Chapter 129

Merder Arena, Merder Stadium, Atlanta - 12:17 PM

I grit my teeth and got up the moment my spine was fixed by Heavenly Hero. The pain spiked before it started to dull, and I got up to my feet as fast as I could. Without checking my status screen, I pulled out the Wondrous Health Potion and my last Wondrous Mental Health Potion. I drank them both as I turned around.

“By the power of Enigma Hemingway!“ I announced.

The Plot Thickens activated, and the manuscript in my inventory materialized around me. It formed into hardened armor that covered my body. The fact that my mask was trapped inside my helmet was a little uncomfortable, but I made due. I Pulled My Golden Bowling Ball and Vague Stick back into my hand, though I swapped the latter for the Writhing Belt Whip.

Standing in front of me was the Uuska. It stood still and appeared to be looking down at its hand, though it still had no eyes. The body was the same, and you would have never known the difference between this and its previous iteration if not for the black and white colors of its skin inverting. The next stage was when colors started appearing, though that wasn’t for a while.

“Break free from the-“

The Uuska’s mouth opened and released a sudden, hellish scream. I instinctively tried to cover my ears as pain lanced inward, scrambling my brain. Shield was still down after the enemy had thrust its arm through me, so I couldn’t bring it up yet, but that was the least of my worries.

All around the arena, the invisible barrier protecting the crowd started to shimmer and shake. Much like the safe zone walls, this could be broken by a powerful monster. Given the evidence, it was sufficient to say that this Uuska was likely strong enough to do so. That also meant the people were in danger.

As quickly as it started, the screaming stopped. I lowered my hands, not that they had done any good, and noted that I felt liquid pouring from my ears. Blood, of course. The Uuska laughed, its voice not nearly as distorted as it was before, and it put its hands up to flick me if.  It was clearly mocking me now.

“B̸̰̏r̶͚͘ë̶̱́á̵̺k̸̯̆ ̴̬̎F̴͍̉r̴̮̕e̷͎̐ẹ̵̊ ̴͍͝f̸̠́r̶̬͋ő̷̢m̶̯̾ ̴͚̄t̶͙̎h̶̢̄e̵̟̕ ̷̖̋s̷͕̓h̷͍͌ả̶͖c̸̪͊k̸̙͝ĺ̵̥ẹ̶̓ṣ̸̈ ̵̞̇o̵͕̕f̸̠͠ ̵̟̕m̶̖̊a̴͉͗n̴̢̍, motherfucker!“ I yelled.

Angelic power lanced through my veins with righteous heat. I felt my six wings unfurl and spread, not quite real just yet but feeling more substantial than they had been the first time I used Break Free. Above me was my halo, which was an enlarged version of the Esaraphelscion’s Love ring that I wore under my gloves. It spun in a lazy circle.

The Uuska had stopped laughing as it stared at me, taking me in. It wasn’t sure about me. I was different now in ways that it would slowly comprehend, but I wasn't planning on giving it that chance. My new form had a time limit, and I had to make sure the Uuska expired before it did.

The grass under my feet went flying as I surged forward, leaving the ground and flying towards the boss monster. All around me, the items I had scattered started levitating off of the ground. Not just one or two, like I could do, but several.

My halo grew and flew to protect me from the largest grouping of items. Behind the Uuska, another halo appeared. I threw up my arms to protect my face and set up a Force Field from what I perceived was the second largest set of projectiles. Javelins, arrows, caltrops; they all came for me at once.

Each one that passed through my halo appeared behind the Uuska, and a few managed to pierce its hide. The ones pelting my Force Field nearly broke it right out of the gate, and I felt a couple of them pierce through my armor from other directions. Shield was almost off of cooldown, but until then I only had a near dead Force Field and armor to work with.

I tackled the Uuska and tried to take him off of the ground. His legs grew longer as I managed to push him backwards, but he barely moved. The boss’ arms grabbed mine and he dipped backwards, taking me with him. My head collided with the ground, sending a shock through my spine. It wasn’t damage taken without reason, however.

My fingers dug into the Uuska’s sides and, as I rolled, I lifted it off of the ground. Its legs were put over my shoulders and I crashed it into the ground the same way it had done to me. Glancing past my enemy, I Pulled three arrows our way, Spinning them so they drilled into the Uuska.

After the shots impacted, its body shifted in an unnatural way. The head disappeared into its torso, and its arms and legs transformed into the other. The head reappeared on the top, leaving the creature standing.

I got to my feet as another rush of items came my way. My prey took a few steps back, and when I attempted to grab it, the body shifted so I couldn’t get a good hold.

Mentally counting down, I activated Shield as my halo flew off of my head again. Knowing that I shouldn’t take more hits like I had before, I actively began ducking and dodging the items sailing through the air. This meant that I had begun flying, but I made sure that the Uuska was never too far out of reach. It was circling me from a distance it thought was safe, but I knew better.

Since I was able to Split my focus and move three items at once, I knew my next trick would be available as well. I glanced at the spot underneath the Uuska and concentrated in the same way as I would when creating a Force Field. However, that was not what I was creating. Thanks to years of practice, the construction was close to instantaneous.

