You know when people say something like 'tension crackled in the air', and they're being metaphorical? That phrase hits a little different when the air is literally alive with about a million summoned Abilities. I knew that Lia was an absolute powerhouse – the ease with which she had sent Berker packing proved that - but Scar and his band of very unmerry ladies and gentlemen looked like they fancied having a shot at being David in this little parable.

But none of them moved, not yet.

"Your… colleague is in the Medical Hut," Lia said. "And she's stable. For now."

"'For now?'" Scar's fists clenched at his sides. "What did you do to her!"

"Me! Hang on! I'm the only reason she's still got any chance at all! If I hadn't stepped in, this place would be a new Rebel stronghold. And built on an Accumulation Pool, no less! You're the ones that abandoned him -" Lia jerked her head in my direction– "to fight a warband of Rebels plus Berker on his own. What did you expect was going to happen? There's what, twenty of you? Looks to me that the girl in the Medical Hut is the only one of you worth a damn!"

"Watch your mouth, Imperial!" Scar stepped forward, and all that spicy tension in the air crackled even harder. Honestly, it was giving me a migraine. "We more than did our bit here. You might think you're the saviour, but we all know what you really are. Wherever the Dark Wren goes, blood follows."

I laughed at that, which didn't help the mood out much. I mean, it made sense that Lia might have her own brooding nickname in this world, but Dark Wren was objectively funny. Because she's little, right? But, also, will absolutely murderhobo you. Mind you, I should probably focus on the second part of that sentence a little more right now.

"And I suppose the Great and Glorious Scar is so much better?" Lia said. "You and your crew are just another group of thugs playing at their own version of rebellion. So, so proud of all their morals and their righteousness. Well, how is that working out for you? Skulking in the woods and waylaying anyone not strong enough to fight back? The world of Bayteran is moving on. I don't think you have any right to comment on the choices of those of us still fighting for the future."

Scar's nostrils flared, but before he could respond, I saw the rest of his crew shift behind him, their stances changing, a ripple of unease moving through them. These weren't the kind of people who enjoyed listening to someone insult their leader, and I had the sneaking suspicion that the fight I thought was about to break out could get a lot messier before it got better.

I had a moment when I thought about interrupting, but then realised that me and my -3 Charisma probably didn't have all that much to add to proceedings. Sometimes, it's better to be quiet.

I let their bickering fade into the background. The fight with Berker had been chaotic enough, but now we had all this on top of it? Whoever was running this universe just wouldn't let a Warden catch a break, would they? And then there was Dema, lying in the Medical Hut, "stable" but not improving. Maybe I should quit the pity party and see what I could do to improve that situation . . .

I swiped open my stat screen, the increasingly familiar display glowing before me.

[System Character Sheet]

Name: Elijah Meddings

Class: Iron Provocateur

Level: 5

Title Pathway: [Warden Channel]

Subclass: (pending) Bulwark of Bad Decisions || Thorned Standard || Lodestone of Regret

Threshold Anchor: [Halfway Hold - Well of Ascension]

System Integration: Sanctuary Status: Pending Stabilisation

Core Vitality Metrics

Health: 50

↳ [Base: 27 | Class Bonus: +8 | Set bonus: +15]

Health Regeneration: 6/hour

↳ Stubborn Constitution (Lvl 3) effect applied]

Stamina: 50

↳ [Base: 25 | Class Bonus: +10 | Set bonus: +15]

Stamina Regeneration: 4/hour

↳ [Resilience trait synergy applied]

Mana: 10

Mana Regeneration: 1/hour

↳ [Origin trait detected. Purpose: Unknown.]

Primary Attributes

Strength: 8

Agility: 5

Speed: 3

Endurance: 15

Intelligence: 5

Wisdom: 4

Charisma: -3

Luck: 3

Unassigned Progress Points: 5

Abilities

Aggro Magnetism – Lvl 4 (Active Aura)

Effect Radius: +9 metres (base range)

Duration: +4 seconds (base duration)

Activation Cooldown: 30 seconds

Now affects up to

5

valid hostile targets within radius

Pull effect enhanced: Initial stagger now applies

-

1s reaction delay

Aura resilience increased: 25% chance to resist dispel or silence effects

New Passive Synergy:

Taunt Echo

– If a target resists the Rage Debuff, nearby hostiles have a 50% chance to be affected instead

- Rage Debuff (Lvl 3)

-25% Dodge

-25% Endurance

+15% Stamina drain per action

30% chance to misapply Abilities

Cannot voluntarily disengage from target during effect duration

Lock-on Compulsion duration extended by +1s

New Status Interaction: [Frenzy Feedback]– Units under Rage Debuff now take

+

5% damage from AoE effects

Synergy Detected: Lineholder's Instinct

Enemies under Rage Debuff suffer -5% Attack Speed & 10% Accuracy

Initial pull effect applies mild stagger to nearby targets (2 sec recovery)

Unwelcome Mat - Level 1

Passive: Gain +5% mitigation against all damage taken while guarding, taunting, or defending others.

