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The Games that Gods Play	By : Ristul Category: DC Verse Comics > Wonder Woman Views: 16896 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Wonder Woman,nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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A sword never jams, never has to be reloaded, is always ready. Its worst shortcoming is that it takes great skill and patient, loving practice to gain that skill; it can't be taught to raw recruits in weeks, nor even months.
-Robert Heinlein
Only Wonder Woman, Troia and Cassie were left. Diana looked at the remaining men, namely the Duke of Deception and the Earl of Greed. Both men shook their heads and waved their hands frantically in a panic, apparently having been on the receiving end before. Wimps. The rest of defeated Amazons and goddesses sat in a different corner of the gym, nursing and massaging their bruised body parts.
“Diana, you must salvage the honor of Themyscira!” Phillipus called out. Diana had seen how Phillip had disarmed and defeated her mentor with just two wickedly fast and brutal strokes with his scabbard. She closed her own eyes, trying to identify a weakness as she reviewed how he had defeated the others.
She was shocked to realize that he had none. No mistakes. Not a single misstep, not a single overreach, not a single bias in his defense and offense. He never lost his balance, never got hit, never made an unnecessary move, kept himself fresh and wary at all times. How do you defeat somebody this good?
“I’m not that good, you know,” said Phillip, guessing her thoughts. “There’re better fighters than me.” He looked thoughtful for a while, “And I’ve been beaten before.”
“Diana, let me go first!” Cassie stammered.
“Why bother when you’re already convinced you’ll lose?” Gawain said. The women looked at him. “Donna, don’t try.” Then he turned to Phillip. “I think you’ve made your point. Let them go.”
Donna whispered to Diana, “Gawain can read body language.”
Diana nodded. If so, then he probably knows just how unwilling and scared we are. She was an Amazon, trained to be the best. She had thought she was one of the most skilled warriors, but Phillip’s actions had caused her to doubt herself. The knowledge that her skill, and that of the Amazons and Athena, was so insignificant to the King of Pain was a grievous blow to her own self esteem.
Phillip didn’t reply to Angle Man. Gawain shook his head, and murmured, “Stubborn as ever.”
Diana frowned. What did that mean?
Phillip spoke, “You seem to be very confident of yourself, Gawain Sharpe. I’d like to find out just how good you are.” He still held his scabbard, but took up a fighting stance.
Gawain looked back at the women, then back to Phillip. “I don’t have a choice, do I?”
“Nope.”
A slow smile appeared on Gawain’s face. He walked over to the rack, and selected a sword that had a thin blade slightly more than a meter long. Diana frowned. Such a weapon, while impressive, was extremely unwieldy. She had seen how fast Phillip was. How could Gawain possibly defend himself?
A hiss of the gym doors signaled the return of Jake and Lord Conquest. The two men took in the scene without a word. Jake sat down next to Diana, and said, “Princess, whatever you see here, remember it well.”
She glanced at him, trying to figure out his cryptic message.
Phillip and Gawain faced off, one man with just a scabbard, and the other wielding a sword.
Then they stepped towards each other, and Diana gasped as Gawain actually managed to move his sword with surprising speed, parrying Phillip’s attacks. Angle Man was even able to take the offensive, his longsword almost catching Phillip on one arm. The King of Pain rolled away, then to his feet, a thin smile on his face.
“Don’t be overconfident, Phillip Delacroix.” Gawain chided. His eyes burned with the thrill of battle.
“Good. Finally, a worthy opponent.” Phillip stretched out his right hand, and to the shock of the observers, his sword on the weapons rack flew to his hand, the fingers clasping around the hilt in a single smooth motion.
“Let’s dance.”
He gripped his scabbard with his left hand, and suddenly thrust forward. Gawain parried the scabbard, then ran his sword along its length, seeking out Phillip’s heart. Phillip swung out with the sword in his right hand, while Gawain ducked his head away. There was no mistaking their intentions. They were out to kill each other.
Their duel would later be talked about and discussed over and over again by those present. None of the former deities and Amazons had ever imagined a duel like that between the two swordsmen before. Their moves, their specific techniques, would be copied without much success by the Amazons in later months. None of them would ever forget a battle as breathtaking as the one between the King of Pain and Angle Man.
The two men would vary their tempo and pace, trying to unsettle the other and take his opponent out of his comfort zone. There would be periods of sheer terrifying speed, punctuated by periods of watchful standoffs, as they sought to impose their will on the other. There was blood as well, nicks and cuts when either swordsman failed to duck away quickly enough, but none of it serious.
Then sometimes, after an exchange, one of them would make a few practice moves, and smile. Wonder Woman did not know what to make of that.
