Viktorija Adelyte Kazlauskas

Chapter Twelve

When Viktorija, Etienne and Ismay walked into the room, Viktorija looked at the other people in the room. Her team was one of the youngest, most of the teams were older than twenty, but younger than thirty.

“Looks like Ahndray and Emilio are weeding out the weak,” Viktorija muttered to herself when she entered the room. She only smiled as she spotted Team Justus and then Team Bakari, she would look forward to fighting any of them. It would be interesting to fight Kamuzu, Sin against Sin.

“So many people,” Ismay muttered to herself following Etienne into the room; while Viktorija walked to the nearest free wall.

Ismay was annoyed at Viktorija; since she jumped her true love with his own family members, it was almost as if she was bragging about meeting them first. They looked at her like she was a pest, and they would be her future family members.

They weren’t meant to think she was a pest.

“It almost makes you lose confidence,” Antoinette told them as she walked over with Bardawulf; his Direwolf partner, Faoiltiama and Dix. Faoiltiama kept an eye on Ismay, Viktorija always found it funny that even the Direwolf didn’t like Ismay, a point of amusement when Ismay annoyed her too much. “They must have more experience than we do.”

“Sometimes having a giant ego will get you just as killed as having no confidence,” Viktorija told her.

“Can’t believe that you’re here as well,” Bardawulf told Viktorija, though his eyes were locked onto Ismay’s form.

Ismay just huffed at him, while glaring at Antoinette and Faoiltiama just growled at her. Viktorija rolled her eyes while waving her hand towards the golden-blonde female, pulling her next to her and away from Ismay.

Just in case her moronic teammate thought attacking someone who could cut off her nervous system was a good idea. Along with a someone who’s been adopted by a Direwolf as one of her pups, then again, Viktorija always knew that Ismay was that stupid.

“Now, now,” a voice said and Viktorija looked at the silver haired young adult, something was familiar about him. Something that ran a bell and made her went to run him through with her long sword. Even her short sword would work, along with the scent of snakes that followed him around and made her own hiss in annoyance.

“We’re not puppies,” she muttered to herself, vowing to keep an eye on this freak. Antionette giggling into her hand as she hide slightly behind her, or at least tried to, Antionette had a last a head on her.

“Don’t fight,” he continued putting his hands up in, what Viktorija guessed, was meant to show that he was harmless. “You don’t want to make any enemies; they might go after you first.”

“Go after the weak first,” Viktorija told him crossing her arms; she was comfortable where she was and her own abilities. Even as Bardawulf and Dix went to stand on Antionette’s other side as he looked at them. “Also, for your information, if I was fighting anyone. They would be dead.”

He only blinked at her words, Faoiltiama barking at him.

“Who are you?” Bardawulf asked him, looking at his partner as she lowered herself lower to the ground keeping his team behind her.

“Apoloniusz, named after the founder of the Dzīvā-lelle Clan,” he told them. Apoloniusz knew his mission, but he didn’t think it would be an easy one, he had to get on Viktorija and Ismay’s good side; so, his master could get closer to Etienne. He didn’t think he’d have to worry about Ismay, since she seemed to be quite the airhead.

Viktorija was going to be something else; she was the most harmless looking. But something about her made him want to run and not stop until she couldn’t find him. Maybe sail into the unknown east or west.

“Why did stop us from fighting?” Antionette asked him.

“I remember my first time trying to get into the Tournament,” Apoloniusz told her.

“How many times have you tried?” Bardawulf asked him.

“This would be my seventh,” Apoloniusz admitted.

“Then you must be weak,” Bardawulf and Viktorija told him.

“Shut up, Bardawulf and Viktorija,” Ismay snapped at them lifting her arm to punch one of them, but Faoiltiama growled at her and she put her arm back down. “Maybe there just hard to get into, ever think of that.”

“Of course, they would be,” Viktorija cheerfully told her. “This is an event to draw clients in; so, heavens forbid they get bored by a weakling getting beaten up. An embarrassment for their village, clients who can afford to, will merely go elsewhere.”

“Are you calling me weak?” Ismay hissed at her.

“Informing you,” Viktorija shot back.

“You haven’t changed since the Academy,” Antionette told her, making Viktorija laugh into her hands. Antionette was the nice one, even she was telling Ismay that she was weak; it was too good to be true.

