Chapter 16
The Interference
“That’s a load of crap!” Edgar’s cry whittled the already stunned audience into silence. Meredith found herself moving, almost in tandem with the burly member of the Home Guard. She was on the other side of the balcony now, and Vivian was next to her. Amelia made no move to stop them. “This is not about the world. This is about the teams here and now.”
“Edgar, calm yourself. He’s merely trying to rile us,” Gregory said, hand on his companion’s shoulder. Meredith’s Soul Vision turned on; regardless of Gregory’s words, he was on edge just the same.
“Rile us? Edgar thinks not.” Edgar stepped forward, his foot hardening and causing a tremor to rattle the stadium. “If he has something he must say, he should say it. Underestimate you? No. Edgar believes there is something more than what he claims.”
“Like what?” Rico asked. “Are you bitter over your loss yesterday and today? It’s not a good look on the Home Guard.”
“Edgar is not bitter. Edgar does not get bitter. Edgar is above such things,” the man proclaimed. Over in the Home Guard’s seats, Brynn and Theodore were standing, each looking antsy. This wasn’t a typical conversation, even for the brutish Edgar. “Edgar is a member of the Home Guard, and you would besmirch the Home Guard with your subversive tactics. Edgar still does not know how you attained victory yesterday, or today…but those powers are not your own!”
Rico answered nothing. He held his spear clasped to his side and Lovelia joined him. He stared down Edgar. Neither made a move, unless one counted the upturn to Rico’s lips, offering challenge. Above, Chapman scrambled to restore a measure of tranquility to the proceedings.
“Um, I’m…not exactly sure what’s going on, but it seems we have an extracurricular confrontation in light of the victory. Which, speaking of, the points for today-”
“So, prove it!” Rico’s demand silenced Chapman once more. Members of the crowd started to stand, and Rico absorbed it, turning to address all of them at once. “You think we’re illegitimate competitors? I don’t see any of you standing in the ring. You think us weak? Then prove you’re stronger. Prove you and your organizations are needed.
“Because even with all that strength you have, you’re still pointless.”
“What did you say?!”
“Edgar, calm yourself. He’s just trying to-”
“If you’re concerned about your points, how about we bet an all or nothing, or do you trust so little in yourself?” Edgar was seething, and Gregory was holding fast to him. Lovelia stepped in front of Rico. The audience was muttering, whispering. Meredith’s fist clenched. Their souls were wavering, bouncing all over the place with confusion. It was painful, but Edgar attempted to calm himself. At least, before Rico pushed him over the edge. “Coward.”
“Edgar, no!” The burly man broke free of Gregory’s hold. His body hardened, every step shuddering through the stadium. Many gave gasps, and some averted their eyes.
Meredith and Vivian moved without thinking. They slid down the side of the balcony, dropping towards the floor of the stadium. Meredith connected her soul with Eddie’s, summoning some wind to lower them safely. They touched down at the same moment that Conrad and Summer had joined their teammates on the field. Edgar thundered across, his fist soaring for Rico’s head.
The fist was met with another, equally scaled, though not with the same amount of strength. Maria was pushed back, but held by Carlton.
“Now, now, that is a bad look for the Home Guard,” she taunted, her jingling earrings adding to the effect. Edgar recoiled, allowing Gregory the chance to restrain him. He was joined by Theodore. Edgar, under their combined weight, began to relent. The effect was complete by Brynn’s arrival on a spout of heated water, tapping him on the shoulder. “You’re supposed to be the seasoned and restrained protectors of the Metropolis, but I see a bunch of battle junkies, itching for a fight. Is this who the people look up to?”
“Shut up.” Brynn’s cold tones caused even Maria to take a step back, the hardened scales falling away from her arm. “I don’t want to hear you speak, snake. Every word you say has been laced with venom and lies this whole tournament.”
“Seems I pressed a button.”
