Chapter 15
The Motivation
“To victory!”
Glasses clinked against each other, and the scrapes and clatters of forks echoed across the restaurant. It was livelier than any previous evenings, with the television playing all the exciting highlights of that day’s battles, as well as speculation for the remaining days. People at the bar cheered at some of the shots, while the waitresses around the area skirted the tables that were pushed together in the center, hosting the largest part of the building.
“Look at you kids, destroying the competition out there today!” Amelia shouted. Her hands found their way to Meredith and Vivian’s heads, ruffling their hair with a gorgeous smile. Meredith found her nose almost dipping into her drink, but stopped herself, wondering what Lacardia’s current sponsor would do if he were to see Amelia smiling so gaily. “Childs, you did great. Lacroix, it’s about damn time you stepped up! Baroné, you stop skulking and revel in your own victory.”
“I don’t want to be drowned in my own drink,” Emil said, holding his glass of soda. When he saw Amelia’s glare, he downed it and grinned. The commander turned away and Emil stood back up to refill his glass. Eddie watched him go with a shrug.
“Ah, he’s such a sourpuss. You two are the ones I’m proudest of right now!” Amelia’s loud voice drew the attention of many in the restaurant. Some people cheered, while Emil slammed his glass on the counter to demand his refill. “Besting a Lacardian student with magic isn’t easy. Montgomery may have had an easier time, but…”
“Eh, she was good enough for it. No reason to waste Edwin on Summer,” Vivian said. She leaned back on her chair, some of her soda spilling on her robes after a twinge in her healed shoulder. The event made her frown, but she decided to drink more instead of lamenting it. Meredith picked some water from the table and splashed it over to the blonde. “Hey!”
“Hey, yourself. Are you saying Eddie is better in battle than me?”
“I don’t know. Am I? Just saying, it took you a while.”
“Oh yeah, and you were so much better, huh?” The two girls leaned towards each other, their foreheads butting up as they glared. Eddie continued to drink, ignoring them to look over at their parents discussing…something.
“Not going to stop them, Montgomery?” Amelia asked. She seated herself at last, stifling a yawn and swiping a mug of what Meredith presumed was alcohol. “I mean, it’s just you. Benny’s off consoling his kids after a practical double loss today.”
“Uh, they tied a round?” Meredith pointed out, refusing to unlock her gaze.
“Good as a loss to me,” Vivian said. They ground their teeth.
“Last I checked, that earned them a point, and that means-”
“Can we have your autograph?” The two girls ceased arguments, their heads slowly turning in the direction of the rather young voices. Each blinked in disbelief; surely, Meredith thought, she was hallucinating the young boy and girl standing there, holding out a magazine that had all four of the teams splashed across it.
“Autograph…?” Meredith said. She scratched at her head, unsure what to answer. The children’s parents spared them.
“Oh, what did I say about running off?” their mother scolded. “I know you’re excited to meet them, but you need to be careful. I’m sorry, misses, they’re just very enamored by the Corps.”
“Oh, n-no, it’s okay,” Meredith said, regaining her bearings. Vivian did so, too, offering a smile as the two kids held their magazines forward. Seeing nothing else for it, they took the markers and signed their names over where their pictures were. “Are you all enjoying the tournament then?”
“Yeah! You guys were the best today!” the boy cheered. His sister was bouncing up and down with her copy of the autograph. “You were all swoosh! Bam! Bang! Is the Corps gonna win the whole thing?!”
“We’re definitely going to win!” Vivian declared. It was the most confident the girl had been the whole time, pumping a fist into the air. “Just you watch. This team is going to make the Corps something worth remembering.”
“Yay! We’ll cheer for you!” the girl called. They probably would have said more, but their mother was already steering them away, thanking the two for their time. Both girls offered a wave until they’d exited the restaurant.
Neither knew if they should say anything, or what it was they could have said. They just watched each other, bamboozled, and then they broke down into laughter. It may not have seemed it until that moment, but Meredith realized just how popular they were starting to become.
“Keep that up and you’ll be as famous as your brother,” Amelia said, tipping another sip back.
