Lord Tydrion had not teleported with me, which was fine with me. Dealing with a level 99 nymph lord alone would be hard enough. Dealing with him in the middle of a boss base teaming with other high-leveled monsters would be a total death sentence.

Nigel hadn't gotten teleported with me, so with a focused bit of intent, I willed him back to my castle. As I started to fall, I triggered Mirror Cloak along with a Slow Fall potion.

Then as I descended very slowly, I scanned the vast underground cavern. I had to be half a mile above an enormous lake with a small island in the center, almost directly beneath me. More interesting and closer to hand were the majestic waterfalls plunging down from the ceiling in a dozen locations.

They fell from holes cut in the stone ceiling and stretched to the lake below in solid streams of silver and blue. Down at the bottom, they connected with the lake with no splashing, no billowing spray.

Because they were not falling down, but falling up. Water was getting sucked out of the lake and flowing up into those holes. If this was the underground mermaid lair, then those gravity-defying streams must be flowing up to the surface and filling the canals. I'd gotten the whole system totally backwards.

From the remarkable reverse waterfalls, I focused on the small island in the center of the mile-wide lake. Low, grassy hills ran the length of the otherwise bare island. Sandy beaches ringed its entire irregular length, and as I zoomed my vision onto it, I spotted merfolk in human form on land. Both men and women, all with gorgeous flowing blue hair and wearing silver tunics that appeared made out of hardened foam.

More merfolk swam in the water, along with tons of huge fish. More fish flew through the air, which was dense with water vapor. Like, really dense. The humidity had to be like 1000 percent. Breathing meant inhaling literal cup fulls of water with every breath. Luckily, my Iron Lung ability made the water-laden sky taste like perfect mountain air.

Falling through it was like falling through an invisible, dense fog. At least the cavern wasn't totally flooded like I'd feared. No one spotted me before I activated Mirror Cloak, so I also summoned Switchblade. With its new camouflage paint that I'd had Jeeves apply while I slept, it blended into the shadowed sky.

The cavern was pretty well lit, although I couldn't see what caused the illumination. It was like a shadowy twilight everywhere. I was tempted to hit Switchblade's new booster and see if I could climb up to the ceiling and escape through one of those holes, but why not unleash a little chaos while I had the chance?

So I angled toward one of the huge flying Deathwake Behemoth whales. It swam lazily through the air about a hundred yards below and slightly to my right, trailed by a dozen Skyreaver sharks and a couple Stormpiercer swordfish.

I also sent urgent messages to all of my team, summarizing what was going on. I'd gotten strong, but not even I could take on the entire cavern full of high-level monsters alone with good chances of success. If they could arrive soon, maybe we could salvage the operation.

Ruby: "Oh, no! I'll get everyone up. Hold on, Lucas! We're on the way."

Lucas: "I'll be fine for a bit. Don't panic and get careless. Maybe leave Nigel behind this time. He's not going to enjoy being underwater so much. See you soon."

With so many monsters around, I might need another good offensive spell for Switchblade's arsenal. Jane had used up the Firestorm spells I'd added when we faced Noctarus and his zombie army. Accessing the weapons menu, I added 1 scroll of Incineration Breath. The resulting message surprised me.

"You have successfully added Incineration Breath to Switchblade's offensive battery. Synergy unlocked with Piercing Shattercore Ballista, transforming the next 3 uses of Piercing Shattercore Ballista into Incineration Ballista.

"Incineration Ballista. Energy bolts penetrate with 300% more force. Detonation consumes at least 90% health for common monsters at level 60 and below. Percentage reduced by 1% for each higher level, and reduced again for higher-rarity monsters."

I barely bit back an appreciative whistle. Nice! That meant I could still blast away 70% of the health of a level 80 common-rank monster. Elites or other types would take less damage, but the wounds might still be devastating.

Perfect timing too, because within seconds, I closed on the unsuspecting whale and reached perfect firing range. I targeted the side of the huge whale and triggered the newly-upgraded Incineration Ballista.

The dense bolt of energy erupted from the front of my hover bike, now a blended mix of blue and pure gold. It crossed the distance in a blink. Direct hit, and the bolt disappeared into the giant whale's side.

The upgrade did not disappoint. Half a heartbeat later, a huge chunk of the whale's side exploded outward in a blast of blood and bone and blubber. That was more like it!

