The tornado is my dean. The temperamental winds betray his calm appearance. He must be pretty peeved that his poster boy missed two weeks of the tournament. I don't regret it since I met Beryl and got some nice shoes. The dean's voice is perfectly audible, even with the whipping winds.

"Ellis. I'm assuming something monumental happened if it caused you to be this tardy. I saw that you managed to send your beasts over even though you haven't responded to any of mine or your fellow student's messages."

I look him in the eyes and say, "I got stuck in a fracture again. Alone. It was an agonizing month of nothing but harsh terrain and hostile fauna. I only survived because of my durability. I was a tamer without tames, one of the most vulnerable positions to be in."

His expressions don't change, but his tone is less accusatory and more empathetic.

"Go down and talk to your parents. They must be worried. Meet the team and me after the match."

He flies back down. If he continued pushing, I was going to bring up that this could have been avoided if he wasn't dismissive of my request for him to fly me to the capital.

~

I didn't immediately go to see Flash Gordon because I would be devastated if I was the only one happy with our reunion. What if he didn't care or notice I was gone? I'd die on the spot.

[Stop acting like a fool.]

You're right, Duchess. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. I shouldn't put it off any longer and see Flash Gordon and the others.

[...]

I spot my parents with Rob and Flash Gordon. Rob is staring right at me, waiting for me to land. There are many empty seats next to them, most likely where Duchess was sitting. I have her land me next to them.

Rob is agile enough to leave his seat and run over to me without my parents noticing. He hugs me as I pet his head. I don't need to say anything, he missed me, and I missed him. Flash Gordon also got out of his seat and floated over to me.

He floats in front of me for a second before slowly drifting into my pocket. Resting there for the first time in a month. I sit next to my parents as Rob sits on my lap.

I watch the illusions and hone in on the one showcasing my team. It looks like Val and that assassin guy is still in it. Duchess, tell me his name.

[Rai Wilson.]

Thank you. Anabel, Jerry, and Arlug were eliminated. I wonder how safety is guaranteed in such a tournament. It is the capital, so they must have the funds to splurge. Over half the teams are already eliminated, and I can see how Val and Rai have managed to stay in the game.

The flag is planted in what seems to be a simulated derelict cityscape, obscured by rubble and debris. Three students from a different school, a scouting party perhaps, come across the flag and prepare to approach. One is wearing a breastplate and carrying a sword and a shield, another is wearing leather armor and wields two swords, and the last wears no armor but has leather pouches strewn on his waist. The duel sword guy starts moving for it but gets stopped by the pouch boy.

He quickly mutters under his breath and flings dust from one of his pouches into the air. He then nods to his friends. Briefly mentioned on the screen was that specific student's name and that they cast a detection spell. They are all grouped as they clear some of the rubble and reach for the flag.

The shield guy reaches for the flag as the shadows stir. Ripping out from the flag's shadow is a cloaked figure thrusting a knife. The pouch boy's neck is ripped open, and before blood can start pouring out in a cascade, he suddenly disappears in a flash of light. On a different screen, his face with his school's name appears. A cartoonish red x is animated over it.

The duel swords guy was ready for an attack but, like his pouch friend, couldn't react to the sneak attack in time. His blades couldn't even meet Rai's cowl before three arrows thud into his chest at once. He falls limp and doesn't disappear immediately. He politely bleeds out for a little bit before turning into a flash of light.

Val is perched high in a ruined building, making long shots with precision aim. She seems exhausted, and I can tell right away what kind of exhaustion it is, for I have experienced it many times. Val is out of mana and has been for quite a while. She must be scrapping the bottom of the barrel with every shot to make sure they are lethal enough to put someone down.

The shield guy turns around, and his two friends are already out of the event. He holds up his shield at Rai, who must also be spent, and shouts a battle cry. The tower shield turned into a flashbang as a bright light spread out, momentary blinding Rai. Paired with a slash from the sword was enough to injure Rai severely.

The light must counter his shadow since he didn't use that annoying ability he used on me constantly to invalidate my attacks. Val shoots an arrow at the shield guy's head, but it deflects off. His armor must protect his entire body rather than just his chest. I don't know if he brought that from home or if the event facilitates the need to procure your own loot. Either way, that was unlucky for Val.

The arrow was distracting enough for Rai to blindly retreat from the shield guy's attack range. His situational awareness must be great since he can nimbly avoid the debris on the floor while still blind. The shield guy looks for the source of the arrow but can't pinpoint Val's location. Rai blindly throws a throwing knife, but it deflects off the shield.

