The scoreboard flickered. The brunette girl’s picture, now faded out, was replaced with a greyed out silhouette. She walked away after having a brief talk with the rest of her team, particularly with the blonde girl among them. After that, she left the training area, no longer able to take in part in the test. Kasia and Rudan practically glomped Isane, her eyes widening a little more than the usual as her shoulders shot up slightly, almost looking like a spooked cat. Could it be that’s her way of showing embarassment? The blue team fled, running deeper into the forest, moving even farther away from us, getting out of our range. We had twenty minutes left, twenty minutes until the end of the test.

— Bravo, Isane! — I cheered, still in awe of the sheer acurracy of her shot.

Isane did not answer. She merely nodded slightly, as if it had simply been another part of the plan to be followed. From her point of view, it was not a feat worth being proud of, rather, it was as if it were an obligation.

— We’ve got six points now. — Looking at the screen, Kasia took note of the amount of points the other teams had scored, noticing the blonde girl in particular had only scored twice. — So that must mean the blonde girl is the Blue Team’s King, right?

— Wouldn’t she be called the Queen in that case? — Rudan folded his arms, looking at the scoreboard.

— …You better not try to hit on her, you hear? — Poking his shoulder, Isane stared at him with her usual impassiveness.

— I’d never do that! I mean she’s pretty, yes, but… — He tried to explain himself, but all he managed was to make Isane frown and Kasia giggle, covering her mouth as she did so.

— From the beginning, I think the mystery of who the king of the team is should be part of the strategy — I explained — For the others, no one knows who the king of our team is.

— The red team’s number keep rising fast… they’ve gotten nine points so far. — Rudan added, looking up uneasily.

— Miken. — I muttered under my breath, but my allies heard what I said.

Kasia turned to look at me, her head tilting slightly to the right. — Who?

— Some loser. — Precisely, Rudan, precisely.

— Oh, right, you never got to meet him. If you ever run into a stuck-up blonde élhain, you know who it is. — I bet he would treat Kasia the same way he did Rudan and Isane.

— He hasn’t scored a single point yet. — Isane frowned. — He doesn’t seem like the type of person who’d allow himself to lag behind.

— Maybe he’s saving his energy for the finale, y’know what I’m saying? — Said Rudan. — Like, popping off once everyone else is already tired out.

— Look at their team’s score and think again. He’s got zero points, one of them has four, the other has two and the last one’s got three. That would mean the walking, blonde-shaped inferiority complex is their King, don’t you think? — I continued, explaining my theory to them. — I think I know exactly what he’s wanting to do.

Isane looked at me, seemingly already picking up what I was putting down. — You think he wants to take you down himself, don’t you, Lucen?

— Is there bad blood between you two? — Kasia asked, seeming curious. — We have many rival tribes in my homeland, generational enemies, like the Mu’ten.

— Not really, no. He treats me like an enemy because he thinks I’m privileged and condescending due to being born an Osfner. — I explained in a tired tone, finishing with a sigh, which soon gave way to a confident smirk. — Well, maybe I am going to be a little condescending… Since he won’t even be able to land a hit on me.

— Yeah! That’s the spirit, captain! — Rudan smiled at me. Being called captain made me feel a little embarassed.

— Then we can’t stop now… let’s get back to it. — Readying another shot, Isane looked down. — I’ve only got three arrows…

The four of us climbed down from the tree and began walking through a drier part of the arena, with less snow covering the ground, which made it harder for us to track anyone down.

Kasia knelt down. Soon, she began to find footprints, detecting the traces left behind by the other players, small, green-colored circles of energy forming on her hands, it was as if she was one with nature itself.

I looked at the screen once again, time was running out faster than I would like… — We’ve got six points… still, that’s not enough. Let’s keep moving.

— Right, we’re getting closer. — Kasia nodded.

As we walked through the forest, hoping to catch someone in an ambush, Kasia suddenly stopped. Immediately, I did the same.

— The fallen leaves tell me of a danger ahead. — Kasia spoke while lifting up a handful of dry leaves. Somehow, she managed to notice a pattern of footprints on them… It’s scary how good she is at this.

Rudan sneaked his way behind a tree, folding his wings in order to hide them. — Hold up… I think I see something.

