The town of Marigold is known across the virtual world for the romantic sentiment shared by the masses. The lively spirit of the town is noticeable even at a passing glance.

Marigold is the largest exporter of chocolates and flowers in the virtual world. The selection of chocolate flavors is astounding. The chances are that the citizens have already thought of nearly all the flavors that can pair with chocolates. The city grows an impressive variety of flowers in fields so large that one can hardly turn a corner without running into flowers.

Not a dime is spared when it comes to decoration. Most of the buildings are painted in bright colors with the intention of mimicking the aesthetic of the flowers. There are decorative sculptures, signs, and stained glass windows practically everywhere that add an extra touch of humanity to the city.

Callie is staying at a colorful little home of her own. A home that has many pseudo-lavish rooms full to the brim with cheap decorations that she has come across over time. Cheap but stylish decorations really make the space feel lively.

“Please make yourself at home while I search for something that might come in handy. A last resort in case our negotiations for materials go south.”

Zinnia immediately leaps towards a comfy couch. She lifts some wooden knick-knacks carved into the shapes of animals set on a table and starts prodding them. “How strange. I like them.”

“You can have one.”

Zinnia takes one carved into the shape of a bear.

Callie clears some curtains and opens a window. She can see numerous couples ride throughout the city’s canals on canoes. Plenty of wonderful voices can be heard throughout the city singing every genre of song from ballads to opera. There are outdoor stalls and vendors selling chocolates and flowers on every street.

A brawny man playfully traps another in a headlock. He exclaims, “I love you! I would fight a wyvern for you!"

The trapped man manages to escape and turn the tides. He replies, “Only one for your best friend? I would fight ten for you!"

The first to talk replies, “Did I say one? I meant a hundred!"

Callie opens her menu. She scrolls through until she reaches the social tab. “First things first, I better check who is online before I go running off somewhere. I know that today is my lucky day and all of my besties are going to be online today.”

Callie checks her friend list and brushes past the NPC section to the player section. There is not a single person online and she has not received any messages from any of them either. She quickly scrolls down the list to check the last time any of them has logged on. The last active person was recorded logging on at least several years ago. “Damn.”

Callie’s sense of smell is assaulted by a nearby perfume shop. She can smell a certain fragrance in the air that makes her scrunch up her nose in disgust. She closes the window. She mumbles, “Lavender, the most obnoxious and overrated of all perfume scents."

Callie browses through her treasure chests until she finds a letter among all the countless and useless items she has hoarded.

“I still feel really lucky considering everything that happened yesterday. Maybe I can pull this off with some of my world famous charisma.”

Callie and Zinnia enter a merchant’s guild where they talk with a few representatives of trading companies. Attempts at negotiations are made and failed.

Callie asks, “Do you take us for fools? This is daylight robbery. You are marking up the price by an extra half of their value compared to their worth in the player market."

A merchant replies, “But you cannot buy these materials in bulk in the player market, can you? I am providing an honest service should you choose to accept it. Am I not allowed to make a profit?"

“You can take your honest service and cram it somewhere the sunlight doesn’t shine."

Callie and Zinnia leave once they have seen all the deals the merchants have to offer. The deals only get worse as some of the merchants feel bold enough to demand a portion of the kingdom of Steel claiming that is the only way they might turn a profit.

Callie states, “The merchants of Marigold would never be so heartless. Sadly the resources in Marigold are limited. We have to import the specific ores and mana cores you are looking for. These kinds of scummy merchants and players already know there is a monopoly for them."

Zinnia asks, “Is there really no other alternative? Dealing with these merchants would drastically stall the progress of the kingdom’s repairs. With the current state of my kingdom we have little left to offer."

Callie retrieves her letter. “Fret not. There is still a chance. A very small chance that might end in our demise but a small chance nonetheless."

Callie and Zinnia visit a mansion in the city. There are guards in bulky suits of armor wielding large two handed axes protecting the gates at the entrance. Their axes drop and point in Callie’s direction as a warning to advise them against stepping any closer. “State your business here at once!"

