Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Nine: Random Encounters (Patreon)

I pondered the mystery of Aman Sen on my wanderings across the grounds.

An aimless stroll can help you concentrate your mind sometimes. Focus on what matters.

So my landing up with the Drakes had been more than just coincidence. I was related, somehow, to Anne.

Cousins? Second cousins? Second step-cousins? Didn't really have a word for it.

It did explain a few things, though. One of my first prompts had been to choose a family.

Not discover, but choose…

Did the difference mean something?

My thoughts were interrupted by a warning from Nanocloud.

<Nanocloud>: Trouble near the western stands.

<Belessar>: On it.

The western stands were a combination of Japanese, French and American ultras. As I came closer I could hear voices raised in argument. Fortunately, no explosions or screams, which meant things weren't out of hand… yet.

As I walked up, I could see two men - both with impressive physiques - glaring at each other. One of them sported a facemask with the Rising Sun on the forehead, a karate gi forming the rest of his outfit. The other wore little apart from an iron mask and shorts, but the rest of him rippled with muscles like a bodybuilder on inventech steroids.

TSUYOIKEN

LEVEL 26

CLASS: HERCULEAN

FACTION: TEMPLE OF THE TEN THOUSAND FISTS

STAALHUID

LEVEL 28

CLASS: HERCULEAN

FACTION: COMPANY OF THE ROSE

Apart from the venomous looks they were giving each other, the two men stood with fists clenched and a wide circle around them. Considering that a Level 26 Herculean could probably throw a body fifty feet without effort, the distance wasn’t anywhere near enough.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” I called. “What seems to be the problem?”

The rumble of my voice drew their gaze towards me. Tsuyoiken sniffed disdainfully.

Staalhuid growled. “This one very evil.”

Tsuyoiken spat out a long, liquid stream of words in Japanese.

“Apologies, friend,” I replied. “I don’t speak Japanese. Do you have any English?”

Another long stream of unintelligible words, though I could make out a few curses in the lot. The Ten Thousand Fists member held up a fist. A ring glistened off it, one with a squareish symbol…

Ouch.

“Staalhuid,” I asked. “Why do you feel this gentleman is evil?”

“Nazi,” the man pointed at the ring. “Insult to all who suffer under the rule of the evil, many many years ago.”

“Because of his rings?”

“Swastika on them. Japanese side with Hitler.”

The symbol on the ring did, indeed, look like a swastika. White on a black background, and a mirror image of the infamous Third Reich symbol.

Except…

“In some Asian cultures, the swastika has a very different meaning,” I explained. “Do we have anyone who can translate Japanese?”

The crowd parted and an ancient-looking monk stepped forward. “Beg pardon, sir. You asked for a translator?”

The Japanese Herculean reacted swiftly, placing himself between the monk and me. No - between the monk and Staalhuid. He spoke in a low, urgent tone.

The monk shook his head.

“You are safe here, sir,” I addressed the monk. “And I’m willing to guarantee that no harm will come to you, irrespective of any disagreement between Staalhuid and Tsuyoiken. You have my word.”

The monk nodded. “Thank you. How may I help?”

“Would you be aware of the symbol on the ring that Tsuyoiken wears?”

“Certainly. That is the manji, the Japanese symbol for 10,000. It is also the mapmaker’s symbol for a temple.”

Staalhuid looked surprised. “Nazis?” he inquired.

The monk shook his head disdainfully. “The use of this symbol in our faith is a tradition dating back hundreds of years. We do not recognize its misuse by certain short-lived political movements.”

“I understand. Might I advise, though, that a different symbol be used for Tsuyoiken’s costume? It bears an unfortunate similarity to the, er, short-lived political movement’s behaviour. Honored Elder.”

The monk pursed his lips, then uttered a long sentence in Japanese. Tsuyoiken spat out a very short response.

The monk shrugged. “The other symbol is right-facing, Tsuyoiken’s rings bear the left-facing symbol.”

“Please consider all Europeans as dyslexic, Honored Elder. There is confusion amongst many about the origins, and the short-lived political movement left deep scars in their memories.”

