Guild 2: Knight's Watch - JesterheadJohnSnow

Wow, this is phenomenal!

Syliane, Jardonkha, Rhengar, and Sha'Kil glanced around at the crowd at the Festival. The sky, which was transitioning from a bright orange color to a deep amethyst color, revealed that the evening was still young as the Knight's Watch representatives attended the celebration. Around them, sentient beings of all races and creeds were having a good time while mingling with the crowd.

"What's the occasion?" Rhengar broke the silence.

"You are asking us?" Syliane rolled her eyes. "Come on, give us a break and let's enjoy the event. Look! Are those Daiquiri Honeymeade drinks the vendors are selling?"

"Forget those!" Sha'Kil interjected. "I think I smell Vine Deer being roasted ahead. I am in the mood for some."

"At least we can agree on something." Rhengar chuckled, patting the Shutaki warrior on his back. " Let's grab some."

"I think I'll go for the drinks with Syliane." Jardonkha slithered up to her friend. She then turned to Rhengar. " Oh,my apologies if I didn't say anything earlier, but I think I have an answer to your inquiry. I think Lady Lara explained to Remi'i earlier that this is an important event called Republic Day Festival."

"What is its significance?" Rhengar pressed on. Sha'Kil also perked his bat-like ears. Moreover, Syliane seemed eager to know as well.

" The significance of this Festival is to mark the anniversaries of Tythan's independence from the Zeon Federation. This has been the occasion for a couple centuries now."

The Magi whirled around to see a Dwarf with a sturdy build and a dark beard to his chest observing them.

"Zounds!" Jardonkha's gaze raked everyone else. "I guess we all learn something new everyday."

----

"You like what you see?"

Remi'i glanced back to see Lady Lara sauntering toward him through the crowd that had gathered to celebrate a local holiday. To his left, children were watching a puppet show while to his right, an animal trainer was putting on a show with his collection of beasts across the galaxy. Remi'i swore he saw a Vizard among the beasts. At the moment, he had his eyes on a small lizard-like creature known as a Salamandra. He was exploring the event with his guild when he had come upon the dealer who had several of the animals in cages.

"I was planning on liberating one of these poor creatures from its life of captivity, but I am low on credits."

The Orc cocked an eyebrow as she glanced at the creatures and back at Remi'i. "How much do they cost?"

"Each is about 300 credits." The hooded man responded. "I only have 213 on me."

"Perhaps I could close the gap." Lara offered.

"You mean it?" Remi'i's eyes sparkled from behind the hood.

"Of course." The orc chuckled. "After all, you are doing what a Knight's Watch member would do."

"What's that?"

"Liberating a creature from captivity."

----

"So how did Tythan win its independence?"

All eyes turned to the Dwarf, awaiting an answer from him. Their new friend, whose name turned out to be Lutmumlir, cleared his throat before addressing Jardonkha's question.

"Well, the guerrilla war dragged on for several years, but thanks to the interference of the Sorcerer and Alchemist guilds, we were able to repel the occupying forces."

"That is really brilliant!" Rhengar exclaimed. " Our world has had several excursions from extraterrestrial forces, but thankfully we were able to beat them back."

"That sounds wonderful." Lutmumlir chuckled.He then peered at the blue and gray armband on Syliane's arm. " So you are of the Knight's Watch?"

"Aye!" Syliane beamed with pride. " We are the only guild here representing Aker and I prefer it-"

"Oi! You better get your drinks quickly if you still want them."

Everyone whirled around to see Mordzar and Tyreen walking over to them, holding drinks that had purple and red textures. Syliane recognized those as the colors of the Republic.

"That is what we were going to do before we met this fellow." Rhengar put a hand on the Dwarf's shoulder.

"Making friends now, are we?" Tyreen smirked at Rhengar as she took a sip of her drink. "You need some."

"Hey now!" Rhengar shot back. " Who said-"

"Look, it's the angel lady!"

"Eh?" Syliane craned her head to the side to see a few kids, mostly humans, encircle the guild members.

"It's the Knight's Watch!" A young Elf girl squealed.

A young Pixie then fluttered close by Mordzar. "I heard you slay dragons! Is that true?"

"Well...um.." Mordzar was at a loss for words.

Syliane was about to make a snarky remark to Mordzar when someone tugged on her hand. She glanced downward to see a young Harpy with messy russet-colored hair glance up at her with small wide eyes. For some reason, this melted the older Harpy's heart. It must have been the rags the girl wore for clothing, signifying her as being in poverty.

Zounds! I think I am seeing a younger me here.

"Could I have your autograph?"

Syliane couldn't say no to that face.

----

"Did they get those firecrackers from Yongxian?"

Lara turned to Remi'i, who was gently stroking the young Salamandra's back. Its green and purple scales glittered in the bright lights of the firecrackers.

"I believe so." Lara nodded. "After all, it is the Yong people who have the magical prowess to produce them."

"Wow!" The hooded figure's eyes widened. " Sal and I learned something knew today."

"Sal?" The Orc had a baffled look on her face.

"Yes, I named her Sal." Remi'i held up his new pet. The lizard creature glanced back at Lara with bright orange eyes. It flicked out it tongue as if tasting the air.

----

"Alright, for today's challenge, I have selected Rhengar and Syliane to compete."

The wolf and the Harpy exchanged perplexed glances. It was the next morning and the guild was prepared to resume partaking in the Games after a break granted to them by the Gamemakers. The cafe they were at was not as crowded as it normally was.

"What is today's challenge?" Sha'Kil inquired.

"It's an obstacle course." The guild leader smiled at them.

"Why did you choose them to compete then?" Inna the Dryad asked. " After all, they squabble way too often."

"I am aware which is precisely why I chose them. They need to learn to cooperate."

"But it won't work out!" Rhengar stood up to protest.

"Yeah!" Syliane chimed in.

"There will be no exceptions." The Orc shot a look at them that meant do not object. "You two will participate and that is final."

"Well, well, if it isn't the chivalrous Knight's Watch."

All eyes turned on the newcomers to the cafe. The speaker was a tall, dark-haired forest elf with tannish skin. He seemed to have an ever-present sneer plastered on his face. His black and gray armband gave away his guild.

"Kommissar!" Lara hissed, her amber eyes growing wide with rage. " Leave us now!"

"Oh, the Black Hand and I didn't travel all this way from Aker just to leave." The vile elf cackled as he motioned to a dozen other people who were dressed in black fur cloaks. These were Black Hand members. The Black Hands were reputed to be the most powerful dark guild on Aker. That designation had put them at odds with the Knight's Watch.

"This is not the time or place to handle our past grievances!" Lara snapped. "After the challenge, we will meet and settle this."

"No, we will settle it now!" The Dark Mage raised his hands, causing dark tendrils to surround them.

"Kommissar, think about the innocents you are bringing into this!" Lara shouted.

"Look at you, the most honorable guild always shedding tears over collateral damage." The Elf threw his head back and laughed. " That will be your undoing."

"I see that we have no choice then." The Knight's Watch leader sighed. She turned to address her guild. "Make sure to defend the civilians at all costs."

Nodding, the Knight's Watch prepared to battle their arch-foes once again.

---

"Did you know those guys?"

"How did you take them out?"

"Did you know that civilians were caught in the middle of it?"

"Were those ruffians part of your guild?"

Lady Lara glared at the group of journalists who had parchments out and were bombarding the guild with silly questions. They had just arrived in the middle of Kypha to where the obstacle course was situated after their encounter with the Black Hand only to be harassed by the journalists.

"We will not comment." Lara responded as the Knight's Watch joined up with the other participating guilds. After the journalists left them alone, a couple of angry-looking individuals confronted the guild.

" You should be ashamed of bringing the problems of your planet onto Kypha!" A male centaur snapped.

" You knew there were innocents inside that cafe yet you went ahead and battled the other guild, getting them caught in the middle of it!" The other accuser, a female mermaid with dark hair, added.

"Yet you call your guild honorable!" A Halfling nearby added.

Snarling, Rhengar rose and walked over to the accusers. "Don't ever talk smack about our guild! If you have a problem, take it up with me!"

"Rhengar, stand down!" Lara ordered. She turned to address their accusers. "I take full responsibility of what went down. We should have handled it more professionally, but I assure you nothing like that will happen again."

As soon as the raging spectators were placated, Lara turned to the guild members. "Rhengar, Syliane, don't let what happened earlier shake your concentration in the obstacle course. Just clear your mind and only focus on that. Oh,and Thulok grants you a medallion to use anytime during the obstacle."

---

" Is it hard for you not to lose your cool?" Syliane whispered to Rhengar as they fastened the belts they were given by the Gamemakers. It was said that these would let them swap places with their partners if one person activated it.

"Well, someone has to defend the guild's honor from baseless accusations!" Rhengar shot back.

"How does escalating a fight accomplish that?" Syliane sighed." Zounds! I have never mastered the art of understanding your way of thinking."

---

"I can't believe Kommissar and his thugs would come all this way to Kypha to harass us." Tyreen seethed. The Knight's Watch guild members were seated right at the side of the obstacle course along with other guild members who were not taking part in the challenges. Even though the citizens of Kypha had gathered to watch, they were seated right behind the guilds.

"Like I said before, don't let it get to you." Lara explained. "That is their purpose of being present. They want us to lose our focus and our way in order to lose the Games. Don't give them that satisfaction."

Mordzar glanced up to where Sha'Kil was seated. To his surprise, the Shutaki Warrior was heading up the stands. Curious about his guildmate's intentions, Mordzar tailed after him. Once he got to him, he noticed Sha'Kil was hanging upside down from the edge of the bleachers.

"What are you doing?"

Startled, the Warrior Sage accidentally released his hold and and fell to the dusty ground, kicking up some dust in the process. Worried about his guildmate, Mordzar leaped over the side to check on him.

"You alright, buddy?"

"No thanks to you." Sha'Kil muttered. Mordar glanced up to see the other guild members point and laugh at them. He instantly regretted going after his friend. After all, it was his fault Sha'Kil had been embarrassed in front of the crowd.

---

"Begin!"

Standing among several other contestants, Syliane and Rhengar eyed the obstacle course before the Gamemakers gave them the signal to start the challenge. To their left and their right, the non-participating guild members as well as random spectators from the city of Kypha were viewing the event. Their deafening cheers reached the ears of both the Harpy and the Animaloid as they started to make their way to the obstacle that captured their attention.

"I'll go left, you go right!"

The two contestants then collided with one another, tumbling to the cold metal floor. The two Magi glanced up to see the other participants step over them and head over to whichever obstacle they saw fit. It was by sheer luck that Syliane and Rhengar didn't get trampled by the crowd.

Each traded dirty looks with one another. "Imbecile! I was going that way!"

They froze once they realized they spoke the exact same words at the same time.

"You know what? Let's go the other way." The two replied at once.

"Oh, for Lupa's sake!" Rhengar growled."Out of my way!"

The wolf pushed aside his teammate as he clambered toward the obstacle course that consisted of arching island platforms.

"You are making a huge blunder heading for that one!" Syliane shot back as she went to the one with metal bars.

We will see which one of us performs better.

---

Remi'i felt his heart freeze as he watched his guildmates collide.

It was a mistake on our leader's part for pairing them up. If they are going to squabble, they are going to cost us the challenge.

He glanced downward at his arms which held his new buddy Sal. The Salamandra stared up at him with her orange eyes, giving the Gravity Mage a look that meant she needed to be fed. He took out a piece of Eldian deer meat and fed it to Sal.

"Ah! What do we have here?"

Startled, the Gravity Mage glanced upwards to see a sinister yet familiar face. Kommissar and a couple of his lieutenants had approached them and Remi'i felt on edge after their last encounter with the enemy guild.

"It's quite a coincidence that we meet again." Kommissar smirked, revealing his pointy teeth. " You mind if we watch the Games with you?"

The other two members, a rat Animaloid as well as a pale-skinned girl with curly crimson hair to her back, sniggered at their leader's remark.

---

So I need to jump upon those floating platforms to get to the other side? Not a problem!

With a running start, Rhengar hurled himself toward the first white and green platform. Nearly missing it, the wolf reached out and latched onto the bottom of it with his claws. Letting out a grunt, he pulled himself on top of the metallic island. Seeing the second platform spaced out the same distance as the first, the wolfman took a flying leap and disembarked on his destination. As he rose, he realized that he wasn't alone.

I guess I am finally catching up to the others. I guess I can make it up for the lost time that blasted Harpy caused me.

As soon as the other occupant of the platform, a dark-skinned human from Guild Valkyrie, turned to glance at the newcomer to his space, Rhengar shoved him of the floating platform.

"Hit the road, mate! Your head start ends now."

The crowd's reaction reaching his ears, the Shadow Sage turned to smirk at them before he turned his attention to the next platform. This one seemed to be more spaced out than the previous one.

Perhaps I can make it if I pump up my speed.

Unfortunately, that ended up with him falling to the body of water that made up the floor below. Once the wolf returned to his original position, he decided to employ other measures to get to the topmost platform.

Now is the time to put my shadow magic to use.

Carving a rune on the platform, Rhengar unleashed several shadows that connected himself to his destination. Grinning eagerly, he launched himself at the floating object. However, his jubilation was short-lived as the platform lit up with a white light, removing his shadows. As a result, the wolf plummeted back to the body of water below him.

"Blast!" He cursed as he resurfaced. The laughing of the crowd just fueled his mood.

---

Wow, this is so easy!

Syliane was surprised by the how quickly she moved through her first obstacle. She climbed up the electric bars and even scaled the lightning monkey bars to finish the first course. She had seen several Magi get shocked by the electricity that seemed to randomly activate on the metal bars, but fortunately for her, she was a Lightning Mage so the magical counterattack didn't faze her. Metal was a good conductor of electricity after all. Before long, she made it to the next challenge.

"Dear Sigmar." She gasped.

For this challenge, she had to move small yet heavy wooden blocks to a designated area in order to climb them and clear the challenge. She could try to use her wings to cheat it, but there was an anti-magic net above her and the only way to freedom was to move the wooden blocks to the to the one area the nets didn't cover.

There is no way I can clear this. If only Rhengar was here to assist me.

She felt bad for the fight that had earlier and wondered if there was any way to summon him by her side. That was when it hit her.

Wait, isn't the belt designed to swap places with our partner if we activate it? There is only one way to find out.

----

"What in Lupa's name am I doing here?"

Rhengar noticed that he had materialized in front of a different obstacle course than earlier. Baffled, he tried to figure out what he was supposed to do in this obstacle. After careful observation of the contestants, he finally caught on.

It seems Syliane the arrogant little Harpy lacks something I possess.

That something was physical strength. In a matter of a few minutes, the wolfman pushed all the wooden pieces toward the area that wasn't shrouded by the nets and climbed his way to the next challenge.

---

"I don't feel comfortable having them here."

Lady Lara glanced over to Tyreen as she made her complaint. She was motioning over to Kommissar and the rest of the Black Hand.

"I don't feel any more comfortable than you are with their presence, but for the sake of civility, I am not going to make a big war out of this. "

The Metal Mage just sighed and crossed her arms. "I have a feeling that they are up to something. We need to find out what it is and fast."

"Look, I already am aware of that fact. However, we don't want need for them to realize that we caught on to any hare-brained scheme they cooked up. Just relax and try to enjoy the games until it is time to act."

"Very well."

Tyreen then returned to her seat.

"Is there a problem?" Kommissar asked from his spot.

"Oh, it's nothing that isn't resolved." Lara feigned a smile.

"Ok, good." The Elf made his way toward her and sat next to her. "I saw this seat was open and decided I needed a better one to watch the action. I hope you don't object."

----

Rhengar struggled with this? Oh, my bad. I forgot he lacked wings.

Syliane glanced up at the platforms and studied them. She figured out the pattern to how the anti-magic light flashes. It seemed that after five seconds, the platforms light up in succession. Though it happens one at a time every five seconds.

I can beat that.

She smirked and used her wings to fly over the platforms and land on the opposite side without having to set foot on the floating pieces of metal.

Before she knew it, she had appeared in the midst of the next challenge. The Harpy decided to observe the challenge first.

"This one looks like an ordinary obstacle without anti-magic content."

She deduced that she had to make it across the thin platform railing before red bags fastened onto pendulums swung out and knocked her off and into the water below.

This looks simple enough.

Syliane tiptoed her way across the railing while managing to evade the blows of the red balls. She glanced ahead with a smile as she heard the pendulum swing behind her with a slight whoosh.

I got this! I-

Wham!

The crowd cheered as Syliane plummeted to the water as a result of being swatted by the red ball.

I thought I had it.

---

Rhengar couldn't help but chuckle as he watched Syliane get knocked over by the balls multiple times.

And I thought those wings would prevent her from falling.

Despite having rough spots with her, the Shadow Sage wished success for his partner. He entered a blue structure which housed the next challenge. Darkness greeted Rhengar as he entered the room.

Woah! How does anyone see in this place?

In this room , they had to make their way across a thin strip of railing in complete darkness to the exit ahead. What made it more difficult for Rhengar was that he couldn't use his magic in complete darkness. There needed to be a source of light for him to use shadow magic as lights cast shadows.

This is so crazy!

Before he even made it a few feet, he took a tumble into the body of water below him.

----

"Let's go , Syliane! You got this!"

Remi'i glanced behind him to see Jardonkha and Zyra cheer on the Harpy. Zyra, a Water Mage who was one of the many reservists the Knight's Watch had at their disposal, hadn't had a chance to take part in the challenges yet, but she looked hopeful. Remi'i only wished she would have a chance to shine, although that would require one of the original five to become incapacitated in some way. He couldn't bring himself to wish any harm on anyone.

"That's a cool pet you have there."

