MM - Chapter 101 - THE POWER OF A TAFELL

Damian Tafell

Hammer’s collapsed body slowly faded to mist, replaced by a Lustrous Blue polehammer. The weapon was eagerly snatched up by the vicious little demoness who’d clearly cheated to kill him. After recovering from his shock, Damian’s eyes danced as he sent a message to one of his executioners. He could barely breathe through the anger gripping his guts and lungs.

A not so subtle feminine voice shouted in his ear, “Damian. Damian!”

His head snapped up, jowls shaking, only to find Arya looking back at him just as furious. Finally getting his attention, her voice snapped with commanding authority, “Do you think the core disciples are your toys to kill and threaten as you wish?! They are the valuable future resources of the next patriarch, which is not in any way guaranteed to be you! How dare you attempt to use one of my subordinates to harm phoenix assets. Your breach of etiquette will reach the elders shortly and if I see this kind of behavior again, I will directly take charge of your punishment. Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?”

Caught red-handed, Damian needed a full five breaths to bring himself under control, “Yes, ma’am.” Snarling, he cut ties with the executioner and sent his next request through an outside service he’d used in the past. When Hammer respawned in a flash of light, now at level seventeen, Damian didn’t even look at him, “Get lost. If I ever see you again, it’ll be the last day of your life.”

Stunned, Hammer looked at the downcast faces of the other core disciples, “You’re serious? After everything I’ve… Fine. Good luck with the competition.” Taking out a Return Stone, he vanished in blue particles of light.

A ding in Damian’s HUD alerted him to a new private message. Against his better judgement, he opened it and his face turned pink, “Screw you! You’re dead! You hear me? Dead! There’s nothing in this world that’s going to keep me from wringing your neck with my bare hands, Alaric!”

Raine KongRu

Raine chuckled darkly at Damian’s very vocal response to his last message. He lifted his chin toward Talerra, grabbing her attention, “Payment already came through. Your cousin actually had another five thousand gold on him. He’s seriously loaded. To gather so much with only twenty thousand guild members, a shared dungeon, and one toll gate… They had awfully nice gear too. Just saying.”

Talerra didn’t miss the hints, her brows furrowing, “He also had a considerable sum at the auction...”

Her words triggered something in Celeste’s memory and she frowned in thought. The conundrum remained elusive and vanished entirely when Mel finally figured out how to exit the arena through her interface. She appeared from right where she left and was pounced on from behind by Celeste, “You did it! That was awesome!”

In high spirits, Raine chuckled right along with their excited laughter. Recovering, Mel stood before him with hands clasped at her waist. She shyly glanced at him through dark lashes, “I did it.”

[I can stand beside him now, right?]

Unaware of her thought, Raine nodded sharply, “Of course you did it. You stayed calm, managed your resources, and didn't fall into his pace.” His voice lowered, turning menacing, “That said, you displayed abilities well beyond our last training.” She cringed, both dreading and eagerly anticipating her punishment. “I'm disappointed you haven't been taking our sessions seriously. From now on, I'll be pushing you a lot harder.”

She demurely opened one eye, biting her lower lip, “Y-you're not going to punish me?”

“What? No,” Raine reached out and rested his hand on her head, “We've only been training a few days. It takes time for a master and disciple to understand one another’s limits.”

“M-m-master?” Mel’s mouth went dry and she felt herself growing faint just saying the word. A furious blush exploded across her skin. Unable to continue facing him, she hurriedly spun and sat in the nearest chair, covering her cheeks.

This girl…

Raine’s thought trailed off as two particularly terrifying glares were directed his way. He lowered his brows at Talerra and FierceFire, his voice venomous, “What? You got a problem with one of my people? I’d be happy to settle it on the sands when we’re done here.” Talerra cleared her throat and FierceFire suddenly had much more important things to look at.

Arya finished typing at her interface and addressed both teams, “Talerra, you won the last round. Choose your next contender.”

Raine lifted two fingers, drawing attention to himself, “Hold on.” From across the arena, he pinned Damian with twinkling, cobalt eyes. Hooking a finger at Celeste, Raine subtly lifted his chin, “How about I send her out and we go double or nothing?”

[Mage: Level 15 - HP 510/510]

“You think I’ll fall for another of your cheating tricks?! Shut up already! There's no way I'm taking another bet against you, criminal!”

Raine leaned back, unconcerned, “Are you sure? I recently stumbled into a few thousand pieces of above average gear. Can't remember where but that's not important. If she wins, I’ll get another five thousand gold. If your man wins, you get ten thousand gold, and I’ll tack on ten thousand pieces of gear.”

