I drummed my fingers on the table.

Gazi's suggestion at essentially using a sports champion to get to see Nerrhavia Fallen's [Queen] was an... unique idea. It wasn't a plan I would've come up with even if I had her knowledge of Nerrhavia Fallen's culture.

"While I confess that almost anything would be better than killing enough people to make an army retreat, don't you think such an idea is... flawed?"

**Gazi is embarrassed.

"Flawed?"

"I'm not going to buy a [Slave] and make them fight in a death game."

**Gazi is confused.

The Quarass spoke up. "Pixel, while it is true that a few are forced into the arenas of Nerrhavia's Fallen, most of the participants compete of their own free will."

"Oh?"

She nodded. "Yes. And I would not describe it as a 'death game' either. [Gladiators] put on a show. They fight and they bleed, but if they faced the likelihood of death in every match, then few would volunteer."

"I see." I continued to tap my fingers as I considered things. "Perhaps you could give me an overview so I have the right idea?"

Trey nodded in agreement from his seat.

"Of course." The Quarass smiled. "[Gladiators] are a popular form of entertainment of Nerrhavia Fallen. There are numerous arenas throughout its borders, but the biggest one is the Coliseum of Monarchs. That is where the greatest [Gladiators] go. Its Champions attract rich and powerful sponsors, and have even been hired by the royal palace after they retire."

"People can be sentenced to fight, but most prisoners in the games volunteer. There are also a good number of free people who participate as well."

"Oh! I get it. It's like their national sport!" Trey exclaimed.

The Quarass paused as she seemed to recall something from long ago. "Yes. That is a good analogy. It's first and foremost a competition. Killing happens, but the arenas have [Healers] and potions on hand to prevent it. [Gladiators] also prefer not to make enemies by killing their competitors. Those that make a habit of ending the lives of others tend to find that they are targeted by more lethal attacks in turn."

"I see." I nodded. "I take it that Gazi's suggestion is a common tactic to gain an audience with the [Queen]?"

"I wouldn't say it's common." The Quarass shook her head. "People usually sponsor [Gladiators] out of admiration or pride, but for most it's also a display of status." She sighed. "As are most things in the Court of Silk. So, it's an expected 'prize', but people who usually have the money to sponsor a [Gladiator] have the money to bribe their way into an audience without the inherent gamble."

"I imagine it's also quicker to bribe someone. So why can't I do that?"

"You could, but it would be hard to find someone to accept your bribe." She stared at me. "Assuming you even have enough gold or artifacts that you are willing to part with. Sponsoring a [Gladiator] would be far cheaper, especially if you outfit them with magical equipment you make yourself."

**The Quarass is unsure.

"That is, if you can provide them with less... distinctive artifacts. I fear that your particular style might draw unwanted attention since you openly opposed Nerrhavia's Fallen."

I brought my hands together. "I think I understand. It's not the quickest way, but it's the most reliable one for me at this moment."

The Quarass bowed her head. "That would be my assessment, yes. No one is likely to do business with the Archmage of Cubes openly in Nerrhavia's Fallen currently, but the sponsor of a [Gladiator] will face much less scrutiny than a [Diplomat]."

"I see. It does seem far preferable than killing whomever they send after me next, even if it's not a sure thing."

"Not a sure thing?" The Quarass paused to consider my phrasing. "Yes. That's an appropriate way to describe it. It will require many steps, any of which might fail for reasons beyond your control. Mainly that sponsoring the right [Gladiator] is always a gamble by its very nature. Added to that, a royal invitation is hardly guaranteed."

"What if I find an unknown fighter to sponsor who rises quickly through the ranks?"

**The Quarass is intrigued.

"Oh? Do you have someone in mind?" Her eyes drilled into me. "If you have someone like that, then Gazi's suggestion is much more likely to succeed. Rising talents get noticed more easily and you could also sponsor them without much competition."

"Couldn't you just sponsor whomever is the Champion?" Trey asked. "Or the second place person? You could make something that helps them to win and it would be quicker too."

"The flaw with that is such [Gladiators] already have many sponsors. Even if the [Gladiator] was given the gift of attending the Court of Silk, lesser sponsors wouldn't all be invited along."

I turned to Gazi and bowed my head. "Thank you for your suggestion. Hopefully I'll be able to stop any further bloodshed between Nerrhavia's Fallen and Tiqr."

**Gazi is happy.
**Gazi is proud.

"Of course." She almost smiled. "It's the least I can offer in exchange for healing my eye."

