Chapter 373

A marathon.

One damn dungeon after another. They’d made it as far west as Indiana. Each dungeon had been almost insultingly easy, one massacre of monsters and anchor beasts after another. That first night of rest after the first dungeon had been a gentle easing in before the whipcrack of work came. The dungeon in Florida had been only the first stop of nearly a dozen that same day. Jumping from state to state at the speed of Euclidia’s portal travel. The initial broadcast he’d planned to start the whisperings of his new Renown base had gone out with only a little irritation from his ‘handlers’.

His lip twitched. They didn’t blame him, of course, how could he have predicted such a small new agency would just… show up? 

Otis sat atop the transport, one arm thrown over a knee as he stared down at the two of them. There had been a minor clearance delay on the dungeon beneath the university. The administration was being problematic about letting a trio of trained light-touched into their school. He scoffed to himself. The small minded thinking of things. He could have slipped in without a problem if he hadn’t had these two watching him. He sniffed and glanced over his shoulder at the city outside of the small park that had been cordoned off for them.

“Filthy.”

He looked back and leaned forward to watch.

“Thank you for your help with this Evergreen,” Crusader said, standing across from the Guildmaster with her arms crossed and back straight as a rod. Her tan skin and orange eyes clashed with the four streaks of color that cut through her dark hair. She wore her usual light set of armor, a breastplate, gauntlets, and boots.

Evergreen was the picture of easy calm, a small almost indulgent smile on her pale face. Her red and white hair coiled into a single tail today that hung over her shoulder. She adjusted the collar of her plush red winter coat and shrugged her shoulders. “Not like we have much else to do,” she said with a lazy sigh, holding her hands up in faux exaggeration. She held out a hand and crooked a finger. “Show me what you’ve got. Close range, no splash please, we’re in a public park.”

Otis narrowed his eyes and flicked his attention between the two women. Evergreen was an estimable element, Ice and Snow, but she was also a recognized guildmaster. Her power and skills weren’t simple ones. He couldn’t die, but he certainly could be trapped. Knowing her close range strategies may very well prove useful to him in the future. Crusader on the other hand was a more difficult thing to quantify. A function of her power seemed to be providing comfort and healing. Ridiculous and overindulgent in a front line fighter. Where was the optimization?

More interesting was, she wasn’t carrying a sword. He knew her symbol was a broadsword, so where- Crusader reached for her waist and his eyes widened. It just appeared in her hands. A scabbard wrought from stone with an elegant handle poking out of it. She drew the weapon in one quick motion that sang rather than made a grinding sound of stone against steel. The blade was so clean and bright it was almost white. He shifted forward just a little, his breath catching in his chest. Excalibur? It was… almost profane. It was offensive. It was unfair.

The sword, the real sword, not some gilded ability-created hunk of magical steel like the one I swing around. A real dungeon treasure, a sword from the stone, Excalibur! He reached up and bit at his knuckle as he forced down the incandescent fury and jealousy that seemed to wash over him. Then Cursader glanced at him and he lowered his hand, his lips going thin. She’s watching my reactions. Is she trying to goad me? No, she’s just testing me for some reason.

His lips thinned as Crusader got into a fighting stance. Why though? Come to think of it, why did she volunteer for this whole thing in the first place?

Crusaders eyes flicked back to Evergreen and with a single step she moved nearly ten paces. Evergreen’s arm was already up, a gloved hand dismissively gesturing away as the sword struck a slide of ice that sent Crusader’s weapon sliding off to the left. Crusader took a full step forward and pivoted into a backswing, Evergreen’s wrist bent and the slide merely extended, drawing her horizontal slash up and away.

Otis’ eyes followed the sword first, then flicked down to Crusader’s feet as Crusader took only one more step before changing the weapons direction to come right back down like a magnet attracted to its target. She could have taken multiple steps there, what’s with this precision? It’s unnecessary, forces her to bend and move strangely. He thought even as his eyes moved back to that beautiful sword. Tch.

