“Son of a bitch!” Mateo yells.

  “What is it?” Stitches asks.

  “Nothing, what did you roll?”

  “Eleven.”

  Mateo stares at his die and sighs. Blanco tosses his die into the mix, and it stops on an even twenty.

  “It would seem I have the honor of going first, but I will explain a few things for you ofcourse, unless you’ve been challenged in a turn-based domain before?” Blanco asks.

  “I have not, so go ahead,” Mateo replies.

  “Just let me access my menu, ah, there it is,” Blanco says tapping the air.

  Turn-based combat tutorial activated: When in turn-based combat your actions will be restricted to offensive or defensive depending on what phase you are in. Turns consist of, standby phase, combat phase, and end phase. During your standby phase you are allowed to use up to two consumables per combatant. You may also summon any familiars during this phase; this will still consume mana. During the combat phase you will attack your opponent. You can make no actions in your end-phase as it simply ends your turn. For a more detailed description of turn-based combat consult your local turn-based manuscript or tome dealer.

  Blanco raises his hand and hundreds of swords rise into the air. He smiles staring down Mateo and Stitches.

  “I have provided your healer with a wellspring of life force to take from, that is, if she survives the first turn,” Blanco says with a smile.

  Blanco rises into the air directing his attack at Stitches.

  “As the petals dance across the air so does death flow through the wind like razors piercing the veil, I summon the petal dance of blades, Byakuya the midnight sun.”

  Ability activated: Byakuya midnight sun. Blades dance like petals in the wind blanketing the world in their beauty, if only to tear it apart with their rage.

  Stitches falls to one knee and Mateo casts a ward to protect her as thousands of blades assault her. She gasps for air as blood pours from gaping wounds underneath her torn cloak.

  Blanco gives off a cynical smile before ending his assault that leaves Stitches in poor condition. He lowers his hand, and a message appears in Mateo’s peripheral.

  Combat phase has ended.

  Mateo runs to Stitches pulling her into his arms.

  “Stitches are you ok?”

  “I’m, I’m fine,” she replies breathing heavily.

  Standby phase.

  Stitches pulls a healing potion out and Mateo pours it into her mouth. He asks her for another but she refuses wanting to keep one ready for him. The two consumables per combatant seems to only apply during a duel between combatants of equal numbers as Stitches’ and Mateo’s consumable counter for their standby phase drops to one.

  “We need to be careful, this guy has obviously done this kind of combat before, but I’ve never heard of a turn-based domain,” Stitches says returning to her feet.

  “Yeah, it’s our turn to show this asshole up,” Mateo replies.

  Stitches rolled higher so she goes first buffing Mateo’s damage while also increasing his defense. She keeps half her mana and all of her stamina in reserve. Mateo steps forward ready to assault his enemy.

  Combat phase.

  Spell activated: Void lightning.

  Violet bolts of lightning slam into Blanco’s armor and his face turns to an unsettling grimace. Mateo steps back grunting as his own spell is reflected on him.

  “Godsdamnit, what the fuck was that!” Mateo yells.

  Armor of the White Falcon has reflected thirty percent spell damage.

  Mateo charges forward extending Drako’s razor to a short sword, he is halted by a wall of floating blades through which he cannot penetrate. His stamina drops to zero and he retreats back to his station.

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  End phase.

  First combatant standby phase.

  “Not a good idea to deplete your stamina in the combat phase as it does not replenish until your next standby phase, without stamina you will be unable to dodge,” Blanco says with a crooked smile.

  First combatant combat phase.

  This time Blanco ignores the healer focusing his attacks on Mateo as he has no stamina and cannot dodge.

  Blanco launches a hail of swords toward him like a volley of canon fire. Mateo expends his mana casting a ward that blocks most of them, but his mana isn’t endless, and his ward soon breaks. Blanco appears before him with a cynical smile.

  “You have a lot to learn, and little time to learn it,” Blanco states sending Mateo to the ground with a single punch.

  Standby phase.

  “Mateo, are you ok?” Stitches says running to his side.

  “I’m fine, would have been nice to know our mana and stamina don’t replenish,” Mateo replies.

  “This is a trial, we should be on our highest guard, the order of the Tiger is testing us,” Stitches says.

  “You’re right, let’s be more careful.”

  Mateo climbs to his feet wiping blood from his lip.

  “I didn’t expect a more powerful opponent to use such cheap tricks, what rank are you anyway, if that’s not too much to ask,” Mateo says.

