Sorry for the wait guys!

To make up for it I'm gonna make this chapter super long cuz I don't feel like splitting the challenge into multiple chapters XD. Also the P.O.V. Is gonna change a few times... But without further ado, enjoy chapter 43!

Warnings: Blood, gore, violence, and there's a death

     ~Jerome's P.O.V.~

     As a a canon blast sounds in the distance, signifying the start of the challenge, Rob gathers us into a huddle to review his plan.

    "Vikk, Preston, I want you two to stay here and guard the flag. Do anything you have to, because we can't afford to lose this. The rest of us will split up into two groups of two; Lachlan and I in one, and Jerome and Mitch in the other. Whatever you do, do not split up. I'm one hundred and ten percent sure someone's going to get hurt today, and I want everyone paired in case something bad happens. Now let's go."

    And with that Rob disperses the potions he acquired between us. He hands his two regeneration potions to Vikk and Preston, along with a healing potion for Preston and a jump boost potion for Vikk. He hands Mitch, Lachlan, and I a strength potion, and keep an invisibility potion for himself. And then he gives out the remaining four healing potions to Mitch, Lachlan, me, and himself. Not a second later and we all split up in different directions, Vikk and Preston backtracking to the flag, Mitch and I to the northeast, and Rob and Lachlan to the northwest.

Trees blur by in a mass of white and black as Mitch and I weave our way through the Brice forest, hurtling bushes and crashing noisily through branches. I grip Betty tightly in one hand, the other hand fingering the strength potion hanging at my side. For a moment I debate slowing down, seeing as part of this challenge is sneaking into enemy territory to steal the flag. Meh. I'll leave the sneaking around to Lachlan and Rob. I decide, following after the red and black blur that is Mitch, bunnies squeaking and chittering as they bound away in fright. Everywhere is relatively cool and covered by shadows, curtesy as the thick branches and layers of leaves above us. But up ahead, just past a thin wall of bushes, I can see sunlight in a much greater amount than here, under the shade of the trees, hinting at some sort of clearing.

My suspicions are soon confirmed as I crash through the bushes mere seconds after Mitch, stumbling into a decent size of open ground. A narrow river-maybe seven blocks across-splits the clearing in half, marking a distinct line between our side and Seto's side. My eyes quickly scan up and down the river, shifting over the banks of the water and the bushes and trees lining the clearing, looking for any sign that we're no the only ones here. But as far as I can tell, it seems like Mitch and I are the first ones here.

"Think we're alone?" Mitch questions, eyes still scanning the area cautiously.
"Yeah, but we'd better get a little bit of coverage just in case someone comes or is hiding."

Mitch nods in agreement, and we creep back to the bushes at the tree line, ducking behind them and squatting to remain unseen.

