by Ryan DeBruyn
He had managed a discussion with Ogma about the upcoming fight and learned the rhino’s greatest weakness was also its strongest attack. It moved in straight lines and had potent charging skills. This had led Azrael to store two fully charged, ten stacked Soul Strikes in his Soul Storage. This wasn’t going to be a fight of subtlety. He would brute force it.
The combat ended with the combatant having its throat ripped out and its vibrant green blood spraying the sands. The crowd roared their approval and the announcer shouted, “There goes the dryad, who confounded her opponents in the most recent Battle Royale. Guess you can’t hide from the Doom Wolves. Next up is the much-anticipated rookie sensation. The child mercenary, the savior of the people, the Sovereign Sons’ team leader, Azrael Sovereign!”
The crowd cheered as the wolves were led back to the elevator with appetizing meats. The corpse of the dryad and associated blood sank into the sands, and then Azrael’s door opened. He stood up and walked out. The crowd boomed its approval and he waved, summoning his sword into his hand mid-motion. He could hear gasps and people calling to neighbors, “There it is. His Soul Blade!”
Oberan has definitely gotten what he wanted.
When it reached the bottom, the elevator clunked noisily, and the crowd quieted infinitesimally. The hush grew in intensity until the elevator began whining mechanically as it reversed direction. The contraption was definitely lifting something heavy.
The horn of Azrael’s next opponent came into view first and he felt himself swallow hard. The sun reflected off of the black protrusion, casting iridescent rainbows across the arena. The crowd rumbled back to life as more of the creature came into view. Huge obsidian bone plates covered the creature, making Azrael’s breath catch. The creature was on par with the Enbarr in size, but where the Enbarr had looked graceful and exotic, this creature looked muscular and warlike.
He checked his earring of spell storage and knew he had a once a day Fireball loaded within it. He Analyzed the creature as its legs came into view.
Armored Rhino
Apprentice-Battering Ram
Level 24
Health Points: 2000/2000
Skills: 5
He clicked to examine the skills more closely.
Skills List:
Charge (V), Hardened Skin (V), Pierce (V), Trample (V), Beastly Health (IV)
Azrael was happy to have more information on his opponent. Two of the skills sounded passive while three sounded like ones he wanted to avoid. The elevator clicked into place, giving him no more time to contemplate. The forcefield fell.
The rhino didn’t hesitate and began to lope out onto the sand. It slowly picked up speed as it ate up more ground. Azrael felt the sand quivering beneath him with each hoof that fell from the beast. He took a deep breath and held out his hand. He hadn’t come up with any better strategy than what he planned to do. He began jogging in a circular pattern away from the line of the rhino.
At this distance, the creature was able to make changes as it ran but it continued to close. At around one hundred feet, its hooves glowed red and Azrael released everything. Starting with the Fireball, and then calling, “Release ten,” twice in quick succession as it increased its jog to a full out sprint.
The rhino blurred forward and Azrael’s skills exploded from his palm. The collision sent out a wave of sound like a thunderclap and the sand rippled out as if it was water. Azrael felt the wave hit him and his feet left the ground as he was bombarded by sand. It was almost like his first day in the Pit when Torin had abused him with the high-pressure water.
He landed five feet away, digging his toes in and coming to a stop. Azrael studied the smoke and sand, looking for movement, but couldn’t see anything. The sand slowly filtered back to the ground and a broken obsidian horn was the first thing to come into view. Then the sand settled on top of the collapsed bulk of the rhino. An Analyze confirmed it was dead, and Azrael breathed a sigh of relief.
He wasn’t sure what would have happened if it was still alive. The protection dome fell and the crowd’s raucous cheering assaulted his ears once again. “Did you see that? How powerful was that skill? Could he beat the Enbarr?”
“The Sovereign Son has defeated the Initiate wall of the fourth challenge on his first try! Can this phenom take on the Wendigo? Join us in three days to see the Sovereign Son try his hand at the first Boss!”
Azrael ignored everything as he moved to loot. He received a crafting component. A black Rhino Horn. He stored it in his ring and walked out of the arena, waving to the crowd. He planned to be out of here long before the crowd got a chance to see him face off against the Wendigo, at any rate.
Once he was back in the antechamber, he was escorted to the team room to have lunch and wait for the others. To date, no one had heard any plans to change the rules around the tournament. Presumably, most combatants had made purchases from the shop now that it was the quarter-finals.
He continued to meditate and work on his extremely powerful Essence Conversion skill. He felt that there was a secret to the technique just outside of his grasp. He needed to ask Ogma.
***
Azrael looked across the sands at his disabled opponent as the timer to Musth counted down. The Lizardman had been a capable fighter, but unrefined. Its skills had also been all over the place. Azrael had managed to remove the tail of the creature and cripple its legs. Then he had dragged the body over to the front of the forcefield.
Someone must have realized what he intended, because the protective enchantment fell and the crowd began to chant, “Musth! Musth! Musth!” The air in the arena was so thick with electrical currents of excitement, Azrael could feel himself jittering. Or maybe that was because he couldn’t guarantee that Musth wouldn’t trample him right after the Lizardman.
