[ Round 1- Day 1
Veinham Love Contest Barrier]
A black, whirling hole appeared in the middle of an enchanting forest. Jamie stepped out of the transport portal and onto the soft ground, the aroma of basil and freshly chopped grass gently wafted in the air. She inhaled deeply, savoring the familiar aroma, these were olive clover grass. She smiled and briefly closed her eyes.
Olive clover grass grew near freshwater streams and lakes, Jamie knew this from her training days by the stream with Master Edwards. I’ll be here for 3 days. I should set up camp by a water source.
WHoosh! Jamie leaned backward to dodge a sharp silver dagger aimed at her head, missing by a hair’s width. In her leaned-back position, Jamie raised her hand toward the direction of the dagger and pointed at it. It looked like a dance, given her graceful style of combat.
She threw mana onto the dagger, her mind's eye quickly tracing it back to the owner. Sloppy, no concealment spell. Now… let’s see if I can get it.
With her right hand, palm facing the silver dagger heading for the trees, she commanded the weapon to come to her. It stopped in its tracks and rapidly retracted into her intense grip. Hmm, it isn’t locked.
“She dodged it!” Contestant #59 said to her companion in utter shock. The two are stationed high in an old Elderberry Tree, 60 feet above the ground, 300 meters away from Jamie.
Both were dressed in futuristic blue body suits, with cheongsam-inspired tops with slits that revealed their cleavage. “That girl said she’s from Pure Earth,” said Contest #49 in disbelief.
“We need- ” Before #59 could finish speaking, Jamie swiftly pushed her own silver dagger into her larynx and straight through her cervical spine. The contestant died instantly.
Contestant #49 watched wide-eyed, her partner’s blood sprayed on her as Jamie pulled the dagger back out. In that mili-second, she caught Jamie’s gaze, expecting to see ruthlessness, instead she saw soft almond brown eyes enveloped by emptiness. Despite this, she sensed Jamie’s profound intent to kill her. I need to get out of here!
Jamie hurled the dagger at Contestant #49, who easily dodged it. The girl opened up her palm to conjure a transport portal. I can make it! No woman can beat me when it comes to transportation magic.
Contestant #49 jumped in the portal! I’m safe!
However, mid-jump into the portal, she sensed a mana thread aimed at her throat. #49 slipped one hand under the thread, preventing it from choking her as it wrapped around her neck mercilessly.
The mana thread violently pulled her out of the portal, causing her to lose control. The portal closed prematurely. Her left foot, still caught within the portal, got severed. She used her free hand, and palm to her wound to shut down her pain receptors and closed the wound. The suit went on auto-pilot and assisted by forming a new foot. Damn it! That bitch lied to us. I can still get out. It will take a lot more to kill me.
Jamie looked at the contestant, also another highly attractive woman. Who doesn’t have triple-D boobs in this world? Stop! Focus! So that is the armor suit Master Edwards told me about. It can drain mana if improperly used but makes up for it with certain customizable defense features to assist the user. Just like how it was able to form her replacement foot with zero input from the user.
“Why did you attack me?”
Contestant #49 looked at her with an empty expression. If I can draw this out, I should be able to -
Jamie directed more mana into the thread to increase its sharpness and pulled it harder. In the blink of an eye, a head and five fingers fell onto the Elderberry tree’s branch, then tumbled off, disappearing into the canopy below. There wasn't even a sound of despair.
I'm exposed. I need to get out of here.
Back at headquarters, General Ames watched the slaughter unfold using mana crystal balls. He grinned. The little sheep could kill.
Back in the contest barrier, Jamie used her mind's eye to vanish, she transported herself into a tree she had marked earlier, on her way to her attackers. The tree’s height gave her an advantage, she could see anyone approaching and its bushy branches would provide some cover.
She hid herself amongst the branches and then let out a sigh. Jamie had used more mana than she wanted, but the adrenaline rush of the fight made her go overboard. How did they find me so fast?
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Whoops! She grabbed onto a small branch of the Berrywort tree, preventing a 95-foot fall. Jamie pulled herself up manually. I guess I can't just kill two people and remain unfazed. Focus!
For the last 91 days, every night, every night she had visualized killing someone in her head in anticipation of this very day. An assignment from Master Edwards to prepare her mentally, but nothing could prepare her for what she just did. No tears. Focus. Remember my training.
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[ Day 10 in Mander ]
“I guess I’ll have to kill them,” Jamie responded as she struggled to breathe. Master Edwards sure is a classic unconventional teacher, she thought as her head was being hammered by water from the waterfall. What show haven’t I seen this training regime from?
