Rise of the Living Forge

For a long second, the only thing Olive could do was stare. Her brain wasn’t processing the information her eyes were feeding it. She couldn’t even tell what to think. Dozens of different thoughts and emotions had entered a full scale war within her head.

Surprise. Disbelief. Relief. Olive barely had an instant to process one before the next one rose up in its place, shoving the first out of the way only to be knocked from its throne moments later.

Her heart pounded in her chest.

Why are they here? Part of me thought they’d died. I didn’t hear anything from them after I lost my arm. They didn’t even try to contact me? I guess they had no reason to. But… here? Now, of all times?

Elias’ hand slammed down on her shoulder. Olive stiffened, jerked from her thoughts, and spun to him.

“What’s wrong?” Elias demanded. “You’re staring into space. Snap out of it. We’re in the middle of a damn battlefield.”

“I — sorry.” Olive swallowed and shook her head, but that did nothing to clear it. Her thoughts were a complete mess. “There’s someone. People. That team.”

“What?” Elias’ eyes narrowed. “Focus. Speak clearly. The other teams are too scared of us to approach right now, but that isn’t going to last if you look like a beached fish.”

Olive bit the inside of her cheek. The taste of iron washed across her tongue and she clenched her hands into fists.

“I’ve got personal history with the team across from us. Too much to get into. I was not expecting them to be here.”

“Can you fight?” Elias asked, his gaze flicking to the direction Olive had indicated before returning to her. “I can take them out with Maeve if you need us to. They don’t look like too much of a threat.”

“No. It’s fine.” Olive set her jaw and let out a sharp breath. “I won’t make you do that, and I don’t know how strong they’ve gotten. They could be serious threats now.”

“Nobody in the tournament is above Adept tier, so they can’t be too strong,” Elias said. “But if you can fight, then get your shit in the game. Focus. A distracted teammate is worse than no teammate. Can you fight or not?”

Olive’s grip tightened around her sword. “Yes.”

“Understood.” Elias’ gaze flicked past Olive and his head tilted to the side. “Well then. Looks like it’s time to put your money where your mouth is. The last of the teams is down and out. It’s only us and them.”

What? So fast?

Olive spun back to Jason’s team. Sure enough, the three of them were the only ones remaining on the arena. They stood near the center of the ring and were staring in the direction of the Menagerie’s team.

Even as far as they were, Olive new for a fact that they recognized her. The helm she wore didn’t fully cover her face. She couldn’t even try to count the number of times and ways she’d imagined this scenario in the past.

None of them had prepared her for this. There was more than a little surprise in their features, but it was quickly replaced by the emotions that she’d expected. Derision and distaste.

“There’s a face I never thought I’d see again, much less fighting,” Jason called as his group approached them. He and Damien flanked Bea, wisely protecting their healer. Damien had an arrow nocked and readied in his bow. “And with one arm instead of two. That hunk of wood isn’t fooling anyone. Do you make a habit of letting down your teams?”

Olive’s jaw clenched and her grip tightened around the hilt of her sword.

“Idiot hasn’t been paying much attention to the fight if he thinks your arm is useless,” Elias said under his breath. “I don’t know what history you’ve got with them, Olive, but don’t let them get under your skin. It’s just a fight like any other.”

“I know,” Olive said. “I’m not so easily baited.”

A faint chime echoed behind Olive. She felt her focus lock in and the sounds of the roaring arena around them faded into the background. Another delicate note rang through the air, empowering Olive’s body. It was a spell that they’d practiced extensively with but had yet to use during the tournament.

It looked like Maeve wanted to make sure that they didn’t pull any stops for the melee.

“Somehow, I’m not surprised that you showed up,” Bea said disdainfully. “It’s just like you. Hardheaded and idiotic. You aren’t suited to be an adventurer, Olive. You’re a menace to your own teams. Didn’t you think there was a reason I didn’t connect your arm after that colossal fuckup?”

Olive’s jaw clenched even tighter. She hadn’t expected the words to hurt as much as they did. Her stomach flipped in an attempt to escape her body, but Olive didn’t let her emotions show on her face.

That confirms it. I had my suspicions, but…

“This sounds more than just a bit personal,” Elias said. “They’re the reason you lost your arm?”

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“No. I am. They were just there.”

Elias let out a grunt. “You sure you don’t want me to deal with these myself? The archer hasn’t even tried to take advantage of their range. Not the most competent group… unless it’s a bait.”

“They wouldn’t be here if they weren’t competent,” Olive said.

Damien sneered at her and raised his bow, taking aim. “What’s wrong, Olive? Too good to answer us now? Then again, I guess you were never much for conversation. You don’t belong here — but since you didn’t get the message the first time around, we’ll have to make sure it sticks.”

“There’s a difference between competent and skilled,” Elias said. “I am cut from the latter cloth. Someone with money has outfitted them, but money does not replace skill. A real opponent would not waste time with taunts.”

“Actually, if you don’t mind… I’d like to see if I can handle this myself,” Olive said quietly. “It might be exactly what they want. I know it’s not what we’ve practiced, but…”

“Help yourself,” Elias said. “I’ve never been one to stand in the way of a good vendetta. Just know, if you’re about to go down, we’re stepping in. We can’t afford to lose in the melee round.”

