Aefia grinned at the slender boy's face with a hint of knowing it would all have lead up to this at the end. She brushed her fingers against the velvet material, taking it into her own arms but not really wearing it yet. She simply turned to look at the other members.
"I already knew you weren't going to make it until the end of the first hunt day, and that is why I chose to step down as the captain." She explained while placing it on the log, the wrinkle starting to warm up due to the fire near it. "Do you know why a captain in specific has so many pins and accessories?"
Her gaze turned towards the muscular man, who was still arrogant as before. "To shine brighter then the rest of the team to course!"
"..." Her head shook in dissapointment, but she was also pleased that they got the answer wrong.
She pointed at her own pins. A clasp around her cloak, the additional tier to the green earring, a pair of identical brooches at her shoulders, a safety pin at her sleeve. And... The buttons on her pinafore.
All of them had one thing in common.
A collection of red stones that were much more expensive then the green ones combined. They were garnets, the same colour as her eyes. Every captain had their accessories the same colour as their eyes, and Aefia's in particular was popping out more because of the complimentary colours.
"If you can take off all of these stones, the other team has nothing expect loses. That is the true game of dominance on the third day. Captains and teammates battle each other to steal their gemstones, which would leave the respective houses to lose an amount that even the hunts they gathered can't repay." She explained while covering them with her illusion magic.
Illusions worked when the object you want to hide doesn't reflect light directly to your eyes. The light rays bounce a different angle, like back at the sun. Although it wasn't possible... Magic itself was something that doesn't make sense.
"Even if I gave you the coat, I had made sure to take my accessories with me. Knowing that you will lose it before the third day could even arrive." She snapped her fingers, lighting their fire while walking over to sit at the log beside Cassandra, who was astonished at her skills.
"Hey! What do you think you are doing?!" The muscular man shouted at her, ready to lift her off the log and toss her away.
"Are you going to order me around?" She stubbornly tilted her head to the side, a smile at her face that defied anything they were forced to believe earlier. "I am the captain... Not you."
"You are too arrogant for your age."
"Then will you be able to starve the night by and start your real hunt tomorrow? ...I think not."
"We don't have any meat!"
"Then we can go hunting right now." She shrugged.
"How?! It is past daytime!"
Aefia lifted a bow that was behind Cassandra, pulled out an arrow and stood on her feet, stretching the string back till her jaw, pointing the arrow head at the direction of the man.
He immediately froze, scared for having crossed a boundary. He blinked his eyes shut. But the arrow zoomed past his ears, hitting a deer behind him. The animal shrieked to death, and she shoved past him towards the prey. It was into the woods, but the woods weren't too far to not reach.
She brought back the animal, slamming it to the ground while dusting her hands.
"What is that animal going to do for us?! We don't have water to drink too! Thought of that little kid?!"
"Don't worry..." She spoke while pulling out water bottles from thin air, equal numbers to the teammates, leaving out the muscular man of course.
When he tried to reach out for one, she pointed her blade at his throat. The others tried to protest for him, but she only replied;
"He, as a responsible grown man, needs to know his place... Just because he has a strong build, doesn't give him the right to judge others for their slender bodies. It is either he starves and learns his lessons, or he can hunt his own food right now without a single weapon. If he wants to oppose my proposal, he may leave this team."
It steered fear and guilt into the others as well. She turned to face the rest of them, sitted on their logs. The coat drapped over her shoulder swayed along with her.
"As for the rest of you... I would like to clarify somethings." She explained while lowering her sword.
"I left as a captain because I needed two things down. One is to punish you of judging people at the wrong time, and two... Because I needed this team dismantled for the real plan to work.
"Tomorrow, you will all set out to hunt without a single word or a question. At twelve thirty exact, line up at the arena and log in your true hunts and loses. Don't. Lie.
"Don't ask about others or even glance at the other scores. If they ask for reinforcement supplies to our house, say no."
They all nodded to her commands.
Now... This is how a leader rules their team. Learn it, you amateurs. Because I am not going to carry this whole team all alone.
When they all turned towards their tents obediently, she turned towards Cassandra and the slender boy who were left behind.
"You did quite the good job." She smiled at them. Both of the team members smiled.
"I have got to say... I am very impressed by your motives. Actually, I like how you just grounded them to the dirt with only your words. But don't you think it was too harsh." Cassandra asked while stepping forward.
Aefia let out a sigh, starring at the sky for one moment before lowering her gaze again.
"You know one thing?" She asked. "That sometimes we need bad experiences to learn our true lessons. They needed to be treated harshly, or they would never be able to move past the losers list."
***
A muffled thud echoed across the field, followed after a groan as the theif was slammed down to the ground.
It was the second day, and it was currently two thirty in the afternoon—when everyone is having lunch. Because Aefia had sat the lunch area slightly away from the tent, the rivalling house thought it a right time to intervene and steal hunts.
But unknown to them, Aefia had also scheduled lunch to be finished within two thirty. Not even a second delay could be considered or they couldn't participate in the third day. Thanks to the strict orders, they managed to catch a culprit who thought they were too good at their job.
The muscular guy stepped on top of the man, pinning him down until the rest of the team members came. Of course, he whistled to get their attention.
Within a short time, defenders nearest to him came running with weapons drawn.
"This is the thief who stole from the last time." The man shouted while adding pressure on the body beneath his feet. "It appears the Ducal house had been the one targeting us. What a sight! Such a prestigious house would do such a god forsaken thing!"
