Rani took a step forward, and heard the sound of something small bounce off the back of the Vanguard’s head.

  At a vague estimate, the inside of the diorama probably had a radius somewhere between five to ten miles long. Dividing the number of knights by that estimate was also simple enough mental math. You couldn’t get an exact number, but the conclusion was still there.

  Whirling the Vanguard around, drawing the crossbow as they did, Rani fired a shot at the knight leaping down from the overhang. They could see it pause in midair at how quick they’d reacted, before the wind-powered bolt sent them into a spin. The soldier raised their machine’s sword.

  ---

  It cost a nominal fee to come watch the Lightning Royale, but one any commoner could afford. After all, the crown had already more than made its money back on the event thanks to the wealthy, foreigners, or both. Having accepted he’d never be the former some time ago, Royce was happy for the break. A day off was fine by him, too, even if it was spent relaxing after troubles caused by the event happening in the first place.

  The Royale was usually quite a sight by its end - but it had never started with quite that big a bang before. Royce watched as the first eliminated rider was escorted off the field. He didn’t look happy, but not many would be after their knight had its head chopped off five seconds into a battle.

  Nearby, the wizard in charge of things spoke something to the event’s announcer. He raised his voice. “The, er, very swift first elimination goes to Rani, rider of the Runic Knight Vander!”

  Didn’t sound like a local. Some mercenary here to show off, maybe. Before he could muse on it further, the sound of a pair of heavy boots came tromping down the row. “Afternoon, Royce,” Emrick drawled. He had with him a box of particular size, which he propped up onto the bench before dropping down next to the watchman.

  “Afternoon. Rare to see you here, Emrick. Not exactly a short walk from your forge, after all.”

  The dwarf rolled his eyes. “Really had to reach for that one, eh?”

  “Comes easy to some people.” Royce gestured to the screens. “Work on a runic gem you came to see in action?”

  Emrick nodded. “Something like that. Got your usual longshot bet set up?”

  “Something like that.”

  After a beat, the two reached down and each produced a stoppered flask. Watching people fight could get you parched, after all.

  ---

  That was one down. It would be nice if they could all be so easy. The ambusher’s knight had disappeared completely, though Rani had half-expected it. That meant you had what your unit brought with it, and nothing else.

  Their guard remained up but it didn’t seem like anyone else was in the immediate area. Rani took the chance to inspect where the other pilot had hopped down from. The mountain seemed as much a part of the battlefield as everywhere else: they were rough, but there were paths leading upward.

  Rani spared a glance downward, toward the trees. They’d gladly take the upper route. It was more dangerous, but better than trying to fight with a sword around trunks that thick-looking.

  More importantly, it could give them a better chance of spotting Richard’s knight. Constance had shown them what it looked like, and it seemed like a regulation unit compared to most of the others. Of course, that hinged on him not being eliminated before Rani found him, but it wasn’t their job to solve all his problems.

  Tensing, they brought the Vanguard up in a leap, the magic sending it more than high enough to land on the mountain path. Rani climbed higher, and as they did the sound of warfare could be heard in the distance. They knew it was a pretend battle, but even so the soldier felt their blood quickening.

  Runic Knights weren’t completely sound-proof, for the same reason wind and water could make their way inside, but with their armor it still took a great pair of ears to hear anything but the biggest noises from within one. That was what Richard had to keep reminding himself of, because his heart sounded like it was pounding hard enough for everyone to hear. He’d known this wasn’t going to be like a practice fight, but this was unlike anything the squire had imagined.

  It seemed to only take moments for every competitor to encounter each-other at once. There may have been some alliances, but you’d be hard-pressed to spot any in this chaos. Finding enemies, meanwhile, seemed to be easy as pie. Richard had watched as two Runic Knights had born down on one, quickly disarming it and practically ripping it to pieces before the magic decided it was beaten. It hadn’t been gone for more than a moment before the pair turned on each-other, each going for blows that were probably only just shy of fatal.

  So he’d followed his first instinct: run. The winner would be the last man standing, not who won the most duels, right? It made sense to play it safe, then. Surely everyone watching would realize that?