“A conversation of swords… for men to measure their worth.” Jake said quietly. “Since the beginning of time, every person has one question: What am I? By talking to one another, through the cut and thrust of battle, they can find that answer.”
Diana looked at the big man. Jake had a contemplative look on his face, while the other Amazons and goddesses had joined them. They all stared at him, trying to make sense of his words.
He continued, while a particularly vicious exchange in the fight concluded with both men taking deep cuts on their arms. “For some, they view themselves as champions of peace.” He nodded towards Wonder Woman and Donna. “But for others, all they have known is the blade and the rush of battle. That is their nature, that is what they are.”
Fatigue was setting in, and the two fighters were beginning to make mistakes. Small, but noticeable to Wonder Woman. She held her breath as Gawain nearly took Phillip’s head off with a vicious swipe. Then it was Donna’s turn to gasp as Phillip nearly skewered his opponent with his sword, only for Gawain to parry it just in time, following up with a slash that Phillip backed away in surprise.
They separated. Gawain repeated the move he had just used, then grinned widely. Diana finally realized what was happening. They are improving their skills in the midst of fighting against each other! She had never seen anything like it.
Donna shouted, “Gawain, that’s enough! Stop fighting!” Blood obscured one side of his face due to a nasty gash above his right eye. But he paid his girlfriend no heed. He was engrossed in the conflict, infected by whatever madness that always possess men in the heat of battle.
Jake laid a hand on Donna’s shoulder. His eyes were serious, while Donna tried to hold back her tears of worry. “You cannot stop them. You may be an Amazon, but there are things even you cannot stop.” Behind his words, Diana sensed an underlying message. They were meant for this.
Diana was beginning to develop her own suspicions. She asked him. “Jake, who is Phillip Delacroix? You and Gawain seem to know him.”
Jake shook his head. “I can’t answer your question. You’re asking the wrong person. You should be asking him.” He nodded towards Phillip, who had locked his weapons against Gawain’s blade, his mouth lined in grim resolve. Both men disentangled, then swept back into action with intimidating speed. Diana blinked her eyes, when her vision suddenly shifted. She was no longer looking at two men, but rather, something else.
In her mind’s eye, each man was a wave, with the fathomless ocean behind him, rushing at his enemy in a contest of skill and strength. The clash of their weapons echoed the ocean’s roar, unstoppable and overwhelming.
Then it was suddenly over. Gawain crouched on the mat on his knees, blood seeping out from between the fingers of his left hand over his right chest. Donna ran to him, and he collapsed against her. She laid him carefully on the ground.
“Damn you!” Donna cried out, and took up Gawain’s sword.
Before she could attack Phillip, the man said, “He’s still alive. You could fight me, or you could take him to the medical bay. Your choice.” Donna flashed him a look of sheer hatred, then carried Gawain out of the gym.
Phillip finally leaned over, gasping for breath. “Who’s next?” They could see that he was wounded as well. Crimson fluid oozed from several deep slashes from his legs, while more blood soaked his shirt from wounds on his body.
Diana shook her head, “You’re hurt…”
“Who’s next?” He repeated, staring at her. His eyes were filled with challenge.
Wonder Woman tried to remain diplomatic. “Even if I defeat you, it would not be an honorable victory.”
“That’s just an excuse.” He straightened up, and stabbed his sword into the floor, leaving him with just his scabbard. “Is this better? Your odds are higher now.”
She tried to reign in her anger at his taunt, resisted the urge to shout at him. “You just finished a fight with Gawain. You’re hurt, and tired, and you still want to fight? You can’t win.”
“In war, honor is but a thin cloak against the chill of the grave. How often do you think your enemies would let you off simply because of exhaustion? No. No mercy. That’s the rule I live by, and that’s the rule you should remember too. If I win, fine. If I lose, the most is that I lose my life.” He laughed softly. “Not that it’s worth much anyway.”
Diana gritted her teeth. He leaves me with no option. She moved reluctantly to pick up her favored set of weapons, a shield and a sword. “I will not hold back.”
“I don’t expect you to.” He gave her a vicious grin. “I’ve just realized this is the first time I’m fighting you. Finally, I can gauge where I stand if I am to aid Ares in defeating the Champion of the Amazons and conquering Olympus.”
She knew he was trying to annoy her, give her a reason to hate him, to fight. She swallowed her anger. “You are Ares’ Champion. By extension, that makes you a Champion of Olympus.”
He did not reply to that, and only narrowed his eyes.
As she stood before Phillip, he loomed over her, a huge presence. Unmoving, unyielding, a rock in the middle of the gym. Diana forced herself to concentrate. I must defeat him! For the honor of Athena and my sisters!
