Alistair summoned his sword and kite shield as soon as the fight was called to start, preparing himself in to defend against whatever Basil would send at him.

Basil smiled at his friend as his hands dipped into his pockets, reemerging in fists as he took careful, measured steps backwards. Alistair, breaking from his typical strategy, rushed towards Basil. Wisely not giving his friend a chance to set up, knowing if Basil got the chance to summon too many plants with his affinity, he’d never get a chance to strike him.

Basil kept his slow path backwards, waiting until Alistair was almost on top of him, sword lifted to deal a decisive blow. Basil twisted suddenly, body moving with far more fluidity and grace than Liliana had expected from a mage. One hand opened, seeds flying through the air and falling like rain against the sand, burrowing deep. As Basil dodged a second strike, his vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around Alistair’s legs and holding him still.

Alistair hacked at the plants, but the time he wasted was well used by Basil, the boy backing up further. Thick vines, bristling bushes and even a tree sprouted in seconds even as Basil continued backing up.

It was like watching spring on a speed run as Basil continued tossing seeds, forcing them to grow supernaturally fast. Greenery spread across the arena like a reverse forest fire. Basil, in a sparse handful of minutes, had quickly turned the coliseum into a wild jungle, his form disappearing inside the thick greenery. Alistair stood still, an unmovable wall against the growing horde of plants. His first charge had failed, but he would not be so easily taken down.

Vines slithered across the ground like seeking snakes, some holding deadly flowers heavy on their lengths. When one got close enough to Alistair, his sword would strike out, slicing them down. Even as spores clouded the air, Alistair’s shield didn’t change.

So long fighting next to Nemesis means his [Poison Resistance] is far too high for anything like this. Liliana thought, one of her nails on her free hand making its way into her mouth for her to chew on, giving her abused lip a much needed break.

The initial testing strikes of Basil’s vines were done, more gathered, closing ranks. Thicker, twining together to make great lengths resembling fists and arms. They surged at Alistair, striking at him from multiple fronts. Alistair’s shield rose to deflect even as his sword chopped down, breaking vines apart with every slash, but there was ever more to continue the assault. The shield made of light floating around Alistair took some of the damage, but with so many attacks coming from all directions, some inevitably made it through.

Alistair’s shield hardly changed, as whatever defensive skills and spells he had on his person took the brunt of the damage. He kept moving steadily forward, shield raised to deflect nonstop attacks, sword rising and falling like the sun, blazing with a light that would rival any star as he cut a swathe through the greenery steadily overtaking the arena.

Vines rose to grab Alistair’s feet with every other step, steadily culled by a bright blade. Trees swung branches as thick around as a full grown man, buffeting the tank as he tried to find their master. Bushes uprooted and charged, sharp leaves and needle like thorns trying to leave their mark before they were shredded. Any plant that so much as moved was treated to a violent demise, yet despite that, hits were making their way through as plants sprouted faster than they could be cut down.

Alistair was a tank, with a health pool that sometimes felt endless to someone like Liliana. But it wasn’t unlimited, and slowly, as Alistair cut and sliced his way into the thick of the jungle Basil had created, his shield began to fade to yellow. Deadly flowers were stomped underfoot, releasing toxins and poison in the air, ineffective alone, especially against someone with [Poison Resistance], but no resistance skill was absolute, not at their level. Eventually, there would come a point where the poison in the air was too strong, too potent, and it would overcome resistances.

Trees fell, their size and weight so much that the ground shook. Vines woven together to look like beasts were sliced apart. Yet with every felled plant, Alistair took more blows. And Basil was firmly entrenched deep in his own kingdom, unseen even on the illusion. Hidden, undoubtedly surrounded by deadly plants.

Alistair’s defeat was not a fast one. There was no single decisive blow that ended him. It was a slow thing, a gradual defeat as he kept moving ever forward with a stubbornness that dared even death to challenge him. But Basil knew Alistair. He’d watched him for months, had fought beside and against him countless times. He knew the way to drag a tank down if you didn’t hold such a level advantage you could squash him with a single hit was a slow and steady fight.

He’d used his seeds, conserving as much Mana as he could to outlast Alistair’s Health. Had hidden himself in a veritable maze, forcing Alistair to run himself down in circles trying to find him. He’d turned a neutral battle ground into one where he held every advantage.

Once Basil had his plants up, the biggest Mana expenditure he’d face, it was a matter only of controlling them, allowing his Mana to slowly regenerate. If Basil was permitted to get his initial defenses up, he could easily outlast most.

Eventually, inevitably, as Liliana had to admit to herself after the initial failed charge Alistair had made, Basil was declared the victor. Alistair’s shield leeched to red.

“Oh, Ali.” Liliana murmured, heart heavy as the plants dispersed from the arena and Basil emerged, approaching Alistair.

The two boys gripped arms in a show of camaraderie that quickly turned into a bear hug as a visibly exhausted Alistair tugged Basil close.