He had planned to use this tactic during his previous fight, but the team had forfeited. Now, against his first opponent in the quarterfinals, he managed to set it up perfectly. The announcer called, “Azrael has proposed a sacrifice to the Arena Champion, and the crowd agrees. Will the Arena Coordinator agree with the Sovereign Son?”
Azrael inspected the upper decks looking for Oberan, but couldn’t find him. He must have been set back in a box seat. However, his voice crackled out over the sands a moment later, “Let’s release the leash on Musth. Azrael Sovereign, I suggest you return to your team room.”
The crowd ignited with some of the loudest cheering Azrael had ever heard as he jogged off the sands. As soon as he was into the team room, the protective dome went up and Musth was released. The elephant didn’t even bother with the Lizardman and charged straight at an enchanted wall. The collision rattled Azrael’s teeth with the vibration the impact caused.
Next, the elephant rose up and stomped down onto the sand which seemed to bounce all the seated watchers out of their chairs. For the next ten minutes, Azrael watched in horror as the beast went berserk. Somewhere in that ten minutes, the Lizardman had been trampled. Just a piece of collateral damage to the rampaging bull elephant. Musth continued to display its strength and his group watched on in abject horror.
This creature is coming close to breaking the enchantment! How in the Halls do they plan to get it back onto the elevator?
A grating sound revealed the screen in their rooms and a message.
“You have been given the win in the quarterfinals. The continuation of the match has been canceled due to the rampaging Musth. Best of luck in the semifinals. Congratulations.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
At dinner, Azrael and his team finally received no glares. Whether that was because everyone was contemplating the sheer power they had just witnessed, or because Azrael had defeated the fourth challenge, he didn’t know. Regardless, he and his team ate in silence.
Everyone is finally seeing how much of a deathtrap this place is.
Bat broke the silence with a squeaked, “Where did the guards take you three this morning?” His question was clearly directed at Verimy.
&n
bsp; Had the guards taken Verimy, Jophiel, and Dara out of their cells this morning? That seemed strange. Every other time Azrael had been fighting a challenge they had been left in their cells. Azrael paused his eating to listen to his trainer’s response.
“Oberan wanted to question us individually about the collapse in the dungeon. I am sure you and Azrael will be taken in the next couple of days,” Verimy responded, sounding a little too casual about the experience.
Azrael squinted at him. “And?” he asked.
Verimy shrugged. “Nothing. I still have no idea what happened to our old cell block. Do you?”
The flip of the question made Azrael pause. He knew he wasn’t going to say anything to Oberan, but what did Bat know? He had definitely heard Azrael speaking to someone or something in the bathroom. Azrael looked at the blue batman and received a minute shake of the head.
The good news is that Oberan underestimates and dismisses Bat. Glad he doesn’t realize how helpful and strong he is.
It wasn’t like Bat knew much about it anyway. Just that Azrael was talking to someone or himself while showering. Though it could lead to more directed questions by Oberan if it came out. Either way, Verimy and Dara couldn’t know about Apep. Jophi might be able to put the whole puzzle together, but it was a bit of a logical leap. Azrael shrugged, reflecting Verimy’s casualness. “No clue, Verimy.”
Bat smiled at the man as well and shook his head more emphatically, conveying his lack of knowledge. Regardless, they were more or less ready to make an escape from the stone cutting yard. They planned to go tomorrow morning. Azrael looked at his completed quests and went to assign his free stat points in preparation for the escape.
Congratulations! You have completed a quest.
Dungeon Quest
Apprentice Combatant
Fourth Level Survival Challenge
Armored Rhino
You have completed the fourth challenge of the dungeon: the Armored Rhino.
Congratulations!
Rewards:
800,000 Etherience
Access the Fifth Level Survival Quest
--
Congratulations! You have completed a quest.
Arena Chain Quest
Single Elimination Tournament
Win the Round of 8
● You have won the round of 8. Since the contest was deemed incomplete, the rewards have been adjusted.
Congratulations!
Rewards:
2,000,000 Etherience
One point to spend in the Tournament Shop – Click for Access
7,701,412 Etherience remaining until level 21.
He placed his stat points, attempting to keep a balance. Of the seven free stat points, Azrael had placed one into Wisdom, one into Intelligence, and the final five into Strength. He needed to keep Stamina and Strength relatively close for the future. He would likely breakthrough in Agility and Dexterity at the same time, as long as he kept the two balanced. While he could instead push his mind stats for his second breakthrough, he first wanted to ensure all of his linked stats were close to even.
Being forced to place my points in Stamina early on has made my stats lean heavily towards a close combat fighter. Still, my class does balance that out a bit with the percentage cost of Soul Strike, Soul Storage, and Soul Cloak.
All in all, his class had become a goldmine of powerful skills and he thought back on the Bottle of Tech Duinn Essence. Was there a class change that occurred or had it just powered up his current tree? The answer didn’t matter much for his current problems, but it would be a great piece of information for others in the future. That thought panged against his heart, and he viciously quashed the feeling of loss. The other students at the Sovereign Halls were just other chess pieces, nothing more. Just because he didn’t have anyone to share the information with right now didn’t mean he wouldn’t have them someday.
