Milly and Calista sat on the shore of the Lake of Memories, exhausted. The wolves had been driven back, and now the specter of grief had settled across the valley. A sorrowful silence filled the world, punctuated only by grief’s wails.

Leaning against each other for support, they stared blankly at the obsidian pillar at the centre of the lake, leaving the wounded to be tended and the dead to be tallied.

“How long do you think it will be?” Calista asked quietly, her face buried in Milly’s shoulder.

“Until?” Milly mumbled, her eyes blotchy from fallen tears. Salem’s Fury had devoured her emotions during the battle, leaving her brave and defiant, but it had left a cold numbness and sense of guilt in its wake.

“Anything,” Calista replied. “The rewards. The blame. Until Rain wakes up. Just… anything except waiting, and staring… staring at this fucking lake!”

Milly stroked Calista’s red hair, her fingers working through her knots. She didn’t react to Calista’s sudden outburst. Her girlfriend had been cycling through tears and anger for the past hour as she processed grief in her own way.

Calista leaned into the strokes, and the angry tension left her.

“Rain will recover,” Milly promised. “She’s stable now. Whitewing said she may not wake up for days. Maybe a week. But she’s alive, Cally. I… I can pick stronger healing spells tonight from my level ups and help. Rain will be back on her feet before we know it.”

Calista didn’t say anything. She shifted in the sand and wrapped her arm around Milly’s waist.

“I’ll heal you too, Cally,” Milly added, tracing her finger alongside the shallow cuts scattered across Calista’s legs. “Do they hurt?”

“No,” answered Calista softly. “Not really. Just a tingle. Eighteen toughness has its advantages. You?”

Milly held up her arm. She had a few shallow cuts and bruises, but nothing that would leave a scar. The cuts had scabbed and the bruises were fading.

“I heal quickly,” Milly answered with a smile. “You made me get that regeneration talent, remember?”

“You have a smart girlfriend,” Calista boasted, her faint smile hidden against Milly’s gown. “You should listen to her more.”

“Not just smart. A brave and beautiful commander of a girlfriend,” Milly praised. “You’re incredible, Cally.”

“No, I’m not,” Calista denied as her smile faded. “Every time I take charge, people die. The Freelancers, and now the fairies…”.

“Hey, don’t you think like that,” Milly comforted, catching Calista’s eye. “This game – this God Contest – it’s designed to kill us. The gods are responsible for the dead. You are responsible for the survivors. Cally, I’m proud of you. I’m so proud of you.”

Calista looked at Milly with glistening eyes, then gave her a slight, uncertain nod. A trickle of Calista’s confidence restored, the couple returned to their vigil, staring across the lake.

A notification appeared in the corner of Milly’s vision. Calista’s eyes flickered as she received the same message.

“I guess Lun… the AI Director is done with the calculations,” Milly announced solemnly. “Do you want to go first, or…?”

“You do it,” Calista said, returning her head to Milly’s shoulder.

Milly opened her notification and projected the message in front of them.

Congratulations Milly on your victory. We have calculated your reward for successful completion of the Arena of Protection.

As [Rain Desjarlais] and [Xavier Holloway] are not available to accept their rewards at this time, the AI Director has elected to utilize a reward exchange system for this Arena.

Do you wish to begin?

“Umm… yes?” Milly answered uncertainly. “What the heck is a reward exchange system?”

Please ensure the area ahead of you is clear of obstacles before initiating prize exchange materialization.

“Prize exchange materialization?” Calista asked, as confused as Milly. “Did the AI swallow a thesaurus?”

“No idea,” Milly shrugged. She glanced over her shoulder to ensure no fairies were watching.

“It looks clear,” Milly said, and Calista nodded in agreement. “Only one way to find out. Please… um… start prize materialization... whatever.”

Pop.

Without warning, a rickety chair appeared out of nowhere and floated above their heads.

“What the absolute hell,” Calista murmured, as the chair slowly began to orbited them.

Pop.

A second object appeared, this time the knotted surface of a long, wooden table.

Pop. Pop. Pop.

More objects appeared. Bamboo, colorful cloth, and the remainder of the table spiraled above their heads, as if they were at the center of a small tornado. When the final piece – a banner with ‘Prize Booth’ written in colorful letters – appeared, the objects collectively flew ten paces from shore and began to assemble.

In the space of a dozen heartbeats, the various parts had fashioned themselves into a rickety stall that mirrored those in the Bazaar. The Prize Booth hovered two inches above the water as if suspended by an invisible string. Bamboo poles strapped to either end of the table held aloft the banner, and the colorful cloth rested over the table’s surface.