"So now what? Do we go for the flag, or stay here and defend?" I ask, watching Mitch as he peeks over the bushes, continuing to survey the river.
His eyes are suddenly dart to the left. "I see Rob and Lachlan-they're crossing over the river. I'd say we stay at the river just in case an opponent comes and we have to fend them off. And if Rob and Lachlan manage to snag the flag then we can jump in and help." Mitch determines, settling back down into the lush grass.
      "Sounds good. So now... We play the waiting game."

~~~

     ~3rd P.O.V. As seen from Rob and Lachlan~

     "There's the river."

     Rob and Lachlan slowly advance into the clearing as the calm river comes into view. After scouting the clearing briefly for any signs of other people, they fully emerge from the tree line, confident they're alone for the time being.

     "Let's cross the river." Rob decides quickly, punching out a few blocks of dirt. "With Mitch and Jerome bulldozing through the bush like maniacs, any mages nearby are going to be focused on them. Nows our chance to slip into their territory."
     "Good idea." Lachlan agrees, nodding.

     Rob scoops up the dirt blocks and place them at the water edge, building a three block long dirt bridge into the river. Backing up a few paces, Rob takes a running start, and just manages to clear the four open blocks of water. Lachlan follows swiftly behind him, and the two slip into the trees on the opposite side of the river. Rob silently motions Lachlan forward with his hand, and the two begin creeping slowly through the forest, using bushes and trees for cover at any given time.

     Seconds drag into minutes as the two make painstakingly slow progress. Every snap of a twig and they freeze, crouching behind whatever they can find to hide themselves. But so far, there's no sign of anyone but themselves. Lachlan finds himself wishing they could move s bit faster, but he's no willing to jeopardize their plan to do so. He's suddenly snapped from his thoughts by Rob yanking him behind a bush.

     "Mages." Rob mutters.

     Lachlan peeks around the bush and sees four mages, strolling through the forest towards the river. One of them is Seto, but he doesn't recognize the other three. Rob and Lachlan hold their breaths as they pass. Rob notes how they're distancing themselves from each other, but still staying near enough to clearly see one another. All seems well and it looks like the mages will pass without noticing them... And then... Rob sneezes.

     It's a quiet sneeze, and Rob tries his best to conceal it. In fact, it barley makes a sound. But the jolt of the sneeze causes Rob to stumble back, and accidentally put his full weight on a small stick, which snaps loudly. The noise alerts the back most mage, and he freezes, whirling around and glaring directly at the bush Rob and Lachlan are hiding behind. He wears bright orange skinny jeans, and a teal and dull blue stripped hoodie with a gold 'CS' printed on his shoulder and the hood pulled up. Brown hair sneaks down from the hood, coming to a stop just before his wide rome D black glasses. His eyes are pretty unique, one eye having a purple iris and the other having a vibrant green. His nose is slightly red, as if he has a cold. Anyone know who it is?

Rob curses under his breath as the guy begins to approach, a ball of colourful magic forming on his palm. In a panic, Lachlan scans the ground, looking for something with a little bit of weight to it. His eyes land on a large stone, and he grabs it quickly, turning and chucking it in the opposite direction. The stone crashes through a bush, making it rustle loudly, and the mage's head snaps up at the sound. Turning on his heel, he darts off towards that area, calling a warning to the other mages.

"Come on, while they're distracted." Lachlan whispers urgently.

     Rob nods, and they sneak quickly and quietly away. By the time the mages realize it was a diversion, Rob and Lachlan are already long gone.

~~~

     ~3rd P.O.V. As seen from Mitch and Jerome~

Jerome stifles a yawn as he tiredly watched the opposing tree line from his perch on top a birch tree. It's been some time since they've seen anyone, and now they're just kinda lazing around, waiting for someone to poke their head out of the bushes. Hopefully it's Lachlan and Rob returning with the flag, but Jerome wouldn't mind having some mages appear either-it's been a while since he's delivered a good beating to someone. Mitch finds himself yawning also, the sunshine making his eyelids droopy as he sits at the waters edge, toying with an arrow. After a few montes more of doing nothing, Jerome is about to pipe up and suggest crossing the river, when suddenly chaos is unleashed.

Flurries of magical spells shoot from the tree line, all aimed at Mitch. Yelping in alarm, Mitch's reflexes kick in, and he kicks harshly at the water to send a spray of water up. The fire shooting from the bush clashes against the liquid, turning to steam rather than charring Mitch. Mitch then rolls to the side as streaks of purple energy pelt the ground around him, kicking up clouds of dirt and dust. Scrambling to his feet, Mitch hastily begins to retreat to the cover of the trees, Jerome skidding down the tree trunk like a fire pole to meet him. A beam of ice strikes Mitch on the back, and he cries out momentarily in pain, twisting and blindly shooting an arrow into the bush. The arrow strikes an unseen opponent and she grunts in pain, the fire attacks stopping instantly.