***
Azrael was escorted to the fourth floor right after dinner, along with Bat. Turned out Verimy’s words were a bit prophetic, but inaccurate about the time.
They were left in a meeting room with only Gyr watching them for a few hours before Oberan finally strode in with a giant smile on his face.
“Azrael. What a treat it has been to watch you grow in the Pit. The skill of a Sovereign Son doesn’t disappoint! And to come up with the idea to sacrifice to Musth? Pure genius! Too bad it took most of the night to get him back onto the elevator, but the fans will be talking about it for years,” smarmed Oberan.
He looked at the man, trying to figure out what game it was they were playing now. Was he going to ask them questions about the collapse, as Verimy suggested? Then was the man buttering him up? The silence stretched. “Thank you?” Azrael interjected into the uncomfortable moment.
“Not at all, not at all. I couldn’t have asked for a better figurehead. Your greatness spreads more and more each day. I can’t wait to see what you have planned against the Wendigo…” Oberan let his last words hang in the air like a threat.
Not if I can help it.
Oberan continued a few moments later. “I think you are just too valuable to be used for slave labor. I think from now on I will have you watch all the matches from somewhere visible. After all, people will pay good money just to catch a glimpse of you. In addition, I think splitting up your matches for better admission sales is a must. Are you okay if I adjust your rest schedule?”
His eye twitched. Azrael felt something squeezing his heart. He tried to keep his breathing smooth but failed, and instead sounded strange as he pulled in a breath through constricted lungs. Oberan’s smile deepened upon seeing his distress. “Oh, don’t worry, your team will join you in the box seating. So, you won’t be starved for company. And I am sure two days of rest is plenty…” Oberan said, his eyes twinkling deviously.
Had he been outplayed? This couldn’t have been a coincidence—could it? His three friends left their cells this morning, and now Oberan had taken them off of work details with the plan of escape tomorrow?
He entered meditation and sighed out a breath, bringing his body back under his control. He put on a smile and directed it at Oberan. “Of course, we can’t let the crowd’s favor go to waste,” Azrael said.
Oberan’s smile faltered just a bit, and Azrael counted it as a small victory.
I’m still screwed.
Chapter Thirty-Six
For the next two days, Azrael, Bat, Verimy, and Jophiel sat in the box seat the entire day. Oberan even had their breakfast and lunch delivered to the box, only allowing them to leave to sleep. To his surprise, Ogma and Dara joined them as well. This did give them the opportunity to watch matches, but that soon became very boring. The Pit seemed to never stop. Every minute of every day had a scheduled match. This gave Azrael the opportunity to see his next opponent—the Wendigo.
He wished he had never seen the creature. Bloodletter wouldn’t be helpful against the Wendigo, since the creature was considered a type of undead. Ogma claimed that Soul skills would also become far less effective against an undead, soulless monster.
The other matches of the Initiate tournament were already finished and so he didn’t even get new information on the next team. To his surprise, there were also Combatant ranked tournaments occurring simultaneously with the Initiate one. Based on the announcer’s commentary, the teams stayed together whenever possible through the ranks. After the Initiate rank, there were Combatant and Champion ranks, but there were too few of the latter to have a tournament.
Another piece of information—no one had ever made it past the fifteenth stage and into the fourth rank of combatants. So, no one knew about what rank came after Champion.
He did manage to find a single moment of privacy with Ogma in the box seating, though. Azrael was delivered to the open box first and about ten minutes later Ogma arrived, escorted by the same two guards as Azrael. That likely meant they were ferrying Azrael’s group back and forth. Azrael approached the strange Tuatha De Danaan member.
Ogma gave him a perusal. “You’re too young to be messing around with your channels the way you did. It is very dangerous and could easily have killed you,” the Firbolg said after a time.
“Well it didn’t kill me, and I got a new skill,” Azrael retorted, slightly peeved that Ogma would warn him off the skill. Did the man want to keep it for himself?
Two massive hands lifted him off the ground and pinned him to the wall beside the entrance to the box. “You received the Essence Conversion skill?” Ogma hissed, his face a few centimeters from his nose. Azrael could feel the beard hair scratching his clothes.
His mind caught up to the actions and words of the Firbolg and he nodded. If Ogma wanted him dead, Azrael wasn’t likely to stop him. Ogma took a deep breath and put Azrael back down on the ground. Even going as far as to smooth his tattered clothing. Then he breathed out and said, “That skill is something that took me over a hundred years to discover, and you did it at the age of eight. I am not sure whether I should be angry or impressed.
“Look, my warning still stands. From everything I have learned, Essence is dreadfully powerful. Literal wars are fought over the stuff. Don’t tell anyone else about this and be careful,” Ogma added to his earlier warning.
Azrael tilted his head. “Is there anything concrete you can tell me about it?”
Ogma sighed. “I am discovering things as I go myself. But it is what allowed me to break the system stasis. There is something deeper to it all, but I am not quite able to figure it out yet. I can almost sense the converted Essence, but it leaves my body before I have a chance to study it.”