Under the Uuska, a translucent weapon appeared. It was a curved dagger with a basic hilt, though the blade was stylized to look similar to an angel’s wing like the sword form of the purified scalpel. I Lifted it straight up and it began to cut through the boss.

It carved and sliced before coming out of the creature’s shoulder. Things were never so easy, of course, and the two halves reached out and pulled themselves back together.

I dropped My Golden Bowling Ball into my inventory as I reached out for the psychic weapon I had created. Construct took the principles of Force Field but allowed me to shape it in the way I wanted to. It took a lot of imagination and focus to create, but once they were here they stayed for as long as I could keep up with the Mental Point cost.

It gave me no stat boosts but, when a Construct was in the form of a weapon, it dealt additional damage based on my Willpower. When used as armor it blocked damage based on my Wisdom. It could also be used to form other, more mundane items so long as they weren’t too large. Right now, at the first level, this dagger was about as large an item as I could create.

The Uuska may have been pulling itself together, but I wasn’t just watching. While it was healing, it couldn’t send nearly as many items my way. I dove towards it, holding the Construct in my outstretched arm. Every projectile that threatened me fell to the ground, and the ones around the Uuska were picked up. They began spinning around the boss to form a dangerous barrier.

Which I completely ignored. My halo raced ahead of me and grew larger, taking some of the projectiles as I flew through the orbiting weapons. Some struck me as my defensive ring started to grow smaller, but Shield caught those. I knew the halo wasn’t without fail, and I could instinctively feel that it was going to need to cool down soon.

Regardless, I made it through. The Uuska raised its arm and redirected my dagger so it wouldn’t hit. It also grabbed my arm and threw me over its shoulder. I braked midair and spun, lashing out with my Writhing Belt Whip in the same motion. My feet were struck by the Orbiting items, and Shield shimmered, but it held.

The boss raised its arm again to protect its face, and was caught. Before it had the chance to morph its body out of the whip, the Eldritch Chomp started eating. I slowed to a stop, arm outstretched, and flew forward as I yanked the Uuska towards me. This time my dagger passed through its chest. Without touching the ground, I tucked my legs in and used my wings to perform a backflip.

My Construct sliced through the Uuska’s head, cutting through some of the teeth, and I righted myself a moment later. It pulled itself together, and I cursed this creature under my breath.

While the boss was taking damage, it had to reform its body or else it started taking more. I had learned that a complete body was one of an Uuska's primary concerns. At least, it was until it was backed into a corner.

Unlike me, the boss wasn’t able to take a Wondrous Health Potion. Its health had been brought back up to 20% thanks to the Heavenly Hero passive it had stolen from me, and it had its own innate healing factor on top of the passive’s, but it was in a bad spot.

The Uuska ripped its arm free from my Writhing Belt Whip, the teeth scraping its skin off and causing an unnerving amount of black blood to hit the ground. Without missing a beat, it formed three more.

My halo shifted behind me as the monster grabbed me with all three hands, one on my leg and two on my arms. It roared, and I winced. I could hear the safe zone wall crack loudly as it did, and I leaned my head back. A swift headbutt and kick caused it to stumble backwards and cease its infernal screams, but it didn’t let go.

The Uuska’s arms grew longer, holding me away from it where I could no longer reach. It drove me into the ground and started pushing. Grass and dirt flew into my eyes as I was plowed through the turf. I couldn’t see, and I flicked my wrist to try to cut one of the arms with my Construct, but it was no good.

It wasn’t long before the boss lifted me out of the ground, and I saw that we were close to the wall now. The arms grew even longer as I was lifted into the air. I attempted to fix my position with my wings, but before I knew it I was slammed against the safe zone wall.

The people sitting in the stands were looking at me with a mix of horror, concern, and amusement. Many of those in the first two groups fled at the sight of the Uuska manhandling me, while those who were in the latter started yelling about how I should do better and meowing at me. If I weren’t holding my weapons, I would have flipped them off.

I attempted to fly away again, but only got so far before getting slammed back into the wall. A massive crack appeared inches away from my face. If it succeeded in breaking the dome, then all of these people would be in danger from its psychic screams alone. Even Joanna, who would be able to afford high stats, fainted when she heard it from a first stage Uuska; none of these people would stand a chance.

The crack, at least, made the amused people start to look concerned.

Releasing the Construct, I Dropped it towards the Uuska. It started Lifting it, slowing the descent enough that it slid off of its hard body. Several items started coming towards me, and I reactivated my Force Field in front of my body. I started focusing behind the Uuska as the javelins and arrows started pelting my defenses.

Slowly, much slower than the dagger, a new Construct started appearing behind the boss. This one was a flat disc roughly ten inches across. Several sharp teeth lined the edges. Once it was fully materialized, I looked down at the Uuska.

“I don’t generally like to use this, so die quickly, got it?“ I requested, ignoring the coppery taste of blood filling my mouth. The Uuska tilted its head, and I chuckled.

