The ball was reinforced by arcane, but he couldn't control it as effectively as he wanted to. Something seemed to resist, and that resistance prevented August from manipulating it.

August spotted Judah in the corner. The boy hadn't moved an inch from his spot. He decided to ran toward them. It confused the five players, but he prepared a plan for this one. Before the match, he got to meet the female announcer who was surprisingly pretty--Aeladine, the orange-haired woman. Since he would be the wild card at the start of the trial, she briefed him about the arena.

He dove straight into the shallow pond and splashed himself with mudwater. It was knee height, and it made it difficult for him to move too. It was water mixed with some substance that made it oily and slippery. He used his arcane to tighten his hold on the ball, though that was less effective than what he wanted to do.

The boy and the girl on Judah's team stood outside the pond. Yura's team waited there as well.

{ Holding Time: 15 Seconds }

August wiped back his hair. "No one wants to get in for a splash?"

"Ew!" Yura's friend said.

Yura's entire team raised their weapons: three shields and two staffs. The boy and the girl retreated back and surrounded him from behind. August was confident he'd tire out and exhaust his arcane before the game ends. He needed to pace himself properly.

They barraged him with attacks while he tried to get out of the pond. He created one shield after the other, keeping the impact of their weapons to the minimum. The climbers hesitated attacking him or they might get caught in the crossfire. Once he climbed out, he dashed over to Judah's team.

"Why won't you go down?" Yura's friend said. "Stop moving around too much!"

Judah's teammates charged at him. The girl jumped and tried to grab at his neck. The boy aimed for the ball. August ducked down and twisted his feet, then he kicked the boy, successfully dropping him in the water.

A shield slipped past his defenses tripped him. He hit his face hit the mud. Those mages were going to be a problem. The shields and the staffs pressed on his back and prevented him from getting back up. August curled, shielding the ball.

"Now's the chance!" they said.

Instead of attacking him, they used the staff to pry it from him. They weren't very successful, but over time, he would lose the strength to defend himself. He limited the amount of arcane he was using; it wasn't necessary to completely shield himself from attacks that would only leave his body bruised.

{ Holding Time: 50 Seconds }

Just ten seconds left. August shut his eyes and counted the numbers in his head. The two climbers tried pulling at his arm. Suddenly they were all surrounded him. August was about to let go, and when the ball finally slipped away from him, he grinned.

The boy grabbed it. The staffs and the shields loosened their hold on him. August used this opportunity to cast small shields around himself and forced himself up. He blinded the boy with arcane, tripped him with an uneven flat plane underneath his feet, and stole the ball.

{ Holding Time: 62 Seconds }

"You want the ball?" he said. "You can have it!"

He burst into a run around the mages. Then, once he got a clear shot, he dropped the ball and kicked it--directly to Judah. His aim was true.

Judah met his expectations. The boy immediately sensed the ball and grabbed it with one hand. He didn't even flinch. Now Yura's team had to deal with Judah, and August, with a 70-Second lead, used this opportunity to breathe and think over his plan.

Yura had to get the ball so August could take it away from them, making them fight for each other and wasting the 5-minute round time.

Yura turned their attention to Judah. But when they tried to attack him, Judah used his hair to curl himself into a cocoon. August had never seen that before. His original plan was to have Yura's team attack Judah and steal the ball from him, but they seemed to prefer exhausting the other teams first before going for the ball.

The boy told the girl to stay out and let Judah handle it. 15 seconds had passed. August was starting to worry. "Yura!" he said. "At this rate, Judah won't let go of the ball!"

"Shut up!" Her friend said. "It's like hitting a brick wall and he's tougher than you. Why'd you give him the ball in the first place, you dolt? Just help us take the ball from him."

"Sure," he said and ran for Judah. "But if you attack me, I'm going straight for you."

"A man after my own heart," she laughed.

When August reached Judah, the first thing he did was kick the boy's hair. That was probably the stupidest thing he'd done today, and he regretted it. He hurt his toe and the pain made him hop on one foot.

He saw the climbers watching from outside the arena. That was embarassing. "Hey!" He called out to them. "Any advice?"

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"Roll him over!" One of them.

August got an idea. "To the pond!" He pushed the cocooned Judah to the pond. Eventually, Yura's team jumped to the idea and used their shields to push him. The boy and the girl ran to save Judah, but Yura's team pushed them back with a barrage of attacks with their staffs.

It was this unexpected cooperation that August found himself quietly relishing the moment.

He wondered how Judah's team were going to defend themselves. He shouldn't have asked that question. His two teammates had black shields sprout from their arm. And when the staff hit the shield, it bounced off, creating fractures to the staff.

"No!" Yura's other friend said. "They're Vanguards!"

They tried to attack spots where the pair wouldn't easily be able to defend, but their staffs were also taking damage. They seemed more hesitant now to attack. They charged for August.

He retreated several steps back. Judah was almost there at the pond, but now they were at a standstill.

"You're not getting past us," the boy said. "Sorry, but we'll have this round."

