The most frustrating thing about fighting was when the people you are targeting don't go along with the plan. It would have been nice if they moved and acted in patterns that were easily identified, but they didn't. And as I spent time creating a cloud bank as the point of origin for my lightning strikes, a few of the cultivators decided they were tired of waiting.
Or that if they didn't act now, the odds of their winning would only decrease as more people found their way to this room.
It began simply enough, a fire enhanced Qi strike aimed at a young woman. A young woman that stood out dressed in the garish colored dress that I had ditched as soon as I could. The attack may have done enough damage to eliminate her if she wasn't protected. She had a life-saving treasure that reflected the fire attack back at the originator.
The reflected fire engulfed the young man that attacked doing enough damage that he began wailing in pain as well as a few other cultivators that had paused to wait in the same general area. He had left himself open to his own reflected fire, either his training was substandard, or he had become complacent. He probably trained with the same people and had become used to winning against his Sect brothers and sisters.
That first attack triggered responses from everyone in the room. The next few moments were filled with Qi attacks that had been steeped with fire, water, air, and earth affinities. The maelstrom of energy that surged to obey the command of the cultivators battling ripped the clouds full of air and water Qi that I had been forming to shreds. Cultivators stealing the available Qi to bolster their attacks.
I came close to losing the Qi platform I had created and was crouching on, as more and more of the ambient energy that had filled the room was leeched away and channeled through martial techniques. The savagery of the attacks worried me. There was no testing, no feints to try to gauge an opponent's strength, some of the attacks were obvious delivered with killing intent.
I should remain passive, watching the events unfold without acting. It would have been smarter to wait, to let them engage in their free for all and only respond when the last few were left standing, but I had noticed a pattern forming as I watched. A group of three cultivators from the same Sect acting in concert, their attacks well-coordinated and effective. They began targeting and eliminating opponents systematically.
It was subtle, the three worked hard to hide their cooperation, but from my vantage point, I could see the entire room. My perception was high enough, my [Dao of Movement] enabling me to process the subtle clues and conclude quickly what their plan was. The increased synaptic firing of my brain's neurons allowed me to understand what they were doing. I wasn't why the three were working together. I could only assume that they had decided to eliminate everyone else to increase the rank for the two who didn't win.
I hoped that the placement of these three people from the same Sect in our group of participants was happenstance. I would act as if that were the case for now, but I made a note of the Sect insignia that they had embroidered into their Hanfu. I would talk with Elder Shadow about how this in private, ask if some manipulation of group dynamics may have been allowed. I had learned discretion over the last year, my experience with blurting out accusations and suppositions publicly had made life in the Sect harder than it needed to be. I wouldn't make the same mistake.
I would report what I saw and what I believed, that one of the Sect had manipulated where their members would be placed to affect the outcome. I would leave it to Elder Shadow to investigate that possibility if he felt it warranted. But that came after, what I needed to focus on now was disrupting the well-coordinated attacks the three of them were engaged in. They had been systematically removing foes, their combined attacks leaving little room or the chance for any of those targeted to respond.
The rules for the round of combat were clear, if a person were incapacitated or seriously injured, the judge monitoring would flag them, and they would be transported out of the array. Knowing that; I began rapid-firing arrow after arrow. Alternating between ice and lightning, working to stun and incapacitate. I wasn't exactly sure what the benchmark for incapacitation was, so I spent the first few attacks pausing after using each [Water Pierce].
It soon became evident that something more than stunning was required, neither the slowing effect of my ice arrows or the stunning effect of lightning resulted in a loss for the person targeted. I would have to do real damage if I wanted to make a difference in what was going on below me.
The cloud bank that I had been forming had completely dissipated by now, so I decided to release a cascade of arrows rife with fog Qi. I didn't target anyone specifically, I simply shot them so that as they broke across the ground fog was released. I hoped it would sow confusion and obscure vision.
The cultivators were still gathering Qi, the atmosphere still turbulent, but I didn't need to hold the fog in place or contain it as tightly as I would a thunder cloud. As the fog formed, it began to act as a hindrance, making the floor slick. The limestone blocks, once wet, became treacherous, forcing people to split their attention to how they placed their feet. More than one person fell before they realized a new variable had been introduced into the environment. Once I noticed that I began peppering the ground with ice arrows freezing the condensing water and making the ground an obstacle that those who were moving had to account for.
Having sown as much confusion as possible, I turned my attention back to attacking individuals directly. I still wanted to remain circumspect, not wanting to give up my location or the element of surprise. So, I selected my targets based on how engaged they were with an opponent.
I still continued with a rapid-fire assault, but now I changed the Ice arrow to do piercing damage instead of slowing. The three that were working in concert remained high on my list of opportunities, the team needed to be eliminated before the battle royal below me ended or I would stand no chance of advancing to the next round.
I'm not sure if I made a mistake, or if those three individuals had high perception, but they spotted and were able to trace back one of my arrows that had pierced their arm. It had done some serious damage to the bicep, the profuse bleeding proof. But not enough to be eliminated.
I watched as the one I'd hit whispered to his cohorts, pointing in my direction. I wasn't sure if he could see through [Stealth] or if he was guessing where my general location was, but his actions were enough motivation for me to create more ice platforms and begin gliding away. I cursed myself for my haste.
If I had waited until they had expended more of their Qi, I may have been able to deliver an instant 'kill'. But I had been worried that their team tactics would work against me if I waited so long that I gained their undivided attention.
I wasn't the only one that decided to move and reposition. They decided to move too, but they moved in concert. They had practiced and trained long enough to know that being separated from each other would only make it easier for them to be eliminated one by one.
I kept them highlight with my perception, a kind of blinking red icon located on my mental map of the room. As they moved, I changed the trajectory of my own path. I wanted to keep as much distance between us as possible. My arrows and my speed were my advantages, I would keep them.
They had moved to the corner I recently vacated. Once there, they began releasing great torrents of flame and wind that twisted the fire they released into a fire tornado that slowly began rotating.
If I had remained where I was when I made that first shot, I would have been engulfed in the twister, sucked into the eye as loose debris and Qi were swallowed. Their actions were finally noticed by the rest of the room, and a few people started vanishing as they forfeited.
Withstanding the power of a fully formed Firenado was not for the feint of heart. Or for those cultivators that didn't have an elemental alignment that would allow them to withstand or fight against the intense heat that was being released.