Everyone was awoken before sunrise early on the fifth morning by the sound of a loud horn. It sounded a second and third time with the same level of ear piercing volume. By the fourth sound, quite a few of the testees had begun to mill about to try to hunt down the source of the noise and silence it. It was especially loud for Soral and the others, because the person blowing the horn in question was stood at the center of the arena, right by their hill.
“Ronav?” Soral asked, recognizing the man immediately in the early morning twilight, “What is going on?”
“Hold on a moment. I must make the announcement to everyone,” Ronav told him, “I have no time to wait for everyone to gather.”
Something must have happened. Soral watched as Ronav set down the horn to pull out a short and stubby looking horn. When he spoke through it, his voice was amplified to the same level as the horn before. Was this how he had made the announcement last time?
“I have dire news for everyone here,” Ronav announced, “This test is under attack, and Mack has betrayed us and led the enemy inside these walls. The mock battle is no longer a test, however, while inside the test grounds the rules of the test still apply. If you choose to remain here, you will have to fight against the enemy without killing or seriously injuring them in any way. Those of you who are confident in your ability to do so, meet me at the center. To any who are unprepared to face real battle, you will find many small exits along the walls. Use them to escape before they find you.”
Ruena joined Soral outside as the announcement continued, followed quickly by the rest. Jazz was still being cozily snuggled in Liza’s arms, and Flame still had a blanket tangled in his wings. There was no question on whether or not they would be staying. They had known the threat was real from the beginning. However, Soral did realize one thing.
“The secret weapon is compromised,” he muttered, catching Ronav’s attention.
“That’s right,” Ronav confirmed, “The secret weapon is the kind that is only effective when it is a secret.”
“In that case, tell us what it is so that they cannot use it against us,” Ruena demanded.
Ronav looked Ruena in the eyes as he considered her request. “Do you realize what you are asking? A mercenary’s secret weapon is their livelihood.”
“One that’s already been compromised,” Ruena pointed out, “Besides, it is your job to keep us safe during this test.”
“Normally, this plays an important role in the test. You may lose points if you know too much and cannot participate.”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“It wasn’t even part of this test before the intruders came,” Ruena argued, “It was not part of this test’s plans.”
Ronav shook his head. “I will tell you, but it is neither as threatening nor as incredible as I am sure you are imagining. Just don’t open any crates in the pantry and you will be fine.”
“A trap disguised as a crate. I will keep that in mind,” Ruena replied, “Do you have a plan forward from here?”
“We will strike first,” Ronav replied, “How well it goes depends on how many gather here. I will handle Mack myself. His barriers will make this battle near impossible if used for the enemy.”
“Strike where, exactly? Do we even know where they are?” Ruena questioned.
“I know they have made camp in the forest,” Ronav answered.
Jazz wriggled free from Liza’s hold and landed with perfect elegance on the ground. He paused for a moment for a quick preening, just to be sure all his fur was laying right, and took off for the forest. More information would be helpful, so long as he stayed out of sight. Mack would probably warn the others that Jazz was a spy if he openly watched and listened.
“Was it a good idea to let them know that we know everything?” Rosalie asked, glancing at the forest.
“It was either that or let them take everyone unawares,” Ronav replied, “They will be specifically targeting nobles to make sure this test dies for good.”
“Why would Mack betray you for such scum?” Ember demanded.
Ronav paused and turned toward the forest himself. “I don’t know. I intend to find the answer to that myself.”
The others began to gather in the center. The group was even smaller than last time, mostly consisting of Ruben’s team and those that followed him. Many more must have taken Ronav up on the offer to flee rather than fight. They each clutched the make-shift weapons they had managed to find.
“At least with our two most famous nobles staying behind, we shouldn’t have to worry about the others being followed,” Ronav muttered, glancing between Ruena and Ruben.
That was right, Ruena was a noble. Soral forgot sometimes, and had just now realized that meant she might be targeted. Ruena didn’t seem intimidated in the slightest, and Ruben was trying his hardest to stay strong. It must be incredibly annoying to be a noble. That was probably why Ruena had left.
Suddenly Jazz came streaking out of the force straight towards them. ‘They’re coming,’ he warned.
“They’re coming,” Soral repeated so everyone else could understand. Jazz zoomed behind Soral’s legs and let out a low growl and hiss in the direction of the forest. What had they done to make him this upset?
Everyone’s eyes locked onto the forest. For a moment, everything was silent and still. Then the chaos broke loose. The intruder from last time came first. He was faster than the others. As he got closer at incredible speed, Soral had just enough time to notice his somewhat imposing mustache before he pulled Ruena out of his path. He had been running straight at her!
The others followed quickly enough, and Mack was among them. Just as Ronav predicted, the moment they were out in the open, Mack used magic to summon a barrier to protect them. It had begun.
Ronav slammed the first intruder down as they made another swipe for Ruben, but he was protected by Mack’s new barrier. The barrier didn’t stop Ronav from dragging him back to where he come from, though, and Ronav did just that.
Once Ronav was gone, there was a sudden sense of vulnerability. Ruben asked the question they were all wondering. “Where are the others?”
“We don’t have time to worry about that,” Ruena told him, “Our job right now is to defend ourselves and distract them enough so that Ronav can get rid of those pesky barriers.”
“We should see what the barriers do and don’t block,” Soral added, “It can’t possibly block everything or that mustache guy wouldn’t be able to move so fast.”
“Do you have an idea?” Ruena asked.
“Yeah,” Soral confirmed, “We can’t kill or seriously injure them, but Ronav never said anything about helping them take a little nap.”
He pulled some traniva powder he had stored from his pocket as he spoke. Now all he needed was some way to get it past the barrier without taking out themselves as well.