Memoirs of a Witch (In Bloom Book 1.5)

Beanfest Finale

My mind reviewed all of the intel regarding the movements of each team as I ran for the coliseum. Jade, Cater, and Deuce were on their way to snatch the harp, and Jack and Azul stood guard. Rook and Trey went after Vil while Jamil and Lilia went after Silver and Floyd.

Getting closer to my destination, I ensured my footsteps were silenced and I remained hidden within the flora.

I spotted a figure.

Jade.

Armed with a bean blaster, he nonchalantly walked back and forth in front of the coliseum. He had to be up to something. 

Then, I caught sight of Azul running towards his Vice-Dorm Leader. The two individuals made eye contact and began to converse with each other, naturally from a distance. This had to be a trap of some sort. With the two of them distracted, I took aim and fired my net at Jade, scaring the living daylights out of him and Azul.

As I came out of hiding, I saw Azul with a his hand placed over his chest, "Cassandra, can you give me a warning next time you plan a sneak attack?!"

"Well, it wouldn't be a sneak attack then, would it?" I turned towards Jade, "And you, mister, never have your back turned on your enemy, especially unguarded."

"I guess I learned that the hard way," Jade said with a smile, "As a monster, I shouldn't be saying this, but good luck to the both of you."

Once we got him out of the net, Azul used his goggles to scan the area, "There's a farmer and a monster not too far away. I'm getting a really bad feeling about it though." He began to walk towards the woods.

"Hold it," I grabbed onto the sleeve of his jacket, "You're going by yourself?"

"I can handle one farmer, no need to worry about me. If you're worried about Jack, you should take a look and work your magic with one of your attacks."

Once Azul left, I quietly entered the coliseum and remained low as I snuck in between the rows of stands. I took a peek and noticed in the center was a face off between Jack and Cater.

There was no sign of Deuce.

Using his blaster, Cater continously attempted to bean Jack, but Jack was faster, avoiding any attacks with ease. I took aim towards the Heartslabyul student, but then my target changed. Deuce appeared from one corner of the stadium and bolted towards the harp. I stood from my spot and took aim.

Deuce's eyes widened at the sight of me. He made a sharp turn and began to run in zig-zags. I tried to imagine his path and predict the next step he would take. Once again, I took aim. Not releasing my net in time could mean the difference between victory and loss for the monster team.

Deuce sprinted for the harp, and Jack finally noticed. Deuce stretched his arm out for the instrument, but he fell back once my net trapped him. One farmer down, one more to go.

With the Heartslabyul freshman down, I shot another net at Cater before he could aim another attack at Jack. Both of them were down on the ground and struggled to get out of their nets.

An alarm blared and Coach Vargas spoke through the intercom, "Attention students! Beanfest has officially ended! This year's winners are the monster team!"

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With a conclusion to Beanfest, I invited Diasomnia over to Ramshackle Dorm for dinner. Although it would only be the five of us and Grim dining, I made enough to feed a dozen. With the absence of leftovers at the end of the meal, I wondered if I made enough.

I looked at the Diasomnia student sitting across from me, "You okay, Silver? You don't look so good."

Though he tried to hide it, I caught him rubbing along the sides of his torso during the meal and he appeared to be in discomfort. He tried to reassure me, "I'm alright, truly."

"You don't look alright, though. What happened?"

"I used my personally crafted submission hold on Silver once I cornered him," Lilia explained, "No need to be concerned about him, Cassie. He and Sebek have gone through rigorous training for years. This whole Beanfest would practically be a warm-up for them."

"But I guess my training wasn't enough. Lilia eliminated me early on in the game," Sebek's disappointment became determination, "I'll train harder for next Beanfest!"

"I couldn't even protect Malleus," Silver mumbled.

"Don't fret, Silver, you gave it your best," Malleus then turned to me, "How did you enjoy your first Beanfest, Cassie?"

"It was a lot fun, though I'm pretty beat," I began to pick up our plates, but Sebek took them from me, "Excuse me, signore? Why'd you do that?"

"Since you prepared dinner, we should clean up," Sebek began to pick up the remainder of the plates and utensils from the table, "We can't let you do all the work."

"But you're my guests."

"Didn't you say you were 'pretty beat'?" Malleus threw my words back at me, "You should rest."

"But-"

"If you have enough energy to argue, perhaps we should pick up where we left off," the Crown Prince's cheeky smile made a return, "We were so rudely interrupted before."

Lilia leaned in and whispered in my ear, "I could teach you the hold I used on Silver. Knowing your skill level, you'd master it in less than five minutes."

As tempting as it sounded, I replied, "Thanks, but I'll go to bed a little early tonight. You'll have to teach me another time."

Malleus then spoke, "Is it because you know you will lose?"

I folded my arms over my chest and raised a brow at Malleus, "Run that by me again."

"From what I observed today, your skills are exceptional when you have a team alongside you. I'm not certain you could accomplish much on your own."

"Psst! Malleus!" Grim loudly whispered from under the table, "Choose life!"

"Bold words, dragone. You'll have to let me know how they taste once I make you eat them the next time I come and train with you all," I rose from the table and headed towards the sink and gave Malleus the pink rubber gloves, "And since you have enough energy to argue, I shall grant you the incredible honor of doing the dishes."

Sebek was about to protest against his Young Master doing such a mundane chore, but Lilia pulled him back by the sleeve and told him there was no need for his intervention. 

Malleus accepted the gloves with a smile, "As you wish."