She had never felt this way before any opponent before. His face was devoid of expression, except for a faint tinge of contempt. She felt as if her very essence was being drowned in suffocating air. Fear crowded her, making her limbs feel weak and heavy. What is happening to me? I am an Amazon! I am the Champion of Themyscira! I fear no man!
She took a tentative step forward. Then another. And then she was surging forward, her shield held before her to smash him down and end the fight quickly. Phillip smoothly glided out of her line of sight, her vision blocked by her shield. She had half expected him to do that, and stabbed her sword swiftly at him, hoping to end the fight quickly.
He did not move away, and instead pulled another amazing move. As she thrust her sword forward, he reversed his grip on the scabbard, and sheathed her sword in the receptacle. He flicked her sword out of her hands, and used his other hand to latch onto the top of her shield, pulling down on it and making her lose her balance.
Wonder Woman stumbled forward. She looked up at Phillip, who thrust the scabbard forward, causing her sword to draw itself out of the scabbard to reveal only four inches of steel. He whipped the scabbard with the protruding hilt next to her neck, the cold steel almost kissing her skin.
“I win.” He whispered. “You lose.”
Wonder Woman stared up at him, aghast at the rapidity of her defeat and the ease of his victory. I have been trained since infancy in all the martial arts of the Amazons, and later, in Man’s World, all that the cultures of Earth had to offer. And I can’t even defeat this man? She felt tears in her eyes, knowing that the stunned glances of her sisters watching the short, abortive duel were upon her. Forgive me, my sisters, for this humiliation.
All her life, she had been constantly pushed by her mother and sisters to be the best she could be. Blessed by the gods, she had grown up surrounded with love and lavished with praise for her achievements. There had been some hardship, but her existence was still a pampered and sheltered one. She had become the Champion of Themyscira, the epitome of the Amazon nation. She had fought many foes, and there were few that could truly match her in skill, and none had overwhelmed her as Phillip Delacroix had. As she kneeled on the floor, staring up into Phillip’s bleak eyes, she suddenly saw something else, an insight into the King of Pain, his very soul.
His past could not have been any more different from hers. Beaten, scraping for survival in the darkness. All he had known was torture, pain, suffering. Deprived of love, hated, cursed by others. Everything he had achieved was through his own grinding efforts, by making sacrifices and undergoing trials she doubted she could ever understand. In the face of unrelenting adversity and horror that sought to break him, he had somehow managed to retain his sanity, but the struggle had left its mark upon him. Even now, he sought refuge in his pain, in the darkness of the soul where untold evils reside. In the process, he had become unbreakable. But at what cost?
Her heart twisted for him. She felt like weeping for his past, for what he never had. She had the urge to hold him tight, take the bleakness, pain and suffering of his past away. Bring him into the light. Make him understand that there was more to life than his pain. That there was love and happiness in the world. She tried to transmit all that to him through the connection that had sprung up. And she saw that he was moved by her sincerity, if only for a moment.
Then the barriers slammed down again. His eyes reverted back to ice.
He turned away from her. “Are all Amazons like you? Bold with words but bled in war?” The King of Pain shouted, “Is this the best that Themyscira has to offer?” He laughed. “How foolish I was to believe Ares’ tales, that it was impossible to defeat your people through force of arms. I should have known he was only trying to cover up his own deficiencies!”
“Take that back!” Phillipus roared, standing up despite the bruises on her legs and arms. “You insufferable, arrogant male!”
He laughed louder. “Wahh! WAHHHH!” He mocked her. “None of you are up to defeating Cronus!”
He dashed towards the Amazons, and before any of them could react, drew out Diana’s sword from the scabbard, and then whipped it in the direction of Phillipus’ neck in a slash far too quick for them to see. The shocked Amazon reached up with her finger to her neck.
There was the tiniest of cuts on her throat.
“Pain, that’s enough!” Lord Conquest shouted. He ran towards Phillipus, and caught the Amazon chancellor as she fell backwards, almost fainting from the shock. “You’ve made your damn point. We still need their help.”
The King of Pain glared at the people present. “That’ll be all for today. The rest of you can do whatever you want in the meantime. Train your pathetic skills, for example. I don’t care. Just stay the hell out of my way, and don’t bother me while I plan to defeat Cronus. I already know who’s up to the job, and who isn’t.”
He strode away. As he left the gym, he reached out with his hand for the sword with the black blade. It flew through the air and into his hands, moments before the doors to the gym closed behind his back.
Diana hugged herself, shivering from the terror caused by his presence. She was not the only one. The Amazons and goddesses were all in shock. Mala and Io came up to her, and they hugged each other tightly, trying to forget the fear they had felt.