Kasia crouched down beside him, hiding behind some bushes. — The Blue and Lavender teams… The Blue Team just got done eliminating the last two members of Lavender. They’ve got twelve points now.

Rudan whispered, looking at her. — Yeah… and they’re moving very slowly. The blonde’s in the middle, and one of the guys is further in the back. They look a little lost… or maybe they’re tired.

— Guys… I got a plan. C’mere. — I began whispering to my teammates, explaining what our strategy would be. At this point, we were still undefeated, not a single one of our lives lost.

— Mhm, I suppose that makes sense. In that case, I’ll stay here to guard Isane. — Said Kasia with a smile on her face.

Isane stopped to contemplate things for a moment, but soon nodded at me. — Sounds kind of risky… but it does make sense. Let’s go.

Rudan crossed his arms and smiled widely. — Just don’t go trying to hog all the glory for yourself.

About a minute after we discussed the plan. Isane shot another arrow, counting down the seconds left until the lights turned on once more. Unfortunately, the arrow just barely missed it’s target. Fortunately, I had already come up with a Plan B for this exact occasion.

— Dammit, again! — The boy with the mullet shouted and ran to hide behind a tree. The three of them were still fairly close to each other. Wrong choice.

Isane kept her eyes trained on the targets. At the same time, I advanced our plan, running through the trees. I ran as fast as I could in order to corner them. When Isane shot the second arrow in order to create a diversion, and before they could take cover, I tossed my spear to the ground behind them. The other boy, the one with the bangs, was startled by the noise and fell forwards.

— Too late, I’m sorry if this hurts a little. — I dashed at them from behind the trees, using my Analysis spell to guarantee a hit. First, I touched the target on Mullet-guy’s back with my right hand and, almost at the same time, stepped on the other one’s back, touching his target as well, quickly kicking off from him afterwards, grabbing my spear and thrusting it into the ground. It was like frying an egg with two yolks.

— What in the-?! — Mullet-guy shook his head. He was kind of tall, and just as skinny as me. If I were to say, he could be a member of that one band in my grandfather’s vynil collection, The Beagles. — Ray, you okay?

— My back is, yeah… my chin though, man… — Bangs-guy got up from the ground rather quickly despite it all, he was about as tall as I was. There was a bit of blood coming out of his mouth. He spat on the floor, putting his jaw back in place with one hand.

— Sorry, I didn’t mean for that to happen. — I unstuck my spear from the ground, already preparing myself for the coming fight.

I stared down the blue team, and they stared back at me with a look of sheer disbelief at what had just happened. Now we had eight points.

— Nate, Rayner! You idiots! — She was your typical bossy rich girl… I’d better get Rudan away from her. — Where did you come from, Osfner?! — She pointed her finger at me, still looking somewhat spooked.

I pushed up my glasses — If you keep on not paying attention… — Almost like a replay, Rudan dove in from the skies once more, giving Nate a light slap on the back before using his wings to perform a mid-air sommersault, ending up hovering in the air beside me. — …You’ll keep on losing.

Nate was shocked by Rudan’s speed, of course. I would be too, even I couldn’t keep up with him. — Honestly… when I saw you ace the first test, I felt envious, but it seems like you really are all that and a bag of chips. I’m not going down without a fight. — He declared, lifting up a wooden hammer.

Rayner drew a wooden longsword, staring us down before looking at his hammer-wielding teammate. — We’re both down to our last life, and they have all three of theirs. Be careful.

The blonde girl was holding a bow and arrow, still angry. — God dammit… Stay alert you two, someone’s still trying to snipe us.

Her words made me realize something. Isane still had another arrow… — why hand’t she shot it yet? Something’s wrong. — Rudan, Ninja and Druid! Something’s not right!

Flying a little further up, Rudan shot me a worried look. — Yeah, but letting you fight alone against three? Are you crazy?

A chill ran down my spine, but I shook off my doubt. — Just leave it to me, don’t worry! Keep your head on the game. — I used my spear to point him in their direction.

— …Fine! Try not to go playing hero! — Rudan flew like a bullet to find our teammates. The blonde girl tried to snipe him with an arrow, but he skillfully dodged the projectile. I trust them, they will not lose.

My three opponents stared confusedly at me for a moment, but soon regained their composure, charging onto the offensive. I must not underestimate them.

