The first sector, the minute after the desync ended.

  “You don’t have to do this.”

  The [Swordsman] smiled at his familiar companion. A deceiver she pretended to be, Gamielle was no longer able to play her aloofness well. For some reason, despite the fact that she had tricked him, Zedart felt like he understood his friend better than ever.

  “Thank you Gamielle. If I don’t make it, tell my parents I’m sorry and stop them from taking revenge.”

  “Listen to me, I - argh, NO LET ME TALK!”

  Gamielle screamed into the air. Zedart didn’t know to whom she was talking to, but it didn’t matter. He knew what she wanted to say even if she didn’t say it. He still wasn’t sure if it was his new class or dying that had given him this level of clarity.

  She was desperately wishing he’d stop.

  “Listen to me, you don’t have to do this. You’re still suffering from soul injury, your skills are damaged. You have time, higher achievement scores don’t always give you the right skills, not when you’re going in like this.”

  “I’m sorry Gamielle.”

  There was yelling from the background. The team guarding the second Trial ran up to the lone [Swordsman] standing in front of the Trial entrance.

  Trevolt called out to him.

  “Hold it! There’s been a mistake, receptionist Sabrina is revoking your application for the Trial attempt.”

  Zedart turned around to look down at the team ordering him to step down. It was two of Garbolt’s old team members. Choosing to work as a guard in the outpost, a safer alternative to being a realm climbing adventurer.

  Zedart nodded.

  “Revoking, not revoked”

  He repeated their words as they looked up in confusion. The disorganization from the desync meant that things like this would take longer to sort out. How had Artigan done it again?

  The outpost’s team leader tried to speak.

  “Under emergency law -”

  “Anyone that enters this Trial I will consider an intruder and cut down. I am legally entering the Trial as an adventurer.”

  Zedart stepped into the Trial portal. The last thing he heard was a whisper in his ear.

  “Good luck.”

  Trial Capacity 1/4

  –

  Day 3 after the Desync

  “Under the rules of–please stop. Sabrina will have my ass.”

  Chris was desperately trying to stop the [Swordsman] from killing himself. Zedart was in rough shape. He wore a tattered tunic with nothing but a plain longsword at his waist. Cloth wound tightly around one ankle. Zedart limped forward.

  The madman had no other gear, no potions, no emergency firearm. Chris couldn’t let Zedart try the Trial like this.

  Zedart barely looked his way.

  “Am I breaking any laws?”

  “No, but think of your parents. What would they say if you just died like this?”

  “I’d hope they’d understand.”

  What the hell was Chris supposed to say to that? Zedart’s story had started blowing up on realmnet two days ago. A [Swordsman] seeking revenge on the one who had betrayed him. Someone who was trying to put down the monster he had created. It was like a fairytale straight out of the Settler generation.

  Sabrina had all but ordered for all the outpost teams to be on the lookout to stop him. Chris hadn’t taken the order seriously until Zedart had limped halfway through their outpost.

  Somehow the [Swordsman] had taken the randomized teleport option and had traveled the jungle like this.

  As impressive as it was, it had to be stopped here.

  “Alright screw th-”

  A blade was at his arm quicker than he could blink. The motion was so smooth and so untelegraphed that Chris hadn’t reacted. Zedart put his blade away before the rest of his new team had reacted. Chris put his hand out, stopping the others from drawing their weapons.

  He had his angle.

  “You just threatened a guard of the Trial outpost, this is grounds for arrest.”

  “I thought there was a poisonous insect about to bite you.”

  Then Zedart started running before he could process how to respond.

  “Stop him! Not with a gun you idiot!”

  A shot fired as Zedart barely twisted out of the way.

  Chris winced, the new guardsmen on rotation had gotten jumpy ever since they all got a dressing down for letting Artigan through. He signalled for non lethal arrest attempts.

  Three [Magebolts] flew at the [Warrior] from up ahead, trying to hit non vitals. Zedart moved to the side, switching to a fencer’s stance, dodging two and touched the tip of his sword to the third [Magebolt]. It didn’t dissipate upon impact, but followed the tip of the blade as the ball of magic was flicked at another guard that was charging the [Swordsman].

  [Uncanny Parry]

  The redirected [Magebolt] took the guard by surprise and hit him in the shoulder, spinning him backwards.

