Nayiri frowned. "I don't know."
"No way to change now, since our stones are already in the bag," said Alex, looking across the arena at the gathered former battleleaders. "They might know who we're sending, but they won't know what we're planning to do. We'll have to adjust on the fly."
When the stones were revealed, Alex and her team took to the arena floor. She wore black leather armor that had been enchanted to reduce damage from blades, along with a few other minor pieces of magic.
Blaze wore crimson robes emblazoned with suns. Alex had managed to find a flamerabbit in the Warped Forest that conveyed fire resistance to the fabric, so he no longer had to wear chainmail underwear.
Besides his sandals, the enormous Mancalf wore a Belt of Stone Strength that made his open-handed blows even more devastating and a Ring of Regeneration which would keep him topped off on health.
The two healers had planned to wear magical leather armor and carry enchanted longbows, but Alex switched them into regular healing gear since the ruse had been discovered.
Alex recognized her opponents from the ranks of the former battleleaders. The one that worried her the most was Draydon the Dire, a cunning mage whose Drunken Doves had always impressed her in the battle circle. He carried a gnarled blackwood staff with runed tips. His bald pate gave him the appropriate level of guileful menace.
"When the clan bleeds."
"It bleeds as one."
"Begin."
The match began as Alex expected it would, with Mancalf at the center. She stood behind the bulky monk with her whip at the ready, while Blaze and the two healers stood in back.
Draydon the Dire had placed himself opposite her with two heavily armored warriors with enchanted shields, wielding a chain mace and a long spear respectively. Alex sensed they were going to be a handful for Mancalf.
The remaining two gladiators appeared to be a rogue and a healer. The healer was a wide woman in sun-bright chain, a golden orb in her fist, while the rogue was a seedy-looking fellow named Altraus the Knife. She'd seen him shadow-jumping around the battlefield in previous fights, which would nullify Mancalf's gravity tricks.
As expected, the two warriors lunged forward, immediately engaging Mancalf, who thunderously defended himself with devastating slaps. Despite being outnumbered, his blows against their shields staggered them frequently enough that they made little headway.
Alex correctly guessed Altraus' move, catching him with Whip Tricks immediately after he came out of his shadow-jump behind the healers.
This left the healer in back, who held her orb out as it shed a platinum glow over everyone in the arena, and Draydon, who slammed his staff into the ground, sending a rumble of energy into her feet.
Whatever Draydon was planning hadn't come to fruition, so Alex decided to focus on the tanks assaulting Mancalf. If they could be taken care of, the odds would heavily shift in their favor.
Alex blasted them both with Cloud Taunt, the gloomy spell encaging them in tendrils of electricity, helped by their metal armor.
The taunt portion of the spell drew them towards her, which allowed Mancalf to head slap them as they labored past, his double gravity proving even more effective against their heavy plate armor.
Alex hit the two tanks with Cloud Taunt again, followed by a Wind Gust, which staggered them. She was feeling pretty good about the fight, especially since neither the healer nor Draydon had done anything.
"Go, go," Alex said to Blaze with a head nod.
The crimson-robed mage ran towards the two plate warriors, preparing to unleash his fury upon them. As they struggled towards Alex, fighting to break free from the compulsion, Blaze threw his arms around them and unleashed his conflagration.
Alex's world turned to pain.
Spittle-laden screams ejected from her lips like lava from an erupting volcano.
She had no idea how to make it stop, and when it did, she bent at the knees trying to recover from the agony that felt like she was being burned alive.
When she looked up, the battle circle had changed. Both plate warriors looked undamaged from the conflagration, while her team's health was at half.
Blaze looked apologetic about what had happened, looking at his hands as if they'd betrayed him.
Alex suddenly realized what the mage and healer in the back had done, though she wasn't sure how. They'd transferred the flame damage into her team, some mix of fire resistance and spell blowback.
As Alex checked her team's health again, realizing how screwed they were, a skull formed over one of the healers' icons, indicating they'd been defeated.
Altraus the Knife had assassinated a healer, and was preparing to hit the second, when Alex caught him with Whip Tricks again, mezzing him with his blade in mid-thrust.
The pain of being burned alive still lingering in her mind, Alex struggled to see a path to victory. If Blaze was neutered then they lacked the damage to compete, but she refused to be dismayed, focusing her attention on Draydon and the healer. They would have to be taken care of before they could reimplement their plan.
Alex tried Misdirecting the aura that the healer was putting out, but it was blocked by Draydon's spell. They were using a mix of magical and fire resistance, making both her and Blaze ineffective.
She reapplied Whip Tricks on the rogue as their remaining healer managed to flow some health back into her team.
But the two plate warriors had broken free of her taunt and were accosting Blaze, who was barely keeping out of the way of their weapons. Mancalf came to his rescue but Blaze was already down to a quarter health. If he died, there would be no way they could recover.
Sensing that the blackwood staff was important, Alex tried to fling it away with her whip, but the bald mage resisted her attempt.
Blaze was down to a sliver of health, even with heals coming in fast and furious. He'd activated his Bracers of the Mirage, which made him waver in place like the heat on a desert highway, but it was only making every other hit miss.