Jerome skids to a stop, uncapping his strength potion and preparing to down it. And then suddenly, a net seemingly woven out of light is streaking out of the bushes, like a big magic fishing net. The net slams into Mitch, throwing him off balance and stumbling into Jerome, knocking them both to the ground before Jerome can drink the potion. The contents of the bottle spill all over the ground. The net then rapidly shrinks so that it's wrapping Mitch and Jerome up tightly, pinning down their limbs and reducing their struggles to a mere wriggle. It's only in that moment that Mitch and Jerome are left wrapped up together tightly and left immobile that four figures step out of the bush. Seto is there, along with another male mage and two females. One of the girls is limping, an arrow protruding from just above her knee, bleeding profusely.

"That was a dirty trick, Seto." Mitch grunts, still trying to worm his way out of the net.
"You two should've been paying close attention." Seto shurgs, smiling.
"This has to be breaking some sort of rule..." Mitch mumbles, scrunching his nose as Jerome's fur tickles his face.
"Mm nope." Seto replies, the other mages snickering.

Jerome growls and tries to bite at the magic net, only hissing in pain as he gets a bad shock as a result.

"Sorry to say fellas, but you two are stuck there until this game ends." The un injured girl comments, a sly smirk on her face.
"Have fun!" The other guy calls in a sing song voice, the four laughing amongst themselves as they easily cross into Mitch and Jerome's side.

Mitch and Jerome watch them go with frowns, grimly accepting the fact that they're trapped.

"This... isn't one of my proudest moments..." Mitch comments after the four pass out of sight.
Jerome nods. "Let's never speak of this again, or we'll never hear the end of it. Agreed?"
"Agreed."

...

A sneaky smile creeps it's way onto Jerome's face.