“Uhm, everybody?” The Duke of Deception said loudly, causing them to look at him. He looked extremely apologetic as he spoke. “I’m really sorry for Phillip’s actions. But if it could make you feel better, he kicks my ass on a regular basis too. So don’t worry. He’s just a hardcore bastard.”
“We’re Amazons. We do not lose so easily!” said Artemis. “He cannot be a man. What manner of monster is he?”
“He’s not a monster.” The Earl of Greed replied softly. “Phillip… well… I just think he’s been through a lot. And those experiences are why he’s so good.” He sighed. “I doubt there’s anybody in the world who can defeat him in terms of pure skill, with a sword or without one.”
Jake leaned back against a wall. “Up to now, I still don’t know your names. Care to introduce yourselves?”
The three lackeys of Ares exchanged glances, then seemed to nod as one. Lord Conquest , a tall, handsome black man was first. “I’m Morgan Carter, Lord Conquest. In my day job, I’m a general with the US Army. I’m,” he swallowed hard, “widowed. I have a daughter in high school.”
The Duke of Deception was a pleasant looking man with brown hair and dancing green eyes in his early thirties. Diana already recognized him, since he was a frequent guest at parties and gala functions, but she allowed him to introduce himself to the Amazons and the goddesses. “I’m Stanley Burnside, Duke of Deception. I am, as my title suggests, a compulsive liar, and master of illusions. I own the media network Burning News Network, BNN. The hottest news in the shortest time!” He smirked. “I’m single, looking, and free for favors.” He was about to leer at the women when Morgan stopped him by slapping him upside the head. “Owww!” Stan clutched his head in pain.
The last minion, a self assured black haired Caucasian with grey eyes spoke. “I’m Joshua Peres, the Earl of Greed. I run a trading firm on Wall Street. I play on the thoughts and minds of others. Single, but not too desperate. Unlike some people.” That last remark was directed at Stan, who raised his middle finger at Joshua in reply. That earned the Duke another slap on the head from Conquest.
Their humorous antics seemed to drain the gym of its tension. Jake said, “I think everybody should go and wash up. Don’t worry about the gym, I’ll clean up the mess. Gather in the mess hall for lunch. I think I saw a whole storeroom full of prepackaged MREs. We could eat that.”
They dispersed, thinking of the events of the morning. Diana shook herself out of her malaise. I need to know what it is Phillip and Gawain have that I don’t. There is another level to the art of combat. I must reach that level.

“We need to find a way to get Cronus.” Phillip leaned back in his seat as he wrapped a bandage around his left arm using his right hand and teeth.
“We can’t contact outsiders, but we can still receive information from outside. The Egyptians are down. The Nile has gone berserk. People are saying that the Nile is burning.” Morgan struck off the Egyptian pantheon from their list. “Also, India is undergoing severe flooding and forest fires, sometimes in the same area on the same day.”
“Okay, so the Hindu gods are down too.” Phillip shook his head. “Or at least, getting pulled down. I don’t think Cronus is winning so easily. They could have set up magical defenses and armies. It won’t be the first time Cronus has attacked them. They should be able to delay him for a while.”
Jake commented, “Still, that doesn’t leave us much to work with. Who’s left?”
Morgan checked his list. “The Norse and the Aztec pantheons.”
“The Aztecs are hardly a factor. The Asgardians are the key.” Phillip closed his eyes, deep in thought. “When Cronus attacks Asgard, that’ll be our window of opportunity.”
“How?” Conquest asked. “We’re dealing with gods here!”
“They’re not without their weaknesses.” Phillip countered. “Remember the last go-round? Cronus had to store the excess power in his sickle.”
“That sickle was an imitation which broke.” Jake grimaced. “From what you’re telling me, he’s got the original Sickle of Adamant now. I don’t think that’s breakable.”
“I’m willing to bet that it is,” said Phillip. “If it isn’t, we can try to separate him from the sickle and from the power within it. If we can’t accomplish either at Asgard, we might as well give up when Cronus becomes head honcho and tramples all over the earth.”
Morgan chewed silently on his words, before saying, “How will we get to Asgard?”
“When Gawain recovers. Ares or Athena should know its rough location. Gawain’s command over his triangle, he told me, enables him to planeshift. We can shift into Asgard, no problem.”
“And supposing he won’t recover in time?”
Phillip smiled. “That’s not a problem either. He should be okay by tonight.”
Morgan stared at him. “How?”
“That’s for me to know, and for you to find out. Now, the bigger problem I have is Cronus and his gang.”
Jake added, “Six Titans is going to be tough. Especially when Cronus has given them more power.”
“That’s true, but I’m thinking of something else.”
“Like?”
