Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan - 1:50 PM

  The word about the contest had gotten out to the non-Angels in the city rather quickly, and it kept getting pushed back as more and more people arrived. Given that their scenario had been wrapped up thanks to the Heavenly Host, they had a lot of free time on their hands.

  Especially since most of their more problematic elements had been tossed in jail thanks to the Angels. I had told Malphazarin not to kill anyone, but to imprison the truly evil. He was a lot less lenient with that phrase than I was, but it was a better option than judging and executing them in the streets.

  Michigan Stadium was, surprisingly, mostly intact aside from lowest levels, such as the torn up field from when the raid boss had made it their lair. The seating near ground level was similarly destroyed, but only in a few areas. Those who worked on killing the giant wolverine had come up with a fairly good plan that kept such damage to a minimum.

  Now, we stood on the field. There were still patches of grass scattered throughout the stadium and most of the holes had been filled back in. It was good enough for combat.

  Four Dominions, one of which was Tarleann, spoke to each other in the center as they decided how best to create the arena. It wasn’t something they did often, but I knew it was in their power to make a safe space for battle that mimicked places like the Training Car.

  “So, why did you choose me for this?” Kayla asked as she stared across the field at the Archangel’s Avatars.

  “Because we make the best team,” Jeff answered confidently, grinning at his wife.

  “Yeah, not the reason,” she returned before turning to me. “Tell me, psychic boy.”

  I sensed the trepidation in her aura, but smiled anyway. “Kayla, those two are some of the strongest Avatars out there. Not only have they been working with the Heavenly Host for months now, but they’ve also been constantly being fed by the Angelic auras around them. They’re not like me, of course, but that extra power imbuing their bodies is definitely going to come into play.”

  Kayla wrinkled her nose much like Jamie did. “That sounds like I’m about to get battered while my husband does all the work trying to protect me,” she replied. When I laughed, she very quickly turned a glare on me. “What’s so funny, Anthony?”

  “You don’t think you can do it?” I asked in return.

  “I think Jeff’s going to carry this entire fight, yes.”

  I waved my hand as if I could dispel her anger. “Listen, we’ve been pushing you really hard since we’ve started training you, and I don’t think you appreciate how much you’ve grown,” I told her honestly as I nodded towards Jamie and Mercury, who were sitting on the sidelines. “You may feel like the closest combatant we have to someone being a regular person, but that doesn’t make you one.”

  “So, what? I tried harder than other people and now I’m better than they are?” she asked, not believing her own words.

  “Yes,” I answered easily.

  When I didn’t elaborate, she sighed. “I find that hard to believe.”

  “You’ve been surrounded by monsters for a long time now, and that’s skewed your judgment,” I said, reaching out to place my hand on her shoulder. “You haven’t done proper PvP like this since, what? Pittsburgh? Just because you started off as the weakest member of this team doesn’t mean you’re still there.”

  “Okay, don’t try to say I could take Jeff, Jamie, or Mercury in a fight,” she snorted, shaking her head.

  I paused at that. “Fair. My statement still stands, though. The weakest fighter of Sol Ligatus is still so far above the curve that you can stomp a lot of dudes out there. I have seen how much you’ve grown in the past few months, even if I wasn’t there for all of it. You’ve been pushed harder than just about everyone, and it shows. Kayla, you are firmly in the top percentage of all players on Earth. Firmly. Anyone outside of our guild would be hard pressed to beat you in a fair fight.”

  “He’s right,” Jeff said, putting his hand on his wife’s other shoulder. “You’re not going to drag me down. We’re going to kick these guy’s asses and you’ll see that you’ve gotta give yourself more credit. I can see why Ant threw you in here. If we’re going into Hell, you need to know what you’re worth.”

  “Got it in one, Jeff,” I agreed before backing away, giving them two thumbs up. “Y’all are going to win this, and everyone’s going to get a boon. No pressure. Just have fun with it.”

  “Yeah, have fun,” Kayla repeated before pressing her forehead against her husband’s chest.

  The Double Agent stayed that way for a moment before shaking herself free of her emotions, and her aura firmed up as she prepared for what was to come. No matter how she felt in the moment, she was always reliable in a pinch. Jeff kissed the top of her head before they were summoned by the Dominions along with their opponents.

  “Think it’s going to go as you planned?” Jamie asked from a bench as I approached and sat down between her and Mercury.

  “I’d give it fifty-fifty,” I answered nonchalantly.

  Mercury gave me a surprised look. “Really?”

  “Heavens, no,” I laughed as I tilted my head towards the field. “Just watch and see. We’re in for a real treat.”

