As the two combatants entered the battlefield, it became clear that the crowd had mixed sentiments. Zeph’s entrance was met with a wild roar, for he was popular and charismatic; however, everyone also knew that Millagua had been through difficult times, and many onlookers empathized with him.

Zeph pointed his silver staff so that the red ruby at the tip of it rested just centimeters from Millagua’s nose, through which he breathed hard behind his Tripunctum.

“Let’s get this overwith,” said Zeph.

“Fine by me,” said Millagua. Then the underdog slapped Zeph’s silver staff up, and planted the mightiest side-kick he could muster into Zeph's upper belly. With a huff, the air left his lungs. He skidded backward and caught his balance. The crowd went silent. Millagua stood still, enjoying the moment. Fine, he thought, if that is the one hit I land, at least it was a good one.

Zeph cracked his neck. With dextrous fluidity, he brought his silver staff to bear before charging forward in full swing. Millagua hopped back out of its reach. Before Millagua could turn his artful dodge into an advantage, Zeph rained in again with surprising speed. Twice, then three times, Millagua ducked, leaning back and out of danger’s way.

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The danger was that giant ruby on the end of Zeph’s silver staff. Millagua watched it, training his eye on its brilliant red glow. That color gave him an advantage, as the head was easy to spot. Unfortunately, that made it so Millagua let himself get a little too confident. On the fourth swing, with Millagua mindlessly dodging while desperately racking his brain for some way to counterattack, Zeph swung in hard at Millagua with the bottom end of his silver staff, where there was no big red rock to warn him of the coming blow.

He caught Millagua on the side of the head, and the underdog went down hard. Sprawled on the ground, panic overtook the god of stasis, and he clutched his necklace of enchanted amber. No matter what happened, he could not be frozen in time again.

Zeph’s shadow fell over him. “There is no need to do that,” he said. “I do not need to freeze you in time. I am not afraid of you.”

Millauga’s heart met this blunt statement with mingled relief and despair. Zeph was right to be confident. He was the better combatant. Millagua knew there was nothing he could do.

Unless…

Millagua placed his hands on the temples of his enchanted helm, the one of my design, activating the Tripunctum.