Somewhere behind the sparring trio there was another pair battling it off. At least, it’s supposed to be a battle but it appeared to be a one sided massacre from the Chrysos side of the fight.

“You should just give up, little man!” shouted the purple-haired girl from Team Chrysos. “There is no way for you to beat me with that puny little shield of yours.” Little bolts of sharp stone edges flew in her opponent’s direction as she said this.

“Not really,” answered Hart honestly, shielding himself from the projectiles. “But then again, I don’t intend to.”

It was a strange fight to watch. On one side stood a mystical beauty, clad in a traditional white toga and surrounded by numerous rocks. In her hand was a wooden staff, obviously her soul as seen by the green gem embedded in it. She had stockpiled a large sum of projectiles before entering the fray, as preparation was the weakness of any caster.

Opposing her stood a simple young lad, armed with a shield and sword. Only the helmet on Hart’s head was unique as it featured some truly odd design choices. Two long strands of iron protruded from the top and disappeared in the nape of his shirt. He’d ditched the wooden pole earlier as it would only hinder his movements and was now protecting himself from the incoming missiles.

Hart tried to approach the girl but it proved to be very difficult. She was aiming at different parts of the body which made it hard to preserve his balance so he was forced to approach carefully. If he lost his balance he’d be dead within seconds.

“I got to say, you guys are pretty interesting,” shouted the girl, still slinging the sharp rocks at the boy. “You guys are the first opponents to have been lucky enough to survive Lord Chrysos’s attack.”

Hart smiled. That wasn’t luck, that was the result of careful observation and planning. They had watched all of their opponent’s fights before the match and had devised a way to counter the sure-kill attack that Lord Chrysos wasn’t shy to use. His attack not only paralyzed the poor victims, it sometimes roasted them to a crisp. Who’d have thought that wearing copper wires would reduce the attack so significantly?

“But you know?” taunted the girl. “It’d take more than just a bit of dumb luck to best our Lord, he is the Chosen One after all.”

Hart had no idea what the girl was talking about but he really couldn’t be bothered by it. The incoming missiles didn’t seem to stop and he was sure they were getting larger by the minute. He really wished his brothers would finish the job soon.

********************

The plan to limit Max’s movements was a success. Bart had watched all of their fights and drew the conclusion that their opponent had two weaknesses. The most obvious one was that Max imbued all of his actions with electricity. Be it fighting, charging or defending, the guy always relied on his electrical affinity. Sure his electrical attacks were strong but they had a glaring weakness. Anything that is conductive. the mud pool was a great way to limit it. The mud would disperse every attack Max used into the surrounding area limiting his damage output greatly, potentially even damaging himself. Without his lighting, Max was just a guy with a spear.

The two brothers attacked the fallen Noble without mercy. Lart had cast aside his shield and jumped in Max’s direction with dagger in hand. Bart took a few steps back and murmured an inaudible incantation and small balls of water started to revolve around his body. Lart aimed for the throat, an open target as Max had completely lost his balance.

*Splash*

Before Lart could even reach his opponent his face was hit by a wave of mud. Startled by the unexpected attack, some got into his eyes and blinded him momentarily.

But that moment was enough. With inhumane reflexes, Max stabbed his spear into the ground and used it as a base to jump into the air. Moving with amazing feline grace as his feet swept up into the sky, Max used both his hands to grab the spear tightly and balance his weight on top of it. He poured energy into the spear and screamed:

“Screw you!”

With those words he unleashed a massive electrical jolt into the puddle. Since he was in the air, he wasn’t affected, but his assailant felt the whole thing.

Lart’s body started to genuinely spasm this time. His mouth foamed violently and his eyes were moving erratically. He dropped his knife and fell to his knees, his entire body unable to sustain his weight anymore. The boy just sat in the mud, breathing heavily. He was still conscious, but barely.

Max dropped his feet back into the mud and took out his spear. He cleaved the empty air in front of him and swatted the dirt off his weapon. He then looked at his fried opponent.

‘This little bastard will suffer,’ thought Max. He gripped his spear tightly and aimed for the boy’s right leg.

“RAAAH!” screamed Lart as he grabbed for his leg, but all he found air. Max had cut off the leg entirely and blood was oozing out of the stump. A piece of white bone protruded from the bleeding flesh and small slivers of fat decorated the red meat. Lart’s back arched in pain.

But Max wa still not done, he was going to give this boy the most painful death he could imagine. He took his spear and stabbed it right in his abdomen.

Blood came gushing out of Lart’s mouth and his entire body fell forward. His mind had gone entirely numb but still hadn’t lost consciousness. The piercing pain scrambled all of his thoughts and he desperately tried to grab the object that impaled him.

“NOOOOOOO!” screamed Bart from a distance.

“Don’t worry,” said Max as he removed the spear. “He won’t die quickly. I guess he’s got a few more minutes to live. More than enough for me to take care of you, I recon.” Lart was still breathing heavily but he’d come back to his senses. He knew his life was over, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t prepare the next attack.

“Bastard, take this! Fièrum Nero!” shouted Bart angrily and he sent out the orbs of water he’d been gathering. He shot them in Max’s direction, eight projectiles launched at once.

