Chapter 6
The Clash
“So, who do you think is gonna win?” Emil’s question was more lighthearted than Meredith expected. Leaving the stadium floor and ascending to their own designated balcony, she pondered how to answer the question. “Lacardia’s got magic going for them, but if the Renegades are here, they must be pretty driven to compete.”
“I think it depends,” Eddie chimed in. Vivian cast an annoyed look at them, passing them on the stairs while the stadium’s cheers rose. She didn’t look all too happy about being paired up with him on the very first battle, but said nothing. Amelia coming into view, sitting atop the railing that cordoned off their section, may have had something to do with that. “Lacardia has magical firepower, but the Renegades, if past events are anything to go by, have more combat experience.”
“We should watch them either way,” Meredith concluded. She spun around, placing her arms on the same railing to stare down at the stadium. The crowd around her seemed far away, their team in a secluded bubble. The only thing she could focus on was the other balconies, with one directly across from them, where Rico and Lovelia sat, watching.
It didn’t take long for Meredith to move her eyes to the two side balconies. Conrad and Autumn were cheering from one end, blending into the crowd while their professor stopped them from falling over with his magic. On the other was the more interesting group. The Home Guard was attentive, and not at all lofty. The one named Edgar looked like a sports fanatic, pumping his fists and raising his volume with the crowd. The other two boys appeared more composed, readying themselves for the battle ahead. Brynn was the only one glancing around, meeting Meredith’s gaze and winking, like she already knew the outcome.
Meredith frowned and looked to one of the nearest screens, showing the two teams that had gathered in the center of the stadium and were shaking hands.
“Stare at them all you want; they don’t matter. Both teams are a bunch of losers,” Vivian said. Meredith closed her eyes, ignoring the girl. The timing worked out well, as once she’d opened them, a bell clanged in the air of the stadium, quieting everyone to a dull roar.
The referee stepped forward, hand raised. He was dressed in a professional suit that indicated how serious everyone was about this tournament. In moments, he began to speak, his voice echoing loud enough for all to hear. “Day one is a tournament tag battle between teams. This match is between Lacardia’s Felix and Summer, and the Renegades’ Maria and Carlton. Their health bars are displayed on the screens. The first to run out is the loser. No outside interference is allowed. The winning team will receive two points, and in the event of a tie, each team will receive one point. There is no time limit.
“Begin!” The referee stepped out of range.
As expected, the Renegades made the first move. Combat-ready as they were, and with a sadistic grin on Maria’s face, she cartwheeled across the floor. Her earrings jingled, heard over the crowd, and she kicked out to Summer. Felix got in the way.
“I’ll take her airborne! Summer, you got this!” Felix’s wings of wind flapped rapidly, blowing Maria back. Her grin never dropped, but the boy took advantage of the opening to grab her and bring them into the air. Carlton, steadfast as he was, remained unmoving. Summer was much the same, her hand pointed towards the sky. Already, Meredith could feel the sweat forming on her brow. The girl’s Temperature Magic was turning up the heat.
“It’s like a 3-D battlefield here!” Eddie said, joining Meredith at the railing. His eyes and head were swiveling up and down with abandon, trying to get a lock on all of the events that were taking place. There wasn’t too much to see, not with the two on the ground, motionless. The ones in the air were each trying to hit the other’s face with little success. Meredith’s eyes glanced to Amelia, the woman sighing.
“Benny’s kids are good…”
But not good enough, Terrill’s voice echoed. Meredith frowned further. She could hear the same sentiment echoed in Amelia’s body language. Having confirmation from her own teacher, she scrutinized the battlefield before her.
“That Carlton’s yet to make a move,” she whispered. Eddie heard her, his face starting to show concern for his friends below. “Wonder what their plan is…”
“Now, Felix! Let’s show them a storm!” Summer’s hands clapped together, and the temperature rapidly dropped. The plinking of rain began, which soon turned into a torrent. The screens were obscured beyond the white veil of rain, but Meredith could see that the health bars displaying the battle had barely dropped. “Drop her!”
“Special delivery! Hope you like getting wet!” Felix’s wings of wind expanded, and he twisted one. The torque changed his angle, and with that he spun his body. Like a corkscrew, he and Maria whirled in midair until they were in the right position.
Watch his arm. Meredith did just that, and through the rain, she could barely see Felix change his grip on Maria’s arm. The second he was set, he lobbed the woman at the ground, which was slowly turning to mud underneath the onslaught of precipitation.
