Hope everyone is still enjoying the story thusfar! Nothing like some tension to spice things up. Speaking of tension, you guys are only 2/3 through when this chapter ends, so this story can go literally anywhere.

Except a flambe or mauled Vera 

#TeamFirehead

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          Vera loved executing plans almost as much as making them up. Perhaps it was watching the confusion on the face of her prey before they realised everything too late, or the rush of power she felt pulling all the strings on a play of dull puppets.

          As she stood poised in plain view of five molves with her blue ribbon in one hand, it was a little bit of both.

          The molves were beyond confused at her arrival, still checking the other entrances for a sneak attack as she calmly walked towards them. But she was the only student with the gal to even come within five skips of the molve's flag after seeing it.

          As the first molve got up to face her she stopped, a sweet smile touching her lips for the expected gesture. "I want to make a deal."

          The molve snorted, its dripping tongue lazily hanging from a row of jutting fangs as it eyed her ribbon hungrily. There wasn't a thing Vera could currently offer that could strike a sound deal with the team of molves. They knew it, and so did she.

          But the key word was currently.

          "My ribbon is barely worth anything," Vera continued, unflinching as the molve took a step towards her. "If you take it the deal's off. Don't you want to hear what I have to offer?"

          Vera didn't move as the other four molves began to rise from their lazy positions, five sets of fiery orange eyes fixed upon her, thick with anticipation to take the cocky girl's ribbon after a sad excuse. But with five blazing sets on her, not a glance was paid to the peaking black flag, where a single fiery phoenix had found its perch, a snaking trail of flames starting to eat away at the flag and giving Vera exactly what she'd come for.

          Alestra was right. Even with the whole class on their side the molves could still pull off a win, but being born and raised in Latos if there was one art Vera knew more than any, it was war. 

          And in war, if you couldn't have what you wanted, no one could.

          Vera watched the flames grow, her amused grin pulling the molves attention to their flag. Fifty points up in smoke, and the once strongest team now only worth six.

          She cleared her throat to seize her audience once more, blue ribbon still dangling from her fingers as a malicious smile warped her face with shadowed glee. "As I was saying, I have a deal. My team has eyes in the sky, ten ribbons, and a completely intact flag." she watched the molves relax a little, her excitement only growing to a pulsing tingle as she kept a laugh from leaking into her words. "What do you say we make it sixteen ribbons and a little more than three screams in twenty minutes?" 

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          Káel could feel the icy chill of the dirt numbing his palms, down on his hands and knees with Truvius as they crawled through the shadows of the small building. He kept his eyes darting around the dark, hoping for a quick escape route if the molve decided to run straight through the wall.

          But it didn't, which made matters even worse.

          He hadn't a clue where the stone plated beast was, but it would have to be truly dumb not to think they had found shelter in the close by cracked hut of a house.

          Káel flinched at a loud splash behind him, Truvius still managing to trip while on his hands and knees and catching his balance in a shallow puddle. The sound would certainly pull the molve closer, but as he prepared for the wall in front to crack open in a flurry of ferocious barks and talons, silence still ate at his gut and conjured an anxious fear in the back of his mind.

          Where was it?

          "It's still here," Phantom hushed, down to a crawl beside Káel as his words settled some ease into his bones. "Right beside us."

          He glanced at the thick wall beside them, trying to swallow the lump of fear hardening in his throat.

          On the bright side, he knew it was silently stalking them now.

          Puff had pattered ahead into the shadows as the slowly made their way along the ground, the molve perfectly siding with them as it prowled the wall outside. All was hopeless if they didn't have a distraction for the beast.

          As Káel contemplated jumping out the closest window and making a run for it, Puff let out the quietest warble, his guardian's fluffy white tail popping into view as the drake stopped to sniff the air.

          "Smell someone?" Phantom said, looking through the dim room where the few windows were enough to light its contents and a couple paths. "Where?"

          "Wouldn't you sense people?" Káel muttered, while he waited for Truvius to crawl over to them, still tripping while on his hands and knees.

          Phantom scoffed. "I can't sense people when they're not intently staring at us, it's not like they're leaking tons of lumience like the Molves, and I can't smell them cause I'm sealed, in case you forgot that little detail."

          "Smell them?" Káel muttered, grimacing at Phantom's creepy comment.

          "What?" Truvius whispered, looking up at Káel while he made his way across the last window.

          "I said crawl faster."

          Truvius chuckled. "Sorry, I'm only really good at hiding."

          "Not with all that slipping and splashing," Káel retorted, cautiously leading Truvius across the wall as he followed Puff's lead. "We need to be careful, Puff says he smells people."

          "I didn't know you spoke nomad dragon tongue," Truvius replied, doubt painting his smile at the worst possible time as he raised his eyebrows in suspicion. 

          Káel ignored his roommate's jab, waiting for the ridged stone spine to pass the final window before pulling Truvius into the closest doorway. "He's good at charades, get off my ca-." Káel choked, clearly seeing a light flee around the corner in front of them. From the way Truvius stared blankly he hadn't seen it, Puff's quiet warble signifying that they had likely found the other people. 

