When I went through the rune matrix portal, I noticed that we ended up entering another rune matrix that didn't even give a test, this and the third matrix that happens. When I asked Ingredi she said that matrix rods stop having testing after it is done a few times, it seems that the center of the maze has such a high movement that most of the matrices have stopped having testing, this makes moving through the maze a lot.
During my way here I talked to Vonin and Ingredi while Hilda and Vanessa meddled in the conversation, Vanessa has a real control problem, she has to put herself as team leader even when she isn't. It's a shame that in this world there isn't even a professional capable of treating her mental disorders.
I found out a few things about the dispute going on during this test, it seems that the perks the elves got because of the fairy episode has nothing to do with me, I'm just an excuse. It seems that most families vying for the leadership of the city know that the next test phase will not be here, it will take place in the center of the realm.
And all students from the southern region will be part of the same group during the next test, and the student with the best performance will be crowned leader of that team, I am an excuse and a distraction that the elves are using to gain an advantage and I got the leadership of the southern region in front of all nobles and military in the kingdom. Even if they are not able to lead the southern part of the kingdom without even an opponent, having their younger generation in a leadership role is the first step in paving their way to becoming the strongest family in the south.
But obviously the other families are trying to form an alliance against them, but as it is so difficult to bring together a bunch of nobles who have been fighting each other for generations and this creates a rivalry as natural as breathing for these nobles, the alliance is very stable and barely can be considered a true covenant. Thanks to this mess of alliance the elves have been very confident in their victory, if it weren't for this Caliban would not be facing alone the team of Ingredi and Vonin who by the way are allies, the previous fight was just a theater to surround Caliban's team, it seems like I'm not the only leader who loves to lie and deceive others.
Seems like there's a real disagreement among the dwarves that it's a team led by humans, but this was more of a personal dispute between the leaders, so some team leaders who are in the alliance who are actually working as a team, made the plan to ambush two teams of elves. My appearance only made the Vonen and Ingredi ambush a success.
We took out two mages and Caliban's right arm, his team was extremely weakened by this, as he can't rebuild his team he will have to walk through the maze with another team of elves. It's a shame that the rules don't forbid teams to go together, with this defeat the elves will probably start to walk with their teams in formations of three and two teams and this will make it very difficult for the alliance against the elves, according to the Ingredi's information was that Caliban had a lot of bad luck building his team and that's why he is the weakest among the elf teams when you take Caliban's personal strength away.
Relying on Caliban's strength your team has a medium to strong strength among the elf-led teams, but as they will likely start walking together the strength of the next elf teams, I encounter in the maze must be too high for my team to handle alone.
I believe that I can count on Ingredi's team but I would still like to have more teams together with mine. I believe the next time he meets Caliban in a matrix he will not only want revenge on me, he will also have the power to do so, with his team weakened I believe he will basically absorb two other teams to have the power to crush any other team he wants.
But on the upside to all of this, when the other leaders see that Caliban is targeting teams instead of exploring the maze, they'll actually band together, if they don't, they'll be crushed by the elves. I believe the biggest reason the alliance against the elves isn't working right is because the elves haven't even made a big move against them.
After the first team or group of loose students is crushed by the elves the fear will spread and this will unite the alliance in a correct and efficient way. Only after the idiots realize they're screwed will they do something to change it.
"Vonin do you know where Sindri is? I want to meet him to ask him why he wants to help me and it's also time for this alliance to come together for real. The elves will start moving in large groups once they realize your alliance is a threat to them, that ambush idea was a good one, but you should have scaled it up."
"If it could be bigger, it would be, Ulric. It was not easy to mount this attack, the idiot human nobles not only opposed the idea of ambush but even more hindered, if it hadn't been for Sindri to lead the dwarf's today's attack would not have happened."
"Hey, I'm here participating in the ambush and I helped plan it from the beginning, Vonin."
"Obviously I'm not referring to you. Ingredi when I said idiot human nobles, I mean other human nobles. Not only do you support Sindri, you are also the biggest supporter of the alliance, if it weren't for you and Carlos, the alliance would not have humans."
It seems that the problem in the alliance is with the human nobles and not those who are dwarfs or tribesmen.
"Who are the leaders of the ten teams? You should meet them all by now."
"One was missing, but now that you've appeared all ten leaders are at the center of the maze, what's your color? Mine is magenta."
"My color is black."
"Mine is violet, the other seven leaders are four Caliban elves, Merilren, Galelmar and Flora all elves are strong and are in the final or intermediate stage of the gray core, the strongest among them are Caliban and Flora. During this test the elves really invested a lot the shield Caliban used in the last fight must be high quality tier three weaponry designed and made to sync with him, but he's just an annoying warrior the biggest problem will be Flora an elemental mage fire, light and wind she already has a reputation for being a genius at elemental manipulation, but she must also be equipped with weapons and magic tools made especially for her."
"The elves are really going to be troublesome, have you ever seen that golden aura before? I didn't even feel an elemental energy in mine, hers was just aura, but she had something mixed in her that amplify Caliban's power."
"Not."
Ingredi has never seen it, but apparently Vonin has seen this kind of aura before.
"I've seen more than one weapon or armor that could change the color of a warrior's aura, using not the elemental energy involved and a warrior characteristic, but this is the first time I've seen this golden aura, it must be created by a of Caliban's aura characteristics, but to know more about that we would have to know what kind of affinity he has.
"Well, I doubt we can figure out what the exact characteristic this golden color represents, but of course it increases Caliban's combat power. But who are the other leaders on our side?"
"We have Soran who is a human, Sindri who is a dwarf and lastly we have Nole who is a warrior of the Lion tribe, but we have a small problem in the alliance that will only get worse with his entry into it. Soran is a member of the Vernos family, to be exact he is the grand-nephew of the Vernos family patriarch, he has no reputation for being a dick, but he is very loyal to the family and I doubt he will be in a good mood when you show up."
"I believe that not one of the leaders must like this Soran, as far as I know the Vernos family doesn't like to get involved with other races. Do you think he can abandon the alliance?"
"In reality Soran is not a racist, but many members of his team and his family who are in Nole's group are. Because of the test rules, the leaders have mixed teams even on the elf team there are people from other families who are not neutral in this conflict, I have a cousin on Merilren's team, but as he will be punished if he betrays his leader, he will have to fight us, even if he is a member of the Menfis family and despises Merilren."
"Merilren is a sneaky bitch, she keeps prostituting herself to get allies."
"Hilda! You shouldn't spread rumors about other people, Mom has already forbidden you to do that."
It seems that this test is getting more complicated by the moment.
"To elves in the alliance?"
"Yes, the two elves on Soran's team, but they are then being watched by both Soran and the examiners. If they betray our side not only, will they be punished but all elves will be penalized, the examiners made it clear, when joining a team, they must follow the team leader."
"So where can we find the other leaders?"
"I have no idea, but we kind of have a matrix designed to meet us when something bad happens."
"Something bad is about to happen when they realize the elves are angry, haven't you set a place to regroup after the ambush?"
"No, if it worked out, we would all have prisoners, so it would be better not to gather them in one place so they can be rescued."
"Let's go to the matrix you guys agreed on earlier, and our best chance of finding one of the leaders."