Kapitel 11: Chapter 11

Aluxio had established the plan, and the flags have been dropped and the second stage was ready to commence.

Three flags, labeled by letters sat spread apart and surrounded by a bubble barrier. Clorissa was tasked with keeping up the defense of the flags, while Aluxio and Faxon were the main powerhouses of the team. Sky had it's role of having fast mobility for the team.

And Alaric, had his staff that he could use for flight as well. But, he was mostly for backup, he had to stay back with Clorissa in case the other team sent some of their people to try and capture their flags. Sky flew about the ground, expanding so that both Aluxio and Faxon was able to sit on it. Alaric had his staff drawn and Clorissa had her staff at her ready.

After a bit of time, "Ready? Begin!" The headmaster's voice rang out as Sky took off into the air as Alaric watched as Sky flew off.

His grip on his staff tight as he watched, his eyes twitched. He sighed and just sat down next to the bubble barrier. Clorissa did the same, taking a seat a bit of distance beside him. The silence was loud, the ringing in his ears and the rustling of leaves around him , but he made sure he was focused. He eyes glance toward Clorissa, he emerald eyes staring blanking in front of her. He felt his cheeks glow red, and he wanted to put a bit more distance between the two.

Back in his old life, he wasn't the best when it came to talking to girls. And sitting beside one now, his stomach formed a knot and his eyes quickly darted away. But, he couldn't let his nervousness affect his performance.

He was ready to tighten up, "Alaric was it?" He heard his name being called and his face turned red.

He felt his voice crack and his throat hitch. "Y-Yeah...!" He finally coughed out, his words coming out like a stuttering mess. He cursed at himself, as he wanted to smack himself for already making a fool of himself.

Clorissa gave a lighthearted laugh, "I'm Clorissa, I prefer a more one-on-one introductions." She said, tucking a strand of her bright and pale hair behind her ear. Alaric blinked, feeling a bit more at ease.

His body loosened up, and his expression was less tense. "So Alaric, what's your story? Oh, am I moving too fast? Maybe I should explain a bit of stuff about me." She spoke, looking up, placing a finger to her chin. "Well, I'm a very big fan of sweets, I like dogs, I like fashion," she began as Alaric blinked, slightly overwhelmed. She was throwing so much at him, he could barely keep up.

He felt the heat from his face heat up again, he didn't want to seem weird. But, the way she was rambling and the way she staring up as she spoke, it a little bit cute. He just listened, lending his entire attention to Clorissa.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aluxio and Faxon flew above the trees with Sky, their eyes scanning the ground below, but it was rather difficult due to the vast amount of trees. "Alright Faxon, we'll be entering into battle soon enough, think you're ready?" Aluxio wondered as Faxon nodded, his grip on his battle axe signaling his readiness.

"Yes, I will cut them all down it my strikes." He spoke, determined.

Aluxio blinked, "L-Let's not go overboard now..." He said, with a bit of a nervous laugh. The boy looked down, and his eyes landed on a lone blue flag. He pointed, "There! Alright, I'll go down first, I doubt it'll be this easy. Just remember the plan." He said, as he quickly jumped down, diving down towards one of the trees. He preformed a short flip and landed on the branches, the tree shook for a moment, the leaves falling down to the group.

He jumped down and looked towards the Flag.

He was on guard, he knew the opposite team wouldn't just leave there flag out in the open. He took a few steps forward, and reached out for the flag. But, it felt like his wrist was grabbed, despite no one visibly there. He frown and quickly drew his sword, swiping the air around where his wrist was grabbed. As he swung, he wrist was let go and he quickly jumped back. He held the blade up and was ready to continue his assault. A person then appeared out of thin air, his body was almost ghostly as he rushed towards Aluxio.

He side-stepped, dodging the strike as he quickly swung Excalibur, the wind behind the strike blowing through the trees. 'As I expected, I knew it wouldn't be easy...But, for this plan to work...'

He quickly looked up, "Now!" He shouted, as he continued to duck and dodge his opponents attacks. The guy smirked, "Ha, you think you're gonna get-" He speech was cut off as a large dust cloud filled the air, as the ground shook. With the smoke, someone emerged at a fast pace, a large figure. Aluxio smirked and quickly jumped back. The guy looked up, and there was glaring red eyes poking out from the dust surrounding the figure.

