I pushed myself from the ground as I regained consciousness, I still felt sore which was odd considering my immunity to exposure and Troll Hide. Looking down I saw I was still surrounded by a black mist. The constant extra drain on my stamina must have been the cause of my fatigue.
“Why is this still active?” I asked.
Your nose is bleeding, Karnen said. I think it’s a physical manifestation of your Soul trauma.
“I’m still not going to delve into my emotions,” I said. “How do I turn this off.”
You can’t turn off passive abilities as far as I know, Karnen said. That’s what makes them passive abilities, they are always active provided you have the trigger condition. In this case, your bleeding nose counts as a wound you inflicted, even if it is to yourself.
I could turn it off, Voidra said.
“How?” I asked.
It’s just attached to your spirit, Karnen could probably do it if he put in some effort, Voidra said goading the other spirit.
I’ll show you effort, Karnen growled.
“Enough,” I said. “Will it hurt me to turn it off and could you turn it back on?”
Voidra thought for a minute. I don’t think it would hurt you, I’d have to investigate it a bit more to see how to turn it on and off at will.
“Fine, work on that and let me know when you have a solution,” I said.
Climbing the stairs out of the castle dungeons I entered the throne room. The Dragonbreakers were absent and looking up out a window I saw the sky was black and filled with stars. Sitting down on the throne I fell into my meditation. I didn’t want to fall asleep again, too many painful memories haunted my dreams lately.
Harnessing and binding my anger I let my body tighten and then relax over and over as I sat in silent meditation.
I’m not sure this is good for you, Karnen said.
“It’s how I got the title to not feel pain,” I said.
Just because you are rewarded by the system for doing something doesn’t mean it’s a good idea, Karnen chided me.
“Enough,” I snapped. “This is how I handle my anger.”
Chaining up a beast and feeding it before releasing it doesn’t count as having control of the beast, Karnen said. But if you insist on doing this then go ahead, it’s only further widening the cracks in your soul.
“I’ll handle them in time,” I growled.
I was broken from my meditation by a notice from the system.
Congratulations, as the Champion of Kelesa you have been invited to participate in an event. The event will take place five months and will allow you to interact with some of the other Champions. During the event, you will be transplanted into another realm. During the event, you cannot suffer permanent death, or other effects such as mind control, domination, or crippling injuries or effects. You can still gain rank points from killing another champion, but they will not lose any rank points they have gathered. Any participant that is” killed” during the event will be teleported back to where they were before the last event and will only lose any materials or equipment gathered during the event. The goal and reward for the event will be revealed when you enter the realm. Do you wish to be entered into the Event?
“Yes,” I said automatically.
The last event had been very profitable for me, there was no way I was going to miss another one. I heard some footsteps and felt their vibrations through my feet as they approached. Jeriah came into view, and I relaxed somewhat only now realizing how tense I was. Jeriah wasn’t in his armor yet and nodded to me as he sat to my right at the table. One of his sisters or maybe one of his wives, I didn’t bother memorizing who was who, approached and set a tray of food in front of him. She set one in front of me as well.
“What’s our plan for dealing with the enemy army?” Jeriah asked as he dug into his eggs.
“There is no our plan, you will not be needed for this next part,” I said.
“What?” Jeriah asked his fork dropping down.
“I will handle them as I always have,” I said.
“You saw how skilled that fighter was,” Jeriah protested. “There’s no way you can defeat her alone with her entire army.”
“You cannot hope to become great if you do not reach for the impossible,” I said with a shrug.
“You also can’t be great if you’re dead,” Jeriah snapped. “You made a promise to me to restore the lands of my forebears to me and my brothers. Do not let your arrogance get in the way of fulfilling your word.”
I seethed inwardly but nodded. “Very well, you and your brothers may join me on the field you will keep back the other champions; I will see to the woman and her party myself. You’ll need to keep your distance as well many of my abilities will not distinguish friend from foe and I won’t hamper my effectiveness to keep you safe.”
Jeriah ground his teeth together but grudgingly nodded, accepting the compromise. I ate a few eggs and some sausage made of some unidentifiable meat. Gulping down half a pitcher of watered-down wine I left the castle.
I have to agree with Jeriah, Karnen said. Your plan is very unwise.
“Wisdom has never been my strength,” I said. “I trust only in my powers and resolved to win, betting on the skill and loyalty of others has never paid off for me before.”
You could die, Voidra pointed out.
“But think how awesome it will be when I win,” I said with a white-toothed grin.
