Honestly, the teleport gate was familiar.
Still strange every single time.
It had been strange when Selene first left Tessegog.
It had been strange when she went with the others to the duke's house and back.
And it was strange once again when they drove through the gate and arrived in Clayland.
The town itself was cool.
The smell of pottery and water filled the air as dozens of golems moved through the streets. Some were small birdlike things flying from building to building, while others were far larger, including one massive golem assisting in offloading cargo from a vehicle.
They had been planning to head out in the morning because it was late, and crossing the mountains would be treacherous enough without also being unable to see.
As they rode through town looking for a place to park, everyone did their own thing.
Selene, however, found herself stuck in thought.
Recent events.
Old memories.
Everything in between.
So she was a bit surprised when the vehicle stopped, realizing she had been spacing out.
"All right," Aiden said as everyone began hopping off. "I'll look for a room at the inn. Thalia, do you want to see what you can find for dinner?"
Thalia nodded.
Little Fox followed after her.
In a bit of a surprise, the two seemed to be bonding pretty well. They were the quietest members of the group and would often ride in silence together.
Aiden and Jax headed off with Victor to grab a room, which left Liora and Selene.
They had gone shopping together earlier, where Liora bought a new item that expanded her mana capacity while Selene bought a new set of heavy plate armor.
And yet, Selene still wanted to talk to Liora about something.
So as Liora began to depart, Selene tapped her shoulder.
"Oh, Selene," Liora said, a slight note of confusion in her voice. "What's up?"
Selene quietly shifted in her seat on the vehicle.
"W-Well," she said, "I wwas going to go on a w-walk to clear my head a bit and was wondering i-if you could join me."
Stupid stutter.
I sound like I can barely speak.
Memories of the past weeks flashed through her mind.
Liora gave her a smirk and wrapped an arm around her before leading her down the road.
As they walked, Liora began to chat in that way she always could.
Light conversation.
Easy conversation.
The kind that made situations feel lighter just by existing.
Selene walked in silence with her for a bit.
Then she asked, "A-Am I redundant?"
That made Liora pause.
She turned to Selene with a questioning look before leading her over to a small table at a candy shop.
They sat down.
Liora looked at her and asked, "What's on your mind? Because something is chewing at you."
Selene sat silently for a moment.
Then she looked up.
The questions came out in a rush, like they had been bottled up for too long to be stopped.
"Everyone is getting stronger," Selene said. "But it feels like I'm stagnating."
She gripped her knees under the table.
"Aiden can now hit just as hard as I can. Maybe even harder with his spear. Jax has only gotten more and more durable as the days have gone on."
Her voice shook.
"Thalia, from what you said, was wrestling D-rank monsters around, and you can practically fly."
She swallowed.
"Hell, even Little Fox, who is the weakest party member in terms of level, seems to be growing so fast. It's only a matter of time before she surpasses me."
Selene wrapped her hands around her head and banged her forehead against the table.
She knew it would look weird.
She knew people would give her strange looks.
But it felt comforting.
In a world where everyone was racing around her, getting better and better, Selene felt like she was crawling to keep up.
Getting left in the dust.
It was too much.
Everything needed to let her breathe for a moment.
She did not want to be left behind.
And, and, and, and—
Liora placed a hand silently on Selene's left arm.
It was not forceful, like she was trying to rip Selene's small bubble of muffled sound away from her.
It was not expectant, like Liora wanted her to do something.
It was soft.
Simple.
Anchoring.
Selene grabbed Liora's hand for a moment and just let herself breathe.
Let the world take a moment to stop being so big and complicated.
Then she looked up.
It could have been minutes.
It could have been two hours.
Liora had not moved.
She had not complained.
She had simply kept her hand on Selene's arm, giving her something to anchor to so she did not spiral into lunacy.
"T-Thank you," Selene said quietly.
Tears pricked the corners of her eyes.
Then she felt Liora's grip suddenly tighten around her arm.
Selene looked up in confusion.
But Liora was not looking at her.
She was looking toward the road, her face pale.
Selene turned.
Across the road stood a familiar figure that sent a shiver down her spine.
A man in a purple suit.
His hair covered his right eye, and his grin showed pointed teeth.
Ymer made his way toward them.
"S-Should we run?" Selene asked.
She was already tense and prepared to throw the table over to cover their escape.
But Liora squeezed her hand.
"Can't," Liora said. "He's not alone."
Selene looked around.
Then she saw them.
In total, there were five figures standing at practically every possible path they could use to escape.
To their left stood a young boy, no older than thirteen.
He wore an open leather vest and riding pants, with a set of revolvers at his sides. A fox tail swung behind his back.
He did not have his weapons in hand.
Instead, he gave them what seemed to be a friendly smile and a big wave, like a kid trying to catch someone's attention.
Selene turned and saw a tall halfblood tiger man to their right.
