Zu Mari knew his foes’ patterns now, knew the blue-tunic warrior would feint with his spear, that the archer with torn boots, Luzi, would evade and try to fade into the background, that the slow moving one would wait and wait until he could strike with overwhelming force. He knew Ruxja’s twin-blade wild slashing, and Avashir’s tight precision.

Alone, he could take any one of them with ease. Most likely two or three. But their teamwork was too seamless. Any time Zu abandoned defence to focus on defeating one of them, the others would surround him and before long even his greatness was insufficient to crush them as he knew he should be able to.

Five times he’d had Death Shadow watch from different angles as they fought. Five times he’d chosen a different enemy to target. And every one ended the same way it began: with Zu back in the center of the time bubble, twenty minutes back up the path.

“You need to try something different,” said Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death.

“I’ve tried something different every time. Fear not! I won’t be discouraged. This is merely another challenge for me to overcome. If ascension were easy, everyone would be doing it. It is right that it be reserved for those who can prove themselves worthy.” Zu clenched his fist. “I will prove myself worthy, whatever I must do!”

“As much as I appreciate the sentiment, you know you’ve been running or fighting almost nonstop since I met you? You really should spend more time resting, some time contemplating the nature of reality and your place in it, and—“

“I know my place. I will ascend to the heavens and rule the gods. They are in dire need of my wisdom and guidance. Have you seen the mess that’s going on these days?”

“No, I haven’t,” said Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death dryly. “I’ve been locked in your family vault for centuries.”

“Well, rest assured, I would do a much better job.”

“It’s easy to say that, much harder to actually do it.”

Zu shrugged off the comment and let the conversation lapse. They were nearing the hill where he’d wait for his foes to reach him.

As always, the beast-souled Ruxja led the group forward with his brash arrogance, while Avashir backed him up or undermined him by turns. Zu knew now that the two were rivals, Avashir believing he deserved the leadership of the group - which he assuredly did, judging by combat prowess alone he outstripped the beast-soul - but he was still clearly subordinate to Ruxja. That tension unfortunately did nothing to disrupt their teamwork. Ruxja would jump to Avashir’s aid just as readily as the reverse.

“They fight too well together,” Zu mused. “How can I disrupt them?”

“Master, what if I attack them?” suggested Death Shadow. “I’ve been watching and watching, but perhaps if we fight together…”

“Of course! If they fight together, then I know what I must do. They have allies, and so do I! Come to me, Death Shadow!”

But Death Shadow had his own ideas about how to handle the confrontation. He didn’t even wait for Ruxja to speak to Zu, diving at the patrol with an angry hoot, claws extended and trailing shadows.

Zu nearly reprimanded his familiar for acting without orders, but once he saw what the owl was doing he only laughed. Skipping the talking to get straight to the fighting? He knew he’d chosen his familiar well. Death Shadow was perfect.

He jumped forward to join the fray, and this time things played out much more to his satisfaction. Zu took full advantage of their distraction, striking Avashir with a blow across his upper arm. Avashir’s tattoos lit up an angry red, but though he spun to attack at once he was bleeding and weakened, Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death leaving a lingering aura of destruction behind wherever it struck.

Death Shadow swooped and harried, using his own many observations of the team and their weaknesses to strike at just the right times to disrupt their patterns.

Zu danced between them like a deadly flame, blade flicking out into openings, slashes trailing shadow and flame as he inflicted cut after cut on their foes.

“Fear me now, mere mortals! I, Zu Mari, will never be stopped!”

Something slammed into his neck and sent him staggering off balance. His next swing went wild as he nearly fell, then someone else took advantage of the moment to stab him in the stomach.

Zu looked down. The tip of an arrow had speared through his throat, skidding along the edge of his jaw and out beneath his chin. Warm blood flowed down his chest.

“Again?”

Zu yanked the arrow out and spun around. He saw the archer vanishing into the trees again. He hurled the arrow at her, casting Light Spirit Lifting to empower its flight and guide it true. A scream rewarded his efforts, though he knew he had little time left to live.

“Remind me next time to take out the archer first,” Zu croaked, voice barely audible through the blood and damage, but Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death heard and would remember.

“I almost wish one of them had an insta-kill like Ozyri,” Zu commented as time reset around him once again. “It’s very inconvenient, not to mention painful and infuriating, to keep dying slowly.”

“If only we could have learned Ozyri’s instant suicide spell,” lamented Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death. “Alas, the opportunity is forever lost.”

“Unless we can learn it elsewhere.”

Zu’s mouth twisted into an eager grin as a plan came to him. “Of course! The Chartreuse Cougars are the ones who trained him! I need only gain access to their library and archives, and I too can learn this power. It will save so much time in the future.”

“I’m not sure if I should be proud of the initiative you’re taking, or concerned that your best plan is to find a way to quickly kill yourself at a moment’s notice.”

“Both seem appropriate,” Death Shadow commented, swooping back in to land on Zu’s shoulder. “Are we going to attack them together again? I think I can do better this time.”

“Not yet. I need to speak to them first.” Zu took off running for the meeting hill. He was a little late this time, and crested the rise after the patrol was in sight, so they saw him arrive rather than him waiting dramatically for them. But for his current plan that didn’t matter much.

Ruxja stepped forward, hands hovering over his blades’ hilts. “Are… you the ambassador?”

Zu smiled. “Yes. Yes I am.”