Chapter 90

My spirits soared.

Theo was down and Lance was locked up with Olaf.

I couldn’t believe our success. Olaf and I had only been meant to act as a blocking force. Lance was the most formidable member of their group, but now, locked in with Olaf, he was effectively neutralized.

Theo lay stunned on the ground. He was their axe and their greatest threat to my Sword suit.

I was excited at the prospect of disabling one or more of them. A blow like that might hinder Lance's team so greatly that he would struggle to gain any Flows.

Arthur was on me again. But the tables had turned so much. I dodged his attacks easily, and assailed his body with CUT after CUT. Even his sturdy Shield suit started to grow sluggish and weak as the damage accumulated.

Over were the days when Arthur was my better. It must have been difficult for him, struggling so badly against me, when just a few days ago I had been the afterthought. My head swam with the realization of how easy this seemed, how much control we had over the battle.

But then, in the back of my mind, I was troubled. If you've been doing the math, Lauren was still unaccounted for.

And then she was on me. Lauren moved with the speed and grace that only the Arrow suit could provide, darting in from the side. I was ready for her. I'd know she had to come. As vulnerable Arrow, she had waited for the best moment to get close.

Two opponents were harder to handle. The Sword held advantage over the Arrow, but with Arthur trying to hammer me, it was difficult to hold them both at bay.

Difficult, but no impossible.

My CUT flared over and over. They both had reason to fear it and leapt back from each attack, trying to protect themselves. But neither could I turn from the help Oalf. I didn't want to do punishing damage to Lauren. I had hoped to disable Arthur before she'd stepped into the fight.

The sound of steel and steel was in my ears. My blade clashing with the shield of Arthur and the claws of Lauren, the terrible hammering sounds of Olaf dueling Lance. Olaf. Against Lance. Holding his own!

Then, suddenly, a new orb emerged on Lance's side of the field. As it rose from the floor, it changed all of the calculus.

Arthur and Lauren pulled back from me. Theo rose and faded away with them. I wanted so badly to pursue, but Olaf had retreated to guard our orb, and I would be dangerously exposed if I went after them alone.

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Lance was still engaged with Olaf, but was clearly waiting for his moment to escape the battle.

At that exact moment, Zara and Leona finished absorbing the Flows from the first orb. Fresh fighters, they rejoined the battle, charging toward us. Their arrival bolstered our team’s strength, evening the odds. Zara, had a good affinity for the axe suit, she came hard and the other team had to account for her.

We regrouped quickly, our formation solidifying as Lance’s team began to withdraw toward the new orb. Olaf, still locked in with Lance, did his best to keep the pressure on.

The thought of keeping Lance occupied was tempting—it would cripple their offensive potential—but I couldn't leave Olaf as an easy target for a concentrated attack. Gideon's team was still unaccounted for, and that uncertainty gnawed at me.

I roared at Olaf, "Withdraw!"

The command cut through the noise of the battlefield. I unleashed BEAM, the pulse of energy streaking through the air, forcing Lance to break off and giving Olaf the time he needed to regroup with us.

I cast a quick glance upward to the banners that hung over the three forts. A score of 15 was displayed above Gideon's fort. He had finished collecting the Flows from the first orb and had returned them to his fort.

As we neared our fort and it became clear that an interception by Lance's team was unlikely, I made a decision. I peeled away from the group.

"Go on back, deposit the flows!" I shouted. "I'll see if I can find a use for myself while you're busy."

I climbed one of the artificial hillocks that had been built during the night. Leona and Zara rushed to the orbed repository in our fort and embedded their weapons in the surface. Their body's lit up as the Flows started to move from their suits to the storage orb. Olaf stood at the door of the fort, watching, ready. Leona and Zara were defencelessly exposed as they worked.

My attention snapped back to the battlefield. Lance's team were rushing to the new orb. It looked as though they would be able to take it without contest.

I fired BEAM at them as they moved. I rarely struck any of them, but the hail of energy forced them to move more carefully through the cover.

Every second I bought us opened possibilities.

Gideon’s team was still frustratingly absent. They were out there, somewhere. I had hoped to provoke a fight between Gideon and Lance over the next orb, even if my team was unready to contest it.

Movement from our fort caught my attention, pulling my gaze back. Zara and Leona had completed their task and were now moving to rejoin me.

I glanced up at the banners above our fort. The numbers had changed. I could feel the smile spreading wide on my mouth as I looked up. The display now showed 30. Gideon's orb had been worth 15, but the one we had chosen had scored us a 30. It had been as I predicted, the powers that be wanted to tip the scales towards Lance. If I acted with awareness of that then those advantages had a chance of becoming mine.

There was another rumbling and whining of motors. Three more orbs rose from the ground. My eyes moved between the three. I was thwarted by the wealth of options.

The new orb, again on Lance’s side of the field, was likely another high-value target. I wanted it. Another orb like the first would be enough to secure my place in the final round.

But, with a total of four orbs now in play, it would be difficult to stop Lance from scoring.