Even with a Perception accolade, the flavor of cold custard was confusing. Rain wrinkled up his nose, trying to pick apart the disparate flavors and assign them to buckets. There was a hint of citrus that could have been rock melon. The custard had a rich, buttery aftertaste. Both were overpowered by flakes of what was clearly pepper, and there were salty chunks that he’d thought were bacon. Upon tasting them, he’d discovered they were clearly not.

Maybe they’re some kind of capers? They’re red, but... Rain worked his tongue, squishing free one of the tiny bits to try and get a read on it in isolation. No, not quite. What ARE these?

“If you want some of mine, just ask,” Ameliah said, pulling free the wooden spoon from her mouth with a contented sigh. She smiled at him, refilling the utensil with a glob of nice, normal chocolate. “You should have known something called ‘Monster Guts’ would be bad.”

“But it’s not bad, that’s the thing,” Rain said, swallowing and licking his spoon. “It’s just a lot. What do you reckon these red things are?”

Ameliah shrugged. “Spoon for a spoon?” she asked, sliding her wooden bowl toward him. “I can’t say I’m not curious.”

“Careful, that’s what got me in trouble,” Rain said, filling his spoon with chocolate ice cream. “On three.”

“Three,” Ameliah said, waving a spoonful of red-speckled green dessert at him before sticking it into her mouth. She made a face almost immediately, speaking with her mouth full. “You weren’t kidding. Why is there pepper?” She swallowed, licking the roof of her mouth a few times before tilting her head. “Why does it work?”

Rain was busy licking his chops too. He spread his arms helplessly, then went back to sorting through his feelings on the chocolate. The base ice cream had the same strange buttery twang. It was sweet—too sweet, in his opinion—but also flat...or something. “Vanilla,” he decided, pointing at her bowl with his spoon. “Needs vanilla.”

“I can’t say I’ve ever had that,” Ameliah said. “I’ve heard of it, though.” She paused. “Where have I heard of it?”

“It comes from a bean,” Rain said with a shrug, taking another bite of his own ice cream.

“Bean ice cream?” Ameliah said incredulously.

“It’s better than it sounds,” Rain said, laughing. “It was basically the default flavor where I’m from. People call vanilla boring, forgetting that there’s a reason it’s number one. Anyway, every chocolate ice cream recipe I’ve ever seen has vanilla extract in there too. Tastes weird without it.” He stuck another spoonful of Monster Guts into his mouth. “Not as weird as this, though.”

“You’re still eating it,” Ameliah observed.

“I am,” Rain said with a smile. “Wish I knew what these red things were.”

Ameliah chuckled. “Don’t look at me. Closest thing I can think of are corpse berries. They grow around the Bloodmarsh. Those are pinker, though, and they’re mildly poisonous. Just go ask the guy if it’s bothering you that much.”

Rain waved his spoon dismissively. “Eh, maybe I’m better off not knowing. Anyway, I was surprised when I learned ice cream is a thing here, which was silly in retrospect. Magic changes things, you know?”

“Mmm,” Ameliah said. “Would be nice if it wasn’t so expensive, though.”

“Tell me about it,” Rain said with a grunt. “Four silver for this tiny bowl.”

“And you picked Monster Guts.”

“I did.” Rain nodded sagely, breaking out into a grin.

This feels...normal.

It’s nice.

True to form, the universe’s reaction was as harsh as it was immediate.

“Found you!”

Rain turned his head to look down the street, then choked, spoon sticking out of his mouth. He hastily pulled it free and jammed it into his ice cream, then lowered his visor. Not only had he recognized the voice, but he’d also realized that he’d been feeling a familiar soul approaching for a while now. He just hadn’t been paying it any attention, too enthralled by Ameliah’s smile.

Everiss bore down on them, the leader of Barstone’s Guild wearing the same sleeveless jacket she had been on their initial meeting. With his new skills, he could see her metallic-red soul clearly. It didn’t seem so intimidating as it had when he’d only been able to feel it. Maybe that had something to do with the souls he’d seen since.

“Everiss?” Ameliah asked in clear confusion. “What are you doing here? Did the Empire attack Barstone?”