Max spun his spear in front of him and the entire volley of orbs splashed into a million droplets, dowsing Max entirely. Even if the mud had soaked his pants, his entire body was now covered in water.

‘Oh shit!’ thought Max as he realized his mistake. Since his entire body was now drenched he couldn’t use his lightning at all anymore. Max didn’t know exactly how a wet body would react to electricity but it certainly wouldn’t be beneficial.

“Clever,” said Max with a condescending smile. He jumped into the air once again and aimed straight for the remaining boy’s location. He spun his body and slammed down the spear onto the remaining boy.

*Clachenk*

The spear met with the black staff and Bart was thrown back a few meters. His back arched and he coughed up a bit of blood, the blow was just that hard. Bart dropped into a barrel roll to safely stop his unfavorable momentum, certain Max was not done with him yet. Looking forward, Bart saw his opponent running towards him at a speed he didn’t think was humanly possible.

As Max came within range he thrust his spear, using the momentum of his rush to enhance his attack. Yet all he hit was empty air because Bart had dropped his entire body to the ground to dodge the blow. Unwilling to trip over his opponent, Max used the tip of his spear to push his body into the air and land a few meters away.

Shit! That hurts! Time for our backup plan, Bart. Resounded a voice in Bart’s head. Bart looked back at the puddle and saw Lart had successfully crawled out of the pit.

You sure? Don’t you need medical attention?

It’s too late for me, all I can do is make sure this plan works out.

Alright, throw the vials into the puddle evenly. That way we’ll be sure to hit him.

Bart ran back towards the puddle as Lart took a few vials on a clear liquid from his pockets, opened their lids and threw them in various directions.

Max quickly turned around when he landed on his feet and saw Bart run back to the mud pool. With the problems that particular spot gave him Max didn’t want to deal with it again. He sprinted as hard as he could but the boy was already on the other side of the middle before he arrived. Max looked around and saw that Lart was lying on the side, breathing heavily. ‘Still holding onto your dear life?’ thought Max. ‘How pathetic.” And then Lart vanished from his consciousness entirely, he focussed entirely on the magic casting boy. Lart was of no threat anymore, he would die in due time.

But as Max decided this, he felt the power in him ebb away. The constant flow of energy and power flowing through is veins disappeared and he was left to his own devices. The time limit had run out.

Uncertain as to what his next course of action should be, he decided to aim straight for the caster. Going around the mud field would give the boy too much time to prepare and Max wasn’t entirely sure if he could block another barrage of spells on his own. He jumped into the mud and started to run as fast as possible. ‘What is this smell?’

*Swish*

“OW!” screamed Max as a painful object penetrated right leg and fell to the ground. He looked at his leg and saw a knife stuck in his calf.

*Swish*

“OUCH!” exclaimed Max as his other leg was hit. His mind went numb with pain and he grabbed both of his legs instinctively. He looked in the direction the knives had come from and his gaze rested on the half dead boy. In his hands were little knives like the one he’d threatened him with and realized why it had been such a small knife. They were throwing knife.

Max tried to stand back up using his spear as support. His mind screamed in agony as he placed the weight on his wounds but he was not going to give up. He looked at Lart again but saw that he had fallen unconscious. Even though the smile on the guy’s face irked him, Max quickly turned to the guy with the staff.

A single flame floated around the grinning boy and Max realized with horror what that smell was.

Gasoline.

Max knew he couldn’t win anymore and took the spear into his hand. He tried to quickly change the shape of his spear into a white flag to show he surrendered.

“I’m sorry Max, but there are people who don’t want to see you alive. Nothing personal.”

And with those words Bart flung the single fireball into the mud. The gasoline caught fire instantly and the entire pool was engulfed in flames.

“RAAAAAAAAH!”

Red hot flames surrounded Max’s body as he screamed in agony. In his hand was a white flag and he waved it frantically but it was too late. His body fell to the ground, the pain in his leg only amplified by the sensation of burning flesh. Max watched the hair on his arms catch fire and saw how the skin started to melt away. At some point he could see bright white bone surrounded by charred meat. He became paralyzed with pain and his screams faded away. It was only when his eyes started to bleed incessantly that he lost consciousness. He fell into a blackness from which he’d never wake up.

Bart watched his opponent burn alive and couldn’t help but feel slightly nauseous. He’d killed opponents before, sure, but this was the most excruciating and slow death he’d ever dished out. This wasn’t something classes could prepare you for. He also wanted to desperately check on his brother but he knew he couldn’t. Bart had another job to do.

He ran towards girl with the shield and summoned 3 little flames around him. She was still protecting her Lord by stopping the endless barrage of arrows. Her entire focus was on the incoming projectiles and couldn’t follow the fight between Max and the boys but she knew that Max was too strong to be bested by those two peasants. How could a Chrysos lose?

“If you value your life you’d better surrender.”

Annika jumped in surprise as a metallic edge touched her throat. She tried to look around but Bart pushed the knife harder against her chest.

“I can’t, these arrows would pierce us both,” she answered as she tried to remain calm.

Bart shot the three little orbs into the air and the girls from his team stopped shooting immediately.

