Colt stared at the system screen; the cheers of the crowd were still wild, a roar that split his already aching head. Still, the sand was soft beneath him, almost like a pillow. The corpse of the beheaded dog was fading away in black smoke, to return to wherever Athena had pulled it from, probably. Aside from the noise of the situation, he could finally have peace. They’d made it out of a death trap, and for that, he was grateful beyond belief.

  His soul ached, but he cut off the noise of the crowd. Just for a second, though, holding the Edict and processing the information there. It explained the details of an Edict he’d suspected; you only got to pick one, and it came with benefits and obligations. But it also game with power. This Cerberus Icon… It had promise to it.

  The bit about ‘following their path’ had to do with Edicts.

  Well, that part, he had insider knowledge on, even though it hadn’t been as explicitly laid out as it could have been.

  The ability it straight-up offered was tempting. The description didn’t mess around. Off his bat were several utilities, maybe juggling Edicts. But then, relying too far on a skill like that might affect his mastery maybe if he had some magic to add to the mix too.

  Overall. It looked good.

  Very good.

  But there was better.

  Colt rejected the offer, and the prompt closed.

  “Let us see our champions.” Athena’s voice boomed out.

  The sand pushed Colt back up to a standing position; a soft white light wrapped around him, and his pain eased. His soul still ached a deep, dull thrum in the depth of his chest. But the wounds, the bruises, and the pain faded away as Athena healed him. The sand rose beneath his feet, raising him and the rest of his group higher and higher until they stood level with the crowd around them. Beneath him, the ground morphed, the sand turning into a marble podium with elaborate decorations on the sides. If one looked carefully, they could see heroes fighting beasts in the engravings.

  To have such fine control of magic… or Edicts… or maybe some combination?

  How real were these gods, and what did they signify in this new reality?

  The cheering redoubled as they came into the air; Colt’s cut failed him as he ran out of fuel to give commands to that Edict. This time, with less of a headache, it was more bearable.

  Colt looked at the rest of his group. Sarah was opening her eyes; her legs straightened and fixed. Julia’s arm was back to normal, and the bruises were gone from all of them. Part of their reward for finishing the games was healing, then.

  Living, too, was another great reward.

  “It was, of course, a masterful bout. One of the things we love is to see those with fewer resources make do with what they have and face overwhelming odds. Tactical and specific use of talents to overcome such challenges are part of the thrill. I hope they do forgive us for luring them in with the promise of a lesser dungeon. But, well, it would not have been nearly such a wonderful show.”

  More cheering. That, at least, explained the disparity between the scout’s report and what they ended up getting. This Goddess had tweaked the system, somehow. Broken and unfair. But that was life, and since none of them had died, it was something to accept without such bitterness.

  Colt stared out at the crowd, at those blue creatures. When this dungeon ended, where would they go? Where was this place, really? He felt the tug of the Edicts in the air here, thick. Far thicker than anything he’d seen in the Endless Alleys. Were all dungeons like this?

  “One last cheer for victory. Then we shall issue our rewards and see these gladiators on their way out.”

  Athena raised her hands in the air, a wide beam on her face, as the crowd kept shouting. They hadn’t stopped shouting, really, since the end of the fight. But it kept going, people tearing up their throats at the end of some obscure blood sport.

  Whatever.

  Athena vanished from her place at the end of the Colosseum, and a much smaller human-sized version of her appeared on the podium.

  Athena gave them the same wide smile she’d given the crowd. It didn’t reach her eyes. No, those were different. Up close, he felt them measuring. As if it pulled every single atom of him apart, studied it, stuffed away whatever she’d gleaned. This made Colt almost summon his knife back into his hand, but instead, it vanished back into his soul. He had no idea what would happen if he left it behind in a dungeon and no intent to find out.

  “Congratulations,” Athena said, this time her voice controlled. No longer booming out over the entire crowd. Just the podium. A soft bubble appeared around them, blurring the cheering spectators and muffling the screams and cries outside.

  The five of them looked at one another. Not sure what to say.

  What does one say to a being that could probably wipe you out with a single finger and subject you to a series of live-or-die games for an audience? Yeah, Colt didn’t have the social skills to puzzle that out, and no one else did either.

  Athena walked to Sarah first; Colt made out the now regular-sized black owl on her shoulder. Nike. Shrunken down. He could’ve sworn the owl winked at him when she looked.

  The goddess waved her hand, and a chest appeared in front of Sarah.

  “Your reward for a fight well fought. Bravery is commendable, and strategic sacrifice is sometimes necessary. Willing to lay your life down for a team victory was a good choice for your talents.”

  Sarah frowned at her.

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  “I was saving Julia,” Sarah said.

  Athena gave her that fake smile, and gestured at the chest. Sarah leaned down—and opened it. There was a dark red ribbon in there, bordering on brown… Colt was close enough for an inspect, so he did.

  ———

  Hydra Blood Dyed Hand-Wrap [Rare]

  Description: A hand-wrap, good for punching. Due to its age, potency has been lost. This is likely a good thing. After being made, if you didn’t have high forms of poison resistance, just wrapping this around your hand was a quick sentence for death. Nowadays, it’s more tame. It inflicts an acidic type of poison on the flesh of the enemies when punched, and the enchantments on the fiber actually keep you safe. Awesome.

  *Inspect* (Intermediate) has gained a level!

  ———

  Colt rubbed his eyes as he reread. This item's description was different from that of his spirit knife. Had the additional levels in Inspect changed formatting? It also had a rarity, like skills. At some point, he’d have to re-check his knife. Or maybe his understanding of the system had changed the information displayed.

  Still, nice item.

