Norok hadn't seen Rik touch the ground. His eyes had been intently focused on Zia, keeping his magical hold around her ankle to prevent her from returning to the island. But as soon as the island erupted all around them, his vision was overtaken by flying rock and sediment. He kicked wildly, desperately trying to get himself onto any kind of footing, but the ground was deteriorating too fast.

  Plummeting into the world below, Norok cushioned himself seconds before impact. He landed comfortably in a soft, verdant bush, his back crushing it under him slightly. He stared up at the floating tower, relieved to see it was the only thing left in the air. It wouldn't be impossible to carry his squadmates back over the gap once they captured a flag, but they'd need to be all together for Norok to do it. He couldn't float them and protect them from Squad 57’s brutal assaults after all. They had to pull their weight too.

  It was then, after that smug thought, that Norok realized he had fallen alone. Somewhere in the crumbling rubble he had completely lost sight of the other four. He imagined Will’s puffy, red face scowling at him, a lecture spewing from his stress-chewed lips. Norok sighed, rolling into his side and standing up.

  It didn't take him long to find signs of life. A pair of voices bantered just up ahead, passing between the trees with dirt-covered uniforms. He was about to call out when Zia's wings suddenly sprouted forth, her talons flickering from blue to orange. Norok ducked as she snapped to look behind, hearing his gasp.

  “What is it?” Rik asked gently.

  Zia silently shook her head, and they continued to walk forward. Norok was certain that if it was just one of them, he could easily handle the situation himself. But both of them? Either Zia would knock him unconscious with her strange ability, or Rik would immediately rush to cave Norok's skull in with his bare hands. There was no way he could attack them without a violent retaliation that would undoubtedly put him out of commission for the rest of the year. He'd have to wait for an opportunity to get rid of them both.

  Norok slowly trailed behind them, keeping out of sight and listening in on their conversation. From what he gathered, though, the talking was mostly one-sided. Zia kept her body language stiff, unreadably distant as Rik whined after her.

  “I'm sorry,” he moaned, dragging a newly formed rock spear in the dirt behind him. “But you saw the way she rushed me, and I just-- I got carried away.”

  Zia's wings shifted into a darker hue. Her shoulders remained tensely straight as she spoke. The mask muffled her slightly, but it did nothing to hide the annoyance in her tone. “We need to find them before they find a way up.”

  “They're probably already headed to the middle tower, though,” Rik offered meekly. “I mean, they have that flying guy--”

  “Norok,” Zia corrected sharply, sending a nervous shock through Norok's system. “It's not any kind of flight magic from what Bash has gathered. From what I understand, it's something to do with weight distribution.”

  Norok nodded to himself approvingly, until Rik barked a mocking laugh. “Yeah well! I'd like to see him distribute this--”

  “Erik Avsten,” Zia interrupted, stomping her foot. Rik stared wide-eyed at her, his face reflecting the light emanating from her flames. Her wings curled at the edges, a wildfire threatening to break loose in the forest around them. “You will not say anything degenerate in my company.”

  “These hands, Z,” Rik squeaked apologetically. “I was gonna say, I'd like to see him distribute these hands.”

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  Norok snorted, stifling a light chuckle. But the noise was too loud to go unnoticed. Zia snapped to face towards his direction, her emotionless mask moving from tree to tree. Norok kept his back pressed hard against the trunk he was hiding behind, holding his breath as he scoured his thoughts for a proper plan.

  A bolt of light suddenly began to emerge from the center of his chest. The warmth in his body ebbed towards it, a numb, buzzing sensation rippling out from his fingertips. A white gauntlet shot around the tree, ripping it out of Norok. His vision blurred, his head spinning with the cold stiffness overtaking his body. He fell to his knees, frigid fingers clawing through the dirt to escape. A stone spear pierced his palm from below, and Norok cried out in agony as Rik came to stand over him with a vile grin. Zia fluttered by his side to look down at Norok.

  “Look at what we caught,” Rik cooed. He reached down to pull Norok’s face up by his hair. “That's one pink rat.”

  Norok returned his smirk, batting his eyelashes at Rik innocently. “Pretty sure we're frogs actually. Though Irina says you've got more warts.”

  Another spear pierced through his other palm, and Norok clamped his mouth shut hard enough to taste the metallic tang of blood in his mouth.

  “You and your sister sure like to talk,” Rik grumbled, releasing his hold on Norok and letting his face smack the ground hard. “Where is she?”

  “Probably taking your captain’s head,” Norok grunted, his mind swirling in painful circles as he tried to lift himself up. The stone spears raised with him, keeping his hands captive.

  “He doesn't know,” Zia remarked. “They must have scattered in the blast.”

  She squatted low, hovering over Norok with a hushed tone. “Tell us where your captain is hiding the flag. It's missing from your tower’s pole.”

  Norok croaked, “What does it matter? There's literally a second flag up there, just grab that one. A win’s a win.”

  Rik kicked him in the side, his boot slamming against Norok's ribs.

  “Enough with the cracks, wise guy,” Rik spat. “Tell us what we want to know, or you're leaving bootcamp with nothing but a pile of broken bones.”

  Blood bubbled up over Norok's lower lip, trickling down his chin. He smiled as wide as he could manage, anger bellowing over the pain in his ribs and hands. “Up yours.”

  Rik curled his hand into a fist, ready to pound Norok's face into the dirt, when his face suddenly darkened with a sour, uncomfortable look. Then, Norok's magic lifted him off the ground, sending him directly into the top of a nearby tree. Zia's wings flared out, a bolt lighting in her right hand.

  A loud crack echoed out. Zia doubled back, her sculpted nose hit by something Norok couldn't quite make out. Whatever it was, the impact left a disintegrating crater in the center of the mask. Zia howled in pain, covering her face as blood dripped between her covered fingers. Another crack sounded, this time leaving a circle of small, black marks in her chest. She fell lifeless to the ground.

  Footsteps charged forward, hoisting Norok off the ground. He cried out as his hands were removed from their stone skewers, and he turned face to face with Kell. Frantically, Kell shook Norok's shoulders.

  “You good?” Kell asked between panicked breaths.

  Norok heaved a deep breath. “Better than I could be.”

  Rik roared, disentangling himself from the tree branches and hitting the ground. A third crack shot past Norok and Kell, and finally, Norok was able to trace its trajectory. From the bushes behind them, Will knelt to the ground, holding a massive square canon steady on a silver stand. Six bores tunneled through the metal, creating a rounded ring upon impact. Norok saw this as Rik tanked the shot, blood spurting from his shoulder.

  “Now this is a rescue,” Norok murmured.

  “Won't be for long if we don't get out of here,” Kell chirped, seeing Rik stumble to his feet again. He grabbed Norok by the arm, leaping over the bushes and sprinting urgently through the forest.

  Norok glanced over his shoulder, peering over Will’s bobbing head behind them. Rik had immediately stopped chasing them, carefully cradling Zia in his arms. He raised his gaze to meet Norok's, a brooding, violent sneer on his face. A stone dome began to form around him and Zia. His eyes wouldn't leave Norok's until the dark finally overtook him, and they disappeared below the ground.