CHPT 180: Trick up his sleeve.

"Forward and straight to the point. I like your style, Maris." Ursula said before bumping shoulders with her.

"MARIS WHAT THE FU—….Wh—…You— God dammit!" Warren fumbled with his conflicting emotions of anger and surprise after Maris volunteered them all to go first.

"Why are you so afraid? Claude has shown that he has the knowledge to guarantee our win. You should feel no fear….what's wrong with you?" Maris asked, leaning in and inspecting Warren's dark-skinned face as if she'd find her answer there.

"I swear I didn't.." Claude mumbled in response to her words of him showing knowledge that guaranteed their win, while Warren shied away from Maris trying to inspect his face.

"Yea. But you showed that we have an edge." Isaac said from behind him.

"An edge that can lead us to a win." Ursula added from next to Isaac.

The Knight and Berserker's eyes gleamed with determination. A determination none of the other slower Classes had since they were sure they were at a disadvantage. While Isaac and Ursula now felt like they had an advantage thanks to Claude's quick thinking and understanding of the Course.

"[The effect of a Leader.]" Arne thought as he watched the group interact with each-other through Claude's eyes.

"Alright then. I wasn't taking volunteer's. But I like your forwardness, Maris. You and your team will take the A-Wing. You may go now. Good luck." Prof. Raizen said to them.

The group quickly recollected themselves and headed to the side of the Obstacle Course closest to the University and the spectating students.

Ursula walked at the front with Maris, balancing the girl's expressionless— yet fiercely attractive looks, with her own expressive, determined face and somewhat brash personality that she used to return the judge mental states of the fellow students.

Warren walked behind them animatedly whining to Isaac about Maris volunteering them.

Claude walked at the back, looming over the group like a storm cloud with his towering height and dark demeanor. His nerves and mental preparation for battle leaked into Frosty's mind through their link, causing him to see the rest of the students as enemies while he trotted close to Claude's hip like a living holstered weapon. His pointed ears were flat against his hulking head and he bared his teeth at the other animals seated next to their Beast Tamers defensively.

Beneath the midnight black locks of hair shielding Claude's face from everyone, verdant sparks popped behind his eyes and his skin grew hot with the rise of his nerves.

"Don't use Lupine power— soothe Ursula's suspicion. Also don't lose— satisfy Fenrir and possibly get stronger." He repeated as they headed to the Course.

"[Well, this should be fun.]"

***

Now on top of the course, the wind swept through Claude's hair and Frosty's fur as they looked on at the long stretch of the Course. They had to be at most 20ft above ground. The height and wind in his face reminded him of his fight with the flying Kobold, the Urd.

The memory ended with him landing on two feet— paws, from impossible to survive heights. Partial Transformation— a power he still needed to have a better chance at exacting his revenge.

"It's slippery…how nice!" Warren said sarcastically as he eyed the pathways of the Course, snapping Claude out of his thoughts.

Claude stepped forward to see what Warren was talking about.

The pathways were at most 6ft wide— making it nearly impossible for certain ways of fighting and dodging. On top of that, the smooth Stoney surface of each path was littered with the grassy, dirt and vine remains of the ground it rose from which would cause the students to slip and lose their grip on the skinny patch of ground they ran on. The whole course screamed of one word; Difficult. Despite this, most of Claude's team was ready to go.

Maris unsheathed her sword and rolled her toned shoulders while Ursula spun her access next to her and eyed the course through icy eyes.

Isaac unsheathed his stylish cutlass and smacked it against his shield, taunting some unseen force ahead of him.

To Claudes surprise, Warren no longer reeked of fear. Instead he stood at the far end of the platform that led to the Course, with his eyes closed as he ritualistically pulled an arrow from his quiver and fastened it into his bow.

"[Looks like he's finding ways to combat his fear.]" Arne commented.

"Another volunteer. How nice." Prof. Raizen announced from below.

"Let me guess. Chase?" Ursula asked Claude from her spot on the other side of the preparatory platform.

"You know it." Claude said while he watched the Archer and his group jog off to the other end of the Course.