"Hey Mitch-"
"Whatever you're thinking, the answers no."

~~~

~3rd P.O.V. As seen from Rob and Lachlan~ Vikk and Preston are coming soon I promise XD

"Looks there's the flag." Lachlan murmurs, pointing through the trees at a small clearing, a bright purple flag standing proudly in the centre.
"And looks who's guarding it." Rob mutters in annoyance.

Standing right next to the flag, in plain sight, is Jasper and Xenos. They're too busy bantering to notice Rob and Lachlan sneaking up. They watch as Jasper smirks and whispers something to Xenos. Xenos's eyes widen and his jaw gapes open slightly, which to Jasper is apparently hilarious because he howls in laughter at his reaction. Xenos then yells at Jasper to 'shut up', face flushed, which only causes Jasper to laugh harder. And so on and so fourth.

"Drink your strength potion." Rob whispers, pulling out the invisibility potion for himself.

Lachlan nods, and the two pop the caps off their potions, downing the liquids inside. Dark red particles start to float off of Lachlan, and Rob disappears altogether-though if you look close enough you can see faint blueish grey particles coming from his invisible body.

     "Lachlan you distract them, and I'll run away with the flag. Do whatever you have to, but just make sure they don't see the flag moving."
     "Got it."

     Lachlan stands up tall, and marches into the clearing, instantly drawing the attention of Jasper and Xenos. Meanwhile Rob skirts around, paying extra caution in not causing a single lead to rustle or twig to snap.

    "Well, well, well. Look who we have here... If it isn't Lachlan Power. You're either very brave or very dumb to come here alone." Jasper sneers as Lachlan steps into the clearing, dual iron swords wielded.
     "You're the new ruler of the dimensional kingdom now, aren'tcha?" Xenos adds, the two turning their backs to the purple flag and approaching Lachlan.
     "That's right." Lachlan confirms matter-of-factly. "Unlike you two, stuck as Seto's lackeys. Unable to claim the throne because of just how weak you both are." He taunts, smirking.

Rob is behind them now, creeping towards the flag.

Jasper and Xenos glare at Lachlan. "You wanna go bro?" Xenos challenges.
"If you're so cool then you should be able to beat us two against one." Jasper points out smugly.
"You're right. In fact, why don't you get some friends in here? Maybe then you'll actually stand a chance." Lachlan presses, twirling his swords around.
"That's it!"

Xenos and Jasper lunge at Lachlan, faces twisted in fury. Lachlan and they both know very well Lachlan was only bluffing, and he has no chance of actually taking down both of them. What Jasper and Xenos don't realize, however, is that Rob has reached the flag and is starting to make his retreat. All Lachlan has to do is hold out long enough to let Rob get away.

Xenos pounces at Lachlan, two daggers forming in his hands, both made out of glowing white particles.

      "Magic weapons, really?" Lachlan comments, easily side stepping the attack. "You do realize, that before I became ruler, I was my kingdoms weapon expert, right? And that I'm currently under the effects of a strength potion."

      Xenos says nothing, instead darting in with the twin daggers, Lachlan raising his dual swords to defend. When the daggers meet Lachlan's blades, Lachlan takes a step forward, pushing out at the same time. With the help of the strength potion, Xenos flies of his feet, skidding back on the ground. Meanwhile Jasper sneaks up behind Lachlan, and let's two blasts of vibrant green magic fly from his hands. Lachlan, sensing the attack, twists around and whips up a shield from his inventory. One blast shatters over his shield, though it does make him stumble back a few paces, and the other misses entirely, nearly hitting Xenos who is just rising to his feet. Jasper casts Xenos and apologetic look, as the magic crashes into a large bush behind them, for some reason giving the bush a purple enchanted sheen.

     Xenos then allows the daggers to disappear, and decides on a different tactic instead. We need to disarm him. I'll set him up for you, just don't let him see what I'm doing. Xenos speaks into Jaspers mind, who doesn't give away and clue as to him hearing Xenos, as to not alert Lachlan. But Xenos knows he heard, and so he lets magic begin flowing greatly through him, and touches a hand to the ground. Almost instantly vines of white magic spurt from the ground, thick, strong, long, and silent. The area automatically becomes a tad brighter, and Lachlan is tempted to turn and see why, but he can't risk taking his eyes off Jasper for a second, not with the dangerous attacks he's pulling. And Lachlan realizes that the strength potion has worn out now, which isn't a good thing, either. He grips his dual swords tighter in anxiety. I shoulda brought more weapons.

     And then suddenly, Lachlan finds he can't move. His eyes widen as he looks down, and seeing tendrils of white magic,  wrapped around his waist and legs, preventing any movement. He gasps in shock. How had he not noticed them before?! He didn't even feel them touch him. And just like that, Jasper jumps in, and wrenches the swords from his hands. For good measure he blasts Lachlan with a ball of energy, too. Lachlan cries out in pain, the blast slicing open his abdomen with ease, though shallow still incredibly painful. Tears prick his eyes as the blood begins to fall.

      Xenos tsks as he and Jasper approach Lachlan. "I was hoping to get a better fight from you."
