Duke took a moment to inspect the approaching pair of combatants. The first was a tall muscular skeleton, though whatever corded muscle it had from its feet to its thick neck was comprised entirely of black bands of rippling energy. As a result, the subtle hints of bone peaking from underneath were more gray than ivory, unlike its head which was pristinely white. What normally would have been an intimidating opponent for most, didn’t bother Duke in the slightest. While the skeleton had an impressive set of plate armor with an interesting silver gleam within its metal, fighters, and warriors almost never presented Duke with much of a challenge.

Duke’s other adversary, a bull of a panther swiftly eating up the distance between them, must have easily weighed over four hundred pounds if not more. With the copious amount of light breaching the dense canopy overhead, Duke could easily track the void-black beast as every tout muscle flexed in a concerted effort, implying incredible raw physical strength. In the dead of night, Duke was sure the creature would be nearly invisible to anyone without Dark or Infravision. Duke had both.

While Duke doubted he wanted to be on the receiving end of the panther’s wickedly sharp claws, or the vicious set of bared teeth, not without his mana barrier at least, the writhing tentacles sprouting from the cat’s shoulders caused Duke to consider the beast further. Barbed quills stretched toward him from the twisting appendages, and likely contained a powerful toxin.

Fortunately, neither the skeleton nor the panther beast would be much of a threat as they would not be able to bypass his unyielding mana barrier as long as it had even a single drop of mana flowing through it. His most potent magical protection was perfectly capable of handling nearly any physical attack, certainly anything these two could dispense.

Duke was excited at their approach nevertheless. He smiled inwardly as he considered one of his most cherished abilities, his smoldering duplicant. The talent created a flaming mirror version of any hostile pet or minion and was one of his least-used abilities. Mentally rubbing his hands together, Duke needed to determine which of the two creatures would be the best target to be duplicated. Duke first inspected the imposing skeletal minion, and then he allowed the information to flood into his consciousness.

Skeletal Minion (Enhanced) – Level 25 Minion of Xazorus

The animated set of bones from a vanquished enemy, this undead servant unflinchingly serves its master in perpetuity. Even if the worst should happen, this minion cannot be permanently destroyed unless its master is delivered true death. As skillful as any first-rate warrior, this is not a foe to be underestimated. Further, as an enhanced version, this skeletal minion’s competencies have grown to impressive heights making this enemy a force to be reckoned with.

Duke was surprised at the ‘enhanced’ minion status the towering undead warrior possessed. Somehow, miraculously, this Hunter had acquired an extremely high-tier spell and had the capability of casting it! He couldn’t fathom how this upstart managed such a feat as Duke himself only had a single enhanced spell which was only bestowed after reaching the level cap. While Duke would never admit to himself another Hunter could surpass him in his power, the ability to have such a dominant minion was not to be underestimated.

Turning to the midnight black hunting cat next, Duke was excited to see which of the two creatures would be the best target for his potent ability. If the cat was anything like the striking skeleton, Duke would be ecstatic with his next summoned companion.

Umbral Displacer Beast – Level 25 Pet Companion of Xazorus

Creatures of the night and born for the hunt, Umbral Displacer Beasts are usually only found in areas of great magical density, though they can survive in even the most barren of lands. These magnificent creatures have adapted to a life of shadow and constant struggle. Their supernatural abilities make them incredibly difficult to pin down, let alone injure. Only a foolish Hunter would opt to ignore the displacer breast’s deadly quills which contain enough poison to bring down nearly any foe.

Somewhat disappointed in the displacer beast, Duke knew the higher-tiered skeletal would be the best choice between the pair. He always found it exhilarating to watch his mirror copy overwhelm his opponent. Duke prided himself on taking every opportunity to humiliate his adversaries to the fullest extent possible, and having the ability to make a better version of what was often his opponent’s greatest strength was always pleasurable. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had the pleasure of using his smoldering duplicant ability so this was a rare opportunity as monsters and NPCs rarely had summoned minions. The last time Duke used the ability was over a year ago as he stood back and watched as his duplicated flame golem utterly destroyed its twin, then its hobgoblin master, before ultimately turning its blazing fists against an entire hovel singlehandedly.

With his vast combat experience and tactical training from an early age, Duke worked through these internal contemplations in only a fraction of a second. He prided himself on quickly determining the best course of action in any situation. This particular conundrum was not a difficult decision with the enhanced minion clearly the better choice. His target determined, Duke triggered the mechanism to bring forth his smoldering duplicant ability.