The monk nodded sagely. “One must balance one’s desire for self-expression with the needs of others for tranquility, as the parable teaches. I shall counsel Tsuyoiken.”

We bowed to each other, as the Herculean and the monk departed.

Staalhuid turned to me. “You American know Japan very well. Staalhuid no know Japan. Very good help.”

RELATIONSHIP WITH STAALHUID INCREASED TO ACQUAINTANCE.

RELATIONSHIP WITH TSUYOIKEN INCREASED TO ACQUAINTANCE.

RELATIONSHIP WITH TEMPLE OF THE TEN THOUSAND FISTS IMPROVED TO ACQUAINTED.

“It was nothing,” I murmured, quietly digesting the improved information from Observe. I lowered my voice. “Mind if I ask you a question?”

“Staalhuid try answer.”

“Why are you speaking that mix of pidgin English? We both know you’re better at it.”

The ultra seemed stunned. Then he whispered back, “How? Do we know each other for real?”

“I have my ways, and no. I can tell that your English is better than that, though.”

“... I’m not even going to ask how you figured that out. Fine, it started as a way to conceal my identity and it’s now gotten a bit out of hand.”

“I know how that feels.”

“You? You’re Belessar, the man who kills Carnotaurs single-handed!”

I chuckled. “We all have reputations that got away from us. Let me know if I can help in any way. Like, say, an inventech helmet with voice synthesizer?”

“... that would help, yeah. Can’t pay you much, though. I’m still fairly small-scale.”

“Consider it a gift. I’ll even add a grammar scrambler so you can speak full sentences and it’ll drop words to make you sound less educated.”

“That’ll be a real help. I’m going crazy trying to keep my grammar under control. Or not under control...”

I exchanged numbers with Staalhuid - who turned out to also own an Unplottable Smartphone - before we parted ways.

<Nanocloud>: Nice job. How’d you guess?

<Belessar>: Observe told me he knew English. And it also told me to be careful of the monk.

<Nanocloud>: Wait. The monk was important?

<Belessar>: The monk is the senior Elder of the Temple of Ten Thousand Fists. Tsuyoiken is his student.

<Nanocloud>: Whoa. Who are the Temple of Ten Thousand Fists exactly?

<Belessar>: A new faction, and one I might run into again. Let’s see. So far they don’t seem all that bad.

<Nanocloud>: Do you think they have ten thousand ultras?

<Belessar>: Just in case they do, I intend to tread very carefully.

A loud ‘ouch!’ brought me back to the present.

A short, bearded man with very, very long feet stared up at me. “Watch where you’re going,” he growled.

“Sorry,” I apologized, as the dwarf paddled off.

<Nanocloud>: Um. Are that guy’s feet, like, four feet long?

<Belessar>: At least.

<Nanocloud>: How does that even make sense?

<Belessar>: Not all powers are useful….

Treading carefully this time, I walked forward into a crowd.

Hundreds of people were gathered in front of a massive stage, cordoned off with ropes. A dark-suited man stood at the dias, looking up into the sky as he spoke.

“... and now, coming to us from his home in Los Angeles, California, the successor to Skymaster’s legacy and the hero for the future - Supreme!”

A blur, as a blue streak shot down from the sky, screeching to a halt. Floating ten feet above the stage, a man in an azure suit stared out across the crowd.

He had the classic look. Square jawed, a crimson cape, a bright golden eagle emblazoned across his chest.

SUPREME

LEVEL 40

CLASS: FLYER/HERCULEAN

HP: 100,000/100,000

DAMAGE REDUCTION: 1,000

IT’S A BIRD, IT’S A PLANE, IT’S SUPREME!

THIS SUPERHERO IS ONE OF THE FASTEST FLIERS ON THE PLANET, AND ONE OF VERY FEW WHO CAN ALSO THROW A PUNCH. ABLE TO LIFT A LOCOMOTIVE WITH HIS BARE HANDS, ZIP ACROSS THE ATLANTIC OVERNIGHT, OR SMASH A RAPTOR TO PULP WITH HIS BLOWS, SUPREME HAS MADE A NAME FOR HIMSELF IN RECENT MONTHS, FOCUSING ON TAKING DOWN CRIMINAL GANGS ACROSS THE WEST COAST.

