NOVEL FROG Chapter 35: The Clash
It was clear that the red team had won that fight, all of the barriers in the base were completely destroyed, not even leaving a single piece of wood they could use to protect themselves. The sharp fence of weapons they had set up around the flags was one too, with most of the swords they had planted lying around the mud in broken bits, as well as their fallen teammates. All of the blue players seemed to have at least one major bruise or red mark on their faces and upper bodies; they had all been taken out at least once, with a few being unfortunate enough to have lost two lives. Even Ace seemed to have been hit pretty hard, as he was groaning in pain from a bruise on his lower neck, which was big enough to even cover the path of his right shoulder. The two archers were now unarmed, with their bows now useless after their strings were detached. And while they did seem to have a few spare swords left, none of their teammates looked capable of fighting anymore.
Zoey and Scott quickly ran to aid their teammates, but as they got closer to the brutal scene, Ace pointed back at the destroyed frontline. They turned around to see that a couple of reluctant red players were running away, following their teammates, who were already out of view. Being too late to confront them, Scott and Zoey remained at the base, but they then noticed that one of their flags was gone. Shade had just left with one of the flags, but instead of chasing after them, Zoey secured the first flag to score a point before helping Scot and Ace reorganize the base. The blue team regrouped to form a new strategy, and since luckily no one had been fully eliminated yet, though some were close, they still had all fifteen players present to come up with a new plan.
Ace became extra cautious after the massacre he had just witnessed, now being methodical as he ordered the team to stay at the base to recover, unlike the red team, who were now returning to their base at full speed. As Shade ran through the stream with the flag in his hand, the audience cheered loudly, encouraging them to score their first point. But after they had reached their base, everyone was left in doubt once again, as there was no movement from either team. There was a good two minutes of silence and absolutely nothing happening anywhere in the field, to the point that even the remaining hunter got bored and just roamed the woods.
But it all changed when Shade came back with his group, and this time, they were enraged after finding out the blue team had also scored a point. The unaware audience couldn’t comprehend his fury, though they could tell from his expression that he wasn’t here to win anymore; he wanted a good fight just like them, and that’s exactly what they had been waiting for. Instead of going to the blue team to steal another flag, the red team stayed in the middle of the field, forming a line to block the entire stream as well as having two guards on each flank, which went unnoticed by the last hunter since he was now just enjoying the scenery. And with the audience catching up to what the red team was planning, they remained quiet to not ruin the surprise as they all eagerly waited for any blue player to show up and get absolutely desecrated.
–Wow, they are really taking this seriously, I did not expect that…– Indie whispered to Frost with an impressed smile, sharing the same sentiment as all the other soldiers, except her own teammates. Candy and Nitro sat right behind her, but they tried covering for Tricky as she continued secretly checking her tracker display, waiting for a specific signal.
–Some of my students have had a bit of a rivalry going on, so I think they want to use this game to settle it once and for all…– Frost replied casually, paying more attention to Tricky as he constantly glanced her way to check on the status of their mission. Indie was amused by his response and got a closer look at Shade’s expression to see his true hatred towards the blue team, and while it seemed to concern her, she also couldn’t help but find the humor in it.
–It reminds me of someone, I wonder where they got that from…– Indie said sarcastically as she turned back to Frost, who responded with a forced chuckle. He didn’t pay attention to her teasing expression at all, and as soon as she looked back at the red team, his focus shifted towards Tricky once again. However, she finally saw some movement, giving Frost the signal with a brief nod. She nervously had to hide her tracker display as Indie had turned to look at her, though it did serve to distract her as Frost pretended to step back and get a wider view of the game while secretly gripping a handheld radio in his pocket, hiding it specifically from Indie.
–I think they are one to one. it wouldn’t make sense for them to wait here if the other team hadn’t captured their flag too– Tricky commented in a reserved but thoughtful manner, getting Indie’s attention as she stepped closer to listen better, becoming curious to hear more. But right as she faced Tricky, turning her back to Frost, he received a call on his radio, which he subtly brought to his chin to pretend to be thinking while looking away from the soldiers. They were too focused on the game to notice him, allowing him to listen in as they prepared to leave.
–They are here, chief, come quickly– Panda reported briefly before ending communication, leading to Frost putting away the radio, turning to see if Indie noticed, and as she was still talking to Indie, he signaled Nitro and Candy to stand up and take his place. He looked apprehensive, almost scared to defy Indie’s orders when she was right there, but since he couldn’t waste his opportunity, he regained his cool and casually left the scene.