Forced to lock eyes with the target, smoldering duplicant thundered within his core. In a moment, a tidal wave of energy was ready to burst forth into reality. However, unlike every other time he had used the ability, something went wrong. The swell of infernal energy stilled before it could attempt to cross the threshold of his core’s outer layer. It was as if the power slammed into an impenetrable barrier before it could take hold. In an instant, Duke’s devilish grin faltered as, for the first time, his ability failed to breathe infernal life into existence.

Notice! This is an invalid target for your Smoldering Duplicant ability. Ability cool down has been reset.

Not bothering to spare a moment to consider the failure, Duke reoriented on the approaching displacer beast and, once more, triggered the ability. This time, it worked flawlessly and a moment later a cat of writhing flames appeared at his side. The heat given off by the creature would never harm its master, but Duke relished the palpable power emanating from his summoned companion. Duke mentally commanded the infernal displacer beast to destroy its twin, who was only seconds away from reaching Duke’s dome of energy. Without hesitation, the blazing fire-cat leaped forward, imposing itself between its master.

Turning his attention back to the Hunter, Duke nearly flinched as an arrow exploded against his barrier a scant inch from his eyes. Having promptly put the simple archer out of mind initially, Duke felt the strength behind the arrow when it connected with his protection. With how powerful the Hunter’s minions were, perhaps this unassuming ranger could challenge Duke in his own right. Mentally inspecting the elf, Duke, even at this distance, could feel the potent enchantments radiating from the archer’s bow. Duke would never lower himself to using such crude weapons, but he did always love finding potent magical items for his ever-expanding collection.

Tallos (NPC) – Level 20 Elf Ranger

Elven rangers come in…

Duke dismissed the follow-up description about the ranger, having seen the exact information only moments ago when he found the first elf in the forest. This paltry ranger was no different apparently, and had a level so beneath Duke’s own he understood there was no need to even consider the fool further. The only interesting thing about the elf was his marvelous bow. Nothing else from his drab leather armor, his three quivers teaming with arrows, was worth any more of Duke’s attention. It would likely only take a single of Duke’s spells to eliminate the simpleton. There was no need to kill him, yet.

Duke finally turned his attention to the primary challenger.

Xazorus the Hunter Kill II, Wraith (Level 25 Half-Elf Hunter)

Health: 3,895/3,895, Mana 19,250/21,550, Stamina 1,335/1,335.

Active Abilities – Darkvision, Clear Headed II, Spell Strike, Empowered Aegis.

Garbage. That was Duke’s initial estimation of his foe.

While Duke understood no one could see another Hunter’s hidden traits, the half of the picture he could see did not impress. The Hunter had some skill, regardless of his limited abilities, this Xazorus had defeated two other Hunters given his title. In actuality, this peasant probably earned his servants through the two achievements. Still, it was important to determine as much about your foe as you could, especially so against another Hunter. Duke focused his will and demanded the Hunter’s ability’s information to enter his psyche.

Darkvision – Grants the ability to change vision to allow sight in near-total darkness.

Clear Headed – You are immune to all but epic-tier mind-altering effects, spells, and abilities.

Spell Strike –Your damage over time effects can now critically hit.

Empowered Aegis – A permanent barrier of magical energy protects you from hostile spells and attacks at all times as long as you have mana to spare. This magical protection draws against your mana reserves when struck, stopping most magical and non-magical attacks.

The Hunter had at least one ability worth noticing, his empowered aegis. Duke would have killed for such an ability as it blocked what his mana barrier could not. With it, Duke wouldn’t have damage over time spells affecting his body directly, not while he had his barrier up. Sadly, unless he wanted to destroy the unique Accelerator for a chance at acquiring the obvious upgrade, Duke knew he wouldn’t do so. There was absolutely no way Duke would crush the AI for such a paltry gain when it could instead elevate him to a higher realm of power. While his mana barrier had a weakness, only specialized foes had any hope of bypassing it. Plus Duke would likely find a version in the higher world that could accomplish the same goal.

Since the empowered aegis caused any damage to first eat away at the Hunter’s mana, his opponent had an effective health pool of over twenty-five thousand points. It was a number just slightly higher than his own health, though if Duke had the aegis, his effective health would be far higher at over forty-two thousand. Duke was more than capable of tearing large chunks of this Hunter’s magical protections with any of his potent spells, or through skilled manipulation with his masterwork longsword.

