10. Marshland Brawl

"The final showdown unfolds as the last contenders, Hivemind Spectre and Hajun, take center stage! Hajun boldly leads the offensive against the remaining foes, while Hivemind expertly provides support," Jim, one of the commentators, announced.

"Oh, Jim, this is shaping up to be an incredible conclusion to the tournament!" George, the second commentator, chimed in.

"Hajun eliminates Enoch, and Hivemind skillfully takes down DanielPrime from the shadows. There you have it, ladies and gentlemen, the tournament concludes! Team Hajun, Hivemind, Greatdead, and Rocket emerge victorious in the fourth Elder Trials invitational tournament!" Jim exclaimed, rising from his seat with excitement.

"The team is ecstatic, although Hajun's absence dims the celebration a bit!" George observed.

"The enigma surrounding Hajun's true identity only adds to the mystique of this legendary gamer and while I, like most others, want to know what he actually looks like, as long as he keeps playing like this, it won't matter," Jim commented.

"Indeed, Jim. What a spectacular finale to the tournament! Thanks to everyone who came to witness the action," George acknowledged, waving at the cameras. "I'm George Delagano, joined by Jim Murray, and we'll catch you next time."

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As they ventured towards the outskirts of the city, the landscape transformed dramatically. In the distance, a diverse range of mountains stood tall, and before them lay a giant mud pool that stretched across several acres of land.

"What about the two people that announced we couldn't leave the game, what do you think about them?" Harvey inquired as they tiptoed through a rocky trail.

"You really love my opinion on things don't you."

"They didn't have names over their heads, you think they're NPCs?"

"You think sentient NPC's locked a hundred and twenty thousand players In a game?"

Deja vu

"No... but I mean, what's your take on things?"

"Marsh Dragon." Hive uttered

"Marsh Dragon?" Harvey looked to his left confused.

Hive gestured for silence, pressing a finger to her lips, as they stealthily waltzed the edges of a large boulder that separated them from the marsh. Ahead loomed a colossal lizard with two additional arms on its sides —a Marsh Dragon.

"Level forty." Harvey pointed out and Hive glanced back at him with a face that screamed 'What, you scared?'

"What's your technique?" Hive asked, still stalking the beast with her eyes.

"My innate technique?" Harvey questioned.

"Yeah, you don't trust me?"

"It's not that, but I mean... you gotta say yours first if you want me to."

"Valid point." Hive cracked her fingers. "My innate technique is 'Stardust.' Essentially, my attacks generate small stars that accumulate in my blade. When I use a form with my katana, I can utilize the stored stardust to amplify the damage of my techniques and so forth. I can also use it just by swinging my sword but it's way stronger when I use a form."

Though not as complex as Harvey's, his earlier assumption about other techniques matching his in strength held true. "My technique is 'Cause and Effect'. I can nullify the effect of a specific attack or reverse the cause, making it appear as if it never occurred. The effect, however, still takes place, and if I'm in the way, I'd take damage."

"That's a wild one, you sure you understand how it even works?" Hive inquired.

"I'm getting there," Harvey responded, materializing his Marsh daggers in his hands.

"Marsh daggers? I doubt the monster would appreciate seeing the corpses of its nephews in your hands."

"New plan then. Let's eliminate it before it notices Krig and Toni." Harvey stood up, swiftly moving out of the cover they concealed themselves behind.

"That was the original plan." Hive followed suit, a katana materializing in her hands.

Harvey soared into the air using boost, a technique that allowed him to jump on the air. Once airborne, he executed another boost, propelling himself toward the Marsh Dragon for a surprise attack from behind.

"And there goes our element of surprise," Hive remarked.

"Hm?" Before Harvey could react, the Marsh Dragon's tail flicked him upward, inflicting damage as he was propelled into the sky.

"There's a reason they live in the marshlands, they can sense anything that passes through, above or below. It's like the hairs of their body!"

Hive sprinted to the border between sand and marsh, "Form 1: Star Slasher!" She stomped the ground forcefully, swinging her sword with such force she propelled massive razor-sharp stars toward the monster. "Take that!"

Numerous stars were propelled toward the Marsh Dragon, positioned in the midst of vast mud acres. However, just before the giant stars could reach their target, the marsh dragon lowered its tail and swiped it across the marsh, raising a shield of mud to thwart the stars' impact.

"Of course they can do that!"

Harvey descended from the sky with his daggers primed, quickly he fell onto the monster's back, piercing into it with his blades. "Form 8: Magmanite."

Harvey's blades adopted a crimson rocky texture that extended to his arms, inflicting additional fire damage to the dragon the longer they remained within. However, before the effect of the form could manifest fully, the Marsh Dragon flipped over, sending Harvey plunging headfirst into the thick marsh.