“That’s correct. If you’re directly under attack, despite not holding the contest item; they’re after your life. You cannot hesitate.”
She remained seated under a waterfall as Master Edwards narrated various scenarios that could be used against her, and when it was her turn to confront her attackers, she was to repeat the mantra “kill, kill, kill”. That is after she tells him her strategy on how she would confront her attackers.
They would do this every day for 45 minutes. “This is enough for today. Let’s go back to camp.”
***
“Bath is ready,” Master Edwards called out from Jamie’s tent.
The best part about mountain training is the fact that Master Edwards can pull spring water from the hot springs and not only dump it into their massive bamboo bath but also heat it up for Jamie and the boys.
“Thank you! We’ll be in shortly,” Jamie said, as she, Benny, and Henry heated up their Kangaroo s'mores.
“Come on, stop being so greedy, you don’t have time to make another!” Benny exclaimed. Henry pretended that he didn’t hear. With his cute chubby hand, he pushed a fluffy marshmallow the size of an eight-pound human newborn onto a stick, then proceeded to give it to Jamie.
Jamie gave her Kangaroo s’more stick for Benny to hold. Then she grabbed two pieces of milk chocolate each shaped like a baby kangaroo, and each the size of a toilet paper roll. She shoved the chocolates onto the stick and using mana, pushed it perfectly into the center of the marshmallow.
“Hurry, before the bath gets cold,” Benny cried. In his frustrated state, he did not realize that his kangaroo s'more was on fire. on fire. Jamie used her fire gift to toast up Henry’s s’more.
“Okay, let’s go take a bath and enjoy these now!” she said, as Benny bawled from discovering the fate of his s’more which was now beyond saving.
“Henry,” she said and turned to the toddler who was trying his best to finish one of his s’mores in an attempt to avoid sharing.
“No story or bath time with me if you can’t share.”
A few minutes later…
In the bath, as Jamie and the kids enjoyed their smoked kangaroo s’mores, Master Edwards entered the tent. He approached them wearing nothing but a magnolia silk robe. Jamie looked at him and blushed to the high heavens. His exposed muscular chest exuded masculinity and power, and the thought of him wearing nothing underneath made her incredibly embarrassed.
“Master Edwards, we’re bathing,” Jamie said and covered her breast.
“I know, I figured since I’m always the one slaving away to make these nice baths for you three, that I ought to enjoy them as well.”
“What? It takes you a second!” Benny cried and waved his kangaroo s’more to the right. In a flash of an eye, Master Edwards transported himself by Benny’s side and in one bite, ate the remaining s’more.
Jamie’s mouth opened in disbelief. How childish?! This is her master?!
Benny, still in shock, kept looking at his empty stick as tears welled up in his eyes. Anticipating what was to come, Jamie stood up and offered Benny her s’more, which he took without hesitation. “Thank you, Jamie,” Benny whimpered.
“What a nice view,” Master Edwards remarked.
Jamie turned to Master Edwards and blasted fire directly at him.
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Present day...
Jamie smiled. Why did I think of that stupid incident?
She felt sick and pulled out a bag that Lisaria had packed for her. After throwing up into the bag, Jamie rested her head against the Berrywort tree. Unlike normal bark, the Berrywort tree’s bark is a combination of many vines that combine to form the massive trunk and branches. I need to find water to rinse out my mouth.
She recalled Master Edward’s teaching - “Look for a berry bush that wishes to be a tree, that is a Berrywort tree,” Master Edwards said as he gave her a plump orange berry, resembling a blackberry except 10x the size, to taste.
She’s in luck, at a distance, she didn’t realize this was the very same tree Master Edwards advised her to look for, since this tree is ever-bearing. Meaning it has berries regardless of the season. This is important because the Love Contest contestants are not allowed to bring water or food supplies; so in addition to the mission of securing a shield and fighting off the monsters, they must also possess survival skills.
Despite wanting to rest more, Jamie started to pick the berries. There wasn’t much. Someone must’ve beaten her to it. Could it have been those two? How? I thought we all entered at the same time but dropped off at different locations.
Stop thinking about that for now. I need to secure a shield.
From the berrywort tree, Jamie spotted three caves: one surrounded by a waterfall, another hidden by the dense canopy, and a small one leading underground. Which one should I go to? The shields must be in a cave since these monsters are cave dwellers.
The image of the contestants she killed popped into her mind again. Something doesn’t feel right. That girl, she said someone told them I was from Pure Earth. Which means, someone else wanted me dead. If so, was she watching?
Jamie shook her head. Focus on the mission.
Jamie bit down on her bottom lip and raised her right palm to transport herself to another berry-wort tree near the cave by the waterfall.