With my Sport Fishing ability now at level 9, I dealt another 135% more damage to aquatic monsters too. The blast rocked the whale and it emitted a piercing whistle of pain as it convulsed in the air.

All that meant everything in the cavern knew I'd arrived, and flying fish swarmed in. Most couldn't see me yet, but they would soon. So I banished Switchblade and used Tether Slide to shoot across to the badly injured whale. Even with Mirror Cloak still active, the golden, glowing grapple hook of my spell was hard to miss.

Other flying fish accelerated to attack, but I reached my target first. The whale was too distracted by the surprise explosion of half its guts, so never even saw me coming. I landed on its head, blade first and drove Scalebiter through its tough hide and 2 feet of blubber before striking bone.

Then I threw my Bone Drill into the hole. The long, golden drill bit buzzed and punched all the way through the monster's skull. I lacked the proper angle to see it erupt out the other side, but it usually made a grand exit.

A magical drill bit through the brain made even that giant whale stagger. Feeling it shake in midair was weird, like trying to ride a water bed when your brother jumps onto the other side.

I managed to stay on, crouched, and fired 4 exploding blades from Stiletto Quiver into the hole. The first one smashed the skull bone hole open farther, while the next ones plunged deep into the monster's brain before detonating and turning the soft gray matter to burning mush.

"Congratulations, Lucas! You have defeated Deathwake Behemoth, level 72. Bonus experience gained for defeating a higher-level enemy."

Literal tons of flying fish were heading my way, ready to turn me into human sushi, led by 3 more Deathwake whales, lining up to hit me with their Abyssal Requiem beams. A fourth started gathering Skyreaver sharks around itself to unleash its Sharknado ability. No way I could take them all out fast enough. Not unless I got creative.

Time to test out one of my best new scrolls.

"The Dawn Riders. Rare. Unleash 50 spectral heavy cavalry of armored knights and horses that will charge designated foes. 50% chance to trigger Panic Flight on each target. Will trample enemies, dealing massive spiritual damage and intense, pure pain."

"Panic Flight. Overwhelm target's Fear Resistance, causing total panic, lack of rational thought, and an irresistible urge to throw down weapons and flee."

Most of the swarms of flying fish were below me, converging together conveniently as they rushed to attack. I designated the entire mass of deadly monsters and read the scroll.

The air around me rippled as 50 giant spectral knights on armored horses galloped out of thin air, ghostly lances dropping forward to point at the fish. They made an awesome sight, and an otherworldly symphony of ghostly voices rose around them, like the cheering cries of their fallen comrades.

The sound swelled, spectral choirs chanting in a lost language, their voices echoing as if carried from the depths of time itself. Then an invisible orchestra joined in, a deep, pounding drumbeat that mimicked the relentless gallop of spectral hooves, building in intensity. Stringed instruments wailed an additional piercing frenzy, their melodies twisting between sorrow and fury. Brass instruments blared with the force of an ancient war horn, heralding the unstoppable charge.

The stirring sounds melded with the knight's charge and seemed to empower it. I watched in awe from my dead mount that was now falling instead of flying as my spectral knights swept down onto the flying fish.

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Panic Flight hit many of them and they twisted in the air, trying to turn and flee. Others tried to form some kind of fighting line, led by one of the whales that unleashed its deadly magic. The Abyssal Requiem beam sliced through the leading ranks of the ghost knights and they flickered, but did not disappear.

One of the knights threw its lance. The ethereal weapon crossed the distance like an arrow and plunged right through the Deathwake Behemoth's head. Its death beam snapped off and it convulsed in mid-air, then started to fall toward the island below.

Then as the music reached a crescendo, the ghostly knights swept over the terrified ranks of fish. They did not slow, but galloped straight through Skyreavers and Stormpiercers and Deathwake Behemoths alike, while sweeping their lances out to catch even more flying fish.

Every monster convulsed in obvious pain and fell from the sky. As the ghostly cavalry charge faded away with a final trilling of brass horns, the air was full of falling fish.

Most would hit the water, but a few would splatter against the island. Would they survive the impact with the water? Maybe not. Falling from that height, the water would feel like cement.

Some of the flying fish outside of the range of my attack still advanced, but many more hesitated, clearly shaken by the power of that scroll. I had to get me 50 more of those. That was awesome! Several achievements flashed by, but I ignored them and set my tether point on the last whale. It had avoided the attack and was trying to form another Sharknado.