Callie hands over her letter. One of the guards cautiously approaches. They state, “The letter is authentic although severely outdated. You may proceed. Please forgive our caution esteemed guests. There has been a trend of thieves attempting to steal from nobility in the area recently. The last few thieves were lucky that we managed to apprehend them before our malicious master could have a chance. I shudder at the thought of what he would have done to them."

Callie recalls a number of thumbnails from a popular content creator that makes her snicker. She pretends to cough to hide her amusement. The titles of various videos include: ‘I Stole the Royal Crown’, ‘I Hid in a Noble’s Home for Twenty Four Hours’, and ‘I Replaced All the Artwork in a Noble’s Home with Portraits of Me’.

The gates open. The duo are escorted into an office where there is not even the faintest trace of the color blue anywhere to be seen.

There is a man with blonde hair in the middle of his studies. The man’s eyes are as green as a gem and he is wearing a minimalistic yet extravagant green marching band outfit.

He states, “This letter was an invitation from an event several months ago. An event that you rudely accepted but never participated in. Why are you wasting my time with this now? Can’t you see that I am busy preparing my next event on the first of April?"

Zinnia states, “I am here as a noble of the kingdom of Steel. We needed an audience as this is an important matter regarding the reconstruction of the kingdom of Steel. We are seeking a trade partner that can provide a stable source of materials that cannot be found there."

“Then seek an audience with a merchant. I am not involved in the trade of construction materials, nor do I trade in foreign mana cores. I only sell golem familiars and mana cores found in this region.”

Callie replies, “But, Jade! You know where to trade mana cores and you could probably buy foreign mana cores from those same sources! A man as intelligent as you could easily acquire a source for construction materials. Plus you have nothing to waste if you incorporate them into your already existing trading routes."

Jade confidently smiles. “Of course I could. It would be a piece of cake for somebody as smart as me. But what would I stand to gain from such an ordeal? I have heard of your kingdom’s discovery and I have heard that the city is little more than a barren wasteland. What could you possible have that might interest me? How could this possibly be more important than my preparations for my next event on the first of April?”

Zinnia asks, “What could possibly be more important than the reconstruction of a kingdom!?"

Callie mutters, “No!" She tries to cover Zinnia’s mouth with her hand but she is too late.

Jade leans back against his chair as far as he can without tipping the chair over. He moves his hands to cover his face but leaves a gap in between his fingers large enough for one eye to see through. He stares at the ceiling as though he were staring at the stars themselves. A stare that conveys the inner turmoil buried within his pitch black heart.

“I have always been allergic to the color blue ever since the day I was born. Touching anything blue ranging from paint to flowers makes rashes appear on my skin accompanied by an infernal itch. Every single day I hear the people of Marigold utter, 'Blue is my favorite color'. The people mock me. I despise the color blue and I wish the color were eradicated from this world. There is only one escape from this mono-colored hellscape we call the world of ROW.”

“On the first of April the stars above align in such a way that their power can be harnessed to rid the world of the ridiculous color for a week. It is the only time of year that I feel as though I am truly alive. Except for Yahtzee nights at the local library. The librarians play a mean game of Yahtzee that puts even my refined skills to shame."

Callie asks, "What if I told you that there was a way to guarantee your success in next year's April event? All that you would have to do is battle in the arena once in order to spread the word. It involves getting the assistance of your fans."

Jade perks up. "I have fans? I mean of course somebody as handsome as me is bound to have a couple of fans! The fact of the matter is that I have trouble believing that there are so many that they might guarantee my success as you claim."

"You do! You have a large community of fans that regularly commission portraits of your likeness and write stories where they fantasize about being your companion. There are even a number of fans that buy a special kind of artwork. Can you imagine how ecstatic they would be to see you participate in an arena battle? The very idea of someone of your caliber participating in the arena is unheard of."

Callie whispers something into Jade's ear that makes him blush as red as a cherry tomato.

"People pay for that kind of artwork!? Well what can I say? The people of the world of ROW have good taste supposing this is true. It does make me wonder, how come none of these enthusiastic fans have ever assisted me before in previous events?"

"Adventurers are not very bright. They do not even realize that they have the option to take your side in the event. They think that they have to fight against you unless you state it directly. Maybe instead of calling them fools give them a quest to side with you instead."