While his embodiment of flame scrambled after Xazorus’ feline pet, the latter dancing away in an attempt to avoid the hungry flames threatening to devour flesh and fur alike, their battle was essentially a stalemate. The Hunter’s cat had some brains, so it would seem. The warrior skeleton reached Duke’s side and was hacking away at the dome of protection with repeated horizontal thrusts and slashes. With a casual flick of his wrist and a single arcane phrase, Duke recast his mana barrier, restoring it to full power as it had been beginning to wane from the previous elven assault.

The volley of arrows and spells crashing into him from behind had increased in volume. Clearly, the elves had decided to take advantage of Duke’s distraction. As long as Duke had ample mana, he could reforge his mana barrier over and over as needed. To date, Duke had never run out of mana, not even a single instance since the start of his glorious exploits a half-decade ago. It wasn’t about to be different here or any time soon. Plus, Duke had a fantastic array of potions which were only a quick summons away due to his lesser bag of holding. A prized possession, Duke had taken the impressive spacial device off the corpse of a Hunter he killed after reaching maximum level. While such bags were not wholly uncommon, a lesser version like his wouldn't normally appear with any regularity until the higher-tiered worlds.

Duke’s Accelerator manifested a countdown timer in the corner of his vision without prompting. The notification was no surprise and was automatically pulled up whenever his mana barrier took an appreciable amount of damage. The number represented how long, on average, the barrier would continue to protect him. To Duke’s surprise, his shielding would fall in just over a minute, an impressive feat all things considered. Duke decided to act to change that estimation.

Turning to face the skeletal minion, Duke’s fingers twinned through an average-tier spell called infernal damnation. After the short incantation, a tear in reality looking much like a maw of blazing teeth, snapped around the minion like a shark swallowing a smaller fish. Then the spell winked out, leaving behind a small pea of fire hanging in the air.

The minion was not destroyed, Duke knew. It was merely transported to an infernal plane for a short period of time. The duration largely depended on how powerful the victim was and, considering his duplicate ability failed to work on the enhanced minion, Duke expected at least a minute or two would pass before the warrior reappeared. Inside the small pocket plane of existence, the skeleton would be forced to defend itself against a wide variety of infernal enemies all looking to remove his skull. Only after the last enemy was defeated, would the spell spit whatever had been confined back out.

The moment of distraction allowed Xazorus to renew slinging spells that crashed against his energy shield. Duke was entirely unblemished though each spell to impact his shield caused several seconds to skip downward within his countdown timer. First, a fireball swelled around him and momentarily blocked out all sight other than the intense inferno. When it disappeared into the ether a moment later, a bolt of twisting electricity replaced it and instantly spanned the distance toward Duke. The brilliant flash of light winked out, unable to so much as harm a hair on Duke’s skin.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Duke examined the subtle distinctions between Xazorus’s lightning attack and a regular bolt of lightning. It had been a multi-target spell commonly known as chain lightning. It was strong against a single enemy as a normal lighting blast would have imparted, which demonstrated to Duke his opponent lacked variety in his direct damage spells.

Duke was surprised when Xazorus immediately followed up the first bolt with a duplicate a split second later. Such a thing was an impossibility as all spells had cool down before they could be used again. Apparently, this Hunter had come across an item or trinket that allowed him to duplicate one of his spells. A handy item Duke would enjoy looting off the Hunter’s corpse as soon as he destroyed the whelp.

When a swollen mass exploded against his barrier, Duke grew slightly irritated. Duke had impressive magical resistances which increased the effectiveness of his mana barrier. Though Duke didn’t have this particular type of spell in his vast litany of options, as he far preferred direct damage compared to everything else, Duke had seen similar effects over his years of battle and conquest. When a System notice sent by Felix appeared in his vision a moment later, it confirmed Duke’s suspicion of what new spell had been used to weaken his defenses. His resistances had been slightly lowered, though by no appreciable amount.

Duke decided to ratchet up the intensity of their encounter. This Xazorus fool would regret coming anywhere near Duke in short order. With a mental command, Duke enacted his animated runic weapon ability. With a flex of will, his prized weapon was gifted something akin to a will of its own. Though not true sapience, of course, the imbuement did afford his scourge-steel longsword a majority of Duke’s own talent with the blade.

The blade was called, quite elegantly Duke might add, the Hungering Scourge. It was one of the first items Duke discovered during his first year as a Hunter, and the blade’s power only grew as the years rolled by. Very few weapons could match its caliber. It was a growth weapon, meaning it would increase in power over time. Certain situations had to happen for that strength to be magnified, but with how similar the blade took pleasure in causing pain and suffering, it had become a truly impressive instrument of death in Duke’s hands.