I cast Loot and Soul Feed as my golden chain yanked me toward my target. Just as I launched forward, the water around the island exploded in countless geysers. Foam-capped streamers of water reached up to catch each of the falling fish and guide them down into the depths. I got no kill notifications.

"Cheaters," I growled.

Through the churning columns of water rose 2 figures. One was Lord Tydrion, the fancy-pants nymph ocean lord. The other was a majestic merman with flowing white hair and beard and oversized muscles, clearly visible since he only wore a golden vest on his torso. And of course, he carried a trident, this one a matte black.

"Corvath the Chosen. Mermaid King. Level 85 stage boss. The strongest of the mermaids, Corvath is an experienced warrior who leaves bloody chum in his wake. As a Gifter, he is the ideal choice as leader since he can only wield his powers of flight and necrotic beam attacks through his followers."

Wow. So he was the reason the flying fish could actually fly? That was a cool twist on things. Was he trying to make my job easier by coming out to play instead of making me fight my way through all his minions?

"Stop!" Corvath bellowed, his voice as powerful as a crashing wave. At once, all of the flying fish ceased advancing on me, but turned to face their leader.

He wasn't my leader. Tether Slide slammed me into the top of the Deathwake Behemoth's head and I landed maul first, going for pure crushing power. With my Heavy Weapons ability at level 8, it magnified my attack by another 160%. The brutally-heavy weapon crushed the whale's skull and sank deep into its brains

I didn't want to waste a lot of time, so I shoved my hand into its head and dropped one of my few acid grenades, then I stood and faced the two bosses rising to meet me.

If Corvath couldn't use his flight powers except through his minions, was Tydrion carrying him along? I couldn't tell. Beneath me, the grenade detonated and the already-convulsing whale stiffened as its brain melted under a wave of intense acid.

"Congratulations, Lucas! You have defeated Deathwake Behemoth, level 72. Bonus experience gained for defeating a higher-level enemy."

Corvath pointed his trident at me, his rage visible even from several hundred yards away. "Desist this attack, invader! We have come to parley."

I shouted back. "Then I accept your surrender."

"That's not what parley means."

"It does where I come from."

He paused, clearly not sure how to respond. They kept rising while the rest of the flying fish retreated. The dead whale I stood on started to fall, but I didn't cast Loot yet. It still made a fairly decent platform.

Tydrion spoke in that same arrogant, sneering tone. He did not raise his voice, but it carried easily to me nontheless. "You are a buffoon. Why my queen wishes me to take you alive is a mystery. Perhaps if you tell me how you escaped the holding cavern, she will allow me to administer a mercy killing."

"Are you saying you don't want to parley?" So, Queen Marisara still wanted me alive for that mystery sacrifice she was planning for me. Did that mean Tydrion would hesitate to kill me? I might be able to leverage that in my favor.

Corvath started to respond, but Tydrion shushed him with a gesture, his intense gaze never leaving me. The two stopped to hover even with me, about 20 feet away, close enough for easy conversation and quick hostilities. My dead whale stopped falling, so that was nice.

Count Tydrion's eyes pulsed from blue to a kind of frothy white, as if they contained constantly crashing waves. It probably helped him with the ladies, but didn't intimidate me. He looked far too calm and calculating for my liking, though.

"Your silly word games will not save you today, chosen sacrifice of my queen." His tone had calmed down too. Had the sneering anger been an act? I needed him off-kilter, or I was in serious trouble.

"Before we get to killing each other, I have a couple of questions."

"Amuse me," he said.

"How did you get down to stage 3?"

"An astute question. I committed a vast portion of my wealth to purchase the exception scroll that allowed me to enter this stage to apprehend you."

I grimaced. "That must hurt after you've wasted so much of your fortune already."

Instead of shouting or ranting, or even charging again, he cocked his head a bit and the hint of a smile tugged at his too-handsome lips. "Advanced Identify. Interesting. What else did you learn?"

"Not much, just that you're about to get demoted and serve Count Nextharos. Will you tell me about him? He sounds like a much more effective noble."

Tydrion's smile widened. "Taunting, despite your peril. Excellent."

Not good. He wasn't giving me anything to work with. I needed to keep him talking, get him riled up if possible. In the meantime, I prepared various stacked synergized attacks, although I didn't know enough about him to settle on the best one.

