CTF (5)

***

Kolson signaled to Ares with a series of hand gestures. "Stay low, move silently. We get the flag and then get out."

Ares, always the hothead, scoffed. "You worry too much. It's just Astral. How tough can they be?"

Without waiting for a response, Ares made a dash for the flag. Kolson, cursing under his breath, followed, but with caution.

Just as Ares reached out to grab the flag, there was a sudden click beneath his foot. Before he could react, a net shot up from the ground, tangling him up and hoisting him several feet in the air.

"Ares!" Kolson shouted, quickly analyzing the situation. Ares, despite being entangled, managed to grab the flag.

Kolson took out a small blade and swiftly cut the ropes, dropping Ares to the ground. However, their ruckus had alerted some of Astral's team members, who were now closing in.

"you frieking moron!" Kolson hissed, helping Ares to his feet.

Ares, clutching his leg, winced in pain. "I got the flag, didn't I?"

"Yes, at what cost?" Kolson shot back, scanning the area for an escape route.

As Ares started to stand limply, the muffled sounds of conversation reached Kolson's sharp ears. From behind a series of barriers, three figures emerged, representing the Astral Academy.

The leader, a tall and slender figure with silver hair tied back in a neat bun, stepped forward. "Looks like Solstice Academy is getting a bit too greedy. That's our flag, gentlemen."

Ares, trying to shake off the disorientation from his sudden fall, managed a defiant smirk. "Finders keepers."

Next to the silver-haired leader, a bulky figure cracked his knuckles menacingly. To his other side, a more agile looking contestant spun a staff expertly, her eyes fixed on the two intruders.

Kolson, ever the strategist, quickly assessed their situation. "Ares, take the one with the staff. I'll handle big guy. But remember, our primary goal is to get out of here with the flag."

The air was tense as the two groups faced off. Without warning, the Astral student wielding the staff lunged at Ares, her movements swift and precise. Ares parried, using the flag's pole as an improvised weapon, their weapons clashing in rapid succession.

Simultaneously, the bulky figure from Astral charged at Kolson with a roaring battle cry. Kolson deftly sidestepped the initial charge, getting a slash in on the opponent's arm. However, the bulk of Astral didn't seem phased, instead using the momentum to swing back around for another go at Kolson.

As Kolson engaged with the burly opponent, the grass rustled ominously to his left. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted another Astral student lunging at him, a blade gleaming in the sunlight. Kolson had only mere seconds to react.

Rather than dodging, Kolson planted his foot and pivoted, grabbing the wrist of the third Astral student and pushing it upward. As the student's blade narrowly missed him, Kolson took the chance to slam the flat of his own blade down onto the student's bracelet. A loud beep echoed in the plains, followed by the bracelet turning a deep shade of red.

The third student's eyes widened in surprise. He looked at his bracelet, then back at Kolson, his face a mask of disbelief. "Out," Kolson stated coldly, nodding at the red bracelet. The student, realizing his sudden elimination, retreated with a frustrated huff, leaving Kolson to deal with the still-recovering bulk from Astral.

Kolson and Ares were back-to-back, fending off their adversaries. Ares, despite his earlier entanglement, was matching his opponent blow for blow, the flag still clenched in his hand.

Ares gripped the flag tightly, using it as a barrier between himself and the Astral student. Their fight was less a dance of expertise and more a gritty tug-of-war. The Astral student was a bit shorter, perhaps by a couple of cm, but had a wiry strength that made him a challenge.

Each time the two collided, there was a raw energy to it. Ares, for all his strength and size, was clearly hampered by his injured leg. It wasn't a critical wound, but the fall from the trap left a nasty bruise on his shin, making it painful every time he put weight on it.

The Astral student seemed to pick up on this and aimed several kicks at the tender spot. Ares grunted, feeling the sting but held firm, refusing to let the pain show.

"You should've stayed in the net," the Astral student sneered, trying to swipe the flag from Ares's grasp.

With every push and pull, every sidestep and counter, Ares's breathing grew heavier. The pain in his leg was evident, but his stubbornness kept him standing. The flag was not just a mission objective for him anymore; it was a symbol of his determination to persevere despite the odds.

Realizing they were running out of time, Kolson shouted to Ares, "On three, we make a break for it!"

Ares nodded, and on the count of three, Kolson threw down a smoke pellet, obscuring their vision. Using the brief moment of chaos, Ares and Kolson sprinted, weaving through the obstacles with Astral's team hot on their heels.

As the distance between them grew, the shouts from Astral's team faded, leaving Ares and Kolson momentarily safe.

As the thickets of the forest swallowed them, the shouts from Astral's team grew fainter, their pursuit hampered by the dense underbrush and the lingering remnants of the smoke bomb. The forest around them seemed almost otherworldly, with tall, slender trees that created a dark, shaded canopy overhead, and small, glowing insects that darted around, illuminating the twilight gloom. Underfoot, the ground was moist and soft, the smell of damp earth filling the air. It felt like they had entered a sanctuary, a place where they could momentarily hide from the world outside.

Taking a deep breath, Kolson felt both relief and frustration. "Every time, Ares, every single time! You charge in without thinking. Look at the mess we're in now. Yes, we have the flag, but at what cost?"