Leo was reeling from Romus Holgeld interrupting his first interview on live TV. Romus didn’t give out many details on air, but when Leo got back to his rooms he found an official looking document signed by Romus waiting for him.

  It said that Leo was up for a promotion. He would be Interviewing for the role of Chief Manufacturing Officer. If he passed the interview, Leo would be one of the highest ranking executives in the company. The problem was that he was interviewing against the person who already had the job: Farthen Holgeld. Like all the roles within Opal Corp, the stakes were life and death.

  Leo knocked on the door of the person he now needed the most. Bethany. She answered the door but still wasn’t her normal optimistic self. “What are you doing here? I told you I needed time before I decided if I could trust you again.”

  Leo was afraid of this reaction. “I know, Bethany. I hate to do this, but I’m once again with my back against the wall. I have an Interview coming up and it’s not like anything I’ve faced before. It’s going to be a Sorcerer’s Duel.”

  Bethany bit her lower lip. Dueling between Sorcerers had been common in ancient times but were outlawed as civilization advanced. That was until Opal Corp lobbied hard for them to be legalized. Their successful argument was that Sorcerers were no longer special in a world where magic could be used by anyone and they should be allowed the freedom to practice their ancient customs.

  In truth, Romus Holgeld simply liked a good duel. He found them thrilling entertainment and the official World Dueling Federation became yet another cash cow for its parent company Opal Corp. Live attendance at WDF events would regularly bring in millions of dollars from packed stadiums and the television and streaming rights were licensed annually for billions.

  Leo’s duel however would be a private, internal affair. Attended only by the Holgeld Family and other key members of the Executive Team. Each duelist needed a second to back them during the fight.

  Leo pleaded. “Bethany, you were a lifesaver on the battlefield, both in our first interview and against the Bright Future League. There’s no one else I’d rather have as my second.”

  Bethany looked torn. “For the Leo I thought I knew, I’d do it in a heartbeat. But for ‘Leo Holgeld’, I just don’t know.”

  Leo took a deep breath. “The person I’m dueling, Farthen Holgeld, has been training as a Sorcerer his whole life. I'm good, but I barely know what I’m doing. I swear I’m still the person you thought I was. We both came from lousy backgrounds, but I still believe there’s no limit to what we can do together.”

  Tears welled in Bethany’s eye. “I’m sorry, Leo. I can’t.”

  Leo’s heart sank. Still, he passed her a slip of paper. “I understand. At least come watch if you can. It would mean a lot to me, knowing that you were there.”

  Leo still hadn’t found a second when he met with Priva Southern to get ready. Leo was grateful that Priva had offered her services. “Honestly, I feel guilty for sending you into the lion’s den against Quentin Kellerwood. I failed in my duties as PR Chief. Whether it was Farthen or someone else who got to him first, I should have known about it and prepared you appropriately.”

  Priva escorted Leo into one of the training facilities used by the World Dueling Federation and outfitted him with an official dueling uniform. Leo tried it on and felt and looked like a real pro athlete. The uniform allowed him a full range of movement and was equipped with the maximum amount of enchantments allowed in an officially sanctioned duel.

  Priva looked Leo up and down. “You cut quite a figure, Leo. I bet if you learned about your powers earlier you could have gone pro.”

  Leo accepted the compliment. “I should have asked earlier, are you a Sorcerer, Priva?”

  Priva laughed. “The things I’m able to pull off sometimes feel like magic, but I am one hundred percent not a Sorcerer. I think the reason I like Opal Corp so much is because it lets other people handle all that spell related nonsense for me. It keeps me focused on what I’m best at.”

  Leo could tell that Priva was finally warming to him and, with the impending duel, Leo was feeling bold. “I’d really like to keep learning more about what you do Priva. It’s a whole aspect of the corporate world, I’ve had very little exposure to. Maybe we can sit down and talk at length sometime, like at dinner?”

  Priva smirked. “Excellent approach. Appealing to my pride in my work. Sure, Leo, I’ll have dinner with you. If you survive your duel, consider it a date.”

  Leo left the training facility with his head in the clouds. For the first time since his old girlfriend left him for his old boss, Leo had a date. Even better, it was with an extremely attractive professional woman he was in no way related to.

  That last aspect wasn’t true, however, for the next person he needed to meet with. An extremely attractive professional woman he was almost certainly related to. Surya wasn’t expecting Leo, but wasn’t unhappy to see him.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Leo needed to jump to the chase. “Surya, I’m sure you know about my duel against your brother. I need you as my second. I don’t have any other options.”

  Surya looked out the back window of her mansion. “I don’t know, Leo. I told you from the beginning, I’m not much use in combat.”

  Leo was desperate. “You wouldn’t be fighting directly, just helping me. Is it because it’s against your brother?”

  Cyrus shook her head. “Of course not. Blood or not, Farthen is a bug that needs to be squashed. And I haven’t forgotten our binding oath, Leo, I need you to get this promotion just as much as you do.”

  This made things seem simple for Leo. “Then say yes. Someone by my side had to be better than nobody, right?”

  Surya thought for a long moment. “Fine. I’ll be there. I would be rather disappointed if you died, Leo. I think I’ve actually come to like you.”