Frost stepped to the side while Candy took his place, and with Nitro standing behind Indie, they both blocked her view from the sides and back, letting Frost sneak out quickly. While Indie noticed his disappearance right away, she was forced to look to the front as her teammates kept talking to her and making up stuff about the game to chat and keep her focus away from Frost, who headed towards Panda right away.
He crossed the right flank, where he noticed the hunter Zoey had taken out, but he didn’t pay attention to it as he reached a denser wooded area. He walked right past one of the red players guarding that path, but other than him, he didn’t encounter anyone else because they were all found in the middle of the stream now that they were going to fight.
Both teams encountered in the center of the field, right where the audience was found, with the entire blue team now present as they couldn’t bother defending their flags with the current state of their base. They had all reunited and remained close to standing face-to-face with their opponents, who surrounded them with their formation but quickly realized that they were outnumbered. Once again, Shade didn’t back down as his teammates had greater weapons, so he remained the biggest threat to the blue team, who were anxious just to stand near them.
But with Ace’s leadership, the blue team withstood the menacing looks they received from Shade’s friends, all while their leader, alongside Zoey and Scott, stepped forward. The audience watched all of the players carefully, keeping an eye out for any movement or action they could take, though they grew anxious as either team just stayed in place. Nobody was moving, and even though it seemed like a first move wouldn’t be made anytime soon, both teams looked more determined and ready to fight than ever.
–Are you ready to get your ass beaten to a pulp?– Shade asked provokingly, showing both confidence and hostility in his smug but deadly grin. In response, Ace and Zoey returned a hateful stare, even approaching the red team further, but Scott stopped them from taking another step as he assumed charge of the team, walking up to the front while his friends backed him up from the sides.
–You will always lose with that attitude, no matter how much you try, trust me…– Scott replied in a snarky manner, getting a few of his teammates to crack up, with even more positive reactions from the audience. But as his response irked Shade, who seemed capable of pouncing on him and dismembering his entire body in front of everyone, Scott restrained himself from speaking too much, being cautious and patient to wait for the enemy to make the move.
–Come show me then. Let’s see if you can actually put up a fight without your boyfriend and girlfriend’s help, Sissy…– Shade countered with a disdainful expression, directing all of his bitterness towards Scott, solely focusing on him instead of trying to intimidate the rest of the blue team, leaving the rest to only watch as the tension between them increased.
Apparently, Scott felt the same way as he kept his teammates back with a gesture while standing his ground, exchanging a long, challenging, even murderous look with Shade. Both teams stepped back to let them settle their differences, staying alert in case anyone tried to interfere. But as the conflict became extremely personal and even the audience could tell they shouldn’t get in the way, they all just waited for either Scott or Shade to make a decision, which only came after a stressful couple of seconds.
–Aren’t you going to attack?– Scott asked nonchalantly, teasing Shade with his carefree manner, causing him to chuckle scornfully, though it did entice him to raise his weapon. Not only did he have his mace ready, but Baby had also handed Shade a sword to be fully armed for his fight against Scott. However, as menacing as he looked when wielding both heavy weapons, as much as he tried, Scott didn’t show any reaction; he remained calm and even turned cocky.
–Ladies first…– Shade replied after seeing no reaction, letting out a frustrated grunt as he tensed up. Baby and Kenny laughed maniacally right behind him, though quiet enough for only his teammates to hear, which seemed quite frightening for the blue players. Their creepy laughter made them uneasy, with even Zoey losing some of her courage after seeing how Shade’s friends were only in it to hurt people.
But with everyone on edge, Scott glanced back to see his teammate’s reaction after scoffing at Shade’s suggestion. He kept one eye on his opponent at all times, and as Shade was just as observant, Scott was careful with any movement he made. He relaxed his arms, lowering his sword to pretend to ignore Shade as he smiled dismissively, almost walking away from him to return to his team. But as soon as she seemed to step back and retreat to his teammates, Shade saw the opportunity to catch him by surprise, although he was only falling in his attempt to lure him in.
With Scott’s response enraging Shade, he turned his back on him and tried to walk away casually. His teammates immediately tried to warn him of the incoming attack, with Ace and Zoey raising their weapons to try to defend Scott as Shade was charging straight at him. But as Scott could still see his enemy from the corner of his eye, he waited for the perfect moment to turn around. He had to react in a split second now that Shade had leaped at him, swinging both of his weapons from each side to crush his skull. But before his double attack could connect with his face, Scott ducked and stepped aside.
To his teammates, it looked like he had tripped, and by pure luck, he had dodged Shade’s attack. But with Ace and Zoey instantly trying to jump at Shade, they quickly noticed that Scott had premeditated it, as he not only stepped out of the way but kicked Shade in the stomach to push him away from his teammates. They were stunned by the move, but as their opponents took this as a signal to attack, they couldn’t afford to focus on Shade and Scott for much longer.