  Fortunately no-one pursued him from the field where he’d landed, and he made it to the forest. You couldn’t be surrounded as easily there, and the trees were fine cover. Richard stopped near the trunk of one, getting a moment to breath and think.

  In moments like these strange things came into focus. Like why the branches of a nearby tree were going straight through the trees on either side.

  The dagger still came out quickly enough that only a quick dodge backward kept it from gouging into his Lanval’s shoulder. Lavenia had used this model for generations now, and it was reliable and well-armored, but a wound there could still leave it down an arm. The other knight, a far lankier, quicker-looking type, briefly paused before pressing the attack.

  It shouldn’t have waited. Their moment of hesitation gave Richard one of clarity: whoever was inside that Runic Knight, all they knew they were facing was a knight of Leonhold. If they could be uncertain, they weren’t invincible.

  And they were right, too: he was a knight of Leonhold.

  They weren’t a trained fighter, that was clear from the next swipe they gave as their knight lunged forward. That could be dangerous if you let yourself panic or forget your own advantages. If they needed to rely on illusion magic, they weren’t certain they could win a straight fight.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  Richard stepped aside from two quick jabs, then swung their sword in an arc. But the other knight was quick, dodging backward. It was hard to make a clear cut in all these trees, too.

  Again it slid forward, trying to hit whatever blow it could, and again being fended off by the Lanval’s longsword. Richard had had more than enough of this. He pursued the dagger-wielding Runic Knight, the sweeps of his longer weapon coming closer and closer.

  One strike came to a sudden halt, however, as Richard ran into the problem Rani had felt they would: after one near-miss, his blade found itself lodged into the thick trunk of a nearby tree. He tugged at the sword, but it was stuck fast. If this was a magical space, were these trees tougher than normal ones?

  The rogue seized their chance, bracing themselves and lunging forward. It was an obvious chance, one no-one would pass up in this position. Richard had been counting on that.

  Releasing his sword, he dove forward as he raised his Lanval’s fists. The other competitor froze again, not that Richard could blame him. Trained knights were supposed to use swords, or at least weapons weren’t they? But the veterans at the castle had never seen much point sticking to that rule. In a real fight you couldn’t call time out just because you lost your weapon, and the best way of getting around that was to make use of weapons you couldn’t drop.

  Before the other knight could dart away, Richard seized it by the wrist, yanking it forward in one deft motion. He struck out with his Lanval’s other hand, slamming its palm into his foe’s chest. Runic Knights were armored most over the chest, but a good blow there could still rattle the rider inside.

  As the smaller knight fell still for a moment, Richard shifted his grip, grabbing it by the shoulders and hurling them up and overhead. It struck a tree hard enough to crack the trunk. Quickly, the squire grabbed his trapped sword with both hands, tugging it free, before swinging it down.

  He couldn’t help wincing as his enemy’s head left its body, even if it was only a steel one. It disappeared along with the knight’s body; whoever they were, they’d have to pay for it to be reattached. At least it wasn’t the most irreplaceable part.

  That had all happened so fast, Richard hadn’t had room for panicking. He’d practically done it without thinking. Did Albert fight the same way?

  Before any pride could pass through the young man, noise from another clash of weapons reached him from nearby. Richard stopped, considered his options - and carried on further into the woods. He had already proven himself, and panic or no, he had been right earlier. All that mattered was who the last man standing was.

  ---

  Basil finally exhaled. If that little battle had been stressful to watch, he wasn’t sure how he would feel if Richard came near winning. Fortunately, no-one nearby seemed to have picked up on his investment.

  “That’s a Leonhold rider, isn’t it?” Basil asked snidely, pointing at the image of Richard’s Lanval as it carried onward. “What sort of knight drops their sword and starts punching like some common tavern-crawler?”

  “A smart one, in that case,” Friede said automatically. She had been watching the battle almost as intently as Basil, eyes flickering from one skirmish to another. This was the first thing she had said since it began. “If you are not going to add anything, brother, please keep it down.”

  Basil wilted like a scolded dog. "Y-Yes, sister."

  ---

  The terrain on the mountain continued to be rough, but stable as Rani ascended. At the same time, it felt uncanny: no real mountain was this nice. It was like walking on the idea of one.

