Jerik couldn’t believe his eyes. The first match of the fourth round, which took place in a multi-level parking garage, was against the Earth Nexus. Yet when he made his way down to where the Earth flag was held, he found that the entire Earth Nexus had assumed a defensive position around it, conjuring barriers of rock and, in some cases, steel. It was an impressive formation to be sure, but they were all facing away from the flag. Did they not fear a surprise attack?

There was no rule against scaling down the outside of the structure to get between levels, after all. Those Fire Nexians that could use their power to fly for short bursts would find it ridiculously easy to appear behind the Earth Nexus and snatch up the flag. Then they could simply rocket back to the middle area, and seize a quick win. Then again, maybe the Earth Nexus was expecting such a plan and had a counter in place. Either way, he thought, slowly backing out of sight of the Nexus, they wouldn’t expect his plan.

_____________________________________________________

“Keep your eyes peeled!” Grimr heard Li Shun call. He was a highly strung individual, and the stress of the waiting period would surely have him pacing back and forth between the barricades they’d created. He knew it even without being able to see the man. Grimr could feel the tension as well, but he was the survivor and victor of dozens of fights more dangerous than this one. A simple competition would not be enough to rattle him.

But he must play his part, he thought, glancing down at one of his hands. Too steady. He allowed a faint tremor to shake through it, to convince the others that he was just as nervous as they were. An easy deception, considering the Corruption he bore inside. It had been trying its best to escape his body, but his will was too strong. It was a constant reminder of control, the control that allowed him to keep his elder brother in check. The control that Naturas had forsaken, to allow his powers to spread to another world.

Grimr did not fear a sneak attack. For one, his senses were more keenly tuned than any Earth human could hope for. If one of the Fire Nexians did scale the outside of this tall building, he would sense their approach. He also had vines wound very discreetly throughout the structure, to warn him of any approach. The vines were hard to spot, and just one foot stepping on or near it would alert Grimr.

He had considered using the vines to steal away the Fire Nexus flag. It would be a slow victory, but an assured one. There was the chance it would be discovered, but the far greater threat was that it would give the Nexuses an inkling of just how creative Grimr was and how powerful he had become. He’d successfully fooled the Alphas during his assessment and had to keep his strength in order to avoid further suspicion.

“God, it’s hot down here,” one of the Earth Nexians said in Mandarin. A curious earth language, Grimr had thought, but it bore an unmistakable resemblance to one of the tongues of his home world, and he’d had no issues understanding and speaking it. “Should it be this hot already?”

“That’s what happens when you get around a bunch of Fire Nexians,” one of his friends replied, in Common. No, not Common, Grimr thought. It was called English in this world. Originating from a faraway country known as England. “You know the air around them gets warmer the stronger they are. We’re fighting the entire Fire Nexus. What do you expect?”

The first speaker uttered a quiet curse in Mandarin that Grimr didn’t feel was worth his time, and the pair fell silent. It was getting rather warm, Grimr thought. Obviously, that meant that the Fire Nexus was on the move. But could the heat of their aura really be felt from so far? There was no sign of them anywhere in sight, and he’d only gotten a few alerts from his vines, all originating on higher floors.

Without warning, two Fire Nexians appeared at the top of the ramp that led down to their floor. They seemed unsurprised by the fortifications that the Earth Nexus had created and launched an attack straightaway. Fire rippled down the ramp in a massive wave, crashing into the barricades and threatening to overwhelm their position. It was only thanks to the quick reflexes of Lai Ying and Lai Yang that they were saved, as the twins sent a splash of sand out to deaden the flames.

Another Fire Nexian appeared, this time holding a dense ball of flames between his hands. Emmet Fenn. He released it at once, sending the supercharged ball of plasma at the defensive position. It ruptured the fortifications to the left, knocking two Earth Nexians back. One of them hit the stone wall of the parking garage and was knocked unconscious. Another barricade went up to replace the one lost.

The Fire Nexus paused now, as two more appeared to reinforce the assault. They didn’t make a move to advance or retreat but remained where they were, staring down at the Earth Nexians locked in place. Grimr heard one of his comrades mutter, “Should we push forward, Captain?”

