Coye 5.21 - Volume End (Patreon)

Chapter 21 - Coye’s Awakening

Auguris held his wand aloft and wiggled it just a bit, causing the hourglass at Dorothy's dais to begin counting down to a half-hour. Coye wasn't about to let his opponent waste even a single second of that precious falling sand, and in that brief opportunity, Coye rushed forward with all his speed.

He didn't even make it ten feet from his starting position before an obstacle arose. From the ring itself sprouted a large pillar of stone that rumbled out of the ground with such little fanfare that Coye didn't see it coming. It was angled directly at his chin with such force that it jostled his brain upon hitting him, temporarily paralyzing Coye as he fell flat on his back in front of the town and many of his peers.

Dorothy clasped her hands over her mouth, guilt smashing into her and waking her from the innocent dream she'd been carried away by. What was she thinking? Did her overabundant feelings make her stupid enough to believe Coye could hit Auguris again?

"No...!" She cried. "No, this... this can't be...!"

Dorothy wasn't the only one in shock- the audience couldn't believe what they saw, either. There was silence for several long and painful moments until there wasn't. Then, the laughter started. It was no longer with Coye. No, it was definitely at him.

"Hah! What did I fucking say?" Tiph touted triumphantly. "Told you it'd be over in seconds."

"He's not weak like you are, Tiph," Britni cut into her friend. "Give him a second before you get all high and mighty, you stupid bitch!"

Coye lay flat on his back, gazing at the grayish-blue sky hanging over his head. He heard adventurers joking about how he couldn't back his words up with actions, townsfolk jeering that he was as weak as he looked, and children snickering about how lame he was.

None of it mattered.

Coye hopped onto his feet, the laughter stopping as he did. Those brief moments of ridicule would stick with him throughout the match, but he wouldn't let it shake his confidence. No matter how much trauma he carried in his heart, Coye wouldn't give a damn as long as Dorothy relied on him. He clung to his purpose, reminding himself he was different than he used to be.

"Don't let your head tell you your heart is wrong, Dotty," Byng sat down on the arm of Dorothy's throne, giving the Guild Mistress a confident smirk. "I didn't choose no weakling."

'You good down there?' Shayla asked, sensing his slight hesitation.

"Yeah," Coye mumbled.

'Good. Don't let it happen again.'

As Coye stood there preparing his next action, Dorothy caught a look at him and witnessed a fire in his eyes she'd never seen before. Was this how he looked when he was on the job? She gulped, his passion burning so bright it was almost hard to look at.

Auguris flicked his wand again, another stone pillar erupting from the ground from Coye's left. He moved forward, dodging entirely. Another pillar awaited him where Coye repositioned, so he pivoted to the right. Another pillar. Left. Another pillar. Right. Another, and another after that.

Coye danced, ducked, and weaved between these structures popping up out of the ground. The average spectator had trouble keeping up with his movements, but as Coye sped around, he was doing more than dodging. He was looking at Auguris, studying his opponent from afar. The direction he moved his glowing wand corresponded to the creation of the pillars.

They didn't appear at random.

Coye took a step backward, correctly guessing where the next pillar would come from. The speed at which it appeared made the pillar act as a springboard, launching Coye into the air. He soared above the ring, hurtling straight toward Auguris with his sword ready to strike.

"How intriguing. I never would've expected you to turn my own attack against me like so. No matter, we'll see how you handle this-" Auguris analyzed the situation and quickly concocted a countermeasure.

His wand pointed skyward, and he erected a thick stone wall in front of him directly at the end of Coye's flight path. Then, he pushed forward, and a legion of sharp spikes pushed out of the wall. If Coye met them head-on, he'd be impaled.

'What the fuck?! I thought that asshole wanted you alive!' Shayla freaked out.

"He wants me to dodge," Coye corrected her.

Suzette almost shrieked when she saw the spikes. Her face went white as snow, and it took all her self-control to not pass out from fear. "Goddesses Above and Below, I knew this job was too dangerous for him, I-"

"Chill, part-timer," Tammy shook her head. "Your Darling isn't boring enough to lose here."

A few of the adventurers looked away, expecting the worst. Tiph winced, Coco's tail went still, and her mouth opened wide. Britni only smiled as Coye took out a magical implement from one of his many pouches. It was his Block Rod.

Coye waved the tool directly in front of him, creating a solid square that hovered a few feet ahead of him in the distance. He had to time it carefully, but Coye landed on the magical block without much problem. From there, he hovered a few feet above Auguris's spiked wall and looked down at the Mage himself.

Just like that, Coye had crossed the entire ring in seconds flat.

Shayla was stunned. Things were happening so fast that it was almost too much to keep up with. As Coye dropped down from his block and aimed an overhead slash at Auguris, she felt a tingle of danger and alerted her partner.

'Left hand! Now!'

Trusting her immediately, Coye thrust out his left hand and pretended to use magic. Shayla summoned a momentary gust of wind to blow Coye away from Auguris.

"What in the Endless Hells?" Auguris took note of the bizarre happenstance, but he didn't pick up on the source. "I had no idea you were capable of such things, my new friend. Interesting. However, it will have no impact on today's outcome."

Auguris's befuddlement didn't distract him from his retaliation. Shayla had sensed the wall stirring behind them, and only now did it come to fruition. The wall was transformed into a pair of levitating stone hands. Shayla's wind blew Coye out of the way from the first, which would've swatted them into a bloody puddle, but she unknowingly put her partner in the clutches of the opposite hand.

In time with Auguris's wand, the hand reared back and through Coye roughly all the way to the opposite end of the ring. Coye hit the ground and rolled, minimizing the damage to his shoulder as he fell with style. His tumbling ended with him on his knees, ready to pop right back up.

No one was laughing now.

"No way. Did he really just-"

"Coye can use magic? Since when?"

"He almost had him, but Coye-"

"The Party God's legendary dancing skills apply even to the battlefield!"

"I think this is going be closer than I thought..."

The people of Cransmere were astonished by disbelief, and Britni could only smirk as she overheard every last word. Fools. They had no idea this was the true Coye- the never give up Coye- the win-at-any-cost Coye.

Her Coye.

"Since when could he do all that...?" Dorothy asked in wonderment. "He's wanted to learn magic for so long, and... he never even told me he'd made progress...!" She didn't know whether to be happy for Coye or sad that it never came up.

"He's been picking up all kinds of tricks lately," Byng shared a knowing glance at Suzette. "You'll get answers soon enough, so just don't think about it too hard for now. Kay?"

"Alright..." Dorothy nodded along, smiling after deciding she would be happy for Coye. He always told her he wanted to be a Spellblade instead of a Fighter, but magic didn't come naturally to him. She supposed Coye could do anything if he set his mind to it, which bode well for the future.

"I'm not impressed," Tiph turned her nose up at the battle. "Sure, he's fast, has good reflexes, and apparently knows some magic. Big deal. He'll give up the second he gets himself hurt."

"Not a quitter!" Coco barked at her friend. "Not!"

Coye was taking a moment to catch his breath, tuning out all of the other voices as he zeroed in on Auguris. He almost had the bastard, but Coye should've known things wouldn't be that easy. It didn't matter- not so long as he still had fight left in him.