SUPREME’S SPONSORS, ATLAS-GRUNNIG CORPORATION, HAVE LICENSED HIS IMAGE FOR MARKETING EVERYTHING FROM COOKIES TO POWER DRILLS.

Supreme hovered above the stage for a few seconds, his golden hair unruffled by the gentle breeze. Waving at his audience, he gently floated over to the announcer and took the microphone in his hands.

"Thank you, Mr. Curtis, for those kind words. I’m proud to be here in jolly old England! And I’m proud of all of you, you amazing Londoners, who’ve come to see me here today!”

Applause rippled through the audience, and blue-and-gold banners went up.

WELCOME SUPREME!

WE LOVE YOU SUPREME!

SUPREME 4 PRESIDENT!

<Nanocloud>: Oh wow. Do those folks remember they have a King?

<Belessar>: I’m suspecting some of those ‘folks’ are Americans. And probably paid demonstrators.

<Nanocloud>: People actually do that? How fake is this event?

<Belessar>: Maybe Atlas-Grunnig brought them over for PR. It’s not illegal, just very, very sleazy.

<Nanocloud>: I think you’re right about the PR thing. There’s a half dozen news cameras focused on the stage.

<Belessar>: Well, he’s certainly getting his publicity.

Indeed, the crowd certainly seemed to love Supreme. Dozens of fans - mostly teenagers, it seemed - were cheering and trying to make their way forward to the stage. A thin line of sunglass-wearing security guards gently kept them at bay.

The apparent mobbing wasn’t quite spontaneous, though. Some of the mobbers were trying a little too hard.

Definitely a paid crowd, at least the front ranks.

Supreme seemed oblivious to the byplay. The superhero strode across the stage, waving at his fans.

"Good morning, England! Let's hear it for the kind folks at Atlas-Grunning, who've been kind enough to set up this meeting today!"

A ragged cheer.

"We all know why we're here, folks! Our beloved planet has been attacked by the alien hordes, and we have to stand up! Yes, stand up! Stand up for freedom!"

"Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!" chanted the crowd.

<Nanocloud>: Uh, is this guy for real?

Supreme bounded across the stage, beaming. "We have to stand up, folks! We saw what those creatures did to our beloved city of London. Never again! We will stand up for our rights! Humans will never be slaves!"

<Belessar>: Did he do anything during the attack? I don't remember.

<Nanocloud>: He wasn't even here. They were shooting the Skymaster biopic in California and he  didn't get to the assembly point in time.

<Belessar>:  They had two hours notice and he couldn't make it? Not even in the reinforcements?

<Nanocloud>: No. I tracked every ultra in London that day. He wasn't one of them.

"Humans will be free!" thundered Supreme. "This I promise you! And that's why we are here today, to build bonds of friendship across the nations. I am proud to announce the formation of a new team, a team that will stand for truth, justice, and the American way!"

<Nanocloud>: Ooh, the Brits aren't going to like that one….

"Ladies and gentlemen, please join your hands to welcome the Supremacy!"

<Nanocloud>: Did he just…

<Belessar>: ...announce a team named after himself? Yeah.

"From the wilds of the Yukon, we have Adam the Wolfman!"

A new ultra climbed on stage, a wolf-headed shifter with razor-sharp claws.

"From the gentle depths of the forest, we have Aspenthorn!"

A woman dressed in a green-and-white gown, flecked with grass and leaves, followed the Wolfman.

"From the beating heart of industry, Iron Joe steps forth!"

The third man on stage wore what looked like medieval plate Armor, the joints clanking at each step.

"And from the wild soul of the South, we have Texas Belle!"

The young woman who sashayed onto stage wore a costume that could - at best - be called wildly impractical for combat.

<Nanocloud>: Yikes.