Active (Cooldown: 10 minutes): when an ally within 5 metres would take lethal damage, you may choose to take it instead.

Bonus: If you survive this transfer, you immediately recover 10% Health and Stamina.

Crash Tackle - Level 1

0.5-second charge-up; 6.5m dash causing moderate damage (scales at 125% with Strength and Endurance) and Stun debuff. Duration: 2.5 seconds (targets under [Rage Debuff] stunned for 4 seconds)

New Effect:

Momentum Break

– If you collide with a target larger than you, apply [Toppled] instead of [Stunned].

New Effect:

Reposition Chain

– Successful tackle resets your dodge cooldown and grants +10% movement speed for 3 seconds. Cooldown: 75 seconds (reduced from 90s)

Passive Bonus:

→ Physical Resistance Bonus increased to +8% for 5 seconds after a successful tackle

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→ Now additionally grants +5% Status Resistance during that window

Cooldown: 90 seconds

Passive Bonus: +5% Physical Resistance for 5 seconds after a successful tackle.

Anvil Break – Level 1

When HP falls below 10%, unleash a pulse of force that staggers all enemies in a 7m radius and restores 25% of Max Stamina.

Traits

Stubborn Constitution – Lvl 3 (Passive)

Resistance to knockback, stagger, and panic effects

Enhanced pain tolerance

Minor bleeding and fatigue effects suppressed

Lineholder's Instinct – Lvl 3 (Passive)

+15% Mitigation when within 5m of an enemy with no other allies present

Immune to first two [Fear] or [Terror] effect per encounter

Enemies under Rage Debuff suffer -10% Attack Speed

Shadow Marked – Lvl 1 (Passive)

+20% Resistance to [Poison], [Corruption], and [Infection] effects

First [Venom], [Toxin], or [Paralytic] effect per encounter is nullified automatically

Shadow-aligned entities no longer register you as entirely "Other"

Magical detection returns "Unstable" alignment

Suppressed side effects: internal temperature variance, dream leakage, minor hallucinations

Advisory: Repeated exposure to Shadow may accelerate alignment shift

Current Drift: [Shadow Tolerance 3%] ← Monitored

Strategic Instinct – Lvl 2 (Passive)

+15% to situational awareness during defensive encounters

Enhanced predictive targeting: increased motion tracking in low visibility

+5% bonus to Group Morale when acting as a Command Node (stacking effect unlocked)

Skills

Closed Circle (Combat | Hand-to-Hand) Lvl 5

+40% bonus to grapples, disarms, and improvised restraint techniques

Enhanced control in confined or uneven terrain

Melee strikes (fists, knees, elbows, improvised weapons within 2m) now deal +25% Damage

Enemies struck while grappled or restrained now suffer [Off-Balance] and [Suppressed Reaction] (–15% Defence for 4s)

New Effect:

Lock and Break

– Successfully disarming an enemy now applies a -10% Stamina Regeneration Debuff for 10s

New Effect:

Submission Loop

-

If target is below 30% HP and grappled, [Closed Circle] has a 20% chance to apply [Suffocating Hold] (preventing spellcasting or ranged attacks for 3s)

Weighted Argument [Combat | Blunt Weapons] Lvl 5

Bonus damage when wielding branches, clubs, staves, or other persuasive planks.

Bonus Applied: +25% Impact Force +20% Stagger Chance +15% Impact Force (doubled)

Stagger now has a 10% chance to apply [Fractured Rhythm]: Target loses next attack or casting opportunity

Improvised weapons now gain +20% Durability while wielded

New Effect

: Heavy Rebuttal

- First hit of each combat engagement applies [Interrupt] and generates +10 Threat

New Passive:

Object Lesson

– Wielding objects looted from battlefield (detritus, weapons, broken poles) applies an intimidation aura within 3m: +5% Threat

Improvised Javelin [Combat | Thrown Weapons] Lvl 2

Bonus accuracy when throwing spears, staves, or similarly balanced items

Critical hit chance increased against [Distracted], [Staggered], or [Unaware] targets

Passive: Instinctive trajectory compensation upgraded

New effect: +10% Impact Force when target is within 15m

Sidestep [Combat \ Defence] Lvl 5

Increased lateral reaction threshold

55% chance to auto-evade ranged attacks when moving

Now applies +20 % Dodge Roll bonus vs heavier weapons

New Effect Unlocked: \[Momentum Flow]: If followed by offensive action within 3s, gain +10% Damage and +10% Impact Force for that attack

