Lazarus

  Primordial limit.

  Primordial 1.

  Paragon luck.

  Paragon strength 4.

  Presence detection 5.

  Regeneration 13.

  Centaur riding 5.

  Sex 10.

  Sword mastery 1.

  Blink 4.

  Resistance 7.

  Acid resistance 2.

  Poison resistance 1.

  Centaur pleaser 11.

  Forging 1.

  Copycat 1 (-------)

  Primordial blessing 1.

  Limitless Primordial 1.

  Primordial Pantheon (presence detection 5)

  [Willows devotion] 1.

  Skill points - 0

  "Okay I want a good, clean fight. If I say you're out leave no argument." Brult yelled to us all but he was mainly looking at the four centaurs currently opposite me.

  They all gave nods to show they understood well except the one on the left. He was staring daggers at me. It would be really helpful to know where I'm making all these enemies from. Maybe I'll save him for st.

  "Good. You begin on my signal."

  Another round of nods this time followed by them all reading their own weapons. They each held a spear and had a sword at their hips.

  I remained as I was waiting.

  "Begin!"

  Three of them charged straight away, the only one who didn't was the one I was saving. Seems he considers himself the leader. Or the clean up crew.

  I made a faint left before diving right. All three of them fell for it and couldn't recover fast enough as I got past one of their guards and tapped the back of the give against the far right centaurs neck.

  "Jerome your out."

  He was almost surprised at how fast that was but his friends didn't wait around. They came at me again this time more carefully using their spears range to jab at me. It was amateurish in execution and so easy to block or evade even with the two of them.

  It was good practice. The give was light and very well banced with the hilt just as useful for blocking as the bde itself. Would have to give Willow my thanks.

  Deciding to try something a little different I blinked a few feet away noting the hateful one still hadn't made a motion to join the fight yet. He didn't seem to be buffing them on any way so maybe he was hoping I would tire myself out with them and he could easily beat me? He might have a thing or two to learn.

  Returning my focus to the two in front I closed my eyes and made the universal motion for come at me. This will be an excellent way to level presence detection.

  "Ain't no way he's gonna beat us with his eyes closed." One of them growled and I felt them get closer.

  Presence detection now had a good meter and a half range so it made this a lot better although it only told me where they were not their weapons. That I'd have to determine by their hand position.

  Taking a different approach they split up trying to box me in from each side. A smart choice but I wasn't going to stand around.

  Following the hoof steps of the one on my left this time, I charged him and with a single step I was already inside his guard.

  For all his training he managed to drop his spear and reach for his sword but not fast enough. My Give was touching his throat before his sword was half out it's scabbard.

  "Leroy your out."

  [Willows devotion] 2 acquired.

  Like before the remaining stallion charged me trying to catch my unaware.

  I danced out of the way still with my eyes closed as his spear came within inches of my head. His next strike came just as close, a little cking on my part as I was still toying with them but it grazed Leroy before he could get away.

  Presence detection 6 acquired.

  "Watch it Ferag. Let Leroy get away." Brult growled as the centaur I'd just eliminated stomped off.

  Ferag let out a growl but did stop and we kind of just stood waiting for another signal to reengage. I finally opened my eyes giving the st centaur a nod. Well the st one that was doing anything as the spiteful one still hadn't made a move.

  "I take back everything I said two legs. You're good. You deserve to ride a centaur mare." Ferag said readying his weapon again.

  "Didn't realize I had such a reputation. Care to eborate a bit more?" I replied letting [Willows devotion] vanish and reappear in my hands. His gaze followed the weapon with surprise before he spoke back.

  "Beat me and I'll tell you."

  Why does he still have so much confidence? I can only pray I wasn't this difficult when I was in my early days. Ah who am I kidding I was so much worse.

  Learning from his previous attempts Ferags approach this time was slower and more calcuted. I still remained standing still just waiting.

  He tried to test my guard with a few probing jabs with his spear but I deflected each one with ease. I was growing bored I'll admit, my mind trying to see if there were any skill conditions I could complete while I was dueling. Nothing really came to mind.

  My dueling partner seemed to grin as he got closer, a signal that usually meant they were about to use their trump card. Ferag wasn't any different.

  "Sentient bde!" He shouted right before his sword flew from his hip with a mind of its own.

  It sliced in arcs aiming for my torso. I was actually impressed. Not my him shouting the skill like he was some anime character trying to power up but to have a weapon that could fight beside you. I so want one.

  Although the djinn did have something simir.

  The stallion didn't follow his weapon seeming to think it was enough to finish me off but after the eighth deflection I could see the frustration growing on his face.

  I on the other hand was having a bst. I didn't need to hold back my strength as there was nothing I could harm except the weapon itself.

  Putting my full weight behind a strike that sent the bde a good ten meters into the air only for it to come back. I couldn't help my smile growing as I blocked it's path, sometimes letting it get close only to move at the st second.

  Of course the sword couldn't take me hitting it forever and when I nded another hit kind of like I was going for a home run it split in two, the skill seeming to end with it. Would kind of been interesting if it stayed sentient though.

  Chuckling to myself I spun my give pointing the blunt end forward and threw it hard enough that Ferags couldn't avoid it. It nded with a thud winding the stallion.

  "Ferags your out." Brult said.

  "But he hit me with the blunt side. I can still fight." He wheezed out unsteadily.

  "And if he'd thrown it the other way around you'd be skewed. No argument."

