Reflections on the Warpath - [An Isekai Progression Fantasy]

2 days until the E grade advancement tournament

Jay ducked. If his fists weren't pressed against his cheeks, then they'd be scraping against the tan wooden planks he ran across.

A phoenix made of resplendent golden flames skimmed above him. Its flaming trail singed Jay's hair. He dove into a roll to bat out the cinders it dropped on his back.

Close one.

Jay's boots slipped across the lacquered oak bridge as he scrambled upright. He resumed his charge up the hundred-metre-long battlefield, knees straining at the thirty degree incline separating his side from his opponents'.

Jay had no idea why anybody would build a bridge so ridiculous, but then again, nobody had built this bridge. It was constructed within the Arcane Sovereigns' training hall in about three seconds after they'd decided what scenario to use in their final session.

An ink black arrow shot at Jay's chest. Ping swatted it into the bridge's railing.

Unlike the last time they'd practiced, Zara fired her arrows at full pace towards Jay. Also unlike last time, Jay managed to keep up with the archer's pace. But keeping up and closing the gap were two completely different things. Especially with a hundred metre bridge and no cover between the two teams.

Luckily, Jay had a closer target to aim for.

Another phoenix flew darted towards Jay. He sidestepped, losing ground on the bridge but avoiding his opponent's attack. A final phoenix swirled around the red-robed man before Jay.

Tarik, one of Zara's future teammates in the advancement tournament, used a squad of four flaming phoenixes to fight. Of Zara's trio, he was the only one to meet them on the bridge instead of attacking from afar.

Only the final phoenix remained between him and Jay. One final defender before Jay could carve a decisive lead for him and his team to exploit.

Jay rushed at his opponent, electricity pounding through his thighs. Tarik dove back. His last guardian bird soared forward, but Ping angled to intercept it. The incandescent phoenix flew over the shield, steering well clear of Jay.

Jay took another stride closer. He closed in on Tarik.

A flicker of black yanked Jay's focus back to the top of the bridge.

A spiralling arrow, hidden by the phoenix's radiant feathers, curved around the bird, around Ping, and shot towards Jay's head.

The arrow's shadow was pitch black against the oak.

Jay stopped running and raised his fists. He wished he could keep pushing towards Tarik, but tanking the arrow here didn't just mean damage, it meant being knocked into the clouds.

Eye of the storm helped Jay calculate the arrow's trajectory. His raised fists prepared to paw it down into the bridge. He narrowed his focus, concentrating only on blocking the arrow.

Wait…

Eye of the storm strained against reality, clawing Jay more time before the arrow reached him.

His eyes flicked downwards.

Even with the phoenix's brilliance, the arrow's shadow shouldn't have been so unnaturally dark.

Now focused on the shadow, Jay's enhanced perception dispelled the illusion. A second black arrow emerged from the darkness, rising from the ground to target his guts. Jay had the time and reflexes to block either strike. But not both.

He kept his arms raised, protecting his face.

The second arrow, now unshrouded by shadows, punched though Jay's gut. It propelled him backwards. His back smashed into the bridge's railing, breaking off a splintered segment. Zara's arrow melted into ink. The black fluid fused with Jay's blood. Maroon droplets fell through the air as he tumbled off the bridge into the blanket of clouds below.

The water vapour buffeted Jay's cheeks as he plummeted through the illusory sky. The world flashed white before he was deposited back at the bottom of the bridge.

Again.

Jay stared at the golden screen opposite the bridge, at the giant number 2 emblazoned across it.

Lyra popped into existence next to him, shortly followed by Akira.

2 became 1.

Before Jay could apologise, Zara's matter-of-fact voice filled the air. Amplified from atop the slanted bridge.

"One attempt left guys." She sounded fairly neutral, but Jay detected a trace of mockery beneath her words.

Or maybe he didn't. Maybe he was just looking for something to get mad at.

"Yeah. We know." said Akira. He kicked the wooden archway that marked the start of the bridge.

After four days of training with Primordial Resurgence, followed by another four at an alliance called Dao of Battle, this was their final session of their final day training with Zara's alliance, the Arcane Sovereigns.

