With a bellow of rage Zu Mari redoubled his attack. Alas, as mighty and valorous as he was, he was still outnumbered. Even if he could fight the two main dangers to a draw, the addition of their three support companions made Zu’s position untenable.

“Yield!” demanded the arrogant fool, Ruxja Cougar, holding his blade to Zu’s throat. “Turn back and leave our lands, and you may keep your wretched life.”

“Never.”

Zu lunged for his assailant, scoring a deep gash across Ruxja’s chest before the beast-souled man sliced open Zu’s throat. He fought on as he choked and bled out and then—

Zu stood on the path back in the center of the sphere of looping time. Distantly, the rest of reality stood frozen in amber light.

“Perhaps you should stop proclaiming yourself so aggressively,” suggested Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death.

“I told you, I will not resort to cowardice! This challenge can be overcome like any other.”

“With intellect and cunning?”

“Exactly.” Zu sprinted down the road toward the waiting patrol.

“Is this the intellect, or the cunning?”

“Both, obviously.”

“Obviously.”

“Do not doubt me, I will prevail.”

“Eventually, yes. I believe you will. By sheer repetition if nothing else. But I’d hope that you could learn something in the process besides a rote memorization of your opponent’s attack sequences.”

Zu’s eyebrows went up as he understood his sword’s suggestion. “Of course! You’re right. I’ve been relying too much on my own observation.”

“Why do I have the feeling your conclusion is very different from—“

“DEATH SHADOW! I need you!”

“Ah.”

Several moments passed as Zu continued to run toward the fight, then Death Shadow came winging his way from the forest where he’d been scouting.

“I am here, wise master! What has happened? I felt time recoil upon itself.”

“I have found our next challenge. There is a Chartreuse Cougar patrol up ahead on the path. We need to get past them.”

“If you seek a safe path, I can guide you through the forest.”

“No, I don’t need a sneaky cowardly escape route, I need help killing them. You must watch them while I fight, take note of who does what and when, and return to me as swiftly as possible if I am not triumphant this time. With your sight, I can conquer these foes too as I have every other challenge so far.”

“By convincing others to fight for you?”

“Are you conspiring with Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death to weaken me?” Zu accused suspiciously.

“I would never!” Death Shadow prostrated himself in abject apology. “I should have said nothing.”

“We will accept help when it is offered, but we do not rely on others.”

“Of course, wise master. I should have understood the depths of your insight. Indeed, you are entirely correct to do so.”

“I know. Now go, be ready. When we reach the patrol, watch them. See who is dangerous and how they move. Be ready to tell me if I must try this yet again.”

It rankled at Zu, knowing he had to redo the fight again and again, but it was gratifying to have the chance to test the time loop cube. At least so long as the artifact didn't betray him like everyone else seemed apt to do.

He mentally prodded his phoenix spirit, but it remained dormant, lending its power silently and unspeaking. The artifact had no presence, neither emitting power clearly enough that he could read it nor adding its own mental voice to those in Zu’s soul already. It seemed as mundane an artifact as could be. Perhaps it had been made long ago, before people invented communication. Shoddy craftsmanship, not future proofing an artifact this strong.

Zu reached the last rise in the path before the spot where he’d intercept the Cougar patrol and there he stopped. For a moment he stood, hair and robes flowing behind him in the breeze, silhouetted against his amber-locked world. The absolute master of his domain.

Then the patrol saw him. Ruxja shouted a warning, the tattooed man drew his blades, the archer slipped into shadow. Ruxja advanced, the others following in formation, cautious.

Zu stood waiting proudly, unbent, unintimidated.

“Are… you the ambassador?” Ruxja asked, ears twitching as he scowled up at Zu.

“I am Zu of the Mari clan, and I seek audience with your leader.”

“Our leader is otherwise occupied this day. You should leave and return another time, if you are so eager to die.”

“Do the Chartreuse Cougars take such pride in their inhospitableness that they’d slay a visitor who comes in good faith?”

“Good faith?” interrupted the tattooed man. “We have been warned of you, Zu Mari. You have no faith but your own greed. You seek nothing but your own gain and your own ascension. You would conquer us all if given your way.”

“Well said, Avashir,” murmured one of the others. The broken crescent tattoos covering Avashir’s face rippled with silvery light in some kind of weird metamagical blush at the compliment.

Ruxja’s tail thrashed. “Quiet,” he growled. “You, Zu Mari, get out of our lands if you value your life. We have important business to be doing and you delay us too much. Avashir, you’ve been warned about speaking out of turn. Luzi, I don’t need your personal feelings getting involved. Understood?”

“I will not leave.” Zu forestalled any pointless interpersonal banter. “You stand in my domain now. My power over you is absolute. Only by letting me pass will you spare your lives.”

His voice held such conviction, such absolute confidence, that the patrol hesitated. Luzi, the ranger, looked to Avashir questioningly. Avashir’s tattoos gleamed faintly, their silvery hue fading to a dangerous shadow-grey, glint edged with menace.

Zu sighed. He could tell they would not surrender. He would keep trying, but for now… it was going to end up as another fight.

“Why do you Cougars all throw yourselves at me so aggressively?” he wondered. “First Xashu, then Ozyri Tori, now you lot? Do you all have a death wish?”

“You have killed Xashu?” Avashir gripped the hilt of his sword, the dark crescents of his face tattoos growing darker still, almost obscuring his visage with their threatening aura.

“A few times. He’s fine at the moment though. Nice guy. Helped me out when I needed him.” Zu grinned at them. “So, you going to let me by? Or are you going to learn first hand what a Mari can do?”

They charged. Zu met the attack in an instant, Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death flashing out to block Ruxja’s first barrage of attacks.

Those twin blades were incredibly dangerous, but Zu had faced him enough times by now to know Ruxja’s weaknesses. For all his power he was sloppy and unrefined. He relied more on shock and dazzle than skill. He could match Zu only so long as his companions upheld his defenses when he inevitably faltered.

This time, Zu didn’t try to evade. When he saw any opening, he took it without heed of retaliatory attacks from the rest of the patrol.

Ruxja was his foe, Ruxja the one who needed to be humbled. The others were mere background details.

And it worked. As Death Shadow looked on from safety, Zu blazed with phoenix flame as he moved with precision and focus. Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death stabbed out twice, five times, a dozen times, each scoring a hit against Ruxja’s armor.

Each strike of the ancient immortal blade left weak spots, and the longer they fought the more Ruxja struggled against his entrapments. The breastplate was slipping down, the armbands frayed to the point they nearly did more harm than good, one thigh plate had slid down and obstructed his knee’s movement.

At last, Zu slammed his blade into the back of Ruxja’s chest-piece and the whole thing came off, armor scattering in all directions as Ruxja himself stumbled and fell to his knees.

Zu himself was bleeding from a hundred wounds, but his inner phoenix burned bright and kept him going just long enough.

“That is what a Mari can do,” Zu hissed, as he kicked the beast-soul idiot in the face.

Ruxja toppled backwards, too exhausted from his many tiny wounds to get back to his feet.

When the retaliatory blade from Avashir penetrated Zu’s chest, he only smiled.

“It’ll be you next time,” Zu promised, as his vision darkened and time rippled, returning him to the center of his sphere, twenty minutes further up the trail.