“Since when has Ray ever been famous?” Eddie asked. He shoved some food in his mouth, giving Amelia the time to consider her answer. She shrugged as response.
“Well, whatever Ray’s done, we’re proud of you, Mera! First place today! Keep it up as we root for you!” Meredith’s mother called. The girl groaned, knocking her head on the table and sending her soda spilling across the wood.
“Are you telling me you’ll be here the whole week?”
“Hey, at least they’re in support of you,” Vivian said. She slumped in her chair, nursing her soda while she grabbed some fries and stuffed them in. Meredith wrinkled her nose, staring at the girl. Regardless of what she’d said to her father, there was still lingering resentment and fear. She sighed, picking up her nigh empty glass when she caught sight of Emil, still at the bar counter. That spurred Meredith to stand. “Oh, get me a refill.”
“Get it yourself, Viv,” Meredith said, smacking the girl behind her head. The blonde swatted at her but missed, allowing Meredith to make it to the counter unobstructed. Emil remained there, tapping his fingers on the wood paneling while Chapman spoke through the television, Masters seated next to him. “Why don’t you wanna party with us?”
“Not feelin’ the whole happy vibe, I guess. We still have a couple more days to go.”
“Doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate a day well-fought,” Meredith insisted. She swung her legs around, tossing them on to one of the stools. The bartender on the other side began to refill her soda. “Come on, Emil. You and thinking don’t always mix well. What’s on your mind?”
“Nothing.” She side-eyed him, most certainly not believing that answer. “Just thinking about Viv and her dad.”
“So, your own parents, then?” Emil’s body language tightened. “Yeah, I thought so. You should make up with them.”
“Stay out of it.” He tugged on his scarf, wrapping it tighter and refusing to take a drink. “Look, my parents…they’re just like hers. Controlling, vain and greedy, and no one even notices. No one even reaches out a hand to…”
“Hm?” She didn’t know where he was going with it, tilting her head to the side, like it would help her catch some whisper of an idea.
“It’s nothing. Glad to see you’re so noticeable now, Mera. Warms the heart. I hope you keep getting that positive attention and don’t lose who you are from it.”
“Uh, I don’t want to be a Guardian for fame, you know,” Meredith said. She blew up at her bangs and took a sip from her refilled mug. “But if anything’s warm here, it’s you. I think that scarf is restricting blood flow to the brain. Why don’t you just take it off?”
“How about not?” Emil said. His fingers continued tapping, but ceased just as quickly, prompting him to stand. “It’s probably the only good memory I have left. Gotta hold on to something to remind me.”
Meredith just guessed at what that was, her teammate beginning to leave the restaurant. That didn’t sit right with her. “Hey, Emil, memories or no, we’re here now. We’re a team, right? Family?”
“That’s…naïve,” Emil said. He reached up, playing with his scarf more. From the corner of her eye, Meredith could see Eddie staring and watching Emil, half out of the chair. “But thanks, and don’t worry, I’ll do my part. I’ll make sure this team’s okay. No matter what, I won’t see you guys lose.”
She had no intentions of stopping him leaving, used to the boy’s behavior since the arrival of his parents. She just offered him a wave while he departed the lively restaurant. Nor was it a surprise to see Eddie go off after him. Meredith took a sip and returned to her seat.
“What’s Emil bitching about now?” Vivian asked.
“No idea. Let’s play a game or something. The adults over there are talking too much to make this evening exciting,” Meredith said, reaching over to the food. Vivian quirked an eyebrow.
“Without Eddie? And why not training?”
“Nights off are good. We’ll still kick ass tomorrow.” Vivian’s lips and nose contorted in ways that Meredith didn’t even think were possible. The conflict was evident, but after a few minutes of it, she threw her hands to the air, conceding. “Sweet! Commander, we’re heading back to the room!”
“Yeah, yeah! Rest up!” Her dismissal brought the two girls to a stand and they left the restaurant (though not before getting a little more food and drink), proceeding outside. Eddie was standing in the street.
“He just took off. Said he’ll do tomorrow’s round, himself. Something about not helping out much,” he said, rubbing the back of his head. “There’s something he wants to say but isn’t. I don’t know, he’s acting weird.”
