Reflections on the Warpath - [An Isekai Progression Fantasy]

Cyrus grabbed two steins of beer and walked over to his central table within the Celestial Swords tavern. Jay had introduced him to this place, so it felt only right that he watched his young sparring partner's tournament here.

He planted the two mugs onto the wooden table, intentionally sloshing them and spilling some of the beer.

"I told you he was good," said Cyrus. "I guarantee you he's a Luminary this year."

Yagao stared at the trickle of slipped beer running along the woodgrains. He watched the stream of ale slowly trickle towards him before damming it with a napkin.

"He has a good chance. But he needs to survive the next hour first."

Yagao pointed to their nearest screen. A squad of gladiators hopped out of the treeline and began walking towards Jay's frozen body, encased in a blood-stained gemstone that reached halfway to the canopy.

Cyrus collapsed into his stool. He took a large swig of his drink before turning to Yagao with a foamy moustache strapped to his beard.

"Well don't be too positive now!"

His joke earned a slight snort out of Yagao, which was something at least.

Cyrus wiped the foam from his mouth and straightened his back. He met Yagao's eyes with a wry smile.

"If he joins us next month, would you take him in your squad?"

Yagao spent a moment thinking before returning Cyrus' smile.

"Of course. As long as you don't snatch him up first."

The rumbling ceased.

Zara emerged from Roshan's shadows once her teammate assured her it was clear. Tarik followed her and nodded at the giant lizard corpse slumped on the ground.

"Looks like we made the right call to wait. What is that?"

They walked closer. After three cautious paces, Roshan joined their side.

"Whatever it is, I'm glad it's dead."

Zara agreed with him. If that dinosaur was the reason they'd encountered so many splintered trees on route to the exit hub, she was pleased someone had finished it off.

Her eyes drifted onto the gore-streaked crystal spike beside the corpse. Crimson veins rolled down its translucent walls, staining their reflections red. As she walked closer, Zara managed to see further through the hazy crystal.

Is that…

"That's Jay!" called Tarik.

A phoenix flew towards the crystal but was intercepted by Jay's shield before it could get close. It flew back to Tarik's side and the trio kept their distance while looking at Jay.

He didn't move and his eyes stared back at Zara with victory gleaming behind them.

You killed that thing? Not bad.

They spent a minute watching Jay for any sign of movement but saw nothing other than his flying shield slowly orbiting the crystal. It had stopped once, almost like it was assessing their threat level, before continuing its patrol.

"So do we just leave him here?" asked Tarik. He sounded concerned.

"Or do we wait till the crystal breaks and kill him?" replied Roshan. "He's strong. It might be the best chance we'll get."

Zara felt her teammates' stares press into her back. The Second Chance Coliseum was no stranger to treachery. If Jay ever opposed her or her alliance, the higher ups would never forgive her for wasting this opportunity.

But there was a kinship amongst gladiators too, especially since E grade avoided most of the politics that plagued the higher ranks. She hadn't started advancement alongside Tarik and Roshan, but her teammates had helped her find them. After they'd acquired three relics, of course.

She could stay here and ensure Jay's survival.

She could ensure his death too.

Instead Zara left it to fate.

Things always grew more complicated when people like Jay Leonard were involved.

Sometimes the hornet's nest of fate was best left unprodded.

"Let's leave. More people will arrive soon, I don't want to risk it."

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Fang frowned. She had absolutely no interest in watching a static crystal for the next half hour, but Saren insisted and she wasn't in a position to refuse him.

Her newest pupil Akira had displayed his skill well throughout the advancement tournament, especially against the odds once Lyra abandoned him. However he'd almost died and probably would have if Ezekiel wasn't so dramatic.

She'd have to pull a few strings to earn him a spot in the Luminary sixteen.

"Leonard, eh?" rasped Saren beside her. Fang's back stiffened, she kept her eyes locked firmly to the screen. Her alliance leader wasn't as vicious as some of the other A graders, but insubordination wasn't tolerated within Mercurial.

"Is he…" began Saren. Fang knew that he'd ask about Akira's close friend, even if she hoped he wouldn't.

"He is."

"Interesting… and how aligned is he with your prospect?"

"They're very close."

Fang awaited Saren's word.

"Well, ensure they don't stay that way, Fang. Otherwise we'll have quite the situation whenever he returns."

"Of course."

Selena sat quietly, legs crossed, back resting against the lacquered mahogany walls of the storm sage's office. The sage had offered her a seat, yet she favoured her usual spot, keeping some distance between her and the sage's guest for the day.

The newcomer wore loose robes, layers of pearl white, ivory, and cream spilling over each other in a decadent sprawl. He had pale blonde hair that coiled in loose curls and a stern face that looked chiselled straight from marble. Selena thought the man looked more like a sculpture adorning the coliseum's walls than a real person.

"He didn't use the essence of the storm very much," said the newcomer. He glanced towards Selena after he spoke and pursed his lips.