Callie thought to herself, "Well players never had the option to assist you before. Normally the players would collect items in the event until Jade calls them fools and boasts that he was using them the entire time. The players would then be forced to fight to try to stop Jade or abandon the quest completely. The grand finale of the event involves a battle where the players unite to stop a bunch of Jade's underlings from casting a large scale spell that removes the color blue from the game."

Jade face-palms. He starts to laugh. "You mean that all I have to do is spell it out for them? To think that the only thing standing between me and victory was sheer stupidity."

Jade declares, "Very well! I shall trade with the kingdom of Steel for a fair price. It is obvious to me that the kingdom has no money and so I shall ever so graciously grant them a period of grace that will last for three years before I come to collect the debt.”

Callie snickers. “Let it be known to the world you are nothing if not gracious.”

“In exchange I expect the two of you to spread the word of my April event and occasionally handle some social events to increase my popularity among the masses. Your necks will be on the line if next year's event results in a failure."

Callie's face warps into something nasty as she tries her hardest to restrain her laughter. She looses her grip and cannot help but giggle. She places her hands together as though she were some sort of evil, scheming mastermind.

She responds, "There is no way! There is just no way! You have no idea how happy your fans will be! It is unheard of! Today's events will drastically impact the world of ROW and I am all for it!."

Jade replies, "There is one problem that has yet to be addressed. I will not be represented by someone who dresses the part of a pauper. We will buy a change of outfit so that you may at the very least appear presentable to my adoring audience."

Zinnia is already wearing a fancy hybrid between a work uniform and a dress so Callie can already tell who he is referring to. His comment seems to strike a nerve.

Callie replies, "I will have you know that my sense of fashion is immaculate. However, I am willing to comply with that demand in order to ensure that our negotiations are successful."

The trio visit an upper-class shop where they are presented with a few selections of different types of clothing to choose from. Callie immediately rejects anything that has a bright color or anything that looks as though it might be impractical to run around while wearing. Her selection is soon narrowed down to a few outfits similar to the one Zinnia is wearing. Nothing beats a good combination of style and practically.

“Can’t we go somewhere less expensive? The cost on some of these costumes is absurd! They are only cosmetic items and they cost several gold coins each!”

Jade states, “They say clothing makes the man. Combine that with confidence and a million gold coins and you can go far in this world. You have already made it perfectly clear that you have no money. A severe mistake to make when it comes to negotiation and something that a lesser man would have taken advantage of. I would not have brought you here if I did not intend to pay for your costume just this once. You can consider it a present as a celebration of our partnership."

“Thank you very much!"

Callie finally chooses her outfit after an hour. Her new clothing is merely a decorative skin with no impact on her status or abilities, however, the dress does make her look elegant and charming. She stays true to her tastes and chooses a black outfit. The dress does wonders with minimal decorations. Who needs clothing with cluttered amounts of decorations anyway? The less decorations there are the more they stand out.

Now the trio looks like a proper team with outfits all somewhat similar in terms of quality.

The trio make their way to their next destination. An arena that serves as a place for PVP (Player Versus Player) kind of battles.

There is a receptionist who seems enthusiastic to assist. She states, “There are many modes a player can participate in ranging from capture the flag to base defense. They are split into a two overarching categories. The kind of battles with the least queue times are ‘balanced’ casual matches and ranked matches. In the ‘balanced’ mode all players levels are set to level fifty. The skills that they have are temporarily upgraded or downgraded to that level. No additional skills will be unlocked for low level players.”

“There is the option to play an ‘unbalanced’ game modes but they are unpopular modes with a queue time that ranges an average of an hour or more."

Jade states, “As much as I would like to terrorize the players in the arena with my overwhelming abilities, I do not have an hour to spare hour waiting in line. We will play a balanced ranked match. We can at least terrorize the players struggling to climb arena ranks."

Callie suggests, “With our fairly balanced lineup we should be able to do well in any of the modes. For starters we should narrow down our selection to modes with players of three for an instant queue time. What about a classic match of knock out? There are three rounds where the players battle. There are no respawns allowed and the first to eliminate all of the enemy team’s party members wins the round."