In spite of the snapping sound indicating some sort of breakage, Maria vanished in the haze, and with everything else obscured, Meredith wasn’t sure what else was happening. So, she switched her Soul Vision on. Maria’s soul was near the ground, slightly off from where Meredith presumed she had landed, and Felix was hurtling right for her through the fog. Said fog was transitioning, as well, into crystallized particles with the temperature causing a chill through the stadium. Meredith didn’t care about that, because her vision had locked on to the more interesting sight: Carlton’s soul was traveling at fast speeds, but wasn’t visible, even as the black blobs representing the others were.
“Wait a sec…” Meredith started to lean over the railing, with Eddie pulling her back. It didn’t change what was going on below, and as the mist cleared, everything was made clear. The screens revealed the current state of the health bars. The Renegades had taken almost a third of damage, while Lacardia was closer to a quarter taken off. All that was certainly about to reverse, because the clearing mist showed that Carlton was gone. “He’s underground!”
The crowd reacted, as if to her own statement, roaring with approval when Carlton emerged from the ground behind Summer and grabbed her. Chapman gasped with surprise, though Masters said nothing. “Now, Maria.”
Maria was also silent, flipping across the muddy ground with little issue and leaping into the air. Like an acrobat, she spun, her legs twisting into a kick that smacked across Summer’s face. The crowd gasped, but it was the end for Summer. She was punted across the field, rolling along until she stopped, clearly unconscious. The referee raised a red flag. Lacardia’s bar was dropped down, only a quarter of it now left.
“Summer!” Felix’s enraged cry was joined with those of his teammates in the stands. He came hurtling forth, his windy wings glistening with the frost that his partner had created. He whipped around, creating a vortex that buffeted both Maria and Carlton. They were pushed back, a chunk of their health being taken off. Carlton quickly vanished beneath the ground.
“Digging Magic,” Amelia noted. Meredith knew that without the confirmation or Terrill’s incessant comments filtering into her head. Though, even they were drowned by the rising cheers of the crowd and Chapman’s commentary.
“Two-on-one already! A thrilling way to open the games!”
“Hope Felix will be okay…”
“He’s the best they have,” Emil said. Meredith looked back to see him leaning against a wall, barely paying attention to the events of the match. “If anyone can deal with two opponents, it’s him.”
“Won’t help if he can’t even reach one of them,” Meredith said in reply. When she turned back to the action, things were already in motion, with Felix diving at Maria, keeping his feet off the ground lest Carlton would strike from beneath. It was a veritable war of attrition, far as Meredith could tell…or it was, until there was a small flash in Maria’s soul. “She’s holding back…”
Good catch. This battle is decided.
No sooner had Terrill’s comment been said than Maria made her move. Felix dove for her, spinning to increase the air around him, but the woman leapt upwards, just as before. She spun and brought a leg crashing down on Felix’s back. At the same moment, Carlton popped out, leaving a muddy hole in his wake, and Felix was sent careening into it, trapped in the sludge. His wings gave out, and the bell rang throughout the stadium.
The last of Lacardia’s health was gone.
“And the first match is decided!” Chapman cried, driving the crowd into a frenzy with his announcement. “Walking away with the first victory is our civilian team, the Renegades! With a stunning display of acrobatics and surprise magic, they really proved superiority.”
“Not that it was a shutout. That quarter of health left showed it was quite a bit closer than anticipated, and one of their teammates looks in need of a healer to get that fixed,” Masters said. The camera was back on them as pops and flashes from a now recognizable press junket showed everyone taking shots of the teams on the ground. Maria and Carlton were walking off, the woman waving to the crowd with one hand, while her other hung limply at her side. Felix climbed out of his hole. “Lacardia’s magic is second-to-none for sure, but the Renegades have superior combat practices, as evidenced by their involvement in recent events. I’ll tell you it’s changed my own views, and this battle went almost exactly as I could see.”
“What other tidbits on our teams’ combat strengths do you have?”
“Ha, we’ll save that for another time.”
“Er…right you are. For now, a brief intermission as our cleaners prepare the field for the battle that will close off our opening night.” Chapman’s words made the crowd as excited as ever, though A-Class wasn’t listening, each of them rushing to Summer’s side. She seemed okay, if dazed, but Meredith had her eyes trained on Rico.