Although Jay, Lyra, and Akira had improved their chemistry and cohesion over the past two weeks. This scenario in particular felt like a fight they were destined to lose. Their opponents' long-range, non-committal abilities suited their defence perfectly. They could stave off Jay, Lyra and Akira from a distance, and had a clear line of sight on them for practically the entire time.

No excuses! Stop worrying about them. Fight your fight.

"That one was my bad guys," he admitted. "I thought could catch Tarik off guard. Ended up falling into their trap."

Tarik had the shortest effective range of their three opponents. He could have simply sent his four phoenixes to fight without him but preferred to stay closer to the fight. Zara had that option too, but she chose to rain down inky arrows from the top end of the bridge instead. Their third member was a reserved yet mysterious man called Roshan. He somehow had more tattoos than Zara, and also fought from afar, manipulating the darkness to his will.

Thanks to him, Jay couldn't even trust his own shadow. Or any shadow for that matter.

The three rangey defenders had protected their end of the bridge nine times now. Jay and his team had one final chance to end their scrimmage block on a high.

"Don't worry about it Jay. You're drawing all their attention, that's what we want. Stay closer next time so I can bail you out when they focus on you." said Lyra.

Jay nodded. "Should we change plans at all or run it back?" he asked.

The three silently debated for a moment before Lyra made the call.

"No. Traffic Light works fine, there's not much more we can do anyway. If we keep it tight, then I think we can make it to the top."

Akira smiled as he waited for Jay to take his position at the tip of the spear. The young man had devised, and named, their current formation. Jay had left it to him to explain to Lyra what a traffic light actually was.

He'd also insisted on calling each other red, yellow, and green. But Jay quickly shot that idea down.

Jay was the red light, the vanguard, furthest up the bridge. Of their trio, he had the quickest reactions and was best suited to lead the charge. He'd be in the least danger out front.

Next came Akira, yellow light. From the middle, he could support Jay or Lyra, depending on who needed more help. Nothing about Akira made him suited to be the yellow light, he simply ended there because Lyra needed to be the green light. From the back of their convoy, Lyra had the best possible view of their assault up the bridge and the widest field of view. It gave her all the information her twin foresight needed to thrive, meaning she caught all the threats that Jay missed up in front.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

On a wider battlefield, a tighter formation may have been more effective. But if Jay stood wedged between his teammates' swords he'd end up in ribbons before any of Zara's arrows could even get to him.

Jay began running. His eyes darted side to side, skimming across the open air and along the wood panelled surface. He snaked up the bridge, refusing to give Zara a straight shot.

A dark gloom veiled the planks ahead of Jay, he slowed his pace and alerted his teammates.

"Soldiers inbound! I'll take twenty."

Another strategy they'd discovered through trial and error.

Through a mixture of his own powers and abilities granted to the defenders of the bridge, Roshan had the power to draw wooden soldiers from the wood itself. The ghastly creations were stained a darker shade than the bridge they were born from. Their grain patterns swirled into knots and they wielded gnarled, knobbly clubs that could shatter Jay's bones if they hit him cleanly.

When he'd faced the soldiers for the first time, Jay charged head on into the crowd and tried to fight. They didn't overwhelm him, but they kept him distracted. Zara ended that ascent with an arrow to his head.

Now, Jay only tried to take out twenty percent of the soldiers raised. Drawing the attention of the rest while keeping his pace. Akira and Lyra could sweep up the other eighty while they were still distracted by Jay's initial burst.

Jay drove his heel through a wooden soldier just as it emerged from the bridge. He kicked off it, ducking under an incoming swipe, before rushing forward. It felt somewhat wrong to just ignore opponents and expose his back as he ran away, but Jay had to trust in his team. He'd do what was best, regardless of how weird it was.

Another wooden soldier met its end through Jay's fists. Electricity surged into its body, searing it black. Jay kept advancing, parrying most of the blows directed his way rather than countering them.

Jay cleared the mob of soldiers. He resisted glancing over his shoulder. As much as he wanted to check his teammates, there were dangers up ahead that he couldn't take his eyes off.

He kept running.