Coye took off with a Quick Step packed with all his speed behind it, surprising even Auguris with his agility.

"How curiously persistent. Good- you remind me of myself when I was your age. So relentless and eager to prove yourself to the world and all who inhabit it!" Auguris seemed amused, but he didn't let that stop him from defending himself.

He raised his wand, creating a large stone sphere that he rolled in Coye's path. Thinking little of it, Coye swerved to his left only to watch as the orb began to heat up until it was bright red.

'Oh, fuck-' Shayla exclaimed.

The sphere exploded into dozens of medium-sized burning, earthy pieces of shrapnel. Many launched straight at Coye, and his enhanced reflexes made dodging most of them no challenge. There were too many for him alone, so he raised his left hand and signaled Shayla to do her thing.

Once the breeze put him in the clear, Coye removed a curved, steel dagger from his pouch and threw it straight at Auguris. Mages rarely had any physical prowess to speak of, but Auguris wasn't like others of his kind. It helped that the knife throw was clearly telegraphed and that all Auguris had to do to dodge was twist his body to the side.

"Think again, Coye. I'm afraid you're going to have to try something a little more refined than throwing a knife at me if you wish to push my dexterity to its-"

Click.

Auguris whirled his head backward in time to see Coye's knife swiveling in midair. It was coming back and was only a few feet away from nailing him in the chest. The blade had unfurled, revealing its true form as that of a boomerang.

"Aha. I admit that was more clever than I expected. Such an impractical weapon, boomerangs. You were wise to believe I would never see such trickery coming, Coye..." Auguris shot a spray of dirt at the boomerang, causing it to fall lifelessly to the ground.

Auguris didn't even need to turn around to see that Coye was closing in on his position. He could feel the vibrations in the earth from where Coye kicked off with yet another Quick Step, and judging by his own calculations, Auguris believed Coye would touch the ground and then strafe around to catch his flank.

Acting on his knowledgeable foresight, Auguris ducked and touched his wand to the ground only seconds before Coye's boots to the same. Aside from a small circle surrounding Auguris, he created a ten-foot diameter pit of quicksand that started to swallow Coye whole.

'It's just one fucking thing after another with this guy, isn't it?' Shayla grumbled.

There were only a few seconds to act before he would get taken into deep. This wasn't normal quicksand- Auguris was controlling it, and Coye had to do something now or not at all. He looked around his surroundings and locked onto a balcony on the third floor of the Guild.

He yanked out his Grabshot, angling it at the wooden fixture and praying to the Goddess above that tool's magical chain was long enough to reach its destination. It was. The silver hand of his gadget opened up and clasped tightly to the wooden beam. One press of the button later and the chain retracted, pulling Coye out of the quicksand.

'Hell yeah! Nice one, baby!' Shayla congratulated him as they barreled up, up, and away.

"It's no big deal," Coye smirked, trying not to let it get to him.

"Ah! M-My balcony...!" Dorothy exclaimed as Coye landed on her deck, perching on the rail like an oversized bird.

Coye pulled himself out of yet another one of Auguris's bullshit traps, but there was no telling how many more he would have to keep working through. The fight only lasted a few minutes, but already Coye had a feeling this man's defenses were genuinely impregnable. Even if Auguris wasn't standing atop the pinnacle of Gold-rank, Auguris excelled in walling out enemies, stalling for time, and forcing his opponents to engage him on his terms- no one else's.

This was as poor a matchup as Coye could've asked for.

Coye's analytical thinking was cut short by a random audience member standing up. The man, a knight, by the looks of it, cupped his gauntleted fists around his mouth and yelled, "Don't stop now, Coye! Show us what else you got!"

After blinking a few times out of confusion, Coye recognized the man as Orlandis. Milse, his better half, was at his side. She blushed at his outburst, standing up and shoving him back down after calling him an idiot.

It was too late, for Orlandis had unknowingly set off a chain reaction. More and more of the audience looked up at him on the balcony, whistling and cheering. Burkhart roared with approval, his ham-sized fists slapping together with reckless abandon. The party Coye gave a potion to the other day was chanting his name. As moving as the display was, Coye didn't know how to take it.

It caused him to freeze up momentarily until Shayla said, 'Time is ticking, baby! It's nice they're all cheering for you, but you gotta get back down before it's too late.'

"They're all cheering for me, huh...?" It finally settled in, making Coye momentarily embarrassed.

'Sure are,' Shayla couldn't help grinning. 'Might as well give them a pose and show off a little!'

The thought embarrassed Coye even further, but he took it in stride as he jumped back down to solid ground. He rose from his knees, and unable to come up with anything better, Coye raised his fist to the audience and earned another round of cheering as he moved toward the ring.

"Well, I'll be damned," Tammy stroked her chin, the faintest hint of a smile playing at her lips.

"Oh! Oh my! He's... so... um... w-wow..." Dorothy was blushing so hard she couldn't even think straight. Her hero was so amazing in every way that she wasn't sure what to do about it. Seeing his fist in the air made her throat dry and her stomach full of butterflies.

This girl had it bad- and she wasn't the only one.

"Aren't you going to cheer?" Marlie looked over her shoulder and prodded the boss bitch.

"Don't be stupid," Britni looked away evasively, tapping her foot on the stony ground hard enough that it looked like her furry leg warmer boots were vibrating. "He's doing pretty good, but he's still got a way to go before I'm impressed..." she lied.

The truth was that Britni was just jealous someone beat her to the punch and cheered she could do it herself. Not that she would have. Gods know that would've been too embarrassing.

"I'm still not buying the shit he's selling," Tiph looked at the pose Coye struck with disdain. "He can pretend he's cool all he wants, but deep inside, he's still-"

"He's back in the ring! Quiet now! Quiet!!" Coco demanded of her friends, ready to see what Coye did next.

Coye was let down if he expected any form of greeting from Auguris. All the Mage had in store for him was another attack. His quicksand vanished- replaced by three structures appearing out of the stone in a triangle formation protecting Auguris. These structures were shaped like mounted siege cannons, and their business ends trained directly on Coye.

"We can end this the moment you wise up, Coye. It's doubtful you will ever rival my superior intellect, but it is not above your current station to recognize you are dramatically outclassed. What say you?" Auguris threatened, his wand dramatically raised at his foe.

"I say this isn't over until I win," Coye spat back.

"So be it."

The center cannon fired, a deafening explosive sound ringing out into the arena for all to hear. A single stone projectile shot out at Coye even faster than the stone pillars, demanding all his focus to weave out of its path. Thanks to Coye's impeccable reflexes, he avoided getting shot straight in the chest.

The cannonball slammed into the ground behind him with a thud, exploding not into shrapnel but a thick dust cloud. Another shot was fired at him under cover of this dust, and then another. These shots were much harder to dodge because of his obscured vision, but Coye proved fast enough to maneuver out of the dust before it was too late.

Auguris swiveled his cannons so that they faced Coye's new position, reinforcing to Coye that he needed to take them out one way or another. Given the vast array of tools at his disposal, he could think of a couple different options, but now was the time to go big or go home.