“No,” Everiss said with an annoyed click of her tongue, crossing her arms as she planted herself beside their table. “They scampered, just like this asshole. Can’t say I’m upset to not be homeless, but some action would have been nice.” She fixed Rain with a glare. “Who agrees to a duel, then runs away? Do you have any idea how annoying it was to track you down?”

“Who agreed to a duel?” Rain asked flatly.

“You did,” Everiss countered. “For a thousand points, remember?”

“I remember you challenging me,” Rain said. He glanced back at Ameliah, then down at his melting ice cream.

Everiss snorted. “Oh, so you’re saying you’re too busy to fight me, is that it?”

“Actually, yes,” Rain said, looking back up. “We’re kind of in the middle of something here. Believe it or not, I’ve got better things to do than throw down in the street.”

“No need to be rude, Rain,” Ameliah said, laughter in her voice. “She came all this way. Besides, I wouldn’t mind a little entertainment.”

“I don’t fight,” Rain said stubbornly. “I either win, or I don’t. It’s just mathematics.”

“What?” Everiss asked.

Ameliah laughed. “New catchphrase?” She nudged Rain’s foot under the table. “Come on, do it. Duel her. It’ll be fun.”

“Damn it,” Rain said with a sigh. Shaking his head, he reached for his spoon. “Fine, Val, but I’m finishing my ice cream first.”

This is not how I saw this afternoon going.

An hour later, Rain was fighting not to grind his teeth as he listened to the roar of the crowd, waiting his turn in the staging area. A massive set of stone doors stood in front of him, glowing with elaborate runes that he had no hope of understanding.

Unlike the indoor ring where he’d dueled Thrast, the Guild of Eastspar had pulled out all the stops. The arena was meant to contain golds—well, golds that weren’t deliberately trying to break it down. Even a silver could manage that much, given time.

The cheers suddenly swelled, then a bell tolled, signaling the conclusion of the match.

A man with a slate standing beside the door waved, catching Rain’s attention. “Get ready,” he said, raising a single finger. “One minute for them to clear the floor.”

Nodding in acknowledgment, Rain again wondered how he’d gotten himself into this mess. Yes, defeating a powerful person like Everiss in public would go a long way toward convincing people not to mess with him or Ascension, but he wouldn’t have agreed if he’d actually seen the arena beforehand.

Val said it was big, not that it could seat half the city...

That was an exaggeration, granted, but Detection couldn’t tell him the number of people in the stands. The wards felt just as impenetrable to his probing as those on the vault below the Bank. These didn’t block sound, though.

“And now, good people, a surprise!” the announcer’s magically enhanced voice boomed. “Before our next scheduled bronze match, with special approval from Guild Leader Rovert, I give you...a clash of silvers!”

The crowd gave a bloodthirsty roar, already amped up after a day of violence.

Rain tapped his fingers against his thigh, more worried about being on display than anything Everiss might do to him.

I shouldn’t underestimate her, but I feel like... I feel like I’ve got this. Why do I feel like I’ve got this?

“And not just any silvers!” the announcer continued. “In the gate of Me’ke, our first contender!” The ground began to rumble. “I give you, the Wolf of the Valley, the Flickerspear, the reigning champion of Barstone AND ITS GUILD LEADER,” he paused as the spectators lost their minds, “EVERISS!”

Rain’s ears would have been ringing if not for his Endurance.

That Speaking Stone he’s using’s got to be twinned to a Speaking BOULDER.

“And in the gate of Ember, a newcomer to the arena!” the announcer continued. The man with the slate touched a spot on the wall, and the rumbling became much closer. The enchanted stone doors began to move, grinding slowly open as the announcer continued. “I give you a man whose name has been on every tongue in the city since his frozen ship sailed sailless into the harbor! A man so TWISTED that he WILLINGLY tore apart a Dunch with his BARE HANDS!”—Rain paled—“I PRESENT TO YOU NOW, THE CLEANER OF THE NIGHT! DEA—urk!”

Ameliah’s voice took over, amplified by the presumably stolen Speaking Stone.

“CAPTAIN RAIN!”

