I landed on the bridge spawning the chasm to the tower. A moment later a flash of fire alighted next to me butterfly wings made of flames disappearing from her back.
“New ability?” I asked.
“yeah, I got it just a bit ago,” she said she looked me over able to see through my grim façade as we stepped past the threshold into the tower. “Are you alright?”
I didn’t answer right away. We kept walking and sat down on a bench on one of the balconies overlooking the chasm and battleground.
“Today… today… I lost control,” I told Guinevere.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“While we were separated, I met the Lion Clan,” I said. “They had me do a trial to face my shadow, the evil or darkness within me, I beat it and thought I was done with it but… today the shadow took control. I got blindsided and in a moment of weakness it took over. It used my body like a puppet to… well it…” I couldn’t finish the sentence.
“It wasn’t you,” Guinevere said.
“Yes, it was,” I said. “I’ve been thinking of the Shadow as some separate part of me but its as much a part of me as my arm or leg.”
“What did it… you try to do?” Guinevere asked.
“Force myself upon Ammerila,” I said the words like acid in my throat, but I refused to lie to her. “I want to think that darkness isn’t inside me, that I don’t have that kind of evil lurking within, but I do.”
“Today I killed Mira,” Guinevere said. “She a friend, we grew very close during the siege, she didn’t give a choice about it but if I’m honest, I enjoyed it and I know I shouldn’t. Evil isn’t unique to you Mordred, and we’re never free of it, we have to choose who to be every day. Its not our greatest victories or defeats that will define us, but the choices we made every day to get there.”
“I don’t think I’ve made very good choices so far,” I admitted. “Sometimes I’ve felt as if I’ve had no choice.”
“We don’t always get to set out all the options,” Guinevere said. “But we always have choices.”
“Maybe in our response, but not always in what happens. I didn’t choose to be hated by my father, but I did choose to try and kill him. You didn’t choose to be thrown in that cave or be your father’s sword.”
“It’s the hand we were dealt,” Guinevere sighed leaning against me.
“If you had a choice, would you have chosen to be a warrior?” I asked.
Guinevere was silent.
“No,” she finally said. “It was what my father wanted, what he pushed me to become.”
“What would you have chosen?”
“I think I would have chosen to be a healer or a druid,” Guinevere said. “I’ve always wanted to give life instead of just taking it, but I’m different now than who I might have been. I enjoy battle, I crave violence, I don’t know if I could do without it.”
“Are we destined to be defined by our fathers’ failures? Me a god of blood and slaughter and you your father’s weapon?” I asked my fears welling up inside me.
“No,” Guinevere said firmly. “We aren’t what we’ve been made, we are who we choose to be.”
“What about Arthur?” I asked.
“His father or him,” Guinevere said pointing out to the east.
“Either one,” I said putting an arm around her. “They’re taking your choices away from you.”
Guinevere didn’t answer immediately. “I’m not sure what all my choices are yet.”
The flapping of massive wings interrupted our conversation as Exar’kun landed on the top of the tower. He descended down into the throne room depositing our standard on the ground beside the two others.
“We have an army approaching the tower,” he informed us.
“How many of them?” I asked.
“As far as I can tell,” Exar’kun said. “Every single one that’s left.”
--
I sat behind Exar’kun’s horns as he perched atop the tower. My eyes narrowed as I watched the swarm of champions approach the tower. The reason for their attack was obvious, we had the only remaining capture point, we had both of their standards, and we’d majorly pissed them off. Exactly as I’d planned.
Pushing off with his legs Exar’kun dove down into the chasm. His wings snapped out and we rose shooting like a rocket into the sky. Arrows and ranged projectiles of every king flew towards us. Raising my hand, I closed my eyes as I focused grabbing every single projectile whether it was made of mana or physical. The attack hung suspended in the air than I flicked my hand, and they were returned back to sender.
234 rank points gained from assorted kills.
Blood and Souls (Repeatable): Kill 20,480 monsters or humanoids. Current Progress 4,522 out of 20,480. When you complete this quest, you will gain 4096 Rank Points, and the next quest will require double the amount to be completed but will award double the rank points.