As the next shot fired out and launched at Coye, he reached into a pouch and fished out a small crystal disc that looked large enough to hold a teacup and nothing else. Coye tossed the disc onto the cannonball's path, where it expanded on contact and took on a strange property.

The disc sank backward in midair before bouncing the cannonball straight back to its point of origin. It happened so fast that Auguris didn't understand what was happening- he was too distracted by his cannon exploding a few feet away from him. He was lucky enough to remain uninjured despite this, but his attack worked against him as the explosion created a field of dust before his vision.

He didn't know what Coye just did, but he did know Coye's exact location. He foolishly fired the second and third cannons in a fit of stubbornness, believing Coye wouldn't get lucky again. As bright as Auguris was, he had more than his fair share of idiotic moments. This time, his idiocy cost him his second and third cannons and worsened his dust storm after Coye removed more of his crystal discs and volleyed them back at Auguris.

"I'm gonna guess you got something to do with those, Dotty?" Byng asked, noticing the shocked expression on Dorothy's face.

"Y-Yes," Dorothy stammered. "Mirror Plates! They, um, redirect magical projectiles. Very useful trinket, but..." she briefly looked at the ground in front of Coye, which was now covered in crystal shards. "They're unfortunately both expensive and single-use..."

"A combination commonly favored by the Association," Tammy remarked, unimpressed.

"Surely there must be a similar product at a more reasonable price somewhere out there, dear?" Suzette pondered making an investment to better keep her darling adventurer alive.

"I-I'm, um, not at liberty to confirm or deny the existence of any direct competitors to items sold in the pages of Adventurer's First..." Dorothy mumbled in shame.

Coye took advantage of his hard-won momentum, bursting forward with Quick Step as he thrust his hand out and signaled Shayla to clear the dust. Another round of cheers took place as he rushed toward the exposed Mage, still in shock from the destruction of his cannons. Coye was only a few feet from Auguris and within range to strike before another stone fist was summoned and slammed straight into Coye's left side. He was sent tumbling onto the ground again, already feeling the massive purple welt he must've had brewing underneath his padded tunic.

Shayla had to hold back her temptation to heal him without a suggestion, knowing better than to risk it in front of a crowd as large as this. She didn't like feeling as helpless as she did. She'd been on wind duty throughout most of the fight, but there was only so much she could help with. The environment left little room for improvisation; ironically enough, she couldn't even throw any rocks in this battle as Auguris had that on lockdown.

She wasn't feeling good about this, and it didn't help that they were already down to fifteen minutes on the timer.

As Coye stumbled to his feet and held his injured side, Auguris lowered his wand for a moment and deigned to speak. "You are performing above my expectations, my future friend. I hope you're not letting that get to your head. The crowd may favor you, but the outcome remains the same. Give up now. Spare yourself the embarrassment."

"No way," Coye spat out a little bit of blood he'd coughed up. "There's still plenty of time left."

"Time, hm?" Auguris stroked his chin. "Tell me, Coye, you're not hoping to outlast me until I depleted my mana, are you?"

Coye didn't dignify him with a response.

"If so, I regret to inform you that you may wish to reconsider your plan. This wand of mine is nothing less than a masterwork-" he held the magical implement up for all to see. "Ask any other Mage in town, and they would tell you the same. It carries the destructive power of a staff with the speed and ease of use only a wand can provide. I spent a great deal of my fortune to ensure its creation, and on top of amplifying the power of my geomancy, it lowers the mana cost of any spell falling under that particular school of wizardry. On the topic of spells, you may have already noticed a vital clue hinting at the impossibility of your victory."

"The fuck is he going on about?" Byng grumbled. "He's totally just stalling for time!"

"No," Dorothy felt a lump in her throat. "He's going somewhere with this..."

"And what might that be?" Coye felt compelled enough to ask.

"I've yet to use a single vocal incantation this entire battle. I said I wouldn't be holding back, but I was lying by omission. You are fighting me at a deliberately lesser state because you are incapable of pushing me beyond the need to use anything past my most basic skills, Coye. I've barely tapped into my mana reserve whatsoever."

Coye remained calm, but his heart sped up for only a moment. He knew enough about magic to understand how big of a deal this was, and it took all his willpower not to lose hope at this revelation. Shayla was only hanging on because of Coye. She promised she wouldn't drag him down- even amid insurmountable odds like this.

The audience started to murmur. People turned to their magically-inclined friends, who confirmed that nonverbal spells were less powerful than they would be if given the proper incantation. Many remained on Coye's side, if only because he was the underdog, but most were now secretly relieved they bet on Auguris.

"Coco doesn't understand magic! Is... is this bad?" Coco had a troubled expression, her ears drooping as she tugged at Marlie's shirt and pointed at the rock wizard with her claw.

"It's not good," Marlie stated.

"How about it, Brit?" Tiph looked over her shoulder and sneered. "Still think your little crush isn't about to get crushed?"

"Tiph," Britni spoke calmly and without even looking at her. "You know I love you, you stupid bimbo, but if you don't shut the fuck up for the rest of this fight, then I'm gonna zap your fat fucking lips shut."

The threat had the intended effect, and Tiph got quiet even though she knew Britni was joking. It felt annoying how Britni kept clinging to her little fantasies, but whatever. Tiph would have her validation soon enough.

Even in the face of doubt swirling around him in every direction, Coye didn't let it bother him beyond the initial shock. Things were already bad, and this changed little as far as Coye cared. Infinitesimal was just a word. One he didn't even understand, at that.

Still close enough to Auguris to rush in and strike, Coye attempted to do so only to be met with another stone barricade with spikes coming out of it. He stopped his advance in time, but the spikes on this one all shot off at Coye.

Coye sliced each one out of the air as they came at him, his sword serving him well with every defensive strike. Making use of the wall blocking Auguris's vision, he dug into a pocket and tossed a small object past the Mage before Quick Stepping in the opposite direction to distract attention from his latest surprise.

Auguris was waiting for him, and a stone pillar shot out of the ground where Coye was about to land. Coye thrust his hand out and expected Shayla to carry him to safety, but he discovered she was fed up with playing support. Expending a big chunk of her mana, Shayla halted Coye's trajectory with telekinesis instead of wind so that she didn't blow him into another one of Auguris's traps. Then, she lifted up a bunch of the stone spikes Coye cut and rained them down from above Auguris's head.

Coye and the spikes were heavier than she was used to, but Shayla couldn't sit idly by and watch her partner give his all without putting in her own. 'So what if you're better at rock-throwing than I am? Doesn't mean I can't give you a taste of your own-'

Auguris waved his wand, dispersing Shayla's onslaught into dust.

'...Medicine.' Shayla scowled and gripped Coye's hair tightly in frustration. He felt bad for her, but at least she bought him some time without even realizing it.

"I'll be the first to admit you're rather skilled when it comes to sleight-of-hand and redirecting attention, Coye. However, you made one vital mistake- aside from believing you could defeat me in the first place, naturally. Would you care to guess what it might be?"

"You're going to tell me anyway, so-" Coye rolled his eyes.

'What are you doing, baby? You can't let him monologue again! There's no time!'

Coye knew that. Rather, he was counting on it.