As if an invisible version of Duke himself darted off towards Xazorus, the animated blade began sending powerful hacks and backslashes against his enemy. Duke smiled to himself, proud of his empowered weapon. For the next ten minutes, it would devastate anything or anyone unfortunate enough to be its target.

Xazorus didn’t look overly bothered as the weapon started sending a relentless number of strikes his way, apparently confident his empowered aegis would protect him from the festering wounds the dastardly edge could impart. Not content with watching his blade have all the fun, Duke decided it would be entertaining to continue humiliating his adversary further. Now, whenever the Hunter cast a spell, Duke matched it but with a strong version of his own.

If Duke had to guess, as the two attempted to harm the other, this Hunter’s spell variety was not only lackluster but mostly contained lesser-tiered spells. Sure, Xazorus had a few average tier spells at his disposal, all damage over time spells, but any Hunter who reached their tier three class selection should have at least earned a few as they leveled. This fact revealed this Hunter was relatively new to the world and didn’t have the years, as Duke had, to uncover vastly superior incantations.

For Duke, all of his spells worth mentioning were average tier or better. When Xazorus threw a fireball, Duke responded with a fireblast. When the other Hunter recast his chain lightning, Duke replied with a cataclysmic bolt. All the while, Duke walked forward as if he was entirely unbothered by anything the Hunter could throw at him. Duke’s health was once more dipping below fifty percent, but he wasn’t bothered. He had ways to keep himself alive.

The only thing Duke couldn’t match was the enchanted pistol Xazorus used every half minute or so. Whatever enchantment the weapon carried was enough to bypass even his resilient defenses. It was the only thing that had been able to inflict any degree of pain, though Duke had learned to ignore such trifles long ago. Still, the weapon posed a risk so Duke put himself on guard to always be on the lookout whenever Xazorus pulled the weapon out. Apparently, this feeble Hunter had earned his own bag of holding, though Duke doubted it was as capable as his own.

Whenever Xazorus lined up the pistol, Duke readied an evasion spell which teleported him to the left or right a few paces before impact. The troublesome projectile would not touch his skin again. Duke smiled. Xazorus, on the other hand, was starting to show signs of stress, and panic. It was written all over his face. Like so many other Hunter’s Duke had butchered over the years, it brought an intense level of satisfaction to Duke’s heart. Even as elven barrages continued peppering his flank, Duke knew victory was closing in on the doomed Hunter. As soon as he died, the Hunter’s familiars would disappear and Duke would be able to easily handle whatever the elves could throw at him.

Faster than expected, a tell-tale sizzling pop from somewhere behind signaled the return of Xazorus’s enhanced minion. That had been quicker than expected. Apparently, the skeleton was more enhanced than Duke had given him credit for. Perhaps it had not been a simple high-level spell that summoned the minion after all. As silly as it might have been, perhaps the fool of a Hunter had wasted one of his tier advancements on his minion.

It was preposterous to consider, but Xazorus was perhaps a greater fool than Duke realized. Every Hunter knew that when you advanced a tier, you always, always, selected skills or spells which directly improved your capabilities. If the minion’s power was a result of the Hunter increasing his tier with the base spell as the foundation, it would explain why Duke had been unable to duplicate it. Shaking his head, Duke pushed those contemplations to the recesses of his mind for another day.

Felix spoke from his shoulder, confirming what Duke already knew what happened. “Sir, the skeletal minion has defeated your infernal damnation invocation. The enemy fighter has moved to engage your duplicant.”

Duke understood against two powerful opponents his mirror copy would quickly fall under their combined assault. It was disappointing, but Duke didn’t want to break off his own engagement to support his new minion. As long as he killed the upstart quickly, his flaming familiar would possibly survive long enough. With a brief mental command, he ordered his minion to concentrate its efforts on defense rather than offense. Duke wanted it to survive so he could send it against the cowardly elves once this battle wrapped up. It would be fun to watch the punishing flame scale their precious redwood trees, setting them ablaze, before hunting down the elves one by one.

Duke redoubled his efforts, no longer waiting patiently to throw spell for a spell against what was obviously an initiate Hunter. Duke would end their duel decisively and swiftly.

“Sir,” Felix stated in his robotic voice. Before the AI continued speaking, Duke already knew exactly what it was going to say. “As the Hunter’s mana pool decreases, the force your weapon imparts with each impact is increasing at a linear rate. No damage has been able to penetrate the barrier, as of yet, but as the Hunter’s mana continues to dwindle he will become increasingly susceptible to physical attacks.”