  I resummoned the give to my hands this time holding it with the bde pointed forward.

  "Point taken." He agreed taking himself over to the other two eliminated centaurs.

  I raised my eyebrow at him as he tried to leave and he gave me a sheepish smile.

  "Two legs normally can't fight for crap. We thought you'd be the same." He scratched the back of his head seeming a little embarrassed. "We thought you were hiding behind your mare the whole time and that you'd be a pushover."

  I rolled my eyes at him turning to the st centaur.

  "You the same?" I asked slowly making my way over to him.

  "Two legs don't deserve a mare. You cannot satisfy her like a stallion could." He grumbled ditching his spear in favor his sword. "A mare deserves someone better who can properly please her."

  "He does a dam good job of it thank you very much. Much better than you ever could!" Arath yelled from beside Willow. How long had she been watching? She was dened with bags along her back presumably for our trip. I guess we weren't being very stealthy with this small fight.

  There was a collection of snickers from the crowd that had gathered that only seemed to infuriate my opponent.

  "Fine. Let's see if you fight better than you f...."

  "Language." I interrupted. "We can't have everyone thinking all we do is yell at each other now can we?"

  He snorted and I swear I could see steam coming off his forehead. Well actually his whole body.

  Running his hand over his sword the bde seemed to ripple before a small flicker of a fme took over. So he was hot, got it.

  I gave Brult a quick look but while the stallion was a little mad at the dispy he wasn't stopping the duel. I hope that means it's non-lethal.

  My opponents fmes now completely coated this sword while his body let of wisps of smoke. It was honestly quite impressive to look at. Not that I'd say that out loud.

  Seemingly done with his dispy the centaur changed covering the distance between us in a matter of seconds with a wide strike from his bde.

  I grinned matching him head on. Our weapons met with a satisfying ring and I felt the ground resist as I was forced backwards. Strength doesn't mean much if you're not anchored properly, got it.

  His hand moved from his bde to grab my give burning the hair on my arm due to the proximity.

  Fire resistant 1 acquired.

  I so love that skill. That's like five skills it's given me for free now.

  Even with the new skill I felt the hairs on my arms start to wither, I need a new pn.

  Desummoning my give I dodged under his sword as he stumbled forward, slipping between his legs. This wasn't my best idea as I'm now realizing stallions don't wear anything to hide themselves except the bnket dress that was cut a lot shorter on the males. This was going to be burnt into my mind now. Following my movement into a roll I evaded the stamping of his hooves and got to my feet behind him.

  [Willows devotion] was in my hands instantly, my intention to tap his undefended backside but his hoof shot out catching my arm. The speed caught me more than the hoof itself and I jumped backwards putting some distance between us to revaluate.

  Fire resistant 2 acquired.

  My arm sizzled slightly where he'd made contact, not painful but definitely noticable. It was quite a useful ability that one.

  The centaur turned around to face me, his body seeming to burn now rather than the steam from earlier. So he gets hotter the longer he fights. No wonder he didn't want to fight with the other three, hard to be a team pyer if none of your team can be part of the fight while you're on fire.

  He growled swinging his sword and sending a line of fire towards me. That's new.

  Colpsing like I was trying to limbo the fire passed overhead and when I came up another was on the way. So he burns you if you're close and has a ranged attack if you stay away. Good build for going solo I suppose.

  I rolled to the left already prepared for the next barrage. I was mentally counting down the seconds until blink was ready. Another ssh had my jumping over it as the grass around me started to burn.

  A few more seconds.

  Three in quite succession took a lot of my focus but only a few hairs were singed.

  So close.

  My opponent yelled creating a flurry of ranged attacks just as my cool downs came off and I smiled. Pytimes over.

  Blinking onto his left side my weapon inches from his throat.

  "Lazarus your...." Brult tried to say.

  "Emution."

  I could berley hear the centaur but I sure felt the fire as it erupted out from him burning my flesh and everything else it touched.

  Fire resistance 3 acquired.

  That sure didn't help enough as my skin began to split and peel.

  Reflexively I activated limitless Primordial hoping I could use blink again to escape but as it took effect the fmes stopped burning and all the damage I'd taken regenerated instantly. My skill list flickered within my mind's eye seeming to temporarily say level one hundred for everything.

  Just as quickly the fmes stopped and the centaur that had caused them colpsed in exhaustion. Took a lot out of him it seems.

  "How the hell..." He stopped to take a breath. "Are you still alive?"

  In all honesty luck. I said internally. Well not luck, more overpowered skills.

  But even then my Primordial skills always seem to be in a league of there own. Limitless Primordial for example doesn't just remove the cooldowns of my skills but also turns my resistances into immunity's as well as jack my regeneration up to insane speeds. If that's what the skills themselves do at level one hundred I'm going to have to test that ter.

  "Because he is simply better than you will ever be." Arath answered as she approached. "Come husband. We have pces to be."

  I was handed a towel to cover myself as my toga did not survive the ordeal. What is that my third set of clothes I've destroyed?

  Willow and Kayalett joined us as we started to make our way towards the gate leading out of the vilge. Each of the girls seemed to be holding in questions but had made a silent agreement to ask when we didn't have a crowd.

  I gave a look over my shoulder at Brult who was giving the fire centaur an earful about not killing in friendly duels that could be heard for a long time as we left.

  This was definitely one way to start our adventure.