"I can sense the position of anything that moves across the earth. Ten feet behind me, a small object is advancing in my direction inch by inch. Though nigh imperceptible, I can feel the grinding of little gears and the ticking of a timer coming from inside the object. I don't even need to turn my head to surmise you've thrown a clockwork bomb at me. Is that correct?"

Coye was silent for several seconds before feigning his annoyance. "Damn it," he cursed. "You got me...!"

His shitty acting clued Shayla into the fact that Coye was up to something good, and her anxieties were momentarily abated, replaced by a grin of anticipation.

"Ah!" Dorothy clasped her hands over her mouth when her eyes caught sight of the bomb in question.

"Please tell me that was a pleasantly surprised shriek, dear..." Suzette sighed, fearing the worst.

"Just, um, watch what happens next!" The Guild Mistress responded, trying to hold back a smile of her own alongside a wave of excitement.

Just as Auguris deduced, the bomb Coye through was indeed a mobile clockwork bomb. Playing into the theme of a child's toy, this bomb was shaped like a tiny yellow mouse wearing a blue helmet. Three wheels at the bottom of the mouse bomb propelled it forward, its wind-up tail spinning behind it as six whiskers twitched and twitched at the front of its nose.

"You should've stuck to surprises like your boomerang, as I can't sense airborne threats the way I can with anything crawling along the ground."

"You don't say?"

"Indeed I do say," Auguris pushed up his glasses and waved his wand, erecting a large, thickly-reinforced wall between him and Coye's bomb to stop the explosion in its tracks. "Not that such tactics would lead to my downfall, of course. I merely point out that it would've raised your chance of catching me off guard from absolutely zero percent to perhaps just shy of one."

"Guess I'm luckier today than I thought, then."

"Lucky?" Auguris furrowed his brow in confusion. "If that's meant to be japery of some sort, then I'm afraid I must inform you I clearly don't under-"

Auguris suddenly understood. His eyes shot wide open, and he immediately whirled around to confirm what he already knew. Coye's bomb was gone. It didn't go off, but it was nowhere to be seen even after Auguris removed the wall blocking his vision.

Worst of all, he sensed an increase in pressure right before it happened.

The bomb in question was known as a Chubomba, and at the risk of sounding repetitive, it was an expensive gadget one could order in packs of five from the pages of Adventurer's First. Coye had used the other four in prior battles, making this his last one. What made a Chubomba special wasn't only that it moved after being wound up but that its whiskers detected the nearest life form and trailed after its target.

It also detected any obstacles in the way. Whenever it sensed any, its wheels would abruptly stop, retract into the bomb's casing, and then push outward with surprising force.

Coye's Chubomba jumped into the sky and fell toward Auguris.

"Impossible!" Auguris shouted once he saw it coming. He raised his wand, causing the earth to rise from the ground and encasing the bomb in a circular prison devoid of oxygen, preventing the explosion altogether. One swish of the wrist later, and Auguris tossed the inert stone sphere aside.

"Not impossible," Coye said from behind Auguris's back. "Just infinitesimal."

He brought his Blunt Edge-infused sword down on Auguris, delivering an impact so powerful that the entire arena could hear it. If that sound was anything to go off of, he just shattered Auguris's shoulder into dust.

The sequence of events leading up to this drastic turnaround confused most of the arena. Coye's Chubomba was small, and many of the audience didn't even see it let alone understand its significance.

Once the initial shock died, though, someone had to start the cheers. It was the moment Britni had been waiting for. She stood up from the stand and raised her axe into the sky, ready to call down a celebratory bolt of lightning from above as she whipped everyone into a frenzy.

All Britni had to do was take a deep breath, shout, and then-

"THE GREAT BURKHART'S NUMBER ONE DISCIPLE HAS USED THE SKILLS I'VE TAUGHT HIM TO ACHIEVE VICTORY!! COYE!! MY DISCIPLE, YOU'VE WON!!" That hairy, shirtless, five hundred pound, lumpy-headed, loudmouthed warrior stood up from the opposite row of seats, thrust his gigantic fist into the air, and the crowd went wild.

They all started cheering Coye's name, thankfully excluding any mentions of his apparent status as the great Burkhart's number one disciple.

Britni sat back down. Electricity started to buzz around her as her eyes sparked into a violent rage held back only by fierce amounts of heavy breathing. It was beginning to look like someone's sobriety would be ending tonight.

"I'm gonna kill him-" Britni seethed. "I'm gonna fucking kill that shit-huffing waste of space harder than I've ever fucking killed anyone in my life!!"

"Right now?" Marlie asked. "You'll ruin his big moment."

Britni calmed down a little and huffed out her nose. Marlie had a point. When all was said and done, she was happier for Coye more than she was angry at Burkhart. "...You're right, you're right. Damn it, I'll kill him later!"

"He won! Won because of Coco's luck!" Coco was too happy over her role in Coye's victory to be bothered by her Mistress's distress. She turned to Tiph and pointed an accusatory claw at her. "Now Tiph has to choke on a big one!!"

Tiph's eyelid twitched, and she turned away in shame. Hearing the crowd cheer for him when he was just another druggie like herself made her sick to her stomach. "As if," she rolled her eyes. "There's, liiiike, totally a good explanation for this. There has to be. He's-"

"...Wait," Marlie raised her hand and cut Tiph off. "Something's not right."

Taking Marlie's words to heart, the Baddest Bitches all stared at Coye just as Dorothy and her group came to the same realization.

"Why is Darling just standing there?" Suzette asked, nervously picking the skin of her arm. "He won, didn't he?"

Byng closed her eyes and sucked in air through her teeth. It hurt her deeply to say it, but she forced herself to do it anyway. "It's not over..."

"Oh, shit..." Tammy narrowed her eyes and looked closer at Coye. "He's not just standing around. He's-"

"He can't move his sword...!" Taken by pure horror, Dorothy clutched the sides of her face and trembled softly.

She was correct. At the point of impact where Coye's sword met Auguris's shoulder, there was a pauldron made of stone instead of a wound. Auguris's coat transmuted itself into rock right around Coye's weapon at the last second, sparing him any damage and trapping the blade where it was.

'Oh, no, no, no...!! Pull harder, baby! This can't be fucking happening! You won! You totally just won, didn't you?! Damn him!'

"I'm afraid it's no use, Coye," Auguris's deep, pretentious voice washed over the arena and gave many a bystander chills. "I'll allow you to have your sword back, but it won't be doing you a lick of good from this point forward."

True to his word, Coye's next tug dislodged his weapon, and he reflexively put some distance between himself and Auguris until he better knew what was going on. "You're not injured, are you?"

"Not in the slightest," Auguris confirmed.

He whipped around faster than Coye expected from a Mage and further shocked the boy by moving in fast and close like a melee fighter. Auguris's coat sleeve followed his shoulder's example, and Coye watched as it stretched out over his hand, covering it completely. The metallic surface shifted, becoming a stone gauntlet that Auguris wasted no time slamming into Coye's pretty face.

The damage Coye inflicted had been returned several times over, and now he had a broken nose to match the one he gave Auguris. He flew backward, making his roughest landing yet from the sheer force of the gauntlet's punch. The crowd gasped and winced at what Auguris had done to their poor boy.