“Tada!” came a familiar voice from beneath the table, and Tutoria popped up with a broad smile. She wore a white dress shirt, brown vest, black suspenders, and a bright red bowtie, as if she were in charge of a carnival booth. “Congratulations on your success, girls! That was very exciting!”

“Great, another Tutoria” Calista murmured sarcastically.

Tutoria ignored Calista. She clapped her hands once above her head, and the invisible string severed. The prize booth settled gently on the surface of the water, then suddenly dropped three feet into the water as gravity took hold. Tutoria let loose a high-pitched shriek as the unexpected drop flung her backwards. She fell into the water, drenched from head to toe.

Milly could not help herself. Despite everything that had happened that morning, she burst out in an uncontrollable fit of laughter. It emerged from the depths of her wounded spirit and cut through her numbness and pain. Calista joined her, and their laughter turned into tears, and finally back to laughter as Tutoria pulled herself out of the water, covered in algae.

Tutoria plopped herself down on the wooden chair behind the booth, the water level just below the seat.

“Are you two quite finished?” Tutoria said, perturbed. “You were supposed to ensure the area was clear before you materialized me. Not drop me into a lake!”

“I mean…” Calista snorted, trying to catch her breath as tears streamed down her cheeks. “The instructions were quite vague.”

Tutoria huffed, then beckoned them to approach. Milly and Calista waded into the water as Tutoria pulled dozens of small objects from her pockets and haphazardly placed them on the table. It was an assortment of miniature weapons, animals, books, and clothing.

“Now, this is quite straight forward,” Tutoria instructed. “It works like the prize booth at a fair. You both received points based on your performance in the arena, and you can exchange those points for these prizes.”

“My father used to take me to the carnival every year when I was a kid,” Calista reminisced. “We’d get cotton candy, and he’d win tickets at the marksman air rifle game. It would take a hundred tickets to get a stuffed animal, but he’d keep at it until we had enough. I still have Mr. Piggy at home, and dad… dad would…”

Calista trailed off, and Milly held her hand tightly.

“Yes, well, these prizes are a bit more… substantive than a stuffed animal,” Tutoria continued. “This miniature of a grey cat, for instance, is a familiar. An animal that bonds to you that you can command.”

Tutoria put down the cat miniature and picked up another. “This axe can fell a tree with a single swing, and this is the mug of Infinite Moonshine. The mug only works if you are drinking the moonshine though. There was a player who exploited a… well, let’s call it a loophole… during the fifth God Contest. It didn’t end well.”

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Milly stared at the variety on the table and felt lost.

“How many points do we have?” asked Calista. Her eyes gravitated toward a pair of winged leather sandals.

“Let me check,” Tutoria said, pulling out a yellow sheet of paper covered with complex and utterly illegible calculations. “Milly Persephone Brown was awarded ten points.”

“Your middle name is Persephone?” Calista teased. “You’re so fancy.”

“Shut up,” Milly whispered back, mortified. “I hate it.”

“And… Calista Sylvia Gale…” Tutoria continued.

Calista raised an challenging eyebrow towards Milly.

Milly sighed. “…it’s beautiful,” she admitted. “Everything about you is beautiful.”

“… is awarded eleven points,” Tutoria finished. “The additional point is for ‘extraordinary protective ability.’ The Tutoria Calculation Committee didn’t believe that was a relevant point category, but Director Cutie-pie made an executive decision to add it. So, congratulations for protecting twenty-seven more fairies than you needed to, I guess.”

It wasn’t for protecting the fairies, was it Luna? You gave her the point for keeping me safe.

“Rain received eight points, since technically it was her muskrat that dealt the death blow to Fairy Killer. Xavier got five, since he was out of the fight after Gorath,” Tutoria rattled off.

“Xavier is going to be pissed,” Calista mumbled, and Milly was surprised to hear a note of sympathy in her voice. “What? Look, I don’t like the guy, but he did try to save Rain.”

“He won’t get to collect for a while,” Milly added. “Whitewing said he needs to be kept unconscious for a couple of weeks as they heal his skull.”

“Well, he can summon me when he’s awake,” Tutoria interrupted impatiently. “But he’s not here right now. Pick your prizes. I don’t want to be standing around in a lake all day.”

Calista immediately pointed at the winged sandals. “What are these?”

Tutoria grabbed the model and held it up for Calista. A description menu appeared beneath.

Item: The Talaria of Mercury

Created by the god Hephaestus from the woven hair of Pegasus, the Talaria grants Mercury’s speed to the player. It increases the player’s agility by ten and doubles their running speed when worn. It leaves no trace of a player’s passage. The player may imbue the sandals with magical energy to enable temporary, but clumsy, flight.

