The next bracket did not place Nox against a champion. It placed him in a waiting room with a sealed door, a silent camera, and three Citadel match notices that began at exactly the same minute.
Kendra's opponent was a sponsored siege fighter with a tower shield and a heavy hammer. Vasa drew a terrain mage whose patron had supplied six different frozen arenas. Yeda received a speed duelist whose contracts paid bonuses for a visible first strike.
"Rook's scheduling office says it is random," Mina said, standing beneath the four notices.
"Rook's scheduling office also thinks paperwork makes a knife legal," Kendra replied.
Vasa had already mapped the depot. The four rings sat far enough apart that no ordinary runner could cross between them before a match ended. The waiting room assigned to Nox had no line of sight to any screen except the central results board.
"They expect you to withdraw one of us so you can supervise the other two," Vasa said, folding the map.