  Sarah picked it up cautiously, and he had to wonder what she’d read. It's not exactly the most comfortable feeling holding something that used to be able to kill you just holding it… But she did fine.

  Athena gave her a nod, the chest vanished, and she moved over to Nick.

  “A good soldier, Fine aim. A key victor in every single battle. Truly, a valuable unit on the battlefield, though you need to develop.” She went on and waved her hand.

  A chest appeared.

  In it was a mirror, and inspect told Colt that it would help develop an Edict dealing with the concept of light when meditated with—though it only had three uses. It was clear what the intent was. She was giving him a way to break through to the next level of his Edict. The fact such items existed was… Well. Colt wanted it. It wasn’t his prize, but damn, he wished he could talk his way into getting it, but Nick needed it more. This, too, was of rare quality. Each of the rewards was personalized then.

  Next came Julia. She received a staff that enhanced water magic, and Nick got an actual honest-to-goodness medieval hammer, which mentioned enhanced durability and the ability to increase its weight. Both of those were rare. Athena gave them a little speech, too, before she gave them their prize.

  So it wasn’t surprising when Athena took her place before him, and another chest appeared at his feet.

  “The Starategos of the group; I’ve had a keen eye on your progress. What is there to say, young one? You led your team to victory in the naval battle. You trusted the right people for the right jobs in the infiltration. You dealt with the beast with mostly your own powers and yet still tried to offer a backup plan to give your fellows courage. The greatest of the prizes will go to you as is deserved. Well fought, gladiator.”

  She waved to the chest.

  Colt folded his arms and kept looking at her. Athena raised an eyebrow and kept that fake smile plastered on her face. She didn’t care one bit about them, he was sure. They were but insects beneath her feet.

  “Is my prize not enough for this gladiator?”

  “I wish to claim a different prize.”

  At this, the smile disappeared, and her eyes hardened. “It does not befit a mortal to make demands upon a goddess. Take my grace and your rewards, and you will begone from my realm. I advise you to be cautious with your words, for you do not know whom you make demands of.”

  Colt tried to keep his heart from beating out of his chest, knowing he was playing with fire. But he had to. It was the plan.

  “I would make demands from another goddess. I do not want this trinket. For my part in the tournament, that which you claimed was the most important and deserved the greatest prize… I seek a contract with the Goddess Nike.”

  “Denied,” Athena said.

  Yet, at Colt’s words, the chest disappeared, and the owl on Athena’s shoulder hopped off—transforming in an instant into the same dark-haired goddess who’d gotten them through the second round.

  “Accepted!” She yelled.

  ———

  The Goddess of Victory, Nike, has deemed you worthy of forming a contract through virtue of your drive and ability to find victory in difficult situations. You may now accept Nike as an Icon.

  Icon: Nike

  The path of victory. She is known for her association with victory in all things. Sports, war, competition of any kind. Whether it be writing a book, or trying to beat a casino at cards, Nike watches with eager revelry, rooting for her chosen winners.

  Now, what does the path of victory entail? It’s broader than some other paths, as Victory can be achieved in many ways, so too can this Icon be followed. There are, however, some common themes. Movement, Wind, Competition, and, of course, Victory. But while there’s wiggle room in the exact path to victory, there is an underlying principle to all things here. Difficulty. To be the best and always come out ahead, you must face great odds and even greater hardships. Name a famous athlete who hasn’t. Nothing comes easy to a victor. Understand?

  The following skill is given to begin your path:

  Skill: Olympic Mandate [Rare]

  Description: A skill that, once used, enhances the user’s Dexterity, Strength, and Endurance by 10%. This effect lasts for one minute and has a cool-down of an hour. You’re probably thinking the following: neat, but not enough for a rare skill, right? Well! This one is pretty straightforward. That percentage you see? It’ll increase as this skill evolves. Good, right? Who doesn’t enjoy a nice buff.

  ———

  Colt read it as fast as he could—Athena had started to shout, and he could feel the pillar rumble beneath him as it came apart. Nike said this would happen, and had told him just what to do if they, by some grace of God, made it to this point. He’d already decided before this that for an Icon… Well, this was as good as he could get.

  Accepting Cerberus would have been okay.

  But a Goddess—Nike said that was a contract with something far superior to a mere legendary monster, and he believed her. She wanted him to win, and his gut knew she was right. That much was clear; besides that, his movement Edict was tied deeply to her, and it was his greatest weapon.

  Choosing Cerberus would have been fine. But choosing Nike was like the difference between earth and heaven.

  He accepted.

  ———

  You have gained Skill: Olympic Mandate [Rare] (Basic)

  You have gained your Icon: Nike

  ———

  Nike gave him a thumbs-up. Athena shouted even louder, shaking the stand, and then black wings sprouted out Nike’s back. She waved, and her wings flapped a single time.

  ———

  Congratulations!

  The games have been completed. The exit has been opened. You have completed Athena’s Centennial Games.

  Rewards distributed to associated Faction!

  You have been expelled from the dungeon.

  ———

  The next moment, Colt was back in sunlight, right outside of the Parthenon, his group by his side; the marble building began to crack, and with a yell, they rushed away from the structure as it collapsed—Colt rushed, grabbing Julia who had the worst reaction time out of them. Thanks to his considerable dexterity, getting her away wasn’t too hard.

  From a safe distance, they watched as the pseudo-ancient building collapsed to rubble. They sat in silence, each of them lost in their own heads. Colt felt changed, felt a connection now in his soul. It was odd to describe, but… He felt more complete. Whole. There was a resonance there with who he was and who Nike was, and by the second, the bond was solidifying.

  “Why did the side character get the best reward?” Julia asked, after too long a silence.