His wings flapping then tucking in for a roll Exar’kun swept over the battlefield his breath scouring the ground of life leaving behind irradiated flames. Champions still tried to push past the flames rushing down the bridge to the tower. Guinevere met them on the bridge, her scarlet blade held them back as they were only able to attack her three at a time. A few tried flying past her; leaping into the air her butterfly wings appeared and she chased them down sending them spiraling down into chasm.
I deflected projectiles going for Exar’kun’s head with my sword. Extending my left hand, I pointed down as we did another sweep over the battlefield. Crimson lightning flashed out sparking from opponent to opponent as it branched out.
258 rank points gained from assorted kills.
Blood and Souls (Repeatable): Kill 20,480 monsters or humanoids. Current Progress 4,582 out of 20,480. When you complete this quest, you will gain 4096 Rank Points, and the next quest will require double the amount to be completed but will award double the rank points.
Exar swept low his talons snatching up two champions. I let loose a combination of Helheim’s Scream and Voice of the Chasm. The thunderous scream scent people flying as well as inflicting massive debuffs in a wide area as well as doing some soul damage.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
217 rank points gained from assorted kills, split between surviving contributors.
Blood and Souls (Repeatable): Kill 20,480 monsters or humanoids. Current Progress 4,658 out of 20,480. When you complete this quest, you will gain 4096 Rank Points, and the next quest will require double the amount to be completed but will award double the rank points.
Taking to the sky again Exar’kun dropped the screaming champions. The swarm of players was beginning to retreat, they were no true army just a disorganized mob that had thought to overrun out position with their numbers.
I wasn’t exactly sure how many of them we’d killed but it had to be at least half the total players in the Event. Exar’kun had gotten the majority of the kills but that was fine since he’d been forced to wait out the first day without doing anything. I’d like to think we’d gotten Arthur somewhere in there but if I had to bet on it, he’d survived. Exar’kun swung back towards the tower, our job done.
His feet landed heavily on the roof of the tower, his tail swinging out to counterbalance his landing. I slid off his neck as he sagged. He’d been using abilities almost nonstop all day and was probably drained of stamina and mana not to mention just physically exhausted. We descended the stairs down to the throne room of the tower. The standards were planted into the ground in a circle.
I’d used Hell Dragon’s Armory to bind there bases into the stone. When we were all gathered around, we received the expected notification from the System. Another blaring horn echoed across the battleground was the results for the day were tallied.
This is the end of the second day of the event, rewards will be distributed, and points gathered so far will be tallied and shown.
Points For:
Western Side: 2rd Place
Eastern Side: 3rd Place
The Warlord: 1st Place
Contestants Killed:
48
29
172
Standard Captures:
0
0
2
Standard Rescued:
0
0
0
Standards Held:
0
0
2
Strategic Points Captured:
0
0
1
Strategic Points Defended:
0
0
15
The numbers made me smile, there was nothing quite like total victory. The few points the enemy had gotten likely came from killing eachother since no one on my side had died today. I pushed aside the score board eager to see the rewards for coming in first.
Distributing first round of rewards based on current points gathered.
3
Celestial Oranges (gains +10 permanent attribute points for each one consumed)
3
Ambrosia (boosts regen speed by +10 per second for one resource type.
3
Manna Wafers (boost your maximum for one resource by 50)
3
Ability Tokens (Boost the max rank for a standard ability by 10 ranks)
Twelve items in total each worth a fortune but the last three had to be priceless. I picked up one of the tokens, It was about the size of my palm and set with a glowing azure gem in its center. It was surprisingly heavy, I doubted anyone nongifted would even be able to hold it in just one hand.
Ability Token; Type: Consumable, Rarity: Mythic, Only given out by the system every five hundred years to contestants who perform exceptionally in the Events this is one of the necessary steps for godhood. Choose well which ability you choose to apply this ability to. Once chosen tokens cannot be used on any other ability until the first ability is raised to rank 50 with other tokens. This ability will set the path for you and determine your domain if you ascend to godhood. Fight well Champion.
