Chapter 399: Is it over?

The system made Mason and all the other players fight for another twenty four hours, approximately every 30 minutes.

Which was at least was better than every 15. There were far more individual bouts than team bouts, and Mason's opponents were almost always Easterners. Despite a few very bad arenas, they always had no chance.

One or two gave him a workout. These were faster players who kept their distance and were good at dealing with his arrows. But his regeneration, near endless stamina, and either infinite or nearly infinite arrows (the mana cost was getting pretty damn low for him now, even in unnatural environments), meant it was always just a matter of time.

The more direct and melee-oriented types he slaughtered, their strength and speed just totally inadequate. The casters were rare, interesting, and sometimes surprising, but never any real threat.

Eventually Mason was also forced to fight some of his own players.

"Ah hell." Garet had stepped out with a pink face and a salute. "I'd like to play it out, chief, if you don't mind. But you know...maybe just...go easy on me."

Mason had nodded and started with a few easy shots in a relatively open arena. Garet apparently had a kind of 'deflection' spin with his spear, and he did a good job with the basic arrows.

Power Shot had him cry out and leap to the side, though, the missile blasting a chunk out of his bicep. He looked at it and winced.

"OK to keep going?" Mason called, and the tough spearman nodded. Mason drew his Claws and advanced, giving a few test swings before Garet growled and activated his 'phantom spears', or whatever it was called.

Being on the other side of it was actually a good experience—Mason was glad to see just how terrifying it was.

Ghostly spearpoints jabbed at him in a half circle, basically forcing anyone with any sense to withdraw. Garet came charging straight through it with a powerful thrust and a good ambush, but the attack was just too slow.

Mason deflected it easily, pretty sure he could just wade into the phantom spears and end it. But he backed up like any normal fighter would. They went a few more blows before Garet just shook his head.

"Man you're fast. Not sure what to do about that."

"Can you close those spears?" Mason said. "Like make a full ring all around me?"

Garet shook his head. "I wish. It makes me give you an out. And I can make it a lot bigger if I make it straighter. If I could get you cornered, maybe, like against a wall."

Mason nodded, reminding himself that all kinds of other people were very likely watching, analyzing.

"We can train later. Well fought. I'll see you after."

Garet had nodded and muttered a surrender, and the arena vanished.

Mason fought Seamus, too, and the fire mage leapt out from behind some kind of bunker with his prestige class power blasting, raining death as he threw every projectile and some kind of fiery lance, all in a well-timed inferno.

Mason just stood in the middle and took it. His flesh burned and healed, Apex Predator flaring with elemental affinity, Transformation started changing the very nature of his flesh as he waited until it was done.

"Good enough?" he said.

Seamus slumped and unsummoned his staff, fiery glow in his eyes shrinking until he sat down and kicked a rock.

"You know it's even more depressin’ that I got it off, and that it didn't do a fecking t’ing."

"Not true," Mason said. "It hurt. A little."

"For Chrissakes. I fecking surrender."

Mason had warped out of that one with a grin. But Becky was next. She came out swearing, her shield turned to a mace, eyes focused in concentration.

"Oh come on," Mason said. "Do we really have to do this?"

Apparently they really did. Becky came at him with a yell, promising to ‘mess up his pretty face’.

He gave her what she wanted. He smashed the absolute shit out of her shield, letting her reflective power build and build until her eyes had gone wide with glee, and she'd released it with a triumphant yell.

It actually blew him flying. He managed to flip in the air and come down on his feet, sliding a few feet back before he stood.

"Pretty good," he said. "I can see why that's effective."

"Ah come on." Becky stomped a foot and stared. "Look at you. You ain't even fuckin' hurt."

"Nope," he agreed, coming forward with his Claws swinging. "Want to test that metal on your arm? Or should we just call it a day?"

Becky slumped, waiting until Mason got closer before she lowered her voice.

"I bet Rosa I'd at least hurt you. Can't you just...let me hit you a couple good ones? You know, give you a bloody lip, or somethin'?"

"What was the bet?"

Becky went a little pink and shrugged. Then she lined up and swung her mace. Mason zipped past and got her in a choke, watching her arcane shield eventually crush away and pop in his arms.

"Give up yet?" he said, grinning as he started to squeeze.

"Never.”

Becky struggled and thrashed and Mason tried and failed not to grope her. Her shield was entirely vanished now, and he gave her a chest and waist a good crush, hard enough to make her groan.

"We'll have to try this again when the whole world isn't watching," he whispered, getting a lot more turned on than anticipated.