  “Second claw Tiger apprentice, which is far more powerful than the both of you, but not so much so that a one versus two is unfair, you will find though, that most battles you encounter will indeed be, unfair,” Blanco replies.

  “Rayo isn’t with me and I can’t reach Natalia, what did you do to them?” Mateo inquires angrily.

  “Too many questions and too little time, currently that is, win or lose I will be happy to answer your query, but I cannot be an almanac of information in the center of a dual,” Blanco replies.

  “Fine,” Mateo scoffs.

  Stitches uses a healing potion on Mateo, and he summons Zena depleting one fourth of his mana. Stitches summons her flesh golem Monica placing her in a defensive state.

  Combat phase initiated.

  Mateo charges Blanco as Zena deflects his telekinetic swords. Breaking through his guard Mateo lands a blow depleting a small portion of Blanco’s health.

  Stitches bolts forward striking Blanco with her staff, but it has little effect.

  Endphase.

  First combatant standby phase.

  Blanco pulls a curved saber from his inventory readying himself for his combat phase.

  “I hope you know how to parry,” Blanco yells.

  First combatant combat phase.

  Zena holds off a halestorm of telekinetic blades as Mateo dodges Blanco’s assault with his extended dagger. He blocks some of his strikes but is unable to counter his assault when Blanco suddenly disappears reappearing behind him. The curved blade makes its mark cutting through his Cuirass del toro.

  You have received critical damage. Damage inflicted has been increased by 150%.

  Mateo falls to one knee spitting blood as Blanco redirects his assault toward Stitches. Monica turns to block him, but he phases through her as if she is nonexistent leaving his telekinetic blades to dispatch her. Reaching his target, he sheathes his saber instead grabbing Stitches by the throat before slamming her to the ground. Mateo tries to crawl to her but is stopped by an invisible field.

  Blanco kicks her in the ribs a few times placing his armored boot on her cheek.

  “Mages, always made of glass, no better that you’re a pathetic neko, don’t worry though, wounds in a turn-based domain are superficial, you won’t die, not this time,” Blanco says with a wild look in his eyes.

  Blanco stomps down on Stitches’ head and she spits blood squirming in the dirt. Monica dissipates and Stitches kicks her feet struggling under his boot before stalling motionless in a puddle of blood.

  First combatant endphase.

  Mateo runs to Stitches, but she is too far gone to heal. A hate builds within him, and he turns that rage toward Blanco.

  Standby phase.

  “You fucking monster, you could have just defeated her, you treated her like a godsdamn animal, I’ll fucking kill you!” Mateo yells.

  “Then do it, stop being a little bitch and show me you are worth the time I’m wasting on you,” Blanco says with a deeply disturbed grimace.

  Combat phase.

  Mateo re-summons Zena using her to bypass Blanco’s swords again, but this time he is met by his saber. Blanco’s blade carries little weight, but it is difficult to circumvent. Dexterity must be Blanco’s highest skill, and it shows. Mateo falls back unable to inflict more than a few points of damage to Blanco’s health.

  Endphase.

  “All that rage and you’re still just a rat in, well, nevermind, let me show you what true power is.”

  First Combatant standby phase.

  Blanco steps into the middle of the arena and smiles at the motionless corpse of Stitches.

  “You two seem close, is she a love interest of yours?” Blanco asks.

  “Fuck off birdman,” Mateo says panting.

  “Just curious, don’t take this personally, but I’m going to beat the absolute fucking shit out of you now, and you’re going to take it because you deserve it for being so weak,” Blanco says with a smile.

  First combatant combat phase.

  Blanco steps up to Mateo and kicks him across the face. He slides into the dirt digging his fingernails into it. Zena goes to protect him, but Mateo holds up his hand.

  “Don’t, he’ll hurt you too,” Mateo says dismissing her.

  Blanco steps past the vanishing familiar kicking Mateo in the ribs. There’s an unsettling crack as they break. Laughing, Blanco steps over Mateo toward Stitches. He grips her ankle dragging her through the dirt. Mateo sits up holding his broken ribs as he coughs blood into the dirt.

  “What are you doing?” Mateo asks.

  Blanco swings Stitches’ corpse into Mateo and his health points drop to zero.

  First combatant endphase.

  First combatant has won the duel. You will now be sent to the waiting area where you can elect to challenge your opponent again.

  “I’ll admit, that was a bit, excessive, I hope my challengers aren’t too rattled by it,” Blanco says as a bat winged pixie in a suit appears on his shoulder.

  “Don’t worry boss, I’ll smooth everything over with that caramel skinned fox of a pixie the Voidwalker has.”