Startled, Remi'i whirled around to face the crimson-haired woman from the Black Hand. The woman smiled as she took a seat next to him. Her pointy teeth gave away her identity as a Sanguine which were a humanoid race back on Aker.

"I hope you don't mind me taking a seat here. I figured no one was occupying it." The pale woman sat down and straightened her maroon cloak.

"Not at all. You are fine." Gripping Sal close to himself, the Gravity Mage found out that he couldn't tear his gaze away from the newcomer for some reason.

"So tell me,how has the Knight's Watch been treating you?" Her blue eyes connected with his eyes.

Remi'i felt a weird feeling in his gut that was alien to him. " Pretty decently, I guess. After all, I am a reservist who was sent in to participate after my buddy Mordzar, the guy who dresses in black and blue, was sent to the infirmary. Even though it was brief, I enjoyed my time in the challenges."

The woman just scoffed. " If your guild had any respect for you, they would have chosen you as one of the starters. Instead, you are stuck on the sidelines." She then chuckled. "Pardon me, but I forgot to introduce myself. I am Synne."

"Remi'i, pleasure to meet you." He extended the free hand that wasn't clutching his pet and gently shook her hand. "Gravity Mage here."

" A Gravity Mage, huh?" Synne giggled. "I am a Plasma Mage."

"Zounds! Those are rare." Remi'i felt himself get intrigued by this woman. Perhaps the Black Hand guild wasn't as bad as they thought.

"I know." Synne winked. Then she leaned over to whisper where his ear was hidden by his gray hood. "Listen, I believe that a talented Mage like you is wasted as a reservist here. Consider this, if you want to use your talents for a better purpose, I'll talk Kommissar into letting you join our guild. No initiation rite is required."

"Hmm...I don't know." Remi'i glanced downward. Despite committing to the Knight's Watch, he was really tempted to join the other guild for some reason. It might be so he could spend time with his new friend. Despite already meeting her, he felt entranced by her. She did have some kind of alluring effect on him after all.

"Just think on it for a bit. You don't have to decide right away. Although I would love to have a man like you in our guild. " Synne grabbed his hand and winked.

---

The crowd's cheering reached Syliane's ears as she cleared the last obstacle. It took several tries, but she was able to overcome it. As a result, she ended up wet from head to toe.

Well, at least I am reaching the end of the obstacle course.

The Harpy glanced over at Rhengar's side of the course and noticed that he had progressed as much as she did.

Don't screw this up, bud. We are almost there.

Once Syliane eyes her final challenge, her heart sunk.

This is made of grass! My Lightning powers are useless here!

The obstacle course was designed like a normal course, but since the ground ,the obstructing figures like the walls that sprouted in front of the stairs or the rectangular objects that fell from above were composed of grass, using her powers would be out of the question.

I guess I have to do this the traditional way.

Sighing, the Harpy started to take her first steps in the course when she felt her legs get ensnared. Falling face-first into the grass, Syliane glanced downward to notice that vines had entrapped her legs.

Zounds! I am in a sticky situation already? How do I get myself out of this mess?

That was when her eyes landed on the medallion that had fallen off of her when she had taken a tumble. Curiously, she grabbed it and examined it.

Lady Lara told me that this was supposed to help me, but how?

The moment her fingers touched the center of the bronze edge, a brilliant light flashed. The Harpy experienced a jolt once she realized that a new sentient being was present with her.

"You rang?"

The owner of the small voice was a Fairy that glittered with a wide myriad of colors. Her eyes shone a gold color while her hair possessed a deep magenta hue.

"Who are you?" Syliane asked.

"Well, you can say that I am here to guide you in case you run into a wall-literally!" The Fairy giggled.

" This is no time for levity!" Syliane snapped. "If you are here to help, then by all means liberate me from these vines."

"I can't do it myself, but I can tell you the way to do it yourself."

"Fine." The Harpy sighed."I'm all ears."

---

The crowd cheered as Rhengar was met with the cold water after missing the glowing green platform for the tenth time. Frustrated and raging internally, the wolf swam back to the beginning and glanced up at the three platforms that glowed an emerald color in the complete darkness. The reason his magic was hindered was due to the glow not being sufficient enough for him to cast shadows.

Why is this so darn impossible?

No matter what method he utilized, he always ended up getting his fur wet. As much as he wanted to call it quits, he knew that giving up was the last thing he needed to do right now. After all, his guild was depending on him and Syliane to finish the course.

Suck it up, Rhengar. You will have to find a way.

Suddenly, there was a flash and the wolf had appeared in a grassy obstacle course. Baffled, he glanced around and noticed that this was the other obstacle course. It appeared that Syliane might have switched places with him.

At least it is an obstacle I can work with. Time to jam!

Letting out a howl, Rhengar tore through the grassy barriers and made his way through the obstacle. The grass served as only a minor hindrance to him as he used his speed and agility as a wolf to make his way through the grassy path and through the obstacle. The grass walls that hindered Syliane's progress felt like nothing to him as tore through them like tissue paper. He knocked a couple Magi that were unlucky enough to be in his path out of the way before making past the finish line.

---

"So that's all I had to do?"

Syliane glanced at her guide with an incredulous expression. All she had to do was press the middle of her belt and she would have been out of her predicament.

"Yes!" The Fairy giggled. "Now if I were you, I'd hurry up and finish the obstacle or the other guilds will rob you of a high position."

"As if I need reminding." Syliane rolled her eyes as she flapped her wings, taking off and over the green platforms. Soon, she made it to the opposite side and entered the light of door that led to freedom. The bright light temporarily stung her eyes as she exited, but the cheering of the crowd signaled that she had made it to the end of that dreadful course. Now where was Rhengar?

"We made it!" Strong arms engulfed her.

"Rhengar, let go!"She rasped. " You are choking me."

"Apologies!" The wolf put her down. "Come, let's tell the guild that we were able to work together."

Did we even work together?

Syliane had doubts, but decided to keep quiet for the sake of the guild.

---

"Sensational job, both of you."

Lady Lara and the rest of the Knight's Watch greeted the two participants for this challenge. Lady Lara patted them both on their shoulders.

"See, I knew you both could work well together if you put aside your differences."

Rhengar and Syliane shared a confused glance before bursting out into laughter.

"Did I say anything funny?" The guild leader frowned.

"Of course not."Syliane smiled. "We just like the new dynamic we have. Is that correct, Rhengar?"

"Aye!" Rhengar added. His eyes then landed on the Black Hand members. "What in Lupa's name are they doing here?"

---

After spending time with his guild in their hotel, Remi'i started to head out. On the way down the golden halls, a door to one of the rooms creaked open and a figure stepped out into the hall.

"Remi'i, where are you headed during a time like this?" Sha'Kil crossed his arms.

"I am just going for a walk, that is all."

"Right now?" The Shutaki Warrior narrowed his reptilian eyes behind his skull-like mask.

"I will be back before the dead of the night. You have my word."

"Very well." Sha'Kil nodded. "Be vigilant since there are outlaws running about this time of the night."

Soon, Remi'i arrived at a dark alley behind a tavern and awaited his contact. Deep inside, he felt an uneasy feeling gnawing at his chest. he was about to make an important decision that could really affect him either positively or negatively. There was only one way he could learn the outcome.

"Apologies for the delay. I was caught up in an internal affair within my guild."

Remi'i whirled around to see Synne, her crimson cloak standing out in the darkness of the alley, arrive. She smiled and faced the Gravity Mage.

"Have you made your decision?"

Remi'i stepped forward."Indeed I have."

---

A knock on her door startled Lara out of her thoughts. Sighing, she decided answer it on the assumption that it was one of the Magi in her guild.

What could they want at this hour?

Sighing, she opened the door and her heart nearly burst out of her chest once she saw someone she hoped to not see at this moment.

"Kommissar! What could be so important that you barge into my room like this?If you continue with your meddling, I will report you for harassing our guild."

"Oh, I won't be long." The Black Hand guild leader raised a hand. " I was only going to ask you something."

"What could you possibly want that is so important that you come to my room in the middle of the night?" Lara sighed.

"Oh, I thought you should know what's going on back on our homeworld." The Elf handed her a piece of press paper. "I wonder how your Warrior Sage would take it."

"What does this have to do with Sha'Kil?" She demanded.

"There is one way for you to find out." The Black Hand leader smirked.

Sighing, the Orc's eyes scanned the paper. Her eyes then grew wide once she absorbed the content.

How am I going to tell Sha'Kil the news? This will certainly cause him to quit the guild. 

Guild 3: Guild Valkyrie - ariel_paiment1

I huffed, pacing the garden behind the hotel in the evening's darkness. I'd finally convinced the rest of the guild that I was fine and could participate in this challenge. Yet I couldn't help feeling uneasy about everything taking place tomorrow. Some strange sense of impending doom hung over me, skittering down my spine and curling in a tight ball in the pit of my stomach. Queasiness washed over me, but it had nothing to do with my physical health.

I stopped pacing, sucking in the darkness around me with a mere thought. Darkness coiled around my hands, inkier than even the darkest black of the night around me. I smiled. My breathing softened, and my shoulders drooped.

"It's nice, isn't it? That darkness? Kind of like your soul." A familiar voice whispered, breath trailing down my neck.

I spun with a cry, shoving my hands out to fling the creature away. But I found nothing.

"You're not going to destroy me that easily, love." Her voice oozed through the blackness around me. "We really should have a chat about that temper and paranoia of yours. Deadly combination, those."

I gritted my teeth, slapping my hands over my ears. "Leave me alone!"

"I'm in your head, silly boy. You can't get rid of me like that."

I screamed into the darkness, and for the first time in my life, I truly felt hunted. But more importantly, for the first time in my life, I felt true hatred for another living creature.

I kept screaming to drown out her cruel laughter and the darkness in my own soul, which I feared even more than I feared her.

***

I shot flickering glances at Alastair. His eyes seemed sunken in shadows, and dark bags hung under the hollow, ragged gaze. He carried a perpetually haunted, hunted look about with him now, and I no longer felt certain how to interact with him. His hands shook at his sides, clenching and unclenching as they trembled against his thighs.

"It'll be fine, Alastair. It's just an obstacle course. We'll switch out if we run into things the other can't handle, and you've got that little golem they gave us. We can use that too, sparingly anyway. This'll be fun!" I smiled, the corners of my lips quivering.

He didn't even look at me. But he did suck in a tremulous breath. I wrapped my arms around myself and hung my head, scuffing a shoe along the ground.

Alastair's cracking voice pulled my attention back up to his face. "Yeah, it'll be fine. Everything's always fine. Until it isn't, anyway..."

He wasn't making sense. Maybe we never should've let him come. They couldn't change him out now though. The bell was ringing for them to separate. The two of us glanced at each other, Alastair's gaze barely focused, and mine teary. Whatever enthusiasm I'd had for these games had evaporated long ago, and I felt certain Alastair would agree with that sentiment.

I tore my gaze from my friend's slumped shoulders and hunched back. Shaking my head, I jogged away to reach the starting line before the horn blared to start this obstacle race.

***

I wondered if I should've run a different direction. The first obstacle didn't even look safe. A long metal beam stretched over a bubbling pool of tar. Darkness pooled around me, and I wondered how the Gamemakers had pulled that one off. Not that it mattered. Light didn't exist in this challenge.

I sighed, shaking my head. Of course, it wouldn't. When was anything in this wretched game ever simple? At least we didn't have to blindly swap places. The belts had comms on them, and if one couldn't use the comm, the belt also required the other person to accept the transfer. I shuddered to think what might've happened if transfers could be initiated without the other partner's input.

Well, if there was no light, I'd just have to try to balance on the beam with no light to see by or to stick me to the beam. This wasn't going to end well. I eyed the bubbling tar, sucking in a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothing," I muttered.

Inching out onto the beam, I tested the surface. And quickly discovered that it was slick with oil. Moaning, I got down on my hands and knees. What sadistic jerk came up with this? I not only couldn't use my magic because this obstacle was designed to counter it, but now I also had to humiliate myself by crawling across the beam. I better not fall in the tar. The last thing I need is to have everything sticking to me the rest of this nightmare.

I scooted onto the beam and began inching my way across. My arms and legs wrapped around the beam well, but I had to act like a human inchworm to move anywhere in my position. So, I would slide my arms way above my head, pull my legs and hips up to place myself in a seated position again, and then repeat. My cheeks burned with shame, but I didn't dare try scooting across on my behind for fear I'd slide off without my arms to steady me while I moved my feet. Although, I had to admit that some of it was just that I didn't want my feet dangling in the tar.

***

While Duana went through her obstacle course, I faced my own challenge. In my case, it was a bright clearing without even the slightest shadow. Some sort of magical barrier kept the clearing bathed in dazzling light. I stepped out of the trees into the clearing, eyeing it with narrowed eyes. It didn't seem dangerous, but there was nothing to overcome in the clearing.

Shrugging, I decided I didn't care. I'll be dead in a few more weeks anyway because no one can get that freak's magic out of me. So who cares what happens here? Besides, I doubt any of this is deadly if any of the other challenges have been an indication. So, I just stormed into the clearing, a scowl on my face and my mind a million miles away.

It didn't register immediately that shards of light were showering down out of the sky. The first thing to register was the sharp pain of something tearing through my sleeve. Blood blossomed on my forearm. I stared at it.

Another shard sliced into my cheek, and I finally realized a rain of sharp, broken light was falling on me. Cursing, I decided I ought to just run for it. I barely missed being hit with the next volley. I was so focused on the hail of light that I missed what was on the ground at my feet.

I went airborne for a moment and the next, I had faceplanted into a patch of grass. Flipping onto my back and ignoring the throbbing pain in my head and nose, I stared at the spikes of light jutting out of the ground. More spikes sliced into my skin as I sat there, transfixed. Patches of light spikes were cropping up all across the field, moving in a rippling pattern.

If I don't move now, I'm going to get skewered when the next wave of those things comes through. Curse this stupid course! I leapt to my feet, shaking off a wave of dizziness that came from using my face as a landing cushion for my fall. I took of at a sprint across the field, leaping just in time to evade the wave of spikes as it came back through. The end of the clearing was so close.

I tripped on a stone, scrapping up my elbows this time. A muffled hiss of pain tore from me, but I pushed myself back to my feet and kept going. I crashed through the magical barrier just in time to evade another wave of spikes, my skin stinging from the sharp pieces of light.

Gritting my teeth, I continued on. I still couldn't bring myself to care about this task, but I also knew I had to hurry up if I wanted to get back to the hotel and go to bed anytime soon. A wave of exhaustion flooded me, but I forced it back. It didn't matter right now. No pain. No weariness. No hunger. No thirst. No emotion. She used it all against me, so I would feel none of it. Everything except the intense burn of hatred which now fueled me was shoved into a box somewhere deep in my soul, and I stalked on through the forest.

***

I encountered the first obstacle I couldn't overcome on my own. It had been one thing to cross the bar over the tar, scale the rock wall, and to make my way through the shadowed halls of an old dungeon where the shadows themselves had attacked me at my weakest. But this... This was unbelievable. What on earth were the Gamemakers thinking? Above me stretched a web of shadows, and I had to use them to cross this lake. Not only did it require a great deal of strength, but it also required me to be a shadow mage or a dark mage. I couldn't do this.

I pressed my belt's comm button. "Alastair, what are you doing right now?"

"Sleeping." His voice crackled flatly over the comm.

"Seriously!" I crossed my arms, tapping a foot against the marshy ground next to the shadow ladder leading up to the shadow web. "What's wrong with you? Take this seriously, would you?"

"I take my sleep very seriously," he mumbled.

I glared at the air in front of me, wishing I could wring his neck right now. "Look, what are you really doing?"

"Using my magic to avoid having to run through these curved wall obstacles. It's tiresome to evade the sharp flying objects, so I just decided to go over it."

"That's not how this challenge is supposed to work, moron! It's an obstacle course!"

"Work smart, not harder," he quipped. "Now what do you want?"

"I want you to get your lazy butt over here and do this obstacle. I race through your stupid obstacle. I took martial arts, so I should be fine without my magic. Something I suspect you also would've been fine without."

He grunted. "So? It's not like I need to worry about my mathanos levels."

"Shut up. I'm initiating the swap now." I pressed the button, cutting off whatever dry remark he had up his sleeve.

***

I dropped through the air and just managed to avoid landing hard on my tailbone by cushioning my fall with a bit of light magic. I saw what Alastair had meant by flying objects. The panels were tightly scrunched, and to actually complete the obstacle, I would have to zigzag through the course. Not only that, but the walls themselves seemed to be moving closer together and then further apart at differing speeds.

Sighing, I examined the situation. The axes and blades either swung or appeared from panels in the walls, and they did so on a timer. That was easy enough to evade. The walls also moved on the same principle. The two together was the problem. No wonder he decided to skip this. Exactly what Alastair would do. He's the best our guild has, and he literally chose not to do what would've made our guild look good. Moron! I timed my start and took off through the shadowy obstacle, hoping I wouldn't lose a limb or my head doing this.

***

As before, I didn't bother doing the obstacle the way it was supposed to be done. I climbed the ladder, tugged on a few strands of darkness around me and flipped myself onto the top of the web. Why would anyone bother monkey-barring across this thing if they can just walk across it? I waltzed across it, leaping down on the other side within minutes of starting out. Glancing around, I noticed that nothing was happening around me, so I decided I'd catch a nap while I waited for Duana.

I sat down on a fairly dry patch of grass by a tree and rested my head against the trunk, shutting my eyes. A sigh slipped from me. This was the safest I'd felt in a long time now. The darkness oozed and seeped around me, a familiar presence that could be manipulated at will. Even if that evil demon tried to attack me here, I would be at my strongest. I would be able to fend her off this time. But for now, I figured she'd leave me alone for a while, so I drifted off, sucking in the darkness around me out of habit and letting it back off as I exhaled.

