Author's Preface
“Alright, folks, we are back. We have the American team’s footage ready to go.” A beat. “Any predictions as to what we might see, Bob?”
“No idea. I’m still shocked they even cleared that gryphon that quickly.”
“Let’s roll the footage.”
Eve and the team entered the portal. As soon as they walked in, they heard screeching coming from the sky.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Darrien quickly muttered to himself.
Chris immediately lifted his shield. The team gathered around Chris with Cynthia in the middle, as they had done for years.
“Did that taunt get any better, Chris?” Blue smacked Chris on the shoulder.
“We don’t need it. Not against one gryphon.” Chris chuckled.
“What the hell do you mean we don’t need it?” Darrien looked at him in shock, then at Samantha, who was preparing spells in her hands.
“Trust me, Darrien, we don’t need the taunt.” Samantha looked toward the sky. “That thing is weaker than that minotaur.”
“If you say so.”
The gryphon dove toward the team. Cynthia opened the bag Terrance had gifted her. Metal fragments came flying out, creating a wall to block the gryphon’s swift attacks. The gryphon flew back into the air as wind started gathering in its mouth.
Chris looked back at Blue and Darrien. “Can you reach it?”
“If you give me a boost,” Blue responded.
Darrien nodded along.
As the gryphon released its wind attack on the team, Chris jumped. With one smooth movement, he swatted the attack away with his shield. He turned as he fell back toward the ground and yelled, “Now!”
Chris held his shield out. Blue and Darrien jumped onto it, and Chris launched both of them straight toward the gryphon. They aimed directly for the creature’s wings, their blades tearing through them as they passed.
As the gryphon fell, Samantha stepped forward. “I’ll finish it.”
Samantha conjured a tornado in front of her, its rotations tight and controlled just as Arthur had taught her. She concentrated on her mana control. The tiara that had disappeared into runes across her forehead started to light up. Samantha threw flames into the tornado, and with a flick of her wrist, it took off.
The tornado picked up the gryphon, spinning the creature around inside it as flames wrapped around its body. Samantha released the spell. The gryphon came crashing onto the earth, its wings ruined and its body charred beyond recognition. Before it could even twitch, Darrien was already moving. Three daggers left his hand and buried themselves in its skull. The gryphon went still.
The clock in the sky stopped. 3:23.
Eve stood there, realizing she hadn’t needed to lift a finger. Whatever everyone had gone through over the last three weeks had honed their skills more than she could have imagined.
Cynthia looked around at the team. “See, guys? We can totally bash the Germans’ skulls in now!”
Everyone laughed, and then the portal opened. The team proudly walked out, having done something that would have caused them trouble only months ago.
“...Michael, I may have to retract my statement from earlier.”
“Well, Bob, as impressive as that fight was, I still don’t believe they are on the level of the Germans.”
“What do the fans at home think?”
“You can vote online or call in and tell us your opinion.”
Germany: 85%
Americans: 8%
Other: 7%
“Well, Bob, the viewers have spoken. The Germans hold onto first place by quite a margin. They also seem to think the dark horse Blue and his team will take second.”
“I am okay with that outcome, Michael.”
“Looks like the other teams are just finishing up their rounds. Let’s take a look at those teams who have been disqualified already.”
Team Brazil
Team USA: Chicago
Team France
Team Australia
Team Canada
Team USA: Los Angeles
Team Mexico
“Seven teams failed to defeat the gryphon. That leaves 43 teams that have the potential to make it to the main tournament, Bob.”
“Team Germany and Team USA: Columbus are a shoo-in. The judges will deliberate over the next hour to score the remaining teams. When the scores are tallied and they have reached a decision on the top 25, we will return. Until then, enjoy a montage of the Germans’ record-breaking run last year!”
“Welcome back to the International Team Ranker Tournament.”
“We’ve seen some dominant performances today, with Germany, Russia and the Americans turning heads across the board.” Michael shuffled his notes. “The results are in, Bob. Let’s take a look at who qualified for the main tournament. Remember, folks, this is in no particular order. The numbers you see are each team’s global ranking coming into today.”
The jumbotron populated with the list.
Germany - Berlin: Ranked 1st
South Korea - Seoul: Ranked 5th
Japan: Ranked 45th
USA - Minneapolis: Ranked 6th
USA - Washington D.C.:Ranked 3rd
Russia: Ranked 2nd
Great Britain: Ranked 11th
India: Ranked 21st
USA - Columbus: Ranked 10th
France - Nice: Ranked 37th
Germany - Stuttgart: Ranked 18th
North Korea: Ranked 4th
Canada - Toronto: Ranked 7th
Canada - Calgary: Ranked 9th
Egypt: Ranked 13th
South Africa: Ranked 12th
Saudi Arabia: Ranked 8th
Belgium: Ranked 19th
Pakistan: Ranked 49th
USA - Dallas: Ranked 17th
Ireland: Ranked 44th
France - Paris: Ranked 15th
South Korea - Busan: Ranked 14th
China: Ranked 16th
Spain: Ranked 23rd
“There you have it, folks. The twenty-five teams moving on to the main tournament. Each of them has earned the right to challenge any team present for their ranked position.”
“That’s right, Bob. And more than pride is on the line. The higher your rank, the more your guild receives in materials and earnings from the Association. There’s real money behind these fights.”
“Worth noting, the countries with Golden Gate access showed out today. France and South Korea both qualified with every team they brought. And the Americans are coming in with quite a few more teams than usual this year.”
“Tomorrow should be something, Michael.” Bob leaned back. “We’ll be back to see how the global rankings shift. Have a good night, everyone.”
Down on the arena floor, Klaus took the stage one final time. The teams that remained looked up at him from the stands.
“Tomorrow you may challenge whomever you like.” His voice carried across the space cleanly. “You cannot refuse a challenge. There are no rematches.” He looked across the assembled teams. “Rest well tonight. You’ve done well.” Klaus took a moment and scanned the teams. “For those teams who did not qualify, keep your heads up. You cannot challenge tomorrow, but you may still find yourselves defending the ranks you currently hold.” As Klaus exited, the fans and teams did the same. Each team left to discuss their own strategy for the next day.
That night, the team gathered in Eve’s room. Nobody said anything for a while. The day had been long, each of them were nervous about tomorrow. They all knew what was on the line.
Chris broke the silence first. “What’s our plan for tomorrow? I’m sure teams are going to come at us.”
“We have to challenge the Germans,” Darrien said without hesitation.
"Let other teams fight them first. Every fight gives us more information. We wait, we watch, and when the time is right, we take rank one for ourselves.” She looked around the room. “No getting baited into fighting anyone we don’t have to.”
Nobody argued. “Agreed,” the team said.
Blue looked at them. Each one of them. Darrien leaned back like he didn’t have a care in the world, Chris already mentally preparing, Cynthia quiet and steady, Samantha somehow managing to look unbothered and focused simultaneously, and Eve holding the room together the way she always did.
“Tomorrow is the start of our guild.” He let it sit for a second. “I appreciate every one of you for following me this far. I won’t let you down.”
Nobody responded with words. They didn’t need to.