Avalon Rebirth Page 16

  “That's another thing. People like underdogs. People like to watch drama unfold. So they hate it when teams go out of their way to prevent that from happening.”

  “I didn't hear many complaints about us letting the clock run out in the qualifiers,” Erika said.

  “Well that's to be expected. It normally happens anyhow, so no one's surprised. We got to see a ton of action at the beginning, so that helps too. But like your last match, if you just killed three of the enemy team and ran away to let the timer run out they'd hate you for it.”

  “Wouldn't it just have been easier to kill him four-on-one?” Taji asked. “Instead of running away, I mean.”

  “OK, bad example. But still, you get my point?”

  “Yeah.”

  Darin looked back at the screen as the others continued to converse, studying everything he could spot. Jon had one foe completely entrapped, using a combination of Stone Skin and Challenge Call to make it impossible for them to go elsewhere. With the Challenge Call spell active the victim had to attack the user, or they would suffer a huge attack penalty, making their damage almost negligible. Not that it was much better fighting a tank, because Stone Skin and heavy armor could absorb any blow.

  And that left his other three teammates free to take on the remaining two enemies. Leo and the other attacker went after one, backing him into a corner and then cutting him down without any mercy. It was hard enough to take on one rogue by himself, and with another attacker it was nearly impossible.

  Iron Titan's archer shot another arrow, this one laced with the Crush spell. Darin watched in amazement as the shaft flew straight and true, hitting its target square in the center of his armor. A moment later the spell squashed him like a piece of overripe fruit. If it had been a real person blood would be flying everywhere, but the dust cloud still made for an impressive sight.

  That left the final opponent with a four-on-one disadvantage, and Darin knew very well he wasn't going to be able to overcome that obstacle. If he was lucky he might get a kill as he went down swinging, but the match was over. Now it was just a matter of formalities.

  He looked over at the screen showing the bracket. “Crimson Flame against Ice Guardian. That should be interesting.”

  “Fire beats ice,” Erika said.

  “Except when ice is the first seed,” Chad said. “Still, they're pretty interesting. This is one of the few times three of the qualifiers made it into the quarterfinal round. Or semifinals, actually.”

  “Unusual for them to have an all female team too,” Winona said.

  “And they scored pretty highly. I wouldn't underestimate them just because they're new,” Leah said. “Either way, that's going to be a tough opponent in the finals no matter what.”

  Darin looked back at the screen. Iron Titan had wasted no time in swarming their opponent, and the end was near. A rain of vicious blows cut down the last survivor, and the match ended.

  “And that's it, ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer said. “Iron Titan advances to the second round of the tournament to face the winner of the next match.”

  “Want to watch any more?” Leah asked.

  Darin sighed. “Not really. I'd like to fight. But I don't think there's anything more we can do to prepare for the fight. Lightning Strike is a fairly standard team.”

  “There's that,” Chad said. “Leave it to you guys to switch things up. Now they have to study up on combinations and you don't.”

  “Why'd you decide not to go with destruction magic?” Leslie asked.

  “It was something different? And I got the idea from somewhere,” Leah told her.

  “Not going to share it?”

  “Nope. Friendship only goes so far. Though I'm sure you can figure it out.”

  “Huh. And I was going to wish you luck in the next match. Guess you don't need it.”

  Maybe not, Darin thought. They just needed to remember their plan and stick to it. The enemy wasn't going to be a pushover, but Raven's Call could handle them. They had already dealt with some fairly tough match-ups.

  But those weren't going to be anything compared to what awaited them in the finals. As much as Darin knew he shouldn't be looking too far ahead, the prospect wouldn't leave his mind.

  “Any idea what they're going to pick?” Erika asked as they walked down the tunnel to the arena floor.

  Darin shook his head. “Could be anything. I'm guessing forest, or river, but that might just be me thinking too much. We'll see.”

