The Copper Prince rose to his feet just in time to avoid a punch from the Pain Bearer. Instead of colliding with the man's head her fist smashed into the bar where his face had been just a moment before. Green sparks fizzled in the newly formed cracks in the metal.

When the Copper Prince had this arena constructed he spent a fair bit of money adding protective wards to the cage. Their purpose being to keep any errant Fate abilities contained with the fighting space. He wanted his fighters to be able to give it their all without the concern of a cloud of acid or a temporal shift coming his way.

Dwarven wards were the highest quality available but even with his connections the Copper Prince hadn't been able to get his hands on any. So he lined his cage with standard Human made wards of the highest quality he could find. They had held up quite well this far and he considered them a solid investment.

So when the Pain Bearer managed to crack one with her bare hands it made the Apparate Blade tremble. The punch he'd taken from her already must have only been a glancing blow compared to the damage she just inflicted on warded steel. The Copper Prince's dreams of a criminal empire faded as he looked into the eyes of a woman that seemed entirely capable of dethroning him.

Koralyn swung a roundhouse kick at her boss who blocked it with the flat side of a newly summoned short sword. The blade absorbed most of the impact but the man was still pushed off balance. She immediately followed the kick up with a knee strike.

Unable to dodge, the Copper Prince apparated a hooked blade in his freehand which he looped around the back of the woman's knee. As the crime lord pulled on the blade it sliced into flesh and tendons. A chunk of the woman's lower thigh sloughed off her leg and fell to the floor with a sickening thud.

The Apparate Blade leapt back and his opponent, undeterred by her injuries, pursued him. He blocked another punch with his short sword but the blow shoved the flat side of the blade into his jaw. Three teeth feel out onto the floor along with a mouthful of blood.

It wasn't enough to simply block her attacks now, the Copper Prince needed to redirect them. Every injury Koralyn suffered made her stronger and he couldn't face them head on. There was only one way out of this.

While backpedaling the Copper Prince hurled his weapons at the Pain Bearer. She blocked them with her forearms, suffering more lacerations but otherwise unbothered. When she lowered her arms he ran a longsword straight through the woman's knee cap.

A gout of blood poured out from the wound as she pulled the blade from her leg. The Copper Prince unsummoned the blade before she could turn it on him and continued to retreat. She swung outward with her right hand and toppled to the ground as her wounded leg buckled beneath her.

A sigh of relief came from the crime boss's bloody mouth. He didn't need to kill the Pain Bearer and in all honesty he didn't think he could. He just needed to get away, from her, from the guards, from that annoying...

As the Copper Prince's mind drifted back to the man who caused all this trouble in the first place he was tackled from behind. The Corpse Hunter rammed his shield into the Prince's back, pinning him up against the cage.

"I suppose this is the part where you demand that I surrender," the Copper Prince said over his shoulder.

Aiden could hear the arrogance in the man's voice. He still thought he could talk his way out of this.

"Why wouldn't I just kill you myself and be rid of you once and for all," the Corpse Hunter asked.

"I have many secrets that are well worth keeping me alive to hear."

"Tempting as that may be, I can't stand your smug attitude. I'm sure your corpse will be far more pleasant to converse with."

The Corpse Hunter plunged his short sword into the crime boss's collarbone. At the same time the Copper Prince apparated a dagger into Aiden's side. The blade slid just beneath the Corpse Hunter's armor and in that moment he would have loved to have been blessed with Korlyn's pain tolerance.

Both men stumbled away from one another as they withdrew their blades. Evidently the Corpse Hunter had landed a heavy blow against the crime lord from his cries of pain. Though the reverse was just as true as Aiden pressed his hand against his own wound. Blood flowed between his fingers like tiny rivers.

"You should see a Flesh Mender about that," the Copper Prince said sarcastically as Aiden braced himself against the cage.

In truth the man in the dark blue cloak was barely able to stand himself. He had activated his primary ability so many times that his head felt like it had been placed in a vice. And that was on top of the physical wounds he'd suffered.

Not wishing to open himself to further injury the Copper Prince turned to leave but he found the exit was blocked. Landon stood on shaky feet gripping his spear tightly with both hands.

"Really?!" the Copper Prince said with an exasperated tone.

"Really," the Guard Captain repeated.

He swayed back and forth as though it took all his effort to stay on his feet.

"You can barely stand on your own yet you think you can stand against me?"

"No," Landon admitted.

"Then kindly get the hell out of my way before I cleave you apart."

"I can't do that."

"Fine, have it your way."

The Apparate Blade raised his sword and brought it down upon Landon. The Protectorate blocked with his spear which broke it half under the sword's weight along with his collarbone. Landon's right arm hung at his side as he fell to his knees.

"Now what did that accomplish?" the Copper Prince asked in a mocking tone.

"It kept you distracted," the Guard Captain said with a smile as he held his now useless arm with his remaining good one.

Before the Apparate Blade could ask what that comment was supposed to mean he felt something grab him by the ankles. Koralyn ripped his feet out from under him causing the man to fall to the ground. The Copper Prince dismissed his weapon before it had a chance to impale him but he didn't have time to brace for impact.

His chin slammed into the stone floor and more teeth spilled from his mouth. When the crime boss rolled over he watched in horror as the Pain Bearer crawled on top of him. He summoned another sword but she grabbed his wrist with her left hand and pinned it to the floor.

