“Congratulations to all of you for putting forth your best effort in these Nexus Games!” Will Andrews called out to the packed banquet hall, raising his own glass and toasting them. “We’re only one day in, but I’m proud of all of you, and I look forward to what you bring to this honored tradition next!”
Everyone raised their glasses in reply, and a few cheers rang out, then everyone drank. Eric, seated at a table with the rest of the Thunder Nexus, drained his glass in one long movement, then set it down, looking around. The overall energy in the large open room was jovial, and quieter than he would have expected. Compared to the feasts that he’d attended in Ahya, this event was calm and peaceful. But maybe it would change later in the evening, as they all got more food and drink into their systems.
“Before we begin our excellent feast, we’ll read out the overall scores and nominations of the first day,” Will said, lowering himself back into his seat. “Speaker, would you like to take over?”
As Eric leaned back to a more comfortable position on his seat, he saw his Alpha’s eyes sweep across the room, locking on something, then returning to Kevin Williams. The Air Nexus Alpha stood with a contented sigh, and gave a cheery wave in reply to the cheers of the gathered audience.
“Right,” he said, gesturing to the room at large with one sweeping hand. “First off, great work in the games, everyone. The action we saw this year was unbelievable, and I for one love seeing how much everyone has grown. If you’ll permit me to say it, I’m proud of you all, even those not from my own Nexus.”
About half the Nexians thumped their hands on their tables repeatedly in fierce agreement, which brought a grin to Kevin’s face. “No matter what you hear tonight, you’re all fine Nexians, and I look forward to your bright futures!”
More thumping and even a new round of cheering greeted those words. Eric, for his part, shifted uncomfortably in his seat. It wasn’t the chair that was causing him such discomfort, but the knowledge that the man who was professing his pride was, in the end, an enemy. Eric’s underlying goal was to sabotage that kind man and steal away the most important part of his life. He wondered idly if Megan also felt this way. Most likely, considering her comments to him about motivations and where she felt she belonged.
Doubtless, Grimr wouldn’t have any doubts. These were strange people from another world, using a power foreign to Earth. He cared only for restoring balance and preventing a future threat from arriving in Ahya. For him, there was only the mission, and nothing else. Eric was of a similar enough mind apart from the guilt. The sooner he could be done with this and return to Ahya, to Emma and Emily, the better.
“In fourth place, we have a tie between Fire and Earth Nexuses,” Kevin said, reading from the sheet of paper in his hand. “You folks put up a good fight, but sometimes the odds just don’t favor you.”
Earth Nexus was silent, each of its members looking unfazed by the news. Fire Nexus let loose a few disgruntled murmurs but seemed accepting of the news. Kevin offered them a consoling smile. “Don’t worry about it too much, my friends. You’ve still got two days to catch up! Particularly you, Emmet, and you as well, Jerik. Your skills are impressive, and I look forward to seeing what you do next.”
Everyone applauded the efforts of the Fire and Earth Nexuses. The Alphas were particularly enthusiastic. “Now in third place, we have Water Nexus. Fine work, everyone. I don’t think we’ve seen a team so well-coordinated. You fight hard, and your defensive skills are still frightening.”
Another round of applause, and a few outbursts of laughter from the area where Felix Smith was seated. As Eric watched, the lean young man reached over to pat Megan lightly on the shoulder, saying something he couldn’t hear. Megan’s face reddened slightly, but she smiled in reply before returning her attention to Kevin.
“Thunder Nexus takes second place,” He said, grinning. “I must say, I thought my Nexus was going to be undefeated after four victories. But you put that to an end. Eric Breeden, you’re scary for a new recruit. I don’t know what Will’s been doing to you in training, but it’s clearly paying off.”
More laughter, particularly from his fellow Thunder Nexians. James and Edward both reached forward to slap him on the back, and Charlisa gave him a wolf whistle, her face split by a wide, mischievous grin. Eric shook his head slightly as he grinned in his own turn, and stood to give Kevin a quick bow. “Thank you, sir.”
“Don’t mention it,” the Air Nexus Alpha replied. “I’m almost afraid to see what you’ll do in next year’s Nexus Games.”
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There was a lengthy pause as everyone waited for Kevin to announce the winner of the first day. Eric noticed that nobody seemed particularly surprised that it was the Air Nexus. He’d heard rumors that after the second Nexus War, Kevin had decided to instill a little more discipline into his Nexus. They’d become fearsome fighters under his and Kiera’s tutelage.