Mouth half-open, Damian hesitated, mulling over the impossibly good deal. He glanced at his other core disciples, licking his lips. Not one of them seemed eager to go next after seeing the results of Hammer’s loss.

Celeste sidled up to Raine, whispering viciously while jabbing an elbow into his ribs, “You already said I could go next! Why are you negotiating now?” She’d spoken before his words really registered. Pausing, her head slowly tilted and her face crinkled like she was in pain, “D-did you just say ten thousand gold… and ten thousand pieces of equipment? Are you out of your mind?!” She screeched the last.

Since Raine’s previous bets were done through one on one messages, it was no surprise how shocked she was. Mel as well was out of sorts. Her hands fell from her face and her head turned in ratcheting clicks to stare at him. Her brain attempted to calculate the wealth he was talking about, but quickly short circuited as steam escaped her ears.

“Time’s ticking, Damian.”

“Hold on! I need to make a call.”

Arya sighed dramatically but the rules gave them a five minute break between bouts so there wasn’t anything she could do. Celeste moved to stand directly in front of Raine, a finger in his face, “Are you seriously going to wager that much on me? What if I throw it on purpose just to screw you over, huh?”

“That would mean getting poked to death by the rogue he’s going to send to fight you. I don’t think you have it in you to let some slimy loser stick you that many times without fighting back.”

Celeste’s jaw dropped from his innuendo and Talerra used the moment to insert herself into the conversation, “How do you know who he’s putting out next? If you're right, we can't send her! Rogues are the natural predator of mages.”

Talerra’s point was more valid than she knew. In the past, it was indeed considered impossible for an equally skilled mage to beat a rogue. Mage’s excelled at dishing out incredible damage from range and having a wide variety of offensive options. What they lacked in the extreme was survivability. Stealth perfectly countered their range, and worst of all, rogues had access to the best stuns, paralyzers, and poisons. It was almost laughably easy for a rogue to sneak up on a mage and kill them before they ever had a chance to fight back.

Raine responded without hesitation, “I'm sending her. How she'll win should be obvious but I don’t need to explain myself to you. Also, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t intrude into personal matters between me and my disciples.”

Talerra sputtered and FierceFire came to her rescue, practically leaping down his throat, “What personal matters, you pervert?! Talerra’s entire life is on the line here and you’re messing around, keeping secrets and playing games. How dare you treat this with anything less than absolute sincerity!”

Three decades of dealing death with naught but his fists materialized into intense killing intent that oozed from Raine’s skin. He directed the entirety of his bloodlust straight at FierceFire and her knees buckled.

Sensitive to the energies masters employed, Talerra caught a whiff of his killing intent and her heart seized in her chest. Alaric moved in a way she’d only ever seen from peak class five masters and grandmasters. Instead of walking, his body slid through the intervening space as if the air itself pulled him forward.

He was suddenly towering over FierceFire, ice-blue eyes drilling into her soul, “My secrets are mine to keep. Expecting from me without paying the appropriate price is no different than theft. Curse my name, attack me, plot against me, humiliate me, I won't bat an eye. However… I do not abide thieves.”

A soft touch on his elbow pulled his attention away from the terrified girl, “Please, Master Alaric. She was only trying to defend me. Freyja, he’s already won us the first round. Was it really necessary to antagonize him?”

Raine's bloodlust flicked off like a lightswitch leaving the trembling girl titling on shaky legs. FiereFire used a seatback to regain her balance, then took a long, deep breath. With folded hands, she dipped her head respectfully, “No. It was not necessary. My apologies, Master Alaric. It won’t happen again.”

Good. They both noticed. That means she must have as well.

Raine glanced over his shoulder at Arya who was staring at him with wide, panicked eyes. Raine winked at her; all the pieces of his plan were now in place.

Meanwhile, something FierceFire said reminded Celeste of the auction at Romaxilions and her sight dropped to the young blond girl holding Raine’s arm. Her thoughts swirled, the pieces clicking together one at a time. Celeste’s finger lifted of its own accord and she fell back a step, stammering, “Ta…T-Talerra Tafell? Of The Phoenix Clan!” Her eyes darted from face to face, recognition blooming.

[If the United Territories of Amanath had royalty, the Tafell's would be them. They're the most powerful family on the continent, and I've been shoulder to shoulder with them like it's no big deal. I’m going to be sick.]