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

The party agrees and so they start the search for a match. They find one that Jade immediately rejects. Jade crosses his arms. He shouts out, “Hell no! I refuse to be a part of the blue team!’’. The team is forced to wait for five minutes as a penalty for rejecting the match before they search for another. They are lucky enough to be members of the red team this time around.

There is a commentator in the arena that looks like an imposing and fierce warrior sitting on a stone throne. She is currently holding the title of ‘Guild master of the Knights of the Stars’. They are conversing with a friend of theirs who has a cheap little plastic chair set up next to the imposing stone throne of the arena.

The guild master seems to be in the middle of streaming a series of arena battles. She pauses when she notices something unusual. “I can’t believe my very own eyes, Barbra! We are about to watch a raid boss enter the arena for the first time in ROW history! We picked the best possible day to live stream!”

She states, “I believe this man is from the April Fools event held yearly. Although technically there is no rule against NPC entering the arena, usually the NPC that enter do not have the ‘boss’ status. Having a ‘raid boss’ designed to be battled by several players simultaneously is downright unfair! Can their level even be lowered down for a fair match?"

Barbra replies, “Definitely an oversight on the part of the developers, but I can’t say that I blame them. Who could have predicted this turn of events? I have checked and their level has been lowered but their skills were not adjusted accordingly. Sure his base damage was adjusted, but the effects of his skills remain the same. They will have unfair skills never intended to be used in a PVP match at least until the developers hear about this and are forced to patch the game."

The basic shape of the arena for the match is a small circle. A circle small enough that the players are nearly forced to run into one another no matter where they go. The middle of the arena is cluttered with obstacles to hide behind. There are two teams of three players that spawn on the opposite side of the map.

Both teams share a similar party composition that relies on working as a team. The enemy team is comprised of a black haired knight equipped with a sword and shield. There is a red haired rogue wearing a cloak equipped with a dagger. There is a brown haired mage equipped with a wand. All of the enemy’s outfits have one thing in common. They all have at least one or two gaudy and over-sized star shaped accessories attached to them somewhere that represents their guild’s namesake.

The mage chants, “I cast Cheer!"

Jade smirks. He looks obnoxiously smug. “I respect that you subclass as a cheerleader, but I was voted cheer captain!"

Jade twirls and tosses his baton into the air and does a spin. He catches his baton as the baton falls to the floor. The sound of loud cheering can be heard coming from Jade’s direction and a cheerleader icon appears above his head as a way of showing that he has activated some sort of ability. The same visual effects activates for the opponent.

Barbra explains, “The skill provides a party buff that raises the entire party’s movement speed and attack speed by five percent. ‘Cheer Captain’ is the next stage of the ‘Cheerleader’ class. Jade’s buff effect grants a ten percent bonus as if Jade’s lightning speed stun and back-stab combo weren’t already blindingly fast without the added effects."

Zinnia and the enemy knight step into the scene of the battle first as the toughest defensive players among their respective sides. The mages and assassins of both parties cautiously approach as well.

Zinnia strikes first with a slash of her sword. Her attack is blocked by the enemy knight who attacks in return. The enemy knight’s attack is blocked as well. Only a little amount of damage is dealt overall with the knight taking five percent of their HP as damage and Zinnia taking ten.

Millie points out, “I am checking the details about the classes right now. That difference in damage up to a difference in classes, folks. Both of them have the main class of tanks but their sub classes are different. The knight has much better physical defense but Zinnia’s Disciple of Greed class has much better magical defense. She is playing a class that I have never even heard of before."

Callie calls out, “Now!"

Zinnia casts a spell, “Hand of Greed!" A faint purple outline of a giant grotesque hand attempts to crush the enemy knight. They take only a little bit of damage but more importantly they are stunned momentarily.

The party rushes past the enemy knight and advances towards the enemy mage and assassin.

The mage feels pressured by Zinnia’s advance and immediately casts a spell. “Gravity’s Pull!" The spell hurls Zinnia against a nearby rock. The mage then casts a second spell that hurls a ball of flames at her.

