Warmatch

9

The next two tasks were simply modified repeats of the first. Other than the occasional fireball, flood, or volley of arrows- which were always aimed at the front row of contestants, keeping me safe- they were more or less structured the same. Each time, I narrowly avoided elimination. 

We went from shelter to shelter, sleeping and replenishing our oxygen whenever we had a break. We had been on Earth for nearly two days, and had only been fed once. Even then, the strongest and fastest contestants- which I definitely wasn't- got the bulk of the food. I had only managed to snag a slice of dry, yeasty bread. 

As we had completed task three and thereby reached the end of the preliminary rounds, we were instructed to gather at our most recent shelter for the announcement of the preliminary rankings. 

"All of our warmatchers at this year's Interplanetale have performed exceptionally well." The assembled contestants cheered as the aged Aurascreen in front of us flickered to life, displaying an ever-so-fake Lasydra Kay crooning into her microphone at the Imperial Auraview Studios in Glaisse. 

"So far, fifteen have been eliminated, and ten have been killed during the tasks, leaving thirty five still standing. However, interestingly enough, all ten kills can be attributed to just four of our contestants, who also happen to be our top four. I'm sure you're all dying to know who those exceptional Rhenans are and which lucky Iceheart's team they're on, so now, without further ado, I present to you the 2901 Warmatch Interplanetale preliminaries rankings!" 

Her face disappeared for a second, replaced by the Imperial insignia accompanied by the blaring warmatch theme song and thunderous applause. Soon, she reappeared, wearing an unnaturally wide grin. 

"In fifth place, we have Ida Ganni, Team Arystenn! She hasn't landed any kills yet, but she's injured three, and shows much promise in the semifinals. A survey taken just yesterday in Glaisse shows that she's definitely one of this year's crowd favorites. Let's hear it for Miss Ganni!" The Royal team cheered as Ida Ganni victoriously threw her hands up in the air. 

"In fourth place, the elusive Katim Faerlen, Team Arystenn, with one kill! He's quite a trickster, known for slitting your throat before you even know he's there. He ranked fairly low on the popularity survey, but who doesn't love a good surprise? Let's give it up for Katim!" A few surprised looks went to the unruly West Arabellan, followed by a smattering of applause.

"Securing a third place finish in the preliminaries is Iden Ganni, Team Arystenn, also with one kill! Now, this young man is so popular, he already has a fanpage on AuraNet+ with over twenty five thousand views! With a spot in the top three, he certainly hasn't disappointed. Let's make some noise for the second Ganni twin!" By this time, Team Arystenn was practically flying, patting each other on the back and celebrating their certain victory.

"Wow, I must commend Queen Saralee once again on her near flawless Picks. So far, she owns every top five finisher. In second place, we have Yakovan Hejedai with two kills! Analysts predicted that he would perform poorly in the running tasks because of his bulky frame, but in fact, he did just the opposite. He also ranked very high on the survey. Keep it up, Hejedai, Glaisse is on your side! 

"In first place, we have a huge surprise. She's a first timer at the Interplanetale, and her support on the survey was so minimal, she didn't even show up on the results. However, she's already making history. She's redefining the limits of Rhenan contestants, and possibly the warmatches themselves. This awesomely deadly young woman just might slice Lessaenes in half. I think we're all too awed to applaud for Shade Alestra, Team Valior, with a whopping, unbelievable six kills! Yes, you heard that right. Team Valior. Even Queen Saralee didn't see this warmatch sensation coming!" 

Shade stood with her arms crossed, casually leaning against the wall as confetti rained down on her blue hair. 

"Hear that, Ida?" Iden growled as the Aurascreen went blank. "We got beat by a noob." 

"First timers don't beat Team Arystenn," Yakovan flexed his muscles threateningly. "Ever." 

"All of you guys have high chances of making it out alive," Shade crossed her arms confidently. "Don't mess that up by attacking me."

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" The other contestants began to chant, giving the four top finishers a wide berth in the center of the room. 

Several of the younger contestants gasped in awe as Yakovan ripped an entire iron beam from the roof of the shelter, swinging it at Shade. However, the nimble girl ducked out of the way just in time, using his own momentum against him to send him flying against the wall. An infuriated Ida leaped at her with a hiss, drawing a dagger from her belt. Shade grabbed her wrist, twisting it backwards with a sickening crunch and forcing her to drive the knife into her own shoulder. 

"How's that for a noob?"  Shade grinned. "I'm better at this than the Icehearts. I don't even need Code technology to make people stab themselves." 

"The Icehearts aren't gonna like a Rhenan who thinks she's better than them," Yakovan, who had just managed to extract his head from the wall, grumbled. "They're gonna rip you to shreds in semis." 

"We'll see about that," Shade yawned. "I'm awfully tired. I'm going to sleep- if you disturb me, you've killed yourself." 

The other contestants jumped out of her way as she walked to one of the dark offshoot hallways that sprung from the central room we stood in. None of them wanted any trouble with the girl who had just beaten up two of the most celebrated warmatchers in the Empire. 

I too stood out of her way, trying to blend into the mob of contestants. But it wasn't enough. In fact, Shade seemed to be coming straight for me!

"Watch out, Ervine," she hissed, pinching my wrist as she walked past. "You're next."