"Prove it."
Alex traced the commanding voice, only to face an irritated Luca and calm Maria, who stood on his left while slightly behind him. Rather than the obvious irritation painted all over Luca, Maria showed only placidity, yet Alex could see faint traces of disgust in her expression.
'And here I thought we could all forge immediate but enduring bonds together.' Alex restrained a smirk and attempted to answer Luca, but he spoke again.
"I don't care whatever those little toys are, or whatever vile method you used to get them. But I know that a weak little liar like you should shut up. Fight me. Let's see how strong you really are, shrimp."
Alex was taken aback. His response was too aggressive and extremely abrupt. He did not react like this earlier, so why now. She suspected Maria had a hand in this, but did not cross out that Luca may not have been manipulated.
Sadly, Alex did not take insults too kindly. Her tolerance for insults and unwarranted disrespect was absolutely zero. Anyone who unjustifiably tried to treat her as less than an equal would get a rude awakening.
"Aren't you going too far?" Before Alex could speak for herself, Charles had already done so. Everyone had convened around them- everyone except Avery, of course.
"Who still says shrimp? Are you sure you're from our generation?" Dahlia snapped at the bemused Luca. Her naturally haughty tone amplified the severity of every word she spat.
"Thug-like behaviour at such a young age, rationality must come hard to you." Isaiah threw the next insult with his mellow voice and Alex decided to end this unnecessary squabble.
"Luca, I am afraid I can not fight you."
Luca erupted in mockery. Then, imitating a disturbingly high-pitched voice that was certainly not Alex's, he retorted.
"Ohhhh, so you don't wanna fight, huh? Thought you were strong, you weak-"
During his taunting, Luca had come unacceptably close, attempting to use his superior height to intimidate her. When they had not brushed their teeth for days on end or even showered, Alex would never tolerate such a stench in proximity, so she rapidly shifted backwards before responding evenly.
"Yes, Luca, you are much too weak for me to exhibit the necessary strength I intend to demonstrate. I am extremely curious as to what led you to believe you alone would be enough. However, I do not suppose I will ever be able to decode a thought process as puzzling as yours. No Luca, I will not fight you."
Luca and Maria looked equally stunned, and before anyone could suggest any more absurdities, Alex strolled to the cave's nearest wall and thrust out her fist into its uneven surface.
Instantaneously, cracks stretched thin across the cavern's wall. An implosion, not so profound, yet so visible, sucked in a circular area of the cave. The cracks ran across the walls and stopped not too far away from the centre of this web-like indent. Her knuckles were slightly sore, but she did not bleed from the scratches.
Then she turned to her disbelieving teammates, a playful smile hung on her lips,
"Will this level suffice?"
°°°
Beneath the zealously sweltering rays of the sun was a canopy of lush green. Lofty trees pierced into the clouds, originating from bark as wide as two mid-sized men, and a dewy mist pervaded the delicate natural air.
The only hint of the sun's beams for those land-dwelling beings was the sparse stream of light that illuminated their shaded environment. The sun's rays could not scorch them so long as the mighty shroud of luscious leaves hovered above them. The moist air brought comfort to their tense bodies, but the utter silence of their surroundings did not assuage their caution.
Reminiscent of the first stage, each present member now wore the same attire, and Alex was certain it was similar for all those in her setting. She frowned, moving with purpose, and leading all those who stood with her. The scrunches beneath her rope sandals grew more frequent as they navigated through the forest.
Though those who followed her did not know much about her, they raced to match her speed, as they too had felt the ominous presence lurking in the forest.
The first sound they heard, aside from the soothing lyrics of nature, was a mighty roar, one so great it shook even the massive, sturdy trees. The fury and savagery reflected in such a roar had a physical effect on some of her team members. Two out of the lot stopped following their leader, paralyzed by predatory terror. The seven members of the group who had not stopped instantly realised two of their comrades had stopped. None of them were immune to the power of such a mighty outcry. Goosebumps rose along their skin as they shivered slightly, but they still ran, their teammates had not. They dared not even look behind for fear of the unidentified terror. Those two would only burden them.
'Should we help them? How? What for?' These thoughts ran through the minds of every moving teammate, all except their leader.
Since this battle had officially begun, none of them had spoken, mostly due to their unfavourable situation, but their leader would be the first to speak.
"Run straight." Her voice lacked any intonation, as it always did, and she curved her direction. Then, Alex rushed up to her horror-stricken teammates and swiftly knocked them out. Closer to the beast, her acute hearing enabled her to hear sounds she wished she didn't. Alex heard what sounded, by precise intervals, the slow steps of a gargantuan beast.
This only encouraged her to work faster, hurling the male and female onto her shoulders and dashing towards the rest of her group.
Minutes Earlier...
Back in the cave, she and her group members had extensively discussed many foreseeable details and the most appropriate responses. Now, Alex wanted to raise another discussion about the destructive tiny objects each of them held, but when they all saw a familiar screen blocking their visions, her words died behind her lips.
[ You are the team leader. Your team has been selected randomly for the next fight. Please manually tap all the members who will fight alongside you. You have 30 seconds.]
Alex was not surprised about being team leader, it was always a possibility, one she had already considered. She walked briskly and tapped each of her teammates, except the reticent Avery.
Avery had made it clear she would only join them after the first battle, a condition Alex did not find too unreasonable. Everyone else had agreed to join after her brief demonstration, and Alex was glad.
Once she selected the eight participating members, another screen materialized. This applied to only her, causing the rest to watch on in curiosity.
[ You will be able to pinpoint the exact location of the other team's leader. Likewise, they will be able to accurately sense you. Once a team leader is killed, the rest of the team will face an ultimate death whether they die by the setting's challenges or not. Your battle begins in 5 seconds.]
'Why not tell me this sooner?' Alex gave a small sigh, and then all her participating teammates burst into specs of glimmering white orbs.