  Zedart continued to run towards the trial entrance. The crazy thing was Chris could see that the leg injury wasn’t fake, the poorly made bandages started turning red with the reopened wound.

  Four more guards descended on Zedart from the front. While most adventurers were still back in the city, the Guild had learned its lesson on being ready.

  A breakthrough attempt should have been impossible.

  Zedart was like a force of nature. He parried, struck and blocked all the attempts at him. Even if they weren’t trying to use lethal force, four other adventurers should have been able to take down a single injured elf.

  Yet here it was, Zedart fended off two outpost teams and all of their skills like he was taking a stroll through the forest.

  It reminded Chris of another monster.

  “We can’t stop him without using lethal force. Back up. Everyone! Clear!”

  “What? But -”

  “Back up!”

  Chris couldn’t help himself.

  The older generation still told tales. About old legends that had been able to match the Tyrants. The ones that talked of realm eight adventurers that you would run from, even if you outnumbered them ten to one.

  Something like that sounded like an impossibility these days.

  Skills and classes had been mapped and analyzed. Teams were much more robust and well rounded, they knew how to deal with singular monsters. The modern age was supposed to be one where a single adventurer couldn’t feasibly defeat a decent team.

  Not even Mezhar could defeat teams before he had hit dragonslayer.

  Yet Chris had met Artigan. Without even a fifth realm upgrade he had made a mockery of every team he’d come up against. Artigan had taunted the entire Adventurer’s Guild by himself and still lived.

  Now came another. Chris, who had listened to the old tales, couldn't help himself. He gave Zedart a fist to his chest.

  The [Swordsman] nodded back in thanks.

  “Come in outpost team. This is Chief Enforcer Ami. Have you apprehended Zedart?”

  Also yes, Chris was definitely getting fired.

  Trial capacity 1/3

  –

  Seven days after the desync - Sector Three, Morteles city.

  Valee scratched at the top of her glass beer bottle with her fingernail. She hadn’t opened the bottle yet but this was a fun little adventurer’s trick. Her finger cut into the glass rim in a circular motion.

  “Please don’t,” the cute bartender began. But it was too late, the orc flicked her finger as the top of the glass bottle came cleanly off, the bottlecap still stuck to the glass. Valee slurred her words, pretending to be more drunk than she actually was.

  “Relax, I’m a [Rogue], my control ish perfect.”

  “Yes but if I let you do it, everyone else is going to want to.”

  Valee shrugged as she drank the bottle in one go. It was decently sized and the alcohol was supposed to be slightly magical. It was perfectly chilled and tasted like the first time she’d ever had adventurer’s lager.

  Not that it helped her mood.

  She let out a sigh as she watched a rough looking [Swordsman] in the corner get crowded by a bunch of other thirders. Her ears picking up the entire conversation.

  “We’re looking for a [Warrior] like you. I know you’re in the shit with the Guild right now but once that’s gone, our team, Fighting Fancy, has space. We also have skills that will help you hunt down that Artigan bastard.”

  Valee shook her head at the idiots trying to recruit the lone elf. They didn’t get it, you didn’t recruit monsters like that. Not that she could talk, not even the most pathetic of adventurers would accept an offer from her right now.

  Even her team had distanced themselves from her.

  “Marickle you fucking whore.”

  “Sorry, what was that?”

  Valee flushed, apparently she’d cursed her ex-teammate a little too loud.

  “Oops, sorry, another bottle please.”

  She gave the very attractive bartender another look that showed she was clearly interested in him. Valee had been trying to get his attention for the past two days and she really couldn’t tell if he was playing hard to get or just leading her on. Or maybe he was just being friendly and her desperate mind couldn’t really tell the difference.

  Valee would have bet that if she’d still been a half elf, he’d have been the one flirting with her. In times like these, she almost regretted her decision to change her species to spite her father.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “I think you might have had enough.”

  “Oh come on Parky. Just give me another, you know I can handle it.”

  Parky the bartender smiled at her and winked.

  “Well, yes, but do you really want to get more drunk before you confront him?”

  Valee blinked, suddenly sobering up.

  “Fuck me, I must’ve really gotten drunk last night.”

  Parky laughed then tilted his head at the [Swordsman]’s table, “Maybe, but hey, it looks like you’re up.”