He wore a sleeveless shirt with a long strip down the middle that trailed all the way to the ground. A chainsaw sat in his hand, revving as he grinned wickedly.
His feet were already set in a stance in case a fight broke out.
From behind Ymer, two more figures stepped out.
On his right stood a lightblood rabbit woman.
She wore a ceremonial dress like the sort one would see classic shrine maidens wearing.
It might have been soothing if she had not been putting on brass knuckles.
To his left stood a moose lightblood.
Their antlers pointed outward as they scowled in a way that said, I am better than you, so stop trying.
They wore a business suit covered in flair, and the feeling they gave off was one of control.
Selene thought there were only five.
Then Liora looked up.
Selene followed her gaze and saw a human man above them.
His entire body looked like one massive black, charred burn scar.
A head of burning hair flowed where his normal hair must have once been.
The cracked skin of his face split painfully as he smiled down at them.
"What's your game, Ymer?" Liora asked as she stood with Selene.
She seemed to be trying to act nonchalant, but Selene could still see her nerves.
Liora crossed her arms.
Yet from Selene's angle, she also saw Liora take a tiny piece of paper, no wider than a pen, and rip it.
"Well," Ymer said as he walked forward, his footsteps causing blood to rise from the ground, "that depends on how cooperative you are."
Once again, they were dragged into his soul skill.
The reflective blood lake.
The endless red sky.
It was all exactly the same as before.
Except this time, they were in a fight six against two.
And there was nobody outside who could help them break out.
"W-We didn't come to fight you," Selene said, hoping, even though she knew it was a long shot. "We didn't even know you were in this town at all."
Ymer continued walking toward them and shook his head.
"No, no. I'm aware you're not here to fight."
His smile widened.
"But I most certainly am. Yet I am a generous man, so I will offer you a deal."
He looked to Selene.
She took a moment to center herself before asking, "T-That being?"
"Well," Ymer said, "I recently assembled this team around me, and I want to make sure they are up to snuff."
He spread his arms.
"You pick one to fight, and you fight them. You knock them unconscious, we move on to the next one."
His eyes slid to Liora.
"If you fall unconscious, I kill the wind mage."
He grinned.
"Sounds fun, right?"
That was not a competition.
It was a slaughter with a timer.
Yet before Selene could voice her opinion, the tiger halfblood stepped forward.
"So much talk," he said. "I'm first, so don't die too easily!"
Selene saw him step forward.
As he did, she grabbed the potion Aiden had given her for emergencies and downed it.
The triple energy potion.
Then she lunged.
There was no time to hold back.
This was not a fight.
Which meant Selene had exactly one way to get them out of this.
Show enough ferocity that none of the others volunteered to step forward.
Her soul skill would normally cause the mutated muscle on her left arm to swell and become stronger.
But she had a new trick.
One Mr. Lee had given her.
One that let her wrap her whole body.
As Selene moved, the muscle of her arm splayed across her body. It wrapped, twisted, and formed a fleshy purple-and-black suit covered in spines and radiating power.
She caught the halfblood by surprise.
He had only just raised his chainsaw when Selene swung.
Her first attack was one she had practiced a hundred times against training targets at home.
A strike to take out the neck.
Followed by a heavy blow to the sternum to shatter the ribs.
Selene ripped out a handful of fur and flesh.
Then her foot swung around, delivering a harsh back kick to the man's sternum.
He flew backward and was caught by the moose lightblood, who dropped him moments later as if he were trash.
The tiger struggled to stand, clutching his bleeding throat where his vocal cords had been.
You have used item Energy Energy Energy Potion (E).
You have gained 26 mutation.
Energy potions now have half effectiveness for the next 6 hours.
You have used soul skill Chimeric Surge (C).
Your Strength will be increased by 50 for a time.
You have used skill Chimeric Cowl (C).
Your soul skill is greatly enhanced.
Your stats soar.
You have used skill Claws of the Beast (D).
Your attack has struck a vital point.
CRITICAL HIT.
You have dealt 101 damage.
Your soul stirs.
Your Chimeric Cowl enhances your speed.
You have used skill Claws of the Beast (D).
You have dealt 52 damage.
Your soul stirs.
Selene glared around at the others, waiting for her next opponent.
To her surprise, the tiger halfblood lunged at her.
His hand was no longer at his neck.
The flesh beneath bubbled and rapidly healed.
He laughed at first with a hoarse sound, but it quickly became normal.
"Not bad," he said. "Not bad. But I heal quick!"
He swung his chainsaw around.
Selene's suit writhed.
The muscles on her arm formed into thick armored plates, and she deflected the chainsaw by its blade.
The teeth spun and sparked as they scraped down her plates before tapping the ground.
She had expected a kick.
To her horror, she watched as a massive burst of pressure rocked outward, leaving a blade-shaped cut in the reflective blood surface.
The cut quickly began to fill in.
"The berserker class," Ymer said mockingly as he created a set of blood chairs for the other four members of his party. "The more damage they take, the harder they hit."
