Ahgo arrayed himself against the horde, his blue blades glittering in a group floating near his arms.

So many corpses, not dead, just playing. Ahgo remembered the dwarf war again. Those who lost were dead for sure.

“Such an easy game, when you get to try as many times as you wish. I only had one continue. So did my people,” grunted Ahgo.

He sliced absentmindedly through the vanguard, disabled the healers and cut down their protectors without stopping.

“Did you think I would stand still? You take me too lightly.”

A few with shields tried to block him yet again. Do you think I don’t know your class?

Not that he needed to, he could get past their defenses anyways. A slip here, a jab there, dropping his blade for fists and using his weight against them as his crimson cloak led with the wind.

There was no one his match, or all of them together.

“Myalor, your raid is crumbled. How many tries is it, are you counting? I’m not,” said Ahgo.

Myalor was clapping and laughing in the stands with his usual toga.

“See, now this is how to have fun. I thought I’d never be into something like this. Death changed me!”, he leaped up and came to meet Ahgo. Myalor slapped him on the lower back where he could reach.

“That duel I requested? You’ll humor me then for a few hours?”, confirmed Ahgo.

“If you won, yes, and you won. I’d rather just kick back and watch tv with you like always, but give and take is important in a relationship, don’t you think?”, chimed Myalor.

“I’ll send you a letter through one of the guild members as to what time.”

“Why bother? Can’t we do it now?”

“I have to prepare. You don’t like fighting after all, I have to make the most of it.”

“Ah, I remember the time you came at me here, in the Guild Haveosiosi arena. Less corpses then, just one Iroas. I feel bad for mocking you then,” Myalor apologized.

“It’s no problem. I know your type well after all, I am one of them.”

Myalor laughed and slapped him again on the back.

“Have fun with the kids, okay? I should be getting back, I’ve got work to do.”

“Oh? Don’t you want to see me lose, Myalor?”

“What, you’re going to lose against your own guild on purpose? How boring.”

“I never joined them. It was a nice place to lounge is all, besides your place. No, I’ll be losing for real this time,” explained Ahgo.

Myalor was silent thinking of the ending to come.

“Oh...oh! That’s right. So that’s how it’s going to happen. Well, I’m sorry to miss that. You know how my work is lately, I’ll have to pass.”

Myalor teleported out giving Ahgo a wave.

“Deception, central to any negotiation. After all, I’m still fighting. You forgot that, didn’t you Myalor?”

Ahgo whispered it to himself.

He looked out over the open arena, the corpses fading with sparkles lifting into the air as the guild showed up.

“Isn’t this a waste of time, Iroas? I’ve got other stuff to do you know,” said a catgirl.

“Can’t you take a break? You work too hard,” said a hero.

“You work too little.”

“I wish that was true!”

The air cleared and Iroas, Nyaa-chan, Kaub, Shera, Cowboy, and Mynise were approaching from the stands.

“Such a small guild. I just faced so many, to think I’d lose here…quality over quantity, every time,” muttered Ahgo.

“Desmos isn’t here, Kaub. Why would he join a guild if you’re not going to come to events?”, said the samurai.

“He’s best off in his Kingdom. The place is beautiful. Smelly, but it reminds me of home. What was he supposed to do, watch?” responded Kaub.

“Yeah, of course. Guess he really doesn’t like combat, I don’t get it…”

“Aren’t you too low level for this, Cowboy?”

“And you’re level 1.”

“Do you think I'm someone who can afford to lose?”

Shera was looking fondly at Kaub, then to Ahgo as the group assembled in front of him.

“Well, this was the best I could do. Everyone else bailed or joined in with Myalor’s group. ‘Why two different groups?’ they were saying something like that. Let’s get started, everyone.”

“Wait, Nyaa-chan, you can’t use that skill of yours here, unless you want to destroy the guild. Should we move?”, asked Shera.

“Oh, I can barely use that thing now. You’re joking,” responded Nyaa-chan.

Shera gave him a look.

“Ah, I didn’t know. Sorry. Iroas, do you want to start?”

“Sure. Ahgo, I’m afraid it’s nothing special but Shera put me up to this…”, said Iroas.

“What’s a few more?”, Ahgo said with his arms spread wide.

“Ah, okay. Nice to hear it. Everyone, a plan is useless here so just do whatever you want. It should be over soon.”

Cowboy stayed close to Ahgo with Iroas and Mynise, while Nyaa-chan, Kaub, and Shera gained distance.

“I’ll attack once you guys say you’re ready!”, said Iroas.

Kaub looked at Nyaa-chan, without his trenchcoat or gun.

“I gave the coat back to you, why aren’t you wearing it?”

“Lost it. I haven’t been able to find that gun-staff either. It’s like it went down a black hole, huh.”

“Actually…”, she stopped herself, “how are you going to fight then?”

“I don’t need a weapon for a fight against that guy. Not much of a fight. I just came by since Iroas was bugging me.”

“You’re not taking this seriously,” complained Kaub.

“And you are? It’s Ahgo. What are you going to do? I got the impression you wouldn’t fight him at all.”

“I…”, she started, but noticed that everyone was already waiting on them.

“Oh, ready!”, she shouted.

“Phoenixxer! Bring the world to ruin!”, Shera shouted. It was still level 18. She hadn’t been playing much.

Kaub cringed a bit, looking at her being dramatic.

“What is she doing?”

Ahgo had already ripped through Iroas and Mynise in a rage, their corpses at his feet.