“Asgard is known to be populated by a vast army of warriors, the Valkyries and the worthy in Valhalla. Cronus knows that. He won’t be attacking Asgard with just the Titans and whatever monsters he can pull out from Tartarus.”
Both men were quiet as they digested his statement. Then Jake asked, “What will he use then?”
Phillip sighed. “Oblivion controls power over memory. Arch is the master of strategy. Disdain can manipulate emotions. Cronus now has control over Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades’ domains. What do you think?” Neither man wanted to answer him.
He concluded grimly for them, “We’ll be facing the crème de la crème of Greek Mythology. All their heroes. The best they ever had. In one army. Maybe even some brainwashed gods. Morgan, that’s why I was so hard on them this morning. Otherwise, we have no chance. I’m good, but not good enough to kill an army on my own.” Kessanalt luck, always bad.
Morgan closed his eyes. “How much time do you think we have before Asgard?”
“Cronus won’t beat the Hindu pantheon so quickly, not when they’re ready for him. He’ll need about a day more. Maybe two.” Phillip reconsidered. “Scratch that. One and a half days more. Another half day to set up his army, and brainwash whoever he needs. And then he’ll march on Asgard. The bridge should hold for a day, if Heimdall is doing his job. Then the outer defenses, another day. We’ll hit them on the fifth day. Cronus might be expecting us, and holding a reserve. But that’ll be our best chance.”
“Four days to heal up everybody and get them into shape at the same time.” Morgan grinned at Jake. “I suppose it’s time for the boot camp treatment, don’t you think?”
Phillip smiled. Yes, a boot camp was a good idea. The basic skills were there. They just needed something else…

“How are you feeling?” Phillip sat down beside Ares. The God of War grinned despite his injuries, lying on the medical bed, swathed in bandages.
“Pained all over, but never more alive.”
“Good to hear that.”
They sat in comfortable silence, before Ares said, “Thank you.”
“For putting you through that?” Phillip shook his head. “I was half expecting you to chew my head off.”
“For helping me unlock the door to my courage? You have done more for me than anybody ever had.” Ares sighed. “I had always been a coward, plotting, planning. Today was the very first time I had entered combat, been hurt, and stood my ground.”
Phillip continued to listen as Ares said, “I had an epiphany when I was fighting Ramon. It was strange, and I cannot truly describe it. Phillip, I was an immortal. I had lived for thousand of years. Ramon is not even twenty years old. But when we were fighting each other, I felt as though I was with an old friend, one I had not met for a long time.”
Ares paused, his throat dry. Phillip poured some water into a mug, and raised it to his lips. The God of War drank, then continued. “The two of us, strangers, meeting for the first time, trying to kill each other. But we were talking.” He paused at the absurdity of his statement. “Yes, talking to each other. We were as close friends, having a frank exchange of views.”
Ares laughed, then grimaced in pain. “Because both of us were devoted to the sword. Devoted to being better. Stronger. In that few minutes, Phillip, I learnt more about myself than the four thousand years of my immortal existence. Strange, isn’t it?”
Phillip answered, “Ares, do you know what they call an exchange of attacks in fencing? A conversation. That name is more appropriate than many realize.”
The King of Pain leaned back and explained, “Yes, you were talking with Ramon. And both of you were telling truths, because you had not learnt to lie with your swords yet. Sword fighting is sometimes described as dancing with blades, except the difference is that when dancing, you’re trying to tell the truth to your partner, but in fighting, you’re trying to lie.”
He laughed. “When you get better, you’ll learn to lie. You’ll learn when your opponent is lying and when he is telling the truth. And sometimes, the lie can yield the truth just as easily.”
Ares turned to look at him. “Tell me, Phillip. Just what are you? You have wisdom beyond what an ordinary man should have. Uncommon courage. Unparalleled skill.”
“What am I?” Phillip echoed Ares’ words. “I don’t even know the answers to your question myself, Ares, so I can’t answer you. Perhaps one day, when I know what I am.”
Ares nodded. “When that day comes, I would be pleased to make your acquaintance.”
“Okay now, that’s enough jabbering. Go back to sleep.” Phillip stood and switched off the lights.
Ares soon fell into a deep sleep, but the King of Pain did not leave immediately. He stood beside the bed, and laid a hand on Ares’ forehead. He closed his eyes, focusing his inner energy. A glow emanated from his hand. He laid his hand there for a minute, before the glow ebbed.
Phillip left the room. He had no choice but to use the healing technique, because he needed Ares to recover as soon as possible. But there was no need for Ares to know that.

“I’m fine, Donna. Really.” Gawain reassured the Amazon for the tenth time that afternoon. He limped around gingerly, trying not to aggravate his injuries as they walked to the recreation room.