<Belessar>: Is Texas Belle a Herculean? Maybe she has bulletproof skin….

<Nanocloud>: That's not why she's showing so much of it.

"And we're only just starting! Supremacy aims to be the number one global team, a powerhouse that can drive back the gutless aliens and bring freedom to the galaxy!"

<Nanocloud>: Aaand the crazy is officially in the building….

<Belessar>: Hush. Maybe he means well.

<Nanocloud>: And that's why he named his team after himself.

"We're looking for a few good heroes to join our team. If you want to be the best, if you want to fight for freedom, then sign up with us! For truth, justice, and the American way!"

Thunderous clapping, as the crowd chanted. "Supreme! Supreme! Supreme!"

As the applause died down, a lone voice spoke up: "A question, Supreme?"

"Ah, a fellow warrior against the alien! What's your name, good sir?"

"Dyzer." The speaker wore a dull green suit of power Armor, almost eight feet tall.

DYZER

LEVEL 30

HP 2500/2500

LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THIS RECLUSIVE INVENTOR, WHO JUST RECENTLY MADE HIS DEBUT. HIS QUALITY OF WORK AND NO-NONSENSE ATTITUDE HAVE EARNED HIM A GRUDGING RESPECT AMONGST THE FEW WHO HAVE DEALT WITH HIM.

“Welcome, Dyzer! Where are you from?”

“France.”

“Ah, France! Lovely country. You must like cheese!”

“I like my questions answered.”

Supreme’s smile slipped for a moment - just a moment - and then it was back.

“Ask away, sir!”

“Have any of you actually fought the aliens before?”

Supreme’s smile became glassy. “That’s why we’re here, folks! To fight the alien. We don’t ask for tons of experience, no sir!”

“So you’ve never fought before?”

“Supremacy is for everybody, Dyzer. For the veteran as well as for the first-timer! Any other questions?”

Dyzer snorted. Loudly enough to be picked up by the cameras.

The newsmen focused their attention on the inventor, who had begun to march off.

<Nanocloud>: Oooh, Supreme’s not happy about that.

<Belessar>: Let me guess, he doesn’t like it when the cameras are pointed elsewhere?

<Nanocloud>: Aaand some of the crowd are beginning to drift away. Huh. Maybe they’re not allpaid demonstrators.

<Nanocloud>: And Supreme’s noticing. Uh-oh. I don’t like that look in his eye...

“Folks, we have a very distinguished guest with us tonight!” Supreme announced. “A proud example of American valour, a man who needs no introduction - the one, the only, Belessar!”

…. Dammit.

I tried to dart backwards, but it was too late. The cameras had swiveled in my direction.

Too many cameras.

Dyzer had stopped, and was now staring at me.

A beaming Supreme beckoned me on to stage.

<Nanocloud>: … Looks like you’re the centre of attention, bro.

<Belessar>: Do I have to be part of this farce?

<Nanocloud>: Be nice. Making teams is the goal of this fair, after all.

“Come on up here, Belessar!” Supreme was beaming.

I sighed internally, then slowly marched forward. The crowd parted amidst flashing cameras, and Supreme extended a hand as I stepped onstage.

“Welcome to the Supremacy, Belessar!”

I shook my head gently. “I’m just here to observe, Supreme. Thank you for having me on stage, though.”

The flier appeared unfazed. “It’s a pleasure to have you hear today. Why don’t you tell these good people about your valiant battles against the aliens? Come on, we’d love to hear how you crushed the filth.”

“They’re not filth,” I replied. “They’re enemies, sure, but you should treat them with respect anyway.”

Supreme smirked. “A wonderful sentiment, Belessar! The Lord tells us we should not allow hatred to fester in our hearts. A most noble thought!” He waved to his audience. “Let’s hear it for Belessar, a shining example of chivalry and nobility.”

“A question for Belessar,” called out Dyzer.

Supreme ignored him. “We offer enterprising heroes the chance to stand for something greater. Join up now!”

“Does the great Belessar fear answering?”