  He could hear the noise from the crowd start to pick up the further they walked, and felt an odd feeling in his gut. At least he couldn't throw up inside a virtual reality, or he didn't think it was possible.

  Two matches had already completed. Lion's Roar, the fourth seed, had made their way into the final, as had Iron Titan. That left two spots open, and Raven's Call had to claim one of them.

  It wasn't just about winning the tournament, moving up to C-rank or making sure they received the greatest amount of winnings possible. Those were important, of course, but Darin felt something more. He wanted to make sure that his old comrades didn't get the chance to win. If push came to shove he would rather one of the other teams take the tournament. At this point he didn't think he could stomach the prospect of the two traitors standing on top of the podium, basking in the glory while his team sat below them.

  His team had to win. They had to win this match if only to make sure they could stop Iron Titan. He knew very well that it was an obsession, but at this moment he didn't care. Darin still wanted to make Jon and Leo pay for stabbing them in the back.

  He barely acknowledged the other team as they entered the arena. Just another obstacle standing in the way of victory. They'd crush them, the same as they had crushed everyone else that got in their way during this tournament. Raven's Call wasn't going to play around, not when they had to win.

  “Let's do this right,” Leah said. “Focus on forming up when we get into the stage, and then let's get to work.”

  Darin nodded, content to let her take the lead this time. He could have done it if needed, but right now his feelings consumed him. He looked around at the crowd, wondering if Iron Titan was watching. Were they hoping that Raven's Call fell in this match, or did they not care? He thought they'd want to take on all comers, but that was based on his old impressions of them. Darin didn't know what to think of them now.

  The sound of the announcer's voice broke into his thoughts.

  “Teams, prepare to enter the stage!”

  Darin took a deep breath to steady his nerves. Now wasn't the time to think about anyone else, not the past or future either. He had a fight in front of him, and he needed to focus on the here and now, on every moment in front of him.

  The arena disappeared into a black void, and then he felt water splash beneath his feet. Darin looked around as a waterfall and steep banks materialized around him.

  The river stage, just as he predicted. Good enough. Darin grabbed his halberd and walked along the river, feeling the water slosh around his feet. He opened up his map scroll and took a glance to find the rest of his team. Erika was closest to him, and he was headed in the right direction.

  Walking along an open space might seem suicidal, but Darin calculated it was worth the risk. The river banks were elevated, making him a perfect target for any archers lurking about. At least in the river bed he was protected from arrows, unless the archer scaled the banks themselves.

  And if anyone else tried to attack him here he could use the water to his advantage. He had Sky Walk, allowing him to rise out of the encumbrance around his legs. His enemies might not be so fortunate, and even a bit of water could slow their movements.

  “Erika, you see my marker?” he asked over telepathy.

  “I saw it. I'm moving toward you.”

  “Keep an eye out for anyone following you,” he said. “I'm hoping one of them tries to jump me here, so-”

  Darin saw a flash and activated Wraith, whirling around to try to conf
use his attacker. One of the specters disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

  He saw the ripples in the water, though. Darin lashed out with his halberd, but his swing was too slow. He shifted his grip, adjusting for the return attack that was sure to come. Darin guessed his opponent would try another attack to at least thin out the number of Wraiths. If only the rogue would pass close enough so that he could reach out and try to score a hit…

  The blur came around again, just within range, it looked like. Darin didn't want to waste flash step, not when a hit wasn't even close to being a sure thing. He swung as quickly as he could, but the shadow was too fast. It cut down another wraith and then ran up the riverbank and out of sight.

  He scanned the bank, trying to decide how to proceed. He could attack, though Darin thought the enemy might be trying to lead him into a trap. On the other hand, if he stayed here he might end up a sitting duck. Either the enemy archer or the rogue could pop up and try to catch him unaware…

  Darin heard a splash and turned a second too late, just in time to see the rogue charging at him again with both daggers out. He didn't have enough time to dodge, nor to get his weapon back around to counterstrike or block. He didn't even have enough time to activate Flash Step.