--
Guinevere and her party strode out to the center of the battlefield. The grass had been burned to the ground in many places and dark stains covered others. Looking up at the tall imposing dark walls she saw the army of the Warlord beginning to assemble.
“Mordred!” she shouted her voice amplified by an amulet Chritor had constructed for her. “I challenge you to combat! Come out and face us! Prove you are greater than your army who has continued to cower behind their walls. Prove you are not a….”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Her planned speech filled with taunts and barbs ended in her mouth as a figure shrouded in black mist jumped off the wall. Landing on the ground he strode forward, his body language conveying perfect confidence. Seven men dropped down after him fanning out afterward.
He stopped two dozen yards away and called out his own voice magically amplified.
“I agree to your duel,” he said. “I understand your people rely on a party to shore up your weaknesses. To make sure this is a fair fight I will fight the six of you at once. My vassals are under orders to kill anyone else who tries to interfere or join the battle.”
Guinevere paused; the plan had been to charge the Warlord with all the champions, but she doubted the mortal-ranked champions could handle the veteran-ranked son of Kaleb Dragonbreaker. She could feel the danger and arrogance that emanated from him.
“Very well,” Guinevere said. She gave a hand signal to her party, and they sprung at the Warlord.
He disappeared the moment they moved, reappearing behind Kira his spear plunging towards her back. Regald barely managed to put his shield between them, and a loud screech filled the air as the spear sparked off the metal of the shield. Mordred didn’t seem phased by his failed sneak attack and his spear spun in his hands blocking two strikes from Edrick’s daggers.
“Is this the best you have?” Mordred taunted them mocking laughter following his words.
“Not at all,” Guinevere said.
Activating Ice Flash, she was before him, her sword plunging in a two-handed grip for his neck. He slid to the side, but she effortlessly turned her lunge into a slash. She began hacking and stabbing at him from all directions easily deflecting and blocking his retailer attacks with the double-ended spear.
Edrick appeared behind the Warlord, his daggers stabbing for his back. An otherworldly sound ripped through the air, the scream wasn’t something any being of flesh and blood should have been able to create. Guinevere felt her blood run cold as she heard it. She resisted the urge to flee but Edrick did not; his face turning white as he stumbled back.
Guinevere did notice that her stamina and mana had stopped regenerating. Luckily, she had only been using her passives so far so she still had plenty left. Mordred teleported away again, and her sword plunged into empty space. This time the Warlord appeared beside Regald attacking the party tank. He jammed one of his spears behind’ Regald’s knee crippling the leg.
Regald screamed and fell to the ground. Guinevere was standing over him in second her sword warding off the Warlord’s attempts to finish the man off. Kira raised her hand and golden light suffused Regald then washed away but his leg still kept pumping out blood.
“I can’t heal him!” Kira called out in panic.
“Focus on removing whatever curse effects are on us!” Guinevere ordered.
“I thought your party was supposed to help you,” Mordred taunted her as he appeared beside Kira. Guinevere appeared next to her healer blocking Mordred’s attempts to end the lightly armored woman.
“They’re doing their jobs,” Guinevere snapped. She felt her stamina and mana start to regen again.
“So they’re supposed to slow you down and get in the way?” Mordred asked, moving around Kira trying to find an opening to use on her. “It’s an interesting tactic I must admit. Is that why you’re so much better? Because you have to make up for the dead weight?”
“Blizzard Breath,” Guinevere said in response.
A torrent of below-zero winds and snow blasted out in a cone. She couldn’t see Mordred’s body beneath the black mist, but he showed no sign that he felt the cold.
“We’re onto that part of the fight then?” he asked. “Fine then, Chain Lightning.”
--
Brilliant bands of blue electricity blasted from my left hand. Guinevere stepped into the path of the lightning surprising me, her sword flashed out striking the lightning and knocking it away from her and Kira as she protected the both of them. I ducked to the side dodging a fireball tossed by their party’s tank, then my lighting hit the tank mage and the rogue who was just now returning after running away.
My attack wasn’t instantly fatal against them but the mage and rogue spasmed as they were stunned. The tank was on his knees using his shield as a crutch as he tried to get back into the fight.
“The effect should have ended by now!” Guinevere called out. “Heal him!”
She charged me again and our weapons met. I was getting better with the spear but fighting with this woman showed me how much farther I still had to go. I was a monkey flinging poo at a wall compared to Da Vinci when you compared how the two of us fought. I wasn’t even close to landing a hit on her. I tried a sneak attack with my shoulder cannon, but she deflected the energy projectile.