  Fighting Fancy walked off, clearly annoyed by the blatant disregard by the [Swordsman]. Valee shook her head, they couldn’t even tell the difference between a [Warrior] and a [Swordsman] and they expected to recruit him. Idiots.

  Valee turned to Parky.

  “Gimme a shot, for courage.”

  “Here.”

  The bartender already had it prepared for her as she blinked. It was a swirling pink drink in a triple sized shot glass. Valee took it and downed it in one, then smacked her lips.

  “You’re the best. When I’m rich and famous I’m going to hire you to manage my bar.”

  Oh Manager’s Abode. Maybe she was drunk. Stupid sexy bartender that you could cry your heart to and not be judged.

  “That sounds like a great idea Valee.”

  She stood up, readying herself as a few patrons glanced her way.

  Despite the really competent bartender, the bar itself wasn’t actually that popular. It was why she had chosen to drink here.

  It seemed like her target had also decided the same.

  There were still far too many people in here for her liking.

  Valee stomped her way towards the lone elf. He was pensively staring at his water, the [Swordsman] didn’t even look her way as she approached. That pissed her off.

  “Heard you got your ass kicked by Artigan.”

  Zedart glanced her way, then sighed.

  “Yes I did. And no, I’m not looking for another team.”

  Valee paused. “You don’t even know who I am, do you?”

  Zedart shook his head. “No and please, I’d like to be alone.”

  There was a snicker from everyone in the bar as the peanut gallery started muttering to each other. Valee slammed her fist on the table, noisy enough to silence the room, but not enough to make a dent.

  “Well, my name is Valee Dubois, and he fucked me over in my Trial.”

  This time Zedart looked at her in apology, still not recognizing who she was.

  “I’m sorry, I’ll take some responsibility for that, but I’m not joining a team.”

  “Who said anything about wanting you in a team? I heard you’re strong, I want a spar.”

  Zedart looked unconvinced. “I’ve had people say that already -”

  Valee leaned in to the elf and whispered her next words, not really caring if other people heard. Marickle had already leaked that Valee worked with and even sparred with Artigan. Though Marickle hadn’t known about one thing.

  “I beat him in an adventurer’s duel, I even got an Epic to show for it. Do you want to see?”

  The [Swordsman] sat up in surprise as he finally, properly looked at her. Sharp handsome elven features that became sharper with his expression. He was looking for any trace of a lie, and found none. Valee knew how old Zedart was, the brat was too young to be looking at her like that.

  She gave him a grin.

  “See you in the practice court little elf.”

  Zedart stood up, hand on his hilt. Someone in the audience called out to him.

  “Don’t believe her, that’s Valee Dubois. You know, Dragonslayer Dubois’ daughter? She’s desperate after it was leaked that she had worked with Artigan in the trials. That’s not even including the interview with her dad -”

  The elf didn’t even glance at the speaker, he chased after the orc.

  –

  Morteles, the main town in Sector Three wasn’t quite a city but couldn’t quite be called a town either. The awkward, too-large town that wasn’t quite a city fit perfectly for what the Sector Three was for most adventurers.

  A stopping point before the all important Sector Four.

  The practice court in the city was the same. Designed as an arena, it was too big for the few teams that used it, but also too small for something that should have been the main attraction for the largest town in a sector. Most people that came here were bored local Realmers that came to watch budding adventurers practice together.

  Valee and Zedart took the stage. No other team had scheduled practice today. Most adventurers had plenty of time to do that during the desync lockdown.

  Most of the other teams were either out doing quests or managing monster migrations. Nobody wanted to be seen as slacking off. Especially when the trust in the Adventurer’s Guild was at an all time low.

  Despite that, the word of the duel spread. The few teams that were in Morteles had arrived to watch. Dragging along quite a few Realmers.

  It was a bigger event than anything Morteles had seen in ages.

  Zedart’s story had been trending in the past week. Everyone was curious to find out how powerful this solo adventurer was. If he could really get his revenge.

  Valee wasn’t enjoying the recordings. It wasn’t that she hadn’t performed for much larger crowds on Earth. It was that she saw every video as a leak of her abilities.

  Artigan’s ambush on her team had soured the idea of performing in front of so many cameras.

  Unfortunately, she was desperate.

  “Kick her ass Zedart! Show her what a real adventurer is like!”

  Valee glared at the speaker but turned her attention to her opponent. The [Swordsman] was solely focused on her, tuning everything else out.