“Emil’s always been weird. Now am I kicking your ass off the field or what?”
“Say what to who now?” Meredith didn’t let Eddie ponder. She and Vivian hooked his arms and dragged him back to the inn. After a few rounds of a game that left him the winner, the three turned in for the night.
None woke until the morning, and none were surprised that Emil had found his way back to the room, looking rested and raring to go.
“Hey, we nailed first place yesterday, so there’s no way we can’t win today!” he proclaimed. The attitude was a complete flip from the evening before, but they didn’t question it, especially when Amelia greeted them in complete agreement with his current personality.
“I like the way you’re thinking, Baroné! Three days left, so let’s step it up!”
Meredith wasn’t sure what she expected them to do with as little information as they had, and arriving in the near-bursting stadium offered no clues. It was even less possible to discern what they could be up against when the stadium’s volume had reached decibel levels that Meredith had never experienced before. With so many feet stomping and so many people filling the seats, she only guessed that most of the Metropolis was emptied…and it wasn’t even the final day!
“If it gets any louder, I might want to throttle someone…” Vivian uttered beneath her breath. She didn’t make good on her ludicrous threat, and rather joined Meredith in scanning the crowd. Somewhere in there, Meredith was sure she caught sight of the blonde’s father, and her own. Matthew was absent, but those that were present were the teams, each looking recovered from the previous day’s battles. Lacardia, in particular, was refreshed, if silent. Brynn was less so, winking over at their team.
It took Chapman’s voice to quell the cheering (or, perhaps, enliven it).
“Welcome one, welcome all, to another day of the Alliance Games!” he roared out, bringing the sound to greater heights. “We’re on Day Five of this great tournament, with some wild ups and downs on this great ride. Many of you are here, watching this event build to its fever pitch, but we’ve still got more and more exciting things for you. To present it, I’m your host, Freddy Chapman. With me is my usual commentator, Commander Royston Masters, and our daily guest, the transcendent time twister, Matthew Margrove of Lacardia!”
“Matthew?!” Meredith said, almost throwing herself off the balcony to look at the commentator’s box. She needn’t have bothered, since Matthew was on-screen, smiling to the rabid crowd. The Earth-Splitter twitched. Meredith remained focused on her mentor.
“Happy to be here for such a time-oriented trial before the contestants.”
“Indeed. You can keep all our competitors honest,” Masters agreed. “As it stands, today’s event is one very much orchestrated by the many skilled magicians and researchers of Lacardia. Without them, I’m not entirely sure it would be possible.”
“You make an old man blush,” Matthew said. “However, that doesn’t mean Lacardia will win this with ease. It sounds like quite the tricky trial.”
“Yes, it does, and perhaps our most unique one!” Chapman said in agreement, picking up the thread of conversation. “Why is that, you may ask? It’s because this will be our only event where the teams stand alone on the field! No team may interfere with another team! So, before we begin, will each team send down a member to compete…and a member to support!”
“Support?” Meredith and Vivian heard each other say the same thing. It was an unexpected request, especially when judging by Amelia’s stoic lip dropping just a bit.
For Emil, he accepted the task. “No problem. Eddie, you up for it? I could use a versatile support for whatever we’re doing.”
“Sure?” Emil didn’t take no for an answer. His magic activated, and the gravity carried the pair up, over the balcony, and to the field below. Meredith and Vivian were left watching, flabbergasted by the turn of events, but gathering themselves in time to see who else was joining the field.
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“Edgar hits the field with a support from the Home Guard’s Gregory! Felix and Autumn make an expert pair from Lacardia! Rico is joined by his companion Lovelia!” Chapman called, each successive announcement gaining more and more cheers, other than those for Lovelia. Meredith was unsurprised, considering the girl’s track record in the games so far. “And last but not least, the unequivocal winners of yesterday’s bout: the Guardian Corps sends out Emil and Edwin! Who will fare best today? Will the Corps jump to first, or will the other teams muster their skills? We’ll find out in the Teammate Time Trial!”
“That’s a boring name…” Vivian drawled. It was all she commented on before Chapman bowled over her with his explanation.