“No,” Li Shun said. “Our greatest strength is our defense. We will tire them out before moving forward.”

“And what if they don’t tire out in time?” Gao Meng, one of the more senior members asked. “Our numbers are nearly equal. It is possible they’ll be able to keep up the firepower.”

“Then the game will end on a draw,” Li Shun replied, rising slightly. “But for now, our ranged attacks will suffice.”

At his word, four of the Earth Nexians rose from their crouched position, lifting their hands. Small rocks shot out with the force and speed of cannonballs from the large piles they’d created. Even with the blasts of fire they unleashed, the Fire Nexians couldn’t stand against the hail of rocks, and they were forced to retreat, vanishing out of sight around the corner.

“Stay alert,” Bai Huo, one of the other Captains called out. He still held his position toward the center, where he was part of the ranged attacks. “They’re not even close to finished.”

Jerik picked the spots where he placed his feet with exceptional care. The amount of heat he was putting off made him exceptionally dizzy, and he had to make sure not to bump into anything, or more importantly, anyone. The Earth Nexians had no idea he was past their defensive line already. As soon as Emmett had broken the defensive wall, he’d made his move, diving through the line of Earth Nexians.

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

He’d nearly bumped into two of them already, but so far he’d avoided detection. He was near Grimr now, and he could see the Ancient’s expression of focus. Was he focusing on the sensation of his vines scattered through the structure? Or was he trying to determine where all the extra heat was coming from? It was the only hint that the opponents had to his presence and his greatest threat. If they were able to put the facts together, he’d be too weak to defend himself.

Just under a yard away, Jerik was completely invisible to the human eye. And the Ancient eye, it seemed, as Grimr was looking in the wrong direction. The intense heat he was putting off was literally warping the air around him, creating a heat wave so strong that it obscured him. He was sweating profusely, and his vision swam in and out of focus. It was all he could do to keep strength in his legs and take one agonizing step at a time. But he was in the perfect position, and now he just had to wait.

Emmet Fenn appeared, this time flanked by nearly a dozen Fire Nexians. They repeated their previous assault, sending waves and bolts of fire down at the Earth Nexians. The earthen barricades came up higher, blocking the view completely. The people conjuring them were sweating heavily but showed no other signs of exhaustion as they stopped the flood of flames in its tracks.

Jerik crept closer, again taking care to avoid brushing against anyone or moving a loose rock. If he tripped, he knew he would lose his focus, and then it would all be over. He slipped right past Huang Jiang, the Earth Nexus Lieutenant, who was standing nearby to make sure his Nexus didn’t infringe on the rules. He swore he saw Jiang’s head swivel to the side slightly, glancing right at him. His eyes narrowed as if trying to pick Jerik out of the air.

He said nothing, of course, for that would be interfering in the match. Instead, he took a few steps to the side, distancing himself from the overwhelming heat that came from Jerik’s body. Jerik would have grinned if he still had the strength, but he managed a slight smirk. It seemed the Lieutenant, at least, was aware of what was to happen. He just had to hope the others weren’t as perceptive.

Grimr realized what the problem was at once. In truth, there had never been such magic he’d witnessed that achieved this result, but he was aware of the disguising effect that intense heat had. Many fire mages used this to their advantage, though they could never create true invisibility that way. It was possible for a Fire Nexian, though. He quickly cast his gaze to the left and right, trying to figure out where the actual source of this heat was. If he could find that, he could strike.

Before he could make his move, however, he felt one of the vines on the floor above him compress slightly, indicating that someone had stepped on it. It was right at the edge! He whipped around just in time to see a Fire Nexian dropping into view, his descent controlled by flames erupting from his feet. It was Sean Jameson, one of the siblings who had mastered flight by fire.

Grimr was ready to deflect the two blasts that Sean unleashed, but he couldn’t stop the young man from gaining access to the ground. Sean rolled as soon as he touched down, then let loose a wide flurry of blasts at the Earth Nexians, who were all facing in the opposite direction. Three, maybe four of them dropped immediately, and by the time the others were aware of the threat, they had to duck for cover.