  Now this was a fucking monster. Valee felt it, she wasn’t confident in winning. Despite her Epic.

  “Rules?” Zedart asked.

  “No killing, nothing magical. Everything else is permitted. I have potions if you need them.”

  Zedart nodded. He took out his plain longsword and took a stance. Two handed, point towards her.

  Valee punched her metal gauntlets together, it no longer had bladed attachments.

  She didn’t need them anymore.

  She started breathing.

  In… and out, in… and out. In and…—At the third exhalation she exploded outwards.

  Valee charged in peekaboo style, spinning her upper body in a figure eight. A dempsey roll. She started throwing her punches from range, as fast as she could, and as hard as she could. The weight of her entire body with each punch. Every punch seemed to fly out from her fists, enclosing the elf in a barrage of punches.

  [Extended Blows]

  VS

  [Uncanny Parry]

  Zedart’s blade swept all her extended strikes and flowed into a perfect, slashing thrust at her throat. The [Swordsman] added a light [Cleave] into the short slash. Extending the range of the strike.

  Valee used her momentum from her roll to shift the extended attack away from her. She swept the strike’s extended blow with her arm, taking care not to touch the edge.

  Stopping an extended [Cleave] from a [Swordsman] as a [Rogue] was considered incredibly stupid.

  But not if you were confident in your own skill.

  She was a monster too.

  Valee slid the [Cleave] off her gauntlet as she got in range to try to grab the sword arm with her other hand. It didn’t work. Zedart stepped back and flicked his blade down, endangering her outstretched arm.

  She pulled back before he did.

  Then Zedart readied a thrust.

  She went for the blow for blow. Even if he cut her arm she’d grab his arm with her other hand and it would be over.

  Zedart somehow seemed to realize this as he let go of his double handed grip and seamlessly switched into a single handed thrust. He thrust and the tip of the blade pierce into her gauntlet using her own momentum. Valee tried to twist her arm mid thrust but realized she couldn’t sweep the perfect stab away.

  If she stepped forward, the blade would just continue forward into her arm. She leaned back and Zedart removed the blade in a swift motion. Blood started tricking down her gauntlet and into the dirt.

  “You can’t be a [Swordsman] that just entered the third realm. What skill was that?”

  “[Sword School: Efficiency].”

  She groaned, that was a Rare passive. One that all [Warrior] classes desired but never received. It also shouldn’t have let Zedart do what he just did. He had read her easily and transitioned from two hands to a fencer’s stance in close range.

  One thing was clear. Valee was completely outclassed without her Epic. She sighed and activated it.

  [Adaptive Terrain: High Friction]

  Zedart blinked as Valee went on her tip toes and flung herself at top speed. His blade moved in the most economic manner to cut her side. Valee landed lightly on her front foot then jumped left.

  Zedart shifted to a two handed long point stance, his blade tracked her as she flitted around him. She wasn’t trying to close the gap yet, just trying to build her own speed and wait for his movement.

  Land, leap left, land, leap right, land, leap back, land, leap diagonally forward. Every leap happened the instant her toes touched the ground.

  From the outside it probably looked like she was using continuous [Partial Accelerations]. It wasn’t too far off.

  It still wasn’t enough.

  The bastard [Swordsman] was almost keeping up with her speed, in fact, he went slower with more deliberate movements. He was adapting and getting used to her erratic movements. Zedart tried to take a step forward and stumbled as he stepped further than he expected.

  Her Epic impacted his terrain too.

  That was the moment she was waiting for.

  Valee pounced with max friction then changed her Epic before Zedart could land on his other foot.

  [Adaptive Terrain: Low Friction]

  The [Swordsman] slipped, his eyes growing wide as he saw a flurry of [Extended Blows] flying towards his face. Even while he was slipping the monster was still parrying the blows.

  Still, it was over. Zedart was desperately trying to parry her blows out of position and she was too close, too quick. One grab and it would be over.

  That was when Zedart used his own Epic.

  Valee heard the whisper under his breath.

  “[Desperation Stance]”

  Valee blinked as the [Swordsman] stepped and centered himself like he was treading on firm ground. His upper body flowed with economic precision as it glided up her outstretched arm and stopped at her neck.