***

When I finished the obstacle, I figured that Alastair had probably had enough time to complete the obstacle on my course, so I pressed the button to talk to him. The comm returned nothing but silence. I pushed the button a few times, making sure it was working. Nothing seemed wrong. But there was still no response. Frustrated, I tried to initiate a transfer.

No response.

I turned the comm back on. If that idiot is taking this task as a joke, I'm going to snap his neck myself. I took the belt off to give myself better access to the mic. "Alastair!" I roared into my belt's comm device.

"Yaahh!" A responding screech of astonishment came from the other side. "Gaah! W-what? Duana! What are you screaming at me for?"

"What exactly are you doing right now?" I gritted my teeth, my fingers clenching on the belt.

"Waiting for you to finish," he snapped. "Was yelling really necessary?"

"You were sleeping!" I shook the belt in annoyance.

"Was not." His vocal tone went flat.

"Were too."

"Put your belt back on, Duana. Otherwise you'll probably end up breaking something when I agree to the transfer request you sent two minutes ago."

I snapped the belt back on, glaring at the ground. "Know what, Alastair? I hope you have fun with your stupid course. I'll figure out mine on my own. You're an awful partner!"

"I'm sick and tired of this kind of stupid test." Alastair's voice went hard. "If you think I'm going to take it seriously when these 'games' have gotten people I dearly love hurt or placed those I care about in harm's way, you're wrong. I don't intend to play their way anymore. I'm done, Duana. Do whatever the heck you want. I don't care."

His voice cut off, and suddenly I was standing in lake water up to my ankles. "Argh!" I shook a fist at the sky even though I knew Alastair couldn't see me. "Couldn't you at least be mature enough not to make me suffer?"

***

I stared at the light rings that I was supposed to go through to cross the river in front of me. I crossed my arms and tried to call the darkness to me. It didn't respond. Wonderful. Another obstacle where they've chosen to force me to switch with that witch! Forget it. I stormed up to the river. While it was flowing quickly, it wasn't flowing so fast that I couldn't cross it. I pulled off my boots, using the leather laces to tie them together so I could sling them around my neck. Dipping a bare toe into the river, I shivered. The frigid water made me wish I could just curl up in bed with a hot cup of tea and a book. Why did I agree to this? Shaking my head, I stomped into the water, splashing it up my legs. If I was going to freeze, I might as well soak myself completely, right? Why not? No pain. No hunger. No thirst. No emotion. No fear. The water came to mid-thigh, but I forged ahead.

***

I really wanted to hit something. It seemed that every obstacle I was coming across now involved darkness or dampened my magic. Did I just pick the worst part of the obstacle course or something?

This one was a rope swing made of shadows. And I wasn't going to get any help from Alastair. Beyond that, he had the golem, so I couldn't even take that approach. I curled my fists into balls and started crying. I swiped furiously at the tears. No crying! You're not five. You'll just have to climb down one side of the trench and up the other. I sat down, swung my legs over the side, and started down. I half-slid, half-climbed down the crumbly dirt wall. My shins scraped against gravely sand as I lost my grip and slid the last few feet.

The thin pants I wore stuck to my skin as blood pricked through the skin where the rocks had dug into my knees. I winced, trying to gently brush the dirt and gravel off my legs and away from the injuries. The wounds smarted and stung. Tears prickled my eyes again at the pain and the sudden realization I had to climb up the other side with my legs like this and unable to use light magic.

I tried to muster just a little bit of light. Anything at all to stick me to the side of the wall. I got enough momentum and tried to take a running leap, grasping at the rocky plateau above me. I missed, and my light wasn't strong enough to stick me to the wall. Fortunately, I didn't have far to fall. The fall did jar my legs, making the abrasions on my shins throb and sting even more.

I stared up at the shadowed sky above me, tears dripping down my cheeks. I was supposed to win this. This was supposed to be an easier task compared to what we've been up against. Why does everything always go wrong with this year's Games? Defeated, I dropped to the ground and hung my head in my hands, crying because I was in pain and because everything was a mess.

***

I glared up at the giant, curving wall of light. This wasn't an obstacle I could defeat. If I switched with Duana, I could. But I wouldn't. I refused. She'd gotten mad at me after I had helped her on the shadow net, so I wasn't going to switch with her. It wasn't like I cared if we won this ridiculous game. Rolling my eyes, I sat down on the ground next to the light wall.

There was still enough time left to the obstacle course to make it past this last obstacle. Through the shimmering wall, I could see the finish line. But it didn't matter. I scooted further from the wall, pulled darkness from the shadows, and formed a ball to play with.

To amuse myself, I spent the time chucking small balls of darkness at the wall. The light swallowed them up, which made me smirk. I didn't have a clue why that was so amusing to me, but boredom did strange things to me. I would rather do something entirely useless than sit around with nothing to do. Besides, Duana would probably try to strangle me the moment we were let off the obstacle course, so the longer I procrastinated, the better. Switching places now would get me an earful, so why would I bother?

Still, curiosity got the better of me. Where was she at? Even if she had yelled at me, I knew this game meant a lot to her at this point, and I wondered if she'd managed. I had the golem, so it wasn't like she could do any dark obstacles properly either. I sighed. I'm being too cruel. She's probably feeling miserable right now, and I'm just making it worse for her... Fine! I hate it when my own mind convinces me to do things I know will get my head chewed off. I pressed the com button.

"Duana?"

She must've forgotten to turn the com off or pressed the button again doing one of her obstacles because all I heard over the link was sobbing and gasps for air. I bit my lip. I'm literally the worst ever... Just because I don't care about this game doesn't mean she didn't. And now she's crying because I was a jerk. "Duana? I'm really sorry... I was acting like a spoiled brat."

Her sobs died down a little, and soon I just heard sniffling. "Alistair? I thought you didn't want to talk to me." Her voice took on a sharp edge.

I hung my head, running a booted toe through the dirt at the base of the wall. "Yeah, well... Umm... I guess I do. The game doesn't mean a thing to me, but I realized it does to you. I'm sorry I messed it up so badly."

She started crying again, and between sobs, I heard her trying to stammer out words. "I... I... My knees and shins... Alastair, I can't..."

Now I really did feel terrible, I wrapped my arms around myself. Man, I wish I could just give her a hug and apologize. I hate it when people cry! Now I was tearing up. "I'm sorry, 'Ana... This is all my fault."

"Yeah..." She sniffled. "I c-cut my knees up, Ali."

"Are you okay? How did you do that?" My pitch rose a few octaves.

"I... I'm fine. I cut them trying to c-climb down a trench because I-I couldn't use the shadow ropes to s-swing across." Her voice cracked, and I could hear her hiccupping for breath.

Yeah... I officially suck. "Listen, 'Ana... Swap with me? We'll finish this course with a bang, okay?"

She snuffled. "Why not? We've failed miserably, but at least we can finish this, right?"

"Yeah," I mumbled. "Anytime you're ready, we can switch."

The link blinked for us to switch, and I accepted it quickly.

***

I wiped my nose on my sleeve, wishing I had a tissue. Taking a few deep breaths, I pulled myself together and looked over the wall of light. This would be easy compared to everything I'd been through. My knees and shins protested movement, so I took my time and carefully stuck myself to the wall. Walking hurt, but I forced my legs to keep moving as I walked up the wall.

This had to be done. We had to at least finish our course. Quitting was never an option for members of Guild Valkyrie. Gritting my teeth, I labored onward. The crown of the wall was coming closer and closer.

Just as I reached the top, though, the horn blew to indicate time was up.

Tears sparkled in my eyes as I sat down and let my body slide slowly down the other side of the wall. My legs stung and smarted even with that slight movement. I stumbled toward the finish line when I reached the bottom. My legs gave out, and I pitched forward, my tear-filled eyes lighting on the worried expressions my guildmates' faces sported.

Eskandar's familiar arms caught me, enveloping me in his warm, amber scent. I started sobbing in earnest, clinging to him and burying my face in his neck. He held me tightly, rocking gently back and forth while making soothing noises.

"It's okay, Duana. Let's get you back to the hotel. I should probably clean out those cuts. I'm so sorry this has been a rough day for you, love..." His lips pressed against my shoulder where previous obstacles had torn my jumpsuit. The warmth and gentleness of the touch of his lips on my skin brought a fresh wave of tears. Exhaustion finally crashed into me full-force, and I found myself drifting off in Eskandar's arms despite the throbbing pain in my legs.

***

I winced as a rotten tomato caught me in the side of the head while I was walking back to the guild hotel. The others were a few feet ahead and didn't know anything had happened. My shoulders hunched, and I kicked a loose pebble down the cobblestones, trying to ignore the townsfolk who had thrown the rotten fruit. I deserved this, after all. My pigheaded behavior got my friend injured and cost her a victory she desperately needed after all our defeats and casualties.

"Hey, Bànach! Your guild stinks, you know that?" A man's gruff voice grated harshly in my ears.

My jaw clenched, and my arms stiffened at my side.

"Alastair? Just keep walking. Ignore them." Duan had come back to my side at some point after the man yelled out his insult. I'd barely noticed because I was just about seeing red, and darkness was seething behind my eyes.

"Yeah!" A woman's shrill tone joined the man's flinty one. "And you're the worst scum of the lot too. Bad enough that your djinn friend has violent tendencies and a history of sexual deviancy, but you... You abandoned your friend when she needed you! You should've protected the poor girl. She's going through enough finding out what she has about her lover."

I spun around to face them. "Say that again. I dare you!"

The man who'd shouted earlier stood near the woman now and piped up again. "I agree with her. You should've protected the girl seeing how she just found out that her lover's a pervert."

I gritted my teeth, walking slowly toward the small group of townsfolk gathering. My gaze snagged on a teenage boy who held another of the offending fruits that had caught me in the side of the head. Now I knew who was throwing things. Figured. Teenagers always were the dumbest of every race's offspring.

Darkness seeped up from the deepest cracks in the cobblestones as I sucked it from the very ground beneath the stones. It surged out of the alleyways to dance through the villagers. Eyes widened, and several individuals fled then and there. Women ushered their children away from me, vacating the premises. But the man who had just called my best friend a pervert was still standing his ground. I stormed toward him, darkness gathering more and more momentum around me until I was at the center of a vortex of it.

Faintly, I could hear Duan pleading with me to just calm down and reminding me that killing a civilian could land me in jail. I ignored him. My hand locked around the shaking man's neck, and I slammed him into the nearest wall, leaning in close until the tips of our noses almost brushed. "How dare you spread such wicked rumors about my best friend! Have you no respect for others? Where did you hear that vicious rumor? Or were you the propagator?"

He quailed in my grip. Shaking his head vehemently, he scrabbled at my hand, trying to remove my grip. I used the darkness to pin his wrists to the wall too. "Answer me!" I roared in his face.

"I...I heard it from the locals at the tavern." He gasped for breath when my grip loosened marginally.

My eyes narrowed. "You better tell anyone who says a word about that again that I will hunt them down and make them wish they were dead if they don't shut it and fast. Got it?"

He nodded fervently when I released him. Tears glittered in his eyes.

"Good. You'd better have it. If I hear another word of this rumor around this town again, I will find you and kill you first. I don't tolerate gossip about my friends."

He looked like he was going to wet himself, but he stammered out a "yes, sir" and ran for the nearest alley.

I sucked in a deep breath, drawing in all of the darkness around me. Then I exhaled slowly, letting the darkness dissipate back to its proper place. Duan's eyes were like milk saucers. I frowned. "Let's go home. I doubt they'll diss our guild again for a long time."

Duan followed me after a moment, mumbling, "I seriously thought you were going to kill him."

"I have more control than that." I strode ahead to get my space, leaving him in my wake to find his own way back to the hotel.

Guild 4: Iscariot Sin - D-Willy45

Punctum Fractionis

(breaking point)

Good communication is the bridge between confusion and clarity- Nat Turner

Something inside of me turns as I watch Braith's fight come to its end. The strong woman was physically tough, but she was immature and stupid. It was the centare that was the problem. He knew what he was doing and had perfect control of his bow as well as his body. Silva was able to keep him busy long enough for Braith to finish her combatant, and together they gave us yet another win. After the fight was over Silva immediately ran to Conan, who is still fading in and out of consciousness. Braith, on the other hand, is on her way to the hotel. A large cup of beer in hand, I wait for her.

Stercore! She's starting to become curious! Odinson, why do you do this?

Braith has been asking me if I am ok, she is scared for me. I say that I am fine every time, though I am anything but. I have been... seeing things. Ever since that stupid maze game I played, things have not been normal. My mind has been playing tricks on me, and they have only gotten more frequent. I can feel something inside of me is slipping. I am losing my mind, I know it. I have heard of soldiers experiencing similar things. They say that it only gets worse the longer you endure it. A friend of mine once spoke of this in great detail. The healers of the kingdom called it, "labore certaminis" it's apparently very common for soldiers. Right now all I want to talk to him, he would surely know what to say. Unfortunately, I cannot do that, for he took his own life a long time ago, he was seventeen.

Get out of my head!

I look down in defeat, I am slowly losing the will to go on. I get lost in thought, thinking about everything and nothing at the same time. Then I hear a soft bubbling noise coming from my cup. I manage to look down just in time to see it spill over with blood. It drains down onto my hands and on the floor. The sound of the door opening startles me out of my trance. I am scared so bad that I drop the glass entirely.

"Did I scare you? I'm sorry hun." Inside the doorway is a blond-haired, blue-eyed girl. Her smile, despite it being genuine and warming, chills me to the bone.

Emilia!

I blink it away to reveal Braith standing in her place. Emilia was my past wife and queen to my fallen kingdom. After years of dreading her death, I had almost accepted her passing... that was until the first task of these games. And now to make it worse, the person responsible for Emilia's death in the first place is on a witch hunt for me. He has already placed Conan in the infirmary, who knows when he will stop.

When I get my hands on you Odinson, I will make you pay!

Braith runs to my side and sits down. She places her hands on my cheek and stares into my eyes.

"Ok, I do not care what you say, I am taking you to the healers! Don't bother lying to me, I know something is wrong with you!"

*************************************************************************************************************

Malum sit Braith! Why do you worry so?

We had visited a medical professional about my condition, and of course, he had no idea how to treat me. One would be amazed at how simple fixing physical wounds are, compared to emotional ones at least. He had told me to try to be as relaxed as possible at all times. He had also advised me to quit the games and go home, which obviously is not happening. We left the building with no more information than we already had. In fact, the only thing we achieved was that Braith is immensely more fearful. We had taken a long walk around the city to clear our minds. I told her about everything that happened, Odinson, Emilia, everything. Most of this she already knew, but now she knows exactly how much it has eaten at me. For years I have maintained a strong and confident persona. I had to be tough, for Braith's sake. She is also one that welcomes the thought of her fixing a problem on her own. But she is just as weak as anybody else and needs a shoulder to lean on... me.

All of that is shattered in one day, it's more than embarrassing. She is now treating me differently, like a child. She may not notice, but her words have been near condescending like I am not strong enough to stand on my own two feet.

"Thorson! Are you coming or not?"

Author's agitated voice wakes me up from my daze. He is getting ready for the task, something I have all but forgotten about. At first, when I heard that the task was an obstacle course, I could hardly take the thought seriously. Our mentor, Kean, woke Author and me from our sleep prematurely for some exercise. He explained what exactly is going to happen and how the task works. After watching a couple of guilds try the course I have learned to respect the idea.

On one hand, I feel confident in our chances. Arthur has his wings and his size, I have heart and can breathe underwater. There is only one problem with this whole plan, and that is the fact that this task relies on teamwork and trust, something Arthur and I lack. For all that he has done to the guild, it is unforgivable.

The course works like this. There are two individual lanes for Arthur and I. They are separated by a wall so that neither of us can see outside our lane. We both wear a belt that allows us to switch places, but only if we both place our hands on the buckle and push mathanos into it. We will be able to communicate with each other through a magical crystal that is placed in our ear. The objective is to talk our way through the obstacles and reach the end, sounds easy at face value. The problem is that no matter which lane we are in, there are places that are specially designed to counter our abilities.

Devines help us.

I pray mockingly. The sheer fact that I have to take Arthur's word for anything is a haunting thought. No matter what happens, I am just glad I can have something to occupy my brain. With the ever-growing threat of the visions, I need something else to think about. A servant is waiting for me at the entrance. He immediately starts fitting me with the necessary gear, as well as reminding me of what to do. Instead of listening, my mind wonders to my left hand. Silva had shot an arrow through it not two days ago. A healer had mended the wound the instant I exited the house, now all that remains is a large scar on my palm.

I owe Silva an apology for yelling at her, don't I?

I don't have long to ponder it before I am pushed into the starting line. Shaking away my thoughts, I try my best to focus on the present. A stand there for what feels like an eternity, waiting for the signal to start. I can hear my heart beating inside my chest, my hands and legs start to twitch.

"Remember to follow my lead, and listen to what I say."

Arthur's voice comes through the crystal inside my ear, he already sounds agitated.

"I will do what is best for both of us." I counter.

Then a horn sounds, commanding us to begin. We both sprint forward as fast as we can. I round a corner to find a wall blocking my way. There is a space between the ground and the wall itself, even though it is clear that is meant to be lifted, I know I am not strong enough to lift it.

"Arthur, we need to switch places."

"Why do you say that? We just started."

He seems slightly out of breath, something is also making a lot of noise in the background. In fact, it sounds like he is swimming.

"Must you start asking questions so early?" I plead.

