52 lines
2.4 KiB
Markdown
52 lines
2.4 KiB
Markdown
# Chapter 1
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Alicia scanned across the clearing. The battlefield was a wide open grassy field
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without any good spots to take cover. Her team was losing. Badly. Her team's
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flag was solidly in the hands of the enemy and every attempt to wrestle it free
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had failed. She saw the possibility of an opening among the chaos and gestured
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her squadmates to follow her lead.
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They sprinted down the battlefield, the noise of their approach alerted her
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teammates of the plan and they joined in, creating a phalanx with their wooden
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shields. The other team realized what was going on and attempted to block it.
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It almost worked, if only the force of Alicia's impact didn't knock two of the
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blue guards on their backs. Alicia ground to a catlike halt and raised her
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wooden sword to the flagbearer. The poor person looked terrified but raised his
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sword back to fight. Alicia struck the flagbearer in the leg to make him lose
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his balance, and Tistus came in from the side to claim the prize, snatching it
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and holding on for dear life with his claws.
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In the confusion, the blue team turned towards Alicia, thinking some of the
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blood she had spilled from an earlier fall was the flag on their hip. This gave
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Tistus room to escape with the real flag in his paws. Alicia grit her teeth
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and braced for impact as the blue team's swords were raised all around her like
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a pack of hungry wolves. Zekas, the blue team leader, reared back to hit
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Alicia's weak side.
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The horn sound resonated throughout the area. Tistus had made it to the base and
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the exercise was over.
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Red team had won.
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Zekas growled at Alicia, "No fair you get to have the best sprinters and all we
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have are these burly hunks that can't run to save their lives."
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Alicia smiled back and looked down to her side, there was a red streak down
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their left leg that wasn't there earlier. "Some burliness would have helped
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here. Can you pass me a bit of cloth? I need to get this leg to an apothecary."
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Zekas begrudgingly gave Alicia a bit of cloth as she bandaged herself. As Alicia
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dressed her wound she felt a surge of power to her right hand.
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_Nononononono, not around others._
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She focused her mind and let the surge subside. Alicia balanced herself with her
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tail and looked up at Zekas.
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"Thanks, let's go see what our teacher thinks we messed up, eh?"
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Zekas laughed, "At least you didn't let that witch beat you." and he lead the
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way towards the teacher's garrison.
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Alicia nervously laughed back and followed suit.
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