"So, why do you hate Count Nextharos so much?"

"Why not?" he asked, more to himself than to me, his smile not fading. "There is always a game to be had, and the more interesting the prey, the more interesting the game."

Good. Maybe. His description said he liked dangerous games. Could I leverage that?

"Count Nextharos and I compete against each other in the great contest of deep-sea monster hunting on our home world. He is a most frustrating opponent, for he has found ways to accumulate great wealth from his kills."

"Unlike you."

"I focus on the pure love of the game."

I chuckled. "I bet that works out great until you run out of money."

He ignored the jab. "Nextharos also seems to have an uncanny ability to take down the very monsters I was planning to hunt. Each time that happened, I lost a great deal of time and fortune, wasted in research and planning. If not for his interference, my situation would be quite different."

"Sounds like he has a spy in your organization."

Tydrion regarded me in silence for a moment before nodding slightly. "Perhaps. I do not like to believe any of my people might betray me, but if even a base life form like yourself can see the likelihood, I can no longer ignore it."

The insights into his life were fascinating, and totally unexpected. Why share so much? Hopefully he wouldn't fall for that bad guy trope that now that I knew too much he'd have to kill me instead of taking me to Marisara.

"So tell me—" I started, but Tydrion interrupted.

"I've told you too much already."

"Why?"

"Because my queen's court is layered in intrigue and games, and I will use you as my pawn in my game against Nextharos."

"How's that going to work with the whole mission to bring me to your queen?

"She will not sacrifice you immediately."

He then made a beckoning gesture. "Now, come here and surrender. Serve me well, and not only will your sacrifice help my queen, but I will help your people."

The arrogance of that guy! "That's funny, I was going to offer to take off your head for free. I guess neither of us get the easy victory today."

His smile only widened. "Very good. You passed the first test. I have no use for a coward who surrenders so easily."

"You're not helping your cause by admitting you were lying to me."

"One must pass the tests before receiving the rewards. First reward is the chance to meet me in single combat."

"You and all your friends?" I glanced at Corvath the mermaid king hovering next to him, along with all the flying fish in a wide ring farther out.

Tydrion smiled and spread his hands wide. "Just you and I. No others will be permitted to interfere. This will be a system-sanctioned duel, which is an honor so far above your station, I doubt you understand the magnitude of it."

"What are the conditions?" Not another duel. Sixel had snared me into that stupid duel that prevented me from using my inventory and spells. Still, if I could defeat him first and everyone else promised not to interfere, it might be worth taking the risk.

Tydrion spread his arms wide. "A little game of fisticuffs between you and me, entering the duel as we currently stand. No additional weapons may be drawn. As a sanctioned bout, any experience gained is doubled, and I offer my house artifact as a further enticement, should you somehow best me."

Corvath looked shocked by the offer, but by Tidron's tone, he never imagined he might lose. If he'd kept acting rash and impulsive, I would have dared hope he was overconfident, but he might just be simply competent. His description had said he was an experienced hunter. Did that make him an experienced fighter, though? The promise of double experience was tempting. I needed the levels.

"You said no additional weapons. How about our magic?"

"Any magic you wish to wield is allowed. It will do you no good."

Even more interesting. I extended my Wolverine claws on my left hand. "How about claws?"

"A fine twist to the game. Anything currently equipped and attached to your body is allowed. No other weapons."

"What if I want to swap my armor for something different?"

Not that I planned to, but he was a level 99 lord. If I took a beating, swapping to other armor might save my life.

"I will allow it. Change any armor you wish as many times as you wish. It will not alter the outcome."

Did he have any idea the kinds of spells I had, or my class ability to stack attacks? Even without my weapons, I could hit way above my pay grade. There had to be a catch, but it was too tempting an offer to pass up.

"Works for me."

"It is done, then," he said exultantly, smile widening to a grin.

Eva's voice surprised me. "Congratulations, Lucas! You have entered into a formal duel with Lord Tydrion. No other weapons may be extracted from your inventory. Spells are allowed, and you can freely change your armor. No one may interfere. The duel will continue until death, concession, or one of you is rendered unconscious."

Count Tydrion gave me a formal bow and said, "I await your arrival on dry land."

Then he disappeared, only to pop into view on the island. The other merfolk scattered and my dead whale mount started to fall again. I zoomed my vision on the distant Tydrion just as he waved.

And transformed into a giant crab.

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