"That's bad," Hive noted, the marsh itself had properties that stopped players from moving within it kind of like quicksand, but since it was so thick. There was no way Harvey could breathe within it.

"Form 3: Star surf" Hive threw her katana into the air, riding on it like a hoverboard as she flew across the marsh and toward the monster. "If this was a tournament your rep would be so ruined right now."

Hive dropped down onto the stomach of the monster, slashing her sword across its exposed belly. Yet, it rebounded as if she had struck metal. The Marsh Dragon wiggled with its body still upside down as if trying to shake off something, "Of course, that bastard is still fighting even with his head under."

Hive grabbed her sword with both hands, she understood the role Harvey was playing in all this, keeping the beast turned over giving her an opportunity to subdue it from above.

"Form 4: Starburst." Converging all her accumulated stardust into one attack, Hive swung her sword vertically, cutting a line through the belly of the beast, the remainder of her stars exploding as they collided with the mud. "It's dead, Hajun."

"About time," Harvey muttered as he latched onto the monster with his blade.

"No thank you?" Hive pouted almost pushing him back into the marsh.

"You almost killed me in the process.." He muttered as he lay on his back.

"Excuses, excuses. If we ever get back don't forget to tell everyone about how I saved you." Hive walked toward the slash she made, digging into it with her hand until she pulled out a rock-like substance.

"Is that the core?" Harvey swung his hands, splashing mud everywhere.

"Yep, next is the blumrose petal and probably where this adventure ends."

"It's not over until I say it's over!" Harvey raised his hand in the air, putting it down after a while.

"Sure, sure. Pull yourself together, we need to get out of this marsh before something else comes."

They opted to spend the night near the marsh, considering the high likelihood of encountering a Great Night due to the corpse of the Marsh Dragon.

[Monsters don't disappear now they're trapped in the game, they remain as corpses. Monsters still disappear in labyrinth's however.]

Harvey threw a stick into the fire and as he watched it burn, he looked at his belt buckle. Elizabeth's ashes hung from it and now more so than ever, he felt lost. "Thanks, Hive."

"What's this about? I was kidding about the Marsh Dragon you know?"

"It's not about that... after Elizabeth died... I've been lost you know... I've been depressed... I wanted to kill myself you know? Follow her to wherever she went."

"Look," Hive walked toward him, putting her hand on his shoulders. "It's not your fault, I don't necessarily know what happened and I won't make you tell me either. But I know it's not your fault."

"When we were entering the labyrinth, two people came up to us... Harlow and Arla, they're a part of the faction and well they were after me... She was caught in the crossfire." Harvey put his face into his knees. "If I had come here alone, she'd be at ballet right now, or maybe at her book club, she'd have been the happiest woman alive... I just had to come into her life."

"That's why you're after the faction..." Hive uttered, putting two and two together.

"But you know, I keep second-guessing. She didn't die with any hatred, she probably wouldn't have wanted this, so who am I doing it for? Myself? Why?"

"Hajun..."

"I can't sleep anymore, I don't want to. I don't want to see her in my dreams, I don't want her to tell me to stop... I want to see her though, I want to hug her. Even if it's for ten seconds, I'd do anything for that." Harvey put his hand under his knee, wiping his face with his sleeve.

"It's okay." Hive placed her head on his shoulder, gently tapping him on his back as he cried. "Everything will be okay... I'm here."

"Even against the Marsh Dragon, I rushed in because that's all I've done for the last four years. I was alone, I rushed in carelessly but when I heard your voice... it made me happy."

"..."

"Thank you, Hive."

"No problem."

"No... I never thought I'd be able to smile again." Harvey lifted his face from his knees, his eyes reddened, but a broad grin adorned his face. "You pulled me out of my despair, you saved me."

"I didn't do anything Hajun," Hive smiled back as she wiped her sleeve across his eyes. "This was all you champ."

"Harvey, my name is Harvey."

"Then make sure to tell everyone who comforted you when we get back to Earth, Harvey." Hive joked.

"Will do," Harvey laughed.

Hive gently distanced herself from Hajun and headed towards the woods. An urgent need to relieve herself pressed upon her, but as she sensed a presence behind her, a rush of anger and sadness washed over.

"Have you forgotten our agreement?" A deep voice uttered, its tone void of all emotion.

"I'm working on it," Hive responded.

"Don't let your emotions get the best of you Hive, you have a real chance here. You get to join us and you'll be put in a place of power when we're done. Anyone would risk anything for a card from the hand you've been dealt." The voice spoke once more. "Don't mess this up."

"I won't… Just give me more time."

"You have one week, that's all you get." The voice began fading, "Any longer than that and there won't only be one head on a pike." A gust of wind blew by and when she looked back, no one was next to her.

"Fuck!" Hive clicked her tongue as she slammed her hand against a tree.