Revelations (Song of Sophangence Book 4)

by E. I. McAllistair

  Shonte felt as if she had been kicked in the gut. The last statement had been purposefully injected in the most insidious manner possible. The condition for victory was no longer so simple as overpowering your opponent. If you decided to hog the spotlight, then your partner could potentially stab you in the back if they felt confident to continue alone. Quick math made her realize she could be competing in up to three matches if she made it to the end. More variables introduced themselves one after another, which caused her to become overwhelmed.

  “That is it for the briefing. To keep things fair, the first time you will be allowed to communicate with your partner will be the start of your first match. Afterward you will be together for the duration of your run.”

  Somewhere along the line, Shonte had missed the assignment of partners, but a glace at the projected screen showed the face of the man she would be competing alongside. She sighed with relief as neither Anaar nor Phavian were her enemies for the first round, which gave her some hope of proceeding. Conversely, they were not her partner either, which meant there would come a point she stood opposite of them.

  Because the structure of the tournament ensured it would be over quickly, the administration decided to hold each match individually so that the spectators could savor them, rather than be bothered to split their attention. This produced a seemingly endless amount of downtime for the contestants, but their audience was grateful for the convenience at their expense.

  To protect competitive integrity, their Vizers were deactivated, and they were not allowed to watch the other matches. This was done primarily for fairness, but it was known that the building anticipation would make for more explosive matchups. This would also test the limits of the slapdash bonds that were being forced upon them.

  They were given one final piece of information before they were transported to their individual holding areas. There would be no seeding with the exception of the final match. All ten teams would fight against another team that had not fought yet, with the team that did the best out of their initial match progressing directly to the finals. Without any other words, each of the contestants were sent to their rooms to await their bouts in solitude.

  Meanwhile, the spectators were being worked into a frenzy by Hobb. Though no one knew every participant personally, each individual participant had some fans rooting for them, with the largest following obviously being Phavian and Anaar. This lead to some matchups being much more highly anticipated than others, many people already predicting the outcomes, but welcoming the experience nonetheless. With a flourish on everyone’s screens, Hobb announced what everyone had been anxiously waiting on: The School Rankings Tournament had begun.

  Because all the contestants were separated, rather than the teams entering together, each person appeared individually on their respective sides of the field. Per usual, Demolitionists’ Destination was utilized to encourage students to use their full potential without fear of harming the environment. It also served to better accommodate a wider range of student abilities, considering those such as Terrakinetics would be powerless inside a building.

  Though they had the personnel to bring all four students onto the field simultaneously, it was purposely designed so that one side would be given a slight advantage, as their team would be complete and have precious extra seconds to strategize. They were however prohibited from attacking until the match officially began. The first person to step out of the portal onto the field was Maggie, dropping immediately into a stance with her fan at the ready as she swept the area with her eyes.

  On the opposite side she spied a man who could have passed for Dan’s brother, which made her heart skip for a beat. Even though she already knew, it did not change her mounting anxiety. A portal opened next to her and a short pudgy man with a rifle exited alongside her. Maggie opened her mouth to begin a flurry of questions, but the man bore a very confused look on his face.

  “How did we get put up against twins?”

  Maggie spun to see that her initial observation was not nearly as keen as she thought. Standing side by side, at a distance Dan and his partner truly did appear identical. Even their clothing was similar. On either side, a similar scene was playing out, led by Maggie and Dan respectively.

  “What can you do?!”

  Dan’s partner smirked confidently, pointing to his chest. “I’m an Aerokinetic.”

  Maggie’s partner instead looked at her with scorn. “Who do you think you are talking to little girl? If you must know, I can make acidic secretions which I then cover my bullets or other weapons.”

  Dan pulled out a ream of paper, throwing it to the ground, the stack beginning to form a canine shape. Maggie’s hand spun the fan from her back opening it wide, drawing her arms back at the ready. Normally they would take a moment to assess their opponents, but both knew more intimately than anyone that striking first in this instance would be key. With a shout behind them they both told their partners to prepare. When asked why, they once again had similar responses.

  “That’s my girlfriend.”

  “That’s my boyfriend.”

  With shocked gasps from both partners, a massive vortex went churning toward Dan’s team, while the now completed wolf, designed to be as aerodynamic as possible, fought its way through the pull of the storm. The small man found it difficult to difficult to aim in his own partner’s ability, but did his best nonetheless. As the raging cyclone drew closer, kicking up dirt and rocks that attacked indiscriminately, Dan opened his mouth to tell the man to move closer so he could protect them, but his speech was impeded by the copious amounts of sand that had gone down his throat. As he coughed and sputtered, all resistance suddenly stopped, and the area was calm again.

  In a moment of wide-eyed horror, Maggie realized where she had seen the man before. He was the same Freshman that had stopped her before during a joint Tactics of Combat class. He appeared far less taxed than the last time, and he took the opportunity to strike back. With the precision of one who works with the wind rather than forces it to into submission, his attack grabbed both Maggie and her partner from their feet, slamming them back to the ground with another gust from above.