“In this trial and task, the selected participants will enter the arena alone. Before them is a veritable maze of targets: golems of various magics. Can they be hit by magic? Physical attacks? That’s for the competitor to find out. Of course, each set will be randomized so no team has an advantage over another. However, each team also has a support. The key to that support is this: they are not allowed directly inside and they cannot attack the golems. They must support in other ways, be it deflection or guidance. How the competitor does that is up to them.”
“A true test of skill, strength, reflexes and knowledge, rolled into one. This will test how well a team can work together without being on the same space,” Masters said, his nods showcasing his approval for such a task.
“They won’t be able to sit around, though,” Matthew said. His fingers were knitted together, his warm smile belying the enjoyment he was about to have from this event. “Because the metric of determining points in this round is…well, time.”
“Right you are, Mr. Margrove! Whoever completes it fastest wins the points for the day, with the next lowest time taking the next and so-on and so forth,” Chapman finished. “A simple objective, but one most thrilling, and on that note…” A wheel on the screen began to spin, each of the participants below looking tense with anticipation. When the wheel stopped, Chapman made his final announcement. “The first to take the stage is Lacardia’s Felix! Let the fifth day commence!”
Audiences gave their usual raucous cry, while Meredith perched herself on the balcony rail and surveyed the field. Amelia and Vivian joined her, lips twisting with concentration. The competitors not opening the day’s event moved to the sides, watching with just as much interest as the spectators. A group of robed people walked to the center of the arena, touching the dirt floor. Dust swirled, an obscuring cyclone wrapping around the whole field, with Felix and Autumn at the center of it. There was a gasp from within its confines, and when the cyclone dissipated, the circumstances of the event were made plain.
It was a target range…of sorts. Some wooden planks were placed with precision, providing walkways and ramps, upon which were the sandy golems. There were two separate colors installed on the golems, red and blue. It became easy to figure out what that meant, and Meredith wondered how fast Felix would figure it out. Though, she knew one advantage he had.
The bell rang out.
“Ground support, Autumn!” Felix’s companion, now having been placed to the exterior of the field, tapped her foot. A root emerged, snaking along the bottom level of the golems. Felix breathed in and jumped upon that moving root. His wings sprouted from his back, looking sharp as the wind that supported them. He approached the first Golem, a red-cored one, and gave it a slice. Pieces broke off, but it wasn’t destroyed.
“Benny’s kid is at a disadvantage here…He doesn’t seem like a fighter that can change up his style,” Amelia said. She was brushing her hair aside, glancing to her boyfriend. Meredith didn’t remove her eyes from Felix. With another slice of his wings, the golem fell and he allowed the root to carry him forward to the next, blue-cored one.
To this one, he whipped wind out from his wings. The golem wavered, and then the core fell out, cracking under the magical pressure. He was moving on to the next.
“You’re saying physical attacks are his weakness?” Vivian asked. The commentators above were speculating the same thing, with Matthew remaining ever-coy on his answers.
“I think he just doesn’t have the power. Two hits even for a physical attack golem, and it means he can’t even save his magic for later rounds,” Meredith said. Vivian shook her head, but was in agreement. The two kept watching as Felix made his way from golem to golem on the ground level, until they were all destroyed. Then his wings spread out. “Ah, but this is what he was waiting for.”
The crowd cheered, joined by none other than Chapman. “There it is, ladies and gentlemen, Felix has begun to use his Flight Magic to obliterate the golems on the upper levels! But this isn’t so easy a challenge!”
The blue cores began to glow, and the golems started to move, hands raising up. Muddy globs were formed, squelching for a moment and then being fired off. Felix dodged the first, but was nailed in the chest by another. Meredith grimaced; she’d forgotten that they had mentioned attacks.
Autumn, to Felix’s relief, hadn’t forgotten. Her fingers wiggled and the branches jettisoned upwards, whipping away the new assault upon her teammate. He thanked her, and dove for one of the physical golems that wasn’t trying to shoot him out of the sky. Instead, when he got close, this one tried to punch him. He dodged, and slashed through with his wings. Autumn was working frenetically, guarding her partner with each hit. His swooping and striking were free thanks to his support.
