Sora Brontarion
It's day five of the totem game. We were able to make a large jump in the rankings, thanks to Nerena and her abilities. But the game was taking its toll. The constant influx of everyone's heightened emotions was exhausting. I felt like a doll being strung along by hundreds of threads in every direction. It was a battle to feel my own emotions at times.
Currently, the three of us are sitting in the top five. My brother was the base's defender, while Nerena and I were the scouts.
Nerena was an interesting girl. Quiet, reserved, and often lost in her own world.
I wasn't going to be the one to force anything out of her. I just needed her to cooperate with me—something I desperately needed since the most recent announcement.
The forest was in a frenzy since the teachers decided to change the rules. But I figured we could use the commotion to our advantage, picking off groups after their battles.
Nerena and I raced through the woods, closing on Stravos's stronghold. Nerena gave me a gesture to slow down as we approached the barrier of the outpost. Compared to our base, it seemed like a small village.
The small huts were placed strategically around the base, ensuring they could see enemies approaching from all angles. None were built by the river, assuming no one would travel by water. A fruitful discovery for our recon mission. Stealing Stravos's totems wouldn't be easy, but this realization tilted the scales a little.
A group of students were butchering animals, while another was purifying water from the river. At first glance, it didn't seem like anything special, that was until Nerena noticed something larger standing at the edge of their fortress.
A titan stood seven feet tall, with the physique of a chiseled stone statue. Its thin silver armor clung like skin. A figure both imposing and menacing.
"Do you have a plan for that?" Nerena asked, her voice soft and direct.
Before I could respond, I picked up something. An emotion that didn't seem to match the others that were in the enemy stronghold.
It was desperation. Confused, I froze. Nerena must have noticed as her spacey eyes locked onto mine.
"What is it? You feel something?"
"Yeah, I think someone else is here at the stronghold."
"Another enemy."
Immediately, I ran an electric current through the ground.
After receiving feedback, I said, "The person is to our left heading to the stronghold entrance."
We dashed out of our hiding spot, the noisy underbrush breaking our silence. Closing in fast, we noticed the student was already at the entrance.
The War Titan appeared at the entrance before us. The student's body trembled at the sight, his fear leaking out like sweat from pores.
I wanted to shout out and tell the person to run away, but I couldn't give away our position yet. No one else knew what I knew. An act of pure malice was about to take place.
Years of conflict between the Brontarions and the Vortaris taught me a few things. The living armor of the War Brand Titan constellation was created for a single purpose. To cause destruction. There was not a single fiber of kindness in that manifestation.
Anything the owner deemed useless was punished. War brands built their reputation on fear and domination, and this one would uphold it on the struggling student.
As I inched closer, I saw the student was a boy with alabaster skin and long, draping black hair. His sluggish movements revealed dehydration and the telltale signs of cosmic energy fatigue. He wouldn't last much longer.
Now, within earshot, I heard his voice raspy and soft.
"Hey, I was wondering if you had room for one more."
Several students began gathering around the War Titan, but there was no sign of Stravos.
"Do you have any totems?" One of the kids asked.
A pregnant pause filled the air. "No, I do not, I lost them all."
"No value in the deal for us. Stravos won't accept that." A girl from the group said as she started to walk away from the small wall.
The boy begged and pleaded, and in that moment, I felt his pain and his desperation.
His body slumped.
Then the titan shifted its position. Its weight coiled on its hind leg.
"We needed to save him, Nerena, now."
Blue energy radiated from her astral tattoo on her spine. We were physically outmatched when it came to the War Titan. Not many could handle it in close-quarter combat.
But our goal wasn't to fight it. We just needed to restrain it for a short period of time. A tactic we used often over the past couple of days. Despite her unwillingness to chat, we had developed some chemistry.
Knowing that Nerena was going for the flank, I surged toward the student, sparks rippling across my body, my movements desperate and precise, like a mother lion racing to save her young.
My surroundings blurred as I cut through the underbrush, the surge of electricity supercharging my muscles. I reached the student within seconds.
The War Titan jumped over the barrier, a metallic aura bleeding from its armor. Its fist cocked back, charged with malicious intent. But it never landed. The War Titan was yanked out of the air and crashed into the ground.
I grabbed the kid's shirt, and I didn't look back. All I heard was the clamor of the students in the stronghold.
"Was that her?"
"I think so. The strom priestess, no doubt about it."
"Stravos isn't going to like this when he gets back." I overheard a kid say as a loud shudder rumbled through the floor of the forest. Sensing Nerena 's emotions, I felt her relief. She was safe. I slowed down for her to catch up, not wanting to leave her behind.
"You're cute and all…but could you please put me down. This speed is making my stomach queasy." Looking down, I was met with a pair of dazzling emerald eyes.
Checking my watch, I saw how much time was left before the elimination. "In a sec, also accept my invitation before you are eliminated." The boy quickly did as I commanded.
Looking down at my communicator, I saw that his name was Voen. I hoped he'd be more of an asset than a burden. But I have no choice but to pray for the best since I couldn't ditch him now.
Within a few moments, sea green hair flowed in my peripheral.
"From almost being eliminated to being held by two beautiful ladies, today's my lucky day." Nerena's eyebrows and nose pinched together, her side eye beaming right through the back of Voen's head.
I didn't need to feel her emotions. The look described all I needed to know.