“Maria…” Rico said. He placed a hand on his compatriot’s shoulder, walking past her to stand before Brynn. He easily dwarfed her, and Meredith stepped forward, coming to both Emil and Eddie’s side. They were joined by the Lacardian team, each watching the event with a sick pit forming in their stomachs. “We’re in this tournament, same as anyone else. What does it matter if our reasons are different? Though perhaps you should control your man. He’s a poor look.”
“I said silence,” Brynn hissed. There was a glint, and Meredith saw the girl slot a knife into her hand, holding it up towards Rico’s neck. Gasps scattered around, and the two as-yet-uninvolved teams stepped closer. “I don’t know what you’re planning, or what you’re thinking, but I will not suffer your antagonism. I will not allow you to do as you please. As a member of the Home Guard, I will protect the Metropolis, even if it’s from people like you.”
“Looking down on us?” Rico was smirking now. He was even closer to Brynn, but the woman wasn’t backing down. She glared right back up at him. “You’re all the same. Disregarding people’s lives because you believe you’re better. I’d like to say this tournament might end up a sharp wake-up call for you.
“The Home Guard. Lacardia. Especially the Guardian Corps. None of you are needed or will be needed. You’re just an illusion of peace that protect nothing. Do nothing.”
“What the hell did you say?” Meredith wasn’t the only one shouting, though she may have been the only one shaking with something other than anger. She had stepped forward, Vivian and Felix with her while they approached Rico. The leader of the Renegades stepped back. Gone was the smirk, replaced with the harsh, angry lines she remembered all too well from past encounters.
“You heard me, loud and clear. By the end of this tournament there will be no need for organizations as pointless as yours.”
“And who’s gonna protect the people? You?” Meredith demanded. Her hand was itching to take hold of her sword, but she held back. Vivian and Brynn didn’t comply with that, each baring their weapons against a Rico that held his own tighter.
“What do you define as protecting the people? Who do you choose to protect?”
“What kind of dumb question is that?” Vivian demanded. “And what does any of that have to do with winning this tournament? The Corps, the Home Guard, whatever you’re a part of, they’re just teams. We’re all here to win this. If you’re trying to do anything else, take it to a television channel where it belongs. We don’t want that here!”
“We’re plenty fine on our own. Who are you to tell us otherwise? Really, who are you, anyway?” Felix said. His eyes were popping, and his jaw was tight in a glower. Other souls around the arena were not as harsh as his, however. They felt more…confused. Teetering and unsure of who to listen to in an argument.
“And who are you?” Maria shot back. “You’re just some kid from a magic academy. Lucky you, huh? You get to play with some bigshots because you were born with better magic. Weren’t kicked out by their draconian views on magic!”
“We worked to get where we are. We didn’t just give up. It wasn’t easy,” Conrad now said, his own steps intervening in the conflict. Meredith would’ve expressed her own surprise at him arguing against a woman, but she had her eyes trained on Rico. He was indiscernible.
“Oh, you ‘worked’. How great you are. And what about those who worked and were still ignored. We’ve tried our damndest at this tournament, yet it wasn’t until Rico schooled all of you that you finally sat up and paid attention. What more is it gonna take for you to open your eyes?”
“They just think they’re better than us,” Lovelia said. Her glare was reserved for Vivian, the blonde snarling at her in turn. “They’re so content with the way things are, so set in them, they can’t see who’s hurting.”
“Like you’d have an idea about what hurt is…unless you want me to school you on the battlefield again.”
“I know your tricks now.”
The squabbling increased in volume, drowning out the souls. They were tossing insults and rhetoric that devolved into playground bullying, each side getting lost in the shuffle. Meredith kept focused on Rico. Neither he nor Carlton said much more. Their cards were kept close to their chest, and she had no idea what they could be. He didn’t worry whether his fellow Renegades would say anything more, either, for he didn’t stop the argument.
So, this is what you wanted…win the tournament and send a message that you’re not weak and helpless… Meredith grasped the hilt of her blade, feeling Terrill’s soul resonating. She prepared to engage Rico and demand answers, but found herself stopped by a single question from someone she didn’t expect.
“Maybe we shouldn’t fight here. Besides, what if they have a point?”