"What are you saying?! Stop trying to order me around and just keep moving forward. Whatever it is, I am sure you can handle."

Nothi!

I try again, this time harder. My legs scream out to me and my back slowly loses form as I slowly get the wall above my nipples. My veins start pulsing light blue, mathanos slowly oozes out of me. In a last burst of energy, I am able to lift the stone slab above my head and slip underneath it to the other side. Already adrenaline is running through my body, filling me with confidence. Still, my feet like liquid and will barely move.

I am not given time to recuperate before the next obstacle. Multiple magical rings float in the air, far out of my reach, the floor flows with molten stone. Arthur's wings will allow him to reach them perfectly.

"Arthur, we desperately need to switch."

"What is it now? You would move faster if you stopped complaining."

I am already reaching my boiling point. He knows very well how this task works, so why does he fight so hard? There is a loud "bang!" as well as a bright light that comes from Arthur's side of the wall. I can hear him swear under his breath before speaking again.

"Fine."

I grab hold of my belt buckle and close my eyes. Pressure fills my ears, causing them to ring. Then just like that, it's gone. I open my eyes to find myself somewhere else. There is another wall in front of me. Instead of last time though a hole opens up in the floor to reveal water. It is just large enough for me to fit through. Gills appear on my neck, allowing me to breathe. Inside the water are more rings. Surrounding them are both explosives as well as electrical currents, forcing me to duck and weave inside each and every one of them.

At least they tried. I think jokingly.

I swim effortlessly as my military training kicks in. In the siege of castle Bluetooth, I had rescued twenty men from a building that was collapsing. I was given the title, "Blood swimmer" for my bravery.

That was only two weeks before the wedding.

I shake my head to snap myself awake.

Not now Thorson!

I break from the surface of the water and out into the air. I only take a quick moment to shake myself dry before continuing on. Next is a massive metal gate, golden flowers ordinate the rim, making the entire thing shine with heavenly light. Guarding the gate is two large men dressed in equally glorious armor. They cross their halberds so I cannot pass.

"Poios páei ekeí?" One of them screams.

I do not understand the language, a downside of being born a commoner. I try again, this time I am pushed to the ground.

"Poios eísai? Den tha rotíso xaná!"

He places the tip of his halberd to my head, I now understand how serious he is.

I don't have time for this!

"Arthur! How many languages did you say you could speak?"

There is a long silence before he finally replies.

"I am preoccupied at the moment! Why must you call me every time something goes array? Are you so weak that you cannot do one thing by yourself!"

I am taken aback by his words. He knows very well what they are trying to do, and yet he persists on doing everything himself. It isn't the first time though he has used this tactic. He will degrade you and tell you that you are weak so that it will, "motivate" you. It turns out that not everyone is compelled to that form of criticism. It is difficult to work together with him when he cannot see past his own nose.

"Arthur! Whatever you are up against, I can handle it! Trust me, this is outside of my talents."

"Ok."

I grab my belt buckle and once again am teleported. When I pop back into existence I am falling from the sky. I am able to land on my feet, albeit hard. When I open my eyes I am met with a giant, four-legged tree golem. Plants sprout out of every direction, flowers cover its skin. Its giant body supports a head with two glowing eyes as large as my own body. It roars but no visible mouth opens.

It stomps down with one of its front legs, an attack that I am barely able to dodge. As fast as I can, I make my way to its massive underbelly. Roots shoot out of its skin and nearly decapitate me on multiple occasions.

Once I am underneath it, I raise my hands and focus on the thick blanket of cloud overhead. It is not long before the hair on my body stands on end. My veins and arteries glow blue with energy. My vision gets tinted a similar shade of blue, I can feel my power surfacing. Steaks of lightning crawl up and down my body.

I raise my hands into the air and release all of my built up energy at once. The resulting strike blows the golem in half. It takes a second, but the monster crumbles into a cloud of ash. After borrowing a moment of time to gather myself, I stumble over to another gate, this one the same as the last. This time though, instead of pushing me away, they let me through.

"Did you make it past the guards?" I assume he did, seeing as I was able to pass so easily.

"I did. I am guessing you are able to continue as well?"

"Yes."

"I saw your little light show, I hope you did not over expend yourself."

"Nonsense. I am the lord of conservation."

*************************************************************************************************************

"I cannot believe him!" I scream into the broadcasting crystal. "He differently overused himself with that blast!"

One second, a gigantic golem stood in front of the only way forward, and the next, it is gone.

"He has always been one for splenditries."

Sayid's voice has a slightly annoyed undertone to it. I doubt it is personal, seeing that he has stayed awake for much longer than a day at this point. As one of the guild's medics, he took it upon himself to help heal Conan's wounds. He is just stepping out of the shower room now, changed, dry, and re-energized, for the most part.

Sayid sits down beside me and starts eating the assorted fruit that is laying on an end table. After Conan's incident with his battle task, Sayid was supposed to step in and give him a break. Conan had strongly objected to the idea for reasons he did not explain. All of that does not matter now since he has been falling in and out of consciousness. We are lucky that he is here for many reasons. For one, he is one of the only people that have treated Conan, making him the only one to know the ins and outs of his body. He is also a good comforter for Silva, as they are in the same squad. Lastly is that he is pretty savvy when it comes to combat, especially for a medical specialist.

"That reminds me, Braith. I have thought over Thorson's symptoms, I know what is happening to him."

Really? What is?" I shut down the crystal so I can listen. His attitude switches now and takes on a serious tone.

"It's called battle fatigue. Basically, at some point, he went through a traumatic event. From what you have said, it sounds like he was fine until he entered the maze. Whatever he saw in there, it resurfaced this traumatic event. Even though it is not a physical wound, it is very much real. It causes hallucinations, as well as paranoia, nightmares, grief, mood swings, and depression. If you ask me, stay close to him. Many people have taken their own lives because of this.

This is definitely disheartening, but good to know now I guess. I am about to speak when there is a knock on the door. Sayid rolls his eyes before standing back up and answering. His confusion turns into horror. He turns and calls for me to come.

"Someone's here to see you."

I hesitantly walk over and see who is here. It is a married couple, in their forties maybe. The wife has blonde hair, almond-colored eyes, and is of medium height. The man is short, with squinted eyes, and brown hair. They also have a little girl with them. She has yellow hair and almond eyes of her mother and squinted eyes like her father. My mind goes blank immediately as I try to make sense of what is happening.

"Is that her, mommy?" The little girl asks.

"Yes, darling." Answeres her mother.

It has been a while since I last saw them, but I never forget a face, especially theirs.

Mom, dad?

*************************************************************************************************************

Saying that our communication has been rough is an understatement. Thorson has been against me from the beginning, but this is just embarrassing. Luckily enough, we have been getting progressively better.

Not good enough.

Right now we are just finishing an obstacle. We had to take turns pulling stone rectangles out of a wall to make stairs. Each of us only had control of every other platform, but when pulled on one from our side, it would move the same one on the other side. We had to switch so that I had the heavier ones, of course. Now at the top, there are doors that can only be opened when a certain type of mathanos is pushed into it. So we switch again and with a quick burst of fire magic, it opens. I get back to full speed when a magical projection appears in my way.

"Hello! If yo-"

I do not spare it the time and just run past it. From what I could gather, it sounded Pimret, one of the game makers. It is not seconds before the ground trembles. I turn my head back as I run and almost stop in fear. Falling from the sky is a giant stone ball. The projection just laughs as it is crushed flat.

"By the devines! I hope you are running Arthur!" Thorson sounds shaken to put it lightly.

I pick up speed when it starts rolling my way. My body instantly fills with so much adrenaline, I forget everything else.

"Thorson, I need you to do as I say! Stop trying to control the situation and just obey!"

"Yes, sir! Just say the word!"

It seems like death will unit even the worst of enemies.

I soon turn into the next obstacle. A thin hallway filled with electrical currents blocks my path. It is time to test Thorson's loyalty.

"Now!"

I teleport into the air, Thorson had jumped before switching. Above me are more of the skyborne rings. I quickly summon my wings, large and angelic. Instead of feathers, they are made of a bright red flame.

I have to tuck my body close whenever I pass through, making them that much difficult to maneuver through. They force me to ascend higher and higher before finally, on the last one, I need to nosedive to clear the distance to the last ring. I pull up just inches from the ground. I force myself to not think much about it, but it was to close, even for me. I use my momentum to carry me as I start running again.

Next is another small corridor, where blades and the like swing from the ceiling. It is way too small for me to fit through, but Thorson isn't.

"Now!"

Next thing I know, I am right in front of a dark tunnel. The other side is barely visible through the shadowy chasm. I try simply sprinting through and praying that it leads to the finish line, no such luck. The instant I hit the darkness, I am knocked off my feet. It felt like the shadows themselves were a wall.

I could just produce a ball of fire. No, that would never work. There would never be enough light to cover my whole body.

On either side of the tunnel hang two unlit torches. From behind me, I can hear the ball coming my way. I touch both torches and use magic to light them. The instance they start burning, a part of the flame travels around the walls, illuminating the area. I try running through again, this time I am not stopped.

By the time I arrive at the next hindrance, I am already praying for it to be over. The sun is at its highest this time of day and my thick robes do my body no justice. I can hear people cheering on the other side of yet another wall.

On its face are symbols, "συγχωρέστε τους Far, συγχωρέστε τους vet ikke hva de gjør."

Above that, it says, "solve the words, two as one. Say them together and pass, answer it not, and thou will not continue."

That stupid half-blood, always riddling!

"Arthur, is a crazy word wall blocking your way as well?"

"Indeed. Can you make out any of it?"

"Yes, and you?" I look over the words.

"I can."

"συγχωρέστε τους" translates to, "forgive them" and, "συγχωρέστε τους" translates to, "they know" This is the native tongue of the fairies, I know it very well. I tell Thorson what I know, or what I hope I know.

"Are you sure? Perhaps you should check again."

"I am positive. And You?"

"I just finished."

*************************************************************************************************************

"Forgive them" and, "they know" That is not much to go one, I'm hoping it will come together once I read it. Arthur worked quick, that's good. My wall was a little bit more difficult.

"να καταλαβεις hans λέξη, man må være som a παιδί." From what I know, it reads, "__ his _, one must be like a _." It doesn't make sense, but I still relay it onto Arthur.

We switch places and I get a look at his wall.

"συγχωρέστε τους Far, συγχωρέστε τους vet ikke hva de gjør." Is what is written on it.

"_ father, __ not what they do." is what I can make out of it. Combine that with what Arthur told me and it says, "Forgive them father, for they know not what they do."

"I figured it out." I hear Arthur exclaim.

"I did too."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am positive."

"Alright, do it then."

I place my hand on the words and murmur the sentence allowed. The door glows yellow before opening. The room inside is the size of a small closet. A rope hangs down from the ceiling for us to climb. The top of the wall opens up to what I assume is the end, but I do not know for sure. I waste no time climbing. With my feet planted on the wall, I pull myself to the top. I am the first to cross the finish line, with Arthur right after me. Sweat rushes down his body and his breathing is faster than normal. He looks to me with a face of... anger? Embarrassment? He ignores my outstretched hand and just walks over to the exit gate, where he disappears.

*************************************************************************************************************

Kypha is a land of the rich, a safe haven for the wealthy. In fact, it is so beautiful that most people forget about the dark underground. Through all the gold and glamour, it is the dead end streets and the backroads that are the most fun. In stark contrast with the constantly lit streets of the grand bazaar, here it is almost like the light never touches these desolate roads.

"We are lucky, if we had not gotten away from those guards, everything would've come apart."

The woman who spoke turns around to meet my eyes. She has been wanting to say something for a while now. The softness in her face is countered by the blood and dust that covers it.

"I understand Lydia," I lift up the basket in my hands. "It was worth the risk."

I walk up to her and touch her swollen belly. We then share a short, yet instant kiss.

"Plus, we need it."

She seems to ponder this for a second, though she ultimately lets it go. We soon appear in front of a foreclosed home. Instead of a door, a tarp is the only this covering the doorway. I go in first, then Lydia. Inside are five others, they all turn around when they hear me.

"Hello, sir." Says a woman.

"What are you watching?" I reply simply.

She turns back to the projection crystal that is hanging on the wall. I set the basket of goods on the floor and sit down cross-legged beside her. There is no furniture so a simple rug is the only cushion I have.

"Is it the Iscariot Sin guild. It seems like they are struggling to do anything."

The crystal shows a scene of the magic games. Two of their members have just finished the task. Right away something seems off about how they act. They almost as if they are enemies by how intense their stares are.

"There is no hope for them." A man says.

"I guess that is to be expected with a vigilant guild." Inquires another.

"They are not to be underestimated. I have seen many impossible things happen." I say matter-of-factly.

One of them is about to say something when a loud thundering noise comes from a room to my right.

"Daddy!"

Three small figures come out of the doorway and simultaneously tackle me. We laugh and embrace each other for a couple seconds before I sit back upright.

"How are my three young perfects?"

The oldest, Zeus, points to his two siblings.

"Ninna and Lia are showing me how to dance!"

"Oh really? Your sisters are so nice aren't they?"

For being triplets they do not fight very often. I guess that is a product of our situation.

I promise I will get us out of here, no matter what.

Guild 5: Crimson Shadow - Sara_R_Stark

"Alright, Crimson Shadow," Caroline sighed, tearing open their newest envelope filled to the brim with information on their next task. "Task four is right around the corner, and we need to choose who will be going in this time."

She began shifting through the papers, humming in satisfaction and nodding to herself at random intervals. After about three minutes of tense waiting, Caroline finally set down the envelope, running a hand through her hair and nodding a final time.

"This competition will be an interesting one," she proclaimed, much to the excitement of her guildmates. "Two of you will be sent in, and before the competition begins, you will be gifted with an enchanted belt allowing you to switch places with your partner at will. Your task is to complete an obstacle course aimed to both utilize and and challenge your magic. You see, this course will have certain obstacles that you can not complete using your own powers, so you must use your belts to allow the other person to jump in and complete that obstacle for you. Both of your courses will be done directly next to each other, and you can see each other competing through a glass wall. This will make switching easier for both of you. Any questions?"

The guild was silent as they took in this information. Jacob and Michael high fived excitedly, and their energy quickly spread throughout the rest of the group. Even Vance, whose face was usually stoic, had an animated glimmer in his eyes.

"The thing is," Caroline cut in, "Catelyn is required to play because she was the only one who didn't participate in task three. You lot need to decide which one of you wants to play with Catelyn this round." Catelyn grinned, her wings fluttering enthusiastically, and she looked as if she was attempting to keep a wide grin off her face.

"I'll go," Xenia said quietly after no one had said anything for nearly a minute. "I haven't done much and it would be nice to be useful for a change." Caroline smiled sympathetically and nodded, gathering up the scattered papers and shoving them back into the envelope.

"It's settled then. You two should prepare for the competition. I will call you down shortly." Everyone nodded and shuffled off to their own rooms, leaving Caroline alone in the main lobby.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Catelyn and Xenia stood outside the hotel with Evina, watching as the fairy briefly wove a glistening portal out of thin air with her hands alone. She nodded, flitting aside to allow the Magi to enter the spinning vortex. Catelyn could feel herself shaking in anticipation. After being locked in the hotel and forbidden from participating in any tasks after her recent outburst, she was more than ready to get back in the game. She ran her hands over the beautiful golden belt that she had been given for the competition, and thought to herself that such an object would look great on her if paired with a dark blue or black outfit. She was snapped back to reality when Xenia wrapped a dainty hand around her forearm and lightly pulled her towards the portal, looking just as eager as Catelyn to begin.

Catelyn, surprised, yanked her arm away with a small shout of, "don't touch me," before spinning on her heels and jumping through the portal. Xenia furrowed her eyebrows, hurt, as she slowly followed behind and allowed the magical vortex to carry her to the competition site. As soon as she was there, Xenia made quick work of scanning her surroundings for any immediate danger. When she spotted none, she relaxed, and began a more thorough search.

Directly in front of her was a deep chasm which didn't even seem to have a bottom. She got down on her knees and stared into the abyss, though found no end to it. Confused and feeling slightly disturbed, she assessed the other aspects of the challenge. There was a single cylindrical vial on the other side of the hole that seemed to be empty, and three narrow barrels lined the left wall. These barrels were filled to the brim with soil, rocks, and sand. She nodded to herself, understanding what she was likely supposed to do, and raised her hand.

Xenia could feel the raw power flowing through her veins as she slowly levitated some wet dirt towards the vial, allowing it to plop down at the bottom of the container. Only when the first few handfuls of soil and rocks hit the container did a narrow wooden platform push through a new opening in the left wall. It moved on its own, gliding out and over the hole until it stopped suddenly. The platform only covered about a third of the chasm, but it would be enough. Xenia carefully stepped out onto the wooden plank, jumping slightly to test its stability, before cautiously making her way across. Once she made it onto the other side of the hole, the platform began to slowly retract into the wall before it disappeared completely.

Catelyn appeared to be having much worse luck. Her first obstacle seemed to be a climbing wall, but each time she tried to grasp onto one of the pegs, it would retract into the wall. She eventually got angry and attempted to fly up and over the wall, but an invisible barrier pushed her back down to the ground. She growled angrily, pushing herself back up to her feet and brushing the dirt off her clothes. Xenia seemed to notice this, because she began pounding on the glass wall to get Catelyn's attention. Once the fairy noticed the banging, she turned around and watched as Xenia mouthed the words 'look behind you' before running off to begin her next challenge.

Catelyn rolled her eyes, though turned around to spy the single torch glowing a brilliant orange on the wall. She gasped in surprise, running up to the burning stick and gently taking a small flame into her hands. Then, without even thinking, energy rushed through her palms and she pushed the flame forwards. It grew with each second it hovered in the air until it was a wall of pure flame rushing in the direction of the climbing wall. As soon as it hit the wood, though it didn't burn. Confused, Catelyn approached the wall again, and reached out to touch the nearest peg. Instead of it retracting into the wall, it held steady, and she found that she was able to hold her weight on it. Delighted, Catelyn pulled herself up onto the first peg, feeling her muscles strain to keep herself upright. It took her nearly ten minutes, but she was able to scale the wall without much difficulty, and once she made it to the top, she quickly jumped down and approached the next obstacle.

The next obstacle had Catelyn confused. There seemed to be nothing but a stretch of wet dirt leading into the next challenge. She smirked and began to make her way across the soil, though not even five seconds after, she screamed in terror. The dirt seemed to be sucking her under the surface, and it was working fast. Catelyn found that she wasn't able to move her wings to fly out because they were already halfway sunken into the dirt. Panicking, she touched her belt, feeling power wash over her as she was teleported across the glass barrier and into Xenia's side of the obstacle course.

Xenia gasped as she felt herself fade from existence and pop back up on the other side of the obstacle course. She was at the edge of a constantly shifting dirt pathway filled with some sort of enchanted soil. With a growl, she turned back to the glass and watched as Catelyn attempted to figure out the challenge Xenia was just about to crack. The fairy seemed to come to a decision, and she hovered in the air for a brief moment before shooting herself across the next bottomless pit and to the other side. Before she could make it, though, Catelyn slammed into an invisible barrier that sent her hurdling into the chasm. She was luckily able to fly back out and return to the other side of the pit, though she looked bruised, stunned, and confused.

Xenia growled and went to bang on the glass, watching as Catelyn's head snapped to the side at the sudden sound. The fairy cautiously approached her annoyed teammate, crossing her arms nonchalantly over her chest as she waited for Xenia to start speaking. This only made Xenia madder, and she was sure that her face was steadily turning red with anger.

"What are you doing?" Xenia screamed. "I was just about to figure out that obstacle and move onto the next when you teleported me over here! What were you thinking?"

"I saw dirt and knew that was your expertise," Catelyn smirked, and Xenia gaped, her mouth hanging open like a fish.

"You can't just teleport me to your side of the course whenever you feel like it. Did you even give the challenge any thought? Did you try more than two things to make your way across? Or were so desperate to breeze through this competition that you waited for me to figure out each obstacle for you?"

"I knew exactly what I was doing. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a challenge to complete." The fairy spun on her heels and turned away, stalking back towards the second obstacle, leaving Xenia staring after her with an open mouth and tears in her eyes.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Caroline slumped down low in her seat with her head in her hands. Catelyn's behavior had been nothing but wretched in the past few weeks, and she was beginning to despise the girl she had chosen for these games. In the beginning, Catelyn had always had a bit of an attitude problem, but she was able to allow the good inside to shine through instead of the bad during the Magi Games.

"Are you alright?" Michael asked quietly, turning away from the large projector screen to watch his nervous guild master.

"No, not at all," Caroline sighed. "Catelyn's behavior is unacceptable. She will not be competing in the next few competitions if this is how she acts."

The other guilds assembled in the projector room were clearly listening in to their conversation, though Caroline didn't care. All she wanted was for her guild members to get along well and help make their tiny guild more prominent in the large galaxy. Catelyn's behavior was crushing both of those dreams. Caroline sighed quietly, and ran a hand through her hair, dreading turning back to the screen to continue watching the rest of the competition.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Xenia was fuming at this point. Catelyn couldn't seem to figure out the obstacle she had teleported herself to, and the fairy was growing increasingly more annoyed with her inability to complete the challenge. Xenia looked down at the shimmering golden belt around her waist, knowing that if she wanted to, she could simply teleport Catelyn out of there and complete the challenge herself as she was meant to. She nodded to herself. If Catelyn thought it was kind to teleport Xenia out of the middle of a challenge, Xenia would too.

The air around her shifted as she popped in and out of existence. Xenia found herself on her own side of the competition, right in front of the next pit. She heard Catelyn scream in annoyance from her own side, though Xenia paid no mind to her antics. This obstacle was an endless pit with multiple circular platforms suspended in midair throughout. It was clear that Xenia would have to jump across them, though they looked to be extremely far apart. No magic seemed to be needed for this challenge, but Xenia took the time to examine each aspect of the obstacle anyways.

After her evaluation, Xenia deemed the small platforms safe to jump onto. She backed up a step and launched herself onto the first circular plank, feeling it wobble slightly but hold steady. Then, gritting her teeth, she catapulted over the chasm and onto the next platform. This one seemed steadier, so she quickly bent down and prepared to jump to the next platform when something dropped from the ceiling. She screamed in terror as a large wooden wall crashed down and began hovering in front of the next platform. She punched and kicked at it, but nothing seemed to be working. Feeling defeated, she turned to the glass wall and shouted for Catelyn.

The fairy seemed to get the message, and the two felt themselves switch places quickly. Xenia watched through the class as Catelyn raised her hands and spewed fire out at the wood. The wall crumbled and burned, and black smoke rose to the ceiling. Catelyn jumped through the hole in the wood caused by her flames and reached the next platform before jumping to the other side of the chasm. Xenia grinned at their easy success, and turned back to the muddy soil in front of her. This challenge was clearly meant for her, as she raised her hands, feeling beautiful energy flowing through her body, and shot out powerful waves of energy out at the dirt. It began to solidify, and she carefully stepped out onto it and found it to be stable. She lowered her arms and charged across the mud, approaching the next challenge.

Now that the first two were out of the way, Xenia and Catelyn found it much easier to complete the challenges. Whenever they needed to switch spots, they shouted for each other instead of surprising the other person by doing it without warning. They finished the competition in no time, and found that even their argument hadn't slowed them down too much.

As soon as the girls teleported out of the competition, they were met with their guild waiting alongside Evina on the sidewalk outside of their hotel. Xenia smiled as Vance offered her a small glass of water, and she sipped up the cool liquid quickly. All five of them were about to head back into the hotel when Caroline laid a firm hand on Catelyn's shoulder, yanking her backward. The other four Magi quickly turned away, knowing that Caroline would hate for them to intrude on whatever she was going to to do Catelyn for her horrible behavior during the competition. As soon as the hotel doors closed behind them, they could hear the muffled sound of Caroline screaming at the top of her lungs at the frightened Catelyn still outside on the sidewalk.

Guild 6: Black Shadow - Katie387750

Diane's POV.

I sat on my bed messing with my fingers. I can't tell them. They'll be so sad. Okay, I'll tell them later then. I just don't have the guts at 9:00 AM.

"Breakfast is ready," Crystal called. She put a plate on the kitchen table. "Eat up you guys."

"Not hungry," I sighed.

"You're always hungry, Diane," Crystal said. "You okay? You're going to be participating in-"

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine," I interrupted. "Sorry, I'm just really not in the mood for this today. Tila always cheered me up."

"Are you mad that I replaced Tila with Opal, too?" Crystal asked. "With your performance yesterday, it was amazing! Everyone loved you! And now you're being a brat?"

"Well I'm sorry!" I yelled. "Look what happened to my hair! That took almost 10 years to grow, and now it's all gone. Now I look terrible. No one will like me."

"You're joking, right?" Brandon asked. "Crystal, go and eat. I'll talk to Diane."

"Okay." Crystal smiled.

I knew that I was making a huge fuss, but I didn't want my hair as short as my neck! That's way too short, and that archer girl cut it terribly.

"Hi," I groaned.

"Diane, this isn't the Diane I know. Please, just tell me what's wrong."

"Okay... Brandon, I got a letter from my mom and I-"

"Will someone open this door?" Aderri calmly asked from the other side. "I've been knocking for the past 20 seconds."

"Oh, sure." I sighed, leaving Brandon alone on the bed.

"I went to the next level for this little hint." Aderri smiled. "You see, outside of this hotel in the back there's a premade obstacle course for your two representatives to practice on."

"This task is an obstacle course?" I gulped. "I'm so droopy and tired today, too."

"Sorry, Diane," Aderri sighed. "Practicing will help you at least."

"Right." I shrugged.

"Diane, stop being so down," Brandon said, worryingly.

"I'm sorry, I just can't tell anyone what's going on right now," I sighed.

"What happened to Elsa in Frozen without telling Anna about her problem? She had trouble. What happened in High School Musical when Gabriella when she didn't tell Troy about her problem? She had trouble. You can tell me."

"Not now. Thank you, Aderri. We'll be training there all morning."

"No problem." Aderri smiled. "I'm pretty sure some fans are waiting for you outside."

I walked out of the room, shrugging at Aderri's comment. The last thing I cared about was fans right now.

"Hey, Diane! Wait up!" Brandon called. "You never told me what's bothering you."

"And I can't. It'll ruin our hopes to win this task. I'm sorry, I'll tell you at the festival."

"Okay," Brandon sighed. "Are you sure you shouldn't-"

"I'm sure!" I yelled. "I'm sorry. You're just annoying me so much right now."

"We keep on saying sorry," Brandon said. "Let's just drop the conversation this morning, okay?"

"Sounds good." I smiled.

I clicked the magenta button to lower the elevator to our level, floor five.

"This magic is insane," Brandon grinned. "Like, how do you make the magic work at the right time?"

"I don't know Brandon, I don't know," I giggled.

***

"Oh my goodness! Brandon and Diane from Black Shadow! I can't believe you guys tied with Black Dragon!" A young girl chirped.

After awhile of her bickering, word got out that we were going to the backyard. We were enclosed by little kids.

"Well, guys, I'm sorry, but we have to go."

"Didn't you say that a long time ago during your sponsorship task?"

"Uh, no, she didn't. Sorry guys, but we seriously need to go."

"But we have more questions!"

"Well, if you were really our fans, you'd let us train so we can win this task," I fired back.

"Oh, okay. Here's a way out." The young girl who started all of this smiled, and went out of the way.

"Thank you." I sighed, dashing to the backyard. Brandon followed me.

"So this is... huge." Brandon gasped, looking at the course. "And there's two pathways. Wonder what that's about."

"Well, there's two belts with a sign."

"It says, 'Say "switch" if you want to switch places.' That's cool," Brandon explained.

"That means we'll have to work together a lot."

"We make a pretty good team, don't we?" Brandon asked, and I nodded back.

"It's better than being stuck with Opal or something."

"What, you don't like her?" Brandon asked.

"No! No one can replace Tila like that. Crystal just wants a kid or something."

"Well, Crystal must want her for some reason, so I respect her decision."

"You never liked Tila," I fired back.

"What do you mean? Ugh, just put your belt on and we can start."

The belts were unusual brown belts. They glowed black

"Let's start training." I smiled. We dashed to our starting places.

"3, 2, 1, go!" Brandon chanted.

***

"...and finished!" I yelled as Brandon jumped onto the big, red dot.

We high fived and bursted into laughter.

"Well, now it's time for the whole thing and it's live. I'm sure you two will be just fine."

I looked behind me and saw Opal.

"Hey, Opal!" I smiled.

"Don't bluff. I heard you talking to Brandon earlier today. Why aren't you just respecting Crystal's decision?" Opal asked. "Crystal would be mad at you if she heard that."

"Sorry, I- I'm not in the best mood today," I sighed. "You know that, right?"

"Yes, that's why you're playing hard-to-get with your crush today." Opal smiled.

"He's not my crush!" I yelled.

My face was getting hot, but I was a good liar. No one has ever realized my crush on Brandon before. How does this little 13 year old know?

"She's not my crush, either." Brandon said, rolling his eyes. "Why would you suspect that?"

"Because it's obvious," Opal shrugged. "Anyways, I'm going to watch you guys during the live task. I wish you guys the best."

"Thanks, Opal." I smiled.

She dashed away.

"That's a side of her I've never seen before," Brandon chuckled. "She must've been furious with you."

"She got us pretty good, didn't she?" I asked, hiding my face from Brandon, rubbing my hand on my arm.

"Us?" Brandon asked.

"Um, yeah, it wasn't just me." I shivered.

"How are you shivering when you're super hot?"

"Stop teasing me!" I yelled. "I'll meet you at the actual course."

I dashed away. I needed to think about the news my mom had given me that would change my life after this competition. I would miss them.

I was heading to one of Kypha's fountains. I always stayed on the rim of the water sculptures when I needed to think. The cold water always felt like it gave me good luck, definitely when you find a piece of coin on the bottom of it. I smiled as I dashed off. Maybe I'd figure out something.think. The cold water always felt like it gave me good luck, definitely when you find a piece of coin on the bottom of it. I smiled as I dashed off. Maybe I'd figure out something.

***

Brandon and I dashed to our hallways in the main course. We were all set because of Aderri's help. We smiled at each other as we put our magical belts on. They were the same exact ones Aderri gave us.

"Water breathing potions? What are these for?" I asked, as I walked forwards.

"Can't you tell?" Brandon asked. "The whole course is underwater!"

"What type of Kypha Ninja Warrior is this?" I asked, rubbing my teeth together. "Whatever, we'll live. We better hurry up. People don't want to watch us talk to each other."

"Right," Brandon replied.

The little sky blue potion was sitting in it's flask. I picked it up and drank it all in one gulp. Brandon did too, and he dived right in. I jumped into the water afterwards.

"Can you hear me?" Brandon asked.

"Yeah, I can. These water breathing potions are handy," I replied.

I looked around me, and I saw some glass walls keeping me in my underwater hallway. I could see Brandon, and he was stuck too.

This belt was not my favorite thing to wear. It's really ugly, and I hated the black light coming out of it. The belt was making the hallway 100% more dark.

I sighed as I listened to Brandon talk.

"Good, okay I have a shadow tunnel. Can we switch? I can get through those platforms easily on your side."

"Sure, but watch out, it's trapped. Once you start going in there spikes will fall from the ceiling."

"Okay." Brandon smirked. "We should be good then."

"Switch!" I called.

We switched spots, and I saw the shadow tunnel. The tunnel was surrounded with black and purple shadows. Little white flecks came out of the sides of the what-looked-like never ending corridor.

"Let's go!" I yelled.

I swam quickly through the tunnel, and I realized shortly after that it was a maze. A magicam was following me the whole entire race. It's live, of course it would follow me.

I turned left at every turning point. If you hug the left wall in a maze, you'll always find the exit no matter what.

I kept on hugging the left wall, and I got out in around three minutes.

"Why did it take you so long?" Brandon asked.

"It was a maze."

"Oh." Brandon chuckled. "Okay, well, what are these pedestals?"

I looked at a shiny silver plague on my pedestal.

"It says, 'Sing a song and the door blocking your way out will open.' I hate singing! Why?" I wined.

"Mine says, 'Answer this riddle. It walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon and three legs in the evening. What is it?' That's so easy! A-"

"Wait! We're switching!" I yelled. "I'm not singing on camera!"

"I have a terrible singing voice! You're better than me!" Brandon fired back. "I picked this lane! You sing!"

"Ugh! I'm jealous that you have that lane."

"Well, okay then. Door, it's a human."

The door on Brandon's side opened, and I sighed as he went to the next room.

"Fine, I'll sing," I sighed. "I'm not a stranger to the dark. Hide away, they say, cause we don't want your broken parts."

My door opened, and I smiled. I swam through that door super embarrassed. At least a million people were watching me.

I saw that Brandon was in my hallway for some reason.

"How are you here?"

"Look in front of you. An underwater field with saw blades popping out at random times," Brandon explained.

"Well, that's brilliant," I said sarcastically.

"Want to go at the same time?" Brandon asked.

"Sure." I smiled. "Just make sure you're paying attention."

"Okay," Brandon said.

I watched the technicolor green field in front of me. There were lines in the ground that were made of metal. Every three seconds a saw blade appears from the ground that is as high as the room we're in.

"Once this blade appears, we run to the next row once it goes down, got it?" I asked.

"Yup." Brandon smiled.

The blade appeared, and went down after a few seconds.

"Now!" We yelled, and we got past the first blade.

"This one should go down in a few," I said.

It went down, and we dashed to the next blade.

We kept on doing it, and there were two left.

"After this one, that blade should go down in five seconds after this one, so if we just swam super quickly, we can get through both blades," Brandon explained.

"Isn't that kind of ris-"

"Now!" Brandon yelled.

Brandon dashed off. Since he went super quickly, he looked like he was going too fast, like he would swim right into the saw.

"Wait, Brandon!"

He couldn't hear me. My eyes turned into a determined face, and I chased Brandon.

I won't make it...

I looked at Brandon, and I thought about all of our past memories in the one millisecond I had. I was right next to him, and I swam right in front of him, and tackled him to the ground. My back was a centimeter away from the blade, and my hair almost got cut even shorter when I saved his life.

"Thanks, Diane." Brandon smiled.

"We're uncomfortably close right now, aren't we?" I asked, getting off of him. "I just risked my life to you, Brandon."

"I know, sorry, this room is just really boring to me," Brandon sighed.

"That's no right to almost get yourself killed!" I yelled. "I'm glad this is underwater, or else everyone would know how much I'm crying right now."

Brandon hugged me, and I hugged him back.

"Now let's get through the rest of this course," I sighed.

We swam through the metal line in the floor once the blade wasn't there.

"Back to the hallways," I sighed. "Don't make any foolish mistakes again!"

***

Crystal's POV.

"They work so well together." I smiled at the magicam. "I haven't seen that amazing chemistry in years."

"Brandon must've cheered her up," Ethan replied.

"Something like that." I smiled. "Because look at that huge smile on her face! When was the last time you've seen a guild member smile that happily because something went well?"