Duke didn’t bother pointing out he had already made the same conclusion early into their fight. It was obvious as his sword repeatedly bashed against the dome of energy more force was bypassing the shield. At first, Xazorus completely ignored the heavy attacks, but now was nearly stumbling after each attack. Duke really needed to replace the emotionless bird. If it wasn’t for its special ability, he would have done so long ago. When you find a writ granting a stay of execution, you keep it in your back pocket in case the worse ever becomes your reality.

Seeing his duplicant vanish from his party interface, Duke fumed internally. He could have had a lot of fun with such a companion. It would have obeyed him without question or hesitation. With its untimely termination, the minion and the hunting cat would be upon him in moments. Still, the duplicate had done its job admirably, dividing his opponents nicely and allowing him to not become overwhelmed with attacks on multiple fronts.

Duke probably had ten seconds, at most, before they rejoined to attack his flank. With the explosive spectacle continuing from the elves, such a risk could transpire if Duke wasn’t careful. Duke was a powerhouse, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind about that. Still, a giant could be taken down by a swarm of fire ants given enough time.

He still had enough time to dispatch his bothersome foe.

Duke couldn’t wait for Xazorus’s protective aegis to finally collapse. Not only was his blade superbly enchanted, but it would siphon health back to its master. This wasn’t to mention the gangrenous festering wounds left behind an enemy’s flesh with each blow. Being thus far unable to break the Hunter’s skin with an attack, those two abilities had no impact on the battle’s outcome. When the aegis dropped, the supplemental healing from the drain effect would offset a significant amount of the damage from the numerous damage over time spells playing havoc in his body.

Back to back, Duke cast two spells to ensure his victory. First, he refreshed his mana barrier and not a second too soon as the skeletal minion and displacer beast crashed heavily against his rear shield in the next moment. Second, he cast an extraordinarily strong regenerative spell, one of Duke’s only restorative incantations. While it lasted, it would slow the damage his opponent's DoTs were relentlessly inflicting. He never had much use for healing spells, but his high-tiered regen was powerful even at considerably low levels.

Both spells took a sizable amount of Duke’s remaining mana, dropping him lower than he could recall seeing in a long while, but he had more than enough to handle this nobody. With how much the Hunter was foundering with each heavy blow of Duke’s animated weapon, the end was near. Duke reveled in what was to come, the exhilaration and vast eternal glory he would earn once the Prime Accelerator fell into his hands.

Such an optimistic view of the future dimmed somewhat when Felix flashed a warning in his vision. Even with the refreshed mana barrier, the combined assault from the hundreds of elves, the skeletal warrior, the dangerous displacer beast, and the direct damage spells from Xazorus were dropping his protection at an alarming rate.

As soon as Duke’s eyes flicked to the timer, Felix understood the unspoken question soon forthcoming from his master. Having been with Duke for years, the Accelerator immediately complied with the requested information. “Sir, the minion and pet companion are the immediate threat to your mana barrier. They are leveraging an incredible number of attacks when unchallenged. A strong percentage of elven spells and arrows have been missing you entirely due to the increased distance between us and their city. The Hunter’s direct damage spells pose no significant threat on their own.”

Duke made a split decision based on his AI’s comments, one he would soon come to regret. He turned his attention away from the battered Hunter to destroy the two biggest threats to his protective shielding. Recalling his animated weapon back to his hand, Duke set himself on destroying the pesky annoyances. With a few devastating blows to the giant panther, Duke knew he would finally find his health drain pouring health points back into his flagging body. With his average-tier regeneration and the health leech from weapon ability, the combined amount should hold off Xazorus’s DoTs long enough for Duke to destroy the skeleton and panther.

The Hunter’s companions were, unfortunately, able to adjust their tactics on the fly. As soon as Duke whirled on the pair, both immediately moved to defend themselves. These were no mindless automatons, both had more tactical awareness than should have been contained in such relatively young summons. The bulky skeleton was a defensive master, even Duke could admit it to himself. What little strikes he could land, since it was an undead creature, Duke’s leeching effect could find none of the blood necessary to form a magical connection. As soon as Duke turned on the displacer beast as the next best target, the minion resumed its hacking attacks against his mana barrier.