“Supreme,” I held my hand out for the mike. “I’ll take the question.”

An ugly look flashed across Supreme’s face. Just for a second, then the ultrahuman was beaming again. “Of course! A magnanimous gesture, from the hero of London in London!”

I could feel the cameras on me as I faced Dyzer. The members of Supremacy fell back slightly, as the spotlight focused on the two of us.

“Ask away, Dyzer.”

“Thank you, Belessar. You’ve fought the aliens before. What do you think of Supremacy’s claim to be forming the ultimate superhero team?”

A tricky question right of the bat, it seemed. Siding with Supreme would reinforce the crazy cult of personality his team seemed to forming, and we needed the more level-headed ultras like Dyzer to be a part of the process.

On the other hand, coming down too hard on Supremacy might kill the concept of teams for the foreseeable future.

I marshalled my thoughts for a second.

“Teams are a good thing,” I began. “Some of you may know that I’m part of one - the Dragonflies, which includes my sister Nanocloud. You may also have heard of other teams I’ve worked with - Phoenix Company, for one, and BARD, who sacrificed to keep this city safe.” I paused for a moment. “I’d like to ask all of you to take a moment of silence to remember Bulldog, team leader of BARD, who made the ultimate sacrifice in the defence of this city.”

A sombre mood swept over the audience. People - even a few I’d pegged as the paid demonstrators - placed their hands over their hearts. Dyzer dipped his head in respect.

I waited for the moment to pass, then continued.

“BARD, the Dragonflies, Phoenix Company - we all know what it is to face the enemy. And in that moment, when you’re face-to-face with the foe - whether it’s a lone Raptor or a charging Carnotaur - you need to have faith in your teammates. You need to know that they’ll stand by you, even if the world is falling apart.
“In my first battle, I was paired with a unit of soldiers - Alpha Platoon, Second Company. When the enemy attacked, they worked together as a team, covering each other’s flanks, every person knowing what his teammates would do.

“Because of this, they could go up against the foe fearlessly, trusting in each other. It was perhaps the most valuable lesson I’ve learnt. Teams need to trust one another.”

“Well said, well said!” Supreme clapped. “Let’s hear it for trust!”

“I’m not finished,” I said gently.

I turned to the other four heroes on stage. “Aspenthorn. Texas Belle. Wolfman. Iron Joe. When you joined the team, what was it called?”

The four looked puzzled. Iron Joe was the first to speak up. “It was always called Supremacy. Before I joined.”

“I joined first,” added Adam the Wolfman. “I signed up with Supremacy, yo!”

“And your costumes and themes? Did you choose them?”

The four exchanged confused looks. “Corporate picked the designs,” Aspenthorn said. “Does it matter?”

“Have you practiced together as a team?”

“We’re warriors,” snorted the Wolfman. “We know how to fight.”

I pursed my lips. “I see. How would you react to, say, a friendly spar.”

The Wolfman puffed up his chest. “Name the time.”

“Right now, all five of you versus me.”

<Nanocloud>: What are you doing?

<Belessar>: Making a point.

The members of Supremacy seemed taken aback. “You want to fight us?” asked Iron Joe. “All five?”

“If you can take me down within thirty seconds, you win. No permanent injuries. How about it?”

“Splendid!” exclaimed Supreme. “We accept!”

I slammed my foot into the stage.

FURNITURE DESTROYER ACTIVATED.

The stage collapsed.

The five ultras stumbled, trying desperately to retain their balance.

I activated Boar Charge.

My armor smashed into Adam the Wolfman, knocking him back with the force of a locomotive.

ADAM THE WOLFMAN -425 HP!

CONDITION INFLICTED: CRACKED RIBS!

CONDITION INFLICTED: SHATTERED ARM!

CONDITION INFLICTED: BROKEN LEG!

The Wolfman screamed as he fell back.

He still had 75 HP left.

KNOCKOUT BLOW!

ADAM THE WOLFMAN IS UNCONSCIOUS!

I whirled towards Iron Joe, who had lined up some sort of dart gun and was firing at me. The projectiles plinked off my armor.

