The echo of the starting horn faded, and for a single, weirdly peaceful moment, the valley was quiet. Just the chilly wind, the darkening sky, and the snow-dusted trees. It was almost serene.
It only took a few breaths before the first scream rang out from the forest below, followed by the thump of an explosive spell that briefly lit the twilight sky.
A small snort escaped my nose. "Wow, those guys are quick."
Victoria didn't lower the spyglass she was looking through. "They're sloppy," she said. "No strategy. They charged the first team they saw and paid for it."
I tried narrowing my eyes to get a look too. "Where'd you get that anyway? And where is mine?"
"I brought it with me this morning. Unlike a certain little girl, I came prepared."
"Hmph, I didn't need it anyway." I pouted, crossing my arms.
She scanned the valley for another moment before collapsing the spyglass with a sharp click and tossing it to Kael. "Find us a real fight."
Kael snatched the spyglass out of the air, his own eyes already scanning the valley below. "Understood," he murmured, moving to the highest point on the hill. He was our lookout, the hill his watchtower.
Victoria drew her silver blade, the metal making a soft shing as it left the scabbard. She didn't look at me, but I knew what the order was. I followed, dropping the leather scabbard of my sword onto the grass, readying myself to pounce on our first target.
We stood there, swords in hand, predators poised at the edge of the forest, waiting for our spotter to point us to our prey. The distant sounds of battle grew, a scream here, a boom there—fights broke out across the valley.
Then, Kael's voice rolled down the hill from behind us. "Got one. Southeast, near the river. Looks like two weaker teams going at it. Hard."
I was the first to move.
Victoria was right beside me a half-second later. We didn't speak. Didn't need to. We zipped through the shadowy forest in a flash. The sounds of the fight grew closer—the ringing of blades, the desperate shouts, the crackle of magic.
We snuck up and found a ridge overlooking the riverbank. Below, two teams were locked in a desperate, sloppy brawl. Total mess. One team was on the verge of collapse, their frontline wounded. The other team was pressing the attack, but they were already exhausted, and their coordination was a wreck.
Victoria nudged my shoulder to get my attention. We exchanged looks, and she tilted her head toward the strongest-looking fighter on the attacking team.
I understood. You take him, I'll take the weakened ones. I gave a short, single nod in understanding.
I darted out of the ridge, making a dash straight toward the stronger team. Our sudden intrusion caught them off guard, all of them turning to me in surprise. My target, a burly man with a large poleaxe, reacted first.
He roared and swung his weapon in a wide, horizontal arc meant to cleave me in two as I approached. The heavy blade whistled through the air.
It was slow. Clumsy.
I dropped into a low slide, the attack sailing harmlessly over my head. I popped up inside his guard, too close for him to use the long weapon. My momentum carried me straight into his chest, my shoulder slamming into him like a battering ram. Air shot out of his lungs in a surprised grunt. He stumbled backward, his size not enough to make up for this lack of balance.
I didn't give him the chance to recover. I spun, my sword tracing its own horizontal arc in retaliation. He brought his poleaxe down in a panic, but it was too late.
My blade slipped right past, cutting into the side of his abdomen. As soon as I noticed his failed defense, I pulled back, not wanting to kill him.
The attack cut just deep enough. He let out a choked gasp of pain, his hands flying to the wound. The poleaxe dropped to the ground. For good measure, I gave him a kick, making sure he wouldn't get back up.
He fell, slumping over a nearby rock. I didn't give him a second glance; instead, I scanned the field. Victoria took advantage of my ambush and went after the weaker team. Her silver blade flashed as she effortlessly disarmed one and dashed straight to the banner carrier in the back.
Good. She's got that handled. I was left with 2 more targets.
They were staring, frozen for a split-second in shock at seeing their leader taken out so quickly. I pressed on, their hesitation—my opportunity.
I charged the nearest one, a swordsman. He brought his blade up to block, but I didn't meet it. I feinted, dropping down and sweeping at his legs with my sword. He yelped and leaped back, floundering over his own feet. As he flailed to regain his footing, I threw a punch straight at his face.
My gauntleted fist connected with an unhealthy crunch. He went tumbling back, crashing into a nearby tree in a heap.
One left.
I turned just in time to see an arrow whizzing past my ear. Shit! She's trying to kill me!
The woman archer locked eyes with me before dropping her bow and drawing a short blade from her hip. She didn't rush in, so I didn't either. She seemed better than those other two, and I wanted to see what she's got.
She circled, just outside of my reach; her steps were light, her eyes were sharp. Her gaze never left mine, cautious.