A brief moment of silence fell between us. Since we were inside a closed-off dome, there was no wind blowing through the trees… there was nothing but the biting chill of winter as the sun began to set over the frozen lands of Gorskaria.

Martial Magic, First Strike.
My eyes traced the openings in their movements, just as they warned me of the danger their attacks posed towards me. Rayner was fast, he tried to hit me with a vertical swing of his sword, but it was easy to defend against, since our weapons were made of the same material, I turned my spear horizontally and used it’s shaft to block the attack. After our clash of weapons, both of us took a step backwards, Nate rushed in from the other side, trying to go around to hit the target on my back. I didn’t know if the lights were on or not. I fended him off by spinning my spear around me, hitting him in the face with the blunt end of it’s butt-end, sending him staggering backwards.

They kept on trying to land a hit on me, and I kept on backing away, narrowly dodging their strikes. Nate lunged forward with a diagonal swing of his hammer. The hammer grazed my face, making me flinch instinctively — half a second of delay and I would have been on the ground. — This is bad…

A twig snapped behind me. The sound echoed through the area, reminding me that even the forest itself could be an ally… or an enemy. They were far more skilled than the Brown team and actually knew how to fight together. I had to pull back, deal with them one at a time. One thing my father thaught me is that a battlefield is more than just two dimensions — it is three-dimensional.

The second I began looking around for a tree, Rayner tripped me up with a low kick. — Dammit! — Now there was no other way around it, I had to take the risk. I rolled onto my back on the ground, not knowing if that would lose me a life or not.

After that, Nate jumped, shouting — Hah! — and plunged his hammer into the ground, grazing my arm… it hurt a little, he was stronger than he looked. But it still left me an opening.

I had to rely on my luck. Lifting my leg, I tried to land a hit on Nate’s back with my heel while he was still getting up. Unfortunately for me, nothing happened. I used the polearm in my hands to prop myself up and move away as quickly as I could, thinking of a way I could use the terrain to my advantage. It was a good thing my opponents cared for each other.

— Nate, he got you! — Rayner shouted towards his friend, taking his eyes off me for a few moments.

— Relax… I’m still in the game. The lights were off… — Nate looked back at me.

By the time he did, I was already using my spear as a support to climb higher onto the tree’s branches, some of which creaked under my full weight — How did those two make this look so easy?

The blonde girl tried to shoot an arrow at me, but her aim was actually kind of off. The arrow ended up getting stuck on the tree’s trunk, and I pulled it out with my free hand.

— You almost got him, Trinity. — Nate tried to be nice towards her.

— Almost got him?! Are you blind by any chance? — She was rather angry. — No one told me the Osfner were part squirrel!

— Haha, that’s the first time I’ve heard of that! Okay then, if I’m a squirrel, just try and catch me. — I said as I disappeared into the treetops.

I continued watching them from above; they employed a simple strategy to avoid a possible ambush. They formed a circle in order to defend against attacks from unexpected angles, the three of them standing back to back with each other. I already had an inkling of a plan in mind.

I moved away a little, trying to be as silent as possible. My plan was still incomplete, and as I mulled over what I should do, I began to feel genuinely stumped… Until I remembered something. There was no wind blowing.

I stayed just far enough away for them to be unable to hit me, and just close enough for them to still be able to see what I was about to do. Then, I hurled my spear forward at the ground with all my might, plunging it diagonally into the earth. The boy named Rayner saw it, they kept the circle formation as they walked towards my spear. I, on the other hand, was already directly above where the spear had landed.

Analyzing the angle the spear got stuck in, Trinity looked at where I was a few seconds ago and, upon seeing nothing worth noting, kept on looking for me. — Judging by the angle, it must have come from over there… so where the hell is he?

Nate knelt down to get a closer look of it, likely thinking it must be a trick or a trap of some kind, or something along those lines, as his teammates looked around the area, searching for me while using the spear’s angle as a pointer. Too bad they never tried looking up above them.

His back was exposed, the blue light on his vest shone once more. I held the arrow, the same one Trinity had shot at me earlier, and took a deep breath, trying to remain as quiet as possible. I dropped the arrow, letting gravity do its work. I began to move away from them, feeling as if even the mere sound of my heartbeat could give away my location. After circling another tree’s trunk, I saw Nate’s portrait grey out on the scoreboard.