Coye pulled himself up from the ground, staggered but aware. He pointed his left hand at his nose and felt warm relief when Shayla patched it up. He hadn't given up- he was still in this.

Knowing that Auguris loved nothing more than the sound of his voice, Coye used that to his advantage to find out how much shit he was in. "What's going on with your coat?" He asked.

"How fortuitous that you should inquire," the gauntlet and pauldron disappeared as Auguris spread his arms wide, showing off his coat with immeasurable pride. "I don't expect you to know this, but all students of the Magicademy are required to submit to the Council of Archsages a newly devised spell, potion, ritual, or artifact upon graduation to prove they are capable of contributing to the world of magic. The student's creation must be of significant power to impress the Archsages, and the garment I am adorned with just so happens to be the fruit of my labor. The surface of my Metallocoat can morph into any mineral or mental the wearer has structural knowledge of. Furthermore, it can expand and cloak the wearer's entire body should they desire."

'Wait... that's...'

Coye was listening intently to his enemy's monologue for once. He didn't like what he was hearing. "Are you trying to tell me-"

"That my defense is impenetrable? Precisely. Allow me to demonstrate-" Auguris made full use of his Metallocoat to coat every last inch himself in an intimidating suit of armor made entirely of stone. As far as Coye could tell, there wasn't a single opening or weakness to exploit. Even his face was masked by a thick visor.

"Behold. Try as you might- I guarantee you I can reinforce my armor stronger than you can hit. If I was feeling threatened, then perhaps I might've gone with diamond, or maybe something a touch flashier, but I'm sure reinforced stone will suffice for someone of your level."

Shayla's mouth was hanging wide open, and her eyebrows were tense with fury. 'Are you shitting me? How the fuck are we supposed to get past a magic suit of rock armor?!'

Coye didn't know, as he was lost. Auguris had been playing with him this entire time. It was never even a contest- this was all just public humiliation with extra steps.

"So that's why he specified the attack had to injure him. Huh." Tammy looked away sheepishly. "Maybe I should've pressed him a bit harder on that..."

"It's not your fault," Dorothy shook her head and wiped some sweat from her nervous brow. "Coye would've accepted the match either way..."

"Did you not know about this fargahrk's coat, Dotty?" Byng stared at Auguris with a distaste for his deceit. "I thought you were supposed to know how all of your adventurers fight and shit like that!"

"Byng, behave yourself-" Suzette chastised mainly to distract her worried mind.

"I, um, I knew his coat was magic, yes, but Auguris never shared the details with me..." Dorothy's shame was getting the better of her now that the situation seemed hopeless. "Gods, this is all my fault...!! If only I'd known better, I could've-"

"He's still gonna win!!" Byng hissed. "As long as he's still up there fighting for your honor, you owe it to Coye to keep believing in him, damn it!"

Dorothy shrank back, surprised that her new best pal went and hissed at her. For what it was worth, Byng blushed, hung her head, and realized she was out of line.

"Fuck... I'm sorry, I-"

"N-No, I, um-"

"You aren't the only one worried about him, dear..." Suzette walked behind Byng and comforted the girl by rubbing her shoulder.

Byng's anger was not unique to her. Some of the audience didn't take kindly to the revelation that Coye had been strung along. One such audience member was Tansy, a Silver-ranked Halfling Rogue who suddenly hopped down from his seat and called out Auguris.

"Hey, hi, how ya doin'? Got a question for ya, wiseguy. Back up here for a sec- are youse sayin' that this here whole-ass fight was a farce and that pretty boy was never gonna have a chance to clock ya, four-eyes?"

"That is precisely correct, Halfling," Auguris casually confirmed. "However, before you go drawing conclusions, I want it to be said that at no point did I ever lie or imply Coye had a chance at-"

"Okay, yeah, that's about all I needed to hear," the scruffy-looking thief clicked his tongue and shook his head disapprovingly at Auguris, palming a tomato from somewhere on his person that he then tossed at the Mage. "Shame on youse! Shame!"

Coye and Shayla watched as more of the audience joined in, chanting shame and tossing the scraps of whatever food they brought for the match. His intimidating stone armor was soon coated in rubbish. It raised their morale to see that the town and the Guild were largely on Coye's side despite betting against him.

Auguris didn't see what the problem was. Honor didn't mean much to him. There were only results and the necessary steps he took to achieve them. For the longest time, he'd desired an assistant to help him with fieldwork. This was the greatest chance at securing one he might ever get, so Auguris refused to let it slip away.

Now that he had a literal egg on his face, though, Auguris grew irritated and waved his wand to erect a glass barricade around the ring until the crowd got tired of throwing things. That earned him another round of booing, but he overlooked it as inconsequential and turned to face Coye after dismissing the barricade when it was no longer necessary.

"The nerve of them. You'd think I committed some unspeakable crime to receive such vile treatment! Nevertheless, here we are. I regret to inform you that you've reached a crossroads, Coye. Now that you know how hopeless your situation is, there are only two options. You may forfeit now and save yourself the humiliation of attempting to break my armor or foolishly continue on as I teach you the true meaning of the futility."

There were less than ten minutes left. Whatever decision Coye went with, he had to make it fast. He psyched himself up before the match, repeatedly focusing on his determination and drive to win. Even someone as stubborn as Coye had to face reality when confronted with the truth.

Or did he?

Coye clutched his sword tighter until his knuckles were white. Everyone was watching him to see what he'd do next. If he conceded here and now, Coye doubted there would be much of a hit to his reputation. He'd already proved himself multiple times over in the last twenty minutes- but just because something seems impossible doesn't mean it isn't worth trying.

If Coye succeeded against all odds, no one could ever look down on him or tell him he hadn't changed again. He wasn't even thinking about how much financial trouble the Guild would be in if they had to pay out all of the bets on Auguris. It was all about him.

Coye was selfish like that, and his mind was made up.

"I'm not a smart person," Coye declared loud and proud. "I didn't go to some fancy magic school. I'm dense and forgetful. Sometimes, I even need things explained multiple times until I follow along... but there are also some things I'll never understand no matter how dumbed down you make them for me. It turns out that telling me to give up is one of those things."

The people of the audience grew silent as Auguris regarded Coye through his visor of stone. Initially, there was murmuring about how stupid this kid must've been. Stupid but endearing. Cransmere was a divided town full of paranoid people. It was rare for them to become united by any cause, but Coye was proving a continual exception.

'I knew you were gonna say something like that,' Shayla sighed and prepared to back her partner up until the end.

"So cool...!" Coco panted, her tail continually wagging so hard that it hit Marlie's. "Co... um... Coye is so cool!!"

"...Maybe a bit," Tiph struggled to admit. "But he's still gonna lose."

"You're burning through so much bitterness I'm almost afraid you'll run out," Marlie teased. "Almost."

"You Bitches have no idea. The best part is coming right up-" Britni insisted, her eyes radiating electric passion. "This is where he'll shine the brightest!"

"How much longer will you ask me to continue watching this display, Darling? I can only believe in you so hard..." Suzette bit down on her lip, blowing an ornate fan at her face to relieve the stress sweats. She never left home in the summertime without one.