"Well... At least stop being cruel. He might be someone who was forced into this. Although I appreciate." The slender boy spoke while crossing his arms. Glaring down at the man on the ground. In fact, that thief was the reason he was beaten up yesterday. At least he learnt that being captain was no easy task.
"But where is captain?" Cassandra asked while looking around.
"Does it matter? She won't be happy if we wait for her either." The muscular man contradicted. A few more words were exchanged before they decided to tie him to a chair and place him under the sun.
"Are you serious? It's autumn right now. Are we giving him a good chance to warm up?"
"No. But we need to ground him down until captain orders us what to do."
"Then we can at least place him at the centre of our territory."
At last, they went on for the final plan. Tying him down on the ground under the sun away from shades and building a fire directly in front of him—to punish him. They waited a little longer, the clock struck three and there was still no signs of their captain.
"Ugh! Where did she go?!"
"Hunting of course! She is probably up to something and you need time to reach this place!"
"Well I don't care! At least I can say she is a—"
"A what?" Aefia asked while walking up to their place from a length away, carrying a bucket of water and handing it to the slender boy to carry it back to their camp site. "Don't tell me you are trying to starve yourself again? With a body like yours, you will suffer quite a lot."
She folded her arms and glared at him, her accessories clinking against each other as she moved. When the man didn't reply anything, her gaze travelled to the one who was tied up on the ground near the fire.
"And who is this? From the Ducal house? Don't tell me you kidnapped him?" She asked with a tilt of her head, walking over to where he was.
Her fingers hovered over the fire, absorbed it to extinguish it. She untied the ropes and threw them away, watching as the man lowered his guard with a smile at his face.
"Well? Are you going to be silent like this?"
"Did they make you the captain after I beat up the slender guy?! Honestly... What were they thinking?!" The guy shouted in arrogance. Ending it in a laugh.
"Ah! So you are that thief who stole from my house yesterday?" Aefia smirked at him, standing right behind him, throwing her sword to the ground and then crouching down.
"Are you that confident you can deal with a member of the Ducal house?!" The guys shouted.
"Alright. You said it yourself." She whispered. "Don't try anything extra tomorrow... It won't result good for the Ducal house otherwise..."
"Hah! You are so—!"
"Naíve?"
Smack!
Aefia smacked his head into the still warm firewood. Held him against it while it was still glowing a bright orange.
"Aahh!"
"Still think I am just confident?" She asked, watching the man shout in pain. "Not only are you losing your face... You are losing your dignity along with it."
Nearby, the muscular man flinched. Watching with wide eyes as Aefia lifted the man's head once more to smack it down again. The sound of it echoing thoughout the area.
After three hits, she stood up and shoved her right hand into her pocket. The next second, her fingers held a small microphone. The entire place turned silent all at once, astonished.
"Whatever you said... Has been recorded. And I will most definetly use it against your team tomorrow if I must." She glared down at the man, her garnet eyes staring down at him with disgust. "I will not tolerate any harm caused to me or the Countess house."
She shifted once more, lifting her boots to kick the man in the stomach, making him skid a very short length in the dirt. Just a mere finger length. Then, stomping on his chest with intense pressure.
"So now... I will ask a question that determines your fate here." She held out a finger to make it clear. "Do you still think the Countess house is weak?"
The thief grinned. "Of course... Whatever you did, anyone else could do it."
A rather arrogant speech. Of course they would think that way since a County is one house below the Duchy.
Cassandra, the slender boy, and the mascular man shuddered, but still smiled along with crossed arms. Aefia's eyes narrowed down to a murderous glare, while her smile held a hint of teenage mischieve.
"Fine. How about this one?" She asked while dragging him to his knees by his head, then laid a finger flat against his shoulder.
Immediately, the man felt all the water inside his cells drain. His face aged within a matter of second, and the next moment, he fell to the ground with a scream.
At her hand was a sphere of water.
Because she was now a Guardian—let alone an Aethalgard—she could mendle with any element she wanted. The process that took her to dehydrate him was a matter of only four steps.
The healing element allowed her to interact with his health, the fire element evaporated the cells, and the water element helped to collect them and the healing element helped her to pull it out.
The man gasped for air while looking towards the bucket of water she had brought back, and he started to use his fingers to claw at the dirt. He tried to fight the barren land to pull himself up and get at least a sip of water. But how was that possible anymore? The boy holding the water was the boy he beat up yesterday.
Yet, he still didn't step down.
The thief crawled on his knees towards the boy, dropping his forehead towards his shoes, but he couldn't speak a word. His throat made sounds that of a dying goat, but he still didn't move back or hesitate.
The boy above him looked at Aefia, who was looking at him as if telling he could do whatever he wanted.
"I don't know... He has suffered enough. I would like him to return and forfeit for now. I will beat him up a later time after he has recovered. Right now... I don't want him to die."
"Alright. That will be then." She answered while looking towards the muscular man. "Take him back. Say, 'a certain someone has entered our territory and I figured it was yours'. If they say we don't know him, tell them, 'well he is wearing your house's colour'. And just leave him there. Don't say another word."
"Why do I need to say such specific words?" The man asked back. But he obeyed her initial orders and held the body like a sack of flour.
Aefia let out a sigh and picked up her sword.
"Let's just say... If you say that much, and they try to fight back about this tomorrow, I can say, 'my teammember said this, and not that'."