**Gazi is grateful.
**The Quarass is happy.

"I look forward to your success, Archmage." She stood and bowed. "But we have delivered The King of Destruction's invitation and taken up enough of your time."

"Of course." I stood as well. "Let me escort you back to the surface." As we walked, I turned to Trey. "Feel free to contact me at any time, but I suspect you'll find the other people from your Earth better conversation partners."

"Yeah." He looked down at the glowing cubes in his hand. "It will be nice to talk about normal stuff with people. It's been a big culture shock. Honestly, I think the only reason I'm not more homesick is because I arrived with Teresa. It had to be rougher for a lot of the other people."

That's right. There were some Earthers on the phone call that had arrived in much worst places. I wonder how often Trey had worried about them? I found it hard to put myself in the place of all the people who'd been teleported here against their will despite the same exact thing happening to me.

My circumstances were fundamentally different. I already had power, while all of them had lacked it at first. Worse, some had arrived in perilous positions. Many, undoubtedly, had died.

"Please stand on the platform." I got on the Teleportation pad alongside them, and then transferred all of us to the surface. "Have a safe journey."

Trey waved goodbye to me as the trio walked back to their flying carpet. I watched them fly away, and sensed Gazi watching me in return for a long time after they'd become nothing more than a speck on the horizon.

I think, all things considered, that Trey and Teressa were perhaps the luckiest of those who'd been kidnapped. At least out of the ones I'd encountered. I did have some experience with my life being turned upside-down with a single unpredictable act. Only the group that I'd become a part of hadn't been so noble as the King of Destruction.

Whatever Flos' flaws might be, it was clear that he was treating Trey well. If every person from Earth ended up like him and Teresa, then I wouldn't have much to do - aside from searching for Riley and trying to find a way home.

However, that wasn't the case. Regardless of if it was done out of malice or incompetence, people were dead because they'd been brought to this world.

I made a resolution right then and there.

Whomever was responsible would die.

Not out of a sense of justice or vengeance, but because the world would be better off without them in it.

Dragon wouldn't approve.

*Anger negated by Gamer's Mind.

Alright. Fine. I might not kill them. We'll see when and if I encounter the person responsible.

...Assuming there was a person responsible. It could be a freak accident. Or the culprit could be the Grand Design itself.

Argh.

*Frustration negated by Gamer's Mind.

Right. I had other things to do. Gazi had also given me a hint at why my Oversaturated debuffs weren't healing. It was time to experiment with Sibby.

...But first, I really should speak with Teura. She doubtlessly had questions.

...

"So your regeneration Skill restores your body to its un-damaged state?"

"I think so." I looked down at my good hand. "Since my world doesn't have mana, my Skill doesn't reproduce it."

"If that's true, then it might hurt the Galas muscles or mana capacity of people you heal."

"Yes." I nodded. "I suspect the degree varies based on the amount of flesh created."

"That makes sense. It makes me wonder what would happen if you infused your regeneration Skill with mana."

"Heh." I chuckled. "I had that exact thought as well." I even had the Skill I'd sacrifice to Rapid Regeneration already picked out. The fact that I sacrificed Skills was one of the things I wasn't going to tell Teura. It wouldn't help if she knew. "That will have to wait until after I fully recover."

"I agree." The Half-Elf nodded. "We should still use magicore to help keep your channels empty, but combining the two techniques should prove beneficial. It's a shame Gazi the Omniscient can't help us document the precise changes."

"Yeah." Ironically, anything I made that could help with providing measurements would itself use mana and do more harm than good. Not that I had any appropriate Skills to sacrifice. Nothing I'd gained upon my last level involved gathering information or measuring.

"So what next?"

"You go buy mana potions. I'll condense them and we can trade one of the factions at Wistram for some pure magicore. In the meantime, I'll regenerate other parts of my body."

Teura raised an eyebrow. "Why are you regenerating your hand and ear anyways?"

"That," I held up a finger. "Is a secret."

She gave me a flat look. "I'm your [Apprentice]."

"True, but what teacher reveals everything they know?" Besides, it was more Sibby's secret than mine. Even hinting that I relied on someone else to hurt me could raise some more questions I didn't want Teura to know.

I mean, I trusted her, but a secret only remains that way if you don't tell people about it. And my secrets were literally better than gold in Wistram.

"I understand." She closed her eyes and bowed slightly.