Meredith had no surprise that he had finally picked up the general flow of battle, the time trial beginning to come easy to him. With Autumn protecting him from below, and learning to target his strikes against the cores, Felix increased his speed, mowing down the golems with ease until there were a mere two left on that upper level. Meredith scratched at her chin, taking notes for what was going on and hoping that Emil and Eddie were doing the same.
That moment she flicked her eyes away from the action to watch her teammates was the moment tragedy struck.
Autumn was late in blocking and one of the mudballs tore through Felix’s wing. He was sent spiraling off course, circling towards the ground as he tried to replenish his magic power. Before he hit the ground, he used his good wing to send a gale forth that sliced up the one which had attacked him. Seconds later, he hit the ground, rolling to a stand and charging up the ramps for the final golem. With Autumn unable to do anything, Felix was alone, dodging the mad punches from the golem as his fingers grabbed hold of the red core and pulled.
He suffered a blow to the face. The crowd gasped.
“Come on, Felix! No giving up now!” Summer and Conrad cheered together. His classmates’ cheers drove him forward, right through another sandy punch to yank the core free. The golem froze…and then crumbled.
The bell rang.
“And Felix has completed the trial! It took him some time to get rolling, and he certainly suffered some blows, but he’s done! Mr. Matthew, what time do you have on the clock?”
“Twenty minutes!” Matthew grumbled out. He was both praising and shaking his head. The time trial was certainly longer than any of them had felt or expected, and judging from Felix’s dejected body, he felt he could’ve done better. “An excellent starting time all things considered, and the current bar set for all those to compete.”
“It may seem, however, that the other teams will have an advantage with all that Mr. Lawers has discovered,” Masters said. “However, be assured, it will not work the same way every time. Perhaps the cores will change color. Perhaps the setup will be different. Or attack patterns. There are still some surprises left.”
“But for now, if Lacardia will exit the field and make way for…” Chapman’s words were followed with the spinning wheel and the next announcement of, “…the Home Guard’s Edgar and Gregory!”
Felix, sagging from the smarting blow to his chest, was quickly grabbed by Autumn, the two walking off as they passed by Edgar. The burly man slammed his hands together. His partner remained on the sides. That didn’t stop the mages from earlier, making their way to the field.
“Edgar, use your head this time. ‘Kay, big boy?” Brynn yelled over the field. Edgar punched his fists with a wild grin on his face that made his leader sigh.
“Edgar will not disappoint! Edgar’s hardening crushes all!”
“Do show some restraint, Edgar. This is an elegant trial, not one of brutality. We need to clear a bar here,” Gregory said, the gentleman warning his partner. Edgar waved him off. Then the dust swirled once more.
“How will this round fare? Will Edgar surpass Felix…or will the Home Guard be left in the dust?” Chapman shouted, his comments earning some laughter. “The second trial begins now!”
Sand subsided, and the audience gave a collective gasp. That same gasp doubled seconds after the bell chimed. Meredith’s eyebrows rose up.
Edgar was surrounded by the sandy golems. There were no pathways or walkways. Just an army of the magical constructs, each aiming attacks at the competitor. It took only a second of considered pause before the golems fired, all of their attacks converging on the spot that was Edgar. Even Vivian gave an unwanted gasp while the sand covered the brutish man.
“Oh my! What an onslaught! Is Edgar all right, or is his time trial already over?”
Meredith doubted that. Her look to Brynn confirmed that. The young woman had her hips cocked, smirking at the sight below. There was no way the Home Guard was out of the game quite yet.
“Ahahahahahaha!” Edgar’s boisterous tones echoed. The crowd cheered and lightning struck down, clearing away the obscuring sand. For the first time the whole tournament, Edgar was revealed, his body covered in rock-hard scales, looking sturdy and strong. Meredith bit back her laugh. It was no wonder Brynn was so unworried. “Edgar is strong! Edgar means victory! Gregory, aid Edgar!”
“Ah, I’m glad to see you using your brain for such an endeavor,” Gregory said, spinning a blade around in his hands. He tapped the ground with his sheath. “As you wish, Edgar. Bruise to your hearts content.”