“Emil…what are you talking about?” That was Eddie, his eyes wide as he looked to his teammate. Everyone, in fact, looked to Emil, with Meredith swallowing the lump in her throat.
“Well, we’re all here because we happened to get noticed, right?” Emil said. His hands were shoved in his pockets, his scarf wrapped round tighter. His voice wasn’t muffled, allowing them to understand his statements in full. “Pure luck. Or maybe we were just blessed. But not everyone is, right? Not everyone sees the crap we go through, and can just…ignore us. I know what that feels like. So do you, Viv.”
“Don’t you dare say it, Emil,” spat Vivian. She wasn’t even the angriest one.
Felix closed the distance between him and Emil, hauling him up by the front of his robes. “So, what are you saying? You feel ignored? You feel like that gives you some kind of pass? Poor, poor Emil, bitterly complaining when he gets in on mommy and daddy’s coattails while some of us had to work. We’re not here because of luck, Emil!”
“Shut it, Felix!” The mention of his mother and father made Emil snap, pushing against the Lacardian boy and sending him to the ground. An orb of gravity appeared in his hands before Eddie grabbed his wrist. “You have no idea!”
“Maybe you all are the ones without a clue,” Brynn shot back. “You make outlandish claims, as if you’re better or higher than us. You act like we don’t work every day. Maybe we’re not perfect, but if you think you are…if you think your Renegades are so great, then let’s settle the tournament here and now. I’m fine with reducing it down to three teams…and a three-member team.”
“That’s just a little far, Brynn,” Meredith interjected, but her hand didn’t remove itself from her sword. Vivian tensed for battle, and Lacardia’s students backed Felix up. “But I’ve got no problem with an all-out brawl. Settle the score and move on, huh?”
“Is that really the way to solve things, Mera?” Eddie went unheeded.
Meredith pulled the Earth-Splitter out just a little, hearing Terrill’s chastising remarks. Vivian transformed her bow to a sword. Lacardia closed ranks. Maria and Lovelia advanced, a grin on the former’s face. Emil and Felix were in a deadlock of stares. Then, there were the chants.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!”
“Well, this took a turn,” Chapman said. His voice was higher, warbling with every syllable. “Th-the teams are looking to have an off-field fight, and the crowd is enjoying it. I…I’ve no idea what’ll happen next.”
“It’s ridiculous,” Masters said. He was harsher than he ever sounded, but Meredith knew there was no stopping the all-out brawl that was now transpiring.
“That’s enough.” The gust of wind that followed knocked all twelve contestants to the ground, including Rico. Seconds later, black bindings snapped themselves around the Lacardian students, pulling them away from the center of confrontation. At the end of the interventions were Benjamin and Amelia, neither looking pleased anymore. “What are you all, a bunch of howling monkeys?”
Vivian opened her mouth to argue back, but the commander slapped her upside the head. Meredith felt the same keen sting, along with Eddie. The Home Guard recoiled in the face of the commander’s actions.
“You’re here representing your teams,” Benjamin stated, frosty as his girlfriend. “Felix, I expected you to know better. You’re a symbol for Lacardia right now, and your behavior is mortifying.”
“Likewise for you three,” Amelia snapped. Another gust of wind sent the trio tumbling back over when they tried to stand. The Home Guard was clipped on the end of it, and the three males huddled together in fear of the towering commander. “Starting fights after the day’s events are over. I don’t care if he hurt your feelings, you’re Guardians. Act like it! You want to settle a fight and shut the opponent up, you do it in the ring. You do it where it’s sanctioned.”
“Says the woman that loves to fight…” Vivian said, spitting on the ground. She received a knee to her chest for her troubles.
“Yes, I do. But I’m not stupid enough to pick fights when I shouldn’t. You have a lot to learn Lacroix. And Childs, if Benny expected more from Lawers, then I expected more from you, but you jumped in head first. I would expect more restraint from you.”