Crusader moved around Evergreen, the Guildmaster not taking a single step as she deflected one strike after another. The smooth, glassy ice creating ramps and loops to completely dismantle every attack sent her way. When too much ice had built up in one area it merely created a wall that Crusader had to smash through, cracking the surface like an egg with the edge of her weapon. Otis’ breath caught in his throat and he clenched his fists again, It’s not a hammer you wretched…

KRSSHH!

Another slope of ice formed but he caught a glint of the blades edge shifting slightly as the edge collided with ice. It didn’t slip this time. The ice exploded as Evergreen finally took a step back and tilted her head up, smirking at Crusader. “Better!” She said as she began to sway backwards slowly, rails and slopes of ice shooting up from the ground with increasing frequency as it turned from a fleeting effort to get past Evergreen’s defenses into a steady pursuit. Crusader only stepped when necessary, occasionally flashing forward several feet at a time with that strange movement she’d done earlier to cover a distance with a single step.

Step economy, Otis finally concluded. Her ability or something she’s doing requires her to count her own steps. He cracked a grin and licked his lips. So if I disrupt her count… His eyes flicked back to the blade of that beautiful weapon as it whipped and shimmered in the air, creating arcs so quick and fast they left afterimages of light behind them.

“Enough,” Evergreen called and Crusader hopped back, snapping her sword down in a quick swing and scattering the frost that had been climbing up the blade. The Guildmaster crossed her arms. “Just standard moves?” she asked, curious.

Crusader, her back to Otis, nodded. “Yeah, getting used to the new sword.”

Evergreen tilted her head and glanced towards the sword. “Who did give you that beauty?”

“My teacher,” Crusader said.

Evergreen’s eyebrows shot up, “Black Lotus? You’ve spoken with her?”

Otis’ eyes narrowed and he slipped off the top of the transport, landing on the ground with a light crunch of boots against grass. Crusader didn’t look back as she spoke. “No,” she said, “It was sent to me through an intermediary. I don’t know where she is right now.”

Evergreen frowned and let out a heavy sigh, shaking her head. “Damn it, Chunhua. Could really use you running around right now.”

“Crusader,” Otis called, cutting into her conversation.

The hero turned around and glanced at him, her orange eyes flat and icy for a heartbeat before she relaxed into the more professional expression she’d been wielding this whole time. “Yes, Otis?”

He smiled winningly at her. “That weapon is beautiful, does it have a name?” He asked, gesturing to her sword and getting closer, his eyes tracing the edge and the handle, the craftsmanship. He wanted it.

Crusader raised an eyebrow at him and looked at the weapon. “No, actually. I haven’t thought about naming it yet. We aren’t that close.”

He had to resist the urge to scowl at her. How can she possibly not know what she’s holding? Call it what it is you barbarian! His smile stayed, though, as he held his hand out. “May I?” he asked, trying to sound polite.

She looked his way again and then back down at her sword before shrugging, a small twitch at the end of her lips. “Sure, knock yourself out.” 

She turned the weapon around and held out the handle to him. His chest filled with air as he delightedly reached out to grasp the handle with both hands, his fingers closing around the- “Urk!” He grunted in surprise the moment she released the handle into his possession. He felt it immediately, his strength leaving his arms before he could so much as react. The weapon pulled him down with it as it fell to the earth, weighing more than anything he’d ever even considered lifting before. He gasped and stared at it, his knees almost touching the ground as he strained every muscle to at least not fall.

“W-what the?” he gasped, refixing his grip but it did nothing to change the impossible weight of the weapon. He looked up at her in confusion. “What is this?”

She just crossed her arms. “Weighs a ton, doesn’t it?”

His eyes narrowed at her, he saw the flicker of mischief there. You think this is funny? It’s some sort of trick. The weapon is bonded to her so it rejects me. He planted his feet and refused to let go for another few seconds. I am a King! You will acknowledge me! He growled as he pulled harder against the weapon, putting his considerable cheat-enhanced strength behind it. It shifted, then slowly he managed to pull it up. Inch by inch it rose until he was holding it at eye level. He panted, sweat dripping down his forehead as he locked his arms and forced it to stay aloft. That was the best he could do, though, his muscles were screaming at him to let the damn thing go.

