriating agony intensify, caustic inflammation building up in his body, his joints and soft tissue under increasing attack from the corrosive fire.

Congratulations!

Your High Pain Threshold Skill has now reached Level 25

Jeff straightened, somehow successfully crossing a mental barrier. ‘It’s all in my head…’ he gasped, his resistance to the agonizing suffering inflicted by the attack increasing exponentially as his [High Pain Threshold] Skill evolved. Reaching down, he grasped Leech’s hilt and glared at Sharkey across the terrace before launching a solid beam of hostile Necrotic Energy directly at the goat-like alien.

Disappointingly, as the attack was about to impact Sharkey, a transparent, protective bubble sprang up around him—a previously unnoticed dark metallic amulet hanging around Sharkey’s furred neck flared into life, automatically activating a defense. The Necrotic Energy blast dissipated harmlessly against the translucent shield.

“You can’t win…” Sharkey declared, grinning widely and increasing the intensity of his Agony Skill, engulfing Jeff in fresh waves of excruciating pain, once more immobilizing him.

By now, even more heavily armed soldiers were flooding onto the terrace, charging towards Jeff, rushing to close the distance between them.

Despite his [High Pain Threshold] Skill and overpowered stats, Jeff was suffering badly. The pain inflicted by the myriad of small and not-so-small wounds scattered across his body, coupled with the wracking torment of Sharkey’s Agony Skill generated a feeling of exhaustion, an almost overwhelming desire to give up the fight.

One last card to play…Jeff thought to himself grimly. Steeling himself, he attempted to shake off the fog of lethargy and triggered his newly acquired Dao Ability for the first time.

A ruby flash of light high in the dark night sky above the Citadel heralded the advent of the Ability. Simultaneously, Jeff was haloed by a bright blue glare, shining blades swirling around him in a brilliant, lethal display.

“Seven’s Shadow!…impossible. How can it be? Look out! He has a DAO ABILITY!” roared Retrenka, her eyes widening, staring at Jeff in fresh disbelief through her veil.

Above the terrace, the perpetual thick brown clouds of Tantalus parted to reveal an alien constellation glaring through. One star in the constellation shone with a particularly baleful red glow, growing brighter and brighter until the crimson light of Mu Cephei blazed down on the terrace below like a million-lumen floodlight.

At the very last moment, Jeff decided to alter his tactics, on the fly, changing the intended target of the Ability.

The bloody red glow from above intensified further, becoming an almost solid beam, terminating not directly on Sharkey as Jeff had originally planned, but at the glowing cauldron at his feet. The red targeting laser reached a crescendo of power, then a huge mailed fist, the eponymous Hand of Mu Cephei, fell from above with a deafening roar.

Jeff tried to make out more detail as the gauntleted fist punched down, but vision still clouded by Sharkey’s Agony Skill, he was unable to see much. Even so, he, along with everybody else was acutely aware of an aura of brutal strength emanating from the hand—a sense that nothing could withstand its powerful, inexorable trajectory. The Hand of Mu Cephei sliced through the thick, humid air and impacted with the glowing cauldron.

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The cauldron glowed brightly at the moment of impact. At first, Jeff was concerned that the Peak, Grade G item would withstand the aerial attack, but with an eardrum-bursting sound that was music to Jeff’s ears, the runic ritual cauldron cracked down the middle, sending a liquid deluge of raw unrefined Pain energy exploding across the terrace.

Sharkey was hurled backwards by the force of the blast, his fingers knocked out of their ritualistic pose, causing the inter-dimensional rift to seal shut. Jeff took a shuddering breath in relief as he was freed from the effects of Sharkey’s Agony Skill.

Congratulations!

As a reward for destroying a Peak, Grade G Item in battle, you have been awarded the Passive Sub-Skill

Pain it Forward (Level 1)

Following the destruction of the cauldron, everyone on the terrace was at least momentarily overcome by the huge release of raw Pain mana. The crimson semi-liquid swirled and boiled around the battlements chaotically, evaporating rapidly off into the night air, but not before inflicting one last sting—the lower-ranked soldiers were particularly affected by contact with the roiling mana, many convulsing in agony on the ground, their screams filling the air.

The torment wracking Jeff’s body and the white haze clouding his vision finally lifted, to reveal Sharkey and Leypal making a frantic dash for the exit. Still fired up by all the adrenaline in his system, Jeff bellowed across the terrace at the departing pair. “Yeah, you’d better run Sharkey. I’m coming for you!”

Retrenka, however, remained rooted to the spot, occupying the same position she had been in throughout the battle, choosing not to engage. She turned to face Jeff, locking eyes with him. Slowly, almost ritualistically, she raised her hands and removed the veil that had concealed her features so far.

For the first time, Jeff saw her face—stunningly beautiful, yet unnervingly cold. Her skin was deathly pale, almost translucent, starkly contrasted by the limpid grey tone of her eyes. Jeff stared for a moment, transfixed. Her features were so perfect, so serene, that they reminded him of a marble statue he had once seen in an old graveyard—an angel eternally guarding a tomb.

A great honor. The Vboloex race only reveal their facial features to those they deem to be their equals.

Jeff inwardly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Emissary had no plans to join the battle.

Facing a Grade H Undead immediately after all that would probably have done me in.

Briefly acknowledging the woman with a nod, he turned to survey the battlefield. He noted with interest that though some of the higher-ranked soldiers had recovered, they were still in a state of mental confusion, clutching their heads and probing the branding scars on their foreheads.

“The brands have been deactivated. We’re free!” cried one, sending a ripple of excitement through the remaining ranks. However, some others continued to glare with open hostility at Jeff. It seemed that although Sharkey’s magical hold over them had been relinquished, he still commanded a degree of loyalty.