Then, she charged in, not with a clumsy, powerful swing, but with a flurry of fast jabs aimed at my wrists and joints. I blocked and parried, the tink-tink-tink of her blade against my sword a divergence from the heavy clashes before. She wasn't trying to overpower me; she was trying to outmaneuver me, to win by a thousand small cuts.
I let her continue on as a smile crept up my lips. She's good. I like her.
I found an opening and brought my massive sword around in a path she couldn't fully dodge. She was forced to bring her short blade up in a desperate, two-handed block. The impact sent a shudder through her entire body, but her defense held. She grit her teeth, glaring at me between the crossed blades.
I hopped back, and my palm shot out.
"Timeout!"
The archer flinched, her eyes wide with utter confusion. She held her block, still trembling, clearly expecting a trick. "What?" she gasped, head tilted in disbelief.
I just grinned, keeping my open palm raised between us. "You're good," I said in a casual conversational tone. "Way better than your two boyfriends. Why are you in the back with a bow?"
She just stared at me, her mind struggling to catch up. The fury in her eyes was gone, replaced by bewilderment. "I... I'm the best shot on the team," she stammered, like she was answering a question in a classroom, not a battle. "My role is ranged support."
"Tch. What a waste." I raised my sword again. "But—you're still in my way."
Before she could process my words, my sword moved. Instead of power this time, I used finesse, just a quick twist of my wrist. I hooked her blade, ripping it out of her grasp, and sent it flying into the trees.
She stared at her now weaponless hands, mouth agape. I flicked her forehead, "You're not an archer anymore. Okay?"
With that, three down.
Now, what is Vicky up to?
I surveyed the rest of the river battlefield. The brawl was over, my targets were down, and Victoria stood triumphant, holding the other banner.
That left one more prize. I strode over to the banner of the team I'd just dismantled. The archer decided to check on her teammates instead of resisting, so I snatched it up.
I looked over and met Victoria's gaze from across the clearing. I waved our newly acquired prize. She nodded before turning and running back to our hill, so I followed.
As we melted back into the forest, figures in uniforms popped out of the trees. Medics and referees. They moved swiftly, already tending to the wounded cadets.
So that's how it is... Chaperones.
Our hunt was going perfectly, three banners in our possession.
We made it back to our hill without any interruptions. I dug our two captured banners into the ground as Kael gave us a whistle of approval.
The next few battles were uneventful. None of them as interesting as that archer woman. Our system was flawless.
Kael called out another skirmish, this one further out, in a rocky pass. "They're bottlenecked," he reported. "Distracted." Victoria and I didn't even have to get our hands dirty. Both teams were so preoccupied with their fight, we were able to snatch a banner left leaning against a rock. It only took seconds for us to grab it and leave with no one noticing. Banner number four.
Later, we found a lone team trying to sneak along the river. Their leader was another big guy with a big weapon. Victoria took charge this time, facing him head-on. It wasn't even a fight; it was a lesson. Her strikes were a storm of silver. The duel ended with him disarmed and on his knees. I snuck past and took out the one holding their banner before taking it and slinking back into the woods. Banner number five.
The last one was comically easy. We watched a team win a close battle, and for some reason, they were arguing over who got the final blow. I slipped into their camp and was already on top of their banner before the lookout even turned his head. By the time he shouted for his team, I was already gone, flag in hand. Banner number six.
I returned to our base, Kael shaking his head in disbelief. Victoria was actually smiling and smacked me on my back as I planted the banner. We now had six, our own plus five more, all fluttering in the wind.
It was now night, only a bit left before time was up.
I looked out over the valley from our hilltop. The fighting had mostly died down. Most teams were either eliminated, hiding, or hoping to survive the last few minutes. I felt invincible.
"Ladies," Kael's voice was suddenly low, cutting into my gloating thoughts. "Movement. One team. Fast. Coming straight at us."
My head snapped in the direction he was looking. Victoria gestured for the spyglass from Kael and immediately focused on the threat. It was only a few seconds before she lowered it, her expression grim, and offered it to me.
I took a look.
Emerging from the dark treeline at the base of our hill was a single, disciplined unit, the team I wanted to fight the most. Asher Deylin's team.
They were carrying trophies of their own. Even in the waning light, I could count the banners they carried. One, two, three, four, five... six. They had six banners.
The two of us, the top two teams in the tournament, now controlled twelve of the eighteen banners. This wasn't a coincidental encounter. They were here for us.
Asher looked up the hill, his form glowing under the moon's light. Our eyes locked despite the distance. He raised his hand and gave a slow, deliberate, beckoning gesture.
The hunt was over. It was time for me to kick this guy's ass.