Apoloniusz just sighed before showing them his deck, this drew Viktorija’s back to him as he held him up. They weren’t like Aldona’s sealing cards, since these ones just carried around information, the seal in the corner stopping anyone but the user from reading them.

As he looked at her narrowed gaze, Apoloniusz knew that gaining Viktorija’s trust was going to near impossible; not if he was going to gain enough that he’ll be useful to his master. He already knew pushing a bolder uphill would be easier then gaining that girl’s trust.

He would try with the other Atspoguļo members, but their teammates seemed less trusting then Viktorija was and there were more of them. Three more and none of them were like Ismay, air headed and easily fooled.

“This Tournament happens twice a year, every six months; each time it’s held in a different village and thus the tests are different,” he told them, showing them a map. “The last was held in Buik and the one before that was in Wittenin. I can find information about almost everyone who’s here.”

“Viktorija Kazlauskas and Kamuzu,” Etienne requested, making Viktorija glare at him. Etienne remembered spotting the brown-haired male walking around the village with his team; something about him set him on edge. Like how he was set on edge the first time he had meet Viktorija in class when he was four and she was three.

“You know their names; that’s no fun.” Apoloniusz only smirked as he showed them a blank card, before information appeared with Kamuzu’s photo in the corner. Ignoring the look that Viktorija was giving him; it looked like she wanted to drag into the first empty room and remove his stomach from his body. “First off is Kamuzu, he’s from Losrusern Village, but that Tournament hasn’t been there for the last five years; so, I don’t have much about him. All I know is that he’s never been injured during a mission.”

“Might have something to do with the Lava techniques,” Viktorija told him.

“And Viktorija?” Etienne asked.

“A girl from my home village; so, I’ll the most about her,” Apoloniusz admitted, before putting the card back and showing another one. “Viktorija Kazlauskas; this year’s dead last. Teammates are Etienne Atspoguļo and Ismay Martin, their teacher is Emilek D’éclairs.”

“So, what, basic information and I’m an orphan,” Viktorija stated, she didn’t know people from clans’ thought being called an orphan was an insult. Apoloniusz just looked at her before looking at her card, before he felt his skin pale from the blood draining from his body.

“It says here that she’s trained with Xavierra and Athos, having a low level in illusion techniques… wait, let me see if I have this right,” Apoloniusz said as he continued looking at the card, as he did so Viktorija looked at him with a widening grin; his job has just gotten harder.

“Have what right?” Ismay asked him as she looked at the back of the card in his hand, Etienne just watched as his paled. “Do you have something wrong? She’s dead last, how scary can she be.”

“No, no,” Apoloniusz told them; he didn’t know if she remembered him, but he would have to look over his shoulder if she did. She’s killed many, most of them stronger than he was and without blinking an eye. He doubted he was strong enough for her to remember fighting, since he wasn’t the only one fighting her that day. “It says she’s in the target book; nicknamed Asiņaina Pirmslaulību. It she’s after a traditor; then the village will raise the price on their head and leave her to it; since she’s killed everyone she’s been after.”

“That can’t be right,” Ismay told him, taking the card from the paling male’s hand and looked at it herself. She wanted to read it with her own eyes, he was right. She was on the same team as a psychotic killer; a cold-hearted murderer. A monster in the shape of a harmless child. “How can this be? She was dead last; it says she’s been doing this for almost six years.”

“All right, you little punks,” a man; who was the same size as adult male bears, told them. Viktorija smiled when she spotted who it was; he was the head of Xavierra’s unit and had taught Xavierra all the tricks she knew about the trade.

Like Ahndray and Emilio; Viktorija had meet him because of Xavierra. Like how she knew that the man was basically a giant teddy bear wearing a scary mask; which she found made a lot of sense, since he was the top Espionner member.

“We’re going to start this test,” he continued raising an eyebrow as she waved her hand at him, before looking at Apoloniusz and back at him again. This should make it clear; that he was someone to keep an eye on. “So come to the front desk, grab a piece of paper and get a number. No one starts until my say so, or else you’ll be kicked out before you can blink.”

“Let’s go,” Viktorija told Antoinette, looping her arm through her old classmates. She just glad that Faoiltiama didn’t growl at her for touching her new pup. “He means it, Hardouin isn’t someone to mess around with; he once broke someone down just staring at them for five minutes.”

“Papa warned me about him,” Antoinette told her.

“He’s a teddy bear,” Viktorija whispered to her. “Promise, but don’t get on his bad side; he’s broken those who were mentally stronger than you lot.”