My teeth bare instantly.
“Try it.”
That only widens her smile.
“Oh, I think I’m starting to like you,” she says. “You remind me of someone I know.”
“I assure you the feeling is not mutual,” I grit out.
Moe groans and covers her face with both hands. “Please stop threatening each other in public.”
“I am not threatening her,” I say flatly.
Lis smiles. “He is absolutely threatening me.”
“I am promising consequences.”
Moe makes a strangled sound of despair.
And I continue glaring at Lis, still unconvinced she is as innocent as she claims.
But before I can continue grilling her, a loud siren rings out in the entire district.
I grab Moe’s hand, looking everywhere around us for any upcoming danger.
Lis notices our changed demeanors and asks, “You can hear it?”
“Why? Are we not supposed to?” I snap.
She smiles. “How many Ascension points do you have?”
“As of this morning, four hundred and three.”
“Ah. That explains it.”
“Explains what?”
“Once you reach four hundred points, the battle system changes.”
Both Moe and I look at her in disbelief.
“What do you mean?” Moe asks.
“Only those with four hundred points or more hear the siren. It signals the start of the draw. In short, you no longer get the option to challenge people or be challenged in return. The system chooses your opponent and you must fight them. Usually the fights are between people with similar points regardless of rank.”
“And no one was going to tell us that?” I grumble.
“What, you thought Aimaxion was fair? This is a harvesting realm, Nykander. You either bleed well, or you bleed out.”
“She sounds just like the wraith,” I whisper to Moe. “See, I told you there’s something strange about her.”
Moe elbows me in the stomach.
“So what now?” She asks Lis.
“You should head to the nearest obelisk to see if you’ve been assigned a fight.” She gazes in the distance. “Oh, and one more thing. Battles at this level are open to the public. Anyone can watch you, study your abilities, fighting style and figure out your weaknesses.”
49
