System Break

The first teams from the Whitecloaks and Reds made up the first semi-final. There had been a couple of hours break since the quarters and competitors who were too wounded to continue were culled and replaced.

The Whitecloaks had come through relatively unscathed. Sandor and Mal had minor injuries, but they were well enough to continue and in the leader's judgment they were better wounded than most of his guild – even when the scrubs were in full health.

The Whitecloaks guild leader paced. 

"Calm down Ying," Trik said. "We're through."

Ying scowled at Trik. "We're up against that bitch. I really don't want to lose to her."

Trik hid his smile. "Your ex?"

Ying grumbled. "Not even. I asked her out once and she laughed in my face."

"Oh," Trik said. "At least you are man enough to admit that. I'd probably lie."

Ying paced back. "Yeah, but she wanted me to ask her out. She planned the whole thing. The looks, the smiles, and texts. It was a long time ago at university, but I can still hear all her sycophants laughing."

Trik looked across the field at their opponents. The Red's were led by their Queen and all the guild members, other than her, were all male. 

A bell sounded and the two teams walked out on to the field. The rules had changed from the first day due to protests from the majority of guilds. They stood twenty-five yards apart.

One of the predictable things about the Reds is they were unpredictable. That and everything revolved around the Red Queen. She wore red leathers and wielded a Tachi which was like a katana except longer. She also held a crossbow. 

The Red Queen was something else. Not only was she conceited, spoiled and an all-round evil bitch. She was also extremely beautiful and genius level smart.

All of the five Red team members held a loaded crossbow. The adjudicator raised his flag and they all aimed at Ying.

The Whitecloaks leader swore. "That bitch." Twenty-five yards wasn't far, and they could easily close the distance before a crossbow was reloaded. But her first team were swordsmen like her, but they must have been secretly training with the rogue weapon.

They chose to bring it out in the semi-final, against Ying and he took it personally.

"Don't worry boss," Trik said. "Their aim is probably awful, and they don't have qi-bolt." Trik aimed his crossbow at the Queen and she smiled back at him sweetly.

"She's sure to have a dirty trick. Be ready," Ying said for the hundredth time.

Trik eyed the five crossbows and wondered why they weren't classed as the dirty trick.

The flag descended and the red cloth ruffled in the wind. Four bolts sped towards Ying and he dived. He'd calculated that even with poor aim they were coming from different directions and there was no point in trying to dodge.

The fifth bolt landed in the dirt right in front of his face, it bounced and entered his skull through his nose.

The Red Queen laughed. "Predictable," she said and held her crossbow upright out in front of her body. Trik's bolt hit it dead centre, she dropped it and smiled at him. "Kill them," she said sweetly.

The four swordsmen charged the leaderless Whitecloaks.

Trik swore and drew his knives. It was only him, Mal, Sandor and another swordsman left. He couldn't spare the time to think about the bouncing bolt, it was weird, he would have thought it would have buried itself in the dirt.

"Dirty trick one and two down," he said. "Do you have a third?" He weaved his knives in a crisscross pattern. A rogue had two qi-abilities when they started. One was qi-bolt and the other qi-stealth. The latter was mostly useless in a tournament. The sun shone down brightly, and they were out in the open with thousands of screaming spectators.

Trik moved behind the huge brawler and engaged qi-stealth. Two swordsmen skidded to a halt in front of Mal and looked around. While the other two fought one on one battles with Whitecloak swordsmen - the Red Queen walked towards them, and Mal charged.

The sword slashes arced in front of him, but the brawler engaged qi-body and ran through the trap. He grunted as a blade bit into his hip. And then he aimed a qi-strike at the head of the closest swordsman. 

The second lifted his sword high and was bringing it down to slice the brawler in half when Trik threw a well-aimed knife as his chest. It dinged as it struck a breastplate beneath his bulging red shirt.

"Shit," Trik said. Mal connected with the face of the first swordsman and his cheek sunk under the force of the blow. Then the second's sword came down and sliced open the large brawler from shoulder to chest. 

Trik charged but the swordsmen wasted no time stabbing Mal in the face and chest. 

Sandor beat his opponent and was fighting the other who had dispatched their teammate. The side fight was evenly matched.

Trik now faced with two swordsmen and a smiling bitch. He leaped over his dead friend and placed his foot on the sword hand of the second. The one with the small breastplate under his red shirt. 

Trik was nose to nose with the second swordsman and the first drew his back getting ready to strike. Trik's knife shot out like a snake through the cheek and into the face of the second. It crunched through gristle and bone and pierced his brain.

The first was about to stab him and Trik quickly raised his hands. "Surrender," he said and grinned at the Red Queen.

She scowled at him. "Coward."

"Nah, I just took out your guy and survived." He grinned at her mockingly. "I get to keep my skills."

Sandor won his second duel and frowned at the scene. 

The Red Queen walked towards him. "Are you a coward?" she asked, and he shook his head. 

"Cat got your tongue?" she asked, and his eyes narrowed. He remained silent. His feet moved in crossover fashion as they circled one another. 

She smiled at him, "You're not bad. Want to be mine?"

He ignored her and launched a strike at her eyes, but it was a feint. She laughed at the attempt to trick her.

"If you don't want to be mine," she said. "I'll send you for a reset."

He dropped down and swept a long arc at her knee level. She did not dodge nor jump. She stood and let his blade sweep by - missing her knees by a whisker. Her sword was raised high over her head and she brought it down.

She was out of his reach which she had judged impeccably. The Tachi came down moments after his sweep and he tried to jump back, but he was too slow. Her Tachi was sharp, very sharp and it cleaved his head in two. 

The crowd roared as he fell forward and his brains leaked onto the field.

The Red Queen laughed and smiled like she was at a tea party. "That was fun."

The lone swordsman - who was still standing - ran to her side. "My Queen," he said and knelt. She held out her hand and he kissed it. "We're in the final. Pick out our best three swordsmen to join us."

"Yes, my Queen," he said. His cheek was sunken and split but he did not flinch.

She beamed a smile at him. "You did well Cerbrus. If you live through the final, I will let you spend the night in my bed." She looked at his face. "Ugh, get that cheek seen to."