     Jasper nods, smirking. "All bark and no bite."
     "That may be so." Lachlan manages through clenched teeth, "but take a look around you. Notice something different?"

     Jasper snorts, finding the statement amusing. His smile doesn't last long, however, when he realizes just what Lachlan means.

     "Jasper, the flag..." Xenos begins quietly. "It's gone. But how?"
     The pupils in Jaspers eyes go small, and his face twists with rage. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

     Lachlan eyes widen in terror as, in a snarl of fury, Jasper leaps towards Lachlan. Still trapped by the tendrils of white magic, it's all Lachlan can do to try and twist away from the diamond blade swinging towards his chest. It misses Lachlan's chest, but still grazes his upper arm, cutting easily through the red fabric of Lachlan's hoodie. Jasper doesn't miss a beat, and brings the sword whistling back at Lachlan's head.

    "Jasper, stop, you'll kill him! It's against the rules!" Xenos exclaims in alarm, releasing Lachlan from the magical trap.

     Lachlan quickly dives out of the way, stumbling ungracefully across the ground, blood smearing behind him.

     "STAY OUT OF THIS XENOS!" Jasper bellows, waving his hand in an arc.

     A green translucent bubble suddenly appears around Xenos, rendering his powers useless. Words catch in a tight lump in Xenos's throat, and tears weld up in his eyes. This isn't the Jasper he knows. And if he kills Lachlan, then it won't be pret facing Seto after. Or Lachlan could kill him, which scares Xenos even more, because it's entirely possible. Why couldn't he just let it be?! After the challenge, one way or another, their plan is going to work. So why cause all this trouble?

     Lachlan rolls out of the way as Jasper's diamond sword plunges into the ground beside him, whimpering in agony as pain erupts from his stomach and arm. Either way, Lachlan still manages to lash his legs out, sweeping Jasper of his feet and sending him crashing to the ground. While Jasper recovers, Lachlan frantically surveys the area for some sort of weapon. He needs something, anything to protect himself from Jaspers wrath. And then suddenly Jasper is on him again... But not before Lachlan catches sight of something nearby. Jasper pins Lachlan down on his back, shoving the blade of his sword towards Lachlan's neck. Lachlan reaches up and manages to stop it, the blade slicing deeply into his palms as Lachlan struggles to keep the sword at bay.

     "P-please Jasper, you don't need to do th-this." Lachlan gasps, Jasper forcing more pressure onto his sword, the only thing separating it from Lachlan's neck being Lachlan's hands.
     "You took everything from me. My mom, my dad, and my brother. You wouldn't remember, but you killed them. All of them. So now this is what you get." Jasper hisses, pressing harder.
      "I'm sorry." Lachlan pants.

     This is for you xRainblossomx

And it's for two reasons he says that. One, is due to guilt. And the second reason, is that in a flash Lachlan reaches up, and snaps a large limb from the enchanted bush behind him. When Jasper had hit it with magic by accident, the bush had become enchanted, and now Lachlan shoves the pointed end of the stick straight at Jasper. Time seems to pass in slow motion for Jasper. All he's aware of is the cries from Xenos, somewhere behind him, the sharp enchanted branch plunged through his chest, and dark red blood steadily dripping to the ground. And a moment later, his world spirals into blackness.

     Not two seconds later, and suddenly a flurry of purple light is swirling around in the middle of the clearing, and in the blink of an eye Seto is standing there.

     "I sensed someone was trying to kill another person, who-"

      Seto's sentence is cut off as his eyes land on the limp body of Jasper, a pool of blood gathered beneath him. Lachlan has pulled himself out from underneath Jasper, and is hunched over and shivering, blood caking himself and the ground. Behind Seto, trapped in the forcefield Jasper created, Xenos is breaking down, tears streaming down his face as he lets out quiet broken sobs, his head handing low. Seto snaps, and the forcefield vanishes. Xenos instantly scrambles to Jaspers side, cradling his limp body in his arms.

     "I'm sorry I could not reach here soon enough." Seto mumbles, speaking to no one in particular.

     By using his powers to glimpse the past, Seto is already aware of what happened. He strides over to Lachlan, leaving Xenos alone for the time being. Lachlan backs away from Seto instinctively, breathing in ragged shallow breaths, blood seeping from his stomach, arm, and hands and darkness edging his blurred vision. Pain courses through his body, and tears stream down his face. Seto sighs, and squats in front of Lachlan, pressing a gentle hand to his shoulder. Lachlan immediately falls to the ground limp, and a soft purple aura encases him, the bleeding abruptly stopping and the wounds beginning to close on his body. Seto then shifts over to Xenos, kneeled on the ground over Jasper, his hands covered with Jaspers blood.

     "C-can you fix him?" Xenos begs, breathing unsteadily.

     Seto's gaze passes over Jaspers body. He frowns, sorrow heaving at his heart, and tears clouding his eyes.

     "I'm sorry Xenos, the branch went through his lung, and skimmed his heart. Not only that but it was enchanted with his own magic. There's... There's nothing I can do."