  Jeff and Michael initiated handshakes as friendly competitors while Kayla and Stan joined in because it was demanded of them. When the Dominions floated to the four corners, a shimmering barrier appeared around the battlefield. I tested it with my aura, but it was sealed tight. Nothing was getting in or out of there.

  The teams backed away from each other, putting about twenty feet between them. I might not have been able to see them through my aura, but my eyesight was much better than anyone who didn’t have a specialized sniper or archer class.

  <<<>>>

  [[Passive]]

  Absolute Awareness

  Your vision is absolute.

  Increase the distance at which you can make out fine details by a magnification of 10. You can see through darkness as if it were daylight, and can see through magical obscurement and weather effects. Items of interest have a high chance of releasing a glow that only you can see.

  In addition, you can use your aura to see in a radius as far out as a foot per point of Wisdom. With this, you can see through walls, though some thick, rare, or magical materials may hinder your sight. Abilities, skills, spells, and passives that require line of sight will work through Absolute Awareness.

  <<<>>>

  Despite the distance, I could clearly see the green lines running along the Death Dragon’s Kiss once Jeff pulled it from its scabbard. The rapier’s blade had been made from the Soul Shearer’s femur while its hilt had been made from the Hanford Site’s robots. It had a rocket booster built in because Ash thought it would be a fun addition. Jeff agreed.

  Whereas the Queen’s Knight’s weapon had a long standing tradition behind it, the Queen herself had something strange. She retrieved a rod with a wide crossguard and a dagger attached to one end from her inventory. Altogether, it was a little over two feet long and both Michael and Stan did a double take upon seeing what was essentially a miniature polearm.

  The weapon was something Ash had made specifically for her. Kayla’s class, Double Agent, was proficient in daggers through a Mastery ability while her skills and passives had started leaning towards party support. Somehow, the Monstersmith had managed to combine the two together in what she had aptly named the Dagger Rod of Stabbing. It was a little unwieldy, but she had plenty of practice with it by now.

  On the other side of the battlefield, Michael retrieved a flaming longsword and traditional round shield. His weapon looked simple and unadorned aside from the golden flames along its blade, but that was deceiving. This was his Patron’s unique weapon, the Flaming Sword of Michael, and was probably in the +2 or +3 range now. It fit his simple class of Sword-and-Board Fighter well.

  Stan, a Divine Wizard, summoned a thick tome covered in color-changing leather. It hovered in front of him, the pages turning automatically according to his whims. This was another Patron weapon called Uriel’s Wisdom. He was the latest addition to the Heavenly Host, and I estimated that the book was probably still only +1. That still gave him access to a wide repertoire of spells

  Tarleann announced something that I couldn’t hear, and everyone raised their weapons to signify that they were ready. They must have seen some kind of signal after that, because everything exploded into motion.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  The Mills’ half of the battlefield exploded in holy fire as Stan brought his hand down onto Uriel’s Wisdom. His spell roared loudly even through the barrier, disrupting vision of where my friends had been. The fire was dispelled as quickly as it started as he was stabbed in the stomach.

  My Fae Step was a skill that I had copied from Kayla, and she had used it right out of the gate to appear next to Stan, putting him between her and Michael. Her Dagger Rod of Stabbing was quick to find a kidney after that. She pulled it free, flicking the blood now coating the weapon in the direction of her husband. The spots on the ground where it landed glowed with a soft light.

  Such a blow was heavy, but Stan turned and began to backpedal. Kayla kept the distance between them short and hooked his leg with her weapon’s wide crossguard. He started to trip, but raised both of his hands in the air. A cyclone caught him, flipping him backwards to put him on his feet. At the same time, his outfit glowed as one of his buffs activated.

  Unfortunately, it also put him back in stabbing distance, where he was once again stabbed.

  Stan swiped with his hand, fingers turned into claws, and I could see them turn to metal as Uriel’s Wisdom glowed. Kayla paused for a split second before shifting the Dagger Rod of Stabbing. His own arm slammed into it before the attack could hit her. The wizard grimaced as he accidentally drove the weapon deeper into himself. Once again, he tried to back away. She stayed on him, not giving him the chance.

  Michael had started running the moment the match started, but changed direction on a dime when Kayla appeared next to his ally. White, Angelic wings wrapped around him as he called upon the powers of Heaven, and the golden flames on his sword became even more intense, growing over half a foot taller than the blade itself. His speed increased drastically, and he was on the Double Agent in a second.

