The challenge came two days later, from the mouth of a courier who had ridden through miles of torrential rain. It had been a relief when they finally spotted him. Those two days felt like an eternity, waiting any moment for word from Deluuth. Of course, the capital city was quite far from Genyl’s, so logistically, the challenge had almost been issued as fast as it could have been given the timing of Fathina’s visions.
Almost because no rider could have made that journey in fewer than four. Not if they traded off fresh horses, forewent sleep, and rode at top speed. The messenger had left before Fathina had scryed their nation, which meant three things.
The first thing it meant was that Deluuth had made the decision to attack Genyl before Elzio had even made himself apparent to Ashlight. In order for a messenger to leave the Genyl capital, make it to Deluuth, and return, over a week would have passed. Deluuth had sought to betray them as soon as they learned about Ythrel’s fall.
The second thing it meant was that there was a chance Deluuth knew neither of Echo’s involvement nor Fathina’s meddling.
The third thing it meant was absolutely nothing. It didn’t change a thing about what Elzio and his teams were going to do. It couldn’t. Nexus Deluuth, Irona, would be traveling from her city to theirs presently. She would establish her arena nearby, and force Ashlight into combat. Echo would challenge Ashlight, with combat scheduled at the same time as Nexus Deluuth’s, forcing the three into battle.
The only thing the confirmation of a spy did was prove to Genyl that they had chosen right in trusting Elzio. Had they turned him away, they would be facing their deaths alone.
Deluuth’s courier wasted no time with words. He strode straight into the hall, stood before Ashlight, Fathina, and the rest of their council, and spoke his threat.
“Nexus Deluuth challenges Ashlight Evenspale to combat. The fight will commence in twenty-four hours time.”
For this challenge to take place, Nexus Deluuth must be less than a day’s journey back. Knowing their greatest enemy was mere miles away was enough to make the hair on Elzio’s neck stand on end.
Ashlight did not accept the challenge. She didn’t respond at all, so without another word, the messenger turned to leave.
It was as he approached the great doors leading from the hall that Elzio and Echo stepped out, making themselves known to the agent of Deluuth.
Echo issued her challenge directly, in a manner just as blunt as her opponent.
Her challenge visibly rattled the man, confirming that Deluuth had not expected Echo to involve herself such. He didn’t respond, since accepting such a challenge would be nothing but a formality that Echo clearly didn’t deserve. Instead, he stalked from the hall, speaking no further words to anyone.
Ashlight let him leave. This decision hadn’t been terribly popular among her heroes, but they knew that harming the man wouldn’t benefit anyone. It might temporarily soothe their anger, but that would come with the defeat of Nexus Deluuth and no sooner.
The evening of the battle, the eight dined together, enjoying a last hearty meal before the fight. Elzio’s appetite wasn’t very strong, but he forced himself to eat something. Battles always seemed to happen at dawn, so it was very strange to anticipate one at night. The day had passed in a surreal manner, and he’d spent it feeling as though he’d forgotten something. Each hour that had ticked by had left him restless and agitated, like he was sleepwalking. Nothing he did mattered, drinking water, eating food, changing from sleep clothes to day clothes, it all felt entirely pointless, and yet he couldn’t just bring himself to do nothing. So he and the others went through the motions of the day, pretending like the upcoming battle wasn’t the only purpose to each dragging hour.
By the time the sun began creeping down and the party moved to their training hall for a final huddle, Elzio just wanted the day to end. And end it had, as the sun began to set and they all made their way out onto the fields outside the city, looking out across a long stretch of grass. It was warm out, and glittering dragonflies flitted through the air, their brightness enhanced by the lack of moon.
It was too pretty for the night’s activities, but in an odd sense, this encouraged Elzio.
He would have something to look forward to when they returned victorious.
—
Athin Cragslit: Level 16 Swordsman
Level 5 Tank
Strength: 40
Intelligence: 17
Agility: 34
Fortitude: 40
Hit Points Pool: 950
Endurance Pool: 950
Mana Pool: 755
Lin Chian: Level 16 Tank
Strength: 19
Intelligence: 14
Agility: 16
Fortitude: 30
Hit Points Pool: 700
Endurance Pool: 325
Mana Pool: 300
Isla Scrayz: Level 4 Air Wielder
Lever 13 Venomancer
Strength: 16
Intelligence: 31
Agility: 21
Fortitude: 14
Hit Points Pool: 300
Endurance Pool: 650
Mana Pool: 725
Ilshe Scrayz: Level 7 Psionic
Level 10 Healer
Strength: 12
Intelligence: 34
Agility: 16
Fortitude: 20
Hit Points Pool: 450
Endurance Pool: 400
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Mana Pool: 800
Martin Darnel: Level 15 Knife Thrower
Strength: 26
Intelligence: 14
Agility: 17
Fortitude: 19
Hit Points Pool: 425
Endurance Pool: 575
Mana Pool: 300
These were the new tools Elzio was bringing to the biggest game of his life. And he was not about to lose.
