When the dart hit Aiden, the only thing that went through his mind was a moment of silent panic.
When he dropped to his knees, unable to move, visions of Selene ripping him limb from limb over and over invaded his mind.
He could hardly breathe.
Much less scream.
When his system screen filled with messages, he barely cared.
Your soul quakes.
Your soul quakes.
Your soul quakes.
Your soul quakes.
Your soul quakes.
He did not care.
Because he could hear Selene coming.
A part of his mind screamed for him to run.
That she would kill them.
That she would rip them apart slowly.
But a desperate part of him clung to the good memories, begging himself.
Don't do it.
Please.
Please don't look scared.
Please, by the gods above, don't look scared.
I can't do that to her.
I can't let her think she's just some monster.
Please.
When Selene saw him and stopped, her expression was one Aiden could only describe as terror, horror, and acceptance.
Truly, the acceptance was the cruelest part.
Like somewhere deep inside, she had been waiting for this moment.
Then the tears fell.
Small.
Quiet.
They seemed to mourn what she had lost more than they seemed to belong to the moment.
It was in those tears that Aiden saw Jackson.
Jackson, the one who had made him feel insignificant.
Jackson, who had shown him that all his progress was basically pointless.
Jackson, who had pulled the trigger.
Aiden's engine roared with power.
Heat built inside him, brighter and hotter than ever.
He could feel his skin burning as flames danced from his mouth like an overfed fire.
His eyes locked on Jackson across the arena.
His system screen flashed with announcements, as if the messages had been delayed by the poison.
Aiden stared through them.
Your soul stirs.
A skill has formed from broken fate.
You have acquired Thick Skin (E).
Your max HP has increased by 30.
Your soul stirs.
A skill has formed from broken fate.
You have acquired Run Redline (E).
You can greatly enhance yourself, however pushing your body that hard will cause damage in return.
Your soul stirs.
A skill has evolved from broken fate.
Skill Accel Spearmanship (E) has evolved into Accel Spearmanship (D).
Your soul stirs.
A skill has evolved from broken fate.
Skill Fragmented Will (D) has evolved into Fragmented Will (C).
You have developed Will: Thrive.
Your soul stirs.
A skill has evolved from broken fate.
Skill Accel Thought (E) has evolved into Accel Thought (D).
Your reaction time has improved.
Normally, Will was a source of a second opinion in matters like this.
But as Aiden dropped into a stance to rush after Jackson, he heard Will and a new voice join him.
All three roared in unison.
"JACKSON!"
Aiden rocketed forward.
His feet raced as the blazing engine in his chest pushed them faster.
His spear danced with spiraling flames.
Jackson turned, alarm flashing across their face.
Aiden spun.
The shaft of his spear struck Jackson's side.
A satisfying gasp of emptied lungs escaped them as they flew back and slammed into the wall, leaving a spiderweb of cracks running up it.
Aiden landed, his foot carving through the dirt.
Then he launched himself forward at full force, spear out.
A flash of orange crossed his vision.
Pip grabbed the spear.
Both of them skidded to a stop as Jackson landed on one knee, coughing.
Pip stood there, one hand holding the shaft of Aiden's spear while Aiden's feet dug into the ground.
"Hey, Jackson," Pip called, as if Aiden was not even there. "You okay?"
As if Aiden could not pose a threat.
Aiden's engine roared.
He knew there was another gear he could use.
A new skill to push himself even further.
The cost gave him pause, even with anger pumping through him like molten magma.
But then he watched Pip stand there like Aiden could do nothing.
Not even facing him.
Aiden's blood boiled so hot he would burn even without the Revolution Core.
Then his eyes drifted to Jackson's pistols.
He saw Selene's face again.
The tears rolling down her cheeks like she was saying goodbye to something she had cherished.
Aiden's scream held no words.
No tactics.
It was primal.
Born from pain, rage, and the desire to rip the bastards in front of him apart.
You have used skill Run Redline (E).
Your Strength increased by 50.
Your Constitution increased by 50.
Your physical abilities are greatly enhanced.
You take 10 recoil damage.
The Engine Exo Armor (C) has reduced the heat of the Revolution Core V2.
The Engine Exo Armor (C) has gained 2 pressure charges.
The heat of the Revolution Core V2 deals 8 damage to you.
You have overclocked the Revolution Core V2 into Nitro Mode.
Your Strength has increased by 30.
Your Dexterity has increased by 30.
While in Nitro Mode, the Revolution Core V2 burns too hot for your flesh to mend.
You must shift down to heal.
The engine surged with a wave of power.
Aiden felt the strength to rip up mountains and throw buildings pulse through him.
Pip finally turned back, hearing the Revolution Core V2 screaming as it failed to move any faster no matter how hard Aiden pushed it.
Even the mechanism itself glowed bright red.
Flames burst from Aiden's mouth, ears, nose, and eyes.
A wave of agony tore through him.
He could only mask it with a roar as he slammed his fist into Pip's side.
His hand went through skin and flesh.
His fingers wrapped around a solid mass of bone.
Pip's eyes widened in surprise.
Aiden yanked his hand over his shoulder and thrust his spear forward.
The blade found fur.
