When the less patient individuals amongst each species had completed their tasks, they were left with nothing else to do but think about the tournament. Sadly, it didn’t take long for someone to realize he could increase his winning chances with a simple push.

Once one person fell, it stirred a domino effect which led to more and more violence. Finally, when the elves got involved, not even the pixies were safe.

"Let me go!" a tiny girl screamed as she was caught by one of them. The elf quickly tied her up and tried to throw the pixie off the edge of the platform.

“My apologies,” he muttered while extending his hand. However, before the tall man could finish, white smoke started spurting out of his body. It was now his turn to scream, as hundreds of invisible wind blades ripped into his flesh.

“Free her!” a pixie with a short white ponytail shouted. “Comrades, prepare to re-engage the enemy. Authorization code ‘Grasslands Minor.’ Use plan 352.”

“Huza!”

Upon hearing the familiar instructions, Timofey’s expression turned sour. Was he doing the right thing by hanging out with this human? Would his gamble actually pay off?

‘Act for the tribe not like it,’ the boy started chanting with fervor. His master’s teachings were the gospel he lived by, and even now, he would follow them to the letter.

“Holy s**t,” someone cursed when a burst of white spread across the invisible barrier.

“By Dumathoin, what’s going on?”

While the crowd foolishly stared at the approaching danger, Alric and Timofey slipped through the cracks. Alric considered letting everyone know what happened, but it would’ve impeded their movements and could've easily made things worse.

‘There’s nowhere to run,’ he realized. Yes, he could postpone the inevitable, but unless this round ended, the conflict would eventually spread everywhere.

“This is giving me flashbacks,” Timofey said in an almost nostalgic tone. Though only for a moment, Alric looked up causing him to trip on something and fall.

“Uaaaa!”

‘A kid?’ Realizing his blunder, the youth ignored his own pain and turned to check on him. Fortunately, the 10 year old boy was nowhere near as hurt as his wailing might have suggested. Besides a sore bum and a couple of scratches on his palms, he seemed fine.

“Watch where you’re going,” somebody chided. Upon lifting his head, Alric saw a young woman with red hair, freckles, and a pissed off gaze.

“Ana?” he muttered instinctively. However, the girl was much too muscular to be his ex, and was a bit shorter as well. ‘Her chest isn’t anything to brag about either.’

“Wake up a-hole,” Timofey complained from above. “If you start dreaming again, I’m leaving you here.”

Even now, the echoes of war could be heard by those paying attention. Angry and pained screams mixed together creating a haunting tune that made Alric’s hair stand on end.

“You need to run, both of you,” he said without thinking. Despite the girl being a total stranger, for some unexplainable reason, Alric couldn’t bring himself to abandon her.

While the pixie was face-palming above his head, the woman was hugging the wailing kid and patting his back.

“Hey, listen to me.”

“Touch me and you’ll regret it.” The girl was only five feet tall.

“They’re coming!” Alric pointed towards the back where more and more smoke was spurting into the barrier.

“Huza! Huza!”

The pixies’ victory cries were getting closer as were the sounds of combat. It took a moment for the situation to register inside the girl’s head, but once it did, she immediately turned around and sprinted for cover. Since her choice of direction happened to coincide with Alric’s plan, they all started running together.

“What is going on?” she asked while making her way through the forest of people. The boy in her arms was a considerable problem, but she refused to let go.

“Hand over the kid,” said Alric. “You’re too slow.” His statement made her eyes twitch, and she stubbornly pushed on. Fortunately, the child stopped crying soon after and asked to walk on his own.

“Great, now move it!” Timofey shouted. From his higher vantage point, the murderous wave heading their way felt close enough to touch.

They continued running, with the child surprisingly taking the lead. Fortunately, very few people had the insight to retreat towards the center, so there was still sufficient space within the crowd.

“The name’s Rachel, but you can call me Rae.” After a while, the girl decided to introduce herself.

“I’m Finn,” the kid joined in.

“Alric and Tim. Conflict broke out at the edge of the platform, and it’s heading our way.”

After hearing his name, Rachel soon realized this youth was the one Amon Grigori had interviewed. ‘That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s competent, but still...’ “So, what’s the plan?”