The shield guy tries to pursue Rai, but him being on the lookout for the hidden archer and the rubble-filled environment makes it impossible. He turns to get the flag, but another knife from Rai brings his attention back. It bounced off the back of his head, causing a small bleeding wound.

He angrily looks for Rai, not expecting him to be right there. He tosses what looks like a mixture of concrete dust and rust right into the guy's eyes. His armor might help against attacks, but not from random garbage. Rai still dodges his wild swing, even with his wounds, and manages to stab a dagger in his armpit, the blade goes hilt deep, and Rai has to leave it behind.

The shield guy, while blinded, shuffles his feet in preparation for another skill, but an arrow to the calf interrupts him. The breastplate must only protect his head, not the rest of him. Why is he wearing shorts on a battlefield? Val seems relieved that her arrow helped out. She slumps behind some cover, exhausted. Now that I notice, she hasn't had ammunition on her, so she's been using a skill to conjure them the entire time.

Rai finished the guy off by ripping his dagger free from the armpit, spraying blood onto the concrete and rebar. The shield guy turns into a flash of light and disappears.

Rai stumbles but manages to catch himself. He uses his hand to inspect the sword wound and comes back bloody. Rai tries to stop the bleeding, but without bandages or potions, the act is futile. He gestures with his hand, most likely to signal Val, and falls over. He turns to light a few moments later.

Val arrives at the flag and starts putting the debris back. There must be some rules about flag placement because I see no reason for her not to bury the damn thing if there weren't rules. She then sits down on a concrete slab out in the open and sits there,

She waits long enough for an arrow to fly out of nowhere and pierce her neck, going straight out the other side. She is instantly turned to light as the last member of the team is eliminated. An announcement plays, and my team appears in the stadium. I was confused about that play until I noticed the sniper's friend berating him.

[It's capture the flag, not team death match. They missed out on a lot of points because of their hastiness. Just like when the flag is captured, and the entire team is automatically eliminated if the team falls, the objective disappears.]

I could've figured that out. But I wonder why I haven't seen any guns or firearms.

[They are banned. The elves hate guns and have banned them from their country. This tournament is just the qualifiers for the one in the elvish territory, so they won't allow firearms. Someone winning by using guns would be disadvantaged.]

Sure.

People start clapping politely for the team that just got eliminated. My parents aren't excluded from this. I clap as well, but all that manages to do is startle my parents. They look over at me before realizing that it's actually me.

"Son, is that you? Did you get my gift?"

"Who cares about the gift right now? Simon, look at our boy. He has a metal arm! When did that happen? What happened? Who did this to you?"

I completely forgot I was hiding this from them.

"Calm down. Look how buff Ellis got from the last time we saw him. He's almost like a brand new man!"

"He's almost like a brand new man because he has a new piece to him! Why aren't you as concerned as I am!"

"I'm happy our Ellis managed to get back to us safely. I don't care if he doesn't stay in one piece as long as he's alright."

My mother's focus shifted to the fact that I was missing for over a month. She immediately rushes over and hugs me. After a few minutes, she breaks the hug briefly to nitpick little things about my appearance, especially my hair.

My foster father alternated a thumbs up to a thumbs down, questioning if I liked his gift.

I gave a thumbs up from behind my mother's back since she started hugging me again.

~

It takes a while before I can meet up with the dean. His assistant came over and led me to his and my team's location. The last time I saw my team, they hadn't gone under the dean's special training over two months ago, except for my sister Val.

Val is still my foster sister. She is still shorter than me and still has pink hair. She has two quivers on her person, one on her back and one on her hip. Her leather armor seems expensive but doesn't look like it's enchanted. She is currently ignoring my existence.

Jerry is being flanked by his tamed beasts. A horse-sized bearded dragon with wings. Said beard is made of fire that flickers harmlessly at the moment. His other tamed beast is a koi fish swimming around in a floating orb of water. Jerry seems taller and more buffer from the last time I saw him. His expression when he sees me is complicated. I can tell he's happy, but he seems concerned. I wonder why.

Anabel, the necromancer, doesn't wear any armor and still has pitch-black hair and eyes. Her face conveys no emotion, just like the first time we met. The only item on her person that seems out of place is a single purple crystal hanging from an old iron bracelet.

Rai hasn't changed. Still covered in all-black clothing with a cowl. I know from the fight that he has a bandoleer of knives hidden under his cloak, and who knows what other poisons or concealed weapons he has? He only gives me a nod after looking inquisitively at my prosthetic arm.

Arlug is also there, probably.