Meredith considered arguing back, but Vivian clasping her chest was enough of a deterrent; she really didn’t want to be kneed. Instead, she stood and bowed her head. “I’m sorry. I made a poor judgment call.”
“Well, at least you acknowledge it…Now get up. This tournament is over for the day.” It was clear her orders were not just to their own team, but to all the participants on the field. This was made especially so when she pointed directly at Rico. “If you have something to prove, you do it in the ring. You have something to say, make your voice heard with an event. No more grandstanding and besmirching the name of this tournament. Now, get going, all of you.”
No one sought to defy her. Brynn picked the Home Guard up, checking Edgar over for any bruises. Any of the spectators would have thought she was collected, but from all their clashes, Meredith knew the pink-haired girl was shaking with rage towards the Renegades. That team, for their part, was walking silently away from the field, with no one bothering to check the scores. Benjamin just dragged his students off, a scolding on his lips.
Meredith was afraid that Amelia had one waiting for them the second they got off the field and into the hallways.
Yet it never came.
Her presence was felt, making sure they didn’t stop or stray, but she didn’t utter a single word. Meredith was certain that she shouldn’t, either. Her back ramrod straight, she kept in-step with her teammates. They didn’t dare speak to one another, or address their commander. All four of them, however, continued on the path out of the coliseum and on the road back to the Metropolis, long before any of the crowd could come and find them.
That loneliness, and the burning shame of being talked to like a naughty child, made her nails dig into her robes, her ears burning. The other three didn’t notice, all of them lost in their own ruminations. Even Terrill’s soul was distracted, leaving her so very alone.
And so very scared.
It was, at this point, an emotion she was becoming too unhealthily familiar with, and one she was used to pushing away in favor of whatever task was before her. Yet she couldn’t deny that what had happened was the first time in weeks that the pangs of fear had visited her, and it was all thanks to Rico, highlighting the tensions. His words about the Corps, and his effortless domination…right down to the way even Emil had agreed with him. It was a frightening charisma when combined with the reminder of the man before the alchemic settlement: driven, inciting, and carried with an all-consuming rage. A flame that, much like Vivian’s trauma, had nearly consumed him.
Nearly consumed Emil. Meredith wondered why.
She wasn’t the only one.
“So, who wants to tell me what was responsible for your behaviors?” Amelia said, legs crossed and peering as a hawk over its prey, long after they got back to their room. Meredith cast her eyes downward, not wanting to answer. She stared at the sliver of late afternoon sun on the floor, instead. “The way I see it is this: you all decided to intervene on an issue that didn’t concern you, and damn near embarrassed the Corps while you were at it.”
“But isn’t that the purpose of the Corps? To get involved in situations that don’t…” Meredith balled her robes in her fists.
“Sure, but not like this. You tried to start a fight. Especially you, Baroné, Lacroix. One of you egged the other on and the other outright agreed with another team member for some reason. Do you know what kind of look that is?” Emil ignored the commander, staring out the window in silence. “Baroné!”
“Yeah, I heard!” Emil said. “Look, I did my job. I almost got us to first.”
“Almost?” Vivian laughed. “You got us in third today. That’s not ‘almost’ first. That’s almost last. I’d almost say you threw that round so that the Renegades could have their little show with how much you seem to agree with them.”
“Oh, yeah, I’m totally responsible for what they’re able to do, Viv!” Emil was on his feet, and Vivian was confronting him in the same manner. “I did what I promised. I earned a point for the team. Eddie, you agree, right?”
“I’m not in this fight.”
“See, even he agrees with me.”
“That’s not what he said.”
“Will the two of you shut up?” Meredith shouted, her head aching. She rubbed her temples and shot venom at them with her eyes. “We sucked today…again. And we did stupid stuff, apparently. So, can we, maybe, focus on tomorrow? We still have a shot.”
“Why bother? I didn’t ask to be on this team. I didn’t ask to join the Corps or anything,” Emil said. “I just got roped up into your crazy adventures and now I’m stuck here with the rest of you who can’t understand a thing.”
“Yeah? Then help us understand. We’re a team.”