“I know,” Olive said. She rolled her neck and started toward her former team, holding her sword in a loose grip at her side.

Jason let out a bark of cold laughter. “You can’t be serious, Olive. Are you really planning to try to fight all three of us alone? Bea was right. You haven’t learned shit. How stupid could you possibly be?”

“There’s a difference between then and now,” Olive replied, coming to a stop twenty paces away from them and raising her sword. “A lot of your anger is justified. I was a bad teammate. I didn’t rely on anyone other than my own skills, and that got people hurt. But this is different. Then, I fought alone because of arrogance. Now, I fight alone because you aren’t strong enough to justify my team revealing their abilities.”

“You cocky bitch,” Damien snarled. He released the string of his bow and the nocked arrow leapt forth, streaking straight for Olive’s neck.

Olive’s sword flashed. A clang echoed through the air as it spun away from her harmlessly.

That was a kill shot, not to mention Damien coats his arrows in poison. I highly doubt he’s changed that for the tournament. Are they actively trying to kill me?

“Look at that,” Olive said, lowering into a fighting stance. “You’re still too slow.”

Jason charged with a roar.

Olive knew he would. That had always been their strategy. He kept the attention while she and Damien picked their opponents apart. She supposed that they’d probably changed a few things up after abandoning her in the dungeon, but it seemed the spirit of their style had remained the same.

Jason’s shield shimmered with energy as he lifted it in preparation to catch her blow. The weapon was magical. Elias had been right about someone funding them — they’d never been anywhere near successful enough to afford magical gear.

I could cut right through that with my [Hundredfold Blade], but that might be exactly what he’s hoping for. Jason was never an idiot. He knew what I was capable of. Even if he thinks I’m weakened because of my replacement limb, he wouldn’t risk tanking an attack like that for no reason.

Of course, the Olive that Jason had known would have gone ahead with the strike anyway. The only thing that had mattered to her was sword work. If there was something before her that challenged her ability to cut it, then she would rise to meet that challenge.

But that was no longer the Olive that stood before him.

She flowed to meet his charge — but she made no move to swing her sword. Instead, she darted forward and knocked Jason’s sword to the side with one hand, slipping inside his guard.

Her leg shot up. Jason’s eyes only had an instant to widen in surprise before her knee slammed into his chin.

Jason’s teeth cracked together and he staggered backward, dazed. A howl split through the air as Damien sent another arrow streaking through the air toward Olive. She ducked out of the way, but the movement wasted just enough of her time for Bea to send a wave of healing energy washing over Jason.

He shook himself off and bared his teeth at her.

“Neat trick,” he said, spitting blood onto the ground. “But I have a team. Something you never did.”

I can’t waste energy fighting him. Bea will just keep patching Jason up. I have to take her out first, but that means getting past both Jason and Damien — all without revealing the full extent of my abilities. If I do, then I’m severely worsening Elias and Maeve’s chance of winning in later rounds. My personal problems will not be the reason we lose.

Jason charged again.

Olive let herself relax. Her stance shifted once more. The warrior was wide open — she could see several different angles that she could have chosen to attack from.

She took none of them. Bea would just heal Jason and make her efforts worthless, and Damien would use that opportunity to try and get another shot at her. It was the same strategy that they always used.

They haven’t changed at all, have they?

Jason brought his sword down for Olive’s neck with a roar.

Olive ducked past the blade, using a move that Reya had pulled on her a dozen times during their spars. She slipped right by Jason like a passing thief brushing against their target. Then she exploded into motion, blurring across the ground and arriving before Bea.

Her sword flashed down.

Bea screamed in pain as Olive carved through her right arm, severing it at the shoulder. It fell to the ground along with her staff.

Olive didn’t waste any words on her. She was already turning, her sword coming up to knock Damien’s arrow from the air. He let out a curse and hurriedly reached for another one while Jason raced toward Olive — but she didn’t give the warrior a chance to catch up.

She charged Damien, closing the distance between them in moments, and slammed her sword straight into his chest, to the side of his heart. His eyes went wide as Olive planted her foot on his chest and kicked him back. He hit the ground with a pained grunt, the bow falling from his grip.

Olive heard Jason charging before she even finished turning back to him.

She slipped to the side.

His sword howled through the air beside her.

Olive returned the strike, driving her blade deep into the unarmored gap in Jason’s armpit.

The warrior jerked, going as still as ice. Their gazes locked as Olive pulled her sword free of him and the warrior swayed in place. The shield slipped from his fingers, landing against the stone with a ringing clang.

Then he fell back into the hands of a Secret Eye healer that arrived before he could hit the ground.

She’d won.

Cheers roared through the arena above her with enough intensity to shake the stands. Olive paid them no heed. Her attention was completely on the ground where her former team laid in a heap.

I always suspected they chose to leave me in the dungeon. Part of me felt like I deserved it. The other part always wanted a chance to take back what I paid in blood. To scream at them that I only wanted to help.

But now?

Jason’s eyes focused on her as the healer repaired the warrior’s severe wound. Words started to form on his lips. Olive didn’t bother waiting to see what they were. She just turned on her heel and walked back to Elias and Maeve.

I just don’t care.

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