Donna paced worriedly alongside him, “You’re still in pieces. Not for the first time, I might add. You should be in your room resting!”
“Nah, it’s too boring.” They entered the empty room, and Gawain flopped himself onto a comfortable looking leather couch. “Besides, I heal fast.”
“I’m sure.” She sat down beside him on the couch.
Gawain grinned. “Don’t believe me?”
Donna leaned on one arm of the couch. “Prove me wrong then.”
He unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the blood-soaked bandages on his right chest. Donna gasped. “What are you doing?”
Gawain lifted a finger to her lips. “Shhh…”
He took out a small knife and cut away the bandages. The wound was mostly healed, with healed skin over what had been a vicious gaping hole.
Donna stared hard at him. “How…”
Gawain winked. “It’s a kind of magic.”
She wagged a finger accusingly at him, “One of these days, you’ll have to come clean about yourself.”
“I will.” He leaned back. “No secrets, Donna. But there are, well, some things I can’t tell you yet, because I don’t understand them myself.”
“Well, you can tell me even if you don’t understand it. That’s what I did, remember?”
Gawain winced. “My head still hurts when I think about your story.”
Donna leaned against his chest, taking in his comforting presence. “Gawain…”
“Donna, are you afraid?” She tensed, and he knew he had struck a nerve. He continued, “I can see it in you, in the other Amazons, even though none of you are saying it. You’re scared, full of doubt about your ability in a fight. In a single morning, Phillip Delacroix destroyed your confidence in yourselves. I know he overdid it, but you can’t let it bother you. He’s just one man, the type of swordsman that appears only once in a million years. Losing to him, no big deal. I lost to him too.”
“You should stop reading our body language.”
“I can’t help it. It’s a part of me, what I do.”
Donna was curious now, and looked up at him. “You never told me how you picked up that little trick. As far as I know, there’s only other person in the world capable of reading people like you.”
Gawain nodded. “You’re referring to Batgirl?”
Donna started, “How did you…”
“In the bounty hunter circles, word gets around. I was in Gotham once. Saw her fight.” He shrugged. “She’s very good, amongst the best I’ve ever seen.”
“I hear a ‘but’ lurking in there.”
“She’s not… for lack of a better word, ‘whole’.” Gawain thought about it, then nodded. “Yes, she is not whole. She has not been pushed to the point where she has to make the difficult choice between killing and letting a greater evil go.”
Donna was shocked, “Gawain, she’s works for Batman. He doesn’t condone killing!”
“Which is why she lacks the knowledge to take the final step. And I can read it in the way she moves.” He sighed, stroking Donna’s hair gently with his left hand. “Maybe it’s not important. I don’t know. I’ve killed many people, Donna. Blood stains my hands. I can’t say all of them had been wholly deserving of death either.”
She did not reply immediately, but then she said, “So how did you learn to read body language?” It was a change of subject, and Gawain was grateful for Donna’s understanding. They had just met, but so many times it seemed that she was the missing half of his life.
He decided to start telling her the truth. “Donna, for the first seventeen years of my life, I was deaf. Couldn’t hear a single thing.”
She pushed herself away from him, and stared at him, “You’re joking.” Then her eyes widened, “You’re not!”
Gawain smiled slightly. “Let me tell you a story…”

In the mess hall, Wonder Woman sat quietly with Artemis, who was about to boil over with rage.
“I wish I could kill him in his sleep now.” Artemis seethed. “Treating us like that… Who does he think he is?”
“A better warrior than either of us?” Diana replied.
Artemis flung her hands into the air. “So what? We don’t really need him, nor his fatuous attitude! We can take Cronus ourselves!”
The Princess shook her head. “Artemis, calm down and consider the situation carefully. Right now, we’re alive, and in relative safety because Phillip build this nice base for us to hide in until we are prepared to battle Cronus once more.”
“Pharg.” Artemis scoffed, taking a sip from the cup of coffee before her. “You overrate this man.”
“Maybe we should overestimate him. He’s far more dangerous than I suspect.” And in some ways, Diana remembered the scenes of his leaping to the aid of others, less dangerous than I would think of somebody who works for Ares.
Artemis considered her words, then asked, “What do you think we should do now?”
Diana smiled. “We do what all Amazons do when waiting for battle. We prepare.” She rose from her seat, and pointed in the direction of the gym. “Since we’ve nothing to do, why don’t we spar against each other?”
Artemis replied sullenly, “When that jackass already told us it was useless?”
Wonder Woman sighed. “I don’t think he really meant it. And even if he did, why should we give up so easily? We are Amazons! What’s important is not that we’ve failed.” She swallowed hard. She had never failed as abysmally as against the King of Pain. “What’s important is that we can look at why we failed and work from there to succeed the next time.”
