I was fuming, seething… blood bubbling to a boil. I couldn't remember the last time I was this miffed, this aggravated.

It was one thing to be petty, bitter… it was a whole 'nother thing to act like literal scum. Nick, before, had both feet tip-toeing the line between the two, flip-flopping, but never completely crossing.

He's crossed it now though. He's gone over beyond just being a prickling thorn to my side. I felt him break skin, felt him burrowing within, and I wasn't about to stand for it any longer.

"You wait a goddamn minute," I began to rise from my seat, impelled, compelled, by the dispirited look behind Adalia's misty gaze. "Nick, do you think you can just - "

"Jester," The Witch extended her staff, stopping me dead, that thin piece of wood resting atop my shoulder. "Please sit down."

I honestly thought she must have been joking. "Yeah, like hell I'm - "

"The rules are made clear, don't interrupt when a contender is answering," She warned, drawing her staff back to her side. "You'll lose points for that."

"Yeah, but - !"

"I said," Her staff struck the ground hard, like a boom of thunder rumbling from below. "You'll lose points for that. A lot of points. I won't say it again. Now, kindly allow your opponent to finish answering the question."

The hell was this? The one person I thought my only ally here, suddenly so quick to change sides. Something was wrong, didn't she see that we were the ones being duped here? I know she saw, everyone did, was she seriously just gonna allow this blatant display of sabotage to go right by from under her nose?

It didn't make sense that she would, wasn't she the same person wanting to clamp down on the rumors of rigging and unfairness?

Unless… just now, right then, she was doing exactly that.

Leon's participation in the game came with it a hefty crowd of incalculable numbers. So many pairs of eyes peeking through the entranceway, watching every turn, every round… they'll be there to see the winner, and they'll also be there to see the loser.

If she did interfere, if she did call out the deliberate attempt at sabotage that instant… if she robbed their beloved Leon of his victory guaranteed… they'll all see that too… and they'll see exactly what they'll want to see.

A rigged game, a skewed match, blatant favoritism… rumors atop of rumors… botching, even more, a reputation already so tarnished.

And besides, who has the more credible stance among us? The Hero of the land, or some unnamed, unknown Jester from nowhere?

I think that was a hornet's nest she didn't dare poke even with a six-foot staff.

And indeed, the slight thinning of her lips spoke trouble, her stare agitated. I suppose I can understand why she did what she did.

But that don't mean I had to just sit there and accept it.

I took in a breath. "You - "

Interrupted again. Not by a wooden, not by words spoke stern, but by a small tug at my sleeve… a little bit forceful, a little bit sharp.

"It's… okay…" Adalia whispered, looking up at me. "Let him… answer…"

Let him win? Have him gloat and goad me as an appetizer before personally serving him Ash on a silver platter?

I've always had many conflicting thoughts about many things, but this was not one of them. I'm never going to give him Ash.

"The final question," Nick infuriatingly proclaimed, the slight curl in his lips hinting a little sliver of satisfaction. "Are you ready to answer?"

There were eyes scouring every inch of the Hero with his head held proudly high… including my own, the closest to his.

He looked at me, a small glance only briefly shared, he looked bad, I would even say he looked guilty… but even so, even if he did, the resolve held firm in his gaze completely overshadowed any remorse from before.

Almost as if to say all's fair in love and war.

"Yes, ready."

For the last and final time, Nick slammed the book shut, an echo reverberating thoroughly.

"The Elidna are primordial beings that have given rise to many of the vile creatures that we see in Asteria today. The most egregious, terrifying example of which being the stalkers of the night, the species that most closely resemble their ancient ancestors - the Vampire."

"Though they possess many of the unique abilities of the Elidna, as such, they also do indeed share many of their most common flaws, their sicknesses, their… genetical shortcomings.

"Name the most fatal example of a disorder in vampires… and describe in detail its symptoms, and its treatments."

It was a bitter irony that the final question had to have been something Adalia could so easily answer in a literal heartbeat.

Vampires… out of all things.

Nick did that on purpose, a salt to the wound, sand to the face. He must have.

Didn't know he had a cynical sense of humor too beneath that chiseled wall of bulging muscles and bitter spite.

It would have been a victory rest assured… and now it wasn't.

Now, it was our loss. Right now...

Leon had a smile again, he wasn't fazed, he didn't even take the time to ponder the question for a moment.

"Right, so..."

Victory was just a few short sentences away.

"Do you… do you mind if I can get another question instead?"

Silence. Silence everywhere. Just eyes unblinking, on him, everywhere he looked.