He was unresponsive. Like the battle didn’t matter. He wasn’t looking at his team’s former opponents, nor doing anything beyond a nod to his returning team members. Only Lovelia fussed over Maria’s state. At one point, his eyes met hers, though neither said anything until he looked away to the top box and those gathered there, watching the screen plastered above their heads. The connection broken, Meredith looked over to a flexing Eddie.
“Hope Summer’s okay,” he said, “but I guess we have our own things to worry about.”
“Don’t bother worrying,” Vivian snapped. She was already making her way to the stairs, preparing to descend. The cleaners below were straightening the muddy field out, returning it to the dusty, dirt surface that it had been before Summer’s storm. “They’re as weak as ever. Don’t underestimate them? I won’t even have to lift a finger to get us through this whole tournament.”
“Oh, get over yourself,” Meredith said, but Vivian wasn’t listening. She was already gone, her impatient huff indicating that she felt Eddie should hurry up. Meredith addressed her best friend. “Eddie, try to not let her do something stupid. Go out and win this.”
“You got it!” With a tap of their fists, Eddie was off, and Emil had taken his place.
“They’re totally gonna crash and burn, you know.”
“They better not.” Meredith resumed her leaning of the railing. Emil wasn’t consigned to staring off into space anymore, this time joining her. On the field below, the next group of combatants were making their way. “I can’t stand her, but Vivian’s strong, and Eddie’s the best support one can ask for.”
“Sure, but Vivian’s not…” Emil didn’t need to finish his sentence. Meredith blew outward and glanced to the Home Guard balcony. Edgar was cheering up a storm, but Brynn remained as observant as ever. Like Amelia, she was sitting on the balcony, head propped up on her palm while her legs stretched out along the railing.
“Sorry for the short delay, folks, but we’re here and ready for round two! Which team will join the Renegades in first place, and which will be left in the dust?” Chapman said. The crowd grew louder and the screens placed the health bars for each team where they could be displayed. “All I know is, this will be a fun one! These two organizations have had rivalries for as long as I can remember, fueled by the events in our vaunted Metropolis two months ago!”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Yes, there’s no shortage of tension between our Corps and the Home Guard. It will be interesting to see what each side pulls out,” Masters agreed. His words indicated for the referee to step forward, hand raised. Before he could speak, Meredith looked at their team’s opponents: the gentleman and the timid one. There was a different air about them.
Battle-hardened or not, she didn’t know, but they were playing for pride and keeps.
“Eddie, Viv, you better not lose!” Meredith yelled on a whim. Vivian brushed her long hair away in annoyance but Eddie rose a fist, indicating receipt of her words. The referee began to speak.
“This match is between the Guardian Corps’ Edwin and Vivian, and the Home Guard’s Gregory and Theodore. Their health bars are displayed on the screens. The first to run out is the loser. No outside interference is allowed. The winning team will receive two points, and in the event of a tie, each team will receive one point. There is no time limit. Begin!”
“Stand back,” Vivian’s voice resounded. Eddie did so, his teammate’s body glowing an angry red. “Dual-fortis. Strike.” The bow was lifted from her back, pulsing with the same enchanted air it always used. Within a second of blinking, Vivian fired. The arrow sailed through the air, right for Gregory, the gentleman who held a sword out.
It was sheathed, and in that moment, became akin to a cane that the man tapped on the ground. “Ah, very elegant, but air is no match for lightning.”
“Vivian, get down!” Eddie acted, tapping the ground. The dirt rumbled and a shield of stone emerged in front of Vivian. From Gregory’s cane, a shot of lightning appeared. It was unlike Raymond’s lightning, clearer but jagged. It zapped the already electric air of the stadium and struck the earthen barrier, crumbling pieces off of it. “Frozen Cage!”
Eddie’s hands slapped themselves together. The earth was moving again, and Meredith could feel Terrill’s soul nodding in satisfaction. A cocoon rose up around Gregory, freezing at the exact same moment to create an icy prison, a globe that encased the man and cane both. Eddie didn’t miss a beat. The second the cage was put together, he directed his palms to Vivian and sent a warm gust of air underneath her feet. She rose up, nocking another arrow and firing.