***

Ten minutes passed since he saw Chase lead his group off to the B-Wing of the Course. In that time, Claude spoke to his team about their placements on the Course and the possible ways the opposing team would work. They were ready.

The sky darkened as more time passed, casting the shadows made by the setting sun over one half of the Course. The Course that the Professors stood adjacent to at equal heights due to an earthen column they stood on to watch and critique from even ground.

Prof. Raizen and Brennan spoke to both sides, answering questions and commenting from the sides until the groups slowly silenced with nothing left to say. It was time.

"Alright! With the start of our first Obstacle Course and Capture game. I want both sides to give a good show of their quick thinking, physical and magical capabilities that you've all been training since the day you got here. Win or loss, if you do that I'll be satisfied. But still win." He said before continuing, "Now, A-Team, are you ready!!!???"

"Yes, sir." Claude and the rest of the team yelled in unison while Frosty barked loudly.

"B-Team, are you ready?!" Prof. Brennan yelled in his thick Irish accent.

"Yes, sir!" They yelled with their jumbled voices echoing across the Course to fall on Claude's ears.

"The. YOU MAY BEGIN!" Prof. Raizen yelled in a thunderous voice followed by a white bolt of lightning he sent into the cloudless sky above.

The two teams took off, heading into battle and in pursuit of the flag at the center.

Warren ran in the middle with his bow at the ready, a place Claude selected due to the ease he gained in shooting from the center. Isaac and Ursula loudly stomped over the stone trails on each side of him in an attempt to mitigate damage and draw attention from their Archer. While Maris, Frosty and Claude ran on the outermost sides of the Course where the path dipped, climbed and sometimes disappeared.

Claude leapt, slid and bounded across the Course ahead of the rest of his group with Frosty close behind. But that wasn't the only animal willing to help the dark mannered Beast Tamer in this fight.

Flying overhead in the uneven colored evening sky, a Hawk followed him like a distant shadow. He reached for the animal through the unspoken form of cross species communication all Beast Tamers had, allowing him to get the Hawk closer and borrow its traits through the Skill, (Beast Trait).

In seconds, his irises expands in a bright verdant explosion, matching the incredible sight and appearance of the Hawk's eyes above.

He immediately went from seeing the hazy outlines of students, to full zoomed in clear images of Team-B.

"Warren, Knight and Tank on left and right side of center!" Claude yelled out as he executed the first part of their plan for him to call out the positions of the opposing team.

"Got it." Warren replied before dropping to a slide on one knee while he activated his enhanced vision Skill. (Hawk Eyes.) and began firing off arrows at the slower Knight and Tank.

"Archer center, far left and Beast Tamer on me!" Claude called out the rest of the positions as Warren let off arrow after arrow. With his enhanced vision, he could see them begin to dodge and duck out of the way of Warren's arrows before beginning to shoot back.

At the center, Chase ran— mirroring Warren's stance and Claude's thoughts of prioritizing the main Archers field of vision. To his left, Stacy ran low to the ground matching the agility of the slick furred black wildcat behind her. On the opposite side of the course. Zach fired off arrows at Isaac and Maris with a smug— yet angry, expression on his face.

The team was set up similarly to Claude's, meaning someone on their team caught the trick of the game.

Claude didn't let that fact deter him and continued his pursuit, ducking and evading stray arrows while he traversed the unseen ground of the course.

It didn't take long for the two opposing forces to meet at the center of the Course, split by the platform holding the flag.

Both sides except for their center position ignored the flag and kept moving at the order of their assumed team captains— Claude and Chase.

Warren and Chase hung back, focusing their fire on each other and the slower classes, while the others engaged in combat.

Maris reached her opponent Zach, first, who stood opposite of her with his nostrils flared and daggers raised.

"I'm gonna get you back for that cheap shot last time." He said, referring to the time he was knocked out by Maris in the middle of a fight he was somehow losing against Warren.

"Make sure you give me a challenge. I'm trying to get better at enslaving the water so I can go kill Goblins." Maris told him before raising her sword and head, effectively looking down on the Noble teen like he was nothing more than a mouthy peasant.