LIGHTNING STRIKE!

IRON JOE -40 HP!

CONDITION INFLICTED: STUNNED!

I darted left, cannoning into Texas Belle. The heroine had produced a knife from somewhere and was stabbing wildly at me, fear in her eyes.

I punched her. Hard.

TEXAS BELLE -48 HP! CONDITION INFLICTED: STUNNED!

The heroine was doubled up in pain as I followed with a Knockout Blow. She crumpled to the ground in a boneless heap.

Something clamped around my feet. Vines, gripping tightly.

Aspenthorn waved her staff around, and the vines wrapped themselves around my suit.

Not bad. Unfortunately, not good enough.

I activated Powerjump.

Soaring twenty feet into the air ripped the weeds from the ground, and the dead vegetation slid off  as I slammed down in front of Aspenthorn.

She fell backwards. “I surrender!”

… okay, that works for me.

I spun in place, focusing on Supreme.

The hero was suspended twenty feet across the ground, jaws agape.

With a roar, he dived at me.

I activated Evade Blows.

With a 15.2 AP/sec regen and a pool of 1,520 AP, I could sustain the 20 AP/second cost for close to five minutes.

Supreme ploughed into the ground as my body was puppeted out of the way. The hero got back on his feet, and I charged him.

BOAR CHARGE! 425 DAMAGE NEGATED. KNOCKBACK.

“Aah!” screamed the ultra, as he was knocked down again.

I slammed into him again, pinning him down.

BOAR CHARGE! 425 DAMAGE NEGATED.

Although surprised, Supreme was still unhurt. Time to change that.

The next second, the Nanothorn Kurkri was out and slicing through Supreme’s stomach.

SUPREME -2,760 HP!

Supreme screamed again. Loudly.

I brought the Kukri up to his throat. “Yield?” I asked casually.

Terror filled his eyes. “You wouldn’t dare,” he whispered.

“Yield or not?”

“I yield,” he croaked. “I’m bleeding…”

I focused on the five and used Mass Heal.

Five traceries of golden light shot out to the injured ultras, restoring 200 HP to each of them for the low, low cost of 100 MP. Mass Cure followed, wiping out their status effects, and then I spammed Heals on Supreme to bring him back to normal.

The crowd was silent as the grave.

I held up a hand to Supreme. “Truce now. No hard feelings?”

The man grimaced. “No hard feelings.”

“Let’s tell the crowd, then, shall we?” I turned to the other ultras, who were still recovering - both from the shock of being soundly thrashed and from the aftereffects of the Healing energy running through their systems. “How are you all feeling?”

“Weird.” “Woozy.” “Hungry.”

I glanced at the Wolfman, who was rubbing his stomach. “Healing takes a lot out of you. Let me sponsor y’all for five dinners at Jimmy’s tonight?”

“That’s generous of you,” growled Adam. “Thanks.”

“Anyone want to tell me what you guys did wrong?”

The five members of Supremacy exchanged glances. “Fought you?” volunteered Iron Joe.

I shook my head. “That’s not it. The five of you, working together, could have brought me down easily.”

“You attacked before we were prepared,” said Aspenthorn.

“Attackers don’t give you warning. And the minute Supreme said ‘accept’, the fight was on.”

The four heroes glared darkly at Supreme.

I turned to the grim-looking flyer. “Supreme. Every team member has a role. Do you know what yours is?”

“The leader?”

“The sponge.”

A puzzled look passed over Supreme’s face. “The what?”

“Each team has some members who are resilient and others who are, well, squishy.” I pointed at Texas Belle and Aspenthorn. “Your squishy members went down with a couple of punches. You, on the other hand, could take a lot more damage than them. The term for that role is ‘tank’. The less polite version is ‘damage sponge’.”

“Er… you still cut me.” The hero winced, running a hand over his stomach. “Sliced me open.”

“I used a hundred times as much force on you. If I’d been fully occupied with you, I wouldn’t have had the time - or energy - to target them. So why wasn’t I?”

