Liora ran with every ounce of strength she had left, each stride driven by urgency and determination.
Her breath came in ragged bursts, muscles burning with fatigue.
As a transformer, her endurance was already well above human—but after what felt like half a day inside the mountain, guarding her back, protecting her allies, eliminating ants, and remaining alert to every sound, shadow, and movement, both body and mind screamed for rest.
But this was no time to yield. The egg she cradled tightly against her chest was the result of everyone's effort. It could not be lost.
Her brother had likely stayed behind, holding off some opponent.
Victoria was probably close on her heels; defeat was not an option for her. She was known for being relentless, proud.
But Liora had ensured she wouldn't become an obstacle.
She avoided the mountain's main exits—who knew how many scavenger students might be lying in wait, ready to snatch the points or the egg from anyone weakened by exhaustion. Instead, Liora followed a mental map created thanks to her photographic memory.
Suddenly, two enormous ants, the size of wild boars, blocked her path, charging with intent. Without hesitation, Liora leapt onto the first, planting a hand on its carapace to propel herself, landing just in time to dodge the second with precise lateral movement. Not a fraction of her speed was lost. She left them behind as mere obstacles.
Liora moved through chambers, corridors, and bridges, selecting each path with precision, always choosing the fastest, most efficient route toward her goal.
She took the right passage, spiraling upward as it sloped gently, until the floor leveled once more. At the next fork, she again chose the right path without hesitation.
Her path toward the exit was unfolding exactly as she had anticipated. The students who had ventured into the cave in search of the egg had either been eliminated or had surrendered and fled.
The only obstacles were the giant, aggressive ants, but since her intention was to move forward and not fight, they did not pose a significant challenge.
At least she thought that.
But another curved corridor brought her face-to-face with a tall blonde girl with short hair.
Another student.
Liora's eyes widened in surprise.
The blonde girl raised her palms, and thick black smoke began to curl from her hands, spreading through the air. Another figure appeared beside her: a girl with tightly braided black hair.
Black tentacles sprouted from her back, tipped with razor-sharp blades. The smoke thickened, obscuring both girls, turning the corridor into a dangerous haze.
Liora faltered momentarily, silhouettes barely visible through the dark fog.
Her mind raced, analyzing every option, every strategy in milliseconds.
She evaluated their traits: the blonde's black smoke was likely poisonous, while the braided girl could manipulate the fog, striking with her long, lethal tentacles from a distance.
Four tentacles lunged from the smoke. Instantly, Liora created a blue bubble around the egg and carefully dropped it to the floor, shielding it.
Her hands too were enveloped in protective blue spheres. She intercepted two of the tentacles, deflecting them—but the third slashed her abdomen with precise accuracy, while the fourth plunged into her leg like a spear.
Ducking and weaving, Liora's mind worked frenetically. She deflected another attack with a swift head movement; the next, she blocked with her hand bubbles. Yet another tentacle grazed her stomach, causing only a superficial wound.
The attacks came from different angles, moving with rapid precision to block any escape.
Meanwhile, the black smoke spread, constricting her space and forcing her back, slowly cornering her.
With every passing moment, her space shrank and the damage accumulated. The longer she stayed, the less room she had to maneuver, and the more the tentacles tore into her flesh. Every attempt to advance brought new pain, and every heartbeat reminded her that the trap was tightening. The smoke, the poison, the lashes of the tentacles—they all fed on the time she lingered.
The situation worsened with every second.
Until Liora solved the puzzle.
She combined her two bubbles into one massive sphere, transforming it from defense to offense, shifting its hue from blue to intense, blazing red.
Without hesitation, she hurled the bubble at the two girls—not to harm them, but to create a critical distraction. Holding the egg in her protective bubble for a moment, she studied trajectories, then rolled it forward like a bowling ball, keeping it low to the ground near her rivals' legs.
Without pause, she summoned another large red bubble beneath her and leapt onto it. Curling into herself in midair, she enveloped her body in a blue protective sphere. Propelled by the explosive force of the red bubble, she surged toward the girls with brutal momentum.
Emily, the short-haired blonde, saw the red sphere barreling toward her like an unstoppable projectile. Instinctively, she stepped back, while Kaelis, the black-haired girl, retracted her four tentacles, crossing them to form an improvised barrier.
The red bubble collided with them with a thunderous crack, scorching the tentacles. Black smoke rose from the damaged limbs; Kaelis winced in pain.
In the instant after, the egg emerged from the smoke. Their eyes locked on the prize—the object that had driven the entire day's competition—but only for a fleeting moment. The bubble carrying it skidded past their feet, racing forward.
Then another bubble appeared—this one blue, larger, and housing a person instead of an egg. The sphere plowed forward with unstoppable force, sweeping Kaelis off her feet and hurling her through the air. Liora dissolved the bubble, watching Kaelis' body slam into the ground with a dