Dameon placed his hands on his hips and appraised Scorio frankly. “Impressive. I’ve heard nothing but your praises since arriving in town. I’m Dameon, Dread Blaze and founding member of Manticore. It’s good to finally meet you, Scorio.”
“Thank you. It’s been great learning about Manticore and getting to know everyone.”
“You sure?” Dameon looked sidelong at Davelos with a smirk. “Some of us are pricklier than others.”
“Some of us don’t have time to waste on childish games,” Davelos responded.
“Case in point. But regardless, congratulations. I don’t think I’ve heard of a Tomb Spark convincing a Charnel Duchess to do anything not completely in her interests in… has it ever happened? Simeon?”
The bearded, saturnine man smiled in amusement. “I’m sure it’s happened before. Though nothing springs to mind right now.”
Dameon chuckled. “And you helped an Imperator defeat Imogen the Woe? And you came first in your class’s Gauntlet run despite being cast out on day one as a Red Lister? Seriously. I’m afraid if I let you join our outfit you’ll be calling the shots before long.”
“Hardly.” Scorio laughed shakily, embarrassed by the litany of his successes. “And it’s not as if I did those things alone. My friends have been with me every step of the way.”
“An exemplar and humble?” Dameon raked his hair back. “Now that’s just too much. How many invitations have you received from other groups to join their ranks?”
“Honestly? None.”
“I guess events have progressed too quickly for them to get their act together and invite you in.” Dameon smiled toothily. “Much to our advantage. We’ve been doing some light sparring to get a feel for each other, and I’d do the same with you if you don’t mind. But let’s make this interesting. We’ll divide into two teams. Simeon and I will be opposing captains. We’ll take turns picking our teams and then engage in a classic game: are you familiar with Fiend’s Heart?”
Naomi snorted in amusement.
Scorio shook his head slowly. “Can’t say that I am.”
“Honestly?” asked Davelos. “Children’s games?”
“It’s simple,” grinned Dameon. “Each team must capture the opposing team’s Heart and be the first to return it to their circle. Let’s see: we can use a couple of these bricks.” He jogged across the buckled flagstones and selected two large blocks that had fallen from the precarious dome. “Here you go.”
Simeon nearly danced back from the underhand throw, catching the large brick at the last moment and then scowling at Dameon. “More warning next time?”
“You’re a Dread Blaze.” Dameon wiped the sweat from his brow and bounced the brick in his palm. “Act like one. So, I’ll go first. Scorio. You’re with me.”
“Really?” asked Simeon. “Davelos.”
“Evelyn.”
“Naomi.”
“Hmm.” Dameon looked sidelong at Scorio. “Suggestions?”
Evelyn gave them control over the battlefield while Davelos was a powerful infiltrator and fighter. Jova might help negate his advantages, but Zala had been singled out as the most influential fighter in their group several times.
“Zala?”
“Zala it is.”
The wiry, short woman moved to stand with them.
“Jova,” said Simeon.
“Leonis,” said Dameon with a grin. “Get over here, big man.”
Leonis flashed a pleased grin and ambled over.
“Juniper,” said Simeon.
“Which leaves the best for last. Lianshi?”
She flushed in embarrassment, curled a strand of midnight-black hair over one ear, and strode to their group.
“All right. Let’s take a couple of minutes to work out tactics and then we’ll begin. With me, people.” Dameon led their small group to one side of the church. “All right.” He smiled conspiratorially at them all. “This is going to be fun. Evelyn, you’re going to be instrumental. Lock everything down with your hair, transport yourself to their brick, snatch it up, and return. They’ll expect that of course, and Simeon will probably be on guard duty to hit you with his possession power. I’ll try and block him with a forcefield, but Davelos can get through that to take you on. You nullify him with your diplomatic immunity.”
“Force fields?” asked Scorio.
“That’s right.” Dameon’s smile was pleased. “I’ll give you a quick summary of what I can do. I can hold my own in a fight by generating protective bubbles around myself or other people. The more I generate, however, the weaker they become. I can also hit like a runaway carriage, but it takes a little time to charge up my blows. The longer I hold the charge, the harder I hit. Mostly my role in Manticore is long-term strategy and figuring out how to accomplish our goals. My Dread Blaze power allows me to visualize the different paths I could take and gauge the probability of success.”
“Too bad it doesn’t work for sparring,” said Evelyn.
“Right. It only helps with overarching goals. Which means my utility today will be limited to protecting key players. So: tactics. Simeon and Davelos will focus on Evelyn and negating my forcefield, however. Though there’s a chance Simeon will use his teleportation power to jump to whoever’s closest to our Heart and steal it. I’ll be ready for him with my forcefield. Best we can do. Now, what do you all think your friends will do to get our brick?”
Scorio exchanged a glance with the others. “Naomi will take the indirect approach, moving out wide and then closing in when she senses an opportunity. She’s fast, agile, and very, very dangerous. Jova will probably run down the center, trying to distract us by drawing our attacks. Juniper will accompany her.”
“Understood.” Dameon frowned. “Zala, you stay back and generate your butterflies as fast as you can. See if you can focus them on Naomi. Scorio and Leonis, you go down the center and hold the line. Lianshi, you’re our hidden ace. I picked you last so as to de-emphasize your importance. Work your way down the side opposite Naomi and tap your invincibility power when necessary. They’ll probably overlook you at first, but when they go to stop you I’ll protect you with forcefields. Only use your invincibility power if Davelos comes for you.”
Lianshi’s eyes gleamed and she stood taller. “Understood.”
Dameon looked around their group, his smile infectious. “What am I overlooking?”
“If Simeon grabs me he’ll lock the church down with my powers,” said Evelyn.
“You know he doesn’t have much finesse with your hair,” said Dameon. “And it’ll take him a crucial few moments to overwhelm your defenses—if he can. I know you’ve been working on that resistance. That and my forcefield can stop your hair, so Lianshi should be able to keep going.”
“My butterflies have drawn a lot of attention in the past,” said Zala hesitantly. “And they’re slow. I should move closer to be effective, but that will make me a target.”
“Let’s move up together,” said Dameon with a smile. “I’ll watch your back and protect you if necessary. I’ll be powering up a punch that will take out anyone in the opposite group if it lands. Oh—Scorio—that’s one of my other powers. The longer I have to focus on my next blow, the stronger it becomes. Another reason for me to hang back and buy some time. Even Jova will be checked by what I can unleash.”
Despite himself, Scorio felt a thrill of anticipation. “Sounds good. What if Davelos decides to make a run directly on our brick?”
“Tricky. But he’s going to be drawing Coal here, which means he’ll be at his dimmest.” Dameon’s grin turned wicked. “Don’t tell him I told you, but his intelligence reflects the quality of mana he draws on. Coal makes him stubborn and slow-witted. If he comes right for us, I’ll time it just right and knock him on his ass.”