  In their helpless state, Dan’s wolf had the perfect angle to pounce upon the small man who was doing his best to shake off the fog in his head. He was not resilient like Maggie, which made him the perfect target to be mauled. The wolf jumped atop him, biting ferociously in attempt to clamp down on his neck. His valiant attempts at preventing the wolf from reaching his throat proved more effective than he expected, as the reflexive acid from his hands had a similar effect to water, while also dissolving the paper in an instant.

  “What the fuck was that?! Why was I almost killed by a paper dog?!”

  Maggie shakes herself off as she rises from the ground. “I told you to prepare yourself. Dan is a lot stronger than he thinks, and he is playing for keeps, even though it is against me. Especially since it is against me.”

  The panting man stood shakily. “What kind of fucked relationship… Maybe I could do something if you weren’t creating tornadoes that just suck up projectiles!”

  Maggie reaches down, grabbing the man by the collar and pulling him to his feet as she hands him five arrows. “That doesn’t matter since they have an Aerokinetic. My fan is useless now. Honestly this is the worst matchup possible for us since we are both inherently snipers. Coat these with your acid. I will try to get us an opening.”

  Though it was begrudgingly, the man did as he was told, even though the command came from a woman who was in a lower class. Maggie fired off a volley of arrows, but even with them being empowered with her Singularity, the Aerokinetic was able to blow them off course, even if he could not stop them completely. Maggie bit her lip, grabbing up her arrows the moment they were coated.

  “Watch carefully and take the first opening you get. We need to take down the Aerokinetic first since he dramatically limits our options.”

  “Which one is the Aerokinetic?! They look th
e same!”

  A dry look spread across Maggie’s face. “The one not holding the paper…”

  Dan noticed Maggie’s face, and immediately tensed. He knew that anytime she bit her lip, she was planning something reckless. If she closed the distance, he had a chance against her since he was a close to mid ranged fighter as opposed to her being mid to far. He closed in on his partner, who he realized looked much more like him than he was comfortable with.

  “I’ll take care of Mags. She ‘bout to rush in. Stick close to me and keep them damn arrows and bullets off our ass. If we take out Mags, that other dude good as gone.”

  Perhaps it was due to his partner being a Freshman, but he found they worked very well together. He knew his limits, and was comfortable doing his job whilst staying safe. He never questioned Dan’s orders, but he was quick to respond accordingly without the need for commands. As Dan expected, Maggie came sprinting toward them, moving at a blinding speed that tested the limits of her body’s ability to keep up.

  Dan expected her to come at him, but instead, she diverted at the last moment, leaping into the air and firing a snapshot with her bow. Unable to divide his attention to cover himself and maintain the defense against Maggie’s partner, he sacrificed the buffeting winds to push her arrow off course at such a short range. Unfortunately for him, this was exactly what Maggie had planned.

  Throwing her bow to the ground, she pulled her new obsidian hammer from her back, it hungering to meet its first victim. Maggie had seen that Dan was not playing his usual defensive role, which meant his partner likely would attempt to protect himself, rather than trusting Dan to do it. The man could do nothing but tremble as the hammer was inches from his face.

  In the very last moment, just enough paper covered his partner to block Maggie’s blow. Multiple shots rang out as the Aerokinetic crumpled to the ground shaking as he saw his life flash before his eyes. Dan could not understand why, but Maggie’s partner was aiming directly at her. He reflexively grabbed her, pulling her close, his hardened paper underarmor stopping the bullets, but the acid beginning to eat away at his clothing and the paper underneath.

  Maggie had given her partner one final message before she dove in. If the opportunity should arise, she wanted him to shoot at her, because she knew Dan would attempt to save her which would create an opening to eliminate him. As he held her tightly in his arms, she felt some remorse but was satisfied her plan worked.

  Whispering softly into his ear, “You still haven’t learned to think before jumping. I don’t always need protection.”

  “I cain’t help it. But I knew you ain’t got no problem playin’ dirty so I figure it work for me anyways.”

  In that moment of victory, Maggie had forgotten something important: Dan was far stronger than her in close quarters.

  Paper burst from Dan’s clothing, tightly binding Maggie. Releasing his grip, Maggie fell to the ground, wriggling in an attempt to free herself, but the effort was futile. She had played into his hand because she never expected him to recognize hers. Without any hesitation, the Aerokinetic jumped from the ground, his composure regained, and his sights set on the man across from them with the rifle.

  “You won’t leave me behind!”

  The small man was then gripped in a spin cycle that progressively grew stronger. With no way to free himself nor retaliate, he was forced to bear the pain of the winds holding him that had begun to cut away at his flesh. Soon the pain became so unbearable he slumped unconscious in the vortex, after which he was unceremoniously dropped to the ground. A still squirming Maggie was able to roll herself enough to see the fate of her partner and immediately ceased her squirming. The match was over.

  When the crowds of people watching saw who was participating in the next match, they were excited, but also apathetic as they already knew the outcome. It had long been agreed that Anaar should be the true number 1 student in the school. After his showing at his second Mid-Year Melee, there were no doubts among the populace. Therefore, when they saw him exit first, rather than betting who would win, people instead placed bets on how long the other team would last.

