Princess Olivia Harenaro didn’t know how she was supposed to feel as she stormed out of the Arena. She was as blind as everyone else to what truly happened in there, as the Dunebreaker’s remarkable magic had projected a simulation over the dome. It was the most subtle and intricate of the ship’s abilities, and she still counted it a minor miracle that they’d been able to salvage it after the Chosen’s sabotage.
No matter what actually happened inside the arena, it played out a believable facsimile of the battle, mirroring the actual state of the core combatants inside. As they took injuries in truth, the spectators were treated to a simulation that duplicated the outcome, if not the action that brought it about. Normally there would be six other Arinaen warriors inside, and if all of them had stabbed Calevaro, it would have looked as if Thavin stabbed the man six times all on his own.
It was an amazing tool, and over the centuries had hidden all manner of sins. The unfortunate consequence, however, was that Olivia now had no idea how her brother had actually been killed. He was secretly Dusk rank, thanks to Mazakiel, the forbidden demon Bond that had been passed to him by their grandfather, and that should have been enough.
The strange little demon had been in their family for nearly a millennium, and had been key to many of the greatest successes of the Arinaen kingdom. Wars had been fought and avoided thanks to that miraculous creature, and now it was lost! The only reason that Olivia had gone to such lengths to help her miserable brother was because she hadn’t trusted him to sever the bond as was required of him should he not prevail. Somehow that fool had still managed to lose, and now their father’s wrath would be directed at her alone.
One final mess of his to clean up.
Olivia made an angry sound as she increased her pace. Her escort hurried to keep up with her on the empty streets of Corvale–shockingly they even called out to her–she ignored them, her mind only on the duel. Calevaro didn’t seem the type of man to cheat, but what other explanation was there?
They were nearly back at the palace when one of her guards had the audacity to reach out and touch her! “Princess, please!” he called.
“How dare you?” she said in disbelief, spinning on her heels.
“Forgive me, princess, but there’s something on your cloak!” She looked at him like he was a madman, but decided to listen. The man had knowingly risked his life in touching her. She pulled off the heavy cloak, necessary in the comparatively cool climate of Viridus, and quickly searched through the many folds.
It didn’t take long to find a piece of paper folded over a rune stone, and pinned to the cloak. “Someone got close enough to put this on me and none of you noticed?” she whispered, and the guards shrank back. They knew what this meant for them.
Olivia quickly unfolded the paper and read through the brief note. “Prescription for Adderall?” she said to herself in confusion. She looked at the rune stone, and recognized it immediately. It was used to create copies of documents, and she used them frequently herself. The note said she had ‘a lot of reading ahead of her’, but promised it was worth it.
Intrigued, she turned back to look the way they’d come, the street still empty. Olivia remained angry, but perhaps she wouldn’t be leaving this place empty handed after all.
***
Ethan had taken the time to shower and change into comfortable clothes after the long ordeals of the day, before going up to the roof as usual. Catching up to the Arinaen princess with his injuries and weakness after the duel had been challenging, especially given the number of guards he’d needed to avoid. He’d have much rather left the ‘package’ on the Dunebreaker, but without the temporary runes he’d used previously, its security was effectively impregnable.
Either way, it was done, and he was confident Olivia would make excellent use of Princess Ellevaro’s many secrets and schemes. It was only a taste of the retribution he wanted against her, but was still a pleasant reward after his efforts in the duel. Ethan took a long drag on his pipe, then shifted his focus to the other reward from the day.
With concentration he managed to duplicate what he’d done with Tomo’s assistance a few weeks prior, and felt a jolt of power as he connected with Deevee. The Hydra had reached First Dusk after unlocking its final power in the duel, and he could feel an urgent need for it to evolve. Ethan was more than happy to assist, and felt the transformation happen almost without effort.