They formed a wide line, and with Ace and Zoey at the front, they charged at their enemy, roaring as they rushed towards the red team, barely giving them time to react. They stayed in formation, covering most of the area in the stream to prevent any of the blue players from flanking and reaching their base. And with the blue teams unable to get past the red team, they were forced to fight for control of the stream, leaving Shade and Scott behind to duke it out in private.
With the whole audience being caught off guard by this unexpected offensive maneuver, they began cheering once the real fight began, even though it was hard to focus on one single person as chaos had erupted once again, except now it was visible to everyone. When both teams clashed, Ace, Zoey, and Jumbo charged directly at the main threats, those being Shade’s friends. They couldn’t get past Baby, Kenny, Cory, or Grant, but they were able to keep them distracted for long enough to let their teammates take care of the rest of the opponents.
So, with the best players fighting at the front, the others formed all sorts of individual, smaller battles that made up the large brawl. The two red players on the flank paths were forced to join in after seeing the magnitude of the fight, and even though there was plenty of action to enjoy in the fight, most of the audience focused on watching Shade and Scott’s duel. Not only were they the closest to the soldiers, but they were the most engaging to watch as their fight was the most balanced out of the bunch, coming as a surprise to Indie, Nitro, and especially Candy, who got excited to see Scott put up a fight against his bully.
After pushing Shade to the side, making him tumble a bit, Scott quickly had to back away from him to have him ignore his teammates. However, as Shade was as ruthless as ever, he immediately began delivering attacks after regaining his balance. Most of his swings were reckless, though that didn’t mean they weren’t powerful. Scott had to dodge both of his weapons to prevent getting taken out or even killed in one hit, though it was hard to predict his mindless attacks, especially with how fast he threw them at him. He kept weaving back and forth to not lose his footing, as the uneven, rocky floor of the stream made it hard to keep moving continuously. Scott had to focus solely on Shade’s weapons, trusting his instincts to keep his balance, and while he almost tripped a few times, he was able to dodge and step out of harm’s way right on time with every attack.
While Shade was quite imprecise, his approach was effective in preventing Scott from throwing any hits of his own. He was forced to dodge in all directions, beginning to circle Shade, as it was the only way to get out of his long reach. Avoiding his powerful swings was already hard enough, but after a few seconds of running circles around him in an attempt to find an opening, Scott grew tired and nervous, beginning to slow down to play it safely. But while he was cautious in his approach with Shade, his opponent was the exact opposite, remaining assertive and throwing attacks at him at the same pace, and the worst part was that there was no hint of him losing energy anytime soon.
During Scott’s and Shade’s fight, the blue and red team had a pretty even battle. In the beginning, the blue teams got an advantage by surprising their enemies with a quick attack, but after they clashed, the combat was separated into small duels. The common teammates at the blue team’s disposal only served as distractions to take down their stronger opponents. Ace and Zoey still focused solely on Baby and his brawny friends, but while they had the upper hand in agility and speed, they were overpowered by their weapons.
Every time they tried to strike, their enemy was able to not only block but also push them back with their sheer force. Shade’s friends quickly caught on to their opponent’s strategy, and when they got a chance to shove Ace and Zoey away, they focused on one of their teammates to get some easy and quick kills. That way, they began eliminating a couple of the blue players while suffering minor losses.
One of the early eliminations from the blue team was Turtle, who was hit out of nowhere in the back by Baby’s axe. But while he didn’t see the attack coming, he instinctively tried to push him away, managing to toss the gun he had stolen after he was hit. Since everyone was battling around them, the water of the stream splashed everywhere, making it hard to see the ground, where no one noticed that a hunter’s gun was now lying right next to them.
But after Turtle returned to the base to respawn in disappointment, he noticed that Zoey and Ace were now focusing on some of the normal red players, trying to balance the match now that they were losing units fast. They first disarmed them or tried to throw them off balance to then take them out, and with the red players only fighting barehanded after losing their weapons in the stream current, they struggled to defend themselves from Ace and Zoey.
However, the same could be said about their teammates because they weren’t allowed to get close to Shade’s friends, let alone hit them. They were too strong, as well as fast enough to see coming, but even when they tried to surround them, most players had lost their weapons by now, only being able to distract their opponents for a few seconds despite how hard they tried to fight back. And since only Ace, Zoey, Jumbo, and a couple more players were still armed, the blue team had to assume a defensive approach to stall as much as possible and let their teammates respawn, as well as avoid elimination as much as possible.