Chapter 3. The Tournament

Hope's POV

"You have five minutes to talk with your subordinates, then you must go to the designated arena. All fights will be evaluated."

I picked up my cell phone and opened a messaging app.

[Defend yourselves in case someone walks past me. Don't worry, I will take down the leader.]

I showed it to the group, who looked at each other.

[Just trust me.]

They nodded, but without showing much confidence. I walked to the arena and put my backpack on the ground outside the marker, and went to the marketplace, but contrary to what they thought, I was right in front, very close to the center line, while my team positioned itself behind me.

Sophia's formation was predictable, she had put the two strongest guys in front of me, while the others were on the side, she was right behind, first mistake. A beginner's mistake is to underestimate your enemy.

"Tsc..." I spoke and ran my hands through my hair, neatening it, and put my hands back in my pockets, with a very relaxed posture.

Immediately, when I heard the signal, I saw that those who were ahead ran at me, not even bothering to change. Second mistake. They had wolf speed, but I was also fast and, well, the more you run the more you can stumble.

The two in front of me, trying to hit me in the face, which I just dodged, without even taking my hands out of my pockets I put my left foot on the back as I picked up momentum and jumped up kicking the first one in front in the face, knocking him off balance. I took advantage of his back to use it as leverage and kicked the second one coming right behind, hearing the sound of bone breaking.

Two were on the ground, out of combat. There are some pressure points on werewolf bodies that, as strong as they are, if hit the right way can simply knock them out.

I heard fighting sounds behind me but continued making my way toward their leader, who finally realized her mistake and came running at me, jumping in the middle as she began her transformation.

Obviously, against full wolves, I would have a disadvantage, so it was better not to let it happen, right? I took my hands out of my pockets, there were two curved daggers in them, precisely because they were small it was very easy to hide them. Besides, there was something special about them.

The fear in the eyes of the one in front of me made me laugh, while I just lightly passed the blade on her arm, cutting very lightly, but enough to make the transformation stop, I turned without giving her time to react and kicked her in the back of the head, making her fall face down on the ground. Before she could get up, I kicked her in the back of the neck, a little lower, heard the bone break slightly and her body relaxed faintly.

I put my daggers away and looked back. The fight was over, and as I had predicted, my seven allies were a little wounded, but they managed to survive the first round. I sighed, I needed to be faster next time. The scoreboard showed my name and the 10-point mark. Well, my group was the first to win, which meant more points.

- The second fight -

I started walking towards my allies and heard Sophia stand up and start coming at me.

"You cheated, you used WolfsBane! You used a weapon!"

Her shrill voice just made me raise my left eyebrow, and I didn't even move or turn around to see what was going on, but I imagine since I never felt anything hitting me, either the guards had stopped her or else her allies. I took the cell phone out of my pocket and started to write down the new orders.

[I told you to trust me. You need to protect yourselves, when I am coming up, circle among yourselves and let yourselves be cornered.]

I saw them nod their heads in agreement, there was no longer fear in their gaze, but respect. I then opened a game app. It was ironic that it was a hunter killing werewolves around town. I stayed like this for a few minutes until I finally felt the presence of my next opponent entering the arena. I put my cell phone away and walked towards them.

Andrew Thompson was in front of me. It seemed that he had heard about what had happened around here because I noticed that his strategy was different. Andrew was farther back, but with two coastguards while the other five formed a semicircle.

They were more trained and good, and I need to be careful about the gift that this boy might have, there was nothing very in-depth concerning her or his pack, at least not concerning his gifts. I don't know about the others, but if they just stood there on the defensive it would be more practical, after all, I wouldn't have to worry about the seven who were behind me.

"That means you have some tricks, then." I heard Andrew's voice and well what can I say? Nothing, it was true after all.

The signal echoed, and I made a wave of my hand that meant no one should move, it was pretty much universal, I just raised my hand and stared at my opponents who also didn't move.