"If you can't handle this anymore, don't watch, Suz!" Byng said. It wasn't out of malice but rather compassion for Suzette's anxiety. "I'll believe in him hard enough for the both of us!"

"It is getting harder and harder to pretend like he still has a shot-" Tammy thought aloud before looking away from Byng's annoyed glare. "What? I didn't say I'm not on his side."

"Better be," she grumbled. "Or else- huh? Hey, wait- Dotty? What are you-"

Dorothy stood from her throne. She took a step forward, her tired legs still wobbling from exhaustion and her heart pounding with anticipation and fear. This was it- the end of the line. There was plenty Dorothy should've been worried about at that moment. Financial problems, how losing here would affect her mental health, what she'd have to do to explain this to the Association... and yet... Dorothy wasn't thinking about a single one of those things.

Like a true Guild Mistress, the only thought on her mind was helping her hero complete his quest.

From the side of the ring, Dorothy cupped her hands around her mouth, took a deep breath, and yelled with all her strength, "Coye! You can do this! I believe in you, so... don't you dare go and lose now after everything you've said and done!!"

Whatever hesitation the crowd still had evaporated when they saw the weak and weary woman chanting her lungs in support of Coye. Like Britni said they would, the crowd was cheering Coye's name. Shayla could feel him getting more charged by the moment, and it was all she could do to sigh.

'Okay, so that's how it's going to be. Cool. Go on, you big meathead. Do your stupid, reckless bullshit, and I'll ensure you're patched up. Don't let her down, you got it?'

Coye smiled as he drank in the sound of his name, nodding softly in acknowledgment. His sword hand gripped his trusted blade tighter, and he began channeling massive amounts of energy into his arm and weapon.

"So," Auguris noted. "I notice you've chosen pain."

"I've chosen victory!" Coye replied, then ran at his opponent with Quick Step.

Coye correctly predicted Auguris wouldn't even bother dodging, so he pumped more energy into his arm than he needed to use Triple Strike. Committing to such a huge cost was easier when he knew his target wouldn't move. Auguris remained totally still and absorbed the mighty Art that hit his helmet- Coye's sword bouncing off with an ominous clang. There was nothing to show for his attack, not even a scratch. The only evidence Coye had done anything at all was the pain in his arm that his effort earned him.

"What now? You intend to stand here and hit me repeatedly until time runs out?"

"I intend on breaking your helmet and punching you in the face again!"

"Is that so? Then allow me to dissuade you-" Coye watched as Auguris's gauntlet seemingly absorbed his wand, allowing the powerful spellcaster to adopt a fighting stance the boy recognized as belonging to traditional Dwarven boxing.

Auguris through a feint to Coye's left before coming in on his right and nailing him with a straight. It hit him, but Coye rolled his face in time with the punch and minimized the damage with Steel Soul. He countered with another Triple Strike, only for Auguris to uppercut his chin with a fist of stone.

In his delirious state of punch-drunken swagger, Coye remembered to point at his face so Shayla could heal him. Another Triple Strike to the helmet- another series of punches from Auguris. On and on, Coye would get knocked down, Shayla would heal him, and he'd use his strongest Art on the Mage to no avail.

Even though the crowd continued cheering for him as the minutes counted down, this routine proved difficult for many in the audience to stomach. Coye kept getting up, but each time took him longer to do so. Even with Shayla helping him out, she could only do so much. Her mana wasn't infinite, and she had to take care of the punch wounds on top of making sure his arm didn't explode from all the Triple Strikes he was shooting off.

Only three minutes remained.

"You're an idiot! A complete and utter idiot on every account!" Auguris stated after landing his latest counter. It wasn't like him to hold back, but by this point, Auguris was punching with less and less strength after every swing.

"I already admitted to that!" Coye bounced back up, his right arm so thoroughly shot that he had to use his sword with his left and start the process all over again. One more Triple Strike, another glancing blow.

"Give up already!"

"No!"

"Fine, then..." Auguris hesitated. His mind still struggled to understand what he'd initially done wrong, but whatever it was didn't sit right with him any longer. "I'll yield, and we'll settle for a draw where both of us get what we want! I'll try to rein myself and cause Dorothy Whittle no trouble, so long as-"

Coye interrupted Auguris's bargaining with his latest Triple Strike. In its wake, his body felt sluggish, and it was nearly impossible to remain standing.

"Explain yourself, damn it! Why do you still struggle? What are you trying to prove?!" Auguris smashed his fist into Coye's solar plexus, hoping it would knock the wind from him and make the battle end that much sooner.

"That... I've... changed...!" Coye wheezed, stood up, and nearly fell over, only to hang on by a thread.

Shayla was almost as exhausted as he was. The toll of constant casting weighed heavily on her tiny body. There was nothing she wanted more than to help push Coye onto the victory lap, but even now, she still didn't see it.

Two minutes remained, and Shayla had no choice but to express her ultimatum.

'Baby, I... I can't keep this up. Mana's... almost out... running low on... sass. You only got one more shot at this... one more...' Shayla whined, clutching his hair harder to keep herself awake.

'Shayla-' her eyes opened wide as she heard Coye's voice. What was he thinking? He couldn't talk to her so openly like this in front of everyone! That idiot- had she not healed a brain injury or something? When he spoke again, however, she realized that even more startling truth.

'Look... the center of his visor...' Coye said, his voice coming from within her mind.

The startling revelation helped keep her awake. Now, Shayla couldn't stop wondering how her partner magically disinclined partner was suddenly a telepath like she- never mind. Once she actually thought about it, it checked out.

There wasn't time to express surprise that there was some truth to that old Fairy Knight scroll. Shayla focused herself and looked at the visor, seeing what Coye was referring to. The area he had been working on this entire time had the faintest hint. It wasn't small- it was absolutely tiny. Barely a chip.

'Baby, that's... that's not... a crack that small's not gonna get you anywhere!'

'With a little luck, it will...!' Coye stressed. 'You can do that, can't you?'

Luck? Shayla considered the option. If he wanted luck manipulation, then he should've brought it up sooner. She wasn't even sure she could get through the jinx before running out of mana. Still... this might be his only option to even remotely come out of this on top.

If this was what Coye really wanted, Shayla would commit.

She focused in on the crack on Auguris's helm and snapped her fingers, putting all her feeble strength behind it. What remained of Shayla's mana was lost, along with her consciousness. She closed her eyes and whispered, 'Make it happen, big... guy...'

"Hm?" Auguris noticed a change in his armor instantly, but his many years studying at the Magicademy did little to broaden his mind beyond geomancy. He didn't know the specifics of the jinx, only that there was one. "I don't know what you've just done, but it's much too late for another one of your tricks. This will be the last time I warn you, Coye. Give-"

Forty seconds remained.

Coye didn't wait for him to finish talking. He rushed in, bringing his sword down with a meager Triple Strike. With his faith placed firmly in Shayla's ability to inflict bad luck on her target, Coye struck the scratch on the visor.

It worked. Coye felt a crunch beneath his sword, and the crack spread, but it wasn't enough to finish the job.

