Chapter 11

Yura's teammate shouted. "Don't listen to him!"

August considered the offer. He and Quann locked eyes. "I'm not serving you," he said. "If you want to pass this trial, you have to help me steal the ball and join my team."

Quann looked like he'd been stabbed. "But--" he stopped himself. "I'm from a House."

"Don't know what that is. "

He was horrified.

"Well? Time's ticking!"

"Fine," Quann said.

August and Quann chased after Yura's team. "Not fair!" her friend said. She passed the ball to Yura, who ran away from August and Quann.

August suggested they trap Yura, but her legs kicked the ground like a horse and she maneuvered around him like a snake. And just when Quann reached out with a needle-like bone sprouting out from his palm, Yura flung the ball in the air.

She then blocked the needle with a piece of her shield effortlessly.

Her friend caught it. At this point, they were going to pass the ball around each other and it would be difficult to touch it. They needed to take out someone and settle this on even ground. That was what he said to Quann, who replied, "I shall promise to not leave the arena unless I hear one of them scream."

"Go easy on them for our sanity's sake," August sighed.

They targeted Yura, who was closest to them, had a blind spot on her eye, and was nearest to the pond. The plan was to tackle her to the water and restrict her movements and take her out of the fight by filling her lungs with water. Drowning her. Temporarily.

She didn't expect to be targeted. That was a lucky opportunity, since everyone had always aimed for the ball. She dodged Quann's needle first, but she was slow enough to get away from August.

He tackled her to the pond. He felt her struggle against him. She pushed against him, tried to pry him off, kicked his legs that were trying to wrap around her.

Then, suddenly, with skills he'd never experienced in his life, she found an opportunity and wrapped legs wrapped against his, and her arm twisted against his, and he found himself spinning until he smashed against the water. She was locked onto him.

And it all happened in just a few seconds.

He was blind, drowning, and his joints felt like they would snap. He felt a sharp bang on his forehead. It had taken a couple of seconds for him to realize she hit him with her staff. His arcane defenses all dispelled, and he was now defenseless. He tried to focus re-casting them but his efforts were fruitless. Casting arcane required focus, but his mind and body panicked for air.

A boon arrived when he heard Quann's charge. She disengaged, and August emerged from the pond coughing out mudwater from his mouth.

Before he knew it, Yura had already left them and was gaining distance. "This is not what I expected to happen," Quann said.

"What happened to me?" August asked. "I tackled her but everything flipped."

"That was a Cultivation Art," Quann said. "You're in quite a dire state there, Rank 2. We ought to give them this victory and save our strength for the next round. They appear invincible. That girl is swift."

August breathed in and calmed himself first. Quann told him that Cultivation Arts were popular with some cultures, though they had always been secretive of their methods and traditions.

"Damn it."

Round 2 ended. Winner of this round: Team One-Eyed Ravens.

The women cheered and hugged Yura. August returned back to his spot. Quann's teammate, who didn't move from the tower, was helped by the staff which delayed the match by roughly ten minutes. When he was removed, Aeladine announced:

Rank 32 Matto, member of Skele-Stick was eliminated due to mental sickness. Team Skele-Stick now consists of one remaining member left: Quann Alhamir Gladis.

August stretched himself. This was fine. They had a lot of rounds left, and they were gaining experience. They just needed to be quick about coming up with a plan.

Round 3 will begin in one minute. Team Alfonso, please enter the arena.

Alfonso? August tried to find his opponent. Rank 8 Alfonso--he remembered the man. Nilvar had praised him. When he fought, the climbers roared in cheers. They called out to him as if he was a celebrity, and in a way, he had been. He had ran around his enemy and used his dexterity to his advantage.

They proclaimed him the fastest climber in all of the climbers present. Apparently, he'd never broken a sweat when running the platform on the 1st Trial. It had been a breeze.

He had long, wavy hair, and a cheery personality. He waved at them. His teammates were nothing to scoff at either--the Bando Brothers, Bashente and Elvado. They weren't mages, but they prided themselves on their muscular strength. They were almost seven foot tall, and August couldn't help but strain his neck to look at them.

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When they all entered the arena, they had already taken off their top.

"Ugh," Quann said. "This is a terrible match-up."

August studied them with his arcane. They weren't mages, thankfully, but he wouldn't go down that easily. "We're taking them down," he said. "This round."

"Do you have a plan?"

He didn't have one. Targeting one of the Bando Brothers might just enrage the other, and taking out Alfonso might prove more difficult. The three were physically more powerful, which meant August had to come up with something smart.

The match would be over the moment one of them gets the ball.

When he asked Quann if his bones could be considered a living weapon, he received a positive yes. But that was more of a curse for August. There goes the chance to control the damn thing and manipulate it.

If he were a mage just like Yura, he might've been able to take these three down, but now he had to rely on his physical strength.

The Alfonso team seemed to be in a positive mood. "You'll have to give up this round," Alfonso said. "You're a flimsy team borne out of desperation. The three of us, on the other hand, are brothers. We've known each other all our lives. This floor is only the beginning."

August wiped the mudwater off his face and thought about what Nilvar said. The information brokerdescribed Alfonso as the leader of the two muscle-heads. The only brain in their little group. The three of them were cuthroat killers who owned a gang and decided to climb the tower to challenge themsleves.

Round 3 begins now, Aeladine announced.