Skin.
Flesh.
Then came out the back with so much force that Pip's legs bounced one way while his torso flew the other.
Aiden could already hear his flesh bubbling.
His healing had already started growing new legs even as he flew.
But Aiden did not care.
His target was Jackson.
"JACKSON!"
Aiden bellowed.
He saw a glimmer of fear in Jackson's eyes.
Despite that fear, Jackson's mouth moved as if puppeted by another.
"Wow," Jackson said. "So ready to burn yourself to death? Or did you forget you are a melee fighter fighting a Courier?"
Their smile twitched.
"Try to keep up."
Jackson launched from the wall, trails of lightning flashing from their eyes as they wove around the arena.
Aiden's engine roared so loudly that he felt deaf to everything else.
His feet carved the earth.
As Jackson ran and Aiden pursued, he saw fear building in Jackson's eyes.
Because Aiden was not only keeping pace.
Right now, he was faster.
As they ran, Aiden caught a glimpse of the arena's projections of their fight.
Streaks of fire and lightning practically illuminated the walkable terrain as he chased Jackson no matter where they ran.
Jackson leapt from a wall, wheeled around, and fired a barrage of bullets.
Before, Aiden had heard the crack of a gunshot and woken up only after his injuries were healed.
Now he could see the bullets as they flew.
His spear whipped around so fast he could feel it cracking under the speed.
Aiden leapt at Jackson, swinging his spear down in a cruel crescent meant to cut them in half from shoulder to groin.
Flames flared.
Blood ran down Aiden's face and evaporated just as quickly.
The impact slammed Jackson into the ground.
Then, with a loud snap, Aiden's spear shattered.
You take 20 recoil damage.
The heat of the Revolution Core V2 deals 23 damage to you.
You have used item Spear of the Seven Hunts (D).
"Jackson" has taken 78 damage.
Spear of the Seven Hunts (D) has shattered.
Aiden landed with a sound like an entire road of stone shattering beneath him.
His fist cocked back, ready to deliver a heavy haymaker to Jackson's face.
Then a sudden wave of flowers and life sprang up around him.
Aiden rolled, hissing, ready to rip into the deer guy he thought was already out of the fight.
But instead, he saw Alex Sylrath.
Purple and green light emanated from him as nature seemed to bow, as if welcoming a king.
Aiden felt his rage being quenched.
Belligerent.
Boiling.
Siphoned away by the plants around him.
A part of him grasped and clawed for that rage, the thing that had let him fight through the debilitating pain now rushing through his body.
Aiden reached a shaking hand to his chest and slammed the small panel on his right shoulder beneath his ripcord.
A groan of pain mixed with a gasp of relief tore from him as he fell to his knees, coughing.
Blood poured from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth, dribbling onto the floor.
You have used Revolution Core V2's Heat Vents.
Revolution Core has shifted from Nitro Mode to High Gear.
Engine Exo Armor (C) has used Heat Shunt.
Revolution Core has shifted from High Gear to Low Gear.
You have force-stopped the Revolution Core V2.
It will be unusable for one minute.
With the heat gone from his chest, Aiden felt like his body was falling apart.
The nature around him seemed to mend his wounds slightly, but it was slow.
Everyone turned to Alex, who landed softly in the grass as if he could fly.
"Attention, all contestants," Alex said. "I have been made aware that the city is under siege from a giant monster rising from the sewers. Teams have been mobilized to handle this."
He looked across the arena.
"What I ask of you all is to assist civilians in getting to safety and make room for the teams to work."
Aiden heard Alex's words.
But his eyes drifted back to Jackson.
Jackson seemed relieved.
The sparks of anger desperately tried to catch again as Aiden began to stumble toward them.
"Hey, Aiden," Will said inside his head. "We're supposed to be smarter than this. You're not the only one angry, but people are in danger."
Aiden continued forward.
His legs grew stronger as the plants slowly healed his injuries.
Who cares about random people?
He is not getting away with this.
"Wow," said a different voice from Will's. "And here I thought you didn't like Ymer. But you're doing so well acting just like him."
Aiden paused.
His glare turned inward.
What did you just say?
"I'm saying that if you can't even think about helping people because you are so obsessed with revenge against someone, you might as well gather a team of overleveled people and try to hunt them down."
The voice sharpened.
"Maybe even throw poison into the mix."
Aiden's thoughts stalled.
"Oh wait," the voice said. "Now who does that sound like?"
Aiden could not respond.
His mind wrapped around it.
Attacking Jackson.
Helping people.
Avoiding becoming like Ymer.
Saying who cared and killing Pip for starting all of this.
Aiden stood there, fists clenched, arms shaking as he looked around the arena for something.
Anything.
Anything to push him in a direction.
His eyes landed on Selene.
She was running toward the gate with Beatris.
His eyes shifted to Jackson, who was beginning to stand.
Aiden growled.
"I don't know which player you are, and I don't care."
Jackson froze.
"If you do anything to me or any of my friends like that again, I will hunt down every character you ever make."
Aiden did not wait to see Jackson's expression.
He did not wait for a reply.
He ran after Selene and Beatris as an echoing roar rattled the entire coliseum.