Zach shook slightly while the veins in his neck bulged to life chaotically before he roared with a loss of composure and charged her.

Ursula met her opponent next. A Tank that was one of Samuel's friends, Alessia. She was the textbook opposite of Ursula— similarly to how Claude and Chase were.

Her long platinum blonde hair and pale skin combined with her slender build and angular features made her appearance striking— and equally as beautiful. All traits rarely seen in a Tank.

"Berserker's. Not enough defensive power to properly perform as Tanks and not enough attack power to function as a Damage role. Your at a disadvantage in this fight, muscles." Alessia told Ursula arrogantly.

Ursula let out a loud and hearty laugh before refocusing her attention on her opponent through bright blue eyes, "Your a dumbass if you think I don't hit hard." She said with a smash of her ice'd fists before charging.

Claude and Stacy eyed each other for a long stretch of moments, calculating and watching. A man and his Canine Vs. A Woman and her Feline. Speed Vs. Stamina.

"That bulky mess isn't gonna survive up here against my Midnight." Stacy said, referring to her Feline Companion that hissed menacingly at Frosty who paced behind Claude.

"Don't underestimate us Wolves." Claude replied while unsheathing his sword, confusing and intimidating Stacy as he engaged.

"You really are sick." She said before moving after him.

Behind the two, their Companions leapt over to the pathways next to them to fight freely, behind Ursula who fought the other Tank further ahead.

Clang!

Their short swords clashed loudly as they met each others charge.

Claude obviously had the strength advantage and tried to use it to push her off, but before he could, she jumped away.

"Try to keep up." She said before delivering a volley of punches and sword swings. Slipping in and out of grappling distance to keep herself safe and Claude on his toes.

Claude ducked and dodged while parrying the odd heavy swing or two with relative ease due to his impressive speed for his size.

"HEY WOLFBOY! Remember what I said!" Chase yelled across the Course to him while sending an arrow his way.

Fwoo!

Clang!

Claude blocked another one of Stacy's quick slashes by swinging at her weapon with his own, causing her sword to clash with his before being pushed away and hitting the arrow Chade sent in his direction.

"Yep. I remember." Claude replied before ducking a side slash aimed at his throat.

"Good. We'll face off soon." Chase replied before Warren angrily interrupted.

"CAN YOU AT LEAST ACT LIKE YOU'RE STRUGGLING TO FIGHT ME?"

"Why would I do that? You're not my rival, you're just in the way." Claude heard Chase reply, causing a wave of fear to hit Claude's nose.

"Relax Warren. If Chase keeps distracting himself all that can do is help you." Claude yelled to him in an attempt to calm his teammate.

"You're very disrespectful." Stacy hissed before leaving Claude no more time to speak and attacking.

Only this time, she set him up for another swing aimed at his neck.

Fwo—

Claude noticed the feinted strike too late, as he ducked to dodge the strike that never came, all he could do was watch her knee drive straight into his long scowling nose.

CRACK!

Claude's head snapped back and he rose up off the ground to fly backwards onto his back. Before going out of combat distance, he turned and swung his long leg, sweeping her's right out from under her.

Thud!

Claude landed on his back against the stoney surface of the course.

"OOOUF!" Claude's kick spun Stacy, causing her to land on her stomach, perpendicular to the path.

The two were on the ground for mere milliseconds before rising off the path with animalistic explosiveness.

"I hope this isn't all you've got." Stacy said through sharpened teeth and slitted cat-like yellow eyes before hissing angrily and raising her sword.

Claude growled deeply while his bright green eyes pierced her through his long black hair. He brought his claws hand to his face to wipe the blood from his nose before speaking, "You've seen me fight. You know it's not."

Fwoo!

The two were off again, now assisted by the power and traits of the animals that fought beside them.

Up ahead, Ursula and Alessia were doing much less talking, and more fighting.

They split for the first time after fighting for at least 5 minutes. Ursula's exposed arms were barely damaged aside from a couple cuts that made their way through her Ice armor.

Alesia's skill with her Aura allowed her to eat an equal number of blows, only Ursula was doing more damage with her Frost infected axes that left her wounds with an icy sting. A sting that was spreading.