WARNING: Flight consumes magic at an extraordinary pace. Remember the lessons of Icarus and do not fly too high. At your current magic attribute level, flight will last for (5) seconds.

“It’s ten points if you want it,” Tutoria added as she checked her notes.

“I’ll take it,” Calista said with confidence.

“Cally, there are so many choices,” Milly said uncertainly. “How do you know that’s the right one to pick?”

“I’m an expert hunter, both in the wild and at the mall, beautiful. You don’t get to be the baddest bitch in high school without knowing your way around a mall.” Calista boasted. “Besides, look at me. Spear. Amazon dress. Companion of Artemis talent. Who else would these sandals have be made for?”

Milly glanced at Tutoria, who casually shrugged. “No comment.”

“So the sandals and… Tutoria, what can I get for my last point?” Calista asked.

Tutoria snapped her fingers, and two models floated into her hand – a ring and a book. “There isn’t much available for a single point. This ring will increase your strength by six, and this book will let you pick a talent from the lowest tier of the talent web. You can also…”

Calista plucked the book from Tutoria’s palm without waiting for the third option. “The talent.”

“… convert points into four thousand gold each,” finished Tutoria. “That last option is nothing to sneeze at. Defeating Fairy Killer gave you five thousand gold, so four thousand for a single point is a tidy sum this early in the contest. The shop Tutoria has some significant comforts available at that price.”

“The talent,” Calista confirmed. “The world is getting more dangerous the further we get from the Castle of Glass. Every talent we have improves our chances of survival. The ring and gold are nice, but we can earn both battling monsters.”

“Very well,” Tutoria said. She snapped her fingers, and the two miniatures in Calista’s hands expanded to their full size. The tiny wings on the back of the sandals fluttered, lifting an inch off Calista palm before settling back down.

Calista stared at her rewards for a long moment.

“I feel guilty,” she admitted. “So many fairies died today. It feels… wrong… to be profiting off their loss.”

Milly gave Calista an understanding kiss on the cheek, then lifted the sandals from Calista’s palm and knelt at her feet. Slipping off Calista’s tattered shoes, she guided Calista’s foot into the first sandal. It fit perfectly. The woven straps automatically tightened, and the tiny wings flapped excitedly.

“Cally,” Milly said softly as she moved to her second foot. “We need these. The Lost Foals. The Float Leaf Skulk. Sapphire’s Eastern Waves. All of them. They… they won’t survive here on their own.”

“I… I know,” Calista said. “I’ve been thinking about that too. The Wolves of the Silver Lake will want revenge, and they won’t stop until they’ve hunted them all down. They can track them in the wilds. There’s only one place I know where we can keep them safe.”

“The Castle of Glass,” Milly concluded, their thoughts aligned. The second sandal tightened on Calista’s foot.

Calista nodded. “Our responsibility to protect them didn’t end with the Arena. Twotongue, Whitewing, Sapphire, and their families. They may just be constructs of this world but… but I care about them, damn it! I don’t want any more of them to die.”

“That’s why we need these rewards, Cally.” Milly said as she rose and took her turn at the prize booth. She picked through a dozen of the objects, rejecting each one. “They need us to be strong. Plus, we may need to protect them from more than wolves. What about the CEOs?”

Calista cracked her knuckles. “Milly, have you seen yourself? You gained five levels this morning. You can hurl lightning and fire across a battlefield. Even without your magic, I’ve seen you take down wolves with your bare hands. We’re grown stronger, and if that asshole Stone tries to hurt any of them, he’ll learn first-hand just how strong that is.”

“With my bare hands?” Milly asked, blushing from Calista’s praise.

“With you bare fucking hands,” Calista reiterated, as she grasped Milly’s hands tightly in hers and kissed her passionately. “You with me on this?”

“Always,” Milly breathed. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks. “Am I… am I ever going to stop blushing when you kiss me like that?”

“Not if I can help it, love,” Calista whispered, as she nipped Milly’s earlobe. “And it might be more than just a kiss.”

Milly’s face was completely crimson when she turned back to Tutoria.

“I… uh… Tutoria… I need…” Milly stuttered, her thoughts tangled in a dizzying web of desire. “I need…”

“Oh, I know what you need,” Tutoria teased, giving Calista an exaggerated wink. “Your girlfriend may enjoy your bare hands…”

Milly’s blush spread to the tips of her ears.

“… but you need a weapon,” Tutoria finished, relishing Milly’s discomfort. “Honestly, I’m surprised you’ve made it this far without one. Calista has her spear, Rain her dagger, and Xavier his sword. I’m a Tutoria, so let me give you a bit of advice. Magic is powerful, but relying so heavily on it makes you vulnerable. There are monsters out there that are immune to magic, or who can turn your own magic against you. You need a back-up plan, or you risk an early demise.”