Great. I rolled my eyes underneath my helmet. She's reverting back to her 'professional' mode, but I could handle a little passive-aggressiveness. And I actually liked her reserved attitude. Still, as a manipulation technique, it was pretty good.

"Anything else you wanted to talk about?"

She frowned pensively for a second. "Are you really going to speak with the King of Destruction?"

"Probably in time. I understand Wistram's opinion of him, but as long as he doesn't declare unjust wars, then I don't have the same problem with him that others do."

Any issues with [Slaves] would be handled in due time once Roshal fell. Besides... I could use him.

Yes. I'd need someone to help the survivors, and Flos would do nicely. My plan was still fluid, as I couldn't fully predict the outcome of my mega-project, but I could envision a general shape of how things would go.

**Teura is frustrated.

"I see."

I wanted to bring up that Amerys supported him, but it was clear that all the major factions of the magical school didn't want Flos in power - for one reason or another.

"Trust me, I'd prefer a peaceful solution to any problems. That's why I'm going to try and talk to [Queen] Yisame and get her to end the war with Tiqr."

"So you'll sponsor a [Gladiator]?"

**Teura is eager.

She probably wants to see what sort of artifacts I'll Craft. Also, she just rather brazenly admitted to listening in on the conversation, but I'd already known that she'd done that.

"Something like that."

Laila watched as Zehia worked on sewing a simple outfit. She was getting better. Her fingers deftly moved as she used her claws instead of needles. It had been rough at first, but she'd gotten [Needle Claws]. After that, it became almost second nature for her to transfer the tiny loop she'd made at the end of the thread between fingers as it passed back and forth through the two pieces of cloth she sewed together.

While it made her a little jealous about how well Zehia was using their claws compared to the mess Laila always seemed to make, she was mostly happy for her friend. It was her body, so it was only natural for her to be better at using it.

"Laila!" She took control of their head and looked up. Zehia continued to focus on sewing - without the need for her eyes. A green Garuda waved at her as she walked through the still-crowded shanty-town at the edge of Oliphant.

"Chaita!" Laila smiled at her. She finally felt comfortable around the Courier that she didn't try to hide her teeth. "How are you?"

"Ugh." The green bird-person groaned as she sat down. "Still no sign of the [Archmage] or a Zebra Beastkin."

"If you stay here long enough, Sibby will come by." Truthfully Laila suspected that the Siberian was both actively avoiding Chaita, and stalking her at the same time. It was the sort of game that Sibby liked to play. Part of Laila wanted to tell Chaita that, but she also didn't want to spoil her friend's fun.

She didn't really have much experience with friends, and had no idea how to get two of them to get along.

Chaita clacked her beak. "No offense, Laila, but spending my day in what is essentially a junk pile isn't my idea of fun. I'd rather be doing than waiting." She looked around the tent. "Besides, you're making good money now. You can afford to move to somewhere inside Oliphant."

"Oh, I couldn't waste money on something like that." Laila was content to be... well, anywhere. Zehia had been accustomed to luxuries so much more impressive that the shanty town and an apartment were much the same to her. Plus, the former [Assassin] had lived on the streets, so she was also used to worse conditions.

Zehia had been homeless! That still surprised Laila. It was just so at odds with what she'd known about her owner back when she'd been a [Slave].

"Let her know I'm looking for Pixel, okay?"

"I've told her." Laila shrugged - earning a mental 'ugh' from Zehia as it disrupted her work. "But Sibby isn't exactly..."

"I get it." Chaita said with a hint of amusement. "This isn't my first time to Tiqr. The people are as wild and carefree as their country." She stopped and looked out the tent's entrance. "Dead gods. At least that's how I remember it, and how it will be again soon."

"Yeah..."

Chaita shook her head and changed the subject. "So how's your sewing going?"

"Pretty well!" Laila smiled. "Z-, er, I've gotten a nice skill that lets me use my claws for it."

"I can see. I bet it's a good Skill in a fight too!"

"Er..."

"Hey, we [Runners] use what we can." Chaita tapped her beak. "I've bitten a [Bandit] or two in my time. No shame in that."

"Yeah." Laila ran her tongue gently across her teeth. Even that would've caused bleeding if it wasn't for how tough Zehia's body still was. Even without the Blood Class, the physical changes remained.

"I bet that a lot of String People pick up [Seamstress] as a Class. You must've been plenty good without your new Skill. I bet you'll be able to make all sorts of changes to yourself with it!"