  The only option left was to rely on his armor. Darin braced himself for the inevitable impact, hoping that the rogue didn't score a critical hit. If it did then Darin was in trouble. He'd be seriously wounded with no help in sight, and then all bets were off.

  The rogue started to make one final lunge…

  And suddenly jumped back as a new figure joined the fray. Darin saw a thin blade darting about, barely visible under the extended speed of Flash Step. The rogue reeled once, then twice, dust leaking out of his wounds as he tried to cope with Erika's flurry of attacks.

  Darin tried to join in, making a lunging thrust with his weapon's spearhead, but the enemy rogue thought better of it. A second later he was gone.

  “Not how I wanted that to end,” Erika said. “Got a few hits on him, but nothing critical.”

  “That's fine. Now they're wary,” Darin told her. “And thanks for bailing me out. That was about to get really bad if he scored a critical.”

  “Don't mention it.”

  Darin turned his attention back to the surrounding terrain. The sound of running water seemed to drown out a lot of the background noise.

  “Are you still in the riverbed?” Leah's voice cut in over the telepathy link. “Aren't you going to get shot up there?”

  “Stabbed seems more likely at this point. Where are you at?”

  “Coming over the southern bank, so don't flip out and attack us. Taji's with me, by the way.”

  Darin nodded. “Good to hear.”

  “So we have everyone,” Erika commented as the other two walked into sight. “That's pretty quick.”

  “Yeah, and that's good. Would have liked to take out that rogue, but we survived and we're in fighting shape.”

  And this was the first time their team would be fighting together in one place during the tournament. Now was the time to unleash their true potential as a unit. The sum of their whole was greater than their individual parts, and they'd prove it now.

  “What do you want us to do?” Taji asked.

  Darin looked over at Leah. “You seem to be in command today. I'll let you handle it.”

  “Right. Form up into an advance formation and let's cross over to the other bank. Make sure that you keep your eyes open. I don't want anyone getting picked off by a stray arrow.”

  Darin complied with her instructions, careful to keep some distance between himself and everyone else. The last thing he wanted was to clump together and have the enemy archer hit them with a destruction spell.

  “So, do you think that the rogue is going to come around for another attack, or he's going to try to join up with the others?” Erika asked.

  “I'm guessing that he'll keep his distance,” Darin told her. “There's no sense in trying to attack four of us when he couldn't get two. And he's probably thinking that backup will help a lot.”

  “Do we really want to fight them four on four?” Taji asked.

  Leah nodded. “I'd prefer it that way, actually. That way we know where everyone is. The last thing I want is for the rogue or the archer to be somewhere we can't see them.”

  Darin agreed as well. The element of surprise could be a powerful tool, and it wasn't like a four-on-three disadvantage was impossible to overcome. Most tanks were created to take on multiple opponents at once and keep them busy while the rest of their teammates got into position for their attacks.

  “Should I scout ahead?” Erika asked. Darin could tell she was starting to get antsy.

  “No. Stay together so we don't get picked off,” Leah instructed.

  They cleared the northern riverbank and started across the field toward a line of trees, staying spread out. Taji moved in the center of the formation, where a destruction arrow was most likely to hit. He could take the most damage, so it made sense for him to be in the epicenter of the blast.

  Darin was almost certain the enemy was on the other side of the field in the trees. The question was whether they would wait for Raven's Call to get close, or if they'd try to pick them off at a distance. It all depended on what their archer felt…

  “There they are,” Leah said. She nocked an arrow. “Darin, Erika, go around the right flank and use Flash Step to close in. Don't get hit. Taji and I are going up the center.”

  “Got it,” Darin said. He activated his ability and sprinted in a wide arc, trying to get a bit of distance from the rest of his comrades. The enemy archer would have to chose between shooting the incoming pair, or dealing with the archer and tank coming down the center. The former was more dangerous but far harder to hit, while the later moved much slower but could cause problems if they closed the distance.