Ping reacted to the next threat before Jay did, flying in front of him as a speck of black appeared in the distance.

An arrow?

It grew.

The speck became a shimmer.

Arrows?

Jay squinted his eyes at the oncoming attack. The volley drew closer. A hail of over thirty jet black arrows hurtled towards him and he wondered how the fuck Zara had made so many.

More importantly, he wondered how the fuck he'd dodge them.

Jay's entire body tensed up, like somebody was pinching each individual muscle.

He exhaled. Forced his body to relax.

Throughout the past two weeks, this strategy was the hardest for Jay to get used to. Jay felt Lyra's will guiding his body, felt her pulling him aside.

She compelled him to dive to his left. Although every muscle in Jay's body screamed for independence, he had to trust his teammate. She wouldn't attempt this with no reason.

Lyra's technique involved visualising her target as her twin, granting a connection and therefore a control over them. Jay saw her buried pain emerge as she explained it to him. He didn't pry any further.

Jay wondered whether this technique required Vega to die, whether Lyra could only envision others as her twins because her real twin wasn't around anymore. He questioned whether watching Amaya had given Lyra the idea for the technique. It almost felt like a sick twist on the puppeteer's arcane strings.

He banished the morbid thoughts from his mind and dove left, trusting Lyra's guidance. An arrow struck the bridge next to him. Another ricocheted off Ping.

Two more shot straight at his head.

Wha-

They passed straight through him, fading to shadows as soon as they bushed his forehead.

Roshan's illusions.

Jay clenched his jaw and resumed his charge. He was halfway up the bridge now. The crack of chopped wood echoed behind him, followed by the thud of a decapitated soldier bouncing against the bridge.

Jay kept his eyes trained forward, locking onto his next obstacle. A red figure illuminated by four flaming phoenixes.

He didn't take the bait this time. Jay sprinted half a step towards Tarik. The beast tamer jumped back, but Jay didn't follow.

Another arrow whistled down from atop the bridge as a phoenix dove at Jay. Ping shifted to block the arrow. Instead of flying towards Jay, the phoenix soared above Ping. Its fiery radiance showered Jay in golden light.

Wait. Down!

Jay stopped.

He looked away from Ping, trusting her to protect him from both the arrow and the phoenix.

Instead, he looked at the shadow she newly cast, shaped by the Phoenix's light.

There you are.

A groping hand punched out of the black circle and clawed at Jay's ankles.

Jay jerked his left leg back and planted his right foot on the bridge. Stance switched, he drew back his left further before kicking the emerging black arm. Jay's shin smashed into the shadow's elbow. Snapping the joint before it slithered back into the shadowy portal.

Three clanks battered Ping. The fourth arrow whizzed by her, grazing Jay's forearm.

Ping dropped downwards, rocketing back to Jay's side. He felt her disappointment, the shame almost vibrating off her surface.

It's ok, Ping. You protected me. I'm still alive.

Jay hoped she heard his thoughts.

The Arcane Sovereigns' strategy was frighteningly effective. Tarik's four flying torches cast countless shadows on the bridge. Combined with Zara's volleys from above, Jay almost didn't know where to look. Without his exceptional reaction speed, their three pronged assault was nearly undodgeable.

Jay looked back at his opponents, wondering how they'd attack next. Akira sprinted past his shoulder.

Jay followed immediately.

He didn't stop to think, he just ran.

As the red light, Jay began almost all their group's attacks. His speed, and more importantly his acceleration, made him an ideal initiator.

But he didn't start all their attacks.

And when one of the others burst out in front of him, he followed. No questions asked. Jay relied on his team's support; he had to rely on their judgement too. Akira and Lyra wouldn't break their structure for no reason.

Jay quickly caught up with Akira, he held his friends pace instead of rushing ahead. Akira threw Juryoku, his original sword, forward. It landed nowhere near Tarik, who still had three phoenixes by his side.

The sword struck halfway between them and Tarik, lodged upright and embedded in the wooden bridge.

Akira switched directions.

He leapt off the bridge.

The fuck?

Jay kept running.

Akira reappeared in the corner of Jay's eye after a second. Flying through the air.

