“Nice work,” Leah told him as she and Taji jogged up.
“Thanks.”
“Wasn't talking to you,” Leah said. She pointed over to Erika. “Out-dueled another rogue one-on-one.”
Darin glanced over at her. “Really?”
“Yeah. Really.”
The last surviving member of Lightning Strike looked at them like they were monsters. “This is so unfair,” he said. “Of all teams, we had to get you.”
Darin nodded. “Yeah. It really is.”
That didn't mean he wasn't going to take the opportunity to finish him off, though.
They were in the finals, but any elation from their victory soon faded as they watched the next match. He could feel it in the atmosphere around him too. Ice Guardian, the top seed in the D-rank tournament, was being completely manhandled by a qualifying seed.
Darin watched with grim interest as Crimson Flame finished off an archer using a similar trick to his own. Had they taken that from watching the previous match, or come up with it on their own? Either worked, and while some people might decry copycats, the tournaments were very much a follow the leader affair. If one team found a new technique or trick, other were sure to use it.
But it wasn't just about technique. Crimson Flame seemed to communicate well without even speaking, using hand signals and other visual cues to coordinate their attacks. Their team configuration was standard, but their abilities seemed to be far above the D-rank levels.
And when the last enemy fell Darin felt his unease grow by the second. He could feel the shock in the crowd. Upsets weren't unheard of by any stretch of the imagination, but one like this…
A lower seed had completely toyed with the top-ranked team in the division. More importantly, they'd be facing that team in the final along with Iron Titan. And the fourth seed was nothing to sneeze at either…
“So much for easy,” Taji said.
“That just means it looks a lot better when we come out on top, right?” Erika said.
“They pay the same whether you beat the three best teams in the world or three scrubs. I'd like the one that's more certain.”
“We just have to make sure we're on top of our game tomorrow,” Leah said. “We may have to face them...”
“Do we have to face them, or do they have to face us?” Erika asked.
Taji shrugged. “I don't see the difference.”
Darin caught what she was saying. It was all just a matter of outlook. If Raven's Call expected to win then that increased their chances of victory, so long as they took their opponents seriously. They didn't need to fear them. They needed to impose their will on the others.
“Tomorrow's crunch time,” he told the others. “We've come a long way in a short time. Let's make sure we keep it going.”
16
Leah frowned as she watched more and more of the Crimson Flame match, trying to decipher any meaning she could from the fight. Iron Titan was going to be a tough foe, that much was certain, but the newcomers were somewhat of an enigma to her.
That made them dangerous. In fact, an unpredictable foe could be more dangerous than a stronger but well-known enemy because they had the element of surprise. If they couldn't predict the enemy's movements then they'd constantly be on the defensive.
What made them appear so powerful? Out of the four teams going into the final, three of them were lower seeds and all of them had swept their matched four to zero. Was it the level of competition? Leah knew that Silver Star's experience was far beyond anyone in the D-rank division. Even with their relative equality in skill levels, their instincts and knowhow gave them a significant edge over other teams. That accounted for Raven's Call and Iron Titan.
But Crimson Flame? Leah had never heard of any of the members. None of them had been in the higher ranks of the tournaments. The team had never competed in the D-ranks before this tournament either. To all appearances they were complete novices, and yet they had performed beyond all expectations.
Were they just naturally talented? Were they lucky? Leah didn't think so. She might have been able to convince herself of that if they had just come through the qualifiers, but making it to the finals was an entirely different beast. Even if they did have luck on their side there had to be some skill to go with it.
Four teams, one winner. Leah thought that made things even more difficult. At least in a normal tournament they could focus on one team, even if they had to match up with Iron Titan next. But this type of match meant dealing with three vastly different opponents. She hadn't even begun to look at Golden Ram, the fourth team in the final and the one with the highest seed. They might not have the experience of Iron Titan or Raven's Call, but they weren't going to be pushovers. Not when they knew every other opponent was a strong contender.
She leaned back in her chair and sighed. Out in the real world, and still she was focusing on the virtual one. Of course there was plenty at stake inside it, so it wasn't like she was wasting her time, but…
Leah heard an alert go off on her tablet, and a video message popped up. She recognized Darin's username and accepted.
“That was quick,” he said. “Are you looking over stuff for tomorrow?”
“Yeah. I'm guessing you're doing the same?”
“Not much else to do. And I want to make sure we know what we're getting into with the two other teams,” he said. “Golden Ram is pretty standard, but Crimson Flame...”
“They're pretty unnatural,” Leah said. “If I didn't know any better I'd say that they were veterans, but none of the players have ever taken part in the tournaments. So they're just naturally skilled, I guess.”
“Huh, kind of makes you envious, doesn't it? We actually had to work our way up before we could even think of winning a tournament. Remember that?”
“Do I have to?” Leah asked with a smile.