  This meant it had everything you might picture a mountain having. There were drops, inclines, and places to hide. They had already beaten another failed ambush, and they wouldn’t be surprised if more happened.

  The sound of steel hitting steel came from nearby. Rani slid against a nearby rock shelf. According to Constance most of the Runic Gems in play here wouldn’t be that powerful, but they didn’t want to take any chances. There were probably plenty of spells that could turn a Runic Knight into collateral.

  Carefully they moved ahead, peering around the next bend. At a raised, flat area nearby, two Runic Knights were battling. Rani recognized one as Clive’s: he’d shown them the day they had met.

  As far as personal units went, it wasn’t something you’d expect a well-off merchant to be piloting (if you expected one to at all). It stood shorter than most of the other knights Rani had seen, and even the Vanguard dwarfed it slightly. On the other hand, its armor looked incredibly thick, formed from overlapping plates. Your weapon would break before it ever did.

  Clive’s opponents seemed in the middle of realizing that. Their knight was equipped with a pair of spiked gauntlets, and quick enough to dart in and land several blows. They may as well have been punching the actual mountain.

  As Rani watched, they easily darted back before Clive’s weapon swept through where they’d been. The one he’d chosen was surprising, too: a large, double-sided hammer. It looked like it could snap another knight in half, if it hit them.

  As the swing carried it over the opposite shoulder of Clive’s machine, part of the armor on its back flipped open, as did the other end of the hammer. From out of both came a fierce gout of fire, helping propel the heavy knight as it lunged forward. The nimbler knight might still have evaded, but not on this mountain. Rani was sure they saw them hesitate, briefly, before the hammer sent them spinning off the nearby cliff and out of sight.

  No punishment came down from above as Clive strode up, carefully, to inspect the drop. Rani wasn’t surprised. Even if that were a fatal drop, there was no way you could claim Clive had caused it on purpose.

  Would shoving someone off be different? If Rani put the Vanguard into full gear and hit him at the right angle - but what would be the point of that, even if they could budge him? Just one of those thoughts that made you glad they were only thoughts.

  They tapped their sword against the nearby rocks to get his attention, raising one hand in greeting. “Ah, Rani!” the merchant said cheerfully. He didn’t budge his knight an inch from where it stood.

  “Landed nearby, did you?” Clive tapped one finger against his knight’s cylinder-shaped helmet. “Only one battle with me and you’re already seeing some good fortune. Sensible, too,” he added. “High ground is crucial in a bout like this, not that I need to tell you.”

  So he was like this even during a battle? Terrific. “I’ve been on a few mountains in my time. They were a lot more real than this, though.”

  Clive’s knight nodded. “It’s a nice view, but we shouldn’t tarry too long. A little bird told me that this contraption has ways of making certain competitors don’t stay in one place for too long.”

  Neither of those facts surprised Rani. “Let’s go, then,” they said, turning to leave.

  “Ah, not yet,” said Clive, holding up one finger and turning back to the edge. “I didn’t come up here just to get a lay of the land. You see, thanks to that little bird I also have a very good grasp of what’s permitted in this event. I had a few ideas in mind depending on the terrain, and I think I’ve a fine one here.”

  He gripped the hammer again, adopting a swinging stance. This time the front end of the hammer slid open, as a red glow flowed up the shaft from the knight’s main gem. When Clive swung, out of the hammer came a condensed ball of flame that sailed down in an arc.

  As Rani walked up to join him at the edge, he flung out two more of them, in slightly different directions. It was obvious to them what he was up to, and sure enough, below three patches of the forest were already ablaze. With them packed so tightly together, the fire spreading wide was inevitable.

  “I’m no strategist, but it’s obvious cover, isn’t it?” Clive said cheerfully. “I’m sure plenty of people have already holed up somewhere in there. If the fire doesn’t get them, they’ll have to move quickly. That means less care, and a lot more panic.”

  He walked away from the blaze he’d caused, toward the path down. “Come on. I warned my men that this would come up if there was enough to burn. There’s plenty of good places to catch people as they leave.”

  Rani watched his knight’s receding back. This world and the one they’d come from shared some rules already, and now they could add another. Sometimes, the most dangerous thing you could add to a battlefield was someone who wasn’t a soldier.

  Shaking their head slightly, they followed.