Initially, he didn't even want her in the room while he spoke to the storm sage. It wasn't an unreasonable request, the coliseum and its representatives required both privacy and security to do their jobs effectively. Selena recognised the unnecessary risk her presence posed to the man stood beside the storm sage.

She was prepared to leave until the sage insisted she stayed.

The representative relented, and Selena was once again reminded that her teacher was far more than the amateur poet's guise he often used while speaking with her.

"Well you see, that's because he didn't need to!" bellowed the storm sage. He clapped his hand against the newcomers back, pushing him forward half a step, before leaning towards him.

"You've got yourselves a good one here! I'm willing to spend the time and effort developing him… so long as you provide the resources, of course," declared the sage.

It never ceased to amaze Selena how shamelessly the storm sage used his fame to his advantage. For someone who often reminisced on his past while vowing to be better, he sure enjoyed reaping the benefits of the blood soaked fields he'd once sown.

He grinned at the coliseum representative, and Selena watched his fingers press into the man's shoulder, refusing to let him move even an inch. He didn't have to make the poor man squirm and seemed to enjoy it far too much.

"What if he turns out like his brother?" asked the representative. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple, but his stone-cold expression remained undisturbed.

"Oh, I don't think you have to worry about that," replied the storm sage. He laughed and gestured at the screen they all watched the advancement tournament on.

"Do you really think Jay's going anywhere? The kid likes fighting more than damn near everyone on the island! Give me what I need, and you'll have a star on your hands."

Silence hung over the office, only broken by the shifting waves beyond its walls.

CRRRK!

The sage's eyes lit up. The crystal surrounding Jay's body began to crack.

"Look!" he said, "It's about to finish."

CRR-CRRR-CRRRRRRK!

Finally.

The humid jungle air felt like heavenly nectar to Jay's tongue as he gulped down on the taste of freedom for the first time in over an hour.

The crystal cracked in two, before both halves split further, eventually stranding Jay in a pile of shattered glass. What was once both Jay's prison and his protector now lay scattered on the dirt beside him.

A handful of gladiators had investigated Jay's multifaceted cage during the time he'd been trapped there. While some harmlessly stared and talked like Zara and her allies, others swung at Jay with all their might.

They did nothing but blunt their weapons against his crystal guardian.

Whoosh.

Jay flicked his eyes up, he knew better than to try and move his neck.

Ping flew down to greet him. A second guardian. One thankfully more mobile than the first.

How's it going?

Ping swirled and did a loop-de-loop.

Jay smiled. He stifled a laugh and tried not to rip open any of his wounds.

For all the downsides of being trapped in a crystal shell for an hour, not bleeding to death was a big fucking plus. Pretty hard to bleed out when your entire body is forcibly locked in place and unable to move a single hair.

But just as fresh air finally entered Jay's body, cursed blood poured out. He no longer felt the odious wrath of the Berserker's Bite rage through his psyche, but his body wore the brunt of its consequence. With each heartbeat, a spurt of blood escaped his chest.

Each pulse a fraction smaller.

Ping flew towards Jay's waist. He desperately wanted to cling onto her, but his right hand was wrapped up and his left was no longer functional.

He leant forward, the only movement his body would allow, and pressed his chest against Ping. For the second time in less than an hour, the shield taxied Jay to safety.

As they glided towards the exit hub, Jay thanked Karis' foresight. Without the ring the Frontiersman gave him as a parting gift he'd be searching for his third and final relic by now. Jay's stupidly optimistic plan had relied on stealing the relics from Amaya's satchel after he'd defeated the Flaming Tomb duo.

What a wonderfully well thought out plan, Jay.

Jay allowed himself a laugh this time. He was almost at the exit hub now.

Sure, he'd failed at avenging Vega, but Jay had escaped Advancement alive and so had his friends.

They all lived to fight another day.

'Remember our real goal'

For fucks sake Lyra, you really believed that?

Thoughts of Lyra, thoughts of Akira, and even thoughts of Julian raced through Jay's mind. He couldn't blame her for chasing after a lost sibling, and a part of him worried if he'd caused Lyra's psyche to spiral with his speech about living for revenge.

Sure, their plan failed. But if that meant keeping Lyra and Akira alive, he'd take that deal every day of the week. No matter what they had to say about it.

Still alive huh…

Slumped over Ping, all Jay could see was the waning trail of blood dripping down from his limp legs and staining the grass crimson.

Barely.

Jay's head bumped into the door. He wondered what a cruel twist of fate it would be if his final hurdle was a pull-to-open door. A blood clot sank into his mouth and he coughed it out onto the exit hub's doorstep.

Luckily, as the top of Jay's head pressed into the exit hub door, it swung inwards and set him free.

While the black claws of unconsciousness scratched at Jay's periphery. A pleasantly familiar gold screen filled the rest of his vision.

Congratulations.

Welcome to D grade.

[End of Arc 4]

[End of Book 1]