“I can hear you opening your mouth, Kastrioti. Remember, it was Alistair holding us back, and he’s no longer here to save you.” Liliana barked out.

She had no supernatural reason or skill that gave her a warning about Zir’elon’s impending heckling. Nothing more than the knowledge that the prince would take any reason to dig a knife deeper into them.

And Liliana did not want to deal with Alistair’s disappointed frown when he found out she’d murdered the prince.

There was a disgruntled huff behind them, but for once, Zir’elon had discovered self preservation and kept himself quiet. For now.

Basil returned to the room, covered in more sweat than before, and looking far less enthused by his win than he had with any other fight. It was to be expected, fighting a friend could be exhilarating, but when you were both fighting for something, knowing your win took something from a friend made the victory bittersweet.

And they were all fighting for something here. To cement their seats in class S, to prove to others that they deserved their position, to garner attention from older years, to build connections on the back of their power.

Then there were the things they were fighting for that they never spoke of to each other, troubles and tribulations swirling just below carefree smiles and laughter. Whose parents placed far too much weight on the outcomes of the tournaments? Who faced scorn and a raised hand when they failed? Who here fought for more than simple Academy acclaim?

Fortunes had been made and lost on the coliseum sands. That saying held more weight than any of them wanted to admit to.

“It was a good fight, Basil.” Liliana spoke up first, stilling Basil in his path towards his customary chair.

“Yeah. Yeah, it was.” Basil nodded, voice somber and without thinking, Liliana wrapped a hand around his wrist, tugging him to sit on her other side, the side that had gone cold ever since Marianne lost her fight.

“Did your heart ache so for me, my lady love?” Basil tried to tease as he fell into the couch, Liliana releasing his wrist as if she’d been burned.

“Be a shame if you went to your next match with a broken leg, Basil.” Liliana huffed, leaning into Emyr and away from the southern heir, but she let a small smile on her face, to show that she had taken the teasing in the nature it was meant, Basil trying to lift the dour mood that had fallen over the room.

“My heart, she is so cruel!” Basil whined, flopping against the back of the couch in a facsimile of a faint.

“You two showed true esteem for your bond, giving it your all in your fight.” Koth’talan spoke up once the mood had settled into something far less stifling. Basil turned his head and regarded the bastard prince with a long look before he nodded slowly.

The next fight started before any more could be said, not that any of them were in much of a mood to speak. Howard Lale of class B, against Dianna Upperton of class B. Another set of classmates. The last of class B.

If Liliana remembered correctly of the contestants remaining there was only 2 left of class D and one from class E. With six remaining of class S they by and far outnumbered their fellow year mates, proving that in terms of martial power they had deserved their spots in class S. In terms of academic intelligence though… well the exam results and new rankings would be revealed soon enough to prove if they deserved their spots.

It was a surprise that more of class B had not made it this far, as they had more students get into the second round of the tournament than any other class. That none of class A had made it this far was a surprise, that students of class D and E had made it when none of class A had been an even greater surprise. It spoke to the fact that initial class rankings were generally not used as a measure of talent, because once they were tested, too many of those placed in high class ranks were proven to be lacking.

Basil paid a good deal of attention to the match as it progressed. Whoever won this fight would be his opponent in the next fight he had.

Lale tried his same tactic from his previous fight, utilizing his Reflection affinity to create what Liliana assumed, as she still could not hear anything through the illusion, was a veritable orchestra of music.

Upperton, however, had learned from his previous fight, or perhaps knew his methods from their time together. She used her Earth affinity as she had before, though instead of blocking reckless charges she used it to interrupt the music bouncing between reflected surfaces.

His music skills constantly stymied, Lale was forced to fight with only his own instrument, and no accompanying sounds providing additional power to his spells. In the end, the fight became a contest of fighting skills, which was where Lale fell short in comparison to Upperton, who moved as frighteningly fast as she had before.

The fight between the last two students of class B was ended far sooner than the previous fight. Upperton ripping her victory from Lale’s hands in a bare handful of minutes.

“I’d hoped she wouldn’t be the one to win,” Basil sighed. “She knows how to use her Earth affinity with far more expertise than most.” He continued, face slightly pinched.

One might think a Fire affinity was the worst match up for a Nature affinity user like Basil, but as they had already seen, that was untrue. Earth affinity users were far more dangerous, especially if their mastery of the element outmatched the Nature user. Because what could plants do when the very soil they were placed in fought against them? Basil’s seeds and plants could be destroyed before they ever had a chance to grow.

Liliana stood up, stretching out her muscles as her dozing bonds awoke. They had little interest in watching the fights. Their only care was for when it was time for them to step onto the sands.

“Good luck, lovely Liliana.” Basil bowed in his seat to her and Liliana rolled her eyes. She turned to Emyr, who raised an eyebrow.

“Going to ask me to lose again?” Liliana propped a hand on her hips.

“It’s a futile game to hope you’ll take pity on me and let me win a big pot. So just go out there and do what you do best.” Emyr shrugged with a small, teasing smile.