This projectile aimed right for Theodore, the mousy boy’s hands twisting and turning together. From a distance, he appeared to be panicking, but his body language…no, his soul suggested something altogether different. The arrow approached, becoming more solid with the enchanted energy. As it was set to impale him, the boy reached out and grabbed it. The air bubbled a moment, and soon, the arrow melted away, dripping on to the stadium floor with sizzling heat.
“Holy crap, what was that?” Emil shouted, just as the volume rose within the crowd. Meredith folded her arms across her chest, checking the health gauges while the ref raised a yellow flag. They were about even, but the battle was far from over.
“There it is folks! The diminutive and timid Theodore has entered the battle! With his Melting Magic and Sir Gregory, the Lightning Baron, they are the second greatest duo in the Metropolis!” Chapman roared. The crowd roared with him. “This is the Home Guard!”
“They made one move…” Meredith muttered, but she figured it was crowd pleasing at its best. Raising her voice, Meredith leaned over the railing, “Get it together, guys! Win already!”
“Shut up!” Vivian lobbed back. Her bow was now glowing yellow. “Dual-strike! Target Shot!”
“Gah, will she stop with the dual enchantment!” Meredith threw her hands in the air as Vivian fired. The shot of air split into two, each aiming to pierce both Theodore and Gregory. The former ducked under it, aiming for the latter, clearly hoping to save him before the impending hit. Not that he needed to worry as the arrow bounced off of Eddie’s peerless shield.
“Your shield’s in the way, dumbass.”
“You’re not exactly telling me your plans here, Vivian,” Eddie shot back. Unlike his teammate, he wasn’t waiting around for Theodore to continue acting without punishment. The burning arrow was formed in his hand and sent hurling towards the boy.
“Because I don’t need you here. Play the support game you usually do. I’ll take them both out, so stop creating things I can’t break through.”
“Then up your enchantment level!” Vivian’s predictable scoff confirmed she wouldn’t bother with that. Emil sighed next to Meredith at the reaction and she watched him. He was frowning, shaking his head.
“Still with the hangups, Viv…”
“How high does her enchantment level go?” Meredith asked. In answer, and without taking his eyes away from the field, he held up ten fingers. “T-ten? Ten levels?! I’ve only ever seen her go, what, seven? Eight?”
“I get the feeling it’s even worse now. She’s refusing to even use a third-tier enchantment…I don’t think our opponents have any such compunctions.” Emil’s words were right. The frozen earth melted away, Theodore having dodged Eddie’s attack before touching to the shield. Gregory emerged unscathed, twirling his weapon around in his hand.
“Now, now, let’s not argue. It’s entirely uncouth of we soldiers. We must set an example,” the man said. Vivian’s face was shown as a scowl on the screen, her next arrow prepared. Once again, she fired, but Gregory was unfettered. With a smooth transition, he tossed his scabbard away and slashed at the shot, cleaving it in two. “Oh dear, that wasn’t as fearful as I imagined.”
“Speak for yourself,” Theo said. “Still, if this is all they have to offer, and they refuse to step up the game…perhaps we should end it now? I don’t want to fight anymore.”
“Oh, very well, Theo.” Gregory resumed his tapping of the ground, his head now inclined to Eddie. “You, good sir, have skill, but you’re not the only one that can create a cage. Lightning Prism.”
Another tap. This time, the lightning was all-encompassing. It shot to multiple edges of the stadium, though some areas were missed, creating invisible walls. Eddie tried to run through one, only to be thrown back by the impact of the shock. He skidded along the ground, slapping it and sending a jagged pillar of stone to batter the wall. It wavered for a moment, but began to crumble under the force of the lightning.
In the stands, Meredith started to scowl. Eddie was trapped, and Vivian was just outside the range of lightning created by the cage, enclosed with Theodore. She didn’t seem to mind, already set to make another targeted strike, but Meredith felt differently. The Home Guard had them right where they wanted them…or so she figured, until she noticed one little detail: the lightning for the prison was still pouring from Gregory’s hand. Eddie noticed it too.
“Don’t bother with him, Vivian! Hit the lightning guy! I’ll try to make an opening!”
The two acted as one, offering a relieved sigh. Eddie summoned multiple battering rams that continued to strike the walls of the lightning cage, chipping away at it bit by bit. Vivian ignored Theodore, her arrow pulsing red.
There were a few seconds, and then a shattering noise as one of Eddie’s attacks broke through. Gregory cut off his assault, and Vivian fired.