Callie casts Morning Glory and deals twenty percent damage to the enemy mage. They are completely blinded for a few seconds during which they are unable to even see the map. She casts the spell a second time even as Jade enters the fray and deals damage to both the mage and Jade.

Jade dashes within melee range and strikes with a baton to deal another twenty damage. “Stupid adventurers! You shall meet your demise!”

“Get away from me!” The enemy mage panics and blindly casts a Pillar of Earth spell that strikes Jade. Normally the spell would send an enemy into the air and stun them momentarily.

Jade takes damage from the spell but the effect does not halt his movement, nor throw off his balance in the slightest.

He takes the opportunity to cast, “Embrace of the Sun!" The sun shines on Jade extra brightly and creates an almost ethereal aura around him momentarily.

Millie states, “That is a nasty combo. Embrace of the Sun enhances his next attack attack to deal fifty percent more damage. The spell then grants a ten percent base damage bonus if he casts the spell in sunny places or places with a high altitude.”

Jade jumps down from the pillar. The aura of the sun gathers around his baton. He swings his weapon in a mighty blow that creates a burst of light right in the face of the enemy mage for a devastating amount of thirty two percent damage from a normal attack that is neither a critical hit nor super effective.

“I will cheer for your demise!” He takes the opportunity while the mage is stun locked to attack behind their back for an assassin style back-stab type of attack that lands a critical hit for double damage amounting to forty percent. The mage’s health drops drastically all the way down to zero.

Millie explains, “Most raid bosses are immune to some crowd control effects if not all of them. Jade is no exception. The developers made him with the intention of punishing attempts to control his movements. He is a boss designed to be tough, test player’s skill, and really test cooperation between party members. Sadly there is no way that the members of my guild would know that unless they had already fought against Jade before. They better learn from their mistake and they better learn quick if they hope to win this battle."

In the meantime the enemy assassin is clashing with Callie. Her health has dropped to twenty percent and the assassin’s health has only dropped to sixty.

Jade enters the fray. The assassin notices but they are left helplessly taking attacks from both directions and unable to block both. They forget about blocking and try to minimize their losses by quickly defeating Callie, but they unfortunately leave themselves open to a back-stab critical hit from Jade that results in their defeat as well.

Zinnia is locked in a stalemate with the enemy knight. Both of them have steadily been chipping away at the others health. Neither of them are able to deal decisive amounts of damage as classes that are intended to outlast their opponents. Neither of them are agile enough to outmaneuver the other to land critical hit back-stabs either.

The enemy knight realizes that both of his allies have been defeated and he is up against two enemies at once. They forfeit, “I will surrender for this round but I have not lost hope! We will turn this battle around somehow!"

The arena is reset and all participants teleport back to where they started. All players are restored to full health and stamina. Both sides spend a moment discussing the enemies abilities and strategies but there is only so much they can do about them in practice.

Jade complains, “You hit me! How dare you?"

Callie nervously laughs. “Sorry about that. You were just so fast that I couldn’t keep up.”

Jade states, “Well, I am one of the most capable nobles. Just watch your aim next time."

Callie turns away. She whispers to Zinnia, “Too easy to handle."

Zinnia silently snickers.

Before long the two sides are staring each other down again. Callie and the mage are extra aware of one another. Even experienced players are not immune to occasionally experiencing tunnel vision in the middle of a team battle.

The enemy mage asks, “Are you ready for round two? It is not going to be so easy without your entire party crowd controlling me into oblivion."

Callie chuckles. “Sorry about that. Anything to win a ranked match am I right?”

Callie casts Holy Light to deal ten percent of quick and nearly unavoidable damage. The enemy mage hurls a Fireball that deals twenty percent of damage to Callie.

They exchange blow after blow that are defended each time in a spree of spell casting that results in both sides taking twenty percent damage. Neither side is gaining much ground. Both of them are skilled players that have nailed the timing of a perfect guard to a fine art.

Callie attempts to break through the monotony with a Spear of Ice.

Barbra comments, “A smart play on Callie’s part and a good choice in skill variety. The spear does physical piercing damage instead of magical damage. Her Pillar of Earth similarly deals physical bludgeoning damage. Wands are better at blocking against magical attacks than they are at blocking against physical attacks. The same could be said for physical equipment blocking against physical attacks."

