Confidently, Sidestep looked over at Alan, and said, “I accept.”

With a flash of light, Alan found himself suddenly standing in a silver ring the size of a kiddy pool next to Sidestep. Right next to them was Mason, who was looking bored, resting his hands and chin on the handle of his war axe.

With a great roar, Mason lifted up the war axe, and cheerily said, “Finally! Actual warriors. Usually recruits dick around for half an hour trying to figure out all the rules and who best to challenge, waiting to challenge someone weak. 50 guild points to both of you for not standing about comparing dick sizes! Now, who challenged whom? Ah, Alan challenged Sidestep. Very well, Sidestep you may determine either the wager or rule-set now.”

Sidestep confidently stated, “Let the wager be 1000 guild points. How you got 5000 points I don’t know, but by the end of tonight I’d be surprised if you had a single point to your name. I’ll have to thank the examiners that felt sorry for your sad planet and wanted to give you a leg up at the start.”

Alan glanced at Sidestep’s guild mark, which showed Sidestep had 1550 guild points, then at the screen that showed up before him.

It listed a number of dueling rule sets, which seemed to consist of an environment, and weapon loadout. Eve highlighted a scenario as Alan was scrolling down the list.

“Open field. Melee vs. ranged, player may designate who uses a ranged weapon and who uses a melee weapon. Standard Recruit Equipment. Duel to First Blood (after shields have been destroyed). All abilities allowed. No technological or psionic limitations.”

Select that one, letting Sidestep be melee and designating yourself as ranged.

Um, are you sure? There seem to be a number of scenarios that are much more in my favor.

We are unsure of Sidestep’s abilities and items. This is more about demonstrating our abilities than winning, although winning is of course important as well. Trust me.

Alright.

Alan selected the scenario, designating himself as ranged, then looked up at Sidestep. A ten-second countdown appeared before Alan, as his equipment suddenly changed into light metal power armor with 100 shield energy, and a pair of basic laser pistols, which dealt 20 damage each shot. Eve likewise highlighted Sidestep’s armor, showing that it now had 100 shield energy as well. The blade he now held apparently did 50 damage a strike.

“Alright recruits, good luck. May the best fighter win. Oh, and try to put on a good show,” Mason said.

A good show? Alan thought, glancing around. To his surprise, it looked as though every other recruit was now crowding around the metal ring they were in, watching the battle. Eve highlighted Kitana, standing in the back of the crowd, and Aurora, who was at the forefront directly behind Sidestep, calmly analyzing the situation as well. A sudden spike of nerves rushed through Alan, as he looked around at all the onlookers.