“Tri-fortis. Pierce.” The arrow grew bigger and was shot. Meredith pumped a fist, and Emil slapped the railing. Gregory didn’t have time to move out of the way, and the shot slammed into his chest. He was thrown back, the Home Guard’s health gauge on the screen depleting with the lift of a red flag. Eddie ran forward, a whip of flame appearing in his hand. He snapped it out.
“You might melt things, but you can’t melt fire!” The whip came down, striking upon Theodore’s curly head. The boy whimpered, dropping to his knees, though his companion was standing once more.
“Ah, a smarting blow, but we’ve taken worse in training. ‘Tis nothing compared to Edgar’s boisterous blows. Stand, Theo, the battle is won. Time for your special technique.”
“I doubt that. We end this now.”
I wouldn’t be so sure…Terrill’s words of doubt reflected the worry that had appeared the moment Gregory stood. Vivian and Eddie were preparing attacks, but Theodore, closer to the ground, moved first. His eyes closed and his body shaking, the boy touched it. Within seconds, the ground underneath the combatants’ feet trembled, turning to an earthen sea that threatened to swallow all who stood there, particularly those in the closest radius. Gregory was fine, maintaining his balance to the point of creating an orb of crackling electricity in the air.
“Vivian, I’ll get us footing, you break that orb up!” Eddie called, the rumbling beginning to overtake his voice within the stadium. He fell, dispersing his flames and placing his own hands on the stadium floor. It began to harden into a more stable surface, providing Vivian with some footing. Theodore’s forehead was creased with concentration, straining to make the floor unstable once more. It wasn’t enough, as Vivian fired at Gregory.
This time, the man was prepared. From his orb, a searing bolt of lightning knocked the arrow off course. Vivian changed course, instead aiming for the gathering storm of Gregory’s. The bow’s energy funneled into its enchanted air and pierced through it, diving into the orb of lightning…yet doing nothing. She tried again, but to little avail.
All the while, both health gauges were dropping from Eddie and Theodore’s earthen battle.
“Viv…ian…increase…your…enchantment…” Eddie groaned. His knee slipped, nearly providing Theodore an opening. That wouldn’t have been his undoing, though, and both Meredith and Emil groaned when they realized it.
Because Vivian didn’t care to up her enchantment level. She kept striking the same.
“Oh, come on, Viv!” they cried. The electricity thrummed in the air and Meredith felt her hair rising upwards. Eddie struggled to regain his footing, the lightning sapping his strength without touching him. Vivian’s scowl practically split her face in two.
“Shut up! I’ll win this fight my way. I don’t need an extra enchantment to win. They’re not worth it.”
“An unfair assessment, dear lass,” Gregory said. “But I suppose that’s the Guardian Corps. Always believing themselves to be the strongest. The best. Perhaps a shock of reality would be best.”
“I’m done with this,” Theodore said, his voice beleaguered. With a flash of light, the radius of his melting increased and Eddie lost his footing. Meredith gripped to the railing.
“Get it together, Vivian! This is a battle to win! Use everything! Eddie’s your teammate, so help him!”
Perhaps she didn’t hear her. More likely she didn’t care. Vivian kept striking at the orb until it had reached a size that its effects covered the whole stadium. With one hand supporting it, Gregory used his other hand to tap his blade on the ground.
“Mayhaps next time, you’ll not think so lowly of us, Miss Lacroix. You might have won, if you’d not underestimated us so…or perhaps overestimated yourself?”
One more tap, and the orb was released. It hung in the air, just for a moment, before it broke into a cascade of lightning that rained over the whole stadium. The crowd gasped and clapped, while some hid their gaze from the rain of electricity. Meredith couldn’t see a thing, but she knew the result. Emil did, as well, sighing. All they could do was wait until the lightning faded and the bell began to ring.
“Un-be-lievable!” Chapman yelled. The crowd reacted with the same infectious enthusiasm, but Meredith could only suppress a groan. “Day one, and the Home Guard has defeated the Guardian Corps! Vivian and Edwin are down! Home Guard sweeps their battle!”
“An unfortunate result, but the combination of techniques from Gregory and Theodore was masterful. There’s no doubt in my mind they are a team to look out for in the coming days. Hopefully the Corps’ team will show more of their own strength in the future,” Masters said. His face was shown on some of the screens, with the winners of the match displayed on the others. He looked disappointed.