I wasn’t sure if it was a title or ability that let her do that, but I decided to put how good she was to the test. Hundreds of stone spearheads fell out of a pouch at my waist. Like trained falcons, they dove toward the woman. I used the time to examine her as she stood unmoving her sword moving so fast that only my superior perception let me catch even a glimpse of it.
Guinevere the Winter Lady, Gifted- Veteran, humanoid/human*, Rank 280
I had fifty ranks on her but that didn’t seem to matter. As much as I hated to admit it, she was better than me. That angered me.
I began trying everything I could. The tank got up and rushed me again. Activating Voice of the Chasm released a sonic roar that flung him a dozen yards away. I unleashed Helheim’s scream again and rushed at Guinevere. My spear flashed at her from all angles, I couldn’t use Foresight on her. She didn’t even appear in it as if she didn’t exist. Tremor Soles was the only thing keeping me from being slashed apart by her sword. Yanking myself to the side I avoided being skewered on her sword.
She didn’t even use much besides her passives against me, but it was still more than I could handle. The rogue appeared, his daggers multiplying into a thousand different forms as he flung them at me. Teleporting away again I appeared behind him, and my foot connected with his back as I rammed my sword towards his heart.
Again, Guinevere stopped me from killing one of her party members. While she was amazingly skilled her party members lacked her quality when it came to fighting. Honestly, the fight would have been a lot harder if they hadn’t been there.
Guinevere and I continued our battle lighting, sonic booms, and boulders the size of horses. Everything I threw at her she avoided using a short, ranged teleport or by just blocking or defecting it. Her weakness was her party, so I began to exploit that.
Teleporting next to the tank I stabbed down at him. Guinevere appeared and blocked my attack, but I blasted out lighting at the other members of her party.
--
Guinevere deflected the lightning from hitting Kira but Edrick and Haldros were hit again. Guinevere frowned; she was better than the Warlord. She’d felt that as soon as their weapons clashed but he was just so fast. He should be running low on his mana or stamina by now, but he just kept pumping out his ability with no sign of mana or stamina fatigue.
Although she didn’t like agreeing with the Warlord her party was hindering her here. Mordred had realized that and was targeting them rather than her to keep her from going on the defensive.
“Group together,” Guinevere ordered. “Focus on keeping yourselves alive I’ll handle the Warlord.”
“Finally decided to stop letting others hold you back?” Mordred asked.
“I’ve decided to show you what I’m really capable of,” Guinevere said. “Royal Blade!”
----
Arthur looked down on Princess Andromeda. She lay in a bed delirious with fever, one side of her face wrapped in bandages. Wounds inflicted by artifact weapons were not as easy to recover from as those from one made by mortal smiths.
“We should put her out of her suffering,” Lancelot said.
“No,” Arthur said.
“Arthur she is the daughter of our enemy and the last heir to the throne of Dracon. As long as she lives there will be those that plot rebellion,” Lancelot argued.
“I’ve spilled enough innocent blood in this war,” Arthur snapped back. “I won’t let you or any others take the life of a defenseless woman. She will be sent back to Camelot when we return. My father will likely have one of my cousins marry her to give us more legitimacy with the people here.”
“You’d rather her be forced to become a noble’s breed mare than a quick death?” Lancelot asked.
“If she hates it that much, she can take her own life,” Arthur said. “But I’m done taking away all her choices from her.”
Arthur left the infirmary after placing a guard on it and making sure the wards were in place to keep anyone from breaking in. He went to the king’s chambers which had been turned into his quarters. Lionor sat on the edge of the bed next to him placing an arm around him.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I think this war was a mistake,” Arthur said a slight tremor passing through him. “I always knew that war would be a part of my life but this…. This hasn’t been about securing the safety of Camelot no matter what we’ve been telling ourselves; this had just been about greed.”
Lionor pulled Arthur’s head to her chest and ran her fingers along his back and through his hair.
“Let’s return home,” she said. Taking his hand, she placed it on her stomach. “We have a baby to raise and a life to build.”
“What right do I have to happiness after all the death I’ve caused,” Arthur said a sob tearing from his body.
“Learn from this war then,” Lionor said. “Don’t let their deaths be in vain and don’t let this happen again.”
“You’re right,” Arthur said stilling his emotions. “If I ever lead a war again it will be because I decided it was the right thing to do; not because my father told me to.”