Silver Star's first tournament had been a complete disaster. They had only managed to make two kills in the qualifying rounds before they were completely annihilated. Their second attempt had been better, but they had still missed out on making the tournament. It took quite a bit of training and effort to become competent, and after that it had been a long slog to the upper ranks.
But sometimes there were teams where everything clicked. Whether it was just luck, or that they had an intrinsic understanding of how to fight, they were able to make rapid ascents up the ranks. Leah had seen it before, and Crimson Flame just might be the latest in a long line of those teams.
Whether they could sustain that momentum in the long run was yet to be decided. Teams could rip through the D- and C-ranks on pure natural talent, but the B- and A-ranks were a far different story. Every team in those divisions had to come up the hard way, and they knew every trick in the book. They knew how to counter them as well, and a combination of brains and skill almost always beat pure talent.
That might be true here as well, but Leah was still wary of the newcomers.
“So anyhow,” Darin said, “I think that we can do this, but we have to make sure that the others don't gang up on us. Actually, I'm hoping one of the other teams takes out one or two of Iron Titan first.”
“Don't want to fight them four on four, huh?”
“I don't have a problems with that, but I'll take what I can get. I want to make sure that Taji and Erika think this team is sustainable. I think we have a solid team here, if we can just keep it together.”
Leah nodded. “Yeah. I think we found two good ones. I think we might have fought a diamond in the rough with Erika too. She's out-dueled two rogues with no outside help. She that might be her role.”
“Rogue killer,” Darin said. “Capable of taking on the strongest and fastest enemy attacker and holding them at bay. Capable of killing them all by herself too. That's a powerful weapon to have.”
“Don't discount Taji either.”
“Oh, I know. He's not flashy, but he knows what he's doing. And he knows his role in the team.”
Tanks didn't have a glor
ious role within a team, but it was an essential one. They could take damage and occupy multiple enemies without much fear of being killed. Even if they couldn't inflict much damage, their presence allowed the rest of their unit to operate freely. Leah would have never been able to make it across the field in the last match without Taji shielding her from the destruction spells.
“I think we're going to have to keep our eye on Crimson Flame,” Leah said. “They look pretty dangerous.”
“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Though I guess we can be thankful that there's three strong teams in the final. I was afraid that the other three would gang up on us.”
“It's still possible.”
“Yeah, but less likely. Iron Titan is in the same position as us, and I don't think that Crimson Flame is the type to do it either.”
“Do you really know that for sure, or is that just gut instinct?” she asked.
“Just a feeling. But if it's going to be chaos then that's fine with me.”
“So, everyone but us is running a standard team. That's going to make it tough, since we don't have a destruction magic user.”
“You were the one who decided not to go with that.”
“I know, and it has several advantages, but with three other teams it's going to be tough. If it was just us against Iron Titan I think we could handle it fairly well, but there's too many wildcards.”
“So you have an idea for taking out Iron Titan? We might need that if it comes down to us and them.”
“Yeah. I'd have Erika occupy Leo, and then go after their other attacker.”
“Not their archer?”
“No, because that's the standard play, and they'll probably be expecting it. Conventional wisdom says that we should take out their most powerful damage dealer, and she's it. But I'm almost certain that Jon would be guarding her, and then we're stuck in a mess.”
“So better to take out one member rather than take the risk of being bogged down. Sounds like a plan.”
“Of course that doesn't work when there's two more teams in the match. If we send Erika after Leo I'm inclined to think they'd just let them fight it out and try to pounce on us while it's happening.”
“Yeah, but at the same time I'd rather take my chances with that rather than have Leo running around.”
Leah understood why. Leo had an innate understanding of surprise attacks and ambushes, and he could use a combination of stealth and speed to get right on top of his target. She knew very well she'd have to keep her eyes peeled when they were in the stage, otherwise she'd probably end up with a pair of daggers in her back.
But was that threat enough to risk putting them at a disadvantage when they took on the other teams? She wasn't quite sure.
“What do you think?” she asked.
“What do I think? I think we're going to have to take some risks, because we don't have the offensive power that the other three teams do. I think mobility would be a good weapon. If we can draw some of the other teams into fights with each other then that benefits us.”
“That's if they don't catch onto what we're doing. I think they're likely to gang up on us if that happens.”
“Well, fine. We can do something different if it comes to that. Maybe try to get everyone fighting at once and then try to take out a few of Iron Titan. I don't want to have to take them on at the end, especially if we're weakened.”
“I'd say that Crimson Flame would be worse. We don't know much about them,” Leah said. “Of course there's Golden Ram, but no offense to them...”
“You don't think they're going to be as much of a threat as the other two. I agree.”
Leah sighed again. “So much to decide on again. Should we have invited the other two to talk it over?”
“I think they've done enough for today. And we have our plans anyhow. I just feel like we need to get the old edge back.”