“We keep running,” Timofey explained. As more and more people were noticing the disturbance, panic was bound to ensue. Like them, those unwilling to fight would retreat from the conflict creating a mass of people with zero openings. When that happened, the platform’s center would arguably become the safest spot.

“Even if we reach the middle, your buddies can still reach us,” Rachel pointed out. Even as they were talking, some of the winged species were flying towards the conflict to verify the situation.

“Not if the round ends before that,” said Alric. Unfortunately, there was no way of knowing when everyone would find a match. “We get to the center and then convince as many people as possible to hurry and partner up.”

‘Not a bad plan,’ the pixie appreciated. It seemed like his partner’s brain was still functional. ‘And, what is up with that female?’ From Alric’s vague explanation, she managed to deduce the situation accurately and even realized the pixies would be a problem.

Timofey remembered the demon host’s presentation. ‘Ingenious indeed,’ he grinned cheekily. ‘I’ve made the right choice.’

…………………………………………………………………………….

After running for what felt like an hour, the newly formed team stopped to catch their breaths. The sounds of battle couldn’t be heard anymore and they were safe at least for now.

“Can you help me find a partner?” Finn asked before pulling out his block. He was also panting, though compared to Alric, the boy may as well have been an Olympic athlete.

“Sure. Just… give me a moment,” said the youth.

“Finn, stay near me,” Rachel instructed before taking in a large breath. “Everyone, listen!” she suddenly shouted. “There’s fighting near the edge and it’s coming our way. If you don’t want to get dragged into it, complete your blocks and help end this round!”

For a long moment, people stared at her like she was talking nonsense. Fortunately, although they didn’t fully grasp her speech, it did motivate them to get moving.

“I’m looking for a dwarven partner!” shouted a short muscular lady in trousers and a raincoat.

“Any elves around who’ve yet to match?”

Slowly but surely, people took action. Fear of conflict overpowered their fear of failure, and they began searching in earnest.

“Spread the word!” shouted Rachel. “We need to hurry!”

While the crowd was getting more and more rowdy, Alric’s eyes started shining ever so slightly. Ending the round was his idea, but the youth was glad he didn’t have to implement it.

‘Social butterflies are something else,’ he thought while getting up. Now that everyone was on the move, it was time to find a partner as well.

‘Should I go with Finn?’ The child was an obvious liability. Though it was regretful, Alric wasn’t in a position to help someone else.

“Yay!” While he was thinking this, the 10 year old boy started jumping with excitement. In Rachel’s hands, a newly formed green block was shining brightly.

‘Are you insane?’ Alric’s expression seemed to say as his jaw hit the floor. However, seeing the girl’s relieved expression and the boy’s elation, he held his tongue.

“Buahahaha! And, I thought my kind were reckless,” Timofey’s laughter resounded from above. “To each his own, right Alric?”

To the pixie’s annoyance, the boy ignored him. ‘This isn’t the time for jokes or reckless behavior,’ he thought while trying to focus. ‘I need to find a partner before it’s too late.’

The sounds of war were getting closer. Near the edge, the humans and dwarves who had initially instigated this conflict were now struggling to fight back against the much stronger elves. However, although news of these battles were spreading like wildfire, the situation was different further inside the platform.

At this point, only the pixies insisted on spilling white blood while the other three humanoids were on the defensive. Unfortunately, since the tiny tyrants could fly when things got dangerous, no race posed enough of a threat to stop them.

“Is anybody left without a partner!?” In the meantime, Alric was struggling to complete his block. Thanks to his idea and Rachel’s lead, everyone did their task in a hurry, regardless if they passed or burst into pieces. As a result, by the time the youth started searching, there was simply no one left in their area to team up with.

“Need some help?” a cheeky voice was heard from above. Alric once again ignored Timofey, though he would soon regret it.

In the next moment, a tiny rectangle was placed on top of his own. Then, as if by magic, it grew to match the bigger part’s size and they both merged into a green square block.

‘I’m a bloody genius,’ thought the pixie with glee. While Alric was despairing like never before, the grinning Timofey was literally patting himself on the back.