The 5-minute timer ticked. August tried to think of a way to get through them, but those small, round shields were going to be a problem.

Yura's friend tried to hit August with a staff. He shielded himself. "What was that for?" he demanded.

"You shouldn't have given it to Judah, you cheater! Cheater, cheater, cheater!"

"You're the only mages with offensive capabilities in the first round," he said. "Why don't you pry him off that cocoon instead of blaming someone?"

She flushed.

Time ticked. August and Yura's team circled around the cocoon, testing the defenses of the pair, but they couldn't pierce through the defenses. Eventually, they passed him in time to hold the ball, and four minutes had passed.

"Round 1 ended," Aeladine announced. "Winner of this round: Team Judah the Great. Round 2 will begin in 1 minute. Teams, please find a corner to wait. Selecting a team for round 2--Team Skele-Stick, please enter the arena."

August found a corner he could wait in while the ball returned by itself up to the center of the tower. He banked it all on that plan, but it didn't survive at first contact. He needed to find another opportunity.

Skele-Stick sounded like a joke team, but he was surprised to find Quann and the lackeys already. They would be a difficult match.

Thankfully, he'd been able to rest for a couple of minutes. He began to think up a plan. Quann shouldn't get the ball at any cost. "Yura's friend!" he called. "I want to propose a temporary alliance!"

"It better be good," she said.

"If Quann gets the ball, we're postponing our feud and work together to pry the ball off of him."

"Well. Good idea. Done!" she said. "You really are a cheater, aren't you?"

He grumbled. "We're playing within the rules."

"That's what good cheaters do," she gave him a thumbs up. "But as long as you're on our side, I don't care."

August settled for the insult mixed with a compliment. That was an improvement.

"That's not fair," Quann's teammate said.

"Oh it is," Quann said. "Once I get the ball, none of them stands a chance."

Aeladine announced the beginning of Round 2.

August sprinted toward the tower without hesitation. Yura's team opted to circle around it, while Quann casually strolled, unbothered by the other players. Two of Quann's teammates outpaced August, reaching the ladder ahead of him.

August didn't want to compete while being underneath them. He jumped over the wooden frames and climbed. He was significantly faster than the two of them when it comes to climbing. And when they saw him, they hurried too.

He had been climbing trees for fun and survival. Bears were notorious for being swift when climbing, and when he encountered other predators while a climb, he would often jump to another tree. His hands and feet had grown calloused from the years of playing in the forest alone.

August reached the top first and grabbed the ball. He considered throwing it, but the mages down there were waiting. But that was fine--he could guard the ball here and now. He used arcane to block the ladder.

But they were stronger than he anticipated. Quann's teammate willed arcane around his own fingertips, overwhelming August's defenses.

August kicked him in the face. It didn't work. The man seized his leg and squeezed.

"I'll break your bone if you don't let go of the ball."

August pulled himself away, dropping the ball behind him. In a single second, the man used all his force to jump up at the tower.

"Come here then, Quann's slave," August said. "This isn't going to be pretty."

"Agreed," the man said.

After that, chaos happened. August brawled with the man, while his teammate climbed the tower and tried to get the ball. Because of the wall and the height, August couldn't ask for help from Yura's team. He might have to throw the ball down since he'd already bought himself half a minute.

If he kept fighting, the other person might change his approach and trap August. He tried to shove them off the wall. Amid the chaos, he managed to grab the man’s foot and lift it. It was all about precision as he willed his arcane to unbalance the other foot.

August was shoved to the side by the other man. But the moment August hit the wall, the man who had pushed him accidentally struck his teammate, causing him to slip and fall off the tower.

August heard a brief scream, followed by the sickening crack and snap of bones. The two still atop the tower momentarily forgot the game. They both looked down, horrified by what had just happened.

The man's head was twisted at an unnatural angle, and his arm was folded in on itself. Next to him stood Quann. "Tsk-tsk-tsk," he sighed. "Don't blame me. You three were the ones fooling around."

August heard the announcement: Rank 29 Jamantii (Deceased) member of Skele-Stick Eliminated. Team Skele-Stick changes from Regular Team to Thief Team. You must now win a round and steal a member from the present teams to become a regular team.

So now there were two thief teams around. August didn't let go of this momentary pause. He took the ball, dropped it down the ladder, and followed after it. "Yura's teammate, the ball!" He called.

Quann ran for the ball. But Yura's team used their shields to redirect its landing until Yura successfully grabbed it.

"Thanks," Yura said.

August retreated away from Quann. Now he had to make a choice: to steal the ball from Yura's team or let them have this round.

"Hey you!" Quann shouted to the man in the tower. "Get down from there."

The man stuttered. "I can't," he said. "I don't want to."

Did he give up when his friend died? August wouldn't blame him. The body was still there. No staff attempted to remove it yet. And blood slowly pooled around his body. It was a sickening sight that August had to look away from it.

Quann spun to him. "Rank 2," he said. "It seems I am forced to make a decision between this stupid idiot or you. If you wish to serve me, a Gladis, this is a wonderful opportunity to make your offer."

Or August could just punch him in the face.