Then Altraus broke her spell, sprinted forward, and eviscerated their other healer, leaving the odds five to three. The rogue shifted forward, appearing behind Blaze for another killing blow, but Alex managed to mez him again.
Before the two warriors could kill Blaze, Mancalf grabbed them both and activated his Sandals to make himself an immovable object.
"Run, Blaze," said Mancalf.
The mage ran past Alex, taking refuge in the far side of the circle. While the tactic stopped them from killing her mage, it didn't help Mancalf as they swung at him with their weapons while he had them.
Alex lobbed a Dewdrop Orb at Draydon. It covered his head like a watery helmet, forcing him to stop his spell and claw at his own face.
With the mage neutered for the moment, Alex Misdirected the aura from the golden orb onto her team. Symbols of fire resistance appeared in her vision.
"Burn them down now!" Alex yelled.
"I can't," said Blaze. "I'm nearly out of faez. That spell takes nearly my whole pool."
Alex threw the potion from her Handysack to the mage. "Drink that!"
He threw it down in one gulp, grimacing. "Augh, it tastes like camel piss."
As his faez pool came roaring back, Alex snapped her whip at the nearest plate warrior, wrapping the length around his neck.
Lareus Brairfist has been strangled!
The warrior collapsed in defeat as his compatriot shoved his spear into Mancalf's breast.
Mancalf has been defeated!
At that moment, the mez on the rogue ended, leaving her and Blaze as the only two remaining from their side.
When Altraus tried to shadow-jump, Alex Misdirected it to the warrior, who was further ahead, which made him appear in the stands, outside of the bounds of the arena, effectively removing him from the match.
The rogue sprinted towards Blaze, who had only slivers of health. Alex threw herself in the way, snapping her whip at his face, trying to mez him, but he resisted the attempt.
He lunged at her, slicing right through her armor, sending a bright line of pain across her midsection, then when she staggered, the rogue kicked the whip out of her hands. The weapon flew through the air, landing outside the arena.
Off balance and weaponless, Alex swung at him with her fist, connecting right beneath the jaw.
You have been affected by Heat of the Battle!
All non-main abilities have been increased by 10 points!
You have gained a skill point: +1 Unarmed
Without her whip, Alex had to keep the rogue off Blaze to give him enough time to regen enough faez.
Alex switched on Fighting Spirit, which increased her stats. She had enough faez to maintain it for a solid minute, but she'd die when the spell faded.
With the effects of Fighting Spirit coursing through her veins, she felt like a heavyweight champion. Alex pounded Altraus with jabs and uppercuts, quickly taking his health down.
Alex thought she might beat him with her bare fists until his health bar shot up.
The healer had come forward to protect the rogue from her pummeling.
When the Dewdrop Orb finally fell from Draydon's face, Alex knew they were in serious trouble. The furious red-faced mage angrily stalked forward, ready to unleash his magics upon them.
The healer brought the rogue back to half, well out of range of her abilities with her fists, then held her orb aloft, bringing the platinum glow that protected her team from fire magic.
Down and almost out, Alex glanced to Blaze's faez pool to see it was enough. She Misdirected the fire resistance aura back to herself, right as Blaze sprinted forward.
The rogue slashed out at the mage, but the blade shimmered through empty air as the mirage effect kicked in, giving Blaze a chance to close the distance to Draydon and the healer, who stood by her teammate.
Seeing her chance, Alex tackled the rogue, bull-rushing him towards Blaze, right as he unleashed his conflagration ability for the second time of the fight.
But this time, the enemy team had no protection, and the waves of rolling fire annihilated them, leaving only Blaze and herself standing in the battle circle at the end.
You have defeated the Fallen Phoenix clan's first team!
Quest Progress: Beat Fallen Phoenix in three battles to win the clan tournament – 1 Win
You have gained experience: 35,000 XP
You have gained conquest points: 887 CP
You have learned a new ability: Arcane Reversal
You have gained a unique skill point: +1 Cunning Strategist
You have gained a skill point: +1 One-handed Whip
You have gained a skill point: +1 Whip Tricks
You have gained a skill point: +1 Unarmed
+300 Renown for Bravebear Clan
You have reached level 25!
Chapter Thirty-Three
In the days after the first fight, when Alex strolled through the Bravebear camp, she saw the energy in their faces, the excitement of expectation that one of their own might become the tournament champion.
Men and women greeted her fondly as if they were old friends, kids hugged her around the knees, and the elders of the camp stretched their sunbaked faces with a smile.
"Hail Battleleader, great fight!"
"Only two more to go!"
"I've never seen such courage and cunning in the battle circle! We're proud that you're the one to lead us."
"The plains have never seen such legendary fights before."
There was a second change she noticed, but it had to do with herself. She realized that she no longer saw them as NPCs. While she understood logically that the old woman stirring a pot of stew over the crackling fire was a construct of the game, her gut reacted to the woman's smile as she saw her approach, the glinting pride in her eyes.
"You could get really lost here," she muttered to herself, thinking about her feelings for Nayiri and wondering if that's what had happened to the Patron of Gamemakers Hall. Had he fallen for the NPCs in a world of his own making?
