image [https://imgur.com/Ht3r5S4.png]

Eddie coughed out some blood. He didn’t know how things had gotten this bad. He had put a point into Physical when he had first entered this world, but he was a Hero of Light, right? So, he put the rest of the points into Light! He had gotten a cool skill even! He could heal with magic! That was worth something, wasn’t it? He frantically pressed a hand against his stomach as he scrambled backwards. “[Purity Restore]!” He felt the pain recede, the wrongness fading.

But the man in front of him simply strode forward, raising his poorly made and poorly cared for sword. The man’s face was gaunt, his hair caked with dirt, his armor sparse and poorly fitted. He was so close that Eddie could smell a sour odor of human waste on him. Then the sword came down hard, and Eddie cried out as a red-hot line of pain blossomed on his arm. He stopped thinking, just scrambling away as fast as he could. This wasn’t fair! All around him other Chosen Heroes fought, killed, and died. It was fifty of them versus fifty convicts and the convicts were winning decisively.

They had been ushered into a large dirt lined pit arena and had all gone willingly. The only cover was one or two large stone columns that had fallen down from the edges, but these could only buy seconds. There was no escape. The men before them seemed desperate, and although they had worse weapons and armor than many of the Chosen heroes, they were held with a determination that his side simply did not have.

He saw one Hero shoot out a bolt of fire from his hands, the heat from it flashing over him. But the man wasn’t even looking where he was shooting, casting it as he ran away! The fire struck the ground near a large man with a buckler and a spear, doing no damage. It was much the same with the other heroes. They all had impressive and flashy abilities, but they couldn’t seem to actually do anything with them. The convicts had been very cautious in the first minute but had gained confidence now and had begun to advance in earnest.

Eddie let out a yelp as a young woman collapsed near him, crying out. He wanted to heal her, but the men were advancing, and he didn’t have time! He retreated backwards, and one of the men stabbed down at her. He felt nauseous. He had never seen a person, a real person, die before. He knew with a sick lurch that he was about to see it happen many more times, very soon.

There was a podium high above the pit they were scrabbling about in that contained hard to see figures. One of them was a person called a “Lord”. She oversaw this part of the world and was directly overseeing this match. Eddie felt hatred and despair well up inside him. How could anyone be so cruel? This wasn’t fair! This wasn’t the Heroic destiny they had been promised!

Suddenly another voice rang out in the pit. “HALT! ALL CHOSEN HEROES, TO ME! EVERYONE ELSE, BACK UP. ALL THE WAY!” There was a command in the voice that he was eager to obey. He saw some of the convicts actually stop in bewilderment. The Chosen Heroes scrambled in the dust to gather around her. A gangly man was panting, his eyes wild. “What… what do we do??” The woman radiated confidence; a small horn held in her hand. The convicts looked on warily, circling in, their weapons ready. The woman smiled, looking fresh and at ease. “Nobody that dies in this ring actually dies, it is just supposed to scare you. Every Hero that dies here will immediately resurrect outside the ring. Do not be afraid. WE have the true power here, and our opponents are vastly outmatched. Circle up, do not let them get behind us. Weapons out, if you have any long-range abilities, use them now!”

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A sigh was released from the people around her. Of course. A test! He felt a little nervous knowing that she had told them something they weren’t supposed to find out till later, but also very happy to know it. The group faced their opponents, confidence settling around them like an aura. He could see now that the people they were facing were poorly fed, poorly equipped, and quite scared. A young man near him held out his hands. “[Glorious Electrical Condemning Strike]!!” The brilliant electrical discharge blasted out, striking into the chest of one of the prisoners, knocking him backwards into others, the group of them falling to the ground, twitching. A man who had been hit did not get up, the others seemed dazed and in pain. “NOW! ATTACK!! WE CANNOT LOSE!! YOU ARE THE CHOSEN HEROES OF LIGHT!!” He felt deeply that she was correct. This fight was already over! The group swarmed forward, and although he saw some of the Heroes around him being cut down, he no longer had that dreadful feeling inside. This was their last chance to stand out, that was all.

A boy staggered back, bleeding, and Eddie placed his hands against the boy's back, healing him. The boy grinned. “Ah, thanks!” The Hero steadied himself, and then thrust out his hands. “[Daring and Dramatic Illusion Distortion Encompassing Mind Twist!]” Swirls of magic spiraled out, entering into the heads of multiple convicts. The men clutched at their heads, or thrashed around with their weapons, and each was quickly taken down by one or more Heroes.

As they fought the loud projected voice of the girl rang out. “You cannot lose! These men are already defeated! You are Chosen Heroes of Light! The men before you are nothing! They are weak! They are scared!” And the more she spoke the truer it seemed to be. The men, who minutes before had seemed so overwhelming, winced at every word she spoke and seemed to shrink down. The Heroes all around grew almost gleeful as they struck out and spoke words of power.

Suddenly it was over. Out of the original fifty heroes, maybe twenty remained. Eddie smiled, pleased that he had made it to the final part. All the convicts had been killed or could no longer fight. He felt his stomach twist a bit. Wait, did the convicts also resurrect outside? Had they killed real people? He shook his head. No, this was all a test.

A voice from above rang out. “That was NOT how this was supposed to go. I dislike this IMMENSELY.” A figure jumped down, landing hard, dust billowing up around her. She stood slowly. She was a very VERY tall woman, easily seven feet. Her metal studded leather clothing sparkled and snapped, as if small electrical currents ran over it. Her face was beautiful in a cold stern statuesque way. “A magical voice projecting horn? Using Charisma based skills to manipulate the Heroes? Making them fight for you? Fine, they can pass. But you? Come here.” She pointed at the girl. The other Heroes all murmured, not sure what to do. The girl smiled, holding the horn to her lips.

“Congratulations! The secret final boss! We will all get a HUGE amount of points for this one! If you manage to strike her you get additional points!!” Eddie grinned. This WAS just like a game! He ran forward along with some of the others, his own short sword raised. The woman sneered and slashed out with her bare hand.

Oh, ow. He looked down in time to see his body separate into two parts.

Well he’d… laugh about…