Team Red:
1. Roy Celgius (Leader). Weapons: 2 Swords
2. Andrew Celgius. Weapons: Big Axe and Shield
3. Sophia Vila. Weapons: 1 Spear and 1 Sword
4. Stephanie Lisa. Weapons: 1 Sword
5. Kylie Lokes. Weapons: 1 Sword and Shield
6. Ria Velton. Weapons: 2 Small Swords and Bow
7. Crimzo Lee. Weapons: 2 Battle axe and Bow
8. Henry Loith. Weapons: 1 Long Sword
9. Loyd Harren. Weapons: 1 Sword and 2 small Swords
10. Lora Brave. Weapons: 1 Sword and Daggers
11. Bran Pole. Weapons: 1 Sword
12. Torin Yoav. Weapons: 1 Sword and Shield
13. Nessa Karum. Weapons: 1 Sword and Shield
14. William Jord. Weapons: A Morning Star
15. Alice Milly. Weapons: 1 Sword
~Roy
We followed the instructor. Stephanie walked beside me, and the others moved in groups behind us. We walked on a dirt road lined with scattered rocks and patches of rough grass. Open spaces and trees surrounded us.
The instructor kept a steady pace and talked without turning around. "Each team will be assigned a flag color. Your flag is red. If your main flag at your base is destroyed, you will be eliminated. You will also have additional flags that are different from the main flag in shape. These flags are used to capture new areas."
I listened to him, already making new plans in my head.
Stephanie moved a little closer. "These new rules change everything," she said quietly. "Now we have to protect you, don't we?" She smiled at me, teasingly.
I looked at her. "That's not the real problem," I muttered. "We need someone to check the camp daily for the latest news. But it's dangerous. If he gets ambushed, we could lose him—and valuable information, too."
Stephanie nodded. "So, we're sending a group instead of one person?"
"Exactly," I said. "But that will slow us down. I'll think of a solution."
She sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "We need to think this through carefully."
I didn't reply. I was just thinking.
"You always look so serious when you're planning," she said, her voice softening.
I looked at her, taken aback for a moment. "Is that so?"
She smiled again but said nothing more.
We finally arrived at our base, which was an open area surrounded by a few trees. Supply crates were stacked near two large tents. The instructor stopped and faced us.
"You have enough food for three days. You also have plenty of building materials. Use them to set up barricades or whatever else you need for defense."
He paused before continuing. "Listen carefully. The areas you will be trying to capture are guarded by soldiers. You must defeat them to take the area, but you cannot use weapons against them. You must use only hand-to-hand combat. Weapons are only permitted in battles against other cadets."
Silence fell over the group. Most of us were surprised. They're just telling us this now?
Alice frowned. "So, we can only use weapons against other teams?"
The instructor replied, "That's right. However, when you take the zone under your command, the soldiers there will fight with you. You can give them weapons, and they will defend the zone for you. Any other instructions will be announced at the camp." That's all. Good luck out there." With that, he turned and walked away.
Having soldiers to defend the zone will allow us to expand our presence on the battlefield.
As soon as he left, I turned. "Gather around."
Everyone approached. William raised his eyebrow. "What now, Red Scarf?"
Can he stop calling me that…
Crimzo leaned on his bow and smiled. "You've definitely come up with something new."
I nodded. "At camp, we split into two teams. That's no longer enough." I knelt down, opened the map, and pinned it with a small stone. "Now, we'll move in threes."
Everyone looked surprised.
It was now the middle of the day. The sun was high in the sky, but it was cloudy. We were entering autumn.
I began to speak with a calm tone. "This is the plan. The first team will be the attack team. It will consist of me, Henry, Kylie, Stephanie, and William. Our mission is to move quickly and start taking over zones."
Henry raised his hand slightly. "Wait a second... Sorry to interrupt you, but shouldn't you stay in the back? You're the leader. If we lose you, we lose everything."
The others nodded in agreement.
Andrew smirked. "You just have to trust Roy. He always does weird things, but it always works out in the end."
I looked at Henry steadily. "I understand the risks. But I won't be alone, and this is the only way our plan will work. I need to be on the front line."
While saying this, I looked into their eyes one by one.
"The second team will support the other teams. It will consist of Alice, Bran, Torin, and Nessa. You will be the middle ground between offense and defense."
I pointed to the central area on the map between our base and the first zone. "You will remain on the move. Your mission is to support any team that needs it. Again, consider yourselves the link between offense and defense."
I looked at Alice. "You will lead this team."
She nodded firmly.
Nessa tilted her head slightly. "So, we'll rotate between the two groups? Intervene when needed?"
I nodded. "Exactly. We'll also use the whistle signals we practiced. If anyone calls for support, you move."
Bran folded his arms and smiled. "Okay. Count on us."
He turned to the last group. "And finally, the defense team. Andrew, Sophia, Loyd, Ria, and Lora, you'll protect the base."
I pointed to Sophia. "You'll be in charge of rescue operations at the camp. Anyone with serious injuries should come to you."
Then I pointed to Stephanie. "You're with me on the front lines. Your first aid knowledge and combat skills will be essential there."
She nodded enthusiastically. "Roger that."
Having her with us was reassuring. She's strong and fast, and she knows first aid. Stephanie had proven herself more than once in the past few months.
Andrew let out a muffled laugh. "So, our job is to defend this place. That's going to be boring."
I smirked. "Don't worry. You'll be attacked a lot..."
He put his hand behind his head. "I sense that you're planning to use us as bait."
I replied, my smile never leaving my face. "We're all bait in this game. But that's not what I meant. Expect attacks, especially when we start taking over areas."
Then, leaning back with his hands behind his head and a smile on his face, Crimzo chimed in. "Yo, did you forget about me?"
I looked at him seriously. "Crimzo, you're the most important one between us. You're the one who's going to the camp. You'll track daily updates, gather information, and spy on the other teams. But you'll go with Alice's team. They will cover your first half of the path in case of an emergency."
Crimzo sighed, pretending to be tired. "So, I'm the one with the difficult tasks again. No rest for the skilled."
Lora asked a question. "When you said we would take over the area near the camp first, does that mean we're planning to move the base there?"
"Yes," I replied. "That's our first big move. If we take that area, we'll move the base there. It will give us better access to the main areas, but we'll be vulnerable to attacks from multiple directions."
Sophia raised an eyebrow and smiled wryly. "So, you want to bring trouble to us?"
I shrugged. "We'll be moving around a lot. Trouble will follow us anyway so. But don't worry; I have a plan for that."
Andrew stepped forward and looked at the boxes and supplies. "What are we going to do now? Start building some defenses?"
"Yes, for now, we will only set up a light defense.. We won't be here long if things go as planned."
Everyone goes off to start working.
Nessa and Crimzo started by setting up the traps along the tree line of our base. Alice and Bran examined the movement paths and retreat points on the map and drew them.
Meanwhile, Andrew, Sophia, and Lora organized the medical supplies and set up a small emergency area. Finally, William, Loyd, and the others organized the building materials and marked the locations for the barricades.
While working in the barricade's construction, I raised my voice so everyone can hear it clearly, "Once we're done setting things, let's all gather to talk about our plan for tomorrow."
Crimzo came closer, smiling weirdly. "Hey, Red Scarf. Did you call me?"
I narrowed my eyes as I looked at him. I really don't like that nickname, and I actually called him because I had something I wanted to talk with him about. "How are the traps doing?"
His face was finally back to normal, with a normal smile. "Everything is fine for now. We're digging some holes."
I nodded. "Thank you for your work. I actually want you to stop and do something right now."
He tilted his head. "What?"
A little smile spread across my face. "Listen carefully..."