“It gives me great pleasure to announce my own Nexus as the winners of this day,” he said. The Air Nexus erupted into a loud cheer that drowned out the applause of the other Nexuses. It took a while for them to quiet down, as they were dancing around with broad grins and thumping the table in excitement.
“Yes, well done,” Kevin said. “You took this first day by storm, and even though you only led by one point, you didn’t lose a single match. Nick, I know you’re frustrated by the last match, but don’t let it weigh you down, young man. You’re too good a soul for all that.”
The Air Nexians crowded around Nick, temporarily hiding him from the others’ views as they ruffled his hair or thumped him on the back. A few seconds later, he emerged red-faced and grinning in an embarrassed sort of way, lowering his face. Eric thought back to the frantic fight that had taken up the last few minutes of the match. It had taken all of his speed, power, and cunning to keep Nick from getting into the air. At least he’d performed better than in the duel, he thought with a wry grin.
Not for the first time, he found himself hoping that he could keep the Nexus powers when he returned to Ahya. He’d never thought of himself as a mage, and trying to learn the arcane arts had proved an unwanted challenge. But what he’d learned during his time with the Thunder Nexus had been highly beneficial. Not only was he stronger than he’d ever been, but he also found using these lightning powers to be quite the rush. Even if he couldn’t bring the Nexus powers with him, perhaps it would be worth his time to replicate them using the magicks of Ahya.
He shook himself back to the moment as he realized that Kevin was sitting back down at the table, and servers had entered the banquet hall from the doors along the side, carrying large trays of food. The Nexians greeted them warmly with applause and cheers, and the different members were quickly getting into groups with friends and settling down for meals. More than a few were going to sit with members of other Nexuses, as they’d done at the welcome feast.
Eric considered going to sit with Megan or Jerik but decided against it. Some instinct told him that with their time to strike coming so close, he should avoid meeting them with each other. That thought prompted another in his mind, and he turned to find Grimr. After a second, he found the small Ancient, sitting in a crouch on his chair at the Earth Nexus table. The Ancient seemed to sense his gaze, and turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Now?” Eric asked, mouthing the word. He’d realized that Grimr hadn’t set an actual time to start their objective. But Grimr shook his head ever so slightly, and he nodded his understanding. At least he could enjoy some peace tonight. Perhaps Grimr’s plan was to wait until the end of the event when the Nexuses were more tired and easy to catch off-guard.
So he dove into the feast with gusto, eating and drinking his fill while he talked loudly with the Thunder Nexus, discussing the day’s fights and formulating plans about how they could improve for tomorrow. They’d have a good advantage, given that they would be moving and fighting together as a unit.
“The key will be to stay on the move,” James said, gesturing wildly in the air with a meatball on his fork, his mouth so full the words were barely distinguishable. “If they can’t pin us down, they can’t take our headband.”
“Yes,” Kenta agreed. “Our speed is our greatest gift. We should ignore Earth Nexus and try to capture from one of the other Nexuses.”
“Well, they’ll know we’re coming,” Edward put in, sounding doubtful of this idea. “They know our only option is to catch them by surprise with a fast attack, and they’ll have their guards up.”
“It’s not our only option,” James retorted with a snort, finally having swallowed his mouthful.
“It’s our best option,” Eric said, scraping a new serving of brisket onto his plate to join the potatoes already there. “We could try waiting until two of the Nexuses get into a fight, then swoop in and steal a headband.”
“Now that’s a great idea!” James shouted, waving the fork again. “What do you think, Kenta? You’re our best strategist.”
“That sounds like the cowardly route,” Edward grumbled before Kenta could speak his mind. “I’d rather have an honest fight. I told Felix I’d beat him this year, after all.”
“It’s not a bad plan,” Kenta said, shooting a warning glance in Edward’s direction. “But we should prepare for the worst option. If our attempt to surprise them fails, we’ll face a tough fight. This is why we’ve been training in group combat.”
They all nodded their agreement and understanding. One of the things Eric had been training in the most apart from mastering his basic combat skills was tag-team maneuvers, using one or more of his fellow Thunder Nexians. Will had drawn inspiration from karate to teach them two-man fighting forms, clever ways to handle multiple opponents, and even drilled their stamina, all to ensure that they could fare better against the higher numbers of every other Nexus.
“Enough of the tactics talk,” Charlisa said. “You know I can’t help there, and I’m bored here without much to talk about.”
“Sorry, boss,” James said with a sly grin. “But you got a point. Tonight is a celebration. Nobody should be bored. Let’s eat!”