“You moved too fast,” grumbled Supreme. “I thought we’d exchange a few blows, but the stupid stage collapsed…”

“Icollapsed the stage. That was my opening move.” I pointed at the broken remnants. “Step one, distract the tank. Knock you - and the resilient members of the team - off balance. Step two, take out the weaker members one by one. I picked the Wolfman first because he’s strong enough to serve as a secondary tank, but still weak enough for me to take out in a few seconds. Then Iron Joe - whose armor is extremely vulnerable to my power, so I could put him down in less than a second. After that, Texas Belle and Aspenthorn weren’t much of a challenge.” I looked out at the crowd. “Anyone time how long it took from the start of the match to the point where Supreme charged me?”

“Nine seconds,” called out a voice.

“Nine seconds. Three for Adam, one for Iron Joe, two for Texas Belle and three for Aspenthorn.” I turned to the green-decked woman. “Good thinking, by the way, trying to pin me down for Supreme.”

She blushed. “You still got free.”

“That’s fine. You missed one opportunity, though, which made things easier. Could you have wrapped the vines around my visor?”

Aspenthorn lit up. “I could have blinded you.”

“Exactly. Without sight, I wouldn’t have known where to jump. Or been able to dodge Supreme.”

Supreme was scratching his head, a reflective look on his face. “So if I’d kept you occupied, and she’d gotten the vines around you….”

“Wolfman could have charged in, slicing my armor to pieces, and the match would have finished in seconds. And that’s before considering what Iron Joe or Texas Belle could have done.”

Supreme looked abashed. “I … guess we need to work on tactics.”

“On teamwork. You know the moment you really lost the fight?”

“When was that?”

“When you said ‘I accept’ before your teammates were ready.”

The five ultras wore a hangdog expression.

“Cheer up, though. You’ve got good fundamentals. What I’d suggest is that you practice your teamwork. At least a thousand hours of team exercises.”

“A thousandhours? Do you know how much that’ll cost…” Supreme trailed off as I fixed him with a glare.

“Consider it an investment in your survival.” I let my voice drop an octave. “What I used today is a fraction of what I’ve used against a Lesser Carnotaur.”

I could see Adam the Wolfman visibly gulp.

“How would you have beaten us?” inquired Iron Joe. “If, you know, you had to really pull out all the stops.”

I pointed at Supreme. “Supreme’s damage resistance has a cap. So I’d hit him with an anti-tank missile.” I turned to the rest. “Followup would be plasma rifle fire for the less resilient, and for Adam I’d go with hand-to-hand combat. With my Lightning Hammer.”

Iron Joe nodded sombrely. “Thanks, Belessar. We’ll practice as a team. Even if we have to do it for free.” He shot a dirty look at Supreme.

“After what just happened, I don’t think we can call ourselves Supremacy anymore,” Aspenthorn sounded morose. “We’ve got a lot to learn.”

“A team name,” I said gently, “is best chosen over a shared experience. Phoenix Company choose to celebrate their new life. Nanocloud and I were called ‘dragonflies’ as children. BARD picked a letter from the name of each of their members.” I looked at Supreme. “‘Supremacy’ was never your team name. It was a holding term, to describe what you are in the process of becoming. Your true name? It’s something you will discover as you train together. Good luck.”

A QUEST IS GIVEN TO ANOTHER FACTION!

QUEST ASSIGNED TO FACTION: SUPREMACY

‘DISCOVER YOUR TRUE NAME.’

… Wow, that was new.

“We’ll do it,” Aspenthorn said. “Thanks, Belessar.”

“You’re welcome. And enjoy your dinner tonight at Jimmy’s, on me.”

The applause as I left seemed quite heartfelt.

RELATIONSHIP INCREASED WITH ADAM THE WOLFMAN, IRON JOE, ASPENTHORN, TEXAS BELLE TO ALLY (+4).

RELATIONSHIP DECREASED WITH SUPREME TO RIVALRY (-3).

+3750 XP FOR DEFEATING FACTION: SUPREMACY.