Taking control of the Constructed saw blade with Lift, I began Spinning it before Pulling it towards me. The boss implemented its Shield for the first time as it sensed the danger, and the blade spun against it.

I didn’t let up, Pulling and Spinning the Construct even as the creature pounded me against the safe zone wall. The sound of it cracking wasn’t lost on me, and I kept it up as best I could. I lost focus on the Constructed dagger, and I concentrated everything I had on the saw blade.

Its Shield was more powerful than mine, but it finally broke against the onslaught of constant damage. The Uuska’s black blood sprayed everywhere, and I had to look down to avoid getting it into my eyes.

I Pushed the Construct after it passed through the body, and Pulled it again only to repeat the process. All the while, my Halo stopped redirecting projectiles, my Force Field broke, and my Shield wasn’t far behind it.

The Uuska roared, causing me to wince, but I kept it up. Once I did as much damage as I could vertically, I Pushed it out of the body and repositioned it with Orbit. Its appendages were sliced off, first the two grabbing my arms and then the one grabbing my legs, and I floated freely before the Uuska lost its legs and fell to the ground.

There was no moment of reprieve for the monster. The spinning saw blade passed through its torso over and over again, Orbiting in slightly wider arcs each time. Any time it attempted to pull itself together, I cut through it again.

By the time I was done, the only thing left of the boss was thinly diced slices and a giant puddle of black blood.

The notifications popped up in front of me, and I took a breath of relief. Once my feet hit the ground I deactivated Break Free, and immediately regretted it.

My body had taken quite the beating, and I felt that all over. It didn’t help that my head was feeling especially terrible. I definitely fell into negative Mental Points.

[[Victory!]]

You have defeated the Scenario Boss [Warmind Uuska]; +2,500 points.

[[Notice]]

You have completed a Scenario that you had not received a quest for yet. Additional points will be given as part of the Scenario reward.

[[Main Scenario Complete!]]

You have destroyed the Uuska threat before it could even begin! Without your presence, the Uuska would have absorbed its Medallions before descending upon the population for a good old fashioned murderous rampage. Thanks to your actions, the city of Atlanta has been saved from a terrible fate.

Scenario MVP: Anthony Franklin

Reward: +3,000 points, +1,500 points (Scenario Break bonus), MVP token upgrade (Anthony Franklin), Medallion of Uuska, Medallion of Uuska.

[[Patron Quest Complete!]]

Excellent work, Ant! It was a bit touch and go there, and you’re absolutely covered in Uuska blood, but I always believed in you. I’m glad it all worked out in the end, and I hope you got exactly what you wanted out of this fight.

Reward: +1,200 points, the Aura Sense skill book.

Before I could finish reading everything, I was interrupted.

Only you can hear this, little Warmonger, I heard Benedict Merder’s voice in my ears like he was standing next to me. The bitch boss has lost this little gambit of hers. Looks like you proved a little too tough for her. She’s been recalled, and I’m betting that the next in line will be taking over Atlanta. That means me, and that puts me in a very, very good mood. If I were you, I would flee. Consider this your warning.

In my next breath, I was suddenly in an empty manager’s suite. The door was open, and Howard was nowhere to be seen. I wasn’t surprised that he had fled, but I was disappointed. At my feet was a purple skill book, a Synthesis Page, a pair of rosewood red pants with golden trim, and my Medallion of Uuska.

Unlike before, it was sporting a black and white color scheme now, but I didn’t pay it much mind. I swept everything into my inventory, disregarding them for now though those pants intrigued me. There was simply no time to investigate, however.

“Is Howard okay?“ I asked, tilting my head towards the ceiling.

[[Patron Message]]

Howard left as soon as the match started. He’s in the hotel now, watching the aftermath and biting his nails anxiously. Please don’t tell me you’re feeling sorry for him.

Sincerely,

Sara

“Fine, I won’t,“ I said. The sound of people running down the hall caught my attention, and I saw the Mills, the Dunbar Runners, and the Monstersmith stop just outside the door. I nodded at them. “No time for pleasantries. Ready to go?“

“Get us out of this stadium,“ Kayla said.

I stepped outside and shut the door. “Yes, ma’am.“ Activating Broken Boundary, I opened it to reveal the portal. “This’ll go to the train.“

“Good work, boss,“ Jeff said before stepping through. Kayla pushed the hesitant Ashley towards it, and they followed.

“Did you guys get second place?“ I asked, glancing at Manny.

“We did, yeah,“ he said with a sad smile.

“That was one hell of a trump card,“ Joanna remarked. “Guess this is goodbye, huh?“

“What did I say about pleasantries?“ I asked, half scolding but mostly teasing. Reaching into my inventory, I pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Manny. “Since I won’t be able to help myself, and a promise is a promise.“

“The Goblin cars?“ he asked, looking it over.

“Everything your engineers will need to get an epiphany, yeah,“ I said with a nod.  “I really do have to go, but we’ll meet each other at the next event. I expect you four to be stronger by then.“

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll keep these guys in shape, and you do the same,“ Ramona answered.

With a nod, I gave them a sloppy salute before walking backwards into the portal.