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1039 Words
Kyle didn’t say anything, which eventually led to another few minutes of silence when Kyle started talking about his discontentment with them not going into Minkalla. He clearly didn’t want answers, and just wanted to vent, which Matt let him do for almost fifteen minutes.
After standing around for close to half an hour, Kyle shrugged and clasped Matt’s shoulder. “Thanks, man.”
When they went back into the room, the rest were watching a movie, and Melinda pulled Kyle into the spot next to her and quietly talked to him, even as the movie played in the background.
The next day was a blur as the twins Annie and Emily arrived with Conor, who joined their team after the Pather War so many years ago.
Emily and Tara seemed incredibly out of sorts for the first fifteen minutes or so, but as the awkwardness faded, they seemed to just…click with each other. Matt quickly understood how their relationship had survived nearly a decade apart.
Seeing two of his friends so happy together brought Matt a sense of happiness, and he couldn’t help but start pestering the others in Melinda’s team who were still single, prying for any hints of a relationship.
He was firmly put in his place and told to buzz off, but he didn’t let it get to him.
Eventually, he, Liz, and Aster left to reunite with Liz’s family and give the others some time to settle in.
They were coming back from a mini golf excursion with Daniel and Erin when Travis and Keith came out of their rooms in full armor.
Seeing them, they imminently beelined and grabbed Matt, Liz, and Aster, guiding them to their room. “Get ready. We want to spar, and the three of you are the closest to our combat prowess.”
Matt didn’t need to hear anything else, and quickly changed into his under armor and then summoned his armor to his body with his spiritual ring.
Aster was just as fast as him, but Liz hesitated. “I don’t know if this is a good idea. If we beat you two, will you two be okay?”
Leah appeared from her room. “I’m the highest Tier, and I can ref!”
Mara and Leon came out of their room wearing clothes proclaiming their belief that Travis and Keith would win, but before Matt could make a joke at the corny shirts, another pair of Mara and Leon came out wearing even cringier shirts rooting for the three of them.
Travis poked Liz on the arm and grinned. “You can give up at any point, little sister.”
Liz narrowed her eyes and returned the grin. “Any stakes?”
Keith groaned, and Matt picked up Aster, already seeing that the two would get into an argument about what they should bet.
Fifteen minutes later, all the siblings were aware and shouting their suggestions for more and more ridiculous bets. Eventually, Liz and Travis settled on an agreement.
The losers would have to wear the pair of shirts Mara and Leon were wearing to cheer on the winners for a week anytime they went out. Matt and Keith shared a glance, but they both knew that they’d hardly be able to change the siblings’ minds. They might even end up with their significant others wearing shirts with their own faces on them.
Considering how much worse that would be, neither of them said a thing.
They entered the combat room to see Kurt, Luna, and both sets of Mara and Leon waiting for them. The latter of which were, of course, in a fierce argument about which team would win.
Matt took his position standing across from Keith, with his warhammer and shield combo, and shifted his grip on his sword to take his stance, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.
Liz was slightly behind him and had her shield and spear at the ready to join the melee or engage in a magical fight with Travis, who, like Aster, was well behind his frontliner.
Leah had been relegated to the stands, Kurt having taken her place as referee. He wasn’t entirely sure why, but he didn’t allow himself the distraction as the silent man counted down.
The moment the fight started, Matt lunged at Keith with his longsword, [Shadowstrike] lengthening the blade and preparing him for any counterattacks.
He had never fought Keith before, but he knew the strategy of fighting warhammer wielders and wanted to keep just out of the hammer’s range while utilizing his own reach advantage.
Keith was no amateur, though, and immediately twisted to intercept the blow with his shield, letting the tip of Matt’s blade skitter along the shield.
He immediately followed it up with a hammer blow blazing through the air, fast enough that Aster’s [Headwind] preventing the parting of air in front of it was actually relevant. A skill started to spark on the head of the weapon, but Aster’s area [Dispelling Wind] ripped the magic to shreds before it could properly form. He stepped back with a pulse of [Air Slide], then reversed course as Aster swapped from hindering to helping the weapon’s strike, and the sudden change in momentum threw Keith off-balance. Matt took the opportunity to strike at the man’s neck with a heavy blow.
With the speed borne of a four Tier advantage, Keith twisted, but Matt was just fast enough to land a glancing blow on the older man’s shoulder. It wasn’t a decisive blow, but Matt excelled at dragging out fights.
Keith was near the peak of Tier 17, after all, and had his own buffs. Fortunately, he also had to fight Aster’s area debuffs, and Matt’s physical enhancement suite was substantially stronger, but even still Matt was at best just keeping up with him. It was like fighting a mage-type monster, but one with better skills and far more experience than rift monsters usually had.
While they felt each other out, Liz pushed forward and tried to rush down her brother.
In a fight of more equal Tiers, a three versus two would make all the difference, but Travis wasn’t the son of a phoenix royal for nothing.
- Writer
