Arthur jerked out of his bed as screams surrounded him a blinding eldritch green light shone through the windows. Thunder rattled the building as something struck the ground. A long unearthly screaming howl rang out for ten seconds ending only to be filled with more of the same.

  “Instant Armory,” Arthur said his armor flying across the room as he sat up pushing Ammerila off the narrow bed out of the way of the flying metal.

  Bursting out of the stone building he ducked under the snapping jaws of a three-headed hound. Crimson lightning snaked around the corner of the building hitting him. He gritted his teeth and pushed passed the pain, he had Lightning Resistance II and his ability Inner Wellspring reduced all damage he took by one stage. Looking around he spotted Mordred as he stabbed his lightning blade through the back of a man as he stumbled out a barracks. Specters and hounds ran throughout their camp disappearing inside the buildings and filling them with screams as they attacked unarmored champions not prepared for the assault.

  “Mordred!” Arthur shouted his voice ringing across the battlefield. “Face me!”

  “Yes,” Mordred said.

  Arthur shot forward using Gryphon’s Flight, Excalibur swung down but cut through empty air as Mordred teleported away. He stepped in the path of a blast of fire aimed at one of the hounds. The fire struck him, but Arthur couldn’t even see if he was damaged with the black mist surrounding his body.

  Gritting his teeth in frustration Arthur burst into motion again, charging Mordred. He’d have to rely on his skill alone to end the fight. Mordred blocked Excalibur and advanced forward testing Arthur’s defenses. Arthur stopped giving ground Excalibur shone with golden light as he began activating all his abilities that boosted the sword’s damage. Mordred teleported behind him but at this point Arthur was used to that trick and easily deflected it pushing forward and cutting Mordred’s torso just missing impaling him.

  He kept the pressure on Mordred as the barbarian tried new tricks, some impressively inventive, but Arthur had been trained with the sword since he was old enough to walk. He had been groomed for his position as a champion his whole life and no off-world barbarian would ever match him in skill.

  Why are you trying to beat him in a sword fight again? Karnen asked. We both already know the outcome of this, you have one life left.

  It’s like Ares said, I’m fine with losing the battle if I win the war, I said. Guinevere is the prize not these tokens or ambrosia. I need to know every trick he has for when I have to fight him in the real world.

  You’re going to get yourself killed, Karnen said.

  His mind is already made up, Ares said. Stop distracting him.

  Clarent and Excalibur hit again and again lightning coursing down one blade as a blinding flash of light erupted from Excalibur. I wasn’t making any progress it was time to try an ability I hadn’t used on Arthur yet and arguably one my most powerful abilities.

  Sliding past his guard I rolled across the ground, my hands touching the earth. “Hell-Dragon’s Armory,” I said.

  Liquid stone flowed up Arthur’s legs. He jerked to a stop as I hardened a layer around his shins. The stone flowed farther and farther up his torso going up to his neck. I was jubilant at having found a weakness to explode. Arthur’s body shone with light.

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  “Break Point,” Arthur said.

  The stone shattered and he spun forward at ten times his normal speed. Excalibur slashed out as I was still kneeling on the ground. I moved but not fast enough as it carved through my flesh and bone just over my knees were I was unarmored.

  Lying on the ground I watched as Arthur raised his sword high to finish me off. Guinevere stepped in-between us her sword blocking his. Excalibur cut through the sword I had made for her; it was slowed allowing me escape as I levitated into the air with Storm-Fall. I grabbed the stumps of my legs with Telekinesis and pressed them against my stumps. Troll Hide would reconnect them, but it would take time.

  Guinevere blocked attack after attack but Arthur pushed her back tearing apart her defenses bit by bit. Ammerila appeared behind her moving in for a sneak attack. Lighting shot from my hand hitting her and Arthur and chaining off into the distance. Arthur resisted the stun, she didn’t, and a few other people were outright killed by it.

  An arrow came in from behind, I foresaw and tried to dodge it, but it exploded against my shoulder sending me spinning through the air. A shield hit me as I was spinning, and I was launched into the side of a building. Rubble and dust rained down around me, and I jerked my head to the side as another arrow whizzed past exploding in the room behind me.

  Lancelot charged forwards hitting me with his shield ringing my skull.

  Mira was in front of me her bow drawn my book as she released the arrow point blank into my face. My body shifted, turning incorporeal the arrow phasing through me. I surged forwards the spectral version of Clarent driving through Mira’s chest. She screamed and went limp as Soul damage overwhelmed her. Dropping her body, I dodged a glowing blade sliding past Lancelot and driving Clarent up under his armpit into his heart. It did seem to matter even with spectral weapons where you hit them.

  A blast of golden light hit me, and I felt fire burning through my being as Arthur hit me with holy aura. I was knocked out of Phantom Form and rolled across the ground turning to face Arthur. I saw the lifeless body of Guinevere on the ground. My vision already red from rage went nearly white as I went ballistic. I don’t think Arthur was prepared when I smashed into him, my attack wasn’t thought out and possessed no skill hitting him merely for how surprising it was due to its recklessness.

  He recovered countering my next series of strikes. He struck me Excalibur going through my spine, he flung me off him my body rolling to the ground as I struggled to recover from the paralysis.

  “And for the last time, you die,” Arthur said striding forwards. A dragon tail hit him in the back sending him careening into the side of a building reducing it to rubble.

  Exar’kun pounced on Arthur. The man rolled under the dragon his sword slicing up cutting off half of Exar’kun’s tail. He charged forward and Exar’kun snarled in pain, fury and defiance, his jaws extending and unleashing a point black shot of fire.

  “Hell-Dragon’s Armory,” I said as I lay in the mud and blood.

  Arthur tried to dodge but the hardened earth around his feet kept him in place. I could feel the heat from where I was a dozen paces away. Arthur’s armor was all artifact level meaning it couldn’t be destroyed, but it still conducted heat. Exar’kun roasted the Duelist in his armor, his breath not stopping for a solid minute until he finally ran out of juice to power it.

  Arthur’s charred corpse fell to the ground, still burning and smoking.

  Exar’kun lifted up the bleeding stump of his tail.

  “That’ll take about a week to regrow,” he grumbled.

  “Relax, when we return to the real world it will reappear,” I said my spine reattaching itself as I pushed myself to my feet. “Did we get everyone?”

  “Every last one of them,” Exar’kun said his teeth flashing in what I was sure this time was a smile.

  “They got Guinevere,” I said. “I don’t think anyone is left in the game who isn’t down to their last life at this point.”

  “Then this Event will likely be decided in the next battle,” Exar’kun said. “You had best make your preparations, not just for the battle but with your mate. It is likely after the next battle that you will not see her again for some time.”

  I was silent. He was right, win or lose this was going to be decided very soon. There were things I needed to do and say before then. I needed to collect a reward from the System first, one I had been putting off for a long while.