          Truvius nudged Káel, eyes fixed to the single path ahead. "Something there...?"

          Káel slowly put his finger to his lips with a soft nod. They were stuck in the middle of an inevitable scrap, but words didn't need to be spoken regarding the preferred enemy, the two boys exchanging a nod as they continued ahead.

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          "Good job Talli," Alestra said, two green ribbons clutched in her palm from the unsuspecting students she'd snuck up on while they were busy cornering Talli. In the short distraction however, they had lost sight of their real goal.

          Or phoenix, to put it simply.

          She scoured the skies, climbing the closest wall for a better vantage point, but the fiery bird was nowhere in sight. She had dipped for something, and given the look on Vera's face when they had left her it couldn't have been anything good.

          She took a moment to think on their next action. They had two ribbons, which was more than what most of the hiding students could say. 

          Was going back to the flag a good idea?

          With a quick skim of her surroundings, she jumped back down, going straight for the wall of trees that acted as the boundary line for their playing field. At least with her back to the forest, she wouldn't have to worry about anything sneaking up on her while she made a call. 

          With a comforting smile she pulled up her sleeve to show Talli her sender. "I'm calling Vera about Cinder, she'll have an answer."

          "O-oh... good idea," Talli replied, the two of them stood in an open space of crumbled stones and leafy plants, multiple routes of escape available should the wrong eavesdropper come upon their conversation. 

          Alestra jammed down on her sender, muttering Vera's name and waiting for the white orb to rise. And it did, so quick she would have been convinced that Vera had called her at the exact same time.

           "Hello?" the cocky voice rang, Alestra having the leeway to grimace at Vera's hint of mockery to her tone.

          "It's Alestra, we just saw Cinder-"

          "Flying in the sky? Yeah, I know. By the way, we've practically won the game now, wanna know how?"

          Alestra's eye involuntarily twitched. "How?"

          "I would like to introduce you to our new teammates," Vera rang, a muffled shuffle scraping through the sender as she repositioned it. "Can you say hi to our teammates?"

          Alestra stopped dead as a dry bark came through, the molve's scraping howl of a voice unmistakable. 

          She really was stupid.

          "They won't attack blue," Vera continued, her voice leaking with taunting glee. "So sit tight and we'll handle this."

          Alestra held back a sigh, composing herself as she ran through the mess Vera had landed them in. She had somehow teamed up with the molves, but for how long? "So I'm assuming the flag is unguarded?"

          "No, it's being watched," Vera replied. "I'm gonna call Káel now and tell him. Goodbye!"

          Alestra didn't even utter a response before the call cut, her shoulders relaxing with a sharp and drawn sigh. "Charming teammate," she growled, noticing Talli's timid cringe as a frown tugged down her features. "I know you guys are friends, sorry. I guess it is just a game."

          Talli perked up at Alestra's voice, breaking away from what she was staring at to pay more attention to Alestra's words. "O-oh that's okay..." she tried to work up a smile, her eyes darting back to the trees as the sight before her began to eat away at her comfort. "I-i-isn't he out of bounds though....?"

          Alestra froze, Talli pointing just past her shoulder into the trees. 

          Into the silent forest that usually sang with life.

          Her heart stilled, a nail of dread driving through her chest as she dared a quick peek. A person was certainly there, and she hadn't noticed them staring right into her back.

          She slowly looked at her paled friend, speaking through gritted teeth as she pretended not to notice their cloaked guest. "Talli... stop pointing."

          Talli slowly dropped her arm, trying to hide the shake that was wracking her shoulders while Alestra calmly grabbed her hand, back turned to the unmoving spectator as she walked them away from the trees. 

         Away from the forest that was supposed to attack any intruder. 

          She finally reached a wall, thanking Tesirus as she stole another glance at the man, their attention turned elsewhere as they failed to move from their original position. Although the hooded man was no longer watching her, the very sight of him stabbed her heart with an icy dread. An inexplicable sense of imminent doom should she take a step to satiating any curiousity that came with finding an object so incredibly out of place.

          A presence so terrifying even the air around him felt dead and hollowed.

          She could feel her legs weakening as she focused all her strength into composure, rounding the wall to break her sights on the guest and all at once collapsing into a squat as the nerves finally hit her racing heart. Be it the senders on her wrist, or the lack of attention she paid the guest, something had saved her and Talli, every second she left her back exposed to the man counting for an eternity of raw fear clawing her mind.

          She knew the walk of a killer, the feral bite of their gaze as they watched everything like prey. Worse still she knew the forest would never let such filth in without a fight, and it would take a monstrous amount of power for one to scare the forest into the silence

          Alestra lifted her gaze to Talli, the young girl so stiff with fear tears were already rolling down her cheeks as she stiffled every noise by holding her breath. Although it wouldn't do much with the way her hands were trembling, Alestra rested them on Talli's shoulders, piercing her wet eyes with a serious stab. 

          "We need to find Nim."

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Quality Quip #27:

'The hardest thing to keep in this world is to keep still.'

~Anonymous