He opened his eyes to see the small form of Deevee before him, glowing with a powerful white-blue light. After seeing the process with Tomo, he expected the hydra to nearly double in size. It was a surprise then when the bright silhouette continued to lengthen and grow until it was nearly ten feet long.
The chest broadened as well, the necessity of that clear as three more heads seemed to compete for space–despite the Familiar now being wider than Ethan. The legs lengthened and grew thicker with muscle as well, allowing Deevee to stand more easily as it perched on the roof. It looked a little unusual as the serpentine body rose up in an arc like a cat before coming back down to where the hind legs rested.
As the light faded, Ethan moved forward, mouth open in awe as he inspected the majestic creature. The scales were still shades of blue and purple, though it was now a little darker, and each of the five heads had a thick mane of white fur. The teeth and horns were longer and sharper as well, and the hydra was now much closer in appearance to a dragon than a serpent.
Ethan reached out to pat one of the necks, only for the four others to try to push forward for similar attention, knocking him down in a burst of laughter. “Geeze guys, how the hell big are you gonna get?” He shook his head in disbelief. “I’m not sure how stealthy you’re going to be at this size…”
Clearly understanding his concern, one of the heads flashed with the familiar light of a dimensional energy, before a much smaller Deevee appeared beside its now four-headed counterpart. It flowed through the air easily, and was the same size as it had been at Dawn rank–though it still had the more mature features and coloring of its Dusk evolution.
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“Okay, I stand corrected,” Ethan said. He would have hidden his disappointment, but he had truthfully been a bit worried. Large Familiars were usually stronger, but also much easier to target in combat. “I take it you can split into five now?” he asked.
In answer, Deevee’s whole body glowed for a moment, then a heartbeat later there were five, single-headed hydras before him, though each was roughly the size of a large dog. “Okay…” Ethan said, slightly confused. “It looks like there’s only so much mass to go around…were you doing this at Dawn rank and I just couldn’t tell?”
Seeming bored of the conversation, the Familiars just floated into the air and began lazily flying around. As before, they would sometimes disappear into a rift and appear nearby, only now when they did so they would often change size as well. Usually when one grew smaller, another would grow larger, but it didn’t seem necessary. Apparently they could reduce, or maybe condense their bodies, but not grow beyond a certain scale.
“Remarkable creatures,” a voice said from behind him. Ethan’s eyes widened as Prince Calevaro heaved himself onto the roof. He was dressed in plain clothes, and wearing the Marvel movie disguise: a brimmed hat and dark glasses. A scarf covered some of his face as well, and Ethan had to acknowledge that the man would easily go unnoticed in a crowd. Does he do this often?
The prince limped over, obviously at least as injured as Ethan was from the duel, which had ended only a few hours prior. “May I sit?” he asked, gesturing at the edge of the roof. Ethan nodded, then moved to join the man, groaning as he lowered his own body down next to him.
“An evolution?” the prince asked.
“A significant one,” Ethan answered. “I don’t know much about hydras, but this was more than I expected.”
Calevaro smiled. “Wait until later ranks…it can get out of hand, by the standards of those of us with a single mind.”
Ethan nodded, then pulled his pipe out once again. He was surprised to see the prince pull out something similar and join him, and they sat quietly, smoking in silence for a few minutes. At some point Deevee merged back into a singular being, then stretched its long body out across the angled roof, reminding Ethan of a cat sleeping on top of a couch.
“We won,” he said at last, feeling like it just deserved to be spoken aloud.
“Through unusual means,” the prince agreed.
Ethan winced. “I didn’t know my power would do that. I’m sorry if it was…hard for you.”
Calevaro shrugged. “Dimensional Affinity. He wasn’t real, not in the way we’d define it. But I still felt my brother help me one last time. It’s worth whatever other feelings it may bring.”
“How’s the fallout?” Ethan asked, not wanting to intrude further. “Are you worried about some kind of retribution from the Arinaens?”