  It all depended on how Lightning Strike wanted to play this. If they trusted the rest of the team enough to deal with the pair of incoming rogues…

  He saw three figures step forward, weapons in hand. One was a tank with the standard heavy armor, sword and shield, one was the rogue, and the final one had a spear.

  “Take the rogue,” he told Erika. “I'll keep the other two busy.”

  “Got it.”

  Darin didn't think he could beat the other two, not while they had a tank, but he could keep them busy for Leah and Taji to close the distance. The archer could fire destruction spells, but Taji could absorb the damage and Leah could heal him as they advanced. Meanwhile she would be firing off support spells to help neutralize Lightning Strike.

  Their fight would be over quickly compared to the other matches, probably within twenty minutes from the start time. Fast and brutal suited him just fine. The only question was who would walk out of here with the victory.

  Darin charged into the fray, sweeping the fighter's spearpoint away with a flick of his halberd and following up with a lunging thrust. He felt a slight reverberation as the tank moved his shield and blocked the blow, but he was already moving, taking the momentum from his opponent and directing it into a sweeping strike.

  He whirled his weapon around in a wide arc, aiming for the neck gap in the tank's armor. Darin knew he couldn't kill him in one blow, but a critical hit could give him something to think about and make him back off. The less he had to fight the pair simultaneously the better.

  The tank saw the blow coming and tried to deflect the attack, but Darin's swing was far, far too quick. He felt a satisfying impact and yanked the axe blade back out, watching his foe stumbled backward. His health bar dropped rapidly, by a quarter of its length when it finished.

  He didn't have any time to celebrate. To his credit the spearman reacted quickly, charging in with another thrust to ward Darin away from his comrade. He countered the blow, then made a thrust at his opponent's feet.

  To his disappointment the spearman jumped backward, just far enough out of reach that Darin couldn't trip him with the ba
ck spike. Apparently Lightning Strike had watched some of the previous matches and were aware of their tricks.

  But there were plenty more where that came from.

  “Use Wraith,” he ordered.

  Darin heard the sound of an explosion come from the direction of the field, followed by a faint wave of heat. Had the other two survived? He didn't have time to check. Darin activated his ability made another attack, trying to keep the spearman's attention. As far as he could tell his opponent had support magic, and he didn't want to let him restore the tank.

  But the spearman blocked again and again. Darin had to jump aside as the enemy tank waded back into the fray, attempting to land blow after blow. Darin dodged one and scored a good hit, but this time he didn't do much damage. Stone Skin, probably.

  “We're almost across,” Leah said. “Hit with a Force arrow and fire blast, missed with crush.”

  “Got it,” Darin said, deflecting a strike from the spearman and dodging another from the tank as he talked.

  “I hit the archer with weeping wounds. Can you take her out?”

  Darin chanced a glance at the archer, still standing and firing arrows. She wasn't too far, just twenty yards or so away from him, but both the spearman and tank stood in his path. He saw Erika dueling with the enemy rogue as well, and he couldn't use flash step at the moment. That left only one option…

  “On it,” he said. He leaped backward to avoid another attack and activated Sky Walk.

  Darin didn't hesitate. He created three platforms in the blink of an eye and jumped on the first one. The spearman, to his credit, reacted quickly and tried to stab him from underneath, but Darin was already jumping to the next platform. He leaped to the third one, crouched down for a moment to coil his energy, then sprang at the archer with an overhead swing.

  She saw him coming and tried to dodge, but at that moment flash step's timer disappeared. Darin activated the ability mid-jump and came down in a blur, landing a vicious, bisecting blow. The archer disappeared in a cloud of dust.

  He still had time with Flash Step. Darin dodged a Bind spell and brought his halberd around in a thrust, straight into the enemy spearman's neck. That blow didn't finish him, but a sweep from his axe blade did the job. Two-on-four in the blink of an eye. Darin couldn't have planned it any better.