"Or, um, actually," He continued, giving a short chuckle that ended abrupt. "Sam, do you think you can answer this one? You're good with creatures, aren't you?"

His secretary at his side raised her eyes at him, frantically shaking her head. "Um, no, I never said that, sir."

"You didn't?"

She kept shaking. "I didn't."

"Ten seconds," The Witch's voice suddenly barged in-between, lively eyes starting wide. "You don't answer, or you get it wrong, someone else gets to answer!"

"Oh…" Leon hissed in a breath, mulling it over in seconds wasted. "Can I not answer a different one though?"

"That's not how this works, Leon, you know this," The Witch, smiling, bluntly told him. "Five seconds."

My anger, my annoyance, I've never had such a flip-flop between emotions this fast and this abrupt. I felt something pounding, pulsings deep inside me - hope, a chance - this wasn't over yet.

Leon's smile was starting to falter. "Wait, let me think a bit - "

"Nope, you're done, that's it!" The Witch loudly interjected, taking the quizzer reins from Nick in a moment so swift. "Other contestants raise your hand - now!"

I felt mine nearly detach from its socket the way I flung it so hard, and somehow Adalia still managed to beat me to the punch, hers raised as high as mind. Team Wit had raised theirs as well, only they were too little too late on the draw, but yet even still…

"Team Wit!" Nick spoke up, his voice tumultuous and almost a little desperate. "Answer the - "

The Witch's brow gave a flicker. "Nick, you can't just - "

"Wit, answer the question!"

"Y-yes!" squeaked one of the girls, timidly rising from her seat, hands close like a mouse. "Uh, um - is it, is it… going frenzy?"

"Wrong!" The Witch bellowed, striking her staff in declaration. "Okay, Team Wisdom, go ahead and - "

"Other girl," Nick extended a bulky finger at the other half of Team Wit, his voice a deadly commanding quiet. "Take a guess now."

He wasn't even trying to be subtle about it anymore. The chips were down, and suddenly the rules got thrown out the window at a moment's notice. Nick didn't care about the game, he just wanted a go at taking me down a peg.

Leon was only slightly better, though he did nothing to stop it, it was plenty clear he did not condone such dastardly methods himself - all the same, however, winning was the end goal… and he was not keen on giving up first place that easily.

The other girl stood up, just as flustered, just as clueless as the other. "Could it… I-I think it's the sun one. The… skin flaring disease thing?"

"Wrong on both accounts!" Even louder, the force of her staff very nearly ruptured the floorboards. "Nick, I haven't a clue what's happening with you - but I won't tolerate another foolish act of insubordination, I'm warning you now."

Nick was twice, nearly thrice the Witch's size, yet with just the firmness of her voice alone, surprisingly she managed to rein in this raging hunk of testosterone in robes albeit with much, much resistance.

"Of course, my apologies," Nick quietly said, his lips a flat narrow line across a disgruntled expression. "I did not mean to upset you."

"Then, make it right again," She prodded his shoulder with her staff, angling down a rigid stare at him almost as if challenging him to try and contend it. "Game's not finished yet. Go on."

He met her eyes, he stared at mine, then finally for once, he looked towards Adalia, still silently with her hand up high in the air all this time just waiting for that certain someone to take notice of it.

Despite all odds, that certain someone actually did.

"Team Wisdom," Nick said, blowing a sigh big enough to topple houses. "Your answer?"

Adalia slowly rose to her feet, and without skipping a beat, spoke. "Sangumet."

The Witch was beaming wide whilst The Scholar hid his face beneath his hood.

"And what is it exactly?" Nick asked.

She complied immediately. "An aversion… a rejection… to feed… on the blood of… others..."

Wait just a minute there - an aversion to feed? That sounded... no, that is familiar… too familiar.

He pressed on. "Elaborate."

"It is... an extremely rare defect... a vampire inherits… at birth…" Adalia continued, as vacant and emotionless as ever. "Vampires possessing the defect… do not live long lives… denying the need to feed… choosing to starve… and frenzy… in the end… as the taste… the smell of blood… is revolting..."

"And the remedies?"

Adalia paused for a brief moment, it was the first time she had to.

"No... cure…" She muttered faintly. "Only ways to slow it… feasting on rodents… small animals… can help... maybe five years… but most that have it… they die… young…"

Nick grunted, his stare straying. "And… the most common cause for Sangumet?"

"Hey," The Witch poked at him again. "That's not part of the question. No one knows that. The Asteria lore book doesn't have that info. You stop it now, suck it up, they won, so - "

"The most common… cause…" She mumbled, staring blankly, almost as if speaking more to herself than anyone else, and that's because she really was. "The birthing… of twin… vampires…"