“Fight?” Liliana asked.

“Win.” Emyr corrected.

Liliana felt a warm smile bloom on her face as she shook her head to hide the softness in her eyes. She walked to the door, letting Lelantos squeeze his bulk out first, followed by Polaris. She slipped out behind them, Nemesis comfortably resting around her neck.

The walk was becoming familiar to her now as she moved towards the exit, her mind already moving to the fight before her. Brewster was a fighter, favoring a large claymore. Using his Fire and Dark affinities to extend his reach, Heat to make his blade deal more damage. He hit hard, but not necessarily fast. At least, not as fast as Liliana.

Adrenaline was a hot surge in her blood, but Liliana was not feeling particularly afraid as she stepped onto the hot sands, hearing the pounding cacophony of the audience. She almost thought she heard familiar voices in the crowd, crying out her name.

Or maybe it was wishful thinking, to believe she could pick out a few beloved voices out of the rolling thunder that was the audience.

“Lelantos, you can handle him alone. Polaris, you circle around, hit his back while he’s focused on Lelantos. Let’s end this quick.” Liliana instructed as she stopped in the middle of the arena, Alfred Brewster of class D before her.

“You’re shorter than I thought,” Brewster said in way of greeting, but Liliana didn’t detect cruelty in his tone, just simple battle field teasing.

“Took the words right out of my mouth,” Liliana smirked as Brewster huffed, subconsciously flexing, as if to prove he was quite large. Thank you very much.

It didn’t intimidate Liliana. She’d been fighting Silas since she Awakened, and that man looked like he ate cows whole. She’d been fighting against and beside Alistair for years, and his arms were thicker than her thighs.

Muscle and tall stature alone couldn’t intimidate a girl who had flung herself at a murderous tiger, or who had let a giant serpent sink her venomous fangs into her body. Nor could it even sway the same girl who had stood face to face with a Rank 1 beast. There was only one thing that could make Liliana taste the bitter tang of fear on her tongue, and it was facing down someone, or something, so overwhelmingly powerful that she could hope only for a swift death.

But Brewster could try. It was amusing, if nothing else.

The rules were read, and the shields were dropped. As the fight was called to a start, Liliana used [Leap] to put distance between her and Brewster, even as Lelantos charged, roaring and growing in size with every step until blazing claws met heated metal.

Liliana activated her Start Up combo, her naginata appearing as Polaris left her side in a blur of black and silver fur.

This fight would require nothing from her, but she would be stupid to not have contingencies in place. Prepare for the worst, expect the worst, but hope for the best. Brewster’s attention was fully absorbed by the deadly giant tiger bearing down on him, unable to back away or even take stock of the arena, as he barely kept his sword between him and deadly fangs the length of his forearm.

Liliana kept her body in a battle ready stance, even against the urge to run in. To fight. But they were too close to the finals of this tournament. Not only was there no need for her to waste her Mana and Stamina in a fight, her bonds could more than handle it alone. It was foolish to charge in when she could achieve victory with minimal effort.

With her bonds and additional stat points per level, Liliana might be stronger than anyone in the same rank as her, but even she could be felled by overconfidence and low Mana and Stamina.

Polaris appeared behind Brewster in a flurry of whipping tails and extended wings as he let off a combination [Chaos Breath] and [Havoc Claws], the unexpected attack sending Brewster, shield already dangerously close to red from just two attacks from a Rank 4 beast, his Health must be high, stumbling. Right into Lelantos’ waiting jaws.

Two minutes. Perhaps not Liliana’s best time, but not a bad one over all. Her active skills and spells faded with her weapon.

A small part of her felt almost bad that so few in her year could give her any type of trouble in a fight.

A bigger, more logical part of her squashed that wistful thought. These students did not have the fate of the world on their shoulders. Liliana had to be at least this strong. She needed to be stronger, but that’s what the Academy was for, for her to become stronger. Strong enough. If not to survive, then to at least take whatever evil Vita was pitting her against down with her.

She had to be stronger than anyone here, if she hoped to protect everything she loved in this world.

“Sorry about that, but good luck next time.” Liliana waved to Brewster as Lelantos released the boy when the end was called.

Polaris had already returned to her side, whining about how boring the fight was, and when could they fight the bird boy again because that fight had been fun. Liliana very pointedly said nothing about that. Nemesis hissed her displeasure at not even getting to participate and devour the human boy whole. Another thing Liliana did not respond to, preferring to ignore the homicidal commentary of her serpent.

Liliana looked around the arena for a moment as she turned to leave. For a moment, she thought her gaze caught on a familiar pair of golden eyes before they were lost in the masses. Then the audience was gone as Liliana stepped back into the tunnel.

Three more fights. Liliana thought to herself. Three more fights and she could be standing on a podium, the crowned victor of the tournament.

She stepped back into the room, to the depleted group they had left, to cheers. Far smaller than what she’d heard out on the sands, but somehow so much more.