Jabroot slithered proudly as he looked at the little fairies hovering in the air. He still could not understand why the elder was treating these tiny things with such respect. If it was him, and he had the elder's power, he would have pulverized them by now.
Now he had his chance. He was not sure how much damage he was allowed to do, given how delicate they looked, but since they had asked for it, he would give it his all. It would not be his fault, would it?
A proud serpentine warrior, Jabroot had always revered as the most talented in their clan. The elder always insisted on growing the power of the youth. No doubt, this was a test for them also. He had to impress.
Similar thoughts were going through his fellow warriors, all except Sabina. She was quite enamored by the fairies. In her eyes, they looked too cute, and she would feel bad having to hurt them. However, she too wanted to impress the elder, so she had to do her best.
As the two groups lined up to face each other, the competition was quickly underway. After the elder's loud shout, the two groups advanced towards each other.
While the fairies moved together, there was little evidence of organization between them. It seemed they had decided that they would each pick a target and engage them in whatever capabilities they had.
As such, three fairies charged forward, while two flew up. Asha was an archer, and thus she did not need to engage in a physical battle. Luita's training had been grueling, and she was the best student, which showcased her skill in aerial bombardment.
The other fairy to go up was Medina, Nixa's pick. She wanted altitude, but not just for the sake. Her intention was to rise high enough before shooting down at her opponent.
The other fairies each rushed at their target to engage in melee battle. These fairies had never fought in such an event before. They were primarily hunters, and it showed.
As for the basilisks, something spectacular was happening. It was the exact opposite of the fairies. The basilisks appeared to be rather organized, and able to form a sophisticated team.
Two powerful basilisks moved forward to intercept and tank the incoming fairies, while three others arrayed themselves further back for some ranged bombardment. This team looked well-oiled and used to working as a team. Even Kigen was impressed.
Watching the juniors moving forward, Nina couldn't help frowning. I mean, the basilisks, as the senior called them, were massive serpents the size of small trees. Coiled up with their thick hide, how were the juniors going to survive?
Boom! With their horns, the two lead serpentine warriors braced for impact.
While everyone watched, the three fairies were intercepted by two powerful looking basilisks. Despite the fairies coming to a halt, the two basilisks did not seem to have come out unscathed.
Jabroot and his fellow looked a bit out of it, as though that last hit was quite damaging. They seemed to reel with pain and their powerful bodies buckled under pressure.
When Fidha had seen the basilisks extending their powerful horns to meet them, a small smile had appeared in his mouth.
Fools! He thought, as made his approach. How often had he had to confront a charging bull? His size had never been a problem. A powerful rod extended from his palms, smacking the horns out of the way.
However, the impact had been too powerful, he too had taken damage, shooting backwards. Thus, both ended up taking significant damage. Fidha had a great smile as he rose to go in for a second strike.
Meanwhile, Asha was just the right height. She had just conjured a bow and was in the process of nocking an arrow. Her eyes scanned the crowd beneath her, looking for a suitable target. That was when she locked eyes with Seitu.
Long, powerful, but with a specific specialization. Famed for his use of poison, Seitu reared at the back. Just like Asha, he'd been scanning for targets. Instantly, the two exchanged blows. One was poison spittle, the other, an arrow.
Asha was nimble and extremely agile in the air. With a fluttering of her mid wings, she easily evaded the attack. However, Seitu did not fare so well. Perhaps, due to underestimation, he had not bothered to dodge the small arrow. After all, what could that small thing do to him.
However, he found that he was seriously wrong. The little arrow did quite a lot more damage than he expected. While it did not hit any specific vulnerable place, it dug deep into one of the chinks under the opponent's scales right on the face.
Once the arrow found its mark, small tendrils sprouted from it, digging into the enemy's face. This caused the serpent to let out a horrified yelp.
Watching all this, Kigen was very impressed. He had not thought of using such an ingenious way to attack the enemy. He'd have just gone for the eye, but in such a bout, that would have been frowned upon.
When Medina had finally reached perfect altitude, she turned, overlooking the battlefield. Her eyes scanned, and something caught her eye. Sifa, one of the fairies that had been charging forward, was entangled with a basilisk, and they were trading blows.
One wielded a rod, while the other used their horns. While Sifa fought, she did not notice the danger. The huge basilisk had pulled forth its tail while fighting, and the monstrous whiplike tail loomed dangerously close to the little fairy.
Once it was close enough, the basilisk seemed ready to strike.
As per the rules, once someone was thrown out of the circle, they were off the contest. It seemed as though Sifa would be the first to be gone. Foli looked on with much sorrow in his face.
Sifa was the pride of his group. The little fairy was very impressive, but here she was, about to claim the tail end. He hated this. He wanted to warn her, but that would be against the rules, so he just flew there.
Suddenly something flashed past Sifa, moving so fast not many had noticed it until it passed. However, one fairy had been keeping tabs, and she had a great smile on her face.
Puff! With a sudden impact, Medina violently smacked into the basilisk Sifa had been fighting with, sending the whip which had just begun to descend out of its course. Worse still, the serpent was tossed off the circle like a ragdoll.
As this was happening, a magnificent rod was descending upon Jabroot, primed to break off the horns. Fidha was giving his all, so happy with this fight.
Unfortunately, he had not been paying attention to the battlefield. A massive tail came out of nowhere, knocking him off the air, causing him to splatter dangerously on the forest ground. Fortunately, he fell just on the right side of the circle. He was still in the fight, although after that fall, it was unclear whether he would get up.
Jabroot, who had been so proud, felt a lot of pressure get relieved. He glanced at Sabrina appreciatively, before charging at Fidha. The fairy had been more powerful than he thought, so he wanted to toss off the little thing before it could bring more danger.
By now, Asha had been shooting multiple arrows all over the place. Her goal was to disrupt the enemy's attack, while offering support to her allies when appropriate. She was trained by the best archer in the family, and she was trained to be part of a team.
However, arrows were proving inefficient. What could she do to that massive basilisk to knock him off his track?
taking back her weapons, just like Medina had, Asha shot down, heading towards Jabroot. She was high enough, and she had done some of these attacks before. She just needed to knock the opponent off their tracks, long enough to give her teammate time to rise.
Her target was more alert than she thought. Seeing the little fairy coming its way, Jabroot instantly turned his head. He would have moved to stuff the thing into his mouth, but that would have been going too much. Hence, he turned his horn around, seeking to impale the fairy.
Asha smiled as she swooped ever closer. Fairies had magnificent abilities in the air. They could instantly change direction while maintaining speed and momentum. Moreover, Jabroot's body was too massive, she couldn't miss.
Unlike Medina's attack, while Asha's attack still landed, Jabroot had been ready. He braced himself, and hence, did not suffer as much, and he was not tossed out.
However, he was enraged. Stupid fairy dares to attack him! With his massive gait, he swooped in. This time, he forgot himself. His teeth were out, and he was ready to devour the fairy.
Whack!
Fidha's rod had devastating effects, as they sent the serpent sprawling to the ground. Without giving it time to breath, he followed up with another whack, leading it closer and closer to the edge.
Just as Sabrina was about to intervene again, she reeled in pain as a small arrow found its way to the underside of her mouth. The little tendrils digging into her body caused her to spasm in pain, and she furiously tried to remove the arrow.
As she was doing this, Asha moved once more. Working in tandem with Fidha, the two fairies lunged into the serpent. Jabroot had been right on the edge, and he was not particularly flexible on the ground. He preferred the water.
Unable to get out of the way in time, to his shock, he found himself out of the ring!