“The KCC is coming up soon, and as a former finalist, we have a dispensation to brief you,” continues Kauran. He floats closer to me even though I could have seen him just fine where he was, even without my enhanced Perceptions. Totally unrelated, two Foresight notifications flash up at me in the corner of my eye. They both indicate a new powerful Monster over Level 250 fighting with groups of humans, but I’m expecting that to be the case for years to come so I minimize them and focus on what’s going on here.

“Hvitserkur is on your world,” interjects Zarithrax. “You need to do something about it. Forget about the KCC.”

I turn my attention to Zarithrax’s imposing form and so do the others. His dark crimson scales seem to deepen as I focus on him.

“What do you mean?” I ask. “How do you know about that? We’ve left Hvitserkur on a large island and evacuated most of the population. He seemed content to use it as a new home; my understanding is that a Wormhole opened connecting us due to his similarity with some of our legends, and that his world is dying.”

“Tenebris monitors the movements of all the most powerful beings in the Universe and other special cases. He sent word with me, and also forbade my team to get involved,” Zarithrax replies then pauses as if waiting for a challenge. “This is not the first world Hvitserkur has moved to over the ages. On each, he forms a bond with the planet itself and takes over the entire surface with his Rock Troll armies. Only a small portion of his vast armies have made it through the Wormhole with him this time, but make no mistake he will rebuild them. Each day you delay means his strength grows. You must strike Hvitserkur now, while he is at his weakest.”

Another potentially world ending threat? It seems like we get a new one every few months and I don’t see how this one is any different.

“Is there an estimate of how long it might take Hvitserkur and his armies to take over Earth?” I ask.

“Hard to say,” pitches in Taiwo. “Years, certainly. Maybe tens of years or more. But once he gains a foothold history would tell us he’s almost impossible to stop.”

“I’m not sure where he fits on the list of priorities,” I say with a shrug. “We’ve got major threats everywhere and for now he’s not close to any of our major Settlements. Just sounds like yet another reason for me and the rest of humanity to Level up and kick invader ass, if I’m honest.”

“I don’t think you properly appreciate this threat,” says Zarithrax, then his body language seems to indicate he’s dismissed me. “However, you are now fully informed, which is what I committed to Tenebris to do. Taiwo, Dhromea? Let’s go.”

Dhromea instantly opens a Portal with her Skills. I can tell with my Affinity that her Portal goes to Uluru and I’m not surprised. I suspect there’s a lot more than meets the eye as to why Oblivion Shroud picked it and now Tenebris is claiming it. Surely just the high ambient Mana levels don’t catch the attention of someone like Tenebris.

“I’m staying for a bit in my capacity with the KCC,” says Taiwo. “I’ll join you shortly.”

Zarithrax makes an expression I can only interpret as distaste and strides through the Portal with Dhromea following behind. Before she enters the Portal, Dhromea turns and gives me a friendly, inviting look that leaves me with no doubt we will connect sometime later.

I rub my face in my hands and take a deep breath then look over at Taiwo, Kauran, and B’esloor. What a strange group of people we are.

“Sit,” Taiwo says as he pulls those comfortable chairs out of his Inventory and then some food. I’m not sure where he finds the mental bandwidth to always come prepared and take care of himself, but I appreciate it. I plop down in one of the chairs and it doesn’t even groan or creak from my weight. B’esloor also takes a seat, although he pulls out some food of his own. Kauran simply floats near us. It’s hard not to feel he’s staring at me with that one huge eye while I’m eating.

We’re all polite enough to wait a minute or so to get down to business and it turns out I’m the least polite, perhaps not a surprise. I definitely want to hear what this is all about, and no doubt we all have places to be.

“So… the KCC?” I ask, and it’s Kauran who answers.

“Yes, Bastion. The KCC. However, unlike last time, humanity now has Legendary Adventurers of a certain classification, namely you, that places your species out of the Koldaavi Combat Championships and into the KCT, the Koldaavi Combat Trials. There are a few other species in the Universe with the same issue. Not many, but a few.”

“What do you mean, classification? And what’s the difference?” I ask, wondering why this hasn’t come up before.

“To be plain, your particular Legendary Class is too dangerous for duels,” says B’esloor. “You may have a number of terms for it, but essentially our estimate of your threat level or lethality surpasses the threshold where we have any reasonable expectation of being able to safeguard your opponents. For species with individuals of such a nature, instead of the KCC there is the KCT, a set of three trials. If you choose not to enter the KCT, we will still allow other humans to enter the KCC, but you are barred.”

“What kind of trials?” I ask.

“It’s not common knowledge, but the SSA uses the KCT to raise Credits, exchange political favors, and occasionally to do good. For the Trial, the species champions are each sent into what is considered an equivalent situation, and all of them are a hundred percent real dangers, sourced from across the Universe. The first champion to complete all the challenges successfully wins, and the rest are given the opportunity to complete their challenge for more points or withdraw,” says Kauran.