“Well, there are still six more days remaining, and certainly a chance for any team to seize victory. And that’s where we’ll leave day one!” Chapman said. “For now, a chance for our combatants to rest up. We’ll convene mid-morning tomorrow for our second, thrilling event, and one in which our teams can select their own participants! We’ll see you all then!”
Chapman and Masters vanished from the screen, the results instead being posted. Meredith tried to not look, instead glancing to the sulking Lacardia and already retreating Renegades. On the stadium floor, Eddie and Vivian were stirring, disappointment clear on both of their faces. Not wanting to see them wallowing in their failures, Meredith looked to the points.
RENEGADES 2
HOME GUARD 2
LACARDIA 0
GUARDIAN CORPS 0
“Hey! Home Guard is tough, huh?” The call wasn’t from the crowd, or the booing and cackling section that had greeted them when they arrived in the stadium. No, Meredith needed only a second to find where it was coming from. Her lip twitched, matching Brynn’s gaze with her own as the girl smirked. “Looking forward to tomorrow. Don’t disappoint now.”
Meredith wanted to retort. Wanted to shoot back with any number of barbs or self-assured taunts. However, she did none of those, because something else superseded all emotion directed at Brynn: fear.
“Get. Them. Here. Now.” Emil’s gulp was audible, reflecting Meredith’s own. The teens turned, their mentor behind them. Her hair was on end, and not from the lightning. She was radiating fury, and it wasn’t a fury to be taken lightly. “I’m sorry, did I misspeak? I thought I told you to get moving.”
“Yes, ma’am!” the two squeaked and they dashed for the stairs that led to the stadium floor. Despite her words, Amelia was right behind them, a fearsome wraith that was ready to rip them all a new one.
Their only lucky break was that Eddie and Vivian were met halfway, bruised and scorched in places, dejected in others, but otherwise okay. Meredith wasn’t sure that would remain the case once Amelia was finished.
“What in the hell is wrong with you?!” she screeched. Her voice echoed around the stone halls, something that even the crowd’s exit around the stadium couldn’t stop. “That was sloppy! Poor! Pathetic!”
“I’m sorry, it was my-”
“Shut up, Montgomery!” Amelia whacked him, hitting Vivian on the back of the head at the same time. Some of the spectators in the halls beyond stopped to watch what was happening, but Amelia sent them away with a flick of her finger. Meredith chanced a look at her face, the lines of rage making the commander seem harsher than ever. “Lacroix, you were worthless.”
“I wasn’t going to waste magic just to win a-”
“Oh, shut it, Vivian. You’re on a team,” Meredith interjected. Amelia’s face twitched. “You were supposed to work with Eddie. He asked you to help, and you just did your own thing.”
“I don’t need a team.”
“Considering you lost, Viv, I think you might.”
“No one asked your opinion, Emil. You’re just a weight on everyone here, so keep that over-glorified hole you call a mouth shut.” Emil looked ready to throttle Vivian, and Meredith couldn’t blame him. She wanted to lunge and beat the crap out of her, herself.
Amelia beat all of them to the punch, waving a hand and sending them sprawled on to their backs, the wind knocked out of their lungs.
“You three are pathetic. What good was my week of training you?” She stalked forward, glaring at any of the four that tried to stand. “You’re supposed to be a team, not a bickering band of buffoons. This is a Trial of Teamwork much as it is power. You’ve shown neither. So, get your heads out of your asses.”
“Then separate us, because I won’t work with-agh!” Vivian’s statement was cut short by Amelia grabbing her hair, and yanking up.
“You’ll work with them. And you’ll work on yourself. I’ll train you to hell and back tonight if I need to in order to make that happen.” Meredith shivered from that. “Now, let’s have you actually work as a team and make a decision before I figure out how I’m going to kick your ass in training the rest of the night. Who’s going out tomorrow?”
No one answered. Meredith had a feeling that none of them wanted to. Vivian didn’t want to work with them, Eddie was still recovering from his own bruised pride, and Emil seemed as if he couldn’t bother. In the end, it left one answer, and despite Amelia’s threatening stance, Meredith stood to give it.
“I’ll do it,” she said, receiving no words of objection. “I’ll go out tomorrow and put some points on the board.”
Amelia grinned while Vivian scoffed, and Eddie and Emil shared their own silent concern. Nevertheless, both Amelia and Terrill spoke at once, setting Meredith on her path. “Then let’s get training, peon.”