"Do it," Renee said under breath as she watched the fight.

Blood continued to stream from her eyes as she channeled her Fate of the Vicarious Dreamer into the Pain Bearer. The Copper Prince had never wronged the Pain Bearer, he only bullied those much weaker than himself. But he had abused and mistreated Renee more than anyone that had ever suffered under his wrath. And now she finally had a chance to do something about it.

The unquenchable malice that Renee felt for her boss now flowed through Koralyn stronger than ever. The Pain Bearer grabbed the man by the head and slammed his skull into the ground. She didn't stop when he stabbed her in the heart, or when the stone began to crumble. Only when his head came apart in her hands did she let up.

Koralyn rolled off the Apparate Blade and felt the dagger in her chest vanish along with his life essence. Blood gushed from her open wound as the Pain Bearer closed her eyes. Despite her many strengths she was still Human and some wounds were fatal nonetheless.

If the Vicarious Dreamer wasn't already crying tears of blood she would have wept with joy. It was finally over, the pain, the misery, the suffering. Her life could finally start anew.

Exhaustion ravaged her body but she was too numb to care. Renee had never used her Fate for so long or with so much effort and she was astonished that she hadn't passed out. For the first time in as long as she could remember she was proud of herself.

The young woman carried that sense of accomplishment with her into the afterlife. She had pushed her Fate well beyond her own limits and her body had begun to shut down even before the Copper Prince's untimely demise. Unlike her boss's death however, Renee's passing was peaceful. The old gods had owed her at least that much.

Five people had entered the arena and only two remained. Though if Aiden was the one keeping track he'd put it at one and half considering the shape he and Landon were in. He let the empty vial roll away as he waited for the Healing Potion to take effect. Seconds later the wound in his side was gone and he was no longer gushing blood like a fountain.

If he'd brought more he would have offered one to Landon. But he hadn't planned on having backup so he had only brought the one vial. Without much other choice Aiden helped the Guard Captain to his feet and led him to the exit.

At some point the other thugs had realized their employer was no longer among the living. With their sole source of monetary incentive gone the criminals surrendered. What was the point of risking your life if you weren't getting paid for it.

"I hope your friends brought enough manacles," the Corpse Hunter said when he saw that the surviving criminals still outnumbered the City Guards three to one.

"I'm sure they'll make do," Landon said through a jaw that he only now realized was probably broken.

"You want me to leave you here with them?"

"Nah, you can take me back to the Guard Station. These guys can handle it from here. Besides, this isn't even my district."

A nearby female Guard saluted Captain Landon. His right arm still hung limp at his side so he simply nodded in response. Aiden helped the injured Protectorate out of the building and onto the dock.

"Say you haven't seen Thomas have you?" Landon asked.

"Who?" Aiden asked.

"My watch partner. You know the young Guard who's always with me. You've met him a hundred times."

"I never took the time to learn his name."

"I've told you his name before."

"Well I'm bad with names then, and no I haven't seen him."

As if on cue the young man popped his head up from the side of the dock.

"Here sir."

"What are you doing over there Thomas?" Landon asked.

"Well I was instructed by the other Guards to stand watch outside in case anyone tried to escape."

"Alright, then why are you sitting in a boat?"

"I caught someone trying to escape."

Again, as if on cue another head popped up over the edge of the dock.

"Rudy," Aiden said with a smile.

"Oh now you're good with names," Landon said, rolling his eyes.

"Rudy here is a Mental Abacus," Aiden said, ignoring Landon's comment. "Not only that but he was the Copper Prince's personal accountant. I bet you could tell us exactly where the Prince was keeping his poison, can't you?"

The short man nodded quickly.

"Oh yes, I would be more than happy to cooperate to the full extent of my abilities," the short man said.

"Good, I already have enough bodies to interrogate as it is," the Corpse Hunter said.

***

Back at his shack Aiden laid the body of the young Vicarious Dreamer on his table. When the City Guards dropped off the dead thugs to be tended to, her corpse had been at the top of the pile. It was...discouraging Aiden thought, to see that she'd died as a Copper Catcher just as he knew she would.

While he rarely cared about the welfare of the other Column Dwellers she had stood out to him in a way he couldn't articulate. So he activated his Last Words ability and asked the dead woman about the life she'd lived. The body told him everything that it had experienced in intricate detail.

Her life before joining a gang, what it had been like serving under the Copper Prince, and how she'd managed to kill him. The Corpse Hunter recorded every word of it in his notebook. Renee had given her life to put an end to the crime lord's reign of terror and her sacrifice was worth remembering.

Aiden had just set the book down when he heard a knock. Standing in the opening of the garage was Landon.

"Had a feeling I'd find you here," he said.

"I was left with quite a bit of work after that little skirmish in the basement," the Corpse Hunter replied.

"I would've figured you'd want a drink first."

"Work before pleasure I always say."

"I have literally never heard you say that before. Either way I got you a gift."

The Guard placed a bottle on the edge of the table.

"Despite what you might think of this city, not everyone in it hates you. Next time you want help with something just ask," Landon said.

"I'll keep that in mind," Aiden said as he began pulling out his corpse tending tools and placing them on the table.

"Good," Landon replied. "And when someone does go out of their way to help you, at least have the courtesy to thank them once in a while."

He walked off to leave the Corpse Hunter to his work. Aiden looked over to the dead woman on the table.

"Thank you."