Sworded Affair

[Princess Astaroth - Level 25 Warlock of the Deep.]

She'd gone up a few levels since their last meeting, and replaced her black robes with a black bodysuit; far more mobile and better suited for fencing. No blade was visible, but in an era of storage items this meant little; Emma had seen her in action enough to know she was dangerous, unarmed or otherwise.

"You made it!" Emma couldn't help exclaiming.

"I promised to attend, did I not?"

"Yes, but after how our last meeting ended, I couldn't help but wonder. We lost days to time dilation, and there was no telling where or even when you ended up when the dungeon was cleared."

"I won't lie and say the journey was easy," Princess Astaroth laughed. "That went out the window the moment every plane worldwide went down in flames. I took the long away around, but somehow, despite everything and everyone conspiring to delay me, I made it before the cut-off; just in time to relieve my frustrations with a bit of harmless stabbing."

"I don't know about harmless..." Emma began, before trailing of as she got a proper look at the other participants who'd arrived.

The hall was a decent size, and there were already a few dozen men and women who had arrived before her. Compared to the fight club just a single night before, the atmosphere couldn't be any more different, and not just because everyone started at the same spot. Rather than a Norse aesthetic, the furnishings were notably bland, with walls and ceiling pure white and devoid of decoration. Simple wooden tables dotted the hall, laden with an impressive selection of alcohol and not a single nibble of food in sight; which made sense, looking at the clientele.

The first night had been a gathering of youth, many of them ill prepared for battle, ranging from merely inexperienced to outright incapable. Tonight's audience trended older; not to the point of grey beards and arthritis, but with a definite lean towards maturity. Scanning the room, Emma found only a handful of people who could pass for teenagers; the rest looked like university graduates, fresh out of academia and ready for the workforce. There were even a few elders among them who looked anywhere from their late twenties to passing for her dad's colleagues in the security service, well into middle age and near what the uncharitable might call old behind their backs.

Their actions weren't necessarily any different from the viking-themed after-party, as small groups of friends huddled together, discussing the upcoming event in low whispers or sizing up their opponents like Emma was doing, but there was a definite atmosphere of caution and experience that was previously absent. More notably, none of their profiles were displaying to the System, indicating a level of preparation against her presence that had been wholly absent up until now.

[The first night is traditionally one for the youngsters. The events are the simplest, with low barriers for entry and prizes well-suited to newcomers with limited resources. Many of the more experienced Practitioners skip it altogether. Each subsequent day gets harder, so typically those who struggled on the first night's events will give up and spend the rest of the week pursuing other forms of entertainment.]

"Which means everyone here today is either strong enough to be confident in their chances, or have done this before to be sure they belong," Princess Astaroth conccurred.

[Ironically, this means that the young attract the most attention, because any willing to show up tend to be the cream of the crop, true prodigies, whereas the older participants can run the gamut and trend towards the average of their age bracket. They'll still be significantly better than the average last night, with deep pockets to pull tricks from. System concealment is a common one; expensive, but worth the cost once they confirmed your attendance.]

"I'm not getting that much attention," Emma protested, right before she felt a cold chill run down her non-existent back.

[Rorschach's Blot activated! Punishing the aggressor.]

"Never mind."

Emma continued scanning her surroundings, because whilst there was a chance this was coincidental, the most likely culprits were all in the same room as her. It wasn't a proper competition sport until the first cheating scandal, as the old saying goes.

"Lord of darkness, share your insight! Grant me eyes! Grant me eyes!"

A commotion broke out in the far corner, as a reedy little man in a pinstripe suit dropped his beer and began to claw at his face. A good Samaritan nearby tried to calm him down with words and a firm grip, only to take an elbow to the face for his trouble. The next man to try was considerably less restrained; he still used words, this time of binding, silence and slumber. Wrapped in ethereal blue chains, while a warbling choir of skeletons sang him an illusory lullaby, the rabid man finally stopped struggling at the two minute mark.

"That was a strong response," Emma remarked, relaxing as the sense of observation faded the moment the man fell unconscious. "What did he want from me, to get that kind of treatment?"

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

[That was Alexander Jones, Warlock, Auctioneer and Tomb Robber, not necessarily in that order. He was under the impression that you were an animated suit of armour belonging to another, and was surveying you with an eye towards acquisition under the cover of tonight's event. He no longer believes this, nor will he be capable of forming beliefs for the next few hours at minimum.]