Her comrade nodded in agreement, and the two Amazons headed to the gym. Diana could not help thinking about Phillip and his behavior in the gym. He had seemed to know Gawain Sharpe and Jake Kabrinski, and not in the casual manner. It was more like the trust and understanding developed between close friends and workers. Also as important was that Ramon, the former car thief from Boston had turned up at Kabrinski’s café in New York after meeting Phillip. Which provided another piece of the puzzle that was the Lion of Ares.
She was developing her own suspicions about who Phillip Delacroix really was, but she did not have any evidence. Yet.
Meanwhile, Artemis continued to complain. “And that Jake Kabrinski! Why he took Delacroix’s side, I would never know! And to think I thought he was a good man!”
“Artemis, I think Jake is still a good man.” Diana hid a smile. Artemis had been talking about Jake all the time since they had arrived the previous night, and Diana doubted the fiery Amazon realized it herself. “He’s been cleaning up after all of us. Cleaning the gym, cooking lunch, and making sure there’s food in the kitchen. I never thought I’d see a eight feet tall giant act as a domesticated servant.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Artemis limped a bit as they walked. “I suppose he’s at least good for something.” She frowned. “And he never did explain how he came to be such a good fighter either.”
Diana listed the three men. “Phillip Delacroix, Gawain Sharpe, Jake Kabrinski. All secretive about themselves. All highly skilled in battle. And they know one another.”
“You don’t think that is a coincidence.”
“Definitely not. I’m just glad they’re on our side.”

“Hey.” Phillip grinned at the boy in bandages, slumped against his bed.
“Hey yourself.” Ramon replied. “Come to gloat?”
“Come to help you.” Phillip pulled up a stool. “You did well, if only for a novice.”
“Gee… thanks.” Ramon’s tone was sarcastic. “You asked me to kill the guy you’re working for. I just found out from Jake.”
“If you killed him, I won’t be shedding any tears.” Phillip said smoothly. “But since you didn’t…”
“Oh great! Rub it in, willya?” Ramon was pissed, and Phillip didn’t blame him for it. The kid still needed a lot of growing up to understand the weird, Byzantine world of conflict he had volunteered to enter.
“Shut up and listen. I had already calculated both of you would be hurt, but not dead. I just needed to give you incentive. And Ares needed to find his own courage. So I’d sat it worked out pretty well.”
Ramon raised his arms, both wrapped in linen. “Say that to my arms. And my legs. And everywhere else that got hurt. I feel like a punching bag.”
“You could remedy that, you know,” said Phillip. “Heal yourself.”
Ramon stared, “You’re kidding me, right?”
The King of Pain shook his head. “Nope. Which page of the Book of Paths are you on?”
Ramon thought about it, “Oh, about the twenty-fifth page. But I haven’t had time to read it yet. Why?”
“Because that’s where you start learning how to heal yourself. You’ve already learnt to sense and center your own internal energy, right?” It was not really a question.
Ramon nodded.
“Then concentrate on centering that energy now, and listen to my voice. I’ll guide you through the process.”
The novice Kessanalt closed his eyes, following Phillip’s instructions. The older man waited for about ten seconds, before he started giving Ramon the specific instructions.
When it was over, Ramon opened his eyes. Phillip said, “Take off your bandages.”
Ramon did as he was told. His wounds were healed, revealing not just pink flesh, but rather skin that matched his usual coloration. “What the…”
“This is the deliverance skill of the Path. What you just did was to harness your own energy to heal yourself. When you get better in this skill, you’ll be able to heal others, defend yourself and others against poison and disease, and well, if you ever live long enough to reach that level, bring the dead back to life.” Phillip smirked. “Though that is only a legend I’ve heard.”
“Wow.” Ramon was impressed.
“Wow is right. Now, Ramon, I need you to lie low for a while. Stay in the room, and do your studying with the books here. There’re plenty, since I stocked it well. When you need to train, do so in the middle of the night.”
“Why? I don’t like to be cramped up here. I’m fine now, I need to move.”
Phillip explained patiently, “Because I don’t want anybody snooping round and asking you how you healed so quickly. Also, Artemis and Wonder Woman knew about our meeting in Boston. They’ll be wondering why you ended up with Jake, and that’s something I don’t want them to think about.”
“But what if they ask?”
“Then tell them what you did, but leave out my involvement. Just say that I gave you some money, and you left Boston because too many people were mad at you. You ended in New York, and Jake took pity on you.”
Ramon looked dubious. “Okay… If you say so.”