Lightning bloomed. Some of the crowd recoiled from the flashing, while others gasped with worry that he’d strike one of the golems and render Edgar’s efforts meaningless. Meredith had no such worry, as all Gregory was doing was creating a cage of electricity that deflected the mud shots. That gave Edgar the room he needed.
“Edgar Smash! Edgar Strike!” The burly man was grinning, his teeth jagged from the scales as he tore through golem after golem. Some struck, slowing him down, but Gregory’s lightning cage stopped the bulk of it. It allowed him to get through the obstacles like butter.
“He’s better than I’d have thought at first guess, even if he seems an idiot,” Vivian said. Unable to discern just what her teammate was talking about, she narrowed her gaze to pick up on what Edgar was doing. It became very obvious, watching his hands. Before striking a red-cored, he’d remove his hardening; before a blue-cored, he’d replace it. With whip-smart reflexes that Meredith hadn’t thought Edgar would possess, the man was ripping through the golems until the bell rang, signaling the end of the trial.
The crowd burst into applause.
“Five minutes!” Matthew announced, clapping as well. Meredith was sure he was disappointed that Lacardia had already been knocked down to last. That, however, was mixed with an equal amount of how impressed he was at the coordination of precision and brute strength that no one thought Edgar could bely.
“What a performance! What a victory!” Chapman claimed to the raving crowd. Even Masters looked impressed, clapping his hands. “Can anyone dominate Edgar’s score? I don’t think so, but with two teams left, we’ll have to wait and see. Up next is the Guardian Corps’ Emil!”
Meredith hadn’t even noticed the wheel spinning to decide the remaining order, but Emil’s face was there, and he and Eddie were making their way to the center of the field. Edgar was slowly walking off, pushed along by Gregory while he pumped his fists.
“Edgar! Edgar!” he chanted, whipping the crowd into cheers of his name.
“Oh, give me a break,” Vivian scoffed. “Emil, don’t let the team down!”
Emil either didn’t hear them, or ignored them. The dust returned and Meredith swung her legs around, wondering what form the next part of the trial would take. No one had to wait to find out as three tiers appeared with the same number of golems as the previous two sets. Eddie and Emil were both discerning about this new setup, wondering what the gimmick was this time as the bell rang loud and clear.
Unlike Felix, Emil wasted no time in shooting towards the air to get a better view of things. He didn’t attack, not right away, but took what Meredith could only estimate was half a minute to survey the situation. Vivian’s rapping fingers indicated her impatience and want to yell for Emil to get a move on.
He did, in the form of shouting to Eddie. “They’re changing cores, Eddie. Mark ‘em! Red with fire, blue with ice. When they change, make sure I can be aware.”
“On it!” Eddie’s body floated inches off the ground, allowing him to zoom around the borders of the field. Emil angled downwards and increased his own gravity. Eddie fired, fire and ice spewing from his hands simultaneously to mark the various golems. Sometimes he would change it, marking a difference in core.
Emil took note, his Gravity Blades extending. He hovered in the middle of the field, and with a furrowed brow, sent his blades screaming outward towards the flame-marked golems. He twisted, whipping around and flailing his blades about the place. With nearly as much precision as Gregory’s lightning, the blades pierced the red cores. Some of them changed, and before Eddie could identify them, no less, yet many found their mark. The golems crumbled.
“Now, Gravity Force and Gravity Impulse!” Emil flipped around, orbs of crushing gravity appearing in his hands and then firing out. His body was pushed back. As if sensing the onslaught of magical energy, some of the golems took to attacking, their usual balls of mud firing for either the incoming projectiles, or Emil himself. He slipped in the air, allowing them to miss. Once clear, he shot back up, palms extended downward. “Now, fall!”
The earth began to crumble and crack, the wood splintering before the remaining magical golems fell to the dusty ground. Their cores remained intact, but Emil was already striking, his magical orbs shattering those that remained to pieces, identified by the shards of ice at their feet. Eddie continued to zoom around the arena’s sides, until the remaining golems were identified. To that, Emil fell, his feet touching the ground before he spun. The gravity pressure deftly flew from his hands, as did his blades, striking at the cores.