Echo’s base looked the same as it had every prior battle. It was a small circle of grass surrounded on all sides with walls. The only difference was that there were now four openings leading into the rest of the arena. Two led to Genyl, and two led to Deluuth. Each of the four lanes had a tower and a gate, much like in a standard 1v1, though each lane had fewer minions, as the creeps would have to split up four ways instead of two. It was possible Deluuth had countered this split by increasing their minion count, but Elzio wasn’t sure if they would. They had crafted an arena with battling Genyl in mind. They had spent their points and set up their field without ever thinking about how many nexi they’d be fighting. It was only 24 hours before the battle that the agent had learned Echo would be involved. Depending on how far the rest of the Deluuth entourage was, he wouldn’t even be able to convey the message to them for several hours.
Deluuth just wouldn’t really have had the time to fully strategize, to pull points away from their least important buffs and reallocate towards assets that took advantage of the three nexi arena. Extra minions was a huge point spend. If they were buffing towers, those buffs would now have to be spread across four. Their side of the map stayed roughly the same, but any debuffs would have to be doubled in terms of which enemy team was targeted.
Elzio’s side had the advantage. They just needed to make sure Deluuth didn’t roll through Echo so fast that they never had the chance to make use of that.
So Echo’s team had to move faster.
Each member of the team set to work the moment their feet touched the ground. Syrene headed towards the Southern Deluuth Road, walking at a measured pace, not quite running but not moving slowly either.
Elzio turned away from her and closed his eyes, reaching out to summon a doppelganger.
Good news team, he said, testing out their new mental links. No line-of-sight modifier. I can make a copy of any of you, and as soon as I get eyes on the other team, I can copy them as well.
Thank God, Carlin said, hands already busy with setting up his forge. That’s literally a game changer.
Elzio pulled up another Syrene doppel before sending one up the Northern Deluuth Road and the other down the Southern Genyl Road. She would meet up with Martin and Ilshe, who would set up a mental link between Elzio and the Genyl heroes.
Waiting for his Syrene clone to meet with the two heroes would be one of the most nerve wracking few minutes in the battle. The Northern Deluuth Road would spend several minutes guarded only by a mid level doppel of Syrene. If the Deluuth heroes rushed the lane, they could take her down and get a substantial amount of damage on the tower before any of the allied heroes could respond.
Fortunately, the Genyl heroes were already rushing to provide support. Athin would head to the Northern Deluuth Road to fight beside the Syrene doppel, while Isla would hurry to Syrene’s side. Lin Chian would hold her team’s Northern Deluuth Road. Once Ilshe and Martin established contact with Elzio, they’d head to their team’s Southern Deluuth Road.
Elzio needed to be attached to their psychic network so he could start pulling out doppels and filling out the roads. They just needed to avoid any losses until then.
I have detected no debuffs to our sector thus far, Echo reported. It would appear that if Nexus Deluuth did not spend her points in targeting us.
This was to be expected, but it relieved Elzio none the less. One fewer thing to worry about. It had been clear that their stats hadn’t been tampered with, nor had Deluuth restricted their casting abilities, but there were many degrees of creative debuffs Deluuth had the points to inflict.
Good, he said. Let me know if you detect anything.
The minutes dragged by as he waited in base, watching his Syrene doppel rush towards where Ilshe would meet with her. A prickly doubt in the back of his mind hissed that the Genyl heroes wouldn’t come, that they had left Echo’s heroes to die. The paranoia made no sense—there had been far easier ways to destroy them—but it was human to worry.
So instead he counted. He knew the allies’ speeds, he knew his doppel’s, and he could just count down the seconds until—
Elzio barely even registered the two ally heroes before he felt an uncanny tug in the back of his brain.
Mental link established. Elzio, do you hear me?
Hear wasn’t the right word, even by psychic standards. Perhaps it was because Ilshe didn’t have a voice, but the communication he experienced was less audio even than Echo’s voice. It was just very inherent. Ilshe wasn’t speaking to him mentally, he was communicating directly with Elzio’s mind.
I hear you, Elzio said.
I’m about ninety seconds from Northern Deluuth Road, Syrene. Isla’s voice sounded a lot more familiar, confirming Elzio’s suspicions that the oddness to Ilshe’s voice was related to his lack of speech.
No one’s here yet, Syrene said. I—wait. All right, I’ve got friends.