Quantity:
1
Weight:
120 lbs.
“How are we distributing the loot this time?” Exar’kun asked.
“Everyone gets one of each item,” I said pocketing the token. “I know I need to survive but you are both here to get stronger as well.”
Guinevere picked up her token reverently cradling it to her chest as if it were an infant. Exar’kun flicked out his tongue swallowing the token, I wasn’t sure if he was just holding it in his stomach or had already chosen an ability to apply it to. Picking up the vial of ambrosia, the wafer of manna and the celestial orange I went to the top of the tower to decompress and think.
My thoughts were jumbled as I thought through all the implications of this token and what it meant.
Guinevere found me still in thought about half an hour later. She sat beside me as I hung my legs over the side of the top of the tower. I looked to the west as the sun set over the edge of the battleground. My ability token spun through my fingers as I fiddled with it, my mind lost to my thoughts.
“You haven’t spent that yet?” Guinevere asked.
“Have you?” I asked.
“No,” she admitted. “I never thought I’d have this chance, there are so many choices, what are you picking?”
“That’s what I’m not sure about,” I said. “What kind of god do I want to be? What kind should I be? I have powerful abilities like Black Rage but is that what I want to define me? Its defined me all my life and look what its gotten me.”
“It got you me,” Guinevere said resting her head on my shoulder.
“My anger isn’t what won your heart,” I said with a snort of laughter remembering when I’d first revealed my real name to her and the subsequent months with her.
“Yes and no,” Guinevere said. “I love how much you feel, you pretend to care about no one but that’s not who you really are. There is nothing inherently wrong with anger, if that’s what you choose, I won’t judge you for it.”
Standing up I descended to the part of the tower I had made for our living quarters. I stripped out of my armor wiping it clean with my cleansing cloth. I wiped my face cleansing my body of the day’s grit and sweat. I handed it to Guinevere as she unbuckled her plate armor, she cleaned the black metal of the dried blood, soot and dirt marring it and wiped her face, her hair was back to its pure white color the armor no longer disguising her.
The room was bare except for a pile of furs and fire I set up to provide light to the windowless room. I could see in the dark, but Guinevere needed a little bit of light even with her level of Perception. Also, I’d noticed her shivering, she hadn’t said anything, but I’d still noticed. My immunity to exposure meant I never thought about things like that usually.
There was a risk someone like the Thief could sneak up on us here but the door to this room was around three feet thick and welded into the surrounding stone, so I doubted it. Sleeping in your armor was do able for me but Guinevere lacked my immunity to exposure and needed proper rest.
Laying back on a bed of furs Guinevere curled up beside me her hair spread out across my bare chest. Her hands slid across my abdomen tracing the lines of my many scars. My hand traced the line of her spine feeling the silk smooth texture of her skin.
Guinevere slid her leg up and rolled on top of me her legs straddling my hips. Her hair fell like a curtain around my face as she leaned in, her lips pressing against mine lightly, like the whisper of the wind. Our kiss grew deeper, hungrier, desperate like two starving wolves. My hands ran through her hair and down the bare skin of her back. I felt a shudder pass through her and her hands slid down my chest and abbs to my waist.
“Are you sure?” I asked her my voice rough and heavy.
“Yes,” Guinevere said.
Her breath was hot in my ear as I ran down kisses down her neck. Her fingers twisted through my hair as she let out a soft moan, her cries rising with intensity. The exhaustion I’d been feeling minutes ago was gone and a burning energy and desire fueled me. My hands traveled down her spine to her waist pulling her closer as I rolled careful not to crush her with my weight.
Her skin against mine and the sweet ecstasy of our lovemaking filled my senses driving away the demons haunting my thoughts. Our lips met again my tongue exploring her mouth, she tasted like peppermint as she returned the kiss her eyes closed.
I pulled back and her eyes opened looking almost black.
“Don’t stop,” she said her voice breathy.
My lips pressed back against hers and she wrapped her arms around my neck. One hand against the ground to support me, the other slid around her waist pulling her tight against me. A gasp escaped her lips as her legs entangled themselves with mine.