“Now, please be so kind as to make a white flag.”

Annika didn’t have a choice and she held her shield in her hand, forcing it to change shape. A small white flag appeared and she held it up high.

“That’s better, now go to the edge, please.”

Annika stepped away as Bart removed the knife and looked around. She noticed the smoking circle and the dead boy lying next to it. She was frantically looking for her beloved Lord but she couldn’t find anything. She turned around and walked towards the edge, wondering where Lord Chrysos might have been.

Bart walked back to the circle to check up on his brother. The two girls protecting the enemy’s orb were sure to come for them soon and he could really use his brother’s help.

The first thing he did was check his brother’s pulse but it was too late. Bart shook his brother violently, hoping to wake him up but there is no waking the dead. His brother had paid the ultimate price, and for what? Better lodging arrangements?

Bart sat down and stared into the emptiness in front of him. His eyes wandered over the half dried puddle he and his brother had created. Patches of land had dried out as the fire evaporated the water. The smell of charred meat reached his nose and his eyes went straight towards the remains of Max.

A pile of burnt bones and meat lay half buried in the middle of the circle. The eyes were eerily white and the charred hair was the source for many nightmares to come. Bart thought about the scene he’d just witnessed and his stomach turned upside down. He emptied the contents of his stomach next to his brother and didn’t stop until there was nothing left to throw up.

He stood up and wiped the corner of his mouth. He had to get himself together. There were three more girls that they had to beat. Weeping for his brother would have to come another time.

**************************

Ragnar and Ymil were lying on their beds as they were fantasizing about the fight they’d just witnessed. They had never seen such ferocity and strength before and it was really awe inspiring.

“Hay Ymil, do you think that Lart guy is still alive?” asked Ragnar hesitantly.

“I highly doubt it,” answered Ymil and he sat up. “Max impaled his stomach and cut off the leg. He must have died from blood loss.”

“Geez, Team Xylos paid the ultimate price to win then, didn’t they?”

“Well yes, but considering the strength of their opponent I’m amazed they were able to win at all. I mean, Team Chrysos consisted entirely of nobility.”

“Tell me about it, did you see Max’s moves?! He was shooting lightning all over the place!” Ragnar found Max’s actions to be incredibly captivating. Such strength!

“Yeah, and I think that’s why the Xylos brothers targeted him first, he was obviously the leader and the strongest opponent. Without him they’d just be fighting an unorganized group of nobles.”

“It was obvious Max’s team consisted entirely of girls that liked the guy. If he were to fall then the girls would give up in a heart beat.”

“And they did, didn’t they?” replied Ymil matter-of-factly. “The moment they realized Max was out they lost most of their confidence. It was a major blow to their morale.”

“ But still, why didn’t the two girls at their home base not come help Max once they set up the barrier? Team Xylos had their girls constantly shoot arrows at their enemy.”

“Because they needed people to protect the orb itself. Don’t forget that it was a game of capture the orb, if even one enemy slipped past them they would have lost.”

“ True…” said Ragnar pensively and the two fell quiet for a moment. “Do you think it was worth it? I mean, team Xylos lost their brother just to get better sleeping arrangements.”

Ymil had thought about that too, but couldn’t come up with a real answer. “ I wouldn’t know, but I can imagine the victors get some other added benefit, like sponsorships from nobility for example.”

“If Max were still alive he’d probably have raked in a lot of sponsors for himself. I mean, look at that power!”

“No, he was the son of an existing lord so he couldn’t be affiliated with anyone else. It wouldn’t surprise me if some rich Noble actually arranged for Max’s death just because he couldn’t have him himself.”

“That’s dirty…” replied Ragnar but he knew that that was a very likely scenario.

“If you ever get your hands on so much power, Ragnar, do me a favor and don’t show it off like that. It’d only attract the wrong kind of attention.”

Ragnar thought about that for a moment. He knew how Max was able to display such strength, it was that little purple orb he summoned at the beginning of the fight. But how did he know this? It didn’t seem like it was common knowledge as even the commentator didn’t know about it.

“ I don’t think people would care very much…” Ragnar answered.

“Blue hair and strong powers? People will automatically assume you’re the son of a strong Noble. Just be careful, okay?”

“Psshhhh, as if I’d ever get that strong,” said Ragnar and turned his body. Silence fell over the two boys again and their minds started to wander to different subjects. Ragnar was imagining the life of a Noble whereas Ymil was thinking about his next activity.

“Hey Ymil,” whispered Ragnar. “Think we can get Theo and Lance to sleep over here? I think it’d be a lot more fun that way.”

“How are you gonna do that?” asked Ymil. “The bunks around here are completely filled.”

“Leave that to me,” said Ragnar and he turned around to fall asleep. Within a few moments a soft snoring noise came from above Ymil’s head and Ymil knew Ragnar was sleeping soundly.

‘Perfect,’ thought Ymil and he quietly jumped out of bed. He slowly made his way towards the exit. He looked around and saw that almost all students were sleeping so he didn’t have to worry about being seen.

‘Well then, it’s time to meet up with Master Wux.’

Edited by: Paradox, 1Jayds