Alys' arrow tore through the air, heading toward the tensed Julie, aiming at her unprotected side. Only after she had let her arrow fly did she realize that Barret had played her, and further it was only when she heard a loud grunt and loud thud that she realized how Barret had completely ignored her after that initial interaction. The stoic boy she had been asked to keep at bay now stood over a collapsed Robyn calmly inspecting to ensure that the larger girl wouldn't be getting back up. Only when he was sure that she was truly unconscious did he take the healing potions from her belt and store them in his pack before stepping forward, his figure seeming to fade into the background before the small scouts' very eyes.
Hearing the grunt of pain and the sound of someone hitting the ground Julie knew that something had happened, but she couldn't take her eyes off Jien. The calm and still boy that seemed to be barely standing upright seemed to pull in her focus like a magnet. She knew that the moment she let her focus slip would be the moment he struck, her stomach twisting in revulsion of the concept of such a form of fighting. It was common and even the beasts she fought growing up used it constantly, but she found the way Jien was willing to use such means consistently to sickening. Why not fight with honor like she had been shown to by her goddess?
If she could not focus her attention on other issues, she would just have to do her best to take Jien out of the fight despite this new technique he seemed to be using. She lowered herself into a running position once again, but rather than bracing her spear to the rim of her shield she tucked it horizontally behind bracing her shield arm with her other. "Olivia, forget about their backline and assist Alys in containing Barret" she barked as she her muscles tensed, her arms bracing her shield as firmly as she could and her leg muscles seeming to swell slightly.
The order caught Olivia off guard, but she didn't question it, backing off quickly while being wary of her surroundings. She had fought with Barret long enough to know that her opponent was exceptional at scouting and hiding in plain sight. Some of this was of course due to the arcane arts, but the other piece was his always calm and silent demeanor, like he was just spectating the world around himself and trying not to interact with it. As she withdrew, she could make out hints of where her target may be, slight footsteps in the sandy ground, a subtle shift of shadows and the muted sound of rustling cloth and armor.
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It was only when Julie finally made her move that Olivia turned her back partially to Jien's teammates and started to trace the small hints with her short swords gripped tightly in her hands. Most of their group felt badly matched against Barret, given his background and training. Even Jien felt the same, though he got along decently with the silent boy due to their similar love of silently studying. Now Olivia felt rather concerned that she was put up against such an opponent, her heart beginning to pound in her chest as she drew closer, still unsure if the hints before her were true or just a cleverly laid trap.
Alys too was doing her best to track her ghost like opponent, running from one confusing hit to another, in some cases finding footsteps that seemed to both flow into each other and yet disappear. She was a scout and was trained in tracking by her father, but the patterns used by Barret baffled her, leading to a simple yelp when she found a dulled dagger pressed against her throat and a hand firmly placed on the back of her neck.
She hadn't noticed but at some point, in her tracking Barret had snuck up on her and managed to catch her in a single move. Soon his figure seemed to fade back into existence as if a cloak had been blown off of his form. His grey eyes seemed to drill into the back of her head as he used his hold on her neck to redirect her in the direction that Olivia was searching in. "Olivia, you can stop searching. You know that you will likely lose here so why don't you lay down your weapons and wait for Jien to finish the match." His tone was calm and somber, almost like a deep note drawn from a cello, yet carrying clearly. He figured that this amount of effort was enough to meet Jien's expectations and make the plan a success.
When Julie heard his voice she knew that victory now rested on her and Rosalind's shoulders. Either they would succeed here in removing Jien and Bernard before taking the rest or they would hit a wall they would be unable to cross.