  He simply twisted out of her reach as she slid forward on the low friction ground. Zedart’s blade traced her neck throughout her movement but didn’t cut her skin. She slid past him.

  Valee didn’t try to grab him.

  She stopped her slide then collapsed onto the ground, facing the sky and breathing heavily. The arena was a mix of silence and cheers. Cheers from the idiots that didn’t understand what had happened. Silence from those that did. Her ears picked it all up.

  She had lost.

  Zedart cast a shadow over her and offered her a hand.

  “That was a good duel.”

  Valee looked at the proffered hand but didn’t take it.

  “No wonder he thought he wasn’t talented.”

  She heard Zedart’s heart skip a beat. She really didn’t like how he was staring at her, it felt like he wasn’t looking at her but staring right through her. It annoyed her at the bar and it annoyed her in the duel. He was too fucking young to be able to see like that.

  Valee stood up while ignoring Zedart’s hand, then tossed her head to follow.

  “I still have no intentions of joining your team miss Dubois.”

  “Call me Valee, and no, I’m not asking you to join my team, I don’t have one anymore. I’m buying you a drink for winning.”

  “I’ll have to decline-”

  “You won’t ever catch up to him, you know? You can solo all the Trials you want, you can even skip acclimatization with your skill. Even still you will never catch up to him, not alone.”

  Valee heard another skip in Zedart’s heartbeat. She turned looking at him dead in his perceptive eyes.

  “Come on, we have things to talk about.”

  Once again the elf found himself following the orc [Rogue].

  –

  Every arena came with enchanted privacy chambers. It was necessary for teams to prepare without their opposition hearing their own strategies. The enchantments at Morteles’ arena were definitely subpar compared to some of the ones used in more popular sectors but neither party truly cared.

  Valee took a long drink from the beer bottle. The elf refused to take a sip.

  “Well, I’ll be honest, I do want to team up. Even more so knowing that you can work with my Epic.”

  “The answer is still no, if that’s all -”

  “Do you think I want to team up with a traitor?”

  Somewhere, an eavesdropping Gamielle and Parky the bartender both did a spit take. The Witch Tyrant simply raised an eyebrow.

  Zedart finally took on an expression that gave the orc woman some satisfaction.

  “That’s right, he told me the truth. You’re the asshole that betrayed him first.”

  The elf boy’s hand trembled, he looked up at the orc woman who was now looking right through him.

  “You know, other people think you’re trying to do something out of a story. That you’re on a revenge track against the traitor of your team. Trying to match the pace of a solo [Rogue] going on a tear.” Valee leaned in closer, “I know that’s bullshit. I think you’re just a sad little boy that feels so much guilt he can’t bear to join another team.”

  Zedart looked at his hands, the trembling had stopped almost as soon as it started. Valee pulled harder, she never did like to let go of things that ended up in her hands.

  “What was your plan? Go to him and let him kill you again? Beat Artigan up until he realizes he’s also a stupid kid and drag him back to the Guild? Or do you intend to join him?”

  The orc woman could hear the [Swordsman’s] heartbeat, the elf boy wasn’t quite experienced enough to stop his physiological reactions from giving his thoughts away. Despite his cool exterior the [Swordsman] was cracking like an egg.

  “C’mon swordboy, join me,” Valee put her hand out to Zedart, “we’ll grab that idiot and see what we can do to get him back on track. Or we’ll join him together.”

  Zedart looked up in surprise.

  “You would choose to join with a traitor?”

  Valee laughed, “my father’s the most hated dragonslayer in both worlds and my previous team used how I acted with Artigan as an excuse to distance themselves from me. I have nobody,” she swirled the liquid in her bottle, then she pointed at Zedart, “and you will not team up with anyone because they don’t know the truth. Well we can work together and be a fucked up team together.”

  Valee downed the rest of her bottle.

  “Besides, you won’t be able to stop him alone. I can promise you that.”

  The orc woman offered her hand again. Zedart looked at it and made to move, he had made his decision.

  That was when the alarm went off. All the lights in their room turned green as their privacy chamber cancelled its own enchantment. A rumbling siren sound started echoing across the entire city. Their phones also blaring out the same alert.

  “Lazhen town is under attack. All third realm adventurers are to report to the System portal for emergency backup. All higher realm adventurers are also to report for standby duty.”

  Both adventurers stood up immediately and shared a look.

  It could only be Artigan.

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