Jeff decided it was now or never. Steeling himself, he sprinted full speed across the terrace and leapt off the battlements, slamming viciously against the side of the slender tower. Splayed against the smooth surface, he scrabbled for purchase, attempting to make use of his bladed gauntlets as climbing tools, but he struggled to maintain his position, slowly beginning to slide down the side of the slick tower. Reaching into his inventory ring, he equipped himself with a pair of kunai, slamming the flat, wide blades at the ends of the ninja climbing tools into the grey surface of the tower and arresting his fall.

Jeff rested a moment, then painstakingly made his way up the tower’s side, using more kunai to create a ladder, driving the blades into every available wrinkle and crease in the material of the wall. Fortuitously, there was an opening in the side of the tower directly beside Fracta. Jeff managed to stand precariously on the window ledge, now level with his unconscious partner. Don’t look down… he thought.

He called out Fracta’s name, but received no response. Though her stats indicated she was still alive, she hung limply, clearly seriously wounded. His attempt to administer a Potion of Healing proved futile; her unconscious state allowed the liquid to trickle uselessly out of her mouth orifice and down the side of the tower.

At first, Jeff was unsure how to proceed, seeing no obvious way to detach her from the smooth surface of the building. She hadn’t been, as he first assumed, nailed down, but instead, some type of strong adhesive had been used to fix her limbs to the tower. Acting quickly, he slid a knife blade between one of her pedipalps and the wall, carefully prying the limb free.

He repeated this meticulous process with each of her legs until she was left dangling by one remaining limb adhered to the tower. Acutely aware of the perilous drop into the murky waters below, Jeff, driven by desperation, formulated the only plan he could think of—swinging her through the window in the tower’s side.

Disconnecting her last limb from its restraint, he exerted all his strength to draw her backwards. The pair collapsed in a heap, landing in a tangled mess on the small room’s floor at the top of the tower.

Jeff lay there for a moment, gathering his strength, then lifted Fracta onto his back, staggering under her considerable weight as he hurried towards the stairwell, determined to leave the Citadel as swiftly as possible. Down they went, descending the spiral stairs, until they reached the tower’s base without incident. Pausing for a moment, Jeff cautiously peered through the door at the base of the stairs, down a long, narrow corridor where he could just make out the bailey. Some sort of commotion was underway.

As they approached, it soon became evident that civil war had erupted among Sharkey’s forces. The cacophony of clashing blades was punctuated by the crackle of energy discharged by various Skills. Shouts of anger and screams of pain echoed down the corridor.

More troubling to Jeff was the distinctive bass rumble of Hazinarr’s voice, echoing from one side of the bailey. Jeff cursed the troll’s remarkable healing abilities. He had hoped that the tremendous impact of the fall would have kept Hazinarr out of action for much longer.

The troll continuously bellowed orders to his faction, his booming voice reverberating across the bailey as he sought to quell the insurrection. From the state of play, it appeared he was succeeding. The rebel troops, disorganized and outmatched, were losing ground. Slowly but surely, they were being pushed into a corner, an uncoordinated rabble facing off against a squad of professional soldiers.

The troll revealed another formidable Skill in his arsenal. Casting a group heal spell, the troll sent a shimmering wave of golden light radiating over the battlefield. The lambent glow bathed his soldiers, swiftly healing their wounds and bolstering their HP, significantly enhancing their fighting efficiency.

“It’s now or never…” Jeff muttered to the unconscious Fracta, not expecting any response. His newly acquired [Covert Surveillance] Skill helped him in analyzing the chaotic battle unfolding before him. He plotted a route through the melee, aiming for the long, crystal and stone corridor that led to the exit.

Concentrating on his Stealth attribute, Jeff pulled the Cloak of Distraction tighter around his shoulders. Groaning under the weight of Fracta on his back, he navigated through the warring soldiers, his progress much more ungainly than he would have liked. Nonetheless, he was almost out of the bailey before he was spotted.

“Stop that man!” shouted Hazinarr from across the square, brutally pushing aside his own soldiers to reach Jeff. Fortunately for Jeff, the insurrectionists were positioned directly in front of the corridor entrance, hindering the troll and his troops. Ignoring his exhaustion and the discomfort of his still unhealed wounds, Jeff stoically staggered down the long passage as quickly as he could under the increasingly burdensome weight of Fracta’s unconscious form, escaping the chaos of the fighting behind him.

The sounds of battle diminished as Jeff made his way beneath the inner gatehouse and into the atrium-like space dominated by the large barbican. Just as he was about to continue towards the Citadel’s entrance, plaintive cries rang out from the Contestants imprisoned in the corner, still trapped in their cages.

Jeff hesitated a moment, mindful of the looming presence of Hazinarr behind him. But then, he relented, taking pity on the trapped prisoners. He approached the long line of low-slung cages, and gently placed Fracta on the ground. Drawing a sturdy hand-axe from his Storage Ring, he went from cage to cage, smashing the padlocks with swift, precise blows.

Jeff smashed open the last cage and turned to face the crowd of released prisoners. He addressed them in an urgent tone.

“Sharkey’s soldiers are fighting amongst themselves right now, but it won’t be long before they regroup and come after us. I suggest you follow me and head to Tantalus Town immediately.”

As Jeff spoke, he realized that he had not formulated any concrete plan moving forward. His immediate priority was to get Fracta well, then somehow return to the Citadel and break through Sharkey’s forces to reach the portal. The deadline for entry into the Elimination Rounds was fast approaching, heightening his sense of urgency.

It suddenly dawned on him that he would need allies in the upcoming fight.