Dizzy, Celeste collapsed into the nearest chair, mumbling to herself, “This is a competition between scions of The Phoenix Clan. The ones he killed at Vile Peak were Damian Tafell’s personal fighters... And now we’re antagonizing him even further? I can’t. I don’t.”

Leaning around Raine, FierceFire looked at her, incredulous, “Wait, you really didn’t know? Don’t tell me… Is that why Melbelle was so calm?”

All eyes shifted to Mel who was sitting stiffly, staring straight ahead in her best imitation of a window. If not for the sweat careening down her face, she might have pulled it off. Raine, having enough of their antics, rounded on Celeste, “Get it together. This is nothing compared to what’s coming. If you can’t handle this little bit of pressure, then you’re useless to me. I’ll put you in charge of the accounting department and let you punch numbers till you grow a pair.”

In a flash of heat, anger replaced shock and she bounded back to her feet, “You think I can’t handle it?! Screw you! I’ll murder whoever the hell they throw at me!”

[Accounting?! I'd rather die.]

“There she is. Welcome back,” Raine smiled broadly, patting her shoulder harder than necessary.

Celeste swatted at his hand but he moved it before she could hit him, “Don’t touch me! Manipulative bastard. Talerra or whatever your name is, put me in already. I need to kill something.”

Raine’s subtle nod elicited a defeated sigh from Talerra. She hesitated only a moment, glancing back and forth between them before waving to get Arya’s attention. She raised a finger toward Celeste, who was promptly teleported into the arena. Talerra eyed Raine while pretending to focus on Celeste who was pacing back and forth across the sands.

Raine noticed her suspicious look right away, “I dare you to tell me your master is any less manipulative.”

After twisting her lips in thought, Talerra shook her head, “No. I suppose she isn’t. I’m merely unused to observing it from the outside.” She sighed again, folding her hands above her eyes to block the sun, “I wish I knew why I keep trusting you. Every time, I know I’m being a fool and your luck will eventually run dry. When that time comes, it’s me who will suffer.”

Raine snorted, amused, “Let me know when you figure it out.”

Abruptly remembering something important, Celeste spun to find Raine in the stands. She opened her mouth, then hesitated before shouting, “Nevermind!” She fumed, just as upset with herself as him. [Can’t believe I forgot to make him pay me to come down here. Too late now. Threatening to throw a match organized by the Tafell’s is no different than suicide.] More angry than ever, Celeste kicked at the offensive sand around her.

Arya had been staring at her timer and whistled loudly for attention, “Damian. Time’s up. Choose your contender.”

Snarling, Damian lifted an offensive finger at Raine, “I’ll take your bet, criminal!”

Raine happily sent the prepared contract and grinned widely when it was accepted. His smile fell when Damian handed a shimmering Marvelous Gold necklace to a thin man who stood out among the other hulking core disciples. With a nod to Arya, the thin man vanished, appearing in the arena.

[Battle Rogue: Level 17 - HP 860/860]

“How does it feel to be played, fool! Your little mage won’t even be able to hurt Samson.”

Celeste didn’t seem to care about Damian’s comment. The moment she caught sight of the rogue, a staff appeared in her hands and she marched in his direction. Arya’s snapped command halted her steps, “Hold!” She took her time repeating the same preamble from the last match, then raised her hand. Before she could start the match, the rogue disappeared into Stealth.

Every rogue variant had an upgraded version of the general skill, most allowing them to use the ability while being observed. Regardless, the arena had special rules allowing those with any Stealth skill to use them before the fight began.

“Begin!” With Arya's shout, Celeste charged toward Samson's last known position. The tip of her staff glowed bright red and a powerful Charged Blast zipped across the distance to smash into the sand. Upon impact, it exploded into a shower of blazing sparks that spread in a wide circle.

[Charged Blast (Fire): (Beginner) Launches a ranged attack with staff, wand, or bare hands increasing damage by 75%. Manipulate one or more facets to suit your needs: Range, Acceleration, Intensity, Force, Area (Cost: 1-26 Elemental Power depending on facets) (Cooldown: 1 second)]

Before the first bolt landed, another one was in the air and it struck to the side of the first, releasing a wave of sparks. This time, the thin man was within range of the wide AOE. The invisibility clinging to him rippled like a heatwave before he appeared. Despite Celeste managing to reveal his location, the damage Samson took caused Talerra’s team to gasp in horror. [-1]

Damian’s crazed laughter echoed through the expansive arena, “Hahaha! What did I tell you, worthless fucking cattle?! I’ll get everything back and more. Let this be a lesson to never underestimate the power of a Tafell!”