The enemy mage casts, “Wall of Ice!” She defends herself from the oncoming spear. A move that proves to be a mistake.

Callie is left unchecked and given the opportunity to cast a Pillar of Earth spell to assist in Zinnia’s battle and a Morning Glory spell to assist in Jade’s battle from a distance.

The enemy mage chants, “Rain of Stars!" Star shaped magic falls in a large area around Callie that are impossible to defend against entirely or avoid. The spell does not have the kind of range that Callie’s Holy Light ability has but the spell does more damage over time in exchange.

The enemy mage then realizes their mistake when both of her companions complain, “Take care of your enemy damn it!"

She destroys the wall of ice separating the two mages to redirect Callie’s attention.

The drop in the wall was a move that Callie had predicted. The enemy mage had been expecting Callie to remain in the same place and preemptively prepares to casts a spell.

There is a spear of ice launched at the enemy mage that she was not expecting. She cancels her spell cast and tries to defend herself against out of habit. A failed attempt thanks to the physical piercing nature of the spear.

Callie casts a second Spear of Ice at the same time that the enemy casts a second Fireball. They seem as though they are both willing to exchange hits.

All of a sudden Callie casts, “Wind of the Fairy!” Wings made of mana akin to those of a fairy sprout on her back. She flies a short distance away in a burst of speed to avoids taking damage. She flies out of range of the ongoing Rain of Stars spell as well. She has taken fifteen percent damage from the rain so far.

The mages trade blows once more. Callie tanks another fireball for twenty percent damage. She only has twenty five percent HP remaining but she is not worried about defeat. Her Morning Glory blinds the enemy mage and practically guarantees that Callie would win the next exchange of attacks on account of the enemy mage being unable to target Callie.

Callie confidently smirks. The next exchange of blows will result in an easy dodge and an easy victory or at least that would have been the case without outside interference.

A circle shaped shadow appears beneath Callie. She tries to guard against the effect but she is a moment too slow to realize.

“Damn, Dark Jest? They subclass as a Dark Jester!? Who?”

A dark elemental double of the enemy assassin appears. They have clown makeup on them and a jester hat complete with ringing bells. “Sorry about ruining your mirror match but you started it. I can vouch that you would have won.” The clown drags Callie into the circle below and she ends up switching places with the enemy assassin.

Jade is already in the middle of a shining Embrace of the Sun attack that he cannot stop. His target should have been the enemy assassin that amateurishly dropped their guard in the middle of battle. He winces as his target suddenly drops down into the shadow realm and gets replaced by Callie. The buffed attack is more than enough to eliminate Callie at her low health state.

Callie’s team in soon to follow in the three versus two battle that takes place. Jade is the next target as he has lower defenses and deals more damage than Zinnia. Zinnia valiantly manages to defeat the low health enemy mage before her defenses inevitably collapse against the force of multiple assailants.

Jade facepalms. “Forgive me for my stupidity. I should have suspected that something was wrong when the agile assassin suddenly dropped their pace. I will be more cautious when casting my buff and when the enemy is at low health. I will not allow the same trick to work against me twice.”

“No hard feelings. That is just the nature of the arena sometimes. I wouldn’t get so worked up about that kind of thing. Or the opponents for that matter."

Zinnia points. “The world above is such a peculiar place. People gather to watch these kind of events? Perhaps the kingdom of steel should hold an event like this to attract the attention of more adventurers.”

There is a crowd of NPC spectators that have entered the arena during the time that the two battles have taken place. Even the tailor that sold the costume to Callie has closed their store for the moment. There are a number of players that have tuned into Millie’s live stream with their eyes glued to the screen.

Millie boasts, “So far the match is tied with a score of one to one despite the members of my guild being at a huge disadvantage. Managing to defeat an unbalanced raid boss is a monumental feat and that just shows you how skilled the members of the Knights of the Stars are! I will take this moment to advertise that we are taking applications for a few more members."

Barbra asks, “Do you think that our guild members can actually pull of the first win against a raid boss in the PVP arena? Sadly they will not get any of the April event rewards for defeating Jade even if they do win. They will only get a handful of arena coins rewarded by the game mode. It is one of the many curses of the arena’s matchmaking as some might say."