She worried that her feelings might affect her ability to solve the game, because her life was on the line. For as real as it felt, if she didn't become Champion of Warsong and reach level 40, nothing would matter. She would die in the real world. Permanently.
But preparations for the second match took up most of her thoughts, and she forced herself not to linger too long on the philosophical ramifications of Gamemakers Online.
Alex used the CPs she'd gained from the first fight to rank Sophia Lionheart up to 7 since she would be her battle partner and placed her own ability increases into Cunning. They were the easiest decisions of her time in the game, but unfortunately, the planning for the second match wasn't so easy.
They'd gathered in her hut again, the center of the room filled with colored stones. There was a lot of jaw rubbing and hunched foreheads as they stared into the miniature circle as if they were watching fights unfold.
"Tormane will be in the circle this fight," Mancalf said knowingly.
The others nodded their agreement, and Alex couldn't find fault in the logic. Judith would likely join the final battle since she was the battleleader and it was doubtful that she would want to share the spotlight with Tormane.
Alex wasn't sure how she felt about fighting him again. Despite his major deficiencies as a battleleader, he was a brutal fighter in the circle as her razor-edged victory over him proved.
She looked at the new spell she'd gained during the fight again for inspiration, but it didn't seem like a battle-turning spell.
Arcane Reversal
Triggered Ability
Convert a single attack against you into faez (1 damage = 2 faez). Requires 20 hours to recharge after use.
"But we'll have Sophia. She's a better tactician than that brute," said Alex eventually, winking at her second-in-command. "Which means that this fight will be more melee than the first. Any ideas?"
"Add two ranged and a healer, since you two can protect the others. Should be able to dish out a lot of damage, especially with those enchanted bows you made," said Nayiri, who was perched atop of the pile of furs like a nimble goat.
"I agree," said Sophia. "It's the best makeup to leverage our abilities. It might not be fancy, but it will be effective."
Alex scooped her mug from the side table, taking a sip of the still warm coffee. Since there were no energy drinks in this world, she'd taken to the bitter beverage, especially in these sleep-deprived times.
"That's where I keep coming back to as well. It's the most logical setup given our inclusion on the team, and especially if Tormane is our opponent," said Alex.
"Which is why I hear the 'but' in your tone," said Sophia, crossing her arms.
"It just doesn't feel right," said Alex with a sigh.
"We should take the best tactical team setup, even if it might be the most obvious," said Sophia.
"I know," said Alex, shaking her head. "But if it's this obvious, then with their considerable resources, they will find a counter to it. What about the work you've been doing with nets? Couldn't we use a couple of net and trident warriors, who could lock down their melee?"
"Nets don't deal damage," said Sophia.
"But they keep the opposition in check," said Alex.
"The nets are effective," said Sophia, then she tilted her head, "but not always. Sometimes the nets backfire—either they land impotently on the ground or get used against the throwers. Plus, they're far too easily cut with bladed weapons."
"I have a few items left over from the Warped Forest. I could enchant them, make them more resilient to weapons," said Alex.
"I guess," said Sophia, "but I think we should go with the first plan."
"The obvious plan," said Alex.
"Which they'll know you're not going to do because it is obvious," said Sophia.
"She's got you there," said Nayiri.
"What do you all think?" Alex asked her team.
Blaze held his hands up, backing away. "Don't a
sk me. It's your ass in the circle. You know yourselves best."
The others agreed with Blaze's logic, though Alex wasn't sure if they weren't reticent to disagree with her. Only Mancalf added his honest assessment.
"I like the first plan," he said from a cross-legged position next to the little dirt circle.
"Which one?" asked Sophia. "We have to decide tonight. The battle is tomorrow."
Alex closed her eyes and clasped her hands on top of her head as she weighed the two options.
"The nets," she said, eventually, catching a flattening of Sophia's lips at the decision. "One healer, two net and trident warriors, myself, and the glorious Sophia Lionheart."
True to her professionalism, Sophia put away her initial reluctance and bowed deeply.
"Alright, the team is set," said Alex.
"What about the spy?" asked Nayiri.
Everyone's head snapped towards the changeling.
"Someone figured out what our team was last time," she added.
"Good point," said Alex, sighing. As if she didn't already have enough to worry about. "Let's limit the longhouse to only those who could logically be picked for the team. I'll speak to the other three privately."
"I'll gather the magic items for distribution," said Blaze.
"You know where I'll be," said Nayiri with a wink.
Sophia hung around after everyone left, chewing on her lower lip.
"I'm sorry I didn't pick your plan, Sophia. It's a good one, but I think the work you've done with the nets is better," said Alex.
"That's not what I stayed for," she said, staring at her feet.
Sensing the importance, Alex gave Sophia her full attention. "What's wrong?"
"The spy," said Sophia. "Knowledge of our first team nearly cost us the match, because they were able to counter it."
"It worries me too," said Alex.
"But they had specific knowledge," said Sophia.
"Yes, yes, they knew our team makeup," said Alex.
Sophia put a hand to her mouth momentarily, as if that helped her choose the exact words she wanted.
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