Auguris slugged Coye across the face, sending the boy to his knees as everyone looked on in sympathy. His arms hurt, his body was exhausted from using so much energy, and his mind was fading fast. Coye thought his opponent was saying something, but all he heard was ringing in his ears.

He was so close. All it would've taken was one more stroke of bad luck.

Thirty seconds.

'Shayla... wake up...!' Coye pleaded, unknowingly sending his thoughts toward her. 'Please! Just one more! I need you... I... I can't do this without you!!'

There was no response- she was totally knocked out.

Coye didn't care, begging even harder. 'Shayla, come on! This can't be the end. I won't let it! I WON'T!'

His eyes started to shine with pale blue light as his determination reached delusional levels of stubbornness. Within him, things began to change. Like most other living creatures, Coye possessed a reserve of mana- the ethereal substance which altered the rules of reality according to the wills of those who knew how to wield it.

His troubles with becoming a spellcaster had more to do with his poor attention span, which made drawing sigils in his mind a near impossibility, and his inability to control his mana circuits. While Coye might never have the aptitude for traditional spells, he recalled something Shayla told him early on in their relationship.

Pixies didn't cast magic- they were magic.

One by one, the mana circuits in Coye's body exploded, and he started to circulate massive amounts of the ethereal essence within. Had he been more aware of his surroundings, Coye would've recognized that Auguris was sensing all of this as it happened and was too overwhelmed to know how to respond. Instead, Coye was focused on the fact that he'd apparently gained some mana circuits since last he checked...

'Wake up, Shayla! Now!!'

Twenty seconds.

A rush of mana flooded Shayla's body, invigorating her and filling her with more strength than she knew what to do with. It was like when she experienced her first sugar rush, only more potent and raw. Suddenly aware of many things, she looked left and right through the transparent hat.

'Whoa, what the fuck is going on?!' Shayla slurred.

'No time! Do it again!'

'Coye-'

'AGAIN!'

Shayla's eyes stared straight ahead where Auguris was raising his fist to give Coye one last punch to knock him out and end this farce once and for all.

'Shit- SHIT!' Shayla realized there wasn't any time to question the overwhelming flow of mana coursing through her- she had to put it to use.

Shayla focused on the cracked visor and cast her luck jinx on it, only for the spell to completely outdo her expectations. She had so much mana to work with- she could just keep pouring and pouring and pouring! Even crazier was that Shayla had enough juice left to heal both of Coye's arms to about half health each by the time she was done.

Ten.

'Okay, I did it, baby! Go, go, GO!!'

Coye forced himself to stand, and in a moment of inspiration, he took the hilt of his sword in his left hand as he swung with his right, putting equal energy into both. It was funny how obvious the answer was sometimes. Coye always handled his sword one-handed, even when he wasn't brandishing a shield. He'd never thought of using Triple Strike like this before, but now that he had, he found it worked even better than his previous strategy of expending stamina at the last second.

Eight.

His sword slammed against Auguris's rocky helmet so hard that Coye's trusted weapon cracked under pressure and emitted blue light from its seams. The poor thing would've fallen to pieces if he'd swung it even one more time. Luckily, that wasn't necessary.

Auguris had so much bad luck stored in his armor that not only did his helmet explode into hundreds of pieces, but the rest of his armor did, too... along with his glasses and all his clothes, sparing only his wand.

Six.

"Inconceivable-" the bare naked Mage stepped back from the wobbly boy who somehow remained standing. "My Metallocoat! How...?!"

It wasn't unheard of for some people to awaken their latent capabilities for magic in times of danger. Auguris wasn't surprised by Coye's sudden surge in mana but by the scale of it. This current power was a glimpse at the boy's true potential.

Auguris was deeply upset- it was a crying shame that he was about to lose out on such a valuable assistant.

Four.

Coye took a step forward and then another. He threw his sword, exacerbating the cracks as it bounced toward the edge of the ring. It served him well, but now was the time for a different weapon.

He raised his fist.

Three.

Auguris might've had some training in Dwarven boxing, but he relied on his coat to transform him into a physical fighter. Coye had a punch that could shatter ordinary rocks, and- despite the odds- Auguris's head wasn't as hard as people liked to joke.

It was just as squishy as any other Mage's.

Two.

Auguris fell flat on his ass, naked, defeated, and humbled.

Coye stood over his opponent, barely even conscious. He didn't know where he was, what he was doing here, or where he was supposed to go next... until he saw his Guild Mistress on the edge of the ring crying tears of joy.

She made him remember what this was all about, and his heart filled with courage. Raising his bloodied fist into the sky, Coye shouted enough for everyone to hear, "MESS WITH DOROTHY-"

One.

"AND YOU'LL BE NEXT!!"

The hourglass exploded as Auguris finally faded into unconsciousness, and the speechless crowd immediately understood the significance behind this. They weren't hallucinating- Coye had just won. It was strange to see such a large group celebrating the fact they had just lost a ton of money on a bad bet, but that was precisely what happened. The audience cheered and chanted his name, throwing confetti and making as much noise as possible.

He'd done it.

Not only did Coye irrevocably prove he'd grown by conquering his fear of the spotlight, but he'd also established a precedent that no one would forget. The Guild now knew that Coye didn't fuck around. Furthermore, they understood that Dorothy was his.

'Fuck yeah, that's what I'm talking about...! You did it, baby!' Shayla was as hyped as possible, but her power waned with Coye's increasing exhaustion.

"AWOO! AWOO-WOO-WOOOO!! COYE WON- FOR REAL THIS TIME!" Coco jumped from her seat and tackled Britni, who drew her pet in for a celebratory hug as she nuzzled against Britni's cheek.

"You see this shit, Tiph? What the FUCK did I tell you? Huh? HUH?" Britni accosted her friend while hugging Coco, who now felt dramatically out of place amid the pro-Coye atmosphere.

"Whatever, you were right-" she shrugged, trying to pretend it was no big deal. "Go suck his dick now, for all I care."

Sparks flew around Britni as her temper acted up, accidentally zapping Coco and ending their hug. Coco was used to this, at least. "Maybe I will, bitch!" Britni clapped back.

"Cool, you do that," Tiph rolled her eyes. "As for me, I'll be getting the fuck out of here..." none of this was sitting right with her, and she had plans to make.

"What? Why?!" Coco stood from her seat and tried to block off Tiph. "He's hurt! Tiph makes hurt go away!"

"Not my problem," she shrugged, moving past the pup. "They'll bring him downstairs if-" Tiph stopped midsentence, the three of them noticing Marlie wasn't sitting by their side as she had been moments before. Before they could comment on her absence, Marlie appeared out of a shroud of black smoke and took her seat.

"What?" Marlie asked. "I had to piss."

"You were totally here just a few seconds ago, though..." Tiph looked at her friend skeptically.

"I didn't go far," Marlie looked away as Tiph gained a knowing smile. Britni had a feeling she knew what Marlie was up to, but Coco's neediness distracted her from pushing for the details.

"Britni! Britni! Let's go see him! Please? I'll be good, promise!!" She begged.