  That was all that Leo needed to hear. After Bethany, Surya was the best option that Leo could think of. She at least had Leo’s best interest in mind since they were magically bound together.

  Leo was dressed in his dueling uniform when the car arrived to take him to the duel’s secret location. Romus Holgeld had built a private dueling arena underneath his own mansion at the edge of the city. Romus’ mansion made Surya’s look like a studio apartment. Leo was lucky the car dropped him at the entrance to the dueling arena, otherwise he could have gotten lost finding it.

  Leo was given a private locker room to prepare. It was there that Leo waited anxiously for Surya to arrive to be his second. Soon, an attendant let Leo know that his duel started in five minutes.

  Leo gulped. “Thank you, five.”

  Five minutes after that, a deep gong sounded. Surya was still not there. Leo had no choice but to step out onto the dueling floor alone.

  The dueling floor was covered in pure white sand and surrounded by stands. Leo saw Romus Holgeld, his eldest daughter Yarah, and many other family members in attendance. Leo was unnerved as they wore the ancestral robes of the Holgeld family. He felt like he was being watched by some ancient cult, which he realized probably reflected the Holgeld family fairly accurately.

  Another gong brought out Leo’s opponent. Farthen Holgeld looked just as ridiculous as ever in a multicolor dueling uniform that made him resemble a clown more than an athlete. Much more somberly dressed, was Farthen’s second Jorash Morgeld.

  Jorash grinned unpleasantly when Leo noticed him. Leo should have suspected that Jorash would be there since he had been working as Farthen’s personal security. “Long time, Leo. Did you know that it’s my duty as my boss' second to carry your dead carcass out of here after he kills you?”

  Leo was determined to win this duel more than ever. Dying was one thing, but giving that jerk Jorash an opportunity to gloat was another. A third gong sounded.

  Romus stood, his voice magically magnified so that it could be heard across the arena. “For the first time in over a hundred years, one Holgeld shall duel another. Leo and Farthen, the future of our family lives and dies with you. Begin!”

  Leo waited for another gong, but Farthen lashed out with a stream of arcane missiles. Leo dodged them as best he could, one still found its mark and singed the back of Leo’s leg.

  Without a second, Leo needed to get this fight over quickly. He cast Ocean that Moves, turning the ground beneath Farthen into quicksand. Farthen was ready, he cast his own spell and levitated above the ground to not get caught. “You’ll have to do better than that, foster kid. I’ve read everything that Opal Corp knows about you.”

  Leo couldn’t let this slow him down, he had to think outside the box. Leo looked around. He saw that there were huge lights hanging in the rafters above the arena. He cast Hammer of the Ancients. They shattered into pieces. The glass and steel fell right on Farthen.

  Farthen was knocked to the once again solid ground. He was cut and battered by the falling debris. Jorash stepped forward as Farthen’s second and crushed a healing spell capsule. He poured it over Farthen’s wounds.

  Farthen got back to his feet good as new. “My turn, foster kid.”

  With a clap of his hands, Farthen sent a wave of razor sharp icicles at Leo. Leo’s Magic System alerted him that this spell was called Most Bitter Winter. Leo tried to dodge but one of the icicles caught Leo in the side.

  Leo went down to one knee. He looked to where his second should be but there was still no sign of Surya. Leo tried to cast Flame Arc, but in his weakened state, the flaming whip made it nowhere near Farthen. Out of the corner of his eye, Leo caught Romus looking sour and disappointed.

  Farthen laughed. “This outsider couldn’t even get himself a second. Are you watching, father? I’m going to finish him, I won’t ever let you down again!”

  Farthen adjusted his stance. Energy crackled between his hands. Leo’s Magic System told him this was called Armageddon Wave, there was no way Leo would survive it.

  Leo didn’t have the strength for another spell. It was over.

  Leo heard the crunch of a spell capsule and felt a wave of warm magic flowing over him. Someone had cast a healing spell on him. Leo was back to full health. Leo spun around.

  Bethany was there. She was smiling. “You were right, Leo. You’re still the friend I always knew you were. I’m sorry I got scared. Now finish this pampered asshole.”

  Leo smiled. He had the strength now for his biggest spell. He cast Golden Draak. With a metallic spark and a deep roar, a great golden drake filled the dueling arena. Some ran in fear, but Romus smiled.

  Leo pointed right at Farthen. Farthen was still charging his spell and couldn’t move. He looked terrified.

  At Leo’s command, the great golden dragon surged at Farthen. It opened its jaws wide and bit off Farthen’s head with a sickening crunch.

  Jorash’s mouth hung open as Farthen’s body collapsed to the ground. The gong sounded. Leo had won. Applause erupted from the Holgelds in attendance. Romus gave Leo a single nod.

  After Leo gave Bethany a huge hug and spent the night recovering from his wounds, he was taken to his new office on one of the highest floors of the Executive Tower. Leo couldn’t believe how close he was to achieving his dream.

  He sat in his patent leather chair for a while, then stood and faced the window looking out onto the city below. A short while ago he was going to be living on the streets, now he was part of the C-suite for the most powerful company in the world.

  Leo was so focused on how well things were going, that he didn’t even notice when Surya Holgeld appeared in the room behind him. He also didn’t notice as she raised a rune encrusted dagger. He did notice when she plunged the dagger straight into his heart.