The hours went by and the numbers had dwindled to only a hundred disciples remaining within the forest. Outside all looked at the board with baited breathe as it illuminated in golden letters.It was truly exciting thus voting pools were unofficially opened by some of the more well-endowed disciples.
Obviously the one picked to top the board was Jason and inside he was truly proving his worth with drastic increase in marker points. In a manner of hours, he had firmly claimed the third place as Niesha"s position plummeted. Presently she had dropped to the eighth position which wasn"t much of a surprise from the onlookers.
Also making expect strides were the previous year"s top ten including #3rd Ranked Bartholemu and #2nd Ranked s.h.i.+noda. Yet what was the most surprising was the last year"s previous dark horse Rita.
She also had made it within the top ten and wasn"t looking anymore inferior to Barthelemu and s.h.i.+noda.
There was a reason no one doubted Jason, Bartholemu, and s.h.i.+noda would finish on top. This was due to the three being half-Step Lords making basically G.o.ds within the forest. Inside they had no equal so it was indeed surprising to see someone keeping pace with them.
HaHa!
"I knew she wouldn"t disappoint. I saw something special in this girl last year and at the time stated she was one to keep an eye on. Yet no one sought to take her seriously choosing Zenki and Aria. Now pay up!"
A woman with a broad hat exclaimed gleefully in victory seeing Rita"s rise. It was apparent she and her friend were some of the many engage in a gambling pool. Her bearded companion scratched his thick beard as he knew there were definite signs Rita was destined to steal the show.
"I"ll admit you saw something in her that at the time I didn"t. Yet as I see it we are currently only arriving on the second day"s eve. There is still time for my picks to make strides."
He stated however in his voice it could be seen there was not much confidence in what he stated. As all glanced at the board there was no denying the leaders as both Taf and May remained on top. With the previous dominance even now their tallies could not be pa.s.sed.
It was evitable they were to be surpa.s.sed as Jason behind them casually made stride and was perfectly poised to in a manner of hour dethrone the couple. Still, they were not chided by the ma.s.ses as before.
What they accomplished at their age was the stuff of legends and perhaps would never again be repeated. Therefore no matter their destined decline in some ways the had already won something far more valuable.
???????
As for Niesha"s drop, it just could not be helped. Despite being quite strong there was an evident disadvantage with her current squad. Simply of all remaining in the forest she was in the only third-ranked squad. To put it nicely Ava, Malnor, Malgrey, and Selena became a huge burden.
The four knew this to be true, they were definitely out of their depth and pulling Niesha down. It didn"t take a genius to know it makes no sense for them to remain at this juncture. Without Niesha, they would have long been defeated and cast out.
What made it worse was that Niesha seemingly had a bullseye target on her back. On numerous occasions, in order to say them, she fleed in one direction while they went the opposite.
With her extravagant amount of marker points, their pursuers didn"t even give the others a second glance. It was so bad that they had to run to a safe haven barely escaping the clutches of a fourth-star squad.
They now knew that outside the safe haven they were far out of their element. Rather than having their marker points dwindle away 25% by the hour, there was only one option. It had also reached the point where they markers became red indicating they were in danger of being eliminated.
"It"s time for us to become spectators instead of compet.i.tors."
Malnor stated, noting they were indeed hampering Niesha. It truly wasn"t fair for her as sooner or later they will ultimately cause her demise.
Without them, she could swiftly find Taf and May to aid her. While running they had heard the rumors and sought to find the two but it was quite hard to pinpoint.
"All the best."
Selena hugged Niesha as she gazed on her proudly. Ava too then turned to her,
" We expect great things. When you meet that a.s.shole can you punch him in his gut for me? While telling May how disappointed I am we all could not have fought once more."
Ava wasn"t much of a hugger but in her words, it could be seen her sincerity. Seeing he was the last one remaining Malgrey gave Niesha a big bear hug nearly crus.h.i.+ng her.
"You will do great. Finally, you will show all what it means to be a true sword prodigy."
After saying their goodbye the four then simultaneously relinquished their markers. It was somewhat bittersweet for Niesha. Yes, she was hampered while looking after the four, yet she enjoyed having their company.
Presently she had her goal but after the previous battles which she had been engaged in, Niesha now somewhat doubted her prospects of finis.h.i.+ng within the top ten without the help of Taf and May.
One on one she was confidents in her abilities but these fourth-ranked squads were too difficult to handle by lonesome. The advantage she now had however was the vast forest was somewhat empty with the ma.s.s exodus.
Swiftly Niesha made her way through the forest as she saw the sun fading in the backdrop. At this moment she couldn"t afford to be spotted by any of the four-star squads. While sprinting instinctively her hands hurriedly drew her broad sword.
Cling!
She swatted away two shurikens. When Niesha looked from where it came sitting on a limb further out was a girl who wore a pair of frames that neatly nestled upon her noise. Her clothing was gray highlighting that her residence was in the swamps.
" It"s not easy to spot by the common man but your eyes tell the tale. It shows the pride that only a person who has fought no equal displays, a prodigy. I"m guessing this is true Niesha?"
She stated while looking at the broad sword with a bit of curiosity. At this point, Niesha could only curse her luck as this was one of the last persons she wanted to meet at this juncture. It was #16 ranked, Rita who Taf and May had met while journeying through the swamps.
Unedited Version
To be continued.