"I need to end this quickly." Alessia thought to herself before her dark blue Aura bursted to life around her.

Woo!

She went on the offensive for the first time in the fight, slicing at Ursula with her sword.

Fwoo!

Ursula used the small bit of space she had and sidestepped, hacking away at Alessia's out stretched arm.

Shlck!

Alessia moved her arm but not before the bitting cold blade of the axe crashed into her Aura and caused her to drop her sword.

The weapon made a slight thud as it fell down to the cool grass beneath.

She wasn't able to notice much more due to the fact that she was too busy dodging Ursula swinging at her head wildly.

Alessia ducked under the swing and rose up behind Ursula, activating her Skill, (War Cry), forcing Ursula to continue attacking her and burning more stamina.

Ursula heard the cry and her eyes flashed the color of Alessia's dark blue aura before she spun around and swung madly at the female Tank.

FWOOM!

Ursula used both her axes, jumping and slamming them down where her opponent previously stood.

Alessia barely missed the heavy attack but wasted no time taking advantage of the situation. She quickly sent a sidekick to Ursula's face, causing the shin portion of her armor to slam into the muscular Berserker's face and stand her up in a daze.

"Like I said. You're at a disadvantage against me." Alessia said coldly before shrouding her shield in ice and punching Ursula in the face with it.

FWOO—CK!

To her surprise, Ursula didn't budge.

"Ohohhoho….." Prof. Raizen laughed knowingly in the distance as the steam rising from Ursula's reddened vascular skin became more visible and the ice around Alessia's shield melted like it was touching fire.

"What the…?" Alessia said as she tried to push Ursula who stood unmoving, aside from light shakes and heavy breaths that were becoming….laughs?

Alessia's confusion was slowly expelled as the Berserker fought to turn her head against the shield she pressed into her cheek. Once her face came into view, Alessia felt like she was going to be sick.

Ursula bit down on the shield as the veins in her red steaming forehead bulged and her eyes went full white with madness.

"Nnnnrrrhgggg…." Ursula groaned angrily with the shield between her teeth.

"Oh go—"

"NNNRRGH!" Ursula roared as she wrenched the shield from Alessia's hand with her mouth and tackled her off the Course.

Fwoo!

BOOM!

The students hollered and flinched in the pain they imagined Alessia felt from being slammed into the ground from so high up by the heavyweight Berserker.

The two slammed into the ground like twin meteors, creating small craters and bringing up the dirt all around them. When the dust settled, they were both unconscious.

"Two down! One on both sides!" Prof. Raizen announced to the students.

Claude split from the battle with Stacy, now sporting cuts on his chin and gauntlets from Stacy's incredibly slim and sharp feline claws.

Sptoot!

Stacy spit out the blood that was accumulating inside her mouth and ran a hand through her brown hair, still attempting to look pretty despite her ferocious appearance.

"You're down a teammate, Claude. It's not looking too good for you." Stacy said with a toothy feline fanged smile.

"You did too. We're still on even ground in numbers." Claude replied.

"I'm not worried. You guys still have a serious threat to worry about— besides me of course." She said, flashing a cute smile that looked off when combined with her disheveled appearance.

"Who's the serious threat?" Claude asked with interest.

"The tall guy. He said he's got a way to win and surprise everyone here…." She replied while pointing her clawed finger back at Chase who was now engaging in a close combat fight with Warren.

"Soon enough! It'll be just us, Wolfboy!" Chase yelled to him as if he knew they were talking about him.

Stacy hissed, grabbing his attention, "But, you won't need to worry about that. I'll get you out of here before then." She said before moving in to continue fighting.

Claude simply growled as he met her charge, mirroring the moment when their Companions engaged in battle again.

Fwoo!

With that, the students continued fighting, now both sides down a member and one side thoroughly rattled. Chase had been practically playing with Warren the entire fight and was able to instill enough confidence into his team that one of his members felt their win was guaranteed. Off in the distance, Maris looked to be winning easily against Zach— which left her looking angry, yet Claude could smell no fear from the opposing team— aside from Zach of course.

So that begged the question; What could Chase possibly have planned?