"Ew," Emma grimaced, glaring at the unconscious man being dragged away by a pair of burly manservants. "I know it's not human trafficking, but that doesn't make it much better. For one, he looked to be at least three times my age."

[Mr. Jones has a reputation for 'liberating' the belongings of his fellow Practitioners. Whilst none of those tending to him are privvy to exact details, they'll be aware that he tried to do something unsavoury. You won't see him for the rest of the festival.]

"Good riddance."

---

Status Page below:

Emma Knight

Public Title: Practitioner

Hidden Title: Auditor

Commendation: Order of the Empire, First Class

True Form: Level 17 Damned Apostle

Anima: 500

EXP: 13,374/14,000

Abilities

Summon Unholy Sword {Epitaph}

Toxovolia: Epitaph can transform into a Bow, firing arrows of ambient anima.

No Pal of Mine: Capture the souls of the worthy, gaining a simulacrum of equal level to the User. Maximum 1 active per 10 levels, rounding up. 10 minute cooldown when defeated. Captured: The Leech King, Sir Bearington, Earthbound Immortal, Antipode, Duplicate, Monitor Lizard

Flying Sword: Epitaph can change size, and fly up to 60 miles per hour.

Oversoul: Instantly possess the body of a living target.

Parallel Lives (Cooldown: 1 minute): Swap places with your active Summon.

Angel of Extinction (Cooldown: 12 hours): Summon an Angel within line of sight. The Angel is invulnerable and departs after 12 seconds, killing anyone who saw it.

Return (Cooldown: 24 Hours): Teleport Home. Cooldown resets when Home is in danger.

Traits

Wolf, Ram and Heart (Toggle: OFF): Attacks are imbued with Death magic, significantly increasing damage and carrying a [Level]% chance of inflicting Instant Death.

Ephemera (Toggle: OFF): Become intangible.

Null Zone (Toggle: OFF): All incoming magic fails.

One with Everything (Cooldown: 10 minutes): If Anima would be reduced to 0, stop at 1.

Babble Fish: You are fluent in every language.

Rorschach's Blot: Attempts to observe you remotely produce nonsensical images to those bearing ill-intent. You will be alerted when observation commences.

Home Is Where the Hearth Is - EXP gains doubled for 1 hour after eating a home-cooked meal.

Half-Demon Homunculus: Level 10 Chandler Stored in Eden's Echo when not in use.

HP: 100

MP: 100

EXP: 2025/3000

Appearance

Red hair, green eyes, plain complexion.

Clothes

Purple Tunic & Sandals

Space Suit

Traits

I'm a Candle: A modern understanding of non-magical candles.

Everlasting: Your candles will last forever, barring external interference.

Noncombustible: High resistance to heat and fire from all sources.

Blood of the Enemy: Blood taken from those you slay may substitute for

one

reagent when making Candles. Candles made using this trait are Demonic.

Breath Control: You can hold your breath for (Level)*2 minutes without losing focus.

Candle Attributes

Black: Consumes nearby light, leaving impenetrable darkness.

Hallowed: Repels beings of evil alignment or intent.
Continue your saga on My Virtual Library Empire

Soothing: Emits a potent soporific that can put an elephant to sleep.

Chaos: Emits a different negative effect each time it's lit.

Pathfinder: Creates a link between two candles. When both are lit, a portal is formed.

Guardian: While lit, you are invulnerable within your own home.

Toxic: This candle's fumes are deadly.

Inventory - Eden's Echo A ring containing fifty cubic metres of storage space, capable of instant transfer. Living beings are held in stasis and slowly heal. All sapient creatures are less likely to attack the wearer. This item is invisible except to the wearer, who cannot wear other jewellery. Currently contains:

Eternal Wind:

No matter near or far, all are one. Light a candle with yourself for two ships in the night, build a bridge where none still stand.

24,799 Thrones

Qilin Horn

A Practical Guide to Entropy

Portable Crafting Bench

Blueprints - Menagerie

Crystal Emporium Voucher (50% off)

Quests

It's the Green You Need

Bonus Objective: Form a summoning contract with the Hydra once it has enough heads.

Bonus Reward: ???

Who Wants To Live Forever?

Objective: Pay your respects at the Grave of Sectmaster Horizon.

Objective: Discover who manipulated his Son to turn against the Empire.

Bonus Objective: ???

Reward: ???

Bonus Reward: ???