Sean continued his assault, throwing as much fire around as he could. He kept his power in check so as to not force the lieutenant to act, but his surprise attack still had a devastating effect. He didn’t seem to care that the more he attacked, the higher he raised the temperature in the room, and the weaker he became. Finally, he was knocked back by one of his opponents as they recovered, and he couldn’t conjure more than a few wisps of flame. Yet for some reason, he seemed exceptionally pleased with himself.

“Gotcha,” he wheezed, dropping to his knees and holding his hands out. “You really should have stopped me at the windows.”

Grimr lunged forward as some alarm in the back of his mind rang loudly. Too late, he realized that the spread arms was not a gesture of surrender, but his next attack. In an instant, he sucked up all the heat in the room, dropping the temperature nearly fifty degrees. Frost formed on the floor for nearly thirty feet in all directions, and he passed out, a direct result of the heat he’d absorbed. Fool, Grimr thought. The cold wouldn’t disable them. It would empower Fire Nexians, but there were none nearby to back him up!

Then he glanced to the side and saw him. That thin, quiet Earthling that he’d never given much notice. He’d only known the man by his connection to Eric. But now he saw that he possessed a cunning sense of skill and power that made him worthy of far more attention. And just now, he’d had all the heat in the air around him taken away, leaving him in perfect physical condition. And he was standing above the three Earth Nexians he’d just knocked out, holding their flag.

“Get him!” Li Shun shouted, having noticed the surprise as well. He pointed at Jerik, and several dozen rocks were already on the way. But Jerik was already several yards ahead, flame burning in a thick shield around him to incinerate the rocks. At the same time, a blistering attack from the rest of his Nexus shattered the weakened earth barricades. The two-pronged attack distracted them all, and before the Earth Nexus could recover, Jerik had already rocketed through the gap.

Grimr was still at full strength, however, and wasn’t about to let that tricky slide for too long. With his smaller body, he was able to nimbly rush over the rocks and through the tangle of bodies that was the two clashing Nexuses. He still had Jerik in his sights, and threw one hand out, commanding his vines to grab the young man.

Something came from his blind spot, and hit him hard. A Fire Nexian! It was the other Jameson sibling, Clara. She tackled Grimr into the nearby wall, her surprising strength and the impact against the stone wall stunning him for a moment. Still, it wasn’t enough to incapacitate him.

“He told me you’d be the one to chase after him,” Clara said with a fierce grin. “You ain’t going nowhere, kid.”

Grimr forced the eruption of anger in his chest down and forced a section of wall to his left and right to fold inward, slamming into her and knocking her out. Then he set off in pursuit of Jerik once more. He couldn’t see the young human, but he knew where he was going, and he might just be fast enough to beat him there. Or so he had hoped. He just managed to clear the bottom three floors and reach the middle area in time to see Jerik racing across the halfway point.

“Damn!” he cursed, the word inaudible over the sound of the horn that sounded the end of the game. He stood up straight and looked up to see Jerik standing unsteadily, but grinning in victory.

“You might be an Ancient,” he said, just quietly enough for Grimr to hear, “But we’ve been using this power for the same amount of time, and it seems I’m a bit craftier than you.”

Grimr had to admit he may be right, though he’d never say the words aloud. In any event, he had bigger concerns than the overconfident young human facing him. There was a camera drone no more than four feet from the Fire Nexian, and he knew at once that it had captured the words he’d just spoken.

“Ancient?” Will asked, leaning forward suddenly. “What does that mean? He can’t be much older than thirteen.”

Beside him, Michael shrugged, still grinning widely at his Nexus’ victory. “Maybe it’s a thing in Chinese culture. Or maybe he’s just delirious from all that heat.”

Will inclined his head thoughtfully. Maybe. The young man had seemed serious when he’d spoken that word, and he and the Earth Nexian seemed to know each other better than was hinted. Not for the first time, he thought that something seemed off with that new recruit. Not just him, but a few of the others.

“You might be right,” he told his friend, folding his arms and sitting back. “But I think I’ll still ask him.”