  Or, he would have been if her knight hadn’t shown up, scorched but ready to go. Jeff soared over the ground with his movement skill, Triple Thrust. He led with an outstretched rapier, slid to the side, and then continued towards Michael without losing any speed. When his feet passed over the blood splatter Kayla had left him, the light disappeared and he became just a little faster.

  I nodded in appreciation of what I had just seen. That was a fairly niche and fun way to pass along buffs. There was a chance for the opponent to use it first, but careful planning could neutralize that risk. I trusted her to know what she was doing.

  Michael planted his feet and raised his round shield. His face took on a look of surprise as Jeff’s rapier pierced through both it and the wings covering his torso to stab him in the shoulder. Mercury started cheering beside me as the Queen’s Knight proved he wasn’t done just yet.

  Reaching out with his free hand, the one he wore Crusader’s Wrath on, he pushed the shield out of the way and grabbed Michael’s wrist. The next moment, the fighter was being hurled to the ground as Jeff activated one of his grappling skills, trying to slam the fighter into Stan, but it wasn’t meant to be.

  My friend hit the ground first in a counter that shouldn’t have been physically possible considering Michael had no free hands. Jeff, with his face on the ground, was now all tangled up thanks to his rapier still lodged in his foes’ shield. Through it, he managed to stab the fighter twice more before it was knocked away. It looked like the first blow had been replicated, doubling the number of debuffs he inflicted

  In the few moments that had passed, Kayla had been forced to disengage from Stan. A trio of green circles had appeared around him, rising and falling along his full height, and one of them had physically pushed the Dagger Rod of Stabbing away from him with a thunderous crash. He, too, started glowing with buffs as he had a moment to activate them. Her eyes flicked to Jeff for a moment.

  Stan, seeing that she was distracted, slashed his hand towards her. Water appeared mid-air, already moving as it took on the form of a sword. Kayla parried each attack as she circled him, looking for an angle forward. The liquid fell to the ground once its purpose was done, but the wizard continued to swing his arm around. Every time he did, more appeared.

  It took time to trap the wily rogue, but Kayla was eventually forced to backpedal a good fifteen feet away, Stan tried to turn to the tussle happening two feet away from him. He was distracted as she loudly clapped her hands. A magical Buffer’s Circle appeared around her on the ground, lighting her up as a prime target. The wizard set his jaw and raised both hands when two more Double Agents appeared on either side of her. Both started moving in a wide arc to flank him.

  “That’s a synthesized upgrade to Body Double,” I said proudly, watching the illusions go. Mercury continued to cheer beside me. Jamie was trying to seem bored by the whole event, but her aura gave her away.

  Three blasts of light appeared from Jeff’s gauntleted palm and struck Michael point blank in the chest. He was tossed off of the knight, who quickly scrambled to his feet. Death Dragon’s Kiss was now free from the shield, and Jeff slashed Stan’s back.

  The Divine Wizard stumbled forward as a line of blood welled up from his skin. It hadn’t been a deep cut, just something to save his wife for an extra moment. It worked.

  Jeff immediately caught Michael’s flaming sword in Crusader’s Wrath. The fire continued down the arch, further scorching the Queen’s Knight’s armor, but the majority of the damage was avoided. He took a step back into his perfect range and started thrusting.

  With his rapier and height, Jeff had the advantage in reach. His attacks came quickly and efficiently, putting Michael on the back foot as he continued forward. Each thrust went for a debilitating blow, often aimed for the heart or throat, though sometimes towards the eyes as well.

  The Sword-and-Board Fighter moved his shield to block, trying his best to deflect the thrusts in order to step in and get a swing in, but he couldn’t find what he was looking for. Here, it became clear that the Queen’s Knight was a more skilled combatant.

  Each time his rapier so much as tapped the shield, the bone point would scratch it before being pulled back for another attack. Even when Michael stepped forward to force a deflection, Jeff was already moving to match him. To the average person it may have looked like a stalemate, but I could see the game plan going through my friend’s head.

  I could also see Michael slowing down. It was clear that he was suffering from the full gambit of Jeff’s debuffs, which absolutely sucked for him.

  Twin Kaylas raised their Dagger Rods of Stabbing as they flanked Stan, who now had the letter J glowing on his chest from when the knight cut him. That was a nasty debuff where his stats would get lower every time he attacked someone other than Jeff. It was slow to start, but could snowball quickly.

  Stan dodged out of the way, Uriel’s Wisdom following after him in the air, and threw both of his hands out. Both Double Agents backed off as the ground splintered and cracked a split second before erupting in twin spikes.