The thunderous cheers rose again, this time accompanied by laughter and applause. Rain walked forward, feeling like he’d rather be sinking through the floor.

Damn it.

Blinking as he walked out into the open, he looked around with a sigh. He’d gotten over his shock when Everiss had dragged him to the administrator’s booth overlooking the field, but it was still impressive seeing it from ground level. The arena floor was far from the level dueling ring he’d expected, instead hosting what could be described as a constructed disaster zone. There were cracked boulders strewn everywhere, as well as splintered tree trunks, stacks of smashed crates, deep pits, towering piles of sand, and even a few strategically placed chunks of metal. The rusted iron barriers were obviously intended to provide cover against mages.

Not against me, though.

Rain lifted his eyes to the crowd, scanning over all of this until he found Ameliah through the barely perceptible blue tint of the barrier. She waved, looking cheery beside the ruffled announcer.

I’m glad one of us is having fun.

The announcer cleared his throat, the sound booming through his reclaimed Speaking Stone. “I remind all spectators that ability use in the stands is prohibited, as is assaulting arena staff.”

He shot a glare at Ameliah, who raised her hands, backing away as the crowd laughed.

The announcer sighed, then continued in a long-suffering tone that said this kind of thing happened often. “Contenders, please proceed to your marked positions.”

Not having stopped walking in the first place, Rain continued his way through the rubble until he emerged into a relatively clear spot at the center. Everiss was waiting for him, and his jaw tightened upon seeing that her vest had been replaced with a heavy-looking suit of scale mail. The overlapping segments reminded him of the Sparkscales he’d fought below Vestvall, and they were supplemented by solid metal plates covering her forearms, thighs, and shins. Sabatons, gauntlets, and a closed helmet completed the set, offering significant protection.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

She didn’t have a backpack, so that’s Heavy Armor Inventory. If she has Mana Vent, I’m boned, or at least in for a slog.

“This is an official, Guild-sanctioned duel under Osaran rules!” the announcer boomed as Rain found his painted starting spot. “Victory will be declared when one party yields or is rendered unconscious! This is NOT a duel to the death. Killing your opponent will result in immediate forfeiture of your Guild Plate, so be careful! Should the barrier turn red, or should the bell sound, you must stop immediately or face disqualification! As the arena is sealed, there is no ring-out! Raise your right arm to indicate that you understand and agree to these rules!”

Everiss raised her right arm, as did Rain a moment later.

“Competitors, walk forward!”

Rain walked.

“Clasp hands!”

Rain clasped.

Through the air slits in Everiss’s visor, he saw her smile as she did her level best to squash his radius and ulna into a single bone. With Tactile Transference on, he felt the powerful pressure of her fingers, but the adamant plate protecting his forearm didn’t flex in the slightest.

“That’s not steel,” Everiss said.

Rain rumbled, doing his best impression of the armor’s maker.

Everiss’s smile widened. “Let’s give them a good show, yeah?”

“Remember, you asked for this,” Rain said by way of reply.

“Break and return to your marks!” the announcer called.

Doing as instructed, Rain looked up at the stands, searching for Ameliah again and finding her beside Val—because of course Val was here. He sighed, returning the duel maniac’s thumbs-up, then turned to face his opponent. Everiss had summoned her spear and was whipping it around her in a fancy pattern, finishing with a flourish.

Well, here we go then. How should I play this? How much can she take?

“Begin!” the announcer shouted, and something poked Rain hard in the center of the chest.

Perhaps ‘poked’ was not the word. Everiss’s spearpoint landed with such force that the dirt behind him was blown back in a cone while his cloak whipped like a flag in a hurricane. Rain himself barely swayed, his Myriad Plate’s Kinetic Conversion having triggered, shifting the bulk of the momentum to Force damage to be subsequently absorbed by the armor. Force Ward hadn’t engaged. It was active, naturally, but Tallheart’s work was more than up to the task for which it was designed.

dmgnum.sh version 0.5.2

Physical Damage Detected

Kinetic Conversion Triggered

Armor Durability: -2,493

Armor Saturation: +6

Armor Charge: -6

Hardness + Force Resist: 7,500 (capped)

Original Damage: ~9999 (capped)