It rose it's axe and brought it down, enhanced by [Power Strike]. As the axe came down, the guy dodged, as it slammed down in the earth, creating a massive crater and wind began to blow around the area.

It blew the guy down to the ground landing on his back as his gaze ran up the figure. Faxon stood above him, his axe over his shoulder.

His eyes widened, "W-Where did you...where did you come from!?" His voice rang out, but it just went in one ear out the other with Faxon.

He gripped his axe tighter and was ready for another strike, but the guy quickly turned invisible and disappeared from sight. But, their plan was already a success, as while Faxon was distracting him, Aluxio grabbed the flag. He called out to sky as it flew down and swooped them up and they were back in the sky.

As they flew through the air Aluxio looked at the blue flag in his hands, "Alright! We got one, as long as we can keep this for the remainder, we should be able to win-" He was cut off as a arrow flew past sky. Aluxio's eyes widened as he quickly looked down, "What?!" He quickly made Excalibur appear in his hand, as he was ready for any more attacks. "Dammit, we have to stick to the plan, quickly Faxon, you know what to do!"

Faxon nodded, as he jumped from Sky and dived down towards the shots. As he dived, more arrows flew through the tree's racing for Faxon. He swung his axe, repelling the arrows with the blunt end of his axe. He landed on the ground, causing the dust to cloud around him. He rushed around the trees with his [Dash] skill, using them as cover for the arrows.

As he rushed around, he felt a blow to his arm, but he wasn't moved like a rock. He looked, and it was the guy that got away originally.

"Back for me huh?"

He frowned and quickly dodged another strike from him. He continued to evade his strikes, but a lone arrow was shot into his shoulder. He winced and looked towards where the archer was stationed. They stood above a tree branch, arrow's pulled back.

He quickly dodged out of the way of the guy's strike, and grabbed the arrow shot at him, but, lightning sparked and crackled at his body, electrocuting him, filling his body with extreme pain. The archer smirked as it was a direct shot. As the electricity began to dissipate, stream radiated off his body. But, he was able to keep standing.

Aluxio looked down, noticing the electricity, he gave a more shocked expression, "Dammit, having Clorissa here would be a good idea, but we need her to protect the flags," He said, as he jumped down, ready to interject.

'If I can line it up right, i should be able to hit them both...' He said as he aimed his sword at the group.

"Faxon, get clear!!" Aluxio shouted, as Faxon quickly jumped back as fast as he could. Aluxio clenched the hilt of his sword as hard as he could, his eyes glowing blue. His teeth clenched and his body gained a blue outline.

[Raging Tempest!!]

Aluxio stabbed his blade into the ground, and suddenly a whirlwind raged from his blade, and hundreds of slashes rained through the air, slashing and cutting at the enemies' bodies.

As the whirlwind ceased, he forced Excalibur out of the ground, and quickly rushed to Faxon, "Are you okay?" He asked, as Faxon ripped the arrow out of his shoulder, throwing it to the ground.

"I'm alright," he said as they turned towards the fallen bodies of his enemies. "Come on, let's hurry back," Sky flew down and quickly swooped them up flying through the air.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alaric and Clorissa continued talking, getting to know each other. Alaric found himself talking more and it wasn't awkward at all, his words flowed effortlessly. Alaric noted that Clorissa seemed to love to speak, so she did most of the talking for the two of them. Maybe that's why he was able to speak so well, since she dominated the conversation.

As he listened intently, he felt his attention waver. His gaze turned towards the vast forest in front of them, as he grabbed his staff. His expression twisted into a frown, as his eyes widened. He quickly stood and made his staff grow in size, as it was able to block a large ball of flames. Clorissa looked surprised at Alaric's reactive ability.

He returned it to normal and spun it around, holding it in a stance. Then, a young man with dark blonde hair, glaring and intimating red eyes, and a more slim body emerged from the forest. He smirked and held up his fist, flames raging within his palm. "Sorry, but I'll be taking that flag."