  Both moved in unison, one going in front of him while the other went back, and the green circles protecting Stan moved faster. Both daggers passed through them harmlessly as he raised both of his hands. He looked surprised as the illusory attacks pierced his skin but did nothing, and a pillar of light descended on them both.

  The illusions disappeared whenever they took damage, and they were no longer there when Stan’s spell faded. There was now only one Kayla left visible, and her magic circle was brighter than it had been before.

  I couldn’t help my grin as the Divine Wizard lowered his hands to either side of him and turned them to fists. A large swath of dirt and grass on either side of the Double Agent rose with his gesture, each one the size of a small house, and they slammed together. The crowd cheered and gasped in equal measure, and I shook my head.

  Stan should have been paying more attention. Never trust an illusionist.

  Michael stumbled forward as Kayla’s dagger made its way into his back. She reappeared behind him, no worse for wear, and Jeff capitalized immediately the moment the fighter’s shield was out of position. The hilt of Death Dragon’s Kiss lit up with flames as he lunged forward, creating thrust that made his attack more deadly.

  It was a dangerous addition due to the fire spewing from the weapon, but I saw that Jeff had prepared for it. His sleeve burned away thanks to the fire, but it revealed a plate underneath that prevented his skin from taking damage. I had to squint to see it properly, but it looked like it was made from the skin of the Freshwater Freezer Eels I had brought back from my long trip around America.

  “Ash really thinks of everything, doesn’t she?” I laughed.

  “Of course. Isn’t that why you recruited her?” Jamie scoffed.

  “Aside from her winning personality? Yeah, absolutely.”

  Michael staggered as Jeff went on the offensive. The Queen’s Knight used the Fire Bolt skill to keep the fighter’s shield out of position despite his class abilities trying to put it back, and peppered the man with deep blows. All the while, Kayla slashed and stabbed to match, going after the tendons in their opponent’s back and legs in an attempt to debilitate his movement further.

  It was a wonder that Michael hadn’t been counted out by the time Stan turned around, his look of triumph quickly replaced with one of panicked confusion. The Sword-and-Board Fighter was practically made of hit points, and despite everything happening to him he hadn’t allowed for any of Jeff’s strikes to pierce his vitals.

  Michael fell to the ground regardless. His body didn’t turn gray to indicate that he was out, he had just accumulated so many debuffs and so much damage that he couldn’t stand up anymore. Jeff offered Kayla the final blow, like a gentleman, but she declined. Instead, she turned towards Stan and started walking.

  She swung her dagger towards the ground in front of her, and the blood splatter glowed. I laughed as the Double Agent stepped over it, ignoring the mercy kill Jeff was performing behind her, and took the buffs into herself. A moment later, her body grew monstrously large as she took on a new shape.

  Part of the Crowd wasn’t an ability I had seen in a while, but it allowed her to take on the appearance of a monster she had observed before. It was part of the Double Agent kit that helped her with infiltration. At present she couldn’t physically become something else, but she could at level ten.

  Stan didn’t know that, and he took a step back as he looked upon the fifteen-foot-tall Tarantula Hawk Vespae. Ylstin had been Amlex’s personal body guard and she cut an intimidating enough figure that the crowd went wild at her appearance.

  Kayla stomped her foot, and the earth rumbled hard enough that Stan was nearly sent tumbling off of his feet. That had to have come from the Earthquake Bangle, though I knew she wasn’t wearing it. She must have used a Blank Skill Book to bring it into her repertoire to sell the illusion.

  The Double Agent’s illusory mandibles moved as she spoke but it was impossible to figure out what she was saying in this form. Reading Vespae lips wasn’t a skill I had ever thought to cultivate before. Jeff took up his position beside her, rapier raised.

  Whatever she said worked, though. Stan threw his hands in the air at his side. No spells were conjured, and nothing happened. Reading human lips was fine, though. It helped that what he had to say wasn’t very complex, just expected.

  “Fuck that,” I translated out loud for the others. “I give up.”

  The barrier around the battlefield fell and Michael, renewed to full health by the Dominion’s spell, kipped up to his feet. There were no hard feelings or malice in his aura, which I always appreciated about the guy. If it was a good fight, then he was happy.

  He started talking excitedly with Jeff, pointing towards Kayla as she returned to her normal size, and I could tell that discussion was going to go on for a while. Stan took a deep breath and moved to congratulate the Mills on their victory.

  I grinned as the Double Agent met my eye and I gave her two thumbs up. The fight hadn’t even lasted two whole minutes, and it more than showcased what I wanted her to learn from it.

  When push came to shove, there was no one better than Sol Ligatus. Even the weakest fighter we had could turn giants into losers, and that’s exactly how I liked it.