Sworded Affair

Chapter 14: Mars Quirinus

Romulus; founder, first and greatest King of Rome and a figure of total reverence among the crowd; judging by the deafening din of their cheers, far and above anything they’d mustered in the previous trials. It was still a subject of considerable debate, even millennia after Rome fell, how many of his alleged feats of myth were based in fact or to what extent a man bearing that name existed at all. But given he was still being talked about after all this time, if even a small amount of it was true and reflected in this avatar?

I’m probably doomed, Emma realized, and somehow that just made everything better.

Bereft of any expectations and determined not to roll over without giving her best, Emma stood tall once more. The crushing pressure emanating from Romulus was still present, but whereas before it threatened to drown her, now it passed right on by; all her nervousness and dread replaced with the calm serenity of one reconciled to near-certain death.

“We who are about to die salute you.” Emma whispered, Epitaph appearing in her hand as she charged forward to meet her fate.

From the very first exchange, it became apparent that Romulus was her equal in strength whilst being far superior in skill. Catching Epitaph on an incoming stab, his spear gently guided the blade's tip away from his body before the shaft slammed down on Emma’s head, Romulus deftly manipulating the heel to apply substantial concussive force.

[-5 Anima]

Staggering, Emma ducked, narrowly avoiding a slice aimed at her neck whilst her low retaliatory swing was caught by the deceptively sturdy spear’s shaft. Weapons locked, this saw her soon forced back by Romulus, his two-handed grip affording him a considerable degree of leverage. Any ordinary shaft would have been cut through trying such a move, leading Emma to conclude that his spear was at least as durable as Epitaph and thus effectively unbreakable in the given scenario. No longer content to defend, the full body thrust that followed caught Emma off guard in its speed, poking a hole through her waist.

[-30 Anima]

Romulus was gone before she could retaliate, darting back and forth blindingly fast to stab again and again at her peripherals, and despite Emma’s best efforts she lacked the speed to parry every stab; a second hit skewering her shoulder telling her that trying to match Romulus conventionally was futile.

[-30 Anima]

When Romulus dashed in again, Emma took the blow dead center, whilst Epitaph stabbed towards his thigh.

Anima: 5/200]

In a burst of superhuman agility, Romulus caught her wrist with one hand before the blow could connect, but with both his arms occupied, that gave Emma the opportunity to slam her head into his nose. Divine though he might be, bare flesh still faltered against cold steel and with a loud crack, Emma finally landed her first blow. Not letting up with Romulus staggered, Epitaph fell to the side, Emma grabbing both his arms to keep his spear out of the way while she kicked him repeatedly between the legs. Evidently, Romulus decided that that was enough close combat for the day, as he faded from view in a cloud of smoke.

[Anima: 55/200]

“If you can’t win by fighting smart, fight dirty.” Emma grinned, glad that some lessons she learnt from school had come in handy for once.

Picking Epitaph up from where it fell, she remained alert, knowing that a final boss fight was unlikely to end in a single phase. Sure enough, the howling of wolves heralded the start of the next stage, as a spectral pack seven strong emerged from the ether, circling her position unceasingly and closing in just a little more with every rotation.

[Palatine Pack - Level 3]

“Here’s the mandatory add phase I guess.”

Taking a page from the shield-bearer’s book, Emma switched to a half-sword; right hand around the hilt and left hand tight around Epitaph's midsection. Then, she ran as fast as she could at the nearest wolf, swinging her sword as a makeshift bludgeon.

[10 EXP gained!]

Her victim went flying out of the arena, dissipating into smoke before even hitting the ground as sheer momentum (amplified by The Ram trait) did its job. Thus began a mad dash around the arena, Emma playing the part of an (un)living battering ram as she slammed one wolf after another out of existence. Pivoting on her heel at corners to minimize lost speed, and otherwise running as fast as she could, none of the canines were able to land more than ineffectual, glancing blows with their claws, whilst their massive jaws replete with crushing force saw no use at all.

[60 EXP gained!]

“That phase would have been much tougher for an unarmored challenger,” Emma noted as she came to a halt after dispatching the final wolf, examining the multiple scratch marks on her armor that would have been serious lacerations on flesh and blood.

[Level Up! Congratulations, you have reached Level 4! Statistically, this places you within the top 10% of all System users in terms of longevity. You are now categorized as an actual investment. Build customization unlocked!

Emma Knight - Level 4 Revenant

Race: Undead

Alignment: True Neutral

Anima: 90/250

EXP: 405/600

PRIORITY ACTIVE: In keeping with your previous trait choices, Trait - The Heart is automatically selected.

Trait - The Heart: Who are you, at heart?

Select one of the following three choices. WARNING, this decision has significant long-term implications for your build. Please take the time to carefully consider what’s on offer. There are no refunds if you end up regretting your decision, not even if you’re related to the founder. Especially then, you should know better than that!]

As she finished reading the rather whimsical warning message, Emma realized with a start that the cheering crowd had paused, their adulation that had never wavered till this moment now conspicuously absent. Looking around, she found the entire arena frozen in time, herself the only one seemingly awake and aware in this singular moment.

You’re really serious about me taking my time, huh? Emma marveled, before returning her full attention to the wall of text before her.

[Your choices:

1) Man at Heart: Set Race to Human and select one of the following Classes: Paladin, Knight, or Blackguard to replace Revenant. Your level remains unchanged, whilst abilities and traits are carried over or converted to an appropriate equivalent.

2) Heartless: Permanently lock the Race and Class change function. Lose The Wolf and The Ram traits, gain Trait - Wolf, Ram and Heart: All attacks imbued with Death magic, significantly increasing damage.

3) Faint of Heart: Maintain the status quo. This choice becomes available again next time you Level Up, and every time after that until you choose something else you thrice-damned coward. Nobody likes a fence sitter!]