They crumbled, and the bell rang.
“What’s the time?” Meredith asked, glancing up at the screen in hopes of an answer.
Matthew delivered. “Five minutes and fifteen seconds.”
“Damn it…” Vivian breathed. It wasn’t quite the news they were hoping for. “He just had to muck it all up, huh? We were so close.”
“We can still land second,” Meredith said. Vivian hardly cared, but relented with a sigh that showed acceptance. At the very least, Emil was unharmed, as was Eddie, the two slapping hands against each other for a decent job while they walked off.
“A close mark, but not quite enough,” Chapman said. He, himself, sounded disappointed. “Despite a unique strategy, Emil and Eddie didn’t quite match Edgar’s feat. Still, a round of applause for them and our final contestants for the day: the Renegades’ Rico!”
Clapping followed, muted though it was. As if an air of tension had pervaded the crowd, Masters cleared his throat. Meredith located the nearest screen to catch a glimpse of his face, noticing Amelia’s own set jaw as she watched Rico and Lovelia stride into the middle.
“Yes, well, there seems to be a lukewarm reception to the Renegades after some, er, what some would consider to be mediocre performances,” the commander clarified. “However, this is another round, and perhaps without interference, they may show a side we’ve yet to see. I’m looking forward to it.”
Masters’ words attracted the attention of Rico, who stared upwards, nodding his head in the commander’s direction. He faced forward before anyone else could notice. Everyone was in rapt attention to him on the field, though, as the dust whirled for the final time that day.
“Well, this is it, folks. How will the Renegades fare, and who will be the winner of today’s event?! It’s all decided now!” Chapman roared. Meredith found her fingers digging into the balcony. “Final round, begin!”
What the crowd saw, as the smoke and sand vanished, defied Meredith’s comprehension. Defied everyone’s comprehension.
More than that, however, it made Meredith’s soul clench, and her blade itch.
The Renegades, who had been passable to downright unimpressive, changed the game on the spot.
Within seconds of the dust going away, Rico had been teleported by Lovelia, right to the top of a very tall column of golems. They fired their blasts, but missed. Rico drew his spear, spinning it above his head before aiming it down.
“Ah!” Vivian gasped, her hands sliding from the railing for a moment. Below, Eddie also dropped to a knee, alongside Felix. Meredith blinked, but watched in horror as a cyclone was created. It ripped into the ground, spinning around the golems and ripping the blue-cored ones to shreds. Lovelia teleported him out of the way as his tornado subsided, leaving only the physical ones. He was teleported to the center, and the golems attacked.
Wordlessly, Meredith watched Rico’s body harden, and Edgar grunt. Something was odd about the way the magic was working, but there was no time to think. Rico’s spear flashed out, his body taking all of the myriad of blows, before slicing through. Then he jabbed the ground and plants erupted, snaring the fists from attacking. Rico jumped up, and with support from Lovelia, teleported on the outside of the golems, away from their attacks, to slash through each in turn, until not a single one remained.
In mere moments, Rico had utterly destroyed the time trial, leaving the teams gasping and the crowd speechless. Meredith gripped at her chest, and Rico looked up at her. Neither said anything, but shared something only they could. She shook her head, a theory niggling in her brain.
She was unable to voice it. Chapman took over that void.
“What…what a show…” he croaked out, sounding like his throat was dry. Masters’ mouth was open, and Matthew blinked rapidly. “What…what’s the time, Mr. Matthew?”
“Um…er…” Matthew fumbled, each getting over their shock. “A…a minute…and twenty-one…”
“A record! The Renegades sweep day five! They sweep day five in an unprecedented show! Who knew they could be that strong?!”
“Is that so?” Rico shouted. In the relative silence of the stadium, all of them heard him. “You had already written us off? You had already thought you knew all we had to give? How very like all of you…Trapped in your own little world, believing you know what’s best…
“Well, you’re wrong. The world you believe in is a lie. And we’re proving it to you right here. Right now!”
No one said a word. No one made a move.
None…except Edgar.