As the trio held their ground and pushed the creatures back, Talos sighed from his perch, casually flicking his wrist to create another gust of wind. "You know, if you'd actually let me finish my explanations earlier, you'd have realized these Orempisuns aren't here by accident. We lured them, remember? Something about 'Ren's foolproof trap'?"
Ren, mid-slash, groaned as another serpent lunged at him. "Right. The trap I clearly didn't expect them to ignore and swarm us instead!"
"Honestly, I thought it was pretty genius until it wasn't," Skorn said, grinning as he slammed his stone hammer down on another creature. "But hey, I'm getting a workout, so no complaints here!"
Talos raised an eyebrow, launching a gust of wind that sent a cluster of Orempisuns crashing into a tree. "I told you they're smart hunters. Did you even listen when I said they adapt quickly?"
Ren zapped a serpent attempting to flank him and glared up at Talos. "Talos, this might shock you, but while I'm fighting for my life, your 'I told you so' speeches aren't super helpful!"
Skorn cackled, raising a chunk of earth to block a charging Orempisun. "C'mon, Ren. Admit it—you're having fun! Look at all these ugly slither-sacks throwing themselves at us. It's like a free-for-all buffet of carnage!"
"Fun?" Ren shot back, electrifying another wave of serpents. "If by 'fun' you mean rethinking all my life choices, then sure. Tons of fun."
"Hey," Olivia chimed in from behind, her water magic slamming into a serpent that had gotten too close to Ren. "Less complaining, more zapping, please."
"Thanks for the save," Ren said as Olivia froze another serpent mid-lunge. "But tell me—who lures deadly serpents into a fight and forgets to tell the rest of us they adapt? Oh, that's right. Birdbrain up there!"
Talos, smirking from his high branch, gestured with mock grandeur. "You're welcome. Consider it a valuable lesson in unpredictability. You're becoming stronger because of me."
"Right," Ren muttered, dodging a serpent's snapping jaws. "I'm putting that on your gravestone. 'Died while delivering unsolicited lessons.'"
"Fair enough," Talos replied, launching another serpent away. "But only if yours reads, 'Here lies Ren: Overestimated his traps.'"
Skorn laughed so hard he almost didn't see the next serpent coming. "You two are ridiculous," he said, smashing another creature with glee. "Keep it up. This might actually be more fun than I expected!"
As the last Orempisun fell, dissolving into shimmering particles, a series of loud chimes echoed through the forest, signaling an update on the leaderboard. A massive projection of the rankings appeared in the sky above the competition grounds, visible even from the distant cities where crowds gathered around giant screens.
---
Updated Team Rankings
1. Ironfang Alliance - 2954 Points
2. Shadow Strikers -2420 Points
3. The Maniacs - 2349 points
4. Crimson Blades - 2170 Points
5. Stormcallers - 1734 Points
6. Venomfang Legion - 1620 Points
7. Skyshard Crew - 1516 Points
8. Blazing Hawks - 1369 Points
9. Frostbound Sentinels - 1320 Points
10. Golden Sabers - 1293 Points
The spectators erupted in chaos as the leaderboard adjusted, flashing "The Maniacs" in bold letters in the third rank.
"Wait, who even are these guys?!" one gambler blurted, clutching his betting slip in disbelief.
"I've been following this competition for years, and I've never heard of them!"
"Did you see that fight? They took on a swarm of Orempisuns like it was nothing!" someone gasped.
A woman in the crowd smirked as she collected her winnings. "I knew they'd pull something off. That guy with the lightning? Total wildcard."
"Yeah, but the stone guy was just as crazy!" another spectator added. "He was practically dancing with those things!"
"And don't forget the elf with the water magic," an older man pointed out. "She was freezing them mid-strike! That level of teamwork is rare to see."
"But they're not even top-tier adventurers!" a skeptic argued, shaking his head. "This has to be a fluke. No way they hold that rank."
The murmurs of doubt were interrupted as the big screen replayed highlights of the fight: Ren zapping an Orempisun mid-lunge, Skorn smashing two serpents at once, and Olivia freezing a wave of attackers before slamming them with water. The slow-motion cut of Talos launching a massive gust of wind to scatter the horde drew audible gasps from the crowd.
"Okay, I take it back. These guys are insane!"
"Think they'll reach first place?"
"If they keep this up? Absolutely."
---
Meanwhile, in the forest, Ren glanced up at the projection, wiping sweat from his brow. "Top three? Not bad for a bunch of misfits."
Skorn grinned as he cracked his knuckles. "Guess we're making headlines. Wonder how the big-shot teams are feeling right now?"
Olivia gave a small smile. "I'd be more worried about staying alive than rankings, but this is impressive."
From his perch, Talos smirked. "See? I told you our genius plan would work. You just needed faith."
Ren rolled his eyes. "Faith? Sure. Or, you know, blind luck and a lot of zapping."
-----
-Somewhere in the deep forest
The flickering flames of the campfire cast long shadows across the clearing, the soft crackle of burning wood filling the quiet night. Seated in a circle were the members of the Ironfang Alliance, their expressions ranging from pride to quiet contemplation.
Rhazen Zehom, the leader, sat upright, his stone-like arms resting on his knees as he gazed at the magical rankingboard projection hovering in the air. Their name, Ironfang Alliance, blazed proudly at Rank 1.
"Well," Rhazen began, his gravelly voice breaking the silence, "it looks like we're still at the top. That's how it should be."
"You sound surprised," Runa Vuleb remarked with a smirk, leaning back against a log. The dark elf flicked a stray leaf off her cloak. "This is our rightful place. We've earned it."
Del Glask, the humanoid rat, leaned forward, his whiskers twitching with excitement. "Yeah, but have you been keeping an eye on those newcomers? The Maniacs? What kind of name is that, anyway?"
"Newcomers," Noah Bevran said, his tone measured and precise. The disciplined human adjusted his cloak as he studied the rankingboard. "Ranked third now. That's... impressive for a team nobody's ever heard of."
Del's ears perked up, his sharp teeth glinting in the firelight. "Impressive? It's downright insane! They've come out of nowhere and keep climbing like they're on some sort of mission. Makes you wonder, right? What's their deal?"
Rhazen chuckled, his deep, rumbling laugh cutting through the night. "Whatever their deal is, it doesn't change ours. We stay vigilant, keep doing what we do best, and let them chase us. They'll break eventually."
"Hmm," Noah hummed thoughtfully, his sharp gaze fixed on the projection. "Or they might surprise us. They've already handled challenges most teams struggle with, Not exactly beginner work."
Runa raised an eyebrow, her expression calm but curious. "You think they're worth watching, then?"
Noah nodded. "Absolutely. We can't afford to underestimate anyone, no matter how ridiculous their name sounds."
"Ridiculous or not, they're stirring up some noise," Del said, grinning. "Bet the crowd's loving it. I'll admit, I'm curious about what they're made of."
Rhazen stood, his towering figure illuminated by the firelight. "Curiosity's fine. But remember, we don't lose focus. We didn't get to the top by chasing every rising star. Let them come to us. If they're really worth their rank, we'll see them in battle soon enough."
The team fell silent for a moment, each member lost in their thoughts as the flames continued to dance. Above them, the rankingboard shimmered, the name Maniacs glowing steadily at Rank 3.