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“The three trials are always in the same order,” adds B’esloor. “First, combat against one Monster endangering a population. The Monster is always approaching, but never over, Level 300. The second trial is mass combat against some kind of swarm or invasion that has built up to significant proportions, once again this challenge is one that threatens a population. The last challenge is always the most difficult… extraction of prisoners, slaves, or a population from an unsavory group that has captured or oppressed them. To be clear, as far as the rest of the Universe is concerned there are only two trials in the KCT, and the third trial always happens before the other two. There must be no direct connection between the SSA and the third trial.”

I breathe out heavily and raise my eyebrows.

“Heavy stuff, but sounds all like things I’ve done before. Are there support teams on the ground to help? Do the locals join in?”

“There are no safeguards in the KCT. Involving local populations is not encouraged due to the highly lethal nature of the threats.”

“What if I choose not to participate?” I ask, curious. “If other Legendary Class humans can enter the KCC?”

“The rewards for your species and home planet are well worth participation, especially if you are victorious. If you turn it down, you miss out on the opportunity, nothing more..”

“Two months away, you said?”

“Affirmative,” Kauran agrees. “Approximately. We never disclose the actual dates but given the situation on your homeworld and past success in the KCC, plus your Clearance level, we are permitted to tell you this much.”

I consider.

“Thank you for the information. There’s lots going on right now, I’ll make a decision about what to do closer to the time.”

“Understood,” says B’esloor and he stands. “We know you don’t need help returning to your homeworld.”

I laugh and agree.

“I’ll stay with Bronwic for a short while and then return to Earth myself,” Taiwo says to Kauran and B’esloor.

“Safe travels,” Kauran’s voice echoes to us, and they both disappear, Portaled away using some kind of personal device I’m sure is massively expensive and intricate.

Taiwo turns his attention to me and offers me some more food that I wave away. We sit comfortably for a few minutes without talking. My Perception easily picks out the faint scent of the sea that always accompanies him and I feel comfortable, but that never lasts. I need to get back to Earth. Before I even start moving Taiwo senses my change in mood and holds up one of his hands with the slightly webbed fingers.

“Bronwic, normally I’d let a situation like this pass and let my curiosity about what’s going to happen satisfy me. But… I find on many levels I’m invested in your success and so, do you mind giving you some advice you didn’t ask for?”

I shrug and nod for him to keep going, knowing Taiwo’s earned a lot more than that from me and I’m curious about what he wants to say.

“I highly recommend you advance your Level and Skills as much as possible in the next two months. You need to get as powerful as you can be and try to win the KCT. For most this would be impossible, but your progress has somehow been more than meteoric and constantly surprising so I’m laying the challenge out before you.”

“There’s no doubt I want to access the next Skills in my Class,” I say and call up the notification before I continue. I’ve stared at this table on this notification a fair few times and I’m particularly keen on Psychic Eruption and all of the Tier 4 Skills. I wish I could Evolve all of them, but I’ll most likely need to pick one and then fill in any holes by buying these Skills with Credits. The cost of Legendary Skills is eye watering despite all the Credits I generate from combat and hunting.

Combat

Protection

Judgment

Tier 1

Sword of the Sentinel

Gift of Gaia

Know Thy Enemy

Tier 2

Wraithstrike

Elemental Aegis

Guilty As Charged

Tier 3

Psychic Eruption

Guardian’s Blessing

Marked for Glory

Tier 4

Echoes of Einherjar

Runic Recall

Sentinel’s Verdict

“Taiwo, what’s got you keen to tell me this right now?”

“I worry you might spend too much time helping people and not enough time Leveling up,” he says seriously.

“Can’t I do both at the same time?” I ask, a bit bewildered.

“Of course,” he says while waving away my statement. “But your first priority is Levels, always. You will never make it to Ascended Class in 2 months, but even one Tier 3 Skill, or even a Tier 4 Skill if you can somehow get to Level 25, could make all the difference toward you winning. I think you actually have a chance.”

“What’s so important about winning anyway? Isn’t it just the same kinds of people that win something like the KCT all the time? I know I got to the Galactic KCC finals, but that was Mythic Class and my Skills were particularly suited for it.”

“The prizes are worth it, Bronwic. Massive. Things like the terraforming and protection of a Mana overloaded world like Earth by siphoning off some Mana, or extremely significant sums of Credits and assistance directed towards causes you select. You could ensure the survival of humanity. It’s a unique opportunity, but very dangerous. Only one person has won it more than once in the hundreds of thousands of years it’s been held.”

I look at Taiwo in thought.

“How do you know so much about this? You said your Grandfather won the KCC - did he also participate in the KCT? Did he win it?”

“No,” Taiwo says quickly, dismissing the thought. “I mentioned one person has won it more than once…?”

I nod and gesture for him to go on.

“Tenebris won it 20 times while he progressed through his Legendary Class. He has not specifically told me this, but I think he’s hoping you can do it at least once, maybe more. The rewards for you would be generational for your entire species, if you could achieve it.”

I look Taiwo in the eyes and grin.

“No pressure.”