"I, uh, I'm, er... what?" Laila tried to figure out what Chaita was saying.

"Your hands and mouth." The Courier motioned at Laila. "String People learn how to sew so they can make their own body parts, right?"

"Yes?" Laila winced. "But I didn't-"

"Make them. I had someone else create and attach them." Zehia took over for a moment. "I'm still nowhere good enough to make an actual normal hand, much less these custom jobs. Besides," She stopped sewing long enough to gesture to their mouth. "It takes a real master to do work on the face."

"I bet." Chaita nodded. "It would be like me getting something sewn onto my face."

"Exactly." Zehia pointed before resuming her sewing. "I'm still pretty much a novice [Seamstress] right now."

"Do you think you'll consolidate it with your [Runner] Class?"

When Zehia didn't respond, Laila swallowed and resumed talking. "No. I don't think so. I... hadn't planned on being a [Runner]. I'm not even sure how the two COULD consolidate?"

"Oh, probably one of those catch-all Classes." Chaita shrugged. "It's not like I'm an expert either." She laughed before letting out a sigh. "Well, that's a long enough break. Better get back out there."

"Long? You were only here a couple of minutes!"

"Exactly! It's been forever!" Chaita replied playfully as she flapped her arms a few times. "If I'm not moving, I just don't feel right. I'll come by later, okay?" The [Runner] gave Laila a small wave as she stepped out of the tent and started jogging down the street.

"I hope she finds Pixel." Laila said out loud - but in truth, she was happy to have a new friend who stopped by to visit her.

"Oh?" The whisper made both her and Zehia jolt and turn around. Sibby sat in the shadows, her yellow eyes glowing slightly

"Sibby!" Laila smiled. "I guess you heard all of that."

"I did."

"So... are you going to let Chaita know where to find Pixel? Or let Pixel know that a Courier is looking for him?"

Sibby smirked. "Nah. It's more fun this way." The Siberian then faded from sight as she no doubt went back to stalking Chaita.

Sibby followed Chaita from the tent tops. It wasn't something anyone else could do, so the bird woman didn't notice her. Chaita was excellent prey to practice against. She moved quickly and made frequent stops. She was also observant enough that she'd 'spot' her if Sibby was sloppy.

Plus, it was funny.

Chaita obviously wasn't part of any nefarious plot. She'd been hired by some king to give Kevin a letter. Naturally Sibby had stolen the letter, read it, then put it back. All it contained was an open invitation to visit someone named Floss.

Probably the king of the dentists or something.

It did make Sibby feel bad for Chaita who alternated with running around Tiqr or wandering around the city and asking people if they'd seen Pixel.

But only a little bad. Mostly it was funny.

She'd never had a hard time finding Kevin. She could always tell exactly where he was. Sibby, of course, knew that nobody else could do that, but the idea of NOT being able to find him was so absurd she couldn't help being amused at Chaita's plight.

Even funnier, Chaita had actually found someone who could possibly have led her to Pixel. Sibby still checked in on Laila every day, so if the green bird had simply sat and waited, they would've run into each other by now since Sibby wasn't going to stop visiting Laila just for a joke.

The funniest part was that Laila had one of Kevin's 'communication cubes'. She, or at least the person who's body she was currently inhabiting, had used it to speak with him during Sibby and his first airplane ride. Laila had carefully hidden it away, like it was a precious treasure - and promptly forgotten about it.

Or she didn't want to abuse Kevin's trust and call him.

Sibby leaned towards the later option. Laila didn't like speaking with people. She must've been hesitant to impose on Pixel - despite Chaita's plight.

Sibby paused as the bird lady passed a red-headed woman that Sibby recognized.

It was that Half-Elf that was staying at the base Kevin had made. Teura. Sibby didn't like her.

Sibby only liked living with Kevin, Riley, and Panda. People that weren't real didn't matter, and being real didn't mean being family. Otherwise, she'd have invited Laila to come stay.

Sibby switched targets, and started investigating the red-haired Half-Elf. She was heading into a shop full of magic. Sibby trailed behind her unseen and unheard. She peered at the different liquids in glass vials. Magic. But not the kind of magic that would resist her powers. She could manipulate the contents of the shop easily.

Boring.

Teura bought a large number of some of the liquids, and then left.

Sibby followed her.

Oh ho! She was sneakier than Sibby had given her credit for. Outside of the town wall, the red-headed mage said "Invisibility." And vanished.

