The announcer’s words had given Nick an awful lot to contemplate, none of which he had time to process now. Another explosion of cheering washed over him as a section of the arena floor slid open, allowing a platform to rise from below. Mist billowed through the cracks as a massive object ascended, ratcheting up until it was level with his boots.
The haze was punctuated by flashes of brilliant blue light, special effects intended to heighten the moment. The crowd’s cheers intensified as the fog reached a crescendo and began to disperse, revealing what looked like a crystal aquarium the size of a racquetball court. Within, eleven murky shapes were darting through the air, throwing themselves at the walls in a frenzy.
Nick could hear a furious buzzing well before the air was clear enough for him to peer into the cage and discover its origin. As the platform holding the crystal container snapped into place with a hearty clack, he was able to make out what was trapped inside at last. Wasps. Big ones.
Nick frowned as he took in the sight of ten flying insects the size of housecats, hovering around one that was bigger than a border collie. The beasts were striped with bands of black, forming stark lines against their vivid azure carapaces. Each had an onyx stinger the length of his forearm and a wicked pair of barbed mandibles. Although the arena had stopped pumping in fog, the walls of the cage were still wreathed in mist and rime. As if the temperature inside the box was far colder than the air passing into his lungs.
He used size up the moment that he saw them. Fortunately, the skill was able to work its magic through the thick crystal surfaces. While the announcer drew out his introduction to pump up the crowd, Nick reported his findings to the team. “These wasps are agile but fragile. They seem to rely on some manner of poison, although the big one has considerable melee ability as well. This last bit is just a hunch, but their movements feel coordinated. Expect some manner of pack tactics,” he concluded. His last observation wasn’t based on the impression he had received from size up, but from his extensive run-ins with beasts throughout the course of his tutorial.
“Excellent analysis Nick,” Kenji said, instantly incorporating the information into his strategy. “We need to watch each other’s blind spots and anticipate combination attacks. The wasps will likely try to disrupt and disorient us, then close the distance to strike from an unexpected angle. Use flashfire pulse, Julie’s staff, and Nick’s wand to counter any attempts to swarm us. Make the first hit count, since they don’t know that we have any area attacks yet.
“Those wings look fragile and are wider than their bodies, so aim for them when striking in melee. Paul, use one of your disabling arrows early on in this fight, but save the other for round two. Try to get as many as you can, but don’t wait too long to use it. We’re in the greatest danger while the wasps have full mobility. Finally, don’t fight the big one alone. If anyone has anything to add, save it until the announcement is over, this next bit sounds important.”
Nick shifted his attention back to the announcer’s words, who had just finished introducing each member of their team. “For our first event in this two-round competition, the freshly integrated humans of Earth will face off in an eleven-versus-eleven battle to the death. This is supposed to be the warmup folks, but I have serious doubts that our challengers will live to see round two. That’s because their opponents are some of the deadliest low-tier beasts that I’ve ever seen, packing a punch well above their level.
“Frostfury wasps were discovered on a frontier planet less than a century ago. Their ferocity and tenacity allowed them to conquer the globe while they were still mere animals, dominating all other forms of life on their world. Their queens and royal guards are far too powerful to match up against a fledgling tier one species, but their scouts are perfect for today’s event. Perfect in the sense that they are at the extreme upper limit of what we’re allowed to throw against the human team.
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“We were even able to squeeze in a single soldier, balancing the scales by providing the humans with a regeneration crystal and basic equipment in their ready room. But don’t count our contestants out yet ladies and gentlemen, they have proven themselves to be resourceful and are chock full of surprises. But they will have to fight hard if they want to overcome…” The announcer’s next words were muffled. Nick realized that this part was being deliberately concealed, letting the audience hear, but not those fighting below.
“The wasps are going to try to break us apart and pick off our weakest members,” Sophia pointed a dagger at the cage, just as the announcer’s words became clear once more.
“Which is why the frostfury soldier is classified as an elite opponent. But enough with the foreplay, esteemed patrons. It’s time for some…penetration.” The audience burst into raucous laughter, rising into screaming cheers as the announcer’s voice went up another octave, crashing over the stands like a tsunami as Nick’s heart began to race and his adrenaline started to flow.
“You know what time it is. Are you ready for… CARNAGE!” The entire stadium roared the last word as one.
The sound of millions of voices crying out for Nick’s blood was infuriating, but he refused to give into their taunts. Cool, calm, and collected, he repeated his mantra. That was all the time for thought that Nick had. For at that very moment, all four walls of the crystal cage dropped as one, as the top vanished in a puff of smoke. The glass fell outward to land with a decisive thud as the swarm was freed from its bondage.
For a fleeting handful of heartbeats, he entertained a faint hope that the creatures would simply fly off, perhaps even turn and run rampant throughout the stands. But he wasn’t counting on it. Nick was certain that the arena had a means of ensuring that the two forces faced off against one another. Sure enough, instead of dispersing, the wasps circled the arena floor and then regrouped in the air in front of him. Beads of cold sweat went sliding down his neck, since it was clear that the swarm would attack at any moment.
Nick’s team fell into a loose formation, shifting from their default stance to one of the arrangements Kenji had outlined during their final minutes of prep time. This one was designed to counter agile opponents with numbers roughly equal to their own, although facing flying foes would add challenging dynamics to the exchange.
Team Earth spread out and assumed a staggered wedge. In the front stood the melee fighters who were able to take a hit, Nick, Kenji, and Devin. To the sides, the agile Sophia and Veronica protected their flanks. Paul and James stood behind the first row, far enough back to be able to fire their bows over the frontline. Everyone else stood further back, tasked to guard the rear and protect their weakest members.
At Kenji’s signal, both bows and Veronica’s crossbow fired a shot before the wasps could attack. Although the odds of hitting flying targets from this distance were poor, the move allowed them to gauge their opponents’ dexterity. Unfortunately, the wasps were every bit as nimble as size up had warned, evading the missiles effortlessly before regrouping with a furious buzz. But that wasn’t the only reason they had fired the shots. Kenji had used them to test the limits of the arena as well.
Fifty feet into the air, the arrows rebounded against an invisible forcefield. A barrier that kept the beasts from escaping and shielded the audience against incidental fire. Before Nick’s team could fire off a second round, the swarm charged, surging forth in a wave of frantically buzzing wings. The wasps broke into three separate groups. Their main force, consisting of the soldier and four of the scouts, attacked the party from head on while the other beasts made their way around the sides.
Sophia was right. They are aiming to drive us apart, then pick off whoever gets separated. Thanks to her foresight and Kenji’s leadership, Nick was ready to counter the wasps’ tactic. It was terrifying being attacked from the air, by agile opponents with venomous stings. Even worse, multiple enemies had moved into Nick’s blind spot, where he would be helpless to counter if they hit him from behind.
But for the first time in his life, he was fighting as part of a team. People he could trust to watch his back, leaving him free to focus on the attack from the front. In this game of life and death, Nick had his own role to play.