August dashed. Alfonso did the same and was faster. The Bando brothers and Quann jogged to the tower.

Alfonso reached the ladder first, but his overwhelming speed caused him to overshoot and forced him to strain his effort into holding onto the ladder.

August didn't waste this opportunity. Alfonso might have had the speed, but August controlled his momentum better. Running in the forest was several degrees more difficult since he had to maneuver around trees and constantly be aware of his surorundings.

He jumped and actually got ahead of the man. He used his momentum to raise a foot--and aimed it directly at Alfonso's face. Then he dragged himself up the tower, using the climber's head as support.

The man was thrown back, rightfully pissed. Alfonso reached for his legs, but August was still wet and mud-stained from the last round and he was able to slip free.

Once he reached the top, he immediately grabbed the ball and threw it at Quann. The Bando Brothers didn't give chase, and Alfonso gave up climbing the ladder and guarded it instead.

Now it was 2 vs 1 and August wouldn't be able to get down unless he figured something out.

"Give us this round," Alfonso said. "Face it, Rank 2. You won't win. You're slower than me, weaker than me, and people don't like you. They're cheering for your demise."

August scoffed. But he didn't fire back against the provocation.

The brothers started walking toward Quann. The man didn't move, and that worried August. "What are you doing? Run!"

Quann snorted. "Today," he proclaimed. "You shall witness true talent."

He planted his foot on the ground and spun the ball with the tip of his finger. Then, the brothers charged. August didn't know what to expect. But Quann seemed confident, so August used this opportunity to start climbing down the frame while Alfonso was distracted.

Then, suddenly, he heard a scream. It pierced his ears. He saw Alfonso's horrified expression first before his eyes settled on Quann.

Over a dozen, sharp bones jutted from the underground in a straight line. One of the Bando Brothers was struck through his knees and arm, effectively taking him out of the match. But the other was unharmed, saw his impaled brother, and charged mindlessly.

Quann dropped the ball and tried to get away, but he seemed to find it difficult in pulling his feet from the ground. Finally, his soles separated from a thick bone underneath. August suspected that the spikes originated from Quann's feet, and he was right. But Quann wasn't fast enough. He dropped the ball and two, dagger-like blades stretched out of his palms.

The Bando Brother anticipated it. With sheer overhelming rage, he stormed past the bone spikes and suddenly his hands reached for Quann, who was easily overwhelmed.

When it came to pure strength and speed, the Bando Brother was faster which surprised August. Quann licked his lips nervously.

The Bando Brother grabbed Quann's arm and squeezed. "Let's see how you fare with your bones being snapped, torturer."

August heard a crack. Quann yelped, but his expression told a different story. He was in utter calm. "How crude," he said, almost lazily, then he laughed. "My sisters would have sang insults in your ears lamenting over your botched job of snapping my arm."

He opened his mouth wide. August didn't see what he did, but he saw what happened. The Bando Brother screamed, both hands now holding his eye. Blood slipped from his fingers. Quann slowly closed his mouth, and a flash of bloody bone retreated back from his lips.

"Don't move too much," Quann said, licking his lips. "Else I'll pierce your vitals and accidentally kill you."

His arms hung limp. But this didn't bother him. They snapped back together, and he flexed his arms as if he wasn't injured to begin with.

Then, he stretched out his palm.

He pierced the man with precision. The Bando Brother tried to dodge. Quann cut through his hands with ease until he fell down on the ground. Then, to make sure he wouldn't get up again, Quann sliced his calves.

He didn't take the ball. Instead, he knelt down before the man and put a needle bone against his neck. "Take the ball," Quann told Alfonso with a grin. "And both your brothers will die. I'd suggest you surrender, Rank 8. The medical staff can still heal these men. But your impaled brother might not make it."

August had successfully climbed down to the middle of the tower already. Alfonso stared at the bloody horror before him. Two of his teammates were led into a trap, effortlessly executed by a single mage.

August studied Quann. Were houses truly this strong?

The Bando Brother underneath Quann's needle spoke up. "Alfonso!" he cried out. "We've lost. We've lost, brother. Let's return home. Fuck this."

Alfonso didn't answer. August continued his slow descent, but he saw a flash of speed, and Alfonso was gone. So he planned to save his friend. August looked down, and jumped, having calculated that he'd survive the fall. He rolled as he landed, and soon he was chasing after Alfonso.

Quann didn't move. He had every advantage. But his eyes widened in surprise when Alfonso snatched the ball up and distanced himself from Quann. August watched in confusion while the other team's leader retreated, and the Bando Brother held a haunted look in his face.

"I'm sorry," Alfonso said softly. "I'm sorry."

"Now that," Quann licked his lips. "Leaves a bitter taste in my mouth."

Both the Bando Brothers looked at him. The impaled brother seemed to be in a daze, but he closed his eyes in resignment. The other whimpered quietly.

August walked closer to Alfonso. He cracked his neck. "Rank 8," he said. "You've betrayed your brothers. You're outnumbered two to one. But you can still save them."

"No," he said with a tremble.

Boos resounded across the arena as shouts of curses and insults were hurled at him from the other climbers. In a single decision, his popularity plummeted. August could see him wavering.

August sprinted after him.

"I'm climbing the tower," Alfonso said, and ran.

August sighed. He had seen many different people since he entered the tower, yet the only one he felt comfortable with was someone they didn’t treat as a person, but as a thing.