“Some team…”
“Okay, quiet!” The wind pushed them all back in their seats, and Amelia was the one left standing. She was snarling at each of them, rendering them silent. It took a moment, but she sighed. “You know…I really thought you were coming together as a team. I really thought, for a moment, that you were those bright shining stars that could look out for each other. But all you care about are yourselves, most of you. What’s it going to take for you to finally set that vanity aside?”
An answer couldn’t be provided.
“You four are hopeless.” The commander exited the room. Before she slammed the door, she addressed them, “Work out your damn issues already. Don’t embarrass the Corps further.”
The door closed them off once more. Then Emil breathed, “Bitch…”
Slap! Eddie had struck Emil across the face with a backhand, leaving the dirty-blond’s cheek a raw red. “What is wrong with you, Emil?”
“Nothing. She’s the one that has something wrong with her. Corps this, Corps that. I’m me. I don’t speak for the Corps, and if all she cares about is their damn image, then what is she doing as a Guardian?” he said to Eddie. Vivian scoffed, throwing herself on her bed. Meredith, on the other hand, approached him.
“If you only care about yourself, then you paint a pretty poor picture.” Emil bit his lip. “What’s wrong?”
“I…” Emil was trembling, imperceptibly at first, and then more as his hands lowered to his lap. “I don’t know…I’m just…so confused…”
“About what?” The two best friends asked simultaneously.
“Everything. My parents. The Renegades. You guys.” He gripped his scarf, pulling it tight with his trembling hands. “Ever since I saw them again, it’s just brought up these…feelings. This anger. How I was just a little puppet for them and no one said a thing. Not Lacardia. Not the Corps…no one…I felt so alone, and them being there reminds me how alone I’ve been and how they were the only ones who…
“…I feel like the Renegades have a point. There are people just tossed aside and disregarded because they weren’t lucky enough. As a Guardian, don’t you think that’s a message people need to hear?”
“But Emil…you’re not alone. Haven’t I told you? Didn’t I tell everyone here?” Meredith said. She leaned down, taking his hands and placing his forehead against hers. There was warmth there, even amidst the unstable soul, vacillating between a myriad of emotions. “We’re a team.”
“Yeah…you say that, but I…” Emil reached forward, gently pushing her away. “I get it, but I don’t think that fixes the issue. Not while they…”
“Oh, boo hoo. Cry me a river,” Vivian said. Her response was muffled by her pillow, but distinct nonetheless. “So you’ve got issues. That’s no excuse. So, stop bitching and step up. I’m trying to sleep.”
“Viv…”
“She’s right,” Eddie said, and he clapped Emil on the shoulder. “Sometimes we all feel a bit confused, but with a goal to strive for, that confusion doesn’t hurt as much. So…just focus on what you can do. Right now, that means helping the team. Not for the Corps or anything, but because it’s something you can do.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Emil said, relenting with a sigh. “I’ll do my best, then. I’ll…protect you guys.”
“Don’t need it.”
“Viv appreciates the sentiment,” Meredith confirmed. Emil chuckled, and Meredith finally considered the matter closed. A yawn reached her lips and she smiled. “Well, guess that means we should get some rest. We need to make up lost points, so let’s get some shut-eye!”
“More like shut up, trash.”
Meredith made sure to bonk Vivian on the head before turning in, the blonde snorting into her pillow. It was moments after the room descended into light snores that a whisper was heard before Meredith slipped off to oblivion.
“I’ll try to keep you safe. I promise. No matter what.”
----------------------------------------
“…than aware, Roy, but what do you want me to do?” Meredith awoke, eyes shooting open at the harsh tones that comprised Amelia’s voice. “I’m here to keep an eye, not solve every problem.”
“And you don’t think yesterday was a problem? A brawl nearly started from a simple incitement, and I have to wonder if that was their game.” That was Masters, and Meredith sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her teammates were snoring away, and with a silent exhale, Meredith touched to the wooden floor and approached the door to their room, cracking it open just a bit.