Millie replies, “I am more than confident that they can pull this off! They are already halfway there! Either way I am content with the fact that we managed to catch this exclusive footage. Our guild will be remembered as a part of this iconic moment. To think that we are the first guild to ever challenge a raid boss in the PVP arena and technically ‘win’ even if it was just one round. Our guild name is going to appear everywhere on the news."

Barbra states, “Our reputation is sure to rise through the roof! Can you imagine what is going to happen to Callie’s reputation though? What wonders will this event do for the player’s reputation that managed to drag the raid boss into the arena in the first place? It also makes me wonder what kind of twisted, foul, and indescribable soul-sapping contract Callie had to sign in order to make him, of all intolerable people, participate."

Barbra spawns glasses and a carton of orange juice. She jests, “Here is to Callie’s noble sacrifice in the name of scientific discovery.” Millie toasts, “Here is to hoping that she uncovers a hundred more secrets and we benefit from them." Barbra and Millie smack their glasses together. “Cheers.”

The two teams seem to have finished their discussions over the information they have uncovered about the enemy in the previous round. The tanks take the center stage and clash once again. Their battle consists of making sure that the other cannot move an inch with various control effects.

Basic attacks are exchanged that are defended by both tanks. They relentlessly try to trip up the opponent and attempt some failed parries on some of the attacks. The knight takes twenty percent damage and Zinnia takes thirty.

The enemy tank boasts, “We are going to win this round! I can feel it! You better try your best because I just know luck is on our side!"

Zinnia blissfully smiles. “I thought that I was trying my best. I will try to try even harder this time."

Zinnia casts, “Dark Chasm!" She creates a malicious dark elemental purple colored aura around her.

The enemy knight’s defensive habits kicks in. They raise their shield against an ability they have never seen before. They then lower their shield when they realize the ability does not seem to be avoidable unless they leaves melee range. The ability is not so much of a hazard as the enemy knight’s health only drops at a slow pace in an amount that equals five percent for the time being. They do what they do best and tank the damage.

The enemy knight is fixated on Zinnia. They do not have the means of attacking from afar with their skills and equipment. It is up for speculation whether or not they are aware of the situation regarding the rest of the battle taking place.

Zinnia is not limited, nor agitated by the scope of the battlefield. As part of her racial traits as an android combined with the fact that she is an advanced A.I. (Artificial Intelligence), she can somewhat follow along and process what is happening with every participant. The only downside is that sometimes the enemy tank blocks a portion of her view which unintentionally creates gaps in the information Zinnia is absorbing.

Zinnia and the enemy tank had been whittling down the others health. They had been guarding, buffing themselves, and using all of their abilities to stall each other for the last two rounds of combat.

A peculiar idea occurs to Zinnia. She has the sudden spontaneous urge to try something different. She stares in the enemy knight’s direction but seems as though she is looking right past him. She equips her wand and she pretends to crush the wand within her hand. She casts, “Hand of Greed!"

The enemy knight is more than prepared. They skillfully cast, “Endure!"

Millie explains, “Ooh. That was perfect timing for the cast of Endure. A skill that allows the user to resist magical damage and control effects if they manage to time the ability correctly. Too bad the spell wasn’t aiming for the knight."

A phantasmal hand appears around the low health enemy assassin that has been so caught up in surviving against Jade’s relentless assault. He doesn’t even have the faintest idea on what kind of timing he needs to activate endure to defend himself from this new ability. He is stunned in place unable to even cast his Jester subclass ability as a final trump card to escape.

Jade finally has the opportunity to safely cast his overpowered buff and finish off the enemy assassin in one enhanced blow.

The knight catches on to Zinnia’s tactic. He taunts, “Hey! How about you keep your focus on me? I am right here and ready to brawl!"

“You said that I should try harder! No take-backs.”

“That I did. May my poor teammates forgive me.”

The enemy knight raises their shield. They charge into Zinnia for a shield bash attack that deals ten percent damage while stunning her. They swing their sword while she is unable to defend herself for another twenty percent damage dropping her health to forty percent.

