Hare of Misfortune

A meteor shot right at them, but Rachel didn’t flinch as it exploded against the invisible barrier protecting the stadium. Conner was dodging between the amphitheater, making use of it when he could, but time was ticking down; he only had 3 minutes until his lifeline was snatched away.

For a competitor, getting the chance to pick your own item or upgrade, instead of some pen or toothpick someone else could hit you with, is probably the most important option. The penalty could be seen as the next most important one, but it’s all very rock, paper, scissors if you’re smart enough to see the possibilities each can have.

Conner flashed by them in a spray of liquid, giving her a handsome smile and two-fingered gesture that mirrored Nia’s previous one. It brought laughs, even after he was forced to duck behind one of the protected pieces of the stadium to dodge another meteor. It told Rachel he still saw a way out of this.

The first pick usually sets the pace for where the battle will go, which has its own benefits. I picked this temple to help Conner. Dionysus picks a dragon that will be blessed by it as well, while bumping up the Challenge Tier. Conner then picks an item that will help him against it. The crowd gives him a time limit on it to make the fight more tense. See the pattern?

”More complex than I first thought,” Nia whispered. ”We couldn’t have won against all these challenges without the Unique Moons or Greater Harvest Moon. Could we?”

Rachel’s gaze lifted with Conner as his blessed water drill split in two, forcing the dragon to pick one to go after, both forking to attack the ceiling. A wave of flames and molten elements swooped over to engulf one, spewing a ray of white fire at the other.

No. Not if I wanted to gain answers. We had to push things this far to kick Dionysus off the stage; he’s too much of a loose cannon, and everyone sees that. We could have won normally. It just wouldn’t have had the same effect.

”I didn’t think so,” Nia sighed. ”It really does depend on the type of Arbiter you have, I suppose. Do we want to set the pace next?”

After a moment’s thought, with the volcanic zone erupting around them, Rachel knew her answer. Yes, and no.

Nia shot her a dull stare for being difficult, but fell silent soon after as things escalated.

The image projected to the audience showed the magma dragon’s breath encasing its target in a solidified ball of metal. Conner had acted as the bait, leaving Delphinus’ potent mystical powers to further enhance the Neptune-blessed vortex. It punched a hole right through the blanket of flames that the creature’s wings cast over it, burrowing into the ceiling.

Fissures split down its length, flooding the colossal cavern as the dragon shrieked its fury, and the dolphin continued to carry its momentum, ripping apart the barrier keeping out the sea. The metal ball encasing Conner hit the molten earth below as the timer hit 2 minutes, only for a bulge to appear near its top. The legend punched his way out, using his power over earth to bend it outward.

The water spraying from above circled around Conner as he jumped to join the cycling current, skin covered in first and second-degree burns as the rising tidal wave closed in with Delphinus coming from the opposite direction to meet.

Spiraling into a nosedive, the magma dragon tried to enter the molten ground again, only to be cut off as it had done each time to Conner; the crushing currents collided with the living inferno, its cry drowning out as its body cooled.

Rachel had to clap with the rest of the audience as giant, monstrous sea creatures with fangs, tentacles, and orb-like eyes entered to devour the dying magma dragon, fighting with one another for the new catch that had entered their domain.

They all scattered to a titanic deep-sea creature that sparked with white electricity as it entered the frenzy. Thin, diamond-like teeth cut the flailing lizard in half in a single bite, and the clock stopped at 12 seconds.

A bubble appeared in the center of their broken coliseum, with a golden podium floating for all to see and allowing the soaking legend to wave at the roaring crowd. Deep-sea creatures now circled them, and Rachel joined the applause. He’d earned that victory.

”My guests! What a show this has been!” Dionysus was once again all smiles and laughter upon entering the stage to walk around Conner; understandably, it took some effort for him to keep his smile, but rubbing the dolphin’s smooth skin beside him seemed to help. ”And what a conclusion for Conner’s third stage, just before his final trial!”

He lifted both hands to show them multiple angles from each of their fights thus far.

”I have shown you the power that these Greater Seeds have in legendkin... The power of a creation deity, capable of manipulating an entire universe in all its multiversal fragments. The powers we all have been denied! But now, we can claim the glory creation deities have dangled over us for ages beyond number. I can show you the way!”

Rachel hissed as she was teleported into midair, and she leaned back in her fall to land on her feet, her skirt naturally folding in a way to not reveal much in her descent, thanks to Nia’s influence. Dionysus now brought her into the spotlight, taking away from Conner’s victory lap.

”I have shown you how mythickin enhance the effects of legendkin through the unnatural resonance between their Seeds, and yes,” he laughed, pointing up at the gears that he brought into focus as they moved. ”I can now confirm with certainty that it is because of that resonance that the Legend Quest can be empowered by mythickin to reach new heights—Challenge Rating 3. Could it go further with another myth or legend? Perhaps.”