Pip has used weapon Super Heated Chainsaw (D).
Pip has used skill Bestial Retaliation.
Pip has increased the power of their next strike by 308.
Pip has missed their attack.
Your soul stirs.
Selene did not have time to think.
So she tried a bit of a Hail Mary and used another skill.
Her fist radiated a strange red energy as she felt the strength of her new skills flowing through her.
She took a step behind Pip, swinging her serrated claws in an upward arc.
Her fingers danced through bone.
Pip's left arm flew into the air.
Selene's own left arm curled into a fist and slammed into the side of his head, causing his body to bounce and roll across the ground.
He came to a stop with a grin still on his face.
Then, after a moment, he looked down at his still-severed arm in surprise.
Selene could feel it too.
He was weakened.
All she needed to do was land the last blow.
The anti-healing effect would not last long.
You have used skill Hemoclash Surge (E).
Your next attack is filled with your blood, reducing any healing.
You have used skill Claws of the Beast (D).
Your attack has struck a vital point.
CRITICAL HIT.
You have dealt 166 damage.
Your soul stirs.
A skill has formed from broken fate.
Skill acquired:
Savage Beatdown (E).
Savage Beatdown (E)
Passive
When you hit an enemy, your next attack is faster against that same enemy as long as the enemy does not strike you back between attacks.
Your Chimeric Cowl enhances your speed.
You have used skill Claws of the Beast (D).
You have dealt 72 damage.
Your soul stirs.
Selene rushed forward to land the final attack.
Then came the sound of shattering glass.
A massive paw covered in black and red fur slammed down.
The blood vanished.
Cobblestones returned beneath them and shattered under the impact.
As Selene fell backward, she stared up at the towering beast.
It stood at least one hundred feet tall, with a long, white, unkempt mane running down its back. Its fur was black, streaked all over with red.
The beast would have terrified her.
If not for the crystalline legs that made up its back half.
Ymer stared up, clearly annoyed.
"Victor," he said, "aren't you supposed to be stuck on an island full of monsters or in a big tower?"
Victor stood over them, staring down for a moment before he spoke.
"My brrrrrotherrrrr is strrrrong enough forrrr me to be herrre," Victor said. "I need not worrrrrrry with him therrre. And I am cerrrtain I will rrrreunite with them soon enough."
Ymer scoffed, then glared up at him and angrily pointed a finger.
"So then why exactly are you getting in our way? I thought there was a general agreement to not fight among Fateless."
Victor stood silently.
Selene looked past his leg and saw Pip grabbing his severed arm and reattaching it, watching her with a curious look.
She felt the time for both her soul skill and her new skill end.
Both retracted.
Selene fell to one knee, biting her lip so hard it bled as she forced herself to silence the groan of pain trying to escape from the sudden wave of fatigue that spread through her.
Liora rushed over and helped her up while trying to be casual about it.
Then Selene saw the rabbit-eared one start inching toward them.
The ground shot up in a wall, blocking the path as Victor spoke.
"I neverrrr agrrreed to any such thing," Victor said. "And even if otherrrrs have, theirrrr rrresponses arrrre not mine."
He glanced toward Ymer's team.
"Besides, therrre arrre plenty of Fateless fighting. Frrrrrom the Black Dawn and the student council and the small child."
Ymer shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You know exactly what they are, yet you're defending them. You know what could happen if they become strong enough to pose a problem to us."
Victor seemed to deflate, returning to his normal size.
He looked to Ymer.
"And arrrre they limited by the hand fate has dealt them, as Fated?" Victor asked. "Was theirrrr handlerrr not rrrevived rrrecently?"
Ymer's expression sharpened.
"You will not get a good storrrry simply letting herrroes follow fate," Victor said. "They will grrrrrow beyond the terrrrm of Fate or Fatebound."
Ymer stared at him for a moment.
Then he asked, "Motherfucker, did you just wax poetically say you're siding with them?"
Liora and Selene exchanged a confused glance.
Neither of them had any idea what in the hells Victor was talking about.
Victor yawned.
"I would not be a verrrry good punk if I didn't have that airrrr of rrrrebellion and hell-rrraising, now would I?"
Victor held up a paw, the back facing Ymer.
Then he extended a single claw.
The middle one.
"I will prrrrrove to you all that they arrre not gonna fit the mold Fate has planned."
His eyes narrowed.
"Afterrrr all, if we've got a thirrrd-rate vampire with a fourrrrrth-rate soul skill here, then purrrrhaps anybody can become Fateless, yes?"
Victor turned and began walking away.
Selene and Liora followed behind him.
Selene could feel Ymer seething behind them.
Then came the sound of a building being struck, followed by crumbling stone.
"Your mentor can save you now," Ymer yelled. "But just wait until we get to the Plate Games. After all, accidents can always happen!"
They did not turn around.
They kept walking.
While they had survived today, the future seemed very determined to come for them.