— What? — Nate exclaimed, confused over what had just happened. — I lost, but where did…?

I climbed down from the tree and watched as they talked to each other, hiding myself behind a boulder, waiting for the right moment to move.

— It can’t be! Where is he?! — Trinity kept looking around, trying to find me to no avail.

— An arrow. — Rayner crouched down to pick it up. Perfect…

He stopped for a second, frowning. Slowly, he turned his head to look around, as if something told him that things were amiss — maybe it was a noise, maybe it was a chill. Still, he hesitated, and in that moment of doubt, I began to move.

I moved between the trees, sneaking up behind him, still keeping my distance. I analyzed his movement pattern, using the shadows of the arena trees, which had become darker thanks to the setting sun. I crept along little by little, my steps silent. Within seconds of the targets lighting up, I was already right next to them.

— Wait… — Rayner looked up just as a shadow slipped through the branches. Too late.

— Looking for someone? — I popped up behind him and touched the target on his vest, taking the arrow from him. — Sorry, nothing personal.

— Where did you even come from…? — He stared at me as if I were some kind of ghost, or apparition.

— …We lost…? But…? — Nate was speechless, he seemed disappointed in himself. His eyes wide, his hand hovering over Rayner’s shoulder, frozen in place.

Trinity, on the other hand, didn’t say anything right away. She gripped the bow tightly, turning her gaze away. — If I didn’t hesitate, he might not have been able to pull that off.

I reached out my hand towards Nate, who still hadn’t gotten up from the ground. — There’s still one more test to go. I wouldn’t give up if I were you. It ain’t over til it’s over.

He stared at me in confusion for a moment, but chose to just graciously accept defeat, anyway — That’s true… And you’re every bit as good as they said you would be. — He shook my hand as I helped him up — Thanks, I guess…

Trinity loosened her grip on the bow and arrow, letting them slip from her hand, falling to the ground — Why do you put in so much effort? You’re an Osfner. You could just buy your way into the school, couldn’t you? Why don’t you just use your family’s money and status to secure a spot? Y’know, you don’t even need to be trying so hard… — For the first time since we met again, Trinity talked in a tone that wasn’t angry, but rather, sounded troubled.

— People have high expectations for me… If I fail to meet them, no one will believe I deserve to be here. What you just said is proof of that. In a real fight, the one who is most prepared comes out on top. It’s the same here. It doesn’t matter how much money, status, or fame one has, actual combat skill is not something you can buy. — I voiced out my thoughts, my spear already back in my hands as I began to walk away.

The troubled look on her face turned into one of no-longer-concealed sadness — It wasn’t just luck, was it? You planned all this from the start… It’s over, I failed… It’s my fault we lost, I don’t think I want to do this anymore…

I felt somewhat guilty, even though I knew these kinds of things were bound to happen during the entrance tests. Their team has a lot of potential, I didn’t want to beat them like this, but unfortunately, I knew… that trying to be encouraging would only make things worse for her… — If you’re going to give up so easily from something like that, then maybe you shouldn’t have come here in the first place. The battlefield is no place for the faint of heart. And you are too weak.

Trinity answered my taunt by glaring furiously at me. — You patronizing jerk, I’ll make you eat those words! — She stood up, tears welling up in her eyes as she grit her teeth, squeezing the grip of her practice bow with such intensity that it’s poor wooden body was starting to crack.

I didn’t think she would take the bait that easily… — Right… I’ll be waiting. — I turned my back on them and left with a bitter taste in my mouth. I hate having to play the bad guy… I can only hope someday she’ll understand why I said what I did, that maybe she’ll be able to forgive me. I already expected to win, and yet, somehow, I don’t feel victorious, I’m just more exhausted… Even so, Isane, Kasia and Rudan still need me. I’ve got to keep on moving.

I was short of breath. My arm was still throbbing — that hammer hit me harder than I thought it would. But I couldn’t stop. Not yet… I had to find my friends.

I looked up at the scoreboard and noticed we now had eleven points, putting us on a would-be tie with the blue team, were they still in the game. Yet, before I could celebrate, what I next saw on the screen made my heart sink. I ran through the trees as fast as I could, before fatigue could catch up to me, as I saw the number of lives under Isane’s name had changed.