Lord Conquest, the Earl of Greed, and the Duke of Destruction headed towards the recreation room, intent on some relaxation at the pool table after helping Jake out with the preparations.
Morgan Carter opened the door to the room when he heard moans and groans from the couch near the door. He froze, then blushed as he realized what was going on. He quickly closed the door, bumping Stan and Joshua away from the entrance.
Deception protested, “Hey! I thought we were going in there!”
Morgan shook his head. “Nope.” Then he paused, trying to think of a way to explain the situation that didn’t involve Gawain Sharpe and Donna Troy going after him with swords. “Uhm, let’s just say there’s something going in there that we don’t want to disrupt.”
Joshua nodded. “Yes. It’s rather rude to interrupt people when they’re in the middle of lovemaking.”
Morgan slapped a hand on his forehead. “Joshua, stay out of my mind, please?”
The Earl of Greed grinned sheepishly. “Sorry. I’ve been working on my powers recently. Gotten better with them too. But part of the side effects is that I just can’t avoid hearing the thoughts of other people.”
“Well, try.”
“It’s not just when I’m awake either. Sometimes, when I sleep, I can see the dreams of others.”
Deception raised an eyebrow. “And?”
Joshua’s voice came out in a whisper. “Last night, I saw Phillip’s nightmares.” He began to tremble. “I had no idea…”
“What did you see?”
Greed shuddered. “I cannot remember any of the scenes, except that I don’t want to even remember them.”
“He has his own past to deal with.” Morgan offered. “And I think that is why he’s so skilled.”
They walked away from the recreation room. “So, who was in there?” Deception asked.
“Angle Man.” Morgan did not need to add the woman he was with.
Deception frowned, “So, what’s the story between Angle Man, Jake Kabrinski, and Phillip Delacroix?” He swept his eyes around to check for people listening in, before he said, “Phillip told us to stay mum about his knowing them.”
Conquest snorted, “Of course. Because nobody should know his identity before he became Delacroix. It would spoil Ares’ plan. And Phillip somehow doesn’t want people to know he was… well… you get the idea.”
“So you, Phillip, and Jake were in the conference room for an hour after lunch. What did you guys come up with?”
Morgan replied, his eyes twinkling. “You’ll see tomorrow.”
Greed and Deception groaned. Stan griped, “You know, when we agreed to work for Ares, we thought we would be the behind-the-scenes type of masterminds. Not this getting involved. Training like dogs, getting our asses kicked. Argh.”
Morgan laughed, before he grew silent again. They entered the empty mess hall, and while Deception went off to get some drinks, Conquest and Greed sat down around one the tables.
Joshua said, “Something’s bothering you.”
Conquest jumped a bit. “Uhm…”
“Come on, what is it? Maybe we can help.”
Conquest sighed. For a bunch of supposed supervillains, we just can’t pull off the self absorbed attitude. Well, except for Stanley. “You know I have a daughter.”
“Yeah, I met her once at one of your army functions. Clarissa. Nice girl, smart. What’s the problem?”
Morgan suppressed a groan. “Josh, you also know that I am a metahuman, right?”
“Yeah. The US Army did some experimental stuff on you wayyy back, and you gained enhanced strength, speed, reflexes, and stamina. So?”
Lord Cnquest started rubbing his forehead with both hands with worry. “Clarissa is beginning to show signs of enhanced strength. Last week, she broke the walls of her room with one punch. She was as surprised as I was.”
From the look on Greed’s face, he understood completely. “High school huh? Dating and making out and breakups and growing pains. Add metahuman capability to it, and it just gets worse.”
Morgan nodded glumly. “And my wife’s dead. And so much has happened in recent years. Clarissa is still hurting inside, and I feel so useless.”
“You know, if your abilities are indeed present in your kid, she’s nearly identical to an Amazon.” Morgan stared at Joshua in surprise, who continued on. “Why don’t you ask the Amazons to train her in controlling herself? And maybe find a bit of inner peace?”
“We work for Ares. What would he think?”
“Fuck Ares.” Stanley added, placing cups of soft drink on the table. “You do what’s best for your family. Josh is right. Themyscira would be a good place for your daughter to go. Why don’t you ask Chancellor Phillipus about it after this whole mess is over?”
Sweat glistened on Morgan’s black skin. “Uhhh… I don’t know…”
“It’ll be fine.” Greed assured him. “I don’t think Ares would be so stubborn if we survive this. And you could always get Pain to help.”
Deception agreed. “After this morning, I don’t think Ares will be the same anymore.”
Morgan shifted his view from one man to the other. “Looks like you’re right. Hopefully, we’ll survive this. I don’t want my daughter to be an orphan.” I can’t let her lose any more family…
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The Games that Gods Play