Becky finally nodded and seemed to give up, but as Mason let her go she leaned forward and rammed her heel straight into his crotch with a backwards kick.

He grunted and gave her a glare, and she leapt away with a big grin and yelled 'I win!' then 'oh shit, I surrender, I surrender!', vanishing before he could make her pay for it.

It was the last interesting fight for him. After that it was all non-council member eastern players, none of whom posed any kind of threat. They did start talking, though, repeating some kind of scripted line when they realized it was him, obviously for the crowd.

"You may strike me down, Savage, but the emperor will defeat you.'

Mason had at first been very confused, but soon just sighed and as usual asked if they'd like to be stabbed or choked out first. Usually they covered their mouths, whispering an apology first or just asking to be choked out. Mason always obliged.

These were just people, after all, and he didn't hate them. In fact he continued to find it beyond distasteful to have to fight and kill people so much weaker than him. The amount of points he was getting was hilariously small, and he soon learned the top points 'contenders' had something like ten times the amount he had.

Finally the seemingly never-ending slog of combat ended. The system blared out its congratulations, naming the point leader (some easterner), and providing a list of the undefeated solo players.

[Thank you, players, for your continued cooperation and adherence to Neutral Zone rules. Please rest and rejuvenate. Enjoy the amenities and discuss new strategies with your teams. There will also be the first ever, voluntary, mixed player and civilian 'Meet, Greet, and Dance' held in Meeting Room One in exactly: 12 hours. The final portion of the games will begin in: 24 hours. As ever, we are rooting for you.]

"Thank the lord." Becky collapsed onto Mason's couch in their hotel suite, flopping on top of him. "You're not a good pillow," she said, eyes closed and mouth half pressed against his chest. "Too hard. Need more donuts."

Haley, Rosa and Lexi all came out of the bedroom in various states of dress. He’d kept them about as busy as players.

"Is it over?" Haley had slightly bruised eyes and she was walking like most of her body was sore.

"For now," Mason said, looking his three civilian girls up and down. Their hair was totally disheveled, their legs bare, their tops covered in ruffled, hastily thrown on t-shirts. Mason was pretty sure they hadn’t left the hotel room for...quite awhile.

Without much else to occupy his mind or time, and almost never enough time to sleep, he'd been practically banging them routinely every 30 minutes for a day. Or maybe it was two days.

"Haley," Rosa said, her voice a pleading whine. "He's looking at us again."

Haley linked arms with her, then Lexi on the other side. They all sort of raised their chins like righteous warriors fighting for their cause.

"Mason," Haley said. "Our jaws are sore. And...so are other things. We haven't slept properly since I don't know when. And Becky can speak for herself. But we all need to sleep and then maybe get massages and a little relaxation time. We're not sex robots. We're on strike."

Becky seemed to snort, but when he looked down she was basically drooling on his chest, so she was probably already asleep. He looked at the three girls and fought his smile as well as he could.

"OK."

Haley looked back and forth like it was some trick.

"The bedroom is off limits," she said, like she hadn't expected success. "It's for girls only. For...eight hours."

"OK."

Rosa whispered something in her ear and Haley licked her lips.

"Also, we're not saying we didn't like it."

"Sex strike. Eight hours. Tired but you liked it. Anything else?"

"Umm.” The girls conferred again in whispers. “No."

With that they all kind of stepped back towards the bedroom like Mason might change his mind. After stopping and exchanging a final look, they all came forward and gave him a kiss on the forehead one by one, then turned and practically ran back to the bedroom.

Lexi went last, giving him a big smile and blowing another kiss before she vanished and closed the door.

Mason grinned. He ran his hands through Becky's hair and felt his eyes starting to close, letting the intensity of the last few days drain beneath his cowgirl's warm body.

It wasn't over, he knew. Not by a long shot. He hadn't fought any of the eastern 'council', or learned if the others had.

And, of course, he hadn't fought the emperor. He wasn't sure how important it was. If a victory bought Nassau peace or if it would enrage the man and invite war even faster.

Would it create some doubt and chaos in the east? Bring down this 'emperor' without firing a metaphorical shot in the real world?

Mason just didn't know, and probably couldn't. But he decided to leave the politics for others. All that mattered, in the end, was that he was going to step into a ring with other men one or two at a time, and only Mason was going to come out alive. The reasons didn't matter, and the doubt was a waste of time.

He was going to fight, and he was going to win. As his eyes closed and his mind drifted, it was the only thing he knew for sure.