Slyke narrowed his eyes at Ren's mocking tone, his hand clutching the icy shards forming around his fingers. he snarled. Ellen and Falko exchanged quick glances, nodding in silent agreement before stepping forward.
"Alright, hotshot, let's see how cocky you are when you're frozen solid," Slyke growled, his icy aura intensifying as frost coated the ground beneath his feet. Ellen ignited her hands with flames, the flickering light casting shadows across her lizard-like features, while Falko unfurled his dark, feathered wings, a gust of wind rippling through the clearing.
Ren tightened his grip on his sword, lightning crackling along its length. "Olivia, stick to the usual. I'll handle Ice King over there, and you keep the lizard and bird-boy busy."
Olivia gave a quick nod, summoning a sphere of water in her palm. "Just don't get yourself frozen mid-punch. That'd be embarrassing."
Ren chuckled. "Noted."
With a burst of speed, Slyke lunged forward, his hands encased in razor-sharp ice. Ren barely dodged the first swipe but countered with a crackling lightning arc from his blade, forcing Slyke to leap back. Meanwhile, Ellen shot forward, her fiery fists aimed at Olivia, who deflected the first punch with a swirling water barrier before retaliating with a jet of water that hissed as it struck Ellen's flame-coated arms.
Falko hovered overhead, wings creating whirlwinds that sent leaves and dirt flying. "Watch out below!" he taunted, launching a barrage of sharp wind gusts. Olivia slid back, her water shield absorbing most of the impact, but Ren wasn't as lucky, taking a glancing hit that sent him stumbling.
"You're gonna pay for that, Tweety!" Ren growled, hurling a bolt of lightning skyward. Falko squawked in alarm, narrowly dodging as the bolt singed his feathers.
"Focus on me, pal!" Slyke sneered, creating a spiked ice gauntlet and swinging at Ren. The impact sent Ren skidding back, the frost creeping up his boots. "Let's see you laugh when you're a popsicle!"
Ren grimaced but retaliated, slashing his lightning-infused sword in a wide arc. The electricity shattered Slyke's gauntlet, forcing him to retreat. Ren pressed the attack, sending another bolt of lightning toward the ground, which arced and crackled as it zigzagged toward Slyke.
Slyke raised a barrier just in time, but the force sent him flying into a tree.
"Is that all you've got?" Ren taunted, spinning his blade.
Slyke spat blood onto the frost-covered ground, his fury growing. "Not even close."
--
Ellen advanced on Olivia with relentless strikes, each fiery punch countered by Olivia's precise water blasts. "Why don't you just cool off?" Olivia quipped, spinning a tendril of water around Ellen's legs and freezing it solid.
Ellen roared in frustration, flames flaring as she melted the ice and lunged again, but Olivia was faster, sending a water whip slamming into Ellen's side. "I don't think so," Olivia muttered, dodging an aerial strike from Falko at the last second.
The bird-like humanoid cawed in frustration. "Hold still, will you?!" Falko shouted, creating a vortex of wind to trap her. But Olivia smirked, summoning a wave of water to disrupt the airflow, sending Falko tumbling to the ground.
"Olivia, heads up!" Ren called, seeing Ellen charging at her with fire blazing. Ren tossed his lightning-charged blade in her direction. Olivia caught it mid-spin, channeling her own water energy into the weapon.
With a cry, Olivia slashed the blade downward, creating a burst of steam and electricity that sent Ellen sprawling.
Meanwhile, Ren turned his focus back to Slyke, who had created a massive ice spear. Slyke hurled it with deadly precision, but Ren sidestepped and retaliated with a chain of lightning bolts that struck Slyke square in the chest, knocking him unconscious.
Ellen groaned, trying to stand, but Olivia froze her feet to the ground, leaving her stuck. Falko, seeing his teammates downed, raised his hands in surrender, his wings drooping in defeat.