Even though Zinnia cannot react, she does not seem disoriented by the attack. She defends the next basic attack successfully for ten damage the moment that the stun effect wears off.

She counters with a shield bash of her own for dealing five percent damage. The accumulated damage of her Dark Chasm spell drops the knight’s health down to sixty percent.

Zinnia leaves the knight stunned for a second.

Zinnia can see that the enemy mage is hiding behind another wall of ice. She is calling down star shaped magic through her Rain of Stars spell in the distance.

Zinnia assumes, “If the stars are shooting from that direction, then you are probably over here!”

Zinnia casts a second Hand Of Greed without a direct line of sight. The phantasmal hand grabs and carries the enemy mage into the air exposing them and leaving them vulnerable. “Hooray!"

Zinnia raises her shield once again just in time as the enemy knight attacks. They attack again and drop Zinnia’s health down to ten percent while they still have a grand total of sixty percent.

The knight’s attempt at a final blow is interrupted when a Morning Glory spell explodes behind his back and a baton smacks against him. They manage to survive with a sliver of health thanks to their high defense. A defense that doesn’t last much longer as Zinnia joins the fray.

The end of the match is declared with the members of the red team being victorious. They have won two perfect rounds with a score of two to one. The crowd cheers enthusiastically.

Jade victoriously raises his baton in the air. “Hello my adoring fans! I am here to announce that next April I will be holding another event and all adventurers can participate! For the first time adventurers will be given the option to fight alongside of me rather than against me! Yes, you heard me correctly! I am personally inviting all adventurers to join my side! Let us work together hand in hand to remove the foul color blue from the world for a week! I will offer some very special limited time rewards for my allies that you cannot find anywhere else!”

Callie whispers, “All the cheering isn’t going to help one bit with his ego but what the heck."

Callie raises her arms in the air as well. Zinnia mimics the behavior and starts to wave at the crowd.

Millie states, “Well that was a hard fought battle but the red team won in the end. I am proud of my guild members for doing their best and I am even more proud of them for scoring one round against the big bad raid boss. That is going to be all for my live stream. I would like to thank our supporters...."

The participants in the arena are brought into a waiting room where they can decide on a rematch or to leave the arena among various other options.

Jade approaches the enemy side. “Of course I was the MVP (Most Valuable Player) but that was a well fought battle. The three of you used the limited abilities that you have to their maximum potential. I think that I might call upon your guild in the future to work for me. I think I might have a way to make your namesake ‘Knights of the Stars’ become more literal. Assuming that you accept my offer.”

The knight and mage boisterously reply, “We would be happy to!" Both of them extend their hands for a handshake. The assassin hides behind them twiddling his thumbs. “That would be pretty cool.”

Jade then turns to his temporary party of Callie and Zinnia. He states, “That was much exciting than I was expecting it to be. I had fun. I look forward to the day when I have the free time to do something like this again. For the time being I must take my leave. One more thing, I have no use for these arena coins. You may keep them."

Jade opens his inventory and extends his hand full of a few red coins. He then steps out of the room.

Callie utters, “Jade—I wonder when we will see him again."

There is little remaining for the rest of the competitors to do. They greet one another and exchange a few words about how exciting the battle was. Callie momentarily opens her friends list and a few friend requests are made and accepted. Then they walk their separate ways for the time being.

Zinnia states, “They were nice. The knight taught me that I can try to try harder. Do you think he will teach me more things in the future?"

Callie asks, “What?"

The somber farewell is cut short when Callie and Zinnia enter the food court for some food to satiate Callie’s hunger. Jade and the entire enemy team had the same idea and are already sharing a table. They wave for Callie and Zinnia to join them. Zinnia does not partake in the food. She instead takes sips from a small metal can of motor oil as though the can were a flask.

Jade jests, “Fancy seeing the two of you here. Do you come here often?"

Hello! This is the author Ether Marble. Please consider donating to my Stripe or Kofi if you like my content. My goal is to provide entertaining content and I gladly accept donations.

I prefer donations directly to my stripe.

https://buy.stripe.com/6oE17O2Bqfw87Uk9AA

Kofi instead.

https://ko-fi.com/ethermarble