For some reason the conversation with Leo popped into her head. Leah didn't know why she even thought it mattered at this point. He might have talked grandly, gave the impression that he wanted to do things a new way, but here his team was in the finals. To all appearances it looked like he had gone back on his proclamation.
And yet, that didn't mean his words lacked any merit. Did they have some truth to them? Leah might want to change the way her team operated, but here she was resorting to old habits. They were doing everything they could to win, even when they were outside Avalon Online's virtual world. They could try to justify it all they wanted. They needed to win to make sure the team stayed together, or that they wanted to move up to the next division, but…
Could they really claim they had changed at all? At this point they were little better than Leo and Jon, claiming one thing while pursuing another. And would they drag the rest of their teammates down with them chasing that goal? Could she really keep going like this acting like nothing was wrong?
“You know what?” Leah said. “I think we need to stop worrying about this. We have the ability to do this. Not just us, but Erika and Taji too. I know we need to prepared, but I think we're at the point where we're getting diminishing returns. We're overthinking it too much.”
“So just stick with the original plan?”
“Yeah, and we'll figure it out if we have to change our tactics in the middle of the fight. It's almost guaranteed to happen anyhow, so why waste time coming up with solutions for every scenario? I think it's better to be able to do them during the match.”
Darin made a face. “OK. I'm not a huge fan of it, but...”
“But the further we go with this the less helpful it becomes,” Leah said. “And then there's one more thing. How much fun is it to sit around and make a million plans?”
“OK, point taken. I'll see you tomorrow.”
“See you then.”
Leah shut off her tablet and leaned back into her chair again, thinking. She hoped that she made the right decision, because if they lost tomorrow she'd be second-guessing herself for weeks. Losing didn't mean the end of their team, but it would be a severe setback. They'd have to claw their way up the D-rank division again, and if Iron Titan won she wasn't sure she could stomach seeing them ascend any further.
But then, there was the new approach she wanted to take. This meant nothing if they couldn't enjoy the fights they competed in, the competition they faced while they made their way up the ranks. Leah had faith in herself and the rest of her team.
No, she thought, she wasn't nervous. Instead of fighting three teams of scrubs, Raven's Call was in for a tough match where the winner was in doubt. It would be a challenge, and for anyone watching it was sure to be entertaining as well.
That was their role, after all, and she'd embrace it. It wasn't just to win, or to make money. It was to entertain. And win or lose, they'd make sure that happened.
Leah heard the roar of the crowd as the teams advanced down the tunnel and to the arena floor. As they emerged the sheer scope of it all hit her. This wasn't just a D-rank match anymore. The size and verbosity of this audience matched that of most A-rank matches. Apparently the fight card had captured everyone's attention.
She had no idea how many people were watching from outside the virtual reality, but Leah imagined it must be significant as well. The Avalon Online commission had to be happy about that, though she wondered what they thought about having two teams of former Silver Star members in the final. Was it just a coincidence for them, or were they not pleased at the prospect? Leah wasn't sure they'd ever know.
“This is it,” Darin said quietly to the rest of the team. “Win this and we're the top-ranked team in the division. Then we can think about challenging C-rank.”
“First things first. Let's win this,” Taji said.
Leah nodded. Obvious advice, but sound as well. That was a good sign, at least. Taji seemed focused. She couldn't tell Erika's mental state from her actions, but she had always seemed ready during the previous fights. At least it appeared she was loose, calm and collected with no outward si
gn of nerves.
But they weren't the only ones that seemed ready for the fight. Leah looked around at the other teams, hoping to gain a little insight, but there's wasn't much to be seen. They all seemed either focused or bored, standing around and waiting for the announcers to finish their spiel.
She took a glance at Crimson Flame and Golden Ram, both looking fairly confident. Leah was about to look at Iron Titan as well, but then the announcers finished their preliminary speeches.
“Teams, prepare for battle! The match will take place in the ravine stage!”
Leah smiled. “Perfect.”
She saw Darin nod and look over at Erika. “I don't need to tell you what that means, do I?”
“Already on it.”
The ravine stage had several levels, but the players would spawn on the floor of the landform. If they wanted to get higher they needed to climb, and that favored players who had the sky-walk ability.
Raven's Call might not have a destruction mage in their ranks, but with two manipulation magic users this stage suited them perfectly. If they could get together as a unit, or even as pairs they might be able to outmaneuver the enemy and gain the high ground.
She didn't have any more time to think. The timer started to count down, and the arena faded away. Leah inhaled and reached back for her bow, waiting for the stage to materialize around her. Now it was time to find out if her hunch was correct.
Gravel crunched beneath her feet as she walked. Leah kept her eyes peeled, looking for any signs of movement. With so many enemies in the stage the slightest lapse of attention could prove fatal.
Granted, her loss would be far less severe to her team than any of the other archers, but she still provided a valuable service to her team. She was their only healer, for starters, and Leah imagined they'd be taking hits at some point. Even the swiftest and most agile fighters couldn't dodge forever.
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