The Path of Ascension 5: A LitRPG Adventure

20

No one said anything for a long second, but knowing what he had to do, Matt looked at Liz through their masks and asked her if she was sure that she wanted to do this.

With her nod, they lifted into the air on their flying devices.

Laughing, he asked, “Are you lot the best that’s down here? If so, that works out perfectly. I already intended to give you a spanking for that little gnat you sent to pester me, but we didn’t want to pass up an opportunity for a decent warmup against a strong team. All the better if I don’t have to choose! We can knock you losers out and this little entrance exam at the same time. Saves us a fight.” Looking about, he leaned back into the Quill persona after his slight slip from his real irritation. “Come, gather ‘round, everyone. Ladies and gentlemen, please, will you bring your attention to me? This will be a feast for your eyes to see. Like nothing you have ever seen before! When this is done, your jaws will be on the floor, and you will be begging for more!”

A chorus of laughs met with Quill’s grandstanding, but Torch withdrew her spear and silently pointed the flaming weapon at the crowd.

The silent threat was well understood, and those who were at the point of her spear quickly shut their mouths.

Torch’s stylized face was like a marble goddess. Her stern mask brokered no argument, and the power of her flame skills silenced anyone not cowed by her gaze. The flaming hair was only a backdrop that amplified her gravitas.

Not letting Emerald Blade speak, Quill asked, “Oh, wait! You never answered my question. Is your team actually the strongest here? Whoopin’ your asses now saves time, but I think I’d still prefer a real fight. Based on that lame puppy you sent to do your dirty work while you hid, you lot must be pretty damn weak, too. Where are the top five at least? Maybe they could give us a decent challenge.”

As Quill chopped his hands, he saw a flicker of anger in Emerald Blade’s posture. That was good, as he was still irked that the man’s lackeys had tried to fight them two days ago.

With an upraised hand, Emerald Blade said, “As a newcomer, you don’t know the rules, but prance around anyway. You can’t challenge the top ten without passing through number eleven. If you—”

Quill interrupted him, “Yeah, no. It wasn’t a question. We can fight here, or you can get one of the guards to grab us an orb. You’re getting your ass beat either way.”

Ruby Wand asked, “Have you ever heard of respect?”

Torch pointed at the red masked woman and asked, “Have you ever heard of earning it?”

Sapphire Shield was about to speak, but Quill interrupted her.

“I’ve heard it both ways.” Laughing at his own joke, Quill waved for a guard. “An orb, my good man. When you want to get to the top, you can’t hesitate in the face of a challenge.”

With that last statement, he knew he had Emerald Blade at a loss. If the man insisted on forcing Quill and Torch to fight the other top ten members, it would make him look weak.

And with so many eyes on them, Emerald Blade wasn’t willing to lose out before the tournament even began.

As the glass orb was tossed between the floating teams, Quill said, “Power is the only thing that can speak. Rules don’t matter in the face of it. Today, we’ll show you what that looks like.”

Before Emerald Blade could get in a word, they were sucked into the empty space. Instead of a blank space, they found themselves in a mirror of the ballroom, but back in the now cleared floor instead of at the edge, where they were floating a moment ago.

Not sending the message to open the viewing for everyone else, Quill withdrew his staff as Torch did the same with her spear. Entering the orb had returned all their weapons back to their storage items.

He still wasn’t sure how the orbs worked, but all resources spent inside were truly spent, and damage to items was emanated. Everything was real except for wounds.

How the seemingly mass-produced orbs managed that, he had no idea.

Emerald Blade withdrew an oversized saber that had a heavy air around it.

It felt like an earth enchantment, but Quill didn’t count on that being one hundred percent accurate.

For all his mockery, this was one of the best Tier 10 teams in the Empire, after all.

While not all the contestants had arrived, most of the best had had the tendency to arrive early and make a name for themselves.

Sapphire Shield and Ruby Wand had their respective weapons out, and Quill took note of each of them. Sapphire Shield had a kite shield paired with a spiked mace, and Ruby Wand had a staff taller than herself.

Sending a message to Torch, he said, “Careful of Wand. Something is off with that staff she’s using.”

Torch sent back, “Got it. Any changes to the plan?”

Quill shook his head, and as the countdown reached one, he rushed forward with Torch taking the lead in a streak of fire.

It was amusing to see Liz move that blazingly fast. While most others would attribute that speed to some fire Talent or skill, it was actually Liz using [Blood Manipulation] on her own body. With an internal Concept as a shield, no one at their Tier could feel her using it.

As Torch passed him, she punched out with the butt of her spear, and a [Fireball] launched out.

Sapphire Shield smoothly stepped in front and blocked it, but that was enough to break line of sight, which let Quill withdraw a talisman and throw it in the air.

A second [Fireball] crashed out, but Ruby Wand shot an [Ice Spear] through the center of the skill, trying to dissipate it.

That would have worked, but Torch grabbed the fire with [Fire Manipulation] and wrapped it around herself.

She thrust her spear out in a lunge, only to have Emerald Blade sidestep and Sapphire Shield block with a spell that Quill didn’t recognize.