“Maybe. Who knows? It’s your job to keep the important people safe, though. That’s your worry.”
“You just don’t like responsibility.”
“No, Marcus just trusts you more than me.” Masters laughed, his bark causing a wince from Meredith. Shuffling behind her indicated her companions waking up for the day. “Look, I’ve got my hands full, but there’s nothing to worry about. Tempest Squad is on the job elsewhere, keeping the Order occupied, no doubt. We’ve nothing to worry about.”
“Still…”
“It’s the Renegades, Roy! They’re hardly coordinated as it is. Instigating a couple kids is hardly grounds for concern.” His grumbles indicated otherwise. “Look, worse comes to worst, I’ll do what I do best, you’ll do what you do best, and we’ll have a great big laugh of celebration afterwards. And if you’re that concerned, contact Marcus and have him pack as many Guardians into the stadium tomorrow as possible. Goodness knows, it’ll be packed as it is…”
“Mera, what’s up?” Meredith jumped at Eddie’s voice.
“Nothing. It’s nothing. Let’s eat. I’m starving.” Shaking off the conversation with a laugh, she woke her other teammates up and proceeded to the first floor of the inn, where Amelia was eating alone. The woman surveyed her with a knowing eye and a wink. It was as clear a sign as any that told her to focus on the tournament at hand and to drop the previous day’s worries from her mind. Terrill held much the same sentiments, though he didn’t share his until they were back on the road to the stadium.
Just relax. Thinking about anything but the task ahead will be no good, and you could do with a good amount of focus after yesterday.
Thanks for the session, Dr. Terrill…I think I’ll be fine. Terrill didn’t deign to speak anymore with her after that, something she was fine with. Doubly so when she was distracted by something new at the stadium.
“What is that?” Vivian voiced. It looked like a spiral that wrapped its way around the entire building, drawing every eye and attention to it. “Looks like a course of some sort. Are those hoops?”
“And is that a floating lake?” Eddie said. “How did that get up there?”
“How did they make it, is my question,” Meredith said. Amelia had no more of their gawking, nudging them towards the coliseum. Even Emil was quirking a few eyebrows, but was otherwise unimpressed, which happened to be the opposite of the crowd, chattering excitedly about the strangeness in the sky.
Once in the stadium, the structure became clearer. It was, indeed, a spiral, split into what appeared to be four different sections, rising up to the sky and then falling back down, with platforms placed at different intervals along the path, four in all. It wasn’t hard to figure out what was coming, but as the crowd settled and the cheers subsided, Chapman saw fit to inform everyone anyway.
“Welcome back, one and all! We had an unexpected and exciting bout yesterday, with tensions rising high and an upset few could have expected,” he said with raucous laughter. His co-commentator didn’t share his nervous laugh, but smiled for the camera. “Well, let’s hope that the tensions have simmered down and we just have an exciting event today. Joining me on this journey is the one and only Commander Masters, and our surprise guest, able to tear himself away from his work, the guild master of the alchemic settlement!”
“Grateful to be here. Time off is a luxury lately, and while our own people could not find the opportunity to take part in the festivities, we’ve nevertheless lent our deft hand.”
“That you have, and it’s on that course which today’s event takes place!” Chapman cried. His enthusiasm was matched only by the crowd’s. “That’s right, folks, today is yet another full-team event: the Ricochet Relay! An obstacle course of fiendish nature. Land, water, balance and sky! Each team will choose one person to take part in each segment, and the first to make it to the finish wins the round! It won’t be easy, and it will take incredible teamwork in a race that will show no mercy.”
“Not to mention that today’s event will determine the standings of the teams heading to the final day,” Masters informed the crowd.
“They’ll have a hard time of it. My smiths are peerless, and one should not expect a flawless victory. Keen eyes and swift reflexes are key.”
“And we know our teams have them in spades,” Chapman said. He clapped his hands together, and with a wide grin on the screen, gave an enthusiastic pumping of his fist. “So, without further ado, let’s have our teams come down and strategize for their big event. The Ricochet Relay begins now!”