“Not particularly. The old Champions rarely make themselves known, but they won’t allow war unless under the most extreme of circumstances. The worst we might see are Assassins, and that’s no new threat to any royal family.”
“Assassins. Shameless, mercenary assholes,” Ethan said with a smirk.
Calevaro let out a rare, small laugh. “That has been my experience,” he said, and Ethan laughed in turn. Calevaro then pulled a small box from his inventory, and handed it over. “I searched our vaults for anything immediately useful to you before the duel, and we were sorely lacking. This will make itself useful in the future, however.”
Item: Shard of Dusk [Dusk Rank] Epic
Consumable
Can be used on any item of Dawn rank power, increasing its rank to Dusk. This transformation has a high chance of adding additional effects to the item.
Ethan grinned at the description. “I’ll take it, thank you. Dusk rank is starting to seem like an attainable goal, finally. Although a few of my newer abilities will take some time to raise.”
“Each time an ability reaches the next rank, the others in that Affinity will grow slightly more quickly,” Calevaro said. “It’s your soul’s own proficiency with your Bond increasing. Be diligent and you’ll find your strength growing at an impressive pace.”
Ethan’s eyes widened at that minor revelation, then he tucked the box into his inventory. He had a few great items that felt worthy of an upgrade, but his daggers had become such a mainstay of his fighting style he couldn’t imagine not using the gift on his bandolier.
“I suppose our next step is the race to the Forgotten City,” Ethan said. “My group has a lot of Hunting ahead of us.”
“Perhaps not so much after today,” Calevaro said.
“What do you mean?” Ethan asked.
The prince looked at him. “You didn’t hear? I suppose you’ve been busy. The Firstbloods and the Pursuers got into a brawl at the Guild Hall last night. It nearly happens every year, but this time one of them pushed it too far.”
“Really? I guess they did seem to fight with a personal grudge. Did everyone survive?”
“They are well enough, but have been penalized. Unsanctioned fighting between Hunters is a serious offense. They will still be required to take contracts for the remainder of the Tournament, but will receive no points for their efforts.”
“You’re kidding. That really does make things easier. We’ll still need to Hunt, but we weren’t that far behind already.” Ethan let out a long sigh. “I think I needed that. I’ve had more than enough pressure tied to getting stronger since I got here. Taking some time with my team to just do the job will be a relief.”
The prince nodded, then stood, Ethan following suit. Calevaro then reached out a hand, and the two men shook. “Thank you for your help, Ethan Bishop. I might have died in there without you.”
“Might have?” Ethan said with a smirk. Surprisingly, Calevaro mirrored the expression.
“Thavin is not the only royal hanging on to a trick or two from an ancient Champion. I would not have allowed my journey to end with that man.”
Ethan raised an eyebrow. “You had a secret weapon that whole time?”
“Using the tools of Champions at our rank has great consequences. We must always be wary of the power we choose to wield, and more so when it is inherited from another.”
He looked at Ethan pointedly. “Thavin’s unknown Familiar was quite powerful, wouldn’t you say? Exotic beyond anything I’ve encountered before.” He moved to the edge of the roof. “Almost anything,” he said knowing, and Ethan grimaced.
The prince raised a hand in goodbye. “I’ll speak with my family, and ensure you aren’t bothered for a time. Hunt well, Bishop; I’ll see you in the City. And be wary of the power you choose to wield.”
With that he hopped off the edge of the roof, leaving Ethan with the sleeping Deevee. A spectral Tomo appeared a moment later, smoking his Astral pipe. “An interesting man, the prince. He sees much.”
“So it would seem,” Ethan agreed, then sat back down to stare out at the setting sun. “I don’t think he’s a problem though. He clearly has his own goals.”
“And what of yours?” Tomo asked.
Ethan smiled, looking over the wall and past the city. “It’s almost time, Tomo. The duel is done, my so-called responsibilities to the royals are nearly behind me. Now I focus on what’s left: gaining power, and taking down the ones who abuse their own.”