New Passive:

Deflective Instinct

– 15% chance to convert a failed Dodge into a Glancing Hit (damage halved) if used in combination with movement or parry

New Interaction

: Sidestep → Crash Tackle

– Using Crash Tackle within 2s of a successful Sidestep increases tackle damage by 10% and applies [Extended Stagger]

Inventory Modifiers: Expanded Inventory Slots: +12

↳ [Class Modifier: Durable Backbone | Item Carry Bonus]

Without thinking too much about it, I dropped two PP into Strength, two into Agility and one into Speed. It looked like hitting Level 5 had jumped my Base Health and Stamina up, so I didn't think I quite needed the Endurance buff there as urgently.

Level 5. That should mean my morningstar had levelled up too, right? Apparently so . . .

> Name: Threshold-Warped Morningstar

> Class Compatibility: Iron Provocateur – Confirmed

> Type: One-Handed Blunt Weapon

> Rarity: Growth Item

> Current Level: 5 (Auto-Sync to User Level)

> Base Damage: 35-48

> Effects:

> – +15% Stagger Chance

> – +15% Impact Force

> – Rage Strike: Striking a target under Rage Debuff applies [Unbalance] (5s duration). Also applies 10% Defence during that window

> - Heavier Than It Looks. Strikes now generate +5 Threat per hit against affected enemies. If wielded while under 50% Health, threat generation increases by another 10%

> - Anvil Echo. When struck by a melee attack while holding this weapon, has a 20% chance to trigger retaliatory shockwave. Shockwave deals minimal damage and applies [Minor Stagger] to melee attackers within 3m. 10s cooldown

Yeah, that would do it. A passive, proximity-triggered spite blast? Yes please. I get hit, and the universe hits you back. Like the System had decided, "Yup. This lad's going to need a scream radius." Forget the old me, hiding in shadows and packing some nifty electronics. Let the rest of the realm keep their sword techniques and glowing skill trees. I had a medieval club that told people to back off by barking at them through physics. I could work with that.

I smiled, leaning against a tree while Scar and Lia continued to throw insults at each other. They were now circling each other like wolves, both too proud to back down but neither one making a real move. There were, though, a few more loud shouts that came from Scar's unmerry men; things were reaching boiling point. They didn't seem to have noticed my brief mental absence.

"Look. Why don't we all take a beat here?" I asked, stepping into the uneasy space between them.

Lia didn't take her eyes off Scar. "Stay out of this, Elijah."

"Oh, sure, yeah, that's exactly what I plan on doing," I replied. "I'm just thinking, you know, maybe we could all take a few deep breaths, that's all."

"The Warden speaks sense." Scar didn't look at me either. "But I wonder if that's because he's worried about getting caught in the crossfire."

"Listen, I don't know what's gone down between you two," I said, trying to sound diplomatic without possessing any charm whatsoever, "but there's an awful lot of bad stuff coming our way at the moment, and we could probably use each other's help instead of tearing each other apart. I mean, isn't the enemy of my enemy supposed to be my friend?"

Both of them gave me the kind of look you'd give someone who just suggested drinking bleach to cure a stomach ache.

"That," Scar eventually said, "is an awful saying."

Lia nodded. "Terrible. Just… awful. Think about it. The enemy of my enemy? So, what, I'm suddenly best mates with every Rebel who hates the Empire? That's half the people I've killed!"

Scar took up her thread. "Exactly! That doesn't account for context at all. It assumes one shared enemy is enough to overlook every other glaring reason not to trust each other. It's like saying, 'Oh hey, you hate carrots? Me too! Guess we're soulmates now!' It's idiotic!"

"And don't even get me started on the wider implications!" Lia said, lowering her weapon slightly. "What if I hate your enemy more than you do? Do I outrank you as a friend? What if I'm plotting to betray you, but we've got the same enemy for five minutes? Is that friendship?"

"Right!" Scar's axe had vanished into his inventory. "That sort of philosophy is just reckless! What if the enemy of your enemy is also your enemy? Then what? Double betrayal? We all just stab each other for fun at this point?"

"Or maybe I'm friends with the enemy, and we're just pretending to have a common enemy to lure you in. Now what, Elijah? You're basically signing up for your own ambush!"

Scar nodded at Lia's point and moved, slightly, to stand at her side, pointing towards me. "You've got more enemies than friends in that scenario, and somehow you're proud of it?"

Yay. Look at my -3 Charisma. Bonding lifelong enemies against me . . .

"Okay, all fair points," I said. "So glad to bring you together on that point. How about we all go for a drink?"

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