Duke’s frustration grew as the displacer beast lived up to its namesake. Whenever he managed to strike the elusive beast, the panther’s image would distort as if it were nothing more than an illusionary image. Unfortunately for Duke, he had no way to bypass illusions, meaning the displacer beast was easily able to avoid his devastating blows if it forgo any semblence of offense. Refreshing his regeneration spell, Duke threw several area-of-effect spells to pin down the damnable cat, as well as to harass the skeletal minion, but two weaker regenerative spells from Xazorus on the pair negated some of the damage.

Duke recognized his decision to focus on the two minions was a losing proposition. He couldn't make any substantial headway against the two when they turtled up, which was exactly what they did when Duke focused all of his ire on them. He understood he should never have listened to his Accelerator. While Felix was not wrong with the information he shared, the AI did not take the whole of the battle into account. Duke had wanted to know what was dealing the most damage to his barrier, but it was a mistake to alter who his primary target should have been all along.

Worse for Duke, his taunts aimed to embarrass the weaker Hunter were also a blunder. Duke should have instead leveled all of his considerable physical and magical might upon the bastard as soon as he presented himself for slaughter. He would have fallen, and taken his two minions to the grave with him.

Compounding the issue, the numerous elves who had been out of range as the battle carried the ground combatants further away, finally decided it was worth the risk to assault Duke on foot. When blasts of elven magic resumed hammering against his mana barrier, a glance from Duke confirmed dozens of elves were on the forest’s floor. The elves understood Duke’s prowess so had formed up into battle lines with warriors and tall shields in front. This allowed the archers and mages free reign to cast their most destructive spells with little worry of retaliation.

Switching his focus to Xazorus, the coward did all he could to avoid coming into melee range. Duke understood. This was a tactic to take down an impossibly strong foe. If you are its target, you evade and do everything in your power to not be struck. Everyone else was then free to deal as much damage as quickly as possible. It was a winning strategy Duke should have foreseen.

Duke’s rage burned deep in his chest. Even before Felix stated the obvious, Duke recognized he had overplayed his hand and would not emerge victorious. His life, for the first time, was in true jeopardy. “The hell with that!” Duke growled in contempt, his voice discordant like an enraged volcano. He would not lose his quarry, never again!

From his bag of holding, Duke withdrew a small metallic orb as thick as his thumb. It was absolutely covered in minuscule arcane runes across every centimeter which empowered the device with a single capability. It held the ability to track any target, anywhere. Eyeing the still retreating Xazorus, Duke willed the magical item to lock onto the fleeing coward. Immediately, a beam of darkness shot toward Xazorus and pierced through his strengthening aegis. The effect could not be dodged or avoided and would penetrate through any magical protection. Unless this damnable Hunter possessed a legendary item powerful enough to block this type of tracking magic, Duke would be able to find him anywhere on the planet. Not even Duke possessed such a powerful enchantment, so this upstart certainly wouldn’t.

The spell took hold, lacking onto the Hunter’s very core, creating an unbreakable tether between it and Duke’s consciousness. The tenacious enchantment would not end until Duke willed it so, and that would only happen once the meddlesome fool was lifeless at his feet. Now, no matter the distance, Duke would infallibly know the exact distance and direction to his most precious prey. The Prime Accelerator would be his, in time. The actions shown by his enemies this day only delayed the inevitable.

“I’ll find you anywhere on the planet now, you fool,” Duke spat bringing the retreating Hunter up short. “We’ll be seeing each other real soon.”

As if his proclamation was foretelling the end of this confrontation, Duke’s mana barrier finally broke under the combined onslaught of his enemies. Duke had mana to spare for another barrier, perhaps two if he desired, but with the advantages Xazorus held in this fight, it wouldn’t matter. The next time they met, Duke would bring an army with him so even the elves would be cut down like wheat in a field, or like a settlement swept out to sea by a terrific tsunami.

Xazorus looked confused, not comprehending what Duke was about to do. Felix, though, sensed what was coming but was powerless to do anything about it. An Accelerator was bound to its master and could not disobey. Even as spells, slashes, and barbed quills slammed into his back, Duke’s malevolent eyes never left his rival’s. Duke didn’t so much as flinch as he casually reached up to his shoulder and wrapped his long fingers around the dark raven’s form. Felix vibrated, almost as if the AI was afraid of what was about to happen.

Xazorus’s Accelerator cried out in a surprisingly eloquent voice the same moment Duke crushed the small bird. The shout was shrill and held such a grief-stricken tone it brought a modicum of pleasure to Duke’s heart.

“No!” the Prime Accelerator screamed as darkness enveloped the Nemesis Hunter.