At least from sight.

There were plenty of other ways that she was impacting the world around her that a skilled huntress like Sibby could follow. First and foremost, she was magic. Sibby had to stay close. Her 'Authority' didn't extend far, only a few feet, but within it she could sense the concentrated magic that now enveloped Teura.

The Half-Elf started to jog, but she wasn't as fast as Sibby.

Where was she going? What was she doing? It was a mystery that only Sibby could-

Oh.

Just back home.

Eh. Sibby continued to trail her. She could watch Kevin for a while. That was always fun too.

...

Sibby was patient. One after another, Kevin made the magical potions into slightly different magical potions.

'Hey, Sibby.'

'Hey.'

'I'm glad you're here. I need your help again.'

'Oh?' Sibby smiled. 'What is it?'

'I need to go to Nerrhavia's Fallen.'

'That sounds exciting! Are we killing or investigating?'

'Investigating.'

'Okay!' She liked investigating. 'What are we investigating?'

'The gladiator arenas. I have a plan to see Nerrhavia Fallen's queen by winning the championship.'

'Ah, and you want me to fight?' Sibby's grin grew wider.

'No.' Awww... 'You're too recognizable. Plus, everyone thinks you're a Djinni, and they'd try to capture you instead of letting you fight.'

'Boo!'

'But, while I'm fighting, you can go and investigate and gather details.'

'Details?'

'On the Court of Silk. Gladiators and their sponsors can get invited, but I'll need to first know what sort of fighter would catch the queen's eye. I don't have to worry about not coming along as a sponsor if I'm the gladiator in question, but I need to be exciting in the right way.'

'And if you're not?'

'Then I'll make a new mask to wear.'

'This sounds like it's going to take a looong time.'

'Possibly, but it's better than being forced to kill the armies that march on Tiqr. The more I do that, the harder a peaceful resolution will be to achieve.'

'But doesn't Nerrhavia's Fallen use slaves? Do you want peace with them?' They weren't Roshal. They weren't the ones that had hurt Laila, but Sibby had paid enough attention to William and Cauwine when they'd spoken about the bigger nations - and how slaves were a systematic issue and not the result of any one country.

That had been a long rant.

'They'll be dealt with, but until my mega-project is complete, or I hear word from Riley, or you sense Panda, we can work on this.'

'If you're going to be a gladiator, you'll need a costume.'

'Yes. I'm thinking about who to be. I've figured out that the more well-known my character is, the more powerful they are. If I want to become champion, I'll need a popular figure. The right clothes will go a long way in getting into it - however my Skill works.'

'Then you should visit Laila. Zehia is trying to become a tailor.'

'Hmmm... okay. It's easier than doing it myself.'

There. Sibby smiled to herself. It would do Laila (and Zehia) good to have a customer. While Zehia was already confident, Laila could use a 'win'.

Kevin finished making things, and Teura left with the results. 'What was that for?'

'Trading for magical stuff that might help heal me. Speaking of which.' He held up his left hand to her. 'Here.'

'Thanks!' She let light interact with her again as she began to slowly eat his fingers.

'Regrowing my body parts apparently helps as they come back without any magical damage. The trade-off is that they come back with no mana at all. So, while I could have you eat more than my hands, it would reduce my mana pool.'

She looked him up and down. 'I can eat your entire body if you want...'

'Sibby... if you did that, I'd die.'

'Not if I didn't do it all at once! Riley cut lots of people open and removed organs. You don't need BOTH lungs, and you could totally regenerate your intestines before you died of... I don't know. Whatever kills people who have their intestines eaten.'

He raised an eyebrow. 'I still only have one heart.'

'I'm sure I could eat a little bite of it at a time and let you heal in-between.'

'And my brain?'

'Uhm...' Sibby didn't have a plan for that. 'Wait until we find Riley?'

Kevin rolled his eyes as she continued to consume his hand. 'That'd be nice, but I'd rather have my ability to use mana without worsening my condition sooner rather than later. To that end, I'd like you to eat part of me, and I'll stuff magicore into the wound.'

'Is that safe? That doesn't sound safe.'

'Probably not for most people, but I can hold raw magicore in my hands. And it's more of a magical drain thing than physical so I won't be poisoned or anything. A regular person might be, but I'm tougher.'

'And chewier!'

'Yes. And chewier. With luck, I can both heal my Oversaturated debuffs and keep most of my mana pool. It will just take some time and effort.