  Anaar stood calmly awaiting his partner and the other team to arrive. On the opposite side from him, roughly fifty meters away, he saw the first of his contenders. He had been ruminating on it earlier when they were all gathered in their briefing, but he marveled at how perfectly the human physiology often adapted to accommodate someone’s abilities. As he was taking notes so that he could return to it later, his partner arrived.

  Most people who exuded confidence had the possibility to be mistaken for arrogance. The young man with his heavily tanned skin, athletic but not overly muscular body, and heavy eye makeup only knew arrogance. Anaar looked at the Freshman, his head only reaching Anaar’s shoulder, but his spirit towering over the world. Without looking, he sensed the arrival of the last participant.

  “You take the flying one. I’ll handle the martial artist.”

  “Flying one? What flying one? Why are you assigning duties like you are better than me?”

  Anaar sighed, “Holden, right? You might be strong, but trust me, you’d never hit him.”

  Holden scoffed as Anaar left him to confront his opponent, still not one to buy into the hype of the man everyone feared. He was however interested to know why Anaar not only knew his name but seemed aware of his skills without any sharing of information. Putting it aside for the moment, he realized Anaar’s information to be accurate, as gunfire rained from the sky. A very thin man carried a rifle as he soared through the sky, stopping just long enough to pull the trigger.

  “What a shit way to start. I get made to look bad right off the rip. How long are you going to give me this time? We going to have fun, or are you going to make a mess of me instantly like last time?”

  Anaar laughed as he stepped up to Kintaque. “I told you I didn’t mean for that to happen… To be honest, we are good to go for as long as your partner can survive.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because my partner is the impatient type. He’s going to attack you the moment he has an opening.”

  Kintaque looked at Anaar with more disdain. “I thought we weren’t supposed to know our teammate!”

  Shrugging, “I don’t, but you can hear the blood rushing through his veins, the slightly ragged breath as he grinds his teeth. He is hungry for a fight.”

  From behind them erupts a screech that sounded like a mix between a howlitzer and crackling electricity. Anaar’s eyes went wide as he felt the energy from the blast and was able to discern the projectile barreling into the distance. Placing a finger in the air, he smiles apologetically to Kintaque.

  “Hold please.” A portal opens which he sticks his head through, a floating head appearing next to Holden. “Hey… yeah… Could you not… I don’t know, reduce the competition to paste? I know, pot meet kettle. It’s just that the flier has a skeleton like a bird’s. It is really tough, but fairly hollow. You hit him with one of those-”

  A hail of gunfire showers upon them, Holden squinting, bracing himself to dodge. When nothing happens, he notices the barely visible red sheen protecting them from the bullets. Before he knew it, the head had disappeared, reappearing next to the man in flight, with the full upper body now visible.

  “That was rude, I was trying to have a conversation to prevent you from becoming goo. Some thanks. Calm down.”

  Anaar finishes his statement with a playful swat to the bewildered man’s back. Much to the surprise of everyone, Anaar included, the man streaked to the ground like meteorite, leaving a large impression along with a cloud of dust. When he pulled back through the portal, Kintaque was not at all surprised, the deadpan expression he was wearing speaking volumes.

  “Really? What happened to letting your partner handle it?”

  Anaar raises his hands defensively. “That was an accident! Again. I swear! I learned something new about my coronas, but I genuinely did not intend for that to happen. That guy takes the phrase
‘light as a feather’ to a whole new level. I’m surprised his clothes don’t crush him.”

  Rather than respond to Anaar, Kintaque shouts into the air to seemingly no one. “Umm, administrator people?! Can I just forfeit this match?! I’d rather just save my energy, and my vertebrae!”

  Crowds everywhere who were tuning in booed in response to the announcement that concluded the bout. Kintaque sighed a breath of relief, grateful to be spared embarrassment along with unnecessary injury. He knew his chances of winning were only about 1%, but once his partner was gone, he knew it to be a complete impossibility. Before he could resume his conversation with Anaar, he noticed his partner had angrily stomped up to him, grabbing him by the collar.

  “What the fuck is your problem?! You just had to steal all the glory, didn’t you?! You put on this big production like we were going to work together, but it was all an act to shit on me! Well fuck you going forward! I don’t need you, and I promise to kick your fucking ass when we are against each other! Stay the fuck out of my way!”

  Holden released Anaar’s collar, storming away to nowhere in particular as they were in the middle of Demolitionist’s Destination. Anaar and Kintaque’s eyes followed him until he came to realize he was stranded, stopping to look back awkwardly at the two men staring. They quickly averted their gazes and returned to their conversation.

  “What is that guy’s problem?”

  Anaar shrugs and sighs. “He probably thinks I intentionally took out the flying dude to steal points or something. Even though they openly admitted it, showing they have no shame, I really wish they wouldn’t make these events more difficult for no particular reason. Now I have to deal with a partner who hates me, just because they added in individual evaluations despite being on a team.”

  Kintaque’s face contorted in annoyance. “Why do you care in the first place? It isn’t like you need him to win.”