"A long time," Ethan chuckled. "Oh look, they just finished! Now we can go to the festival. It's 5:00 now."

"Yup, this dress looks good, right?" I asked.

"Of course, red fits your look really well. Not in a bad way obviously," Ethan replied. "I see red as passion and determination."

"Thanks, Ethan." I smiled. "I can't wait to see Diane and Brandon there."

***

Diane's POV.

I got out of the pool of water. I frowned as I realized that I'd have to wear a soaking wet dress to the Fourth of July party. Well, guess I'm unlucky.

Brandon smiled at me when he hopped out of the water.

"Your hair is brown when you're in water, did you know that?" Brandon asked.

"Yup, and I really don't like it when I have brown hair. It looks so ugly."

"It's not ugly, it's actually kinda cute." Brandon smiled.

"Thanks." I smiled back. "Ready to go to the festival?"

"Yup," Brandon replied.

"Okay, let's go!" I called, and dashed to the carnival that was really close to the course.

"Hey, wait up!" Brandon yelled. He ran after me.

"Hurry up, slowpoke!" I called back. I was only a few seconds away from being first to the festival.

"No!" Brandon yelled as he saw me land a foot in the carnival.

"I won!" I chuckled.

"Whatever," Brandon replied. "Now, I'm super worn out."

"Sure, Brandon," I chuckled. "I know you well enough that you aren't actually worn out."

"Fine, you win."

"Hey! Brandon, Diane!"

"Crystal! Hey, how are you?" I asked.

"Good! Opal and Ethan are reserving us a spot for the fireworks. Want to go to them?" Crystal asked.

"Sure." I smiled.

"Okay, follow me." Crystal smiled back.

"Why wouldn't we want to meet them?" Brandon asked.

"I dunno. Maybe you guys were too busy playing the festival games." Crystal shrugged.

"Well, that's reasonable with Brandon," I chuckled.

"And you," Brandon fired.

"I never said it wasn't."

***

"Diane! Brandon! Hey!" Ethan yelled. "Over here!"

"We see you, Ethan!" Crystal called.

"The fireworks are going to start any minute now!" Ethan explained. "Hurry up!'

"That's what I said to Brandon earlier!" I yelled. I ran over to Ethan, and I sat down. "Speaking of that sentence, I kept on telling him today that I'd tell him something at the festival. Can we, I dunno, have some privacy?"

"Oh, sure!" Ethan replied. "You can go over there."

Ethan pointed to a forest.

"No one is ever over there. I'm sure you guys will be just fine."

"Okay, Brandon, follow me," I said, running to the forest.

Brandon quickly followed.

***

"So, what is it?" Brandon asked. "Why have you been so down lately?"

"Well, see, my mom sent me a letter," I started. "It was nice at first, talking about how she's doing perfectly fine, but then she announced that she's going to watch me on the last act because... well... she's moving here. You know how strict my mom is, she won't let me go to Voybos again, and I don't want to leave you."

"Diane, I- I get why you didn't want to tell me."

I started crying. I've been wanting to cry since I got the letter. Now, I finally can.

"I'm sorry. I'm making a fool of myself. I shouldn't be crying."

"No, you have full privileges to cry in front of me. You see, Diane, I wanted to tell you something tonight too."

"What?"

"Well, there's two things I wanted to say. First, I got a huge check in the mail from my mom and dad telling me to stay here."

"Wait seriously?" I asked. I stopped crying right away. "We can live next to each other!"

"Yup, and the second thing is..." Brandon suddenly stopped. "It's..."

"What is it?"

"Well... actions speak louder than words, so." Brandon took a deep breath, and suddenly hugged me out of nowhere. Is this going where I think this is going?

He moved my face to look at his, and our lips rubbed onto each other.

His eyes were filled of happiness and mine were too. He liked me back. Finally, something good happened today. The fireworks started shooting behind us, and I was crying happily. Brandon suddenly stopped the kiss.

"Let's change moving next to each other to moving in to a place together." Brandon smiled.

"Agreed." I smiled back. "You can't even believe how happy I am right now."

"I loved you since we were 15." Brandon giggled.

"15? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I asked.

"I was too nervous, I didn't know how I'd tell you. We never had any real moments when we were kids, either."

"Are you kidding? Being best friends since you were literally one years old is a huge moment," I chuckled.

"Hey you two! When are you coming back?" Crystal yelled.

"Coming!" Brandon yelled. "Come on, we can discuss this later, okay?"

"Okay." I smiled.

We ran to Crystal, and we all watched the fireworks in the beautiful sky. Brandon and I hugged each other while everyone was watching. Opal seemed to be a bit off. She was looking over at another guild, Black Dragon I think it is. Probably looking at her crush who has never kissed her yet. Whatever, I think I can trust Crystal's decision more now, because I have someone to cheer me up every morning now, and every night. Someone who will always be there, even when the rest of the guild is gone. Thank you, Brandon, thank you.

Crystal's POV.

I smiled as I watched the two lovebirds, Brandon and Diane, hug each other under the fireworks. I know that we're all friends, including Opal, but we all somehow have a relationship with one another, or someone with another guild (in Opal's case).

The Magi Games is about having fun, not winning or losing. It's the whole point of why we entered, to have fun. Tila lost the we're having fun aspect of her, and that's why I kicked Tila out of the competition truthfully. Now, I'm happy I made that decision. Brandon and Diane kissed, Ethan and I kissed, and Opal and Benjo kissed. What a romantic game this is. Hopefully none of us will become players. I know we won't because we've been together for so long, but still, anything can happen at any time.

Guild 8: Miria - wordsmith-

Kalmiya

The sharp ringing of bells woke Kalmiya, and she suppressed a groan. She'd forgotten this year's Magi Games coincided with Tythan's annual Liberation Festival. She debated attempting to sleep in but she could hear Eludia already moving around. Grimacing, she crawled out of the cocoon she'd made of her bed and stumbled into the bathroom. Eludia was brushing her hair, and Kalmiya raised an eyebrow when the nymph didn't make her customary sarcastic morning greeting. Instead the woman looked thoughtful, the sharp lines of her face soft. It didn't last long. Catching her eye in the mirror, Eludia's features quickly twisted into their usual haughty expression.

"You're late this morning," she said, tone just shy of rude.

Kalmiya bit back the sharp retort she wanted to make. She reached for her own brush, making a mental list of what was happening today. The task and battle task, and the guild should have time to join Tythan's celebration - maybe between tasks as well as before and after - and something else. What was she missing? "Oh!" Eludia raised an eyebrow, her features sliding effortlessly into an expression of disdain that she ignored. "Tilani is out of the infirmary now," Kalmiya informed the nymph.

"I'm sure the healers are grateful for that," Eludia said, the corner of her mouth lifted in amusement. Kalmiya laughed lightly. Tilani had made it very clear just how unhappy he was to be there; if it weren't for Nylisa, Kalmiya was certain he would have found a way to escape as soon as he could walk.

"No doubt. Although Nylisa is still pissed that he ended up there in the first place." She grimaced, remembering the talk they'd had when he'd been petrified. Even now as an adult and the equivalent of being Nylisa's boss, the older woman could still strike fear in her.

"I still don't know why you thought he'd be a good choice against that giant anyway," Eludia said, and Kalmiya bristled.

"I-"

"I don't care why." Eludia cut her off, setting the brush down and sitting cross legged on the counter. "I'm just saying it was a stupid decision."

Anger flared through Kalmiya, and she opened her mouth to retort when the door of their hotel room was pushed open. She looked up to see Nylisa glide into the room.

"Did you just wake up?" she asked, amusement lining her tone. Kalmiya groaned.

"The one morning I'm just a little slower than everyone else," she grumbled. Nylisa laughed lightly.

"I am guildmaster you know. That usually means I get respect."

"Tell that to someone who hasn't changed your diapers," Nylisa replied and Kalmiya's cheeks went red and blotchy.

"Nylisa!" she squawked, at the same time Eludia's mouth curved into a smile.

"What's this?" Eludia asked eagerly, eyes glinting.

"You are not going to mention this," Kalmiya growled, and Eludia nodded patronizingly. Kalmiya forced herself not to groan; she was a guildmaster, an adult, and most importantly, she still had shreds of a dignified persona to maintain. Straightening, she allowed herself a single exasperated sigh before turning to look at the other two women.

Her cheeks were still hot but her voice was steady as she said, "Let's go collect everyone else. We can celebrate a little before today's task, but we should leave now."

Nylisa nodded seriously, but as she strode away she could hear Eludia saying, "Tell me more about our esteemed guildmaster's toddler years."

Nylisa

"Did you know that the date of Tythan's Liberation Festival changes each year, depending on what day the twelfth of the month falls on?" Tilani asked excitedly as he glanced around the marketplace.

Nylisa shook her head, smiling indulgently; Tilani was by her side as they walked behind the rest of their guild despite his unsubtle attempts to make her speed up. Just as impatient as Kalmiya. She could see the human frequently glancing at them but made no attempt to hasten her speed. They would still be early to the area cleared for today's task. Instead she listened absently as Tilani babbled about Tythan's traditions and history while she took in her surroundings.

Tythan's marketplace seemed to have changed appearance overnight. Normally it was teeming with the chatter of people haggling prices and laughing as they walked from stall to stall. Signs advertising goods were usually everywhere, and the smells of everything from pastries to soups filled the air. Today though, everything seemed intensified.

There were the usual stalls and market goers, but the chatter was filled with intermittent bouts of people singing Tythan's anthem. Shadow Sages put on plays about Tythan's fight for freedom, stall vendors sold Tythan shaped pastries, mini flags, and various trinkets. Magical energy swirled in the air, wrapping around her like a warm breeze. Nylisa even thought she spotted a few shifters with fur dyed the colors of Tythan's flag. It was a whirlwind of color and noise, and she reveled in it.

"-ireworks weren't an official part of the Liberation Festival until last century because Light Magis could manipulate lights in some similar way. But then Auralle Naurien came up with a rune that made really specific shapes or designs and now they use it every Liberation Festival because only a few people know what the rune looks like," Tilani rambled. "Isn't that cool?"

"Very cool," Nylisa agreed. "If only you were this invested in your studies." Tilani rolled his eyes, throwing his head back in a full body groan. She hid a grin at Tilani's exasperated expression.

"Nylisa, you promised no school while we were here," he whined and she laughed lightly.

"I said this would be a small break," she corrected, and he rolled his eyes again. She frowned at the sight; it had become all too common in the past few years. It reminded her of Kalmiya growing up. The present guildmaster had been just as... tenacious and even more determined. She was brought out of her memories by Tilani tugging her arm.

"C'mon! Kalmiya's stopped! We'll miss what she's saying," he urged her, and she sighed before quickening her steps. Children. Always in such a hurry. As they approached Nylisa could see that Kalmiya was waiting for them, her shoulders a tense line. She nodded in acknowledgement before speaking.

"This is a partner task. One person from yesterday can compete, and the other can't be from yesterday." Kalmiya's mouth thinned ever so slightly, and Nylisa wondered what whom the guildmaster could have chosen to make her look so apprehensive.

"Well who is it?" Eludia demanded.

Kalmiya sighed. "Tilani and Caruk."

Ah. Now she understood.

Tilani

"I have to work with him?" Tilani demanded, horrified.

Across from him, Caruk looked torn between disappointment and acceptance. His mouth opened and closed several times before he said, "Okay." Tilani scowled. What a freaking suck up.

He scowled all through Kalmiya's explanation of the task, through getting their lame belts – he wouldn't need Caruk's help with anything – and scowled a bit more when Caruk tried to talk to him as they headed toward the obstacle course.

Tilani was still scowling as he stepped into the beginning of his obstacle course. He was in the middle of a small room with a single skylight. It was almost completely empty except for a series of mirrors set along the walls. They were all about the size of a sheet of paper, and the one at the end was attached to the door. Tilani frowned and then hurried across the room. It couldn't be this easy. He reached for the doorknob but there was nothing there.

Where the doorknob usually would be was a small picture of a sun. The crudely drawn sunbeams moved in a jagged line, stopping at an open door. It took a few seconds before he realized--the picture was what he had to do. He glanced up at the skylight, but before he could do anything Caruk's voice filtered through his belt.

"Tilani! I need to switch places with you."

"Seriously?" he demanded.

"Yes! Hurry up and switch before we get behind," Caruk snapped, and Tilani pressed the button on his belt.

In a rush of air that left him dizzy, he was abruptly transported to a room with a small climbing wall. He laughed as he glanced at Caruk's tail. Caruk glared at him but Tilani bounded toward the wall before he could say anything.

The wall looked easy to climb-he'd climbed ones similar back home. Setting his foot on the lowest hold, Tilani started climbing. He'd gotten maybe a third of the way up when everything went to shit. The hand and footholds started to slide across the wall and he groaned loudly.

"Not so easy for you either is it?" he heard Caruk call up to him and he scowled.

"At least I can actually climb it fishface," he snapped, catching the nearest handhold.

"Fishface? That's just immature," Caruk said and Tilani felt irritation crawl underneath his skin.

"Can you just shut up so I can finish your obstacle?" he snarled, trying to find a spot for his foot. The stupid holds kept sliding too fast. The knowledge that Caruk was probably fuming made a smug smile cross his face, and he scrambled another foot or so up the wall. When he reached the top of the wall he pressed the buzzer, revealing a door beneath him.

"You're welcome!" he shouted down at Caruk before zapping himself back to his own room.

He blinked and then glanced at the mirrors around him. His eyes flicked to the skylight and the sunlight coming down through it. Inhaling slowly he nudged the sunbeams so that they hit the first mirror. The light moved easily, and he grinned. It was simple to direct the light from mirror to mirror until it reached the door. There was a soft whooshing sound, and then the door opened. This is gonna be so easy.

He ran into the next room and then stopped abruptly, face paling. The majority of the room was a huge whirlpool, one that Tilani knew he wouldn't be able to swim through easily. Scowling again, Tilani glanced toward the edge of the whirlpool. There was a thin path on its right side, and he edged toward it. Barely had he stepped onto the path when there was a rush of air and Tilani found himself in a cage.

Confusion filled him before he realized he was in a penalty box. He cursed. He glanced down at his belt but refused to call Caruk. It wasn't like fish boy would be able to do anything right now anyway. Even as the thought crossed his mind he shifted impatiently. Now they were gonna get behind everyone else and it was gonna be Caruk's fault because- Well it was just gonna be Caruk's fault. He scowled again and sat down, watching as the timer in front of him counted down unbearably slowly.

2:13. 2:12. 2:11. 2:10.

"Tilani?"

"What?"

"Do you need my help yet?" Caruk sounded slightly out of breath and Tilani wondered what he was doing.

"No," he snapped.

"Then what are you doing?"

"What are you doing?" Tilani retorted, and then grimaced. God that was lame. Judging by Caruk's laugh, the other teen agreed.

He didn't answer though, instead saying more seriously, "C'mon man, I know you're at, or going to be at, an obstacle I have to do. That's literally how this task works. What's your obstacle?"

Irritation flooded through Tilani at the freaking logic in Caruk's words. "I can get through it myself," he snapped and there was an irritated groan. A hint of smugness washed over Tilani at the sound.

"Dude we're going to be seriously behind," Caruk said waspishly before appearing beside him. Tilani jumped and then glared at him.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"The obstacle," Caruk snapped, before his eyes flicked to the timer. "Are you freaking kidding me? You're in the penalty box because you didn't want to ask for help?"

"Shut up," Tilani snarled, embarrassment making his face hot.

Caruk scowled at him. "I finished my obstacle and the next one you have to do. It's a bunch of sundials and you have to move the light so that they go from 1 to 12." His tail twitched and Tilani stepped as far back as he could in the box. There were a few seconds of silence before Caruk snapped, "What are you still doing here?"

Right. He could leave and Caruk would be the one stuck in the stupid box. He grinned.

"Later fishface," he said cheerfully as he pressed the button on his belt.

Kalmiya

The longer Kalmiya watched Tilani and Caruk stumble through the course the more she regretted her choice of participants. She'd hoped they'd be able to work together for this, but apparently she'd overestimated them. Her thoughts were further proved as she heard Jydall's all too cheery commentary.

"Ooh, looks like Miria's participants aren't getting along too well. With one still stuck in the penalty box and the other just starting on his third obstacle, they're falling behind most of the other guilds. And both of them seem to know it."

The Magi cams focused on Tilani as he grumbled and Kalmiya wondered why she'd thought putting a pair of teenagers in the competition was a good idea. Was I drunk?

"This just might be the task that drags Miria down the rankings," Jydall said, a bit too cheerfully.

"Oh shut up!" Helle muttered behind her, and privately Kalmiya agreed with the young girl's sentiment. She rubbed her temples. She could already tell this was going to be a bad day. She stood, immediately feeling Ulag's eyes on her.

"I'm getting a drink," she said and he nodded.

"We'll be fine. I'm sure they'll catch up," he said soothingly, and she smiled weakly.

"I'll come with you," Kesie said, and Plaith bounded up from her seat, chiming in, "Me too!"

The three of them walked silently up the stands where everyone was gathered to watch today's task, and Kalmiya could feel people watching them. They had just reached the top of the stands when an irate looking woman blocked their path, a few others hovering behind her. Kalmiya tensed, taking in their angry expressions and hostile postures. She was suddenly immensely grateful Kesie was with her.

"Are-" she started but was quickly cut off.

"You!" the redhead in front snarled, and Kalmiya flinched in surprise.

"Excuse me? Who are you?" Kalmiya asked uncertainly, eyes flicking toward Kesie. The elf was watching the small crowd suspiciously, Plaith hiding behind her nervously.

"Myrr. My sister applied to be part of the Miria Guild last month and you rejected her," the woman spat, and Kalmiya blinked.

"I'm sorry?" she said slowly, wondering if she could edge past the elf.

"You're sorry?" she shrieked. "My sister can't find a job or a place to live because you threw her out! You're supposed to take care of people like her! You let in that fairy with the record on Lesca so why not my sister?" There were more eyes on them and Kalmiya desperately wished the woman would stop shouting. Before she could say anything though Kesie was in front of her, head held high as she towered over the woman and those around her.

"We don't care about your complaints," the elf said harshly and Kalmiya winced. Not the most diplomatic of words, though soft for Kesie.

She stepped forward, nudging the other woman slightly so Kesie stepped back. "I'm sorry your sister's situation didn't work out, but-"

"You're sorry?" the woman demanded, eyes bulging. "You probably don't even remember her. No wonder your guild is so small-you keep saying you want to give people second chances but you don't. Your guild is a liar and so are you." Her words seemed to have emboldened her followers.

"You're all no good criminals!"

"Murderers the lot of you!"

"Miria is a disgrace to all other guilds," one man spat.

"My sister deserved better," Myrr snarled.

The vitriol spewing from every direction made Kalmiya cringe. Partly because she knew the gathering crowd could hear it, and partly because she wondered if that was what everyone thought. She inhaled deeply, holding her head high, intensely aware that people were watching her. She focused on Myrr.

"I really am sorry, but your sister can re-apply-"

"Re-apply?" Myrr laughed. It was a hard sound devoid of any real amusement or warmth. "She wouldn't go back to you if you offered her your position. Not that it means anything."

The words stung and Kalmiya resisted the urge to step back. She looked around the woman, to where her friends were slowly moving forward, blocking their path.

"Excuse me. Is there any trouble?"

Kalmiya turned to see one of the security guards - a large Orc looking at Myrr and the others warily. The elf's expression drained of anger quickly at the sight of him, and she seemed to shrink in on herself. Plaith stood behind him, and she realized that the young girl must have gone to get him. Kalmiya flashed her a smile before shaking her head.

"No," she said quickly. "We were just having a... discussion." Please don't make a scene. Please don't make a scene.

Myrr snorted contemptuously before stalking off, and Kalmiya breathed a sigh of relief.

Ulag

Excitement filled the air, thrumming through Ulag's body and he bellowed loudly as he watched Caruk leave the whirlpool and enter the next room. He cheered excitedly, waving one of the banners Gef and Veren had made. It had Miria's symbol as well as Tythan's flag, in honor of today's festival. Ulag watched the Magi cam showing the obstacle course eagerly, sitting on the edge of his seat. He watched as Caruk sat on a platform near the room's ceiling. A slide led to the door at the bottom, but large chunks of the slide were missing.

"It's a good thing I'm not doing this obstacle, I hate heights," he half shouted to Eludia, who was sitting beside him.

The nymph rolled her eyes. "You're like seven feet tall."

"What's that have to do with anything?" he asked and she shook her head, a fond smile playing around her lips. Ulag's eyes fixed on them, remembering the other day with startling, vivid clarity.

Eludia raised an eyebrow and he realized she'd caught him looking. He quickly turned back to to watching Tilani use the golem he'd been gifted this task to make a copy of Caruk. He'd wondered if the boy would ever use it. Ulag could feel Eludia watching him, but the snarky comment never came. Instead he felt a hand on his, soft but covered in familiar scars. His gaze flicked toward Eludia and he blinked. She'd shifted so that she was closer to Kesie's size, and she was resolutely not looking at him.

"Do you mind?" she asked, voice almost inaudible.

"No."

Eludia smiled, a bit brighter and softer than her normal smile, and it made some part of Ulag warm to know he was the cause of that.

The rest of the task Ulag spent glancing between the obstacle course and Eludia. She stayed silent for the most part, but sometimes she caught him looking at her and her cheeks would flush. When the task ended, Ulag wasn't entirely sure of where Miria had ranked, just that Kalmiya was less than pleased with Tilani and Caruk. He stood, and Eludia moved with him. Her hand was loose in his, and as she looked up at him he thought he saw uncertainty in her eyes. He smiled, wrapping his hand more firmly around hers, and dimples appeared.

People pressed against them as they left the stands, and if not for his height Ulag doubted he would have been able to follow Kalmiya through the crowd. He held Eludia's hand in his as they walked, and it was easy to ignore the curious look Kesie sent him with all the noise and people around them.

"It's the Miria Guild!" A sudden shriek made Ulag wince and he came to a stop when the guild members in front of him did. A horde of people stood in front of them, all with various expressions of awe or excitement on their faces. He noticed a few of them had fake wings similar in color to Nylisa's, and a few of the boys had one jackets just like the one Tilani wore. Many sported purple streaks in their hair the same shade as Caruk's, and he even thought one girl had drawn on a copy of Kesie's tattoos.

"What's going on?" he muttered and beside him Eludia just shrugged. She'd stepped closer to him, her eyes watching the crowd in front of them warily. There were a few moments of awkward staring and then the crowd all started talking at once.

"You're so cool!"

"Kalmiya can you sign my shirt?"

"Can I touch your wings?"

The sudden barrage of noise and questions made him blink, even though he'd known this was something that happened at the Magi Games. He turned to look at Kalmiya. She seemed at ease, turning her attention to the small elf who had asked about her shirt.

"Of course. Do you have something for me to write with?" The girl nodded eagerly and Kalmiya knelt down so she was eye level with the girl, talking quietly with her. The rest of the guild slowly followed her lead, and Ulag smiled. He remembered hearing about this from those who'd participated the previous year in the games.

A young naga tapped his shin tentatively, and he bent down so he could hear him. "Can I take a picture with you?" He held up a small Magi cam and Ulag nodded. A bright smile lit up the boys face, and Ulag couldn't help but smile back.

"Can you take one with me too?"

"And me?"

Seemingly out of nowhere two more kids had appeared, a nymph and a human.

"Sure," Ulag replied easily, his smile widening at the excited looks on their faces. "Eludia?" he asked, gesturing to the camera.

The nymph stared at him for a moment and then took the camera muttering, "Not here to be a photographer." Still, she took the photos and then gave the Magi cam back to the first kid, who bounded away happily, already chattering with his friends.

"I wasn't aware you had so many admirers," she said, looking up at him.

Ulag smiled at her, reaching for her hand. "You're my favorite," he grinned, watching her carefully for her reaction.

Her cheeks flushed a soft pink, but all she said was, "I'm not an admirer."

"Of course not," he agreed easily. "But I still like you best."

Caruk

Caruk let out a sigh of relief as he exited the obstacle course. Honestly, at this point he didn't even care about their ranking, he was just grateful he didn't have to work with Tilani anymore. Even better, once they found the rest of the guild, he wouldn't have to look at him either.

"Where is everybody?" Tilani asked, stretching his neck in a fruitless attempt to spot someone familiar.

"Near the marketplace probably," Caruk replied, waiting for the inevitable 'thanks fishface' or similar retort. One didn't come, and he looked back at Tilani curiously. The dark haired boy was frowning, and Caruk's curiosity made him move back to the other teen.

"What are you looking at?"

Tilani scowled at him but answered, "I think that kid is wearing your fins."

Caruk looked in the direction Tilani was pointing at and his eyebrows rose in surprise. A young boy, maybe seven or eight, was actually wearing a fake tail and fin, both purple and with the same dots he had.

"No way!" he exclaimed excitedly, catching the attention of both the kid he was looking at and those around him. Awed smiles broke out among the group and the young boy ran toward them. A harried looking woman, probably his mother, and a smattering of onlookers followed.

"Hi!" The little boy bounced up and down excitedly, fin waving as he looked up at Caruk.

A warm rush of fondness filled Caruk as he waved back. There was also a tiny-okay, not so tiny-feeling of smugness that no one was dressed like Tilani.

"Hey, what's your name?" he asked and the boy's smile widened. Caruk could hear Tilani bragging to the rest of the group and he rolled his eyes internally. What a show off.

"Tyr," the elf said, eyes shining.

"I love your fin and tail Tyr," Caruk said softly, and the kid preened.

"My sister thinks you're really hot but I don't," Tyr said seriously, and Caruk hid a smile. "But I think you're the coolest," Caruk flushed slightly.

"Oh please," Tilani scoffed. Caruk threw him a glare that the other ignored. "I'm much cooler than he is. He pukes more than anyone I've ever known."

"Tilani!" Caruk screeched, his cheeks burning at the other boy's words.

"What? It's true. You have the world's most sensitive stomach, I mean, I've heard Ulag's stories about-"

"Shut up!" Caruk slapped his hand over Tilani's mouth and wondered if it would be worth it to just strangle him now.

Eludia

Eludia wasn't fond of people in general, and that dislike often filtered down to animals as well. Except for dogs. She had a secret, special fondness for dogs. She'd had one as a pet when she was little, Pov, before everything went to hell and her father showed up. They reminded Eludia of sunshine days and hot chocolate winters curled up with a soft ball of fur.

The memory of her small Kita came rushing back to her as she caught sight of a small group of dogs. There were there with some adoption organization she didn't care about, and there was one that looked exactly like Pov. The same chocolate brown fur and floppy ears, big paws and a tail with a narrow tip.

"What are you looking at?"

Eludia tore her eyes away from the puppy, an aching kind of longing filling her. "I just find it surprising they'd bring so many animals in such a crowded place."

Ulag glanced over at the puppies, and Eludia noticed they had a fairly large amount of people around them. Then Ulag glanced at her, his expression thoughtful. She narrowed her eyes at him. He was planning something.

"Let's go look at them," he said after a moment.

"Why?"

"Because I love dogs, as the four back home can attest to, and because you clearly want to. Maybe there'll be one that one of us likes and will adopt." Maybe you'll adopt one, she knew he meant.

"Why would I adopt anything?" she asked even as she let him pull her toward the dogs. Her eyes flicked to the chocolate puppy. Up close she could see he wasn't exactly like Pov. He had a deformed eye, white and covered in scars. No wonder no one had picked him up. No one wanted a screw up.

"You like dogs," Ulag said matter of factly.

"You don't know that," Eludia argued.

Ulag raised an eyebrow. "El, you told me you liked dogs." Right. She'd forgotten about that. She wondered just how much he knew about her.

Eludia glanced again at the chocolate puppy and she could see Ulag follow her gaze. He smiled at her, wide and guileless, right before walking over and scooping the pup into his arms. It looked impossibly small in Ulag's hands, but he was incredibly gentle as it squirmed and licked at his chin. He was always gentle.

"Here." He held the puppy out and after a moment Eludia took him. He was warm and soft, and the frenzied licks on her neck and face made something in her unclench. She ran her fingers through his fur a few times. She studied his bad eye, wondering what had happened to him. Spell gone wrong? Abusive owner? Bad luck? She shook her head. It didn't matter, she wouldn't see the dog again after today. One final pat and and then she handed him back to Ulag.

Or at least, Eludia tried to.

"You should get him," Ulag said softly.

"No." Eludia shook her head. "I don't need a smelly mutt to bring back to Aihiri."

"But you want him," Ulag pointed out.

"No, I don't," she lied.

Ulag studied her for a moment, and her hands tightened a little around the puppy. He squirmed in her arms and she patted his head.

"Okay. Then I'll get him," he said decisively.

Eludia blinked. "What?"

"It's for a good cause–PAWS helps animals all over Tythan, and since Geth is now a therapy dog, I've been looking for a new one," Ulag said easily.

"You want a dog from here," she said flatly. "And this has nothing to do with me supposedly wanting him?"

Ulag shrugged. "A bonus. Maybe you'll come around more." He winked and Eludia scowled at him even as her heart beat a little faster.

"If you want to adopt him I don't care," she said, and he smiled smugly. It irked her but she didn't say anything when he took the puppy. She watched from where she was he spoke to a woman in a hideous yellow smock, watched as Ulag signed some papers and was given a small leash. It was covered in tiny images of Tythan's flag and she rolled her eyes. Couldn't get anything not related to Liberation Fest today apparently. She stayed silent as Ulag lumbered back, the pup following him docilely.

"What do you think he should be named?"

"He's your dog," she said stiffly.

"Yeah, but I want your opinion," Ulag said quietly. Eludia swallowed.

"Pav," she said at last. It was what she would have named Pov's brother if her parents had bought both.

Ulag smiled. "I like Pav."

Guild 9: Silent Phoenix - Several7s

Shiazmu was relieved when they finally released him from the hospital. Staying in bed for so long had left him needing time to wander a nearby forest and let out excess energy. There weren't really forests near him, but the city would do. He didn't bother stopping at the hotel before wandering into the maze of alleys surrounding the capitol.

It didn't take long for him to find a crowd of people pushing through the streets. Vendors stood on the side of the roads, yelling out prices for whatever random junk they were selling. He ignored them and merged with the crowd, slipping through open spaces and heading for the nearest route out of the city.

A familiar voice caught his attention, giving him pause. "That's him!" a man in the middle of the crowd shouted, pointing straight at Shiazmu. "That animal murdered my friend!"

***

"Something's wrong," Zaydaan's head shot up and he stood, going from sleepy to alert in seconds.

Vatre looked at him, frowning. "Is Eris in trouble? Come to think of it, I haven't seen her in several hours... not since Mordzar talked to her."

The dragon didn't answer, simply bolting out the door. "Something's happening- stay here," Vatre told Lynei. "I'll be right back."

"What's wrong?" Lynei asked. "Do you need help?"

"I'm not sure what's wrong- Zaydaan just said something was up and ran off. Tell Raylee I'm following him, okay?"

"Be careful."

***

A crowd of people appeared out of nowhere, surrounding Eris in seconds. What seemed like hundreds of people pushed up against her, backing her against a wall. Her fingers brushed her knife, and she barely managed to construct a shield between her and the crowd. They were quickly pressed up against it and she could hear their voices, each trying to talk over the other.

"Did you really kill Vaxon?" a young woman cried from the center of the crowd.

"You're a hero- why did you hide it for so long?" a young child called, shoving his way toward her from the center of the crowd.

A crowd of kids wove through the crowd, eyes wide with awe as they stared at her. "I've watched all your fights," one little girl gushed. "Silent Phoenix is the best! One day, I'm going to join your guild and fight bad guys too!"

"Me too!" the others began to chorus.

"I'm a magi too," a boy yelled, pressing his hands against her shield. "I'm a plant mage like Shiazmu! Do you think he'll teach me?"

Eris froze behind her shield, staring at the cluster of people. Her right arm throbbed where it had broken all those years ago, the day she had been mercilessly beaten by a crowd of angry soldiers. Her eyes widened as she remembered that day. A tiny cry of fear forced its way out of her and she completely lost her concentration, her hand falling away from her knife.

The second her shield dropped, the people were grabbing at her, asking questions and fighting with each other to hear her answers. She stood speechless and immobile in the crowd, struggling to breathe through a haze of sudden panic. They're not trying to hurt me. It didn't matter how many times she repeated it in her head- she couldn't act. All she saw were the angry faces of those she had wronged so many years ago after she sided with Vaxon.

"Eris?" the voice of a young woman echoed out over the rest, catching Eris's attention. She turned and found Aelia staring at her.

"Aelia..." Eris whispered, her voice lost over the cries of the crowd.

"You killed my cousins," Aelia said, speaking with surprising volume. "These people might hail you as a hero, but I know the truth. You are a monster."

Tears blurred Eris's vision, and a lump formed in her throat. She tried to answer, but couldn't find the words. Aelia disappeared, leaving Eris to the mercy of the crowd.

A portal opened beneath Eris and suddenly she was stumbling out of the crowds and into a secluded alley. Several confused people stood next to her as the portal closed. She looked up and found Mordzar, Eiridan, and Jaeyria standing in front of her. Mordzar glared at the few fans who had come through Jaeyria's portal and promptly chased them out of the alley.

"Are you okay?" Eiridan asked. "We saw a crowd of people chanting your name and... well..."

"There have been incidents all over the city today," Jaeyria explained. "Crowds of angry or excited people have been trapping people from the guilds in the games. Several people have been injured."

Eris looked at the entrance of the alleyway. Another crowd of people had gathered. Her cheeks burned. She shouldn't have needed help- they were just normal citizens. It would have been easy for her to form a few shields and escape into the sky. Instead, she had frozen in fear like an idiot. Embarrassed, she looked back at Jaeyria and Eiridan, who were watching her intently.

"I'm fine," she mumbled.

Mordzar cleared his throat behind her. "You're covered in bruises, Eris."

She rubbed her arm- it still throbbed slightly, but not more so than any of the other dozen places where stray limbs had crashed into her. "They'll heal. Thanks... for helping."

Eiridan looked at Jaeyria, who crossed her arms. "Eiri and I have been waiting for you to show up and say hi, Eris," she huffed. "Your pixie friend showed up instead. I'm beginning to think you were avoiding us."

"I..." Eris didn't have a good excuse for that one. She had spent so long running from her past that she hadn't even considered going to see her friends. Now that she thought about it, she realized she'd avoided them without even realizing it.

"What Jae means to say is, we've missed you, and we wish you would've come to us sooner if something was bothering you," Eiridan said. He laid a hand on her arm. "Let me heal you."

Jaeyria rolled her eyes, but gave Eris a brief hug when Eiridan had finished. "We all saw your run through the mansion," she said quietly. "I'm so sorry, Eris. Ionean meant the world to you and..."

"It's okay," Eris said, pushing the memories to the back of her mind. "You are a monster." Aelia's words had hit home. Ionean's death... so many deaths... they were her fault. She had caused them the day she saved Vaxon's life.

"We should head back to the hotels," Mordzar said, eyeing the crowd hovering at the edge of the alley. "Staying outside right now is unwise."