I teleported repeatedly until Oliphant came into sight. With Sibby as my invisible guide, I made a beeline towards where Laila and Zehia were staying. I wasn't sure why Sibby was staying hidden. I guess she'd had enough strutting and was now in her skulking mode.

"A-Archmage Pixel, sir." Laila's eyes went wide and she hastily stood up. "What are? Did she? I mean..." She took in a deep breath and put her hands and the garment she'd been sewing behind her back. "It's nice to see you again!"

"Hello, Laila." I was dressed in some simple clothes. I'd sacrificed all my modern ones to the great project, not that I'd have worn them anyways for the same reason I wasn't walking around in my armor. They had been too eye-catching for people who paid attention. "I wanted to come by and say 'hi' and to also see about commissioning an outfit."

"An outfit?" Laila fidgeted for a second before stilling herself.

**Laila is nervous.
**Zehia is intrigued.

"I'd be happy to. Just tell me what you want and I'll get right on it!"

"I'll show you." I used Tongue of Babel to create a visual display of what I wanted. "It's okay if it's made of Hemp. In fact, the sturdier the better. It's not designed to be flamboyant."

"Interesting..." Zehia walked around the projection. "If you can get me the metal bits, I can do the rest. I've never seen pants like this before." She frowned. "The hat might be beyond my skill."

**Zehia is excited.
**Zehia is eager.

"Give it a try."

"Of course!" Her eyes gleamed. "I'll go and buy the cloth right now!"

"Here." I un-Inventoried a few coins in my hand.

"I couldn't take your money. Just working for you will be sure to make me level, even with only one outfit."

"Okay." I shrugged. "I'll go see about making the buttons." I'd just go to a [Blacksmith] and buy some copper or brass. I could shape them with my hands.

I turned to leave when a green blur rushed towards me from the air. "You!" The blur landed in front of me with a cloud of dust. "You're the Archmage of Cubes, aren't you?"

**Chaita is eager.
**Chaita is happy.

"Yes?" I took half a step back.

"Finally!" The Garuda let out a hysterical laugh. "I finally found you!" She reached into a pouch in her pocket. "Here!" She shoved a letter wrapped in metal wire into my hands. The wire flowed into a seal that Chaita plucked from the top of the paper.

"Thank you?"

"It's an important letter." She hopped on her feet. "I'm a Courier by the way, so don't worry about it being a trap." She let out a sigh. "Dead gods, it was hard to find you!" She turned to Zehia. "Ah, this is convenient. Laila, I just delivered my package so I need to take off! I'll run into you some day I'm sure!"

Chaita smiled and then flapped her arms and flew off into the sky.

That... was odd.

I opened the letter:

Greetings, Pixel, Archmage of Cubes,

I hereby invite you to visit me in Relm or wherever I am on campaign. I swear no harm will come to you, I merely seek to meet you and have a conversation.

-Flos Reimarch, King of Relm

Well, that was short and to the point.

A bit late though.

...

Days later, I stood in a tunnel waiting for the iron bars to be raised and let me into the arena. It was one of the smaller venues, but I had to start somewhere. Thankfully, it was simplicity itself to sign up as a [Gladiator]. No checks. No interviews. Nothing except for a time and a place to show up.

Now, all I had to do was work my way to the championship, and do so in a spectacular fashion.

I'd thought long and hard about whom I was going to play. I couldn't go as Pixel, and while any persona I came up with for [Don the Mask] would be weaker, they would also throw off any suspicion. The key was picking someone well-known. The more popular the person I was pretending to be was, the more powerful they'd be overall.

That was one of the nuances of my Skill I'd figured out. That was why Gandalf had gotten better Skills than Auron - even if they both had technically been the same level. My initial thought had been to be Ryu. He was, after all, the face of Street Fighter 2 - one of the foundational fighting games.

And one that people in the Empire of Sands were now familiar with in addition to the Earthers.

The only problem with that, was that Ryu wouldn't make the flamboyant splash I wanted. Most [Gladiators] fought with weapons, it wasn't uncommon for [Martial Artists] to enter as well. Even a Hadoken wouldn't be enough - assuming I even got it as a Skill. No, I needed someone with a unique fighting style. Someone popular. A memorable face that could fight in a way that would be sure to garner attention.

The gate began to rise. I brought my hand to my face as I activated [Don the Mask]. I then drank the potions I'd made, before stepping out and yelling to the crowd.

"It'sa me! Mario!"