Ren stretched, wiping sweat from his brow. "Well, that was fun. I'd give you all an A for effort, but, uh, I don't think you'll be getting a passing grade."
Olivia rolled her eyes, twirling the borrowed lightning sword. "Let's tie them up and find Skorn and Talos. Something tells me they're having an easier time than us."
Ren grinned. "If by 'easier time' you mean Skorn yelling while Talos makes bad puns, then yeah, probably."
As Ren and Olivia stood amidst their defeated foes, a figure emerged from the shadows of the nearby trees. It was a man from the surveillance team, clad in the guild's standard-issue uniform, holding a scroll in his hand. Clearing his throat, he announced in a voice tinged with both formality and weariness, "Ren and Olivia, by official declaration, your team are the victors of this match.
Congratulations on your... overwhelming display." His eyes briefly lingered on the steam rising from the scorched ground and the occasional groan from the downed opponents before he quickly exited the scene.
Ren sheathed his sword, flicking a stray spark off its hilt. "Well, that was anticlimactic. I was hoping for a trophy or at least a parade."
Olivia chuckled, shaking her head as she smoothed out her tunic. "Don't get greedy. You already got your 'free points.' Let's head back before the others start worrying."
As they made their way through the forest path back to their base, Ren stretched lazily, lightning still faintly crackling at his fingertips. "I just hope Skorn and Talos haven't turned the place into a disaster zone. Knowing those two, Skorn's probably terraforming a fortress while Talos recites plant facts nobody asked for."
Olivia smirked, her tone dry. "Or worse—Talos might've started an impromptu botany lecture while Skorn created a mud moat to 'deter enemies.' I hope they at least left the front door intact."
Ren snorted. "With our luck, we'll get there, and Skorn will say something like, 'We're safe now, but the gate's a rockslide. Good luck getting in.'"
They both laughed, the tension of the battle ebbing away as they walked, the promise of regrouping with their chaotic allies lightening their steps.
-Meanwhile Outside the forest
The crowd gathered in front of the massive screen displayed in the city square, the tension palpable as the rankingboard updated. Gasps rippled through the audience as The Maniacs shot up to sixth place, their point total climbing rapidly.
The Rankingboard - Top 10:
1. Ironfang Alliance - 950 Points
2. Shadow Strikers - 920 Points
3. Crimson Blades - 870 Points
4. Stormcallers - 840 Points
5. Venomfang Legion - 830 Points
6. The Maniacs - 820 Points
7. Skyshard Crew - 710 Points
8. Blazing Hawks - 660 Points
9. Frostbound Sentinels - 620 Points
10. Golden Sabers - 590 Points
"They came out of nowhere! Who are these people?" a young merchant exclaimed, his hands gripping his betting slip.
"820 points?! They just jumped past the Skyshard Crew like it was nothing," another man muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.
"They're maniacs, all right," a burly blacksmith laughed. "Did you see the way that guy slashed through those trees? It was like watching a storm in human form!"
A nervous-looking bookmaker shuffled uncomfortably, beads of sweat forming on his brow. "They've ruined half the bets! Nobody even knew their names yesterday. If this keeps up, I'm gonna be out of business."
Further back in the crowd, two adventurers chatted with growing concern.
"Have you noticed their teamwork? The guy with the lightning and the girl with the water—no wasted moves," one of them whispered.
"Yeah, and their strategy. They're racking up points faster than anyone. If they keep this up, they might actually hit top three," the other replied, biting his nails.
A rowdy group near the front wasn't as composed. "I bet 100 gold on the Crimson Blades! Who do these lunatics think they are, climbing the ranks like that?" one yelled.
A cloaked figure chuckled darkly from the shadows. "Whoever they are, they're making waves. But let's see if they can keep it up when they face the real threats."
The crowd's murmurs blended into an electric buzz, half awe and half apprehension, as everyone's eyes remained glued to the screen, waiting to see what The Maniacs would do next.