“This time it wasn’t personal, Mynise,” Ahgo said as he received and parried Cowboy’s attack. He was playing with him, there were only two he wanted to fight in the group after all.

Cowboy was bounced back by the force, and slipped low under Ahgo’s guard.

Ahgo, used to that trick, punished him with a hard tap on the head.

“What did I tell you about going for the low blows? If your opponent is this experienced even though he’s this tall, trying to slip into the blind spot is useless,” he said aimlessly as he flung a blue sword into Shera without blinking any of his eyes.

“Hehe, sorry. I thought you’d be distracted, you’re too fast. Why do you keep getting better?”, said Cowboy taking distance and using his Tsubame Gaeshi as much as he could.

Slashes poured into Ahgo’s blue sword, ice falling off in little chips as sparks danced from each contact. He strangled Phoenixxer who went in for his throat with his other hand and it burst into mist.

“Good, good. Kaub? You coming? Don’t mind Nyaa-chan, he’s just watching,” said Ahgo tracing each sword strike without his full focus on Cowboy.

Kaub looked to Nyaa-chan, who was sitting.

“You really came just to watch?”, she asked.

“Ahgo said it’d be worth it,” Nyaa-chan replied.

“Oh…”

She finally realized what Ahgo was trying to do. This had been a strange setup from the start. Why had Iroas even agreed to this? Just because Shera? No.

“He’s...Ahgo!”, yelled Kaub.

Ahgo gave her his full attention as he fought off Cowboy’s valiant efforts with pure reflex and one arm and sword.

“She sounds mad...did you figure it out, Kaub?”

“I’m not killing you!”

“Just fight me seriously for once. You won’t even tell me what the white paint does…”

“You don’t want to know what the white paint does!”, she grumbled loudly.

“I do. It’s probably awful,” Ahgo laughed as his cheek got cut.

“I did it!”, cheered Cowboy.

“Oh,” Ahgo touched his face, the blood caught on his fingers as Cowboy stopped his onslaught.

“Not bad. Is it healed yet, Cowboy?”

“Yeah. They always heal so fast, that’s annoying…”

“See you later,” Ahgo said as he decapitated Cowboy like usual when Cowboy made a mistake.

“You stopped fighting, remember that one, it’s important,” Ahgo grunted as he started to walk over to Kaub.

Kaub sat down with Nyaa-chan. Ahgo stood over her, he shadow blocking her view of the sun while she was leaning her cheeks into her hands.

“I’m not fighting,” said Kaub.

“Because you’ll win. I saw that black paint. I wouldn’t step into those myself, but if you were to use them on me, it would be over. It’s just a question of whether or not you are fast enough.”

“You’ve got that red paint Kaub. I remember from our fight, you can totally take him. You were really fast,” encouraged Nyaa-chan.

“I was mad at you, Nyaa-chan. I’m not mad at Ahgo,” she said.

“Oh, come on. Try something new. Paintings not everything. Growth will make your paintings better. You need to experience the world, why, during the dwarf war-”, Ahgo rambled.

“Not about him again! Ugh, fine. I don’t want to waste everyone’s time. Only once ok?” she whined.

Nyaa-chan watched her walk off with Ahgo, going to face each other on the field away from him.

Both of them stopped in the middle of the field, the corpses had left by then.

“If you went at me seriously, I would have died already,” Kaub complained.

“You’re still not fighting me. Against a real opponent, I would have just attacked, but someone I’m training, that’s just violence. I am not violent. I use violence. There is a difference. I learned that long ago. Although, can you call it something like violence in a world like this?”, Ahgo chuckled.

“I...back then, when I fought in the city. It wasn’t fun. It was horrible. I don’t want to do it again.”

“That isn’t the reality, Kaub. Not the one we’re living in now, at least. You know that. I’ll be fine. Humor me?”, said Ahgo.

“If...If I do, you’re going to lose for sure. I already saw too much of how you fight. It’s not fair. I fought much more dangerous people than you in the city and survived, but...you’re nothing like them,” Kaub said, her voice going down at the end.

Ahgo smiled and pointed a sword he grabbed from the air at her.

“Will you be my enemy, Kaub?”

Kaub’s face changed.

“Oh, that’s good. I’ve been waiting. Don’t disappoint me!”

She equipped her raiment in a flash and flicked red paint onto herself and then went for the black paint. Never use white, never.

Ahgo’s speed wasn’t enough. From the start, she had already beaten opponents who could teleport. An opponent that could remain in melee despite any distance gained. Opponents that almost forced her to use black paint. One forced white.

She flicked the brush tip and cut both of Ahgo’s arms off, a thin line of paint was enough. Ahgo stared in surprise as he fell forward, his face hardening.

Ahgo barreled into her with a headbutt and she ruthlessly painted.

Ahgo’s body fell to the ground with a hollow noise as it sped apart.

A few minutes later, Kaub was sitting with Nyaa-chan waiting.

Ahgo appeared in front of her, smiling.

“Thanks, Kaub. My Kingdom or your city, we can’t let them hold us back. This is a new world. I’ve seen it. You can go out there to see it, too,” Ahgo said.

“That brought back bad memories. You’re mean,” Kaub complained.

“Again?”, Ahgo urged.

Kaub was silent.

Nyaa-chan spoke up.

“Kaub, go have fun. This is a game, you know.”

Kaub got up and walked to the center with Ahgo, a different look on her face.