Britni looked at Coye, who was now hobbling to the edge of the ring where Dorothy and the other girls in his little camp were rushing to see him. She wished she could see herself among them but knew she'd be turned away, and rightly so. A frown cut its way across her face, dampening her great mood.

"In a minute," she grumbled. "He's got his hands full..."

Coye made it halfway to Dorothy before his knees buckled, sending him on a collision course with the ground. Dorothy knelt down to catch him just in time, his face landing not on the stone below but on a pair of large, comfortable pillows. She hugged him immediately, breaking the barrier between employee and boss once and for all.

Byng, Suzette, and Tammy were behind her, but they didn't want to get in the way. This was their moment and no one else's.

"I... I don't even know where to begin, Coye..." she whimpered through her tears. "I can't even believe it..."

"Why not? I'm your hero... aren't I?" Coye looked up from her chest and gave Dorothy a weak smile.

Dorothy forgot how to breathe but somehow managed to say, "Yes. That's right. My hero, and so much more..."

Shayla smirked and patted Coye's head. There was a lot they needed to talk about regarding his magical developments, but for now, she was happy seeing him get the love and affection he had craved out of Dorothy for so long.

'Nice going, kid...' she mumbled to herself as he started falling out of consciousness in Dorothy's arms.

"And there you have it, gahaha!!" Byng wrapped her arm around Suzette's side playfully with a gigantic grin. "I knew you'd pull it off, short-stuff! I didn't stop believing for even a second!"

"I wish I could say the same, but I'm too much of a worrywart," Suzette exhaled with shame, still blowing her fan at her face to combat her exhaustion. "All this has taught me is that I never want to watch you at work again, Darling. I feel like I've aged thirty years in as many minutes..."

"I don't think he can hear you," Dorothy giggled softly and blushed as the sleeping Coye nuzzled further into her chest. "My hero just finished a special quest, and he's, ah... in need of some downtime..."

"I still gotta take care of wrap-up, so why don't I meet you all in the basement?" Tammy suggested as she gestured at the magical cone in her opposite hand.

"That's probably for the best, but I don't think I can carry him by my-" Dorothy paused as she noticed an ominous figure approaching along with their pet. She gulped reflexively and held onto Coye tighter in case Britni and Coco meant trouble, but her hug loosened when she noticed the apprehension on Britni's face.

Byng didn't care about subtleties and stepped out to defend her man. "The fuck do you think you're doing here after all the shit you pulled, huh? You know, we have a word for bitches like you in my language. Lots, actually. How's about I share some of my favorites, you-"

"I know how it must look, but we just wanted to help," Britni threw her hands up. "Really."

"Coco can carry Coye downstairs to see heal monster! Or Britni, I- um, Coco guesses..." Coco tripped up and scratched her head, but luckily Britni didn't care enough to chastise her.

Byng narrowed her eyes, still unconvinced until Suzette came up behind her and put her hand on Byng's shoulder. "Now, now, dear. I'm sure Darling wouldn't mind..."

When Byng looked back, Suzette gave her a wink implying something akin to 'keep your friends close but your enemies closer'. Suzette had a point. Byng reckoned many people were suddenly reevaluating their opinion of Coye, Britni likely included.

"So, um... should I-" Dorothy awkwardly awaited instructions.

"You guys can come along, but I'm carrying him!" Byng turned to Dorothy and slung her man over her shoulder, but not before scooping up his hat and putting it on her head in a sneaky way that didn't reveal a hint regarding the extra passenger she'd just snagged.

'H-Hey!' Shayla wasn't ready for her first contact with someone other than Coye, so she was forced to awkwardly cling to the roof of his hat. 'Warn me next time you do that, damn it!'

Byng smirked to herself and stood up before looking around. "Anyone seen his sword? He chucked it at the end there, and I'm not sure where it's gotten off to."

"I'll find it later. I'm pretty sure I know where it turned up..." Britni insisted. "Now come on, already! Coye's like, totally fucked up and needs help."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you..." Byng grumbled as she, Dorothy, and the others made their way to the edge of the ring, where a large audience of adventurers and townspeople was gathered to greet them. It only made sense that everyone wanted to get in on the action and cheer for Coye up close and personal, but that didn't make it any less annoying. Good thing they had help clearing the way.

"Please step away from the victor," Tammy announced to the crowd. "Idiots. You all saw Coye get his shit fucked up, didn't you? Now's not the best time to get up in his business. If it's any consolation, he'll probably find you on his own sooner or later, so long as you're a cute girl. Patience is a virtue, or so says the Luxist Church."

After some slight murmuring, the crowd parted and allowed Coye's group safe passage without accosting them too much.

"Well, that was fun. I expected an interesting show, but Coye really went and outdid himself, didn't he? Ah, well. Anyone who was crazy enough to bet on Coye can head to the front desk- I'll be there soon to fork over your winnings. For the rest of you, thanks for your significant contribution to the Guild's financial future. In case you haven't given us enough money, don't hesitate to come to us with all your problems. It's what we're here for."

Behind her, Tammy heard the grumbling noises of a naked Mage who had been forgotten. Weird. She'd gone from never seeing a dick before to seeing two in rapid succession. Tammy was less interested in that than in Auguris himself, though. She walked up to him and looked down with her typical blank expression.

"How's it hanging, loser?"

He didn't say anything, instead spitting up three of his teeth.

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Tammy nodded respectfully.

"So it's true, then?" Auguris sat up and reached for his wand, conjuring a pair of very uncomfortable-looking stone underpants. "I've been defeated?"

"Oh yeah. Really hard, too."

"Aha," Auguris smiled. He was a man of many words and an expansive vocabulary, but when faced with evidence of what he deemed impossible, all he could say was, "How interesting."

"Right? I think so too. Things are about to start changing around here- big time. Gods... I can't remember the last time I've ever been this excited, and I guess I've got Coye to thank..." Tammy smiled honestly from the bottom of her heart, an occurrence so rare it hurt the sides of her mouth. It didn't last long because of that, but her happiness would remain long after the smile.

As everyone made their way to the basement to visit Eschal, Dorothy couldn't help ruminating on everything that had happened. It was a whirlwind in her mind- one thing after another.

Coye won his battle against the strongest adventurer in her Guild.

Thanks to him, Dorothy wouldn't have to worry about the bottom line for a good, long while. Even after the Association got their cut of the profits, she'd have enough gold to start addressing some of her Guild's issues and potentially even experiment with additional revenue streams. There was an entire arena in the backyard now, after all. Why not get some more use out of it?

Gold wasn't the only thing Coye's victory had earned him, either. Auguris would start behaving himself, too, and there was a chance the rest of the Guild might even follow his lead. Dorothy stood up for herself before them, then made a well-received announcement that captured everyone's attention and earned applause. If all that wasn't enough, Coye provided a lovely example of what would happen if they disrespected her from this point on.

Was Coye a little heavy-handed in his delivery? Perhaps, but it wasn't like Dorothy cared. Not when he'd given her a light in the darkness, taken her by the hand, and led her to safety. For the first time she could remember in a long, long time, Dorothy was hopeful for the future. In the face of such blinding optimism, there was no way Dorothy could quit her job.

Not when there was still so much she had to say to her beloved hero.