Tutoria picked a miniature off the table and handed it to her.

“There are many solid choices on this table, Mildred, but this weapon has a synergy that fits well with your chosen approach.”

The miniature was a pair of identical, intertwined rings, carved from rainbow obsidian and smoothed to a fine polish.

Item: The Obsidian Fists of Apollo

Apollo, brother of the goddess Artemis, is the Greek god of music, truth, healing, and more. He is also the inventor and patron deity of boxing, a personal passion above all others. To celebrate the sport, he commissioned Hephaestus to create the Obsidian Fists as a bridge between the magical and the physical. In addition to increasing the player’s strength by one tenth the value of her magic attribute, the Obsidian Fists partially replenish the player’s magic reserves each time a foe is defeated using the Fists. They are the perfect weapon for the player who wishes to balance magic power with an up-close-and-personal approach.

“They’re perfect for you,” whistled Calista, watching over Milly’s shoulder. “You took Red Fang apart like that.”

He wasn’t the only one. That wolf that had enslaved Nobori… I finished him off with my fists encased in stone.

“How many points, Tutoria?” Milly asked.

“It’ll cost you every point you have,” answered Tutoria. “But, trust me, it’s worth it.”

Milly hesitated. She recalled the pleasure that had consumed her as Xavier’s black blade drank the life of Gorath and replenished her magic. It had been all consuming. Terrifying. Addicting.

Will this weapon affect me the same way? Xavier isn’t the same person I knew two weeks ago. That kind of power that changes someone.

Milly pulled Xavier’s Blade out of her inventory and held it before Tutoria. “Do the Fists… work like this?”

Tutoria studied the weapon. Information screens appeared and disappeared faster than Milly could read as Tutoria scanned through an innumerable amount of information in the blink of an eye.

“No... this is something… else,” Tutoria muttered as the final screen disappeared. “The Obsidian Fists and this blade have different power sources. When a player kills with the Obsidian Fists, Apollo grants the user a bit of magic as a reward for victory. It is small, but it can build up quickly if you are fighting against a horde.”

She pointed at Xavier’s blade. “That, on the other hand, is tied to the realm of Xibalba. The underworld of the dead. It consumes the very essence of its victim – its soul – and converts it into more versatile energy. Magic. Strength. Healing. The stronger its master, the more versatile and powerful the energy. This blade is powerful – very powerful, but there are side-effects.”

Tutoria looked like she wanted to say more but stopped herself. “You shouldn’t use that blade. The Fists are a better fit for you. Less powerful, but without the drawbacks.”

Milly stared at the blade as she wondered what Tutoria had left out. She returned it to her inventory.

“Okay, I’ll take the Fists,” Milly decided.

The rings expanded in her hand, and Milly slipped one on each index finger. “How do they work?”

“Just focus,” Tutoria instructed. “They won’t activate unless you want them to. They are built to complement a magic user’s ability, not impede it.”

Milly clenched her fists.

Fists… um… go!

The rainbow obsidian rings expanded, their form extending across her fingers until it looked like she wore rainbow brass knuckles. The weapon stretched from knuckle to joint, beautifully polished, and deadly.

Milly could feel the six point increase in her strength as they activated, and she punched the air to test them out.

“Well?” Milly asked Calista, posing like a boxer. “What do you think?”

“I think you’re taking those things off before bed,” Calista replied.

“And before… other activities,” Tutoria teased.

Milly’s blush had nowhere left to go, so it evolved from crimson to scarlet.

“One last thing before I depart,” Tutoria said with a flourish.

She turned towards the obsidian pillar that towered above the Lake of Memories and clapped her hands together.

The ground began to rumble, and the pillar suddenly imploded. The fragments of obsidian crashed down into the lake, sending waves crashing onto the shore. Shouts of surprise echoed across the Gathering.

In the span of a dozen heartbeats, all that remained of the once towering pillar was an island of stone in the center of the lake, a new Waypoint Pillar at its exact center. It mirrored the one that had risen upon the completion of the Arena of Choice.

“Good luck, girls,” Tutoria bellowed, as the prize booth shattered into its component parts and spiraled into the air. “Tell Rain and Xavier not to summon me in the middle of a fucking lake when it is their turn, okay?”

Tutoria and the booth flashed out of existence, leaving Milly and Calista standing waist-deep in the lake.

“So, now what?” Milly asked.

“Now we go talk to the elders,” Calista answered, her voice filled with commitment. “And then we all go home.”