She took it from his hands with an easy grasp, slinging it over her shoulder like it weighed nothing. “Satisfied?”

He cracked a grin at her. “Yes.” Inside, he felt very differently. No, of course not! It’s wasted on you, but at least I can see clearly it's some sort of bond trick. All I need to do is get rid of the current owner. He held her gaze for a few more seconds before turning away. “It suits you,” he said, pushing his hands into his pockets. He glanced towards the edge of their campsite where a man in a suit was approaching. “It’s about time…”

He glanced her way as she sheathed the weapon into its stone scabbard and it vanished at her waist. He looked up at her. “You’re lucky to have such a good master,” he said. “Getting toys thrown at you. Must be nice.” He added with a thin lipped smile.

Her eyes narrowed. “Black Lotus-”

“Is going to be upset if we don’t finish our work,” Evergreen cut in and gestured to the man. “You have work to do, Otis.”

Otis cracked a smile and tilted his chin up, walking towards the thing waiting for them to take them to the dungeon. “Of course, Right away.” 

–

Each blow came in faster than the last one, an avalanche of strikes that drove her further and further back towards the edge of the designated area. She planted her foot and tried to push back but her body was simply too light. It was impossible to hold her guard up when it was like this. She grit her teeth regardless, stubbornly looking for a route out of the deluge. There, to the left, a moment of hesitation in the strokes. Barely visible. She pushed into it, rolling to the side and felt an explosion of pain burst in her ribs. She gasped, hurtling backwards and out of the ring, her body skipping off the ground and rolling into the edge of the river.*

She pushed herself sharply up to her knees, panting and coughing up half-a-lungful of air and spitting into the water. Her chest heaved with the effort, her head spinning until she finally managed to catch her breath. Beneath her was the reflection of a girl barely ten or eleven years old, dark eyes looked back at her and her black hair was tied up into a simple black bun. She scowled at the face and slapped the reflection once as she forced herself to her feet, turning to glare at the man who had kicked the living daylights out of her.

He was thin, in ratty clothes much like her own hemp-like shirt and trousers. He had a twig in his mouth and a straw hat resting on his head. He picked at his ear lazily as he stood there in the middle of the ‘ring’ made of rocks and sticks. “Eh? Done already Chunhua?” he asked lazily. “Wassamatter? Too weak to throw a punch?”

She scowled at him and strode out of the water, forcing her feet through the mud until she was back on solid ground. “I would have much better time if I were in a proper body!” she retorted, talking over to the edge of the ring. She paused there and leveled him with a stare.

He grinned, “She’s learning!” he laughed. “Attagirl!”

She crossed her arms. “What is getting turned into a child and getting beaten half to death on a daily basis supposed to teach me?” she asked flatly.

He tilted his head and snorted up a loogie, spitting it onto the ground and picking at his teeth, “I dunno, you tell me, squirt. Fightin’ ain’t even th’ Beggar Sect’s biggest thing…”

Her eyes twitched. She’d been training with this man for weeks now and he was finally giving her at least something to work with. She swore he just got some sort of sick thrill out of kicking children around. “What else is there?” she asks evenly.

He paused for a heartbeat and then his eyes sparkled with mirth. He cracked a toothy, broken grin and squatted down to her eye level. “Thought ya’d never ask,” he said and pointed down the dirt road. “Go steal somethin’ for me.”

Her eyes bulged. “W-what?”

–

In the isolated cavern where Lian Chunhua, Black Lotus, had chosen to undergo her latest tribulation, webs had spread across the entire entrance, closing it out from the outside world. Her legs were crossed in a lotus position and her eyes were closed. Her lip twitched with phantom irritation as a part of the skin on her face cracked and fell away, the clearer skin beneath it shining through. She clenched her fists tight on her knees as her head tilted and jerked to the right, deep within her vision.

A single spider on her shoulder watched the piece fall before scuttling back into the darkness.