~~~

     ~3rd P.O.V. As seen from Preston and Vikk~

     This is happening at the same time when Lachlan and Rob first got to the clearing

     Preston makes a noise of displeasure-a mix of anxiety, hopeless determination, and alarm. Vikk holds a finger to his lips. He and Vikk watch silently from a shaded and hidden perch in a tree as four figures step into their clearing. Preston is covered by Vikk's old assassin cloak, the darkness of the fabric concealing most of Preston's glow. They instantly recognize the one in lead to be Seto, and assume the other three must be the mages other than Seto, Jasper, and Xenos. One of the two girls is limping heavily, a broken arrow shaft protruding from her bleeding leg, but she pushes on with a set jaw and confident demeanour.

We have the advantage of surprise. See if you can target the injured one, I'll aim for Seto. Vikk signs to Preston. To Preston, however, Vikk is just waving his hands and fingers around like an idiot. He's never heard of sign language, much less heard of it. The look on Preston's face makes it obvious, too. Vikk sighs in frustration. He jabs a finger at Preston, then points towards the injured Mage, and makes an action like drawing a bow. Then Vikk points at himself, gestures to Seto, and flashes a few throwing a stars. Preston mouths the 'ohh' noise, and gives Vikk a thumbs up. Vikk rolls his eyes.

"Did they seriously just leave their flag unguarded?" The other male comments skeptically, eyes narrowing.

It's at that point two arrows and a handful of throwing stars come whizzing down from the trees. The arrows sink at various places in the girl mages leg, and she wails in pain, knees bucking and falling to the ground. There's no way she'll be doing any fighting now. Seto, however, whirls around and extends a hand. His eyes flash purple and the throwing stars disintegrate in mid air. Clenching his fist, the thick heavy branch beneath Vikk and Preston shatters like a twig, and the two crash through the leaves, landing heavily on the ground.

     "Spoke too soon." The unharmed female mutters to the male.

Preston and Vikk rise quickly to their feet, Vikk pulling out daggers, and Preston tearing off the cloak covering his skin, beginning to rapidly heat up. Two dark green-blue orbs shatter in front of the tall blue flag, and Vikk and Preston appear, placing themselves between the three remaining mages and the flag. The fourth Mage sits leaning against a brick tree, gripping hie bloody leg tightly. At this point Preston's skin is so hot, that little bits of lava begin to droop to the ground, and Vikk is forced to step away a quite a few paces.

"Stay next to the flag so they can't come near it." Vikk murmurs to Preston.

And with that Vikk downs his jump boost potion, enderpearls into the trees, and vanishes from sit. Preston obediently backs up so he's directly next to the flag. Seto, the male, and the female mages glance into the trees, huddling together in a tight cluster. There's a brief shadow as Vikk bounds between the trees, the jump boost giving him extra bounce and gracefulness, performing advanced flips. Three throwing stars whistle down from a tree, and then three seconds later, more arrive from a different direction. Seto sets up a protective barrier, and the stars fall harmlessly to the ground. At this time the male and female mages gulp down potions-both drinking fire resistance, and the male drinking a speed potion as well.

The barrier drops and the male and female mages charge Preston, streaks of magic flying towards him. Seto supasses Vikk's every move, sending back two blasts of magic for every one throwing star sent his way. Preston tries his very best to defend against the two mages, but he is simply no match for their superior technique and skills. Soon enough he finds his diamond sword spinning end over end from his hands, landing somewhere off to the side. Preston tries to tackle down the male Mage, but he dances nimbly out of the way, grabbing a hold of the flag and pulling it from its spot in the ground. It's a this time that Seto also manages to strike down Vikk, who crashes to the ground awkwardly, wincing as a snap resonated from the arm he landed on.