I used my left foot to drag some dust and threw it forward and realized that it stopped at some sort of barrier.

"Smarter than you look." I listened to his voice and then I could feel the air moving behind me, it was very gentle, many mistook it for a light wind, even more so because it had started to wind.

But I know it's not the wind, I had hunted witches of various kinds, with various gifts and I recognized that. What was in front of me was an illusion, and I closed my eyes and it was almost as if I felt the power through my skin. I might not have a wolf, but I still had the genes of one.

I felt a wave coming towards me from behind. It wanted to catch me off guard. It was something big, it was probably in wolf form and when I would feel sharp teeth digging into my shoulder, I bent backwards... Did I mention I was flexible? Very, very flexible... Some said I didn't even have a joint.

One more advantage for me, because as I bent backward I withdrew the blades and cut his chest and threw my body to the side so that that wolf wouldn't fall on top of me.

I opened my eyes and felt the blood dripping down my face. I cleaned what fell over my eyes and removed the excess that had fallen on my hair, I turned around and went back to my seat, I didn't even look at who was lying next to me, I knew it was Andrew, he could still fight only he would be wounded.

- The Third Fight -

"Are you guys okay?" I asked looking at my team, I saw that now several of them were well injured and took a deep breath. "Next time, the next ones probably won't have magic, so it will be simpler, the new rule is: dodge, don't fight whoever comes at you, just buy time."

I took a deep breath and sat down on the floor, opening my backpack, and looking at what I had in there.

'Maybe it's time.'

I thought to myself and picked up the daggers, spinning them around, thinking exactly what I should do next. I looked around and saw that there were still fights going on, but honestly I didn't care to keep analyzing their steps, I needed to focus on my next strategy. I wrote some words on my cell phone and showed them to my allies.

[Stay away from the main field, try to lead your opponents to a circle in the center of the arena.]

My allies nodded, and I looked up, on the other side of the arena there was an observation counter and the Prince was there, looking, had he been there since the first fight? I smiled at him and he understood.

I got up and walked to the center, while my allies stayed behind, this time forming a semicircle, I looked at my opponent Brook Sanders entered. I arched my eyebrow. I expected to face her only at the end.

"Well, I'm glad I picked the right one," I commented low and walked to my post in the center of the arena, hands in my pockets as usual. Then the signal rang.

Immediately the opponents turned, and four of them came at me, but it was just as I wanted, I dodged three of them, but the fourth one bit my shoulder. I didn't even groan in pain, although I was feeling it, but I was used to the pain.

I needed to keep them together. It would be easier if I used the daggers to cut what I could. I realized that my allies were doing as I asked and finally, when they got to the radius I was hoping for, I turned the dagger in my left hand inward, I knew it was going to cut me, but then I pulled out of my right pocket a small ball that was leather, it shouldn't have been more than an inch in diameter, I knew what was going to happen next and threw it on the ground, I held my breath, a silver smoke rose and I heard the howls of the wolves around me, silver dust.

As I came out of the smoke, I had an ordinary dagger in my right hand and threw it towards Brook who was standing there with a terrifying look in her eyes, fear emanated from her and that was enough for the dagger to hit the target, I knew wolfsbane wouldn't hit her, but it was enough for me to get very close to her and punch her in the middle of her chest, from the bottom to top, making her lose her breath and bend over, losing consciousness.

I took off my blouse, which was already open, revealing what was underneath, three more daggers embedded in the side of my body, two on the left and one on the right. I bent down and picked up the dagger stuck in Brook's shoulder and went back to my side of the arena and sat down on the ground.

Silver was one of the things that could kill werewolves, and in the form I had used it was even worse, because it entered through the nose and mouth and stuck to the mucous membranes... But well, the composition of this silver bomb was just enough to disable and not kill, and it hurt a lot, I was feeling the pangs in my chest myself, no matter how much I had held my breath, still, some particles had entered.