AlterWorld

Then I knew. I knew why he'd done so. His eyes glinted red. I heard a growl. Ability: Berserk. His blades glittered with Friend of Fire. His armor glowed crimson: Mars' Hand.

The stands gasped. Eric bellowed, drowning out the noise, "Don't push it! Get back!"

I'd have loved to have gotten back, but one of his combos had paralyzed me for three seconds. I writhed, showered with blows, until I could finally move and duck aside. In a matter of seconds, my hits were in the red zone. The guy was a freakin' killer. Another shield buff. Five minutes down already. With what meager magic I'd saved, I renewed Deadman's Hand. It went through, luckily. The demoness' life started blinking. But it looked like the warrior had lost his abilities and hit a cooldown, losing the last drops of his life. Done.

Congratulations! You've won 1/4 of the East Castle Guest Tournament!

200 points Fame received!

Eric erupted in a volcano of praise. "Max, you're too much, man. Three and a half grand! Plus the five hundred before that! You're my lucky charm!"

Was I really? I suppose so. I stood there, numb with triumph. Had I known the warrior's full potential, I'd have never bet on myself in a thousand years. But here I was, fourteen hundred richer. You couldn't complain, really. Plus the experience earned, priceless in itself.

I collapsed onto the bench Eric had helpfully pushed toward me. Time to regen before the semi.

Chapter Twenty-Four

There I sat, restoring mana and calming my nerves. Eric fussed about, desperate to please me, offering me a drink of water one moment, a cookie the next. Fed up with him flickering in front of me, I asked him to go and check the draw results. I was loosening up now. The i

Eric returned quicker than I'd expected with good news. Firstly, we'd been granted a twenty minutes' break before the semi. Not only for our sake, but also for the audience's who were tired, too. The stands filled in anticipation of the best fights. Secondly, I was going to fight a 59 wizard. Tough enough, but better than the other options: the 63 paladin or the 66 top rogue. Would be great if those two a

"What are the stakes like?" I asked Eric. No point letting the money lie idle. It needed to grow. The first million was the hardest. After that it apparently got easier.

"Three to one."

"Excellent. Every little bit helps."

"It's three to one on you, bud."

I stared at him. "Pardon me? The wizard is seven levels above me. Why would anyone bet on me?"

Eric shrugged, reluctant to explain the obvious. "For the same reason as you don't seem to doubt your victory. They weren't born yesterday, either. He's not just any old wizard, but a raid nuker, leveled to deal maximum damage in minimum time. His DpS is at least three times yours. But…" he fell silent.

"But what?"

"I think you know it yourself. You just haven't realized it yet, have you? Deep inside, you're calm because you know you can do him."

I had to admit he was right. "I think I can. I can compensate his damage with my combined stats. Plus I have Life Absorption. And I also have two pets. If they end up in a clinch, he'll be finished in fifteen seconds."

Eric nodded. "Exactly. If you only had one pet, two out of three he would've done you. But he won't find it easy trying to control two beasts and kill you at the same time. He might be lucky, of course. His spells might work the first time round dealing lots of crits. It can happen, within statistical error. So three to one is very good."

Behind him, Taali voiced her frustration. "So are you two going to elect the Tournament Queen or are you in it for the money?"

If she wanted to shame Eric, she chose the wrong person. He wasn't the blushing type. "One can have it both ways, can't he, babe? Your knight in shining armor here has already brought me four grand gold and made two more for himself. Oh. Sorry, bud. Hope I haven't said too much."

I shook my head, "It's okay. We haven't reached the family budget stage yet. So I don't squirrel any loose cash away, if that's what you mean." I turned to Taali. "We've made a few bets here, pretty risky ones though. But this fight is as good as fixed. I should stake a few if I were you. It's entirely up to you, of course. It has to be your decision and your responsibility."

"Yes, I heard what you two were saying," she answered. "I suppose I could try. I have eleven hundred gold. That's all I've managed to put aside this month. Where should I take it?"

Her words made me physically sick. If the girl blew all her money now, I'd be the one to blame, no matter what I'd just said. I'd have to compensate her losses. Too late, anyway. I shouldn't have suggested it to begin with. No good deed goes unpunished.

Eric scooped our savings—over seven grand in total—and took it to the bookies. Five minutes later, he came back happy, rubbing his hands. "Guys, you won't believe it. The tournament has attracted two out-of-town bookies. They too accept bets on the outcome, with much better rates. What they offer is almost two to one. In other words, we might end up with ten grand if Max doesn't let us down. I might need some strength elixir to lug all the gold away."

I didn't like it. "What if they make off with the cash?"

"They can't. All financial professions are licensed. To put your foot in the door, you need to either pay a non-returnable entry fee to AlterWorld Bank or fork out for the insurance. It costs a fortune but then all liability payments are guaranteed. Cheer up, bud!"

As he spoke, Dan came to greet us, looking preoccupied.

"There's the cloak and dagger coming," Eric waved to his rogue friend. "Come sit with us."

Dan didn't share his excitement. "Happy now?"

"Sure."

"Placed your bets for the next fight? How much?"

I tensed up. "Everything we had."

Dan turned to Taali. She nodded her decision to double up.

Eric frowned. "I did bet quite a bit, too. Why? Have you nosed something out?"

"You can kiss your money goodbye, folks. This is a stitch-up for gullible little boys," he looked at Taali and added, "and girls."

Taali gasped and covered her mouth. Eric jumped up. "Don't drag it out, man. What is it you think you know?"

"How much life do you think this wizard has?"

I gave it some thought. "A thousand? Fifteen hundred?" I met his ironic stare. "Let's make it two. Where would he get more? Even I don't have two, with all my shields and stuff."

"Five and a half thousand! A thousand of his own and three more from gear. Plus a personal buff and Eternal Maggot shield charm."

We fell silent.

Dan went on, "This wizard has been working with those out-of-town bookies for a while. But it's the first time they decided to try and fleece us. I'm now looking into how they managed to obtain the invitations."

Eric struggled to think. "Shit. How did they manage to pass gear restrictions?"

"Easy. The charm is four grand. But the rest of his hit gear is crafted. Top stuff but quite cheap. He has more than enough mana. Considering his stats, he'll have plenty of time to rip an opponent apart, caster or no caster."

"Max, no worry," Eric tensed. "You'll do him standing on your head, bud. What's your gear cost? Send me a viewing permission, will ya?"