***

"Murderer!" Shouts filled the plaza as the crowd pressed toward Shiazmu.

"Why did they let your guild into the games anyway?" an angry ogre called. "You're just a bunch of thieves and killers!"

"You thought you could escape justice, animal?" One of the three remaining hunters from Shiazmu's past chucked a rock at him. It bounced off of Shiazmu's side before he got the chance to dodge, the sharp point digging into his fur.

"It was self defense," he yelled, snarling at the approaching crowd.

No one listened- his protest was drowned in the voices of the mob. Worse, the hunters had started the rest of the crowd throwing things. Shiazmu dug his paws into the pavement, feeling the decorative tree nearby and summoning its roots to block the steady stream of projectiles coming his way.

"Shiazmu, they're ready to lynch you. Get out of there!" Vatre's voice yelled into his head. He looked for an exit, but before he even got the chance, fire exploded across his protective wall, reducing it to ashes. The crowd began to pour through, but the hunters stopped them.

"Leave this to the Hunters Guild," the one closest to Shiazmu sneered. "We'll see justice served against this killer."

The crowd cheered and pressed forward again, but a wall of dirt formed between them and the hunters. So they have an earth mage and a fire mage with them. "I see you joined a guild," Shiazmu said, eyeing them.

They threw off their cloaks, revealing a tattoo of a bow and quiver on each of their shoulders, as well as weapons- too many weapons. "I'm alone with five people from another guild," Shiazmu told Vatre. "An extraction would be welcome, if you don't mind."

Fire flew past Shiazmu's head, scorching a stone wall as he ducked. He tried to summon plants, but the earth mage kept pushing them away, leaving Shiazmu to fight without magic. He studied his opponents, looking for the weakest one. There were three men and two women. He knew the guys- they were the ones who hunted him, and they weren't mages. That left the women, who must be the fire and earth mages.

A raindrop tumbled from the sky, landing on the ground in front of Shiazmu. More fell, making the clear blue skies gray. Soon, sheets of rain were slamming into the ground. Shiazmu used the rain to his advantage, leaping at the hunter closest to him and slashing the guy across his chest. He stumbled back, but he'd been wearing chain mail, negating the attack.

Even without the help of their fire mage, the Hunters Guild had the advantage of numbers and an experienced earth mage. Shiazmu barely got the chance to move away from the hunters before earth shot up and encased his legs, hardening until he couldn't move. He snarled, pulling against the restraints, but it did no good.

The largest hunter- a man with red hair and a scar down his face that Shiazmu had given him years ago- leaned down and spit in Shiazmu's face. "You've evaded us this long, Shiazmu," he said. "Now we'll finally avenge Horatio."

They know my name? The hunters had never addressed him as anything more than 'animal' before. Who had told them his name? A blade came inches from Shiazmu's neck and he pulled back as much as he could with the earth melded around his legs.

"We're going to enjoy this," the tall, thin hunter laughed.

His laughter cut off halfway, turning into a choked gurgle. From behind the man emerged a panther, eyes glowing blue. Blood dripped down the hunter's side and he clutched his throat, collapsing in the dirt. Shiazmu recognized his best friend Hortus instantly and struggled harder against his restraints.

The rain stopped falling and became one large line of water moving in circles around Hortus as he walked forward. Scar face glanced at his wounded friend and glared at Hortus. "You'll pay for that," he said, his voice laced with anger. "Lucy, trap him too. We'll take them both."

There was no answer. Hortus moved closer. Lynei and Vatre emerged from an alley, gesturing to the black-haired mage. "This Lucy? Sorry- she's a bit busy right now. You'll understand, of course. It's difficult for novice earth mages to do much against my sister. She never really stood a chance."

Shiazmu's earthen shackles suddenly dissolved, and he glanced at Lucy, who was surrounded up to her chin in hardened dirt. Lynei leaned against her and smiled. "Hello, boys."

***

It took less than a minute for Lynei to form shackles around each of Shiazmu's attackers so Vatre could tie them together. She was glad Raylee had sent her out to find Vatre after the first hour passed. The city was chaos and the thought of Vatre alone in that mess had made Lynei nervous.

Vatre stood in front of the attackers while Hortus chased the crowds off with his rain. Thankfully, they didn't care for the idea of messing with experienced magi, and dispersed without much complaining.

"Someone told them Shiazmu would be here, alone. Whoever or whatever it was, they seemed to be very interested in getting rid of him," Vatre said. "It wasn't a rival guild though... someone else is behind this. A woman who wasn't human."

"What now? Do you think she's responsible for the rest of the chaos around the city?" Lynei asked. "What else did they tell you?"

"Not much, but if this woman is causing all of this, then her motives don't involve just Shiazmu- she may be trying to destroy the Magi Games."

***

Mordzar went with Eris back to the hotel, insisting she shouldn't go anywhere on her own for a while. Despite her protests that she could handle herself, he followed her into the sky on her shields, anyway. She couldn't help glancing back at him as they ran over the city, not sure how she should interpret his stubborn protectiveness.

His face was pale, so she led them back down to the streets again and slowed her pace. "You still don't like heights," she noted.

"I don't like running in the sky on an invisible platform," Mordzar answered. "I never understood why you did."

"If you didn't want to follow me up there, you should have just let me go back alone," Eris said, rolling her eyes.

He shook his head. "It's dangerous here right now. Sticking together was the most logical course of action."

Logical. Of course. She sighed and sped up, walking just ahead of him. His motive for going back with her shouldn't matter, but it did. She didn't want it to be logical- she wanted him to do it because he actually cared. Those thoughts were meaningless though. He had left her behind once, sending a very clear message that he didn't care about her. They were friends... maybe not even that.

When they got back to the hotel, she closed herself into her room to change. The crowd had torn her clothes in places, and even though Eiri had tried to heal her bruises, she remained just resistant to his magic as she'd been years ago.

Bruises covered her thin frame, darkening her pale skin. She prodded one and winced. It wasn't as bad as it could have been. "You are a monster." The words echoed through her mind as she stared at her image in the mirror that hung from her bathroom door. Taking a breath, she threw on a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of loose pants to hide the bruises.

***

"You need to go," Zaydaan said, stepping between Eris's door and Mordzar. "You helped her earlier and I'm thankful for that, but it's all you can do for her. She fell in love with you once and you abandoned her- broke her heart. I won't let you do it again. She's been through enough."

Mordzar stepped back. "I didn't know... I didn't mean to..."

"It doesn't matter what you knew or meant by it. You abandoned her once and you'll do it again when you go home with your guild. She still hasn't gotten over what you did to her last time. Just stay away from her, Mordzar. You've hurt her plenty already."

His shoulders slumped just slightly, and he turned to leave. Zaydaan sat down, feeling oddly guilty. Was it wrong of him to chase Mordzar away after he had finally reappeared in Eris's life? He would have hurt her again, Zaydaan told himself. They live on different planets and work with different guilds- it wouldn't have worked.

Eris's door opened, and she stepped out. Mordzar turned, as if he had heard her re-enter the hallway. She stared down the hall, sadness and confusion radiating through their bond. Zaydaan moved down the hall, away from her, trying not to let her feel his guilt. It was the right thing to do... wasn't it?

***

He was leaving again. She'd expected it, but it still hurt. She hadn't expected him to look so different though. Almost... sad? He faced her, his expression oddly mournful. "Goodbye, Eris," he said. The words sounded so final. Did he mean to say goodbye for good?

She started forward to say something... anything... but she didn't know how to stop him. Was there even any point? A lump formed in her throat, but she swallowed back the tears that threatened and forced a smile. "Goodbye."

"Eris?" Mordzar called. "I'm sorry... for everything."

With that, he disappeared down the hall.

***

"It's an obstacle course," Raylee explained. "Mora and Eris, I'm sending your two in together." She held up two belts. "You'll take these with you and use them to swap places. They'll use spacial magic to teleport you and you can do it as much as you want. Aside from your belts, you'll have communicators and a medallion from Thulok that summons a fairy to help you. Past that, I don't know what you'll be facing, so be prepared and work together, alright?"

Mora glanced at Eris, but she didn't see a broken shield wizard anymore. All she could picture was the angry woman who had nearly killed a bunch of extras from the mansion. How was she was supposed to work with that kind of person? A shiver ran down her spine. What would happen if she got on Eris's bad side?

***

The obstacle course started off normally, with a long stretch of water and stones spaced out across it. To conserve Mathanos, Eris used the stones and leaped across with relative ease. The next obstacle wasn't quite so simple. As she walked through the door that opened into the next obstacle, she found herself facing a large wall. It stretched up hundreds of feet, tilting backwards the whole way.

Eris touched the wall. It oozed around her fingers, making it difficult to pull her hand back out again. After a brief struggle, she freed her hand and inspected the wall. It was all made of the strange sludge, held together by some special magic.

She gripped her knife. "Thand," she whispered, forming a shield near the wall. Before she had time to step on it, the wall shot out and wrapped itself around it. Then it pulled the shield into the wall. Seconds later, she felt it shatter.

Wincing, she tapped her earpiece. "I think I've figured out why they gave us the belts," she told Mora. "This obstacle might be a job for your fire magic."

Mora didn't answer, but light shimmered around Eris and the scenery changed. Now she stood in front of a corridor with a long pole stretching over it. In quick, synchronized movements, large red balls swung back and forth, making it impossible to get across the thin pole without being knocked off into the water that ran underneath.

She stepped out onto the pole and felt it bend beneath her. The more she watched the rubber balls swing back and forth, the less confident she felt about the obstacle. She didn't doubt her ability to get across the pole on its own, but the other part of the obstacle would just knock her off as soon as she got going.

The pole shuddered beneath her weight as she moved further out. Was this even meant to cross? It seemed ready to break. Alright, I guess I need to make my own platform. She unsheathed her knife and muttered a command. With solid ground beneath her feet, and plenty of room to dodge, she ran.

The pendulums seemed to speed up the closer she got, until she was weaving through a maze of flashing red blurs. Several times, she had to throw up a shield between her and one of the balls so she could get through. By the end, she had to stop and catch her breath. It had been a longer chasm than she thought when she started.

"I'm through," she told Mora.

***

After melting her way through the wall of goo, Mora walked through a door and found a series of ropes hanging over a mud pit. Eris's voice came over the coms, startling Mora. She clenched her teeth and reached for a rope, wishing she could relax. Eris isn't even nearby, she told herself. We couldn't talk face-to-face even if we wanted to.

"Mora, are you okay?" Eris asked. "You haven't spoken since we started."

"Do you always kill the people who get in your way?" Mora questioned.

Silence. She shouldn't have said anything. It was better just to stay silent and work with Eris until they got out of this obstacle course. Then again, this might be the safest time to ask- after all, Eris couldn't attack if they weren't anywhere near each other.

She inched her way across the ropes, which were ice cold under her touch and refused to thaw. Thankfully, most of them weren't slippery, so she didn't have too much of an issue as long as she avoided the ones directly coated in ice. Halfway across the pit, Eris finally answered.

"Is that what you see me as? A killer?"

Mora frowned. "When faced with what I can only assume is your worst fear, your first instinct was to kill the people who did it to you. What else would you like me to believe? That you would have spared them if you hadn't spotted Lynei in time? You wouldn't have- it would have ended just like your dream did."

"I..."

Eris's voice trailed off, and she didn't say anything else. For a moment, Mora felt bad about bringing the incident up. Eris couldn't be proud of what she had done- that much was obvious. Even so, it scared Mora, knowing what the shield wizard could, and would, do if she was provoked.

Mora cleared the ropes and landed safely on the other side. Her vision spun as she landed and she stumbled forward. Why did she suddenly feel so weak? Shaking her head, she walked through the next door. The weakness passed quickly. It was probably nothing.

Over the next few obstacles, Eris was silent. Mora refused to be the one to speak first, so she often sat at one obstacle for a while, trying to figure out how she could get through without having to swap with Eris. Eventually, she would click her belt and hope for Eris to do the same. Often, it would be several long minutes before that happened.

Finally, Mora could stand it no longer. "We have to work together," she blurted. "We've been in here for much longer than we should have. If Silent Phoenix falls much lower in ranks, we're going to end up at the very bottom."

***

Eris barely heard Mora's words. Aelia's voice drowned out everything else. "You are a monster." It was true. Mora saw it, Aelia saw it... soon everyone else would realize too. What if she hurt them before that happened? What if she caused another incident like the one with Vaxon? I have to leave after this, she realized. If I disappear, I can't hurt them.

"Eris? Eris! We've fallen way behind- I need you to communicate."

Mora's voice finally cut through the fog in Eris's mind and she realized she'd been walking without much purpose, almost falling into a large boiling lake. "Sorry," she whispered. "I was... distracted."

She pulled out her knife and formed a shield over the water. As soon as she stepped onto it, a stream of bubbled formed at the end of the shield and shot along it, dissolving it beneath her. She scrambled back, landing on solid ground just seconds before the whole shield was gone.

When she tried again, but higher, the bubbled shot out from the wall instead, sending her straight back to the ground. It must neutralize magic,she realized, frowning. But that means Mora couldn't do much with it either.

"Eris, I think this one might be a job for your shields," Mora said. "What have you got on your end?"

"Hot water," she said. "But it neutralizes magic."

"Switch, then," Mora suggested. "I'll use the fairy to get suggestions."

"Fine." Eris touched the switch on her belt and waited for the magic to kick in.

***

Mirana slipped through the crowds in the guise of a tall, red-haired human named Sylvia. She hadn't taken Sylvia's personality today- somehow, she just didn't feel like it. The only reason she wasn't herself was because of all the riots in the city. Vatre had said someone was causing them, or at least telling the people where to find members of different guilds. If that was the case, Mirana had felt it safer to make a new character and walk the city as that person. Thus, Sylvia came into being.

Quiet sobbing caught her attention, and she glanced into the alley it came from. Was that a little girl's cries? Curious, she ventured down the alley. The stench of rotting bodies filled her nostrils. She coughed and pulled her shirt up over her nose to block the smell.

"Hello?" The sobbing continued.

She turned a bend and almost ran back out again. The smell was stronger here. Two bodies lay on the ground- a man and a woman. Blood soaked the flagstones, pouring out of multiple knife wounds in both bodies. In the midst of it all sat a small child, probably no more than three or four years old. Next to her was a wolf pup, lying motionless on the ground.

Mirana's mouth fell open as she considered what might have happened. If this was the Free Realm, she would assume a gang had ambushed and killed the two dead people. Are they her parents?

Blood covered the girl. She gripped her mother's arm, huddled on the floor. "Mommy!" she wailed, curling up into a ball between her parents. "Daddy..."

Tears of sympathy welled in Mirana's eyes, but she wiped them away before they fell. I can't leave her here. "Hello," she said again, a little louder this time.

This time, the girl heard Mirana's voice. She looked up, tearful eyes wide with fear. Moving closer to her mother's side, she cried even louder.

"Don't cry," Mirana begged, shifting back into her own body. "Please- I want to help."

Sniffling, the girl looked back up at Mirana. "M-mommy..."

Mirana inched closer and held out a hand to the girl. She reluctantly accepted it. "What's your name," Mirana asked, leaning down to pick up the child.

"Scarlett," she answered, her eyes still fixed on her parents.

"Let's get you somewhere safe, okay Scarlett?" Mirana smiled at the girl, but the mention of leaving sent her into hysterics again.

"No, no, no! I want Mommy!" She wiggled out of Mirana's arms and ran to her mother again. A soft whine caught the girl's attention, and she turned to the tiny wolf. "Silver." She began to cry again.

Mirana knelt beside Scarlett and reached out to touch the wolf. It whimpered as she prodded it, but there were no visible wounds on it. They both need care, or they'll end up dying. "Silver needs help, if he's going to life," Mirana said, picking up the wolf.

Scarlett reached out for Silver, then looked back at her parents. "Wake up, Mommy," she cried. When her fingers brushed her Mother's hand again, they began to glow. Mirana stumbled back in surprise as a replica of the dead woman suddenly appeared, transparent and glowing blue. Scarlett reached out, but the image collapsed, and she fell with it.

Mirana nearly dropped Silver in her haste to catch the little girl. Scarlett didn't stir in Mirana's arms, but she was breathing. She must have used up what little Mathanos she had trying to conjure her mother, Mirana realized.

Unwilling to leave the injured wolf behind, Mirana morphed into a large orc named Taft and carefully picked up both Scarlett and Silver. Then she headed back to the hotel.

***

When she got back, she tucked Scarlett into bed and went to find a bath to clean Silver. Perhaps if he wasn't so coated with blood, she would be able to figure out what was wrong. The wolf began to revive a bit as she lowered him into a tub of warm, soapy water and began to scrub his fur clean. When she finished, there were still no visible wounds.

Maybe he was kicked out of the way when Scarlett's parents were attacked. If that's the case, he might have bruised ribs. They weren't broken- she knew that much, at least, just from looking at the way Silver kicked around in the bathtub, only whining every so often when he moved too much.

She watched him swim around in the tub with a strangely nervous look on his face. Evntually, it occurred to her that he might be looking for Scarlett. The two had been together, after all, and it was clear the girl cared for him.

"Scarlett's fine," she said. "You can see her after I've finished cleaning you."

I should clean Scarlett too. Mirana thought about that, then realized they didn't have any clothes that would fit the tiny girl. The smallest clothes they had were pixie sized- not at all suitable for a human toddler.

"I'll have to buy some," she muttered aloud.

"Why is there a little girl sleeping in my bed?" Reif asked. "And who is she?"

"That's... hard to explain."

Guild 17: Dragon Claw - MusicgirlXD

She still can't email so it's on a book on her profile if you want to read it.