As the male Mage streaks into the woods, Preston attempts to follow only to be confronted by the female Mage, magic swirling at her fingertips, gaze daring Preston to try and follow him. Preston's gaze flickers over to Vikk, and he hurls his healing potion to him. Vikk catches the bottle and downs the contents, feeling the bones in his arm instantly seal. Preston then ducks and swerves, trying to avoid the dangerous blasts of magic from the female, trying to find a way around her but failing. Seto moves in to attack Vikk again, but suddenly his eyes go wide, and without any words Seto disappears in a ball of purple light. Vikk stands there confused, but then Preston's shout quickly snaps him out of it.

"RUN VIKK! GET THE FLAG BACK!"

Vikk whips around, nods, and pitches an enderpearl into the trees in the direction the other Mage left. He's gone a moment later, and Preston just hopes that somehow he'll be able to stop him.

~~~

~3rd P.O.V. As seen from Mitch and Jerome~

Still bound by that stupid magical net, Mitch and Jerome lay helpless on the ground, bored out of their minds and slightly uncomfortable with such close proximity to one another. Mitch is humming a small tune, and Jerome has his eyes closed, not asleep but merely resting. It's only when he hears the faintest of rustles, that Jerome's eyes suddenly snap open, and his head jerks up.

"Quiet. Listen." Jerome whispers to Mitch, Mitch instantly falling silent.

Sure enough they pick up on the sound of crashing leaves, coming from either side of the river. With a joint effort, Mitch and Jerome manage to sit themselves up, and glance wildly into the bushes on either side. Off to one side, they catch a glimpse of someone wearing blue, crashing and stumbling through the bush with a purple flag tucked under his arm. Mitch's and Jerome's eyes light up when they see its Rob. Their ecstasy quickly dwindles though when they see, on their side, a Mage wearing a dark blue and teal striped hoodie thundering this way, moving at a much quicker pace due to a speed potion. Not far behind him is Vikk, trying desperately to catch him. But it's obvious the Mage will reach and cross the river first. If that's happens, then they lose, and Jerome is not willing to accept that.

"Mitch, can you give me your strength potion?" Jerome asks urgently.
"I can try..." Mitch grunts, "but this net thingy is super tight."

Wriggling and twisting, Mitch managed to slide his arm up from between the two of them, the dark red potion gripped tightly in his hand. Arm bent at an awkward angle, Mitch holds the bottle up for Jerome, holding it still as Jerome clamps his teeth around it and bites off the cap. Mitch then let's go as Jerome grabs the potion with his teeth, tipping his head back and letting the contents slide down his throat. Dark red particles rise off his body, and Jerome tuns and clamps his jaws down on the net, not feeling nearly as bad of a shock as last time he tried to bite it.

"We should've thought of this sooner!" Jerome exclaims, the net falling easily away, and disappearing into nothing.

Jerome and Mitch jump up just in time to meet the male Mage, bounding out of the bush with the flag in hand. He skids to a stop at the sight of Mitch and Jerome, his path to the river abruptly cut off. The very next moment Vikk is tackling from behind, the two plummeting to the ground and a cloud of dust. The Mage throws Vikk off, only to have Jerome take his place. Now the Mage can do nothing but squirm under the weight of the strong bacca, unable to stop Mitch from kneeling down and wrestling the flag from his grasp. And it's at that point everyone eyes are directed to Rob, who dripping wet, stands back on his own side, panting heavily with the flag held high above his head.

It is over. Seto's voice speaks into all their minds. Xenos raises his head only slightly, tears still falling, Lachlan remains unconscious, Preston and the female Mage stop fighting, the injured female cries out in frustration, Mitch and Jerome release the male, who sits up with frown, and Vikk plops to the ground in exhaustion. The Pack has won, and I hereby bestow the ownership of this kingdom to Rob Latsky. Well done everyone. My mages, I wish to speak to you all in private later, for something terrible but unavoidable has happened. To the Pack, I'm sure Lachlan will fill you in.

~~~

Question of the chapter:

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