It checked out that the enemy would reach the lane moments after the doppel met with Ilshe. They were, after all, traversing mostly the same distance.
Elzio looked over at Syrene’s map, taking in who she was up against.
Poblima Telk: Level 11 Pyromancer
Level 9 Hyrodmancer
Strength: 16
Intelligence: 30
Agility: 20
Fortitude: 25
Hit Points Pool: 575
Endurance Pool: 825
Mana Pool: 700
Speed: 200
Magic Resist: 55
Physical Resist: 45
Physical Force: 56
Magical Force: 70
Harock Phoret: Level 12 Crafter
Level 12 Swordsman
Strength: 41
Intelligence: 15
Agility: 20
Fortitude: 26
Hit Points Pool: 600
Endurance Pool: 1225
Mana Pool: 325
Speed: 200
Magic Resist: 31
Physical Resist: 67
Physical Force: 81
Magical Force: 55
A Crafter. That made sense. Harock was the man he and Syrene had identified as being a multiclasser judging by the number of weapons he’d been seen with. They were right, but he wasn’t trained in numerous weapons. He was a Crafter. Crafting was a subset of Armorsmithing, one that allowed you to create artifacts outside the arena and take them with you into a nexus battle. It was a complex field, one Elzio knew frustrating little about, but it would appear that this man had found some way to utilize his classes into giving him a weapon that shifted into other weapons. Axe, sword, spear. Each had a different range, different damage portfolio. And all three were likely massively buffed, given this was a permanently enchanted weapon.
It was brilliant but right now terrifying. The fighter alone was almost Syrene’s level, with a far deadlier skillset. Adding on Poblima to that, and Syrene would fall if they landed any kind of movement debuff. They might not even have to impede her if they landed even a few shots.
Poblima and Harock wasted no time in going for the kill. They weren’t there to soak experience, they were there to attack.
Syrene took half her health in Poblima’s first rotation of spells. To buy herself some time, Syrene had managed to use her own spells—Electroshock into Energy Cage—to hold off Harock, but as Poblima doubled back, waiting for her cooldowns, Elzio knew it was only a matter of time.
Syrene’s stuns wore off after several long seconds, creating a window of time where Harock was free but Poblima’s spells were still on cooldown.
Harock gave an ugly grin and raised his weapon, which melted from a midrange, mid damage sword, to a short distant, high damage axe. He charged towards Syrene with a battle cry. This battle would be over very soon.
But not soon enough.
Syrene raised her hand quickly, starting the channel on a Blizzard. Just then, Harock stumbled before coming to a stop. Both he and his partner were plainly confused, and it wasn’t hard for Elzio to see why. To any observer, it would appear as though Syrene had cast a spell, but the ability that affected Harock was a Blinding Dart—a Venomancer spell.
“She’s ten feet in front of you! Just hit her!” Poblima’s harsh voice echoed across the road. Harock started forward again, barreling towards Syrene’s tower. “I have to do everything myself,” Poblima snarled.
But she wouldn’t get a chance to do anything herself. As she raised her hands, spells now off cooldown, she was frozen in place by the still hidden Isla’s Ice Prison. A Noxious Cloud settled around Poblima, sapping her hit points and stopping all health regeneration.
Meanwhile, Syrene’s mana had regenerated enough for another spell. She could have gone in with a damaging ability—her prior spells had reduced Harock’s health enough that even a low level energy or fire spell would turn him off his charge. But she didn’t want to turn him away. She wanted him to get right up close to her…
The blind wore off just as he crossed into tower range. He had lots of armor, so the first shot didn’t deter him as he blinked, getting his bearings. During his blind charge, Syrene had taken several steps away from him, so the two were reasonably far away. This didn’t weaken his resolve, however, and he turned towards her, chasing her down.
It was funny, how Elzio’s chest swelled with pride watching his mentor lure the fighter around the field. She’d learned a lot about battle prowess in the Ythrel arena, and used it to a surprisingly amusing effect. Every time Harock got within striking distance, Syrene would land a stun or obscure his vision and flee back several more feet. Each of her classes had access to at least one movement-hampering ability, and each of those was on a different cooldown, so she chained this little game for almost half a minute.
As the eighth shot fired, Harock’s eyes went wide. Perhaps he’d only just now realized his hit point count. Or maybe he’d realized Syrene wasn’t just buying time, she was baiting him in. But it was as his hit points dropped below 100 that it finally dawned on him—he wasn’t going to win this.
Harock turned in a panic, and rushed away from the turret, away from Syrene. But it was far too late for the man. Two basic attacks from Syrene and a handful of minion attacks, and he crumpled into dust.