No. Not flying. Swinging.

Akira soared through the air, flying away before his path began to arc, like something kept pulling him back.

The sword.

Juryoku's pull tugged against Jay's legs as he passed it. It gripped Akira much tighter. The samurai swung around his sword like a planet round a star, curving back to the bridge.

Tarik's phoenixes stayed close. Two moved to block Akira while the third stayed in front of Jay.

I only get one?

Again, Jay felt Lyra's presence within his muscles.

He raised his fists. A grey outline of his arms followed a moment later. Jay closed in on Tarik, pincering him with Akira.

The same grey outline trailed Akira's second sword. The colour drained from Tarik's face.

Not looking so hot now…

Two phoenixes were barely enough to block Akira's slash and its ethereal follow up. One couldn't hope to defend against Jay.

Jay flicked his injured arm up, flinging his blood into the phoenix's eyes. He slashed at it with his right fist. His ethereal second arm grabbed it by the neck and tossed it aside.

Jay lunged in.

After nine fruitless attempts, Tarik was finally within his range.

Jay wound his left fist back, electricity almost becoming thunder as he compressed and contained its power. Jay unleashed a hook, his left arm flowing white and almost formless as it whipped towards Tarik's liver.

Jay's metal knuckles ruptured through his skin, slamming into his guts before bursting them too.

By the time Lyra's follow up fired, Tarik had already been pulverised into mist.

After landing back on the bridge Akira unleashed a victorious roar at their opponents.

"HAVE THAT YOU FILTHY ANIMALS! NOBODY! I REPEAT, NOBODY! BEATS US TEN TIMES IN A ROW. TAKE THAT SUCKERS!"

Jay grinned but stayed wary. He scanned for a retaliatory attack from Zara and Roshan.

Nothing came.

Lyra plodded towards them. She'd plucked Juryoku from the ground and was almost using it as a crutch. Their finisher had clearly taken a toll on her, even if she hadn't been physically involved.

She handed Akira back his sword and the trio returned to their traffic light formation and began jogging up the bridge.

Curiously, they didn't encounter any more attacks as they ascended and easily reached the top. There they saw Zara and Roshan standing with their hands in the air, simply waiting.

"You got us," said Zara, a slight frown poking at her lips. "no point fighting two on three here. You win."

What?

The sky disappeared. The bridge disappeared. Tarik popped back into existence as the training room returned to its neutral state, a liminal grey expanse like the rooms inside Limitless Ascent.

"That's bullshit!" cried Akira. "You kill our whole squad nine rounds in a row and we don't even get to finish our final round? What the hell guys?"

Jay agreed with him, but didn't join in with his friend's arguments. Tarik looked almost as pissed as Akira did, Zara's expression looked troubled, tense. She flicked her eyes towards the exit.

What's the play? Didn't want to lose the last round?

Surely giving up is worse…

"You got to the top of the bridge. Round ends there." said Roshan. His soft, calming voice almost made it seem like nothing was up, even though they'd effectively just surrendered.

Are they hiding a secret close-range weapon?

"Round ends there then." Said Lyra, with an air of finality.

Although Jay was friends with Zara — and had met Tarik and Roshan once at the Pits before their scrimmages — their post-round analyses were never as in depth as the ones with Primordial Resurgence had been. The Arcane Sovereigns always seemed like they were hiding something during their sessions so Jay and his group responded with the same energy.

Jay wanted to know why they'd ended the scrimmage early but gave up on figuring it out. Regardless of the circumstances, however, He and his team had won that final round, nobody could take that from them.

After a short goodbye, they exited the Arcane Sovereigns' alliance HQ, a concealed tower near the coastline of Scholar's octant, and began the journey back to Reveller's.

Amid Akira's complaints on the journey home, the trio speculated what Zara's reason for quitting was. Lyra suggested it was an order from above, a higher-up at their alliance, but they never came to a final answer.

As they neared the end of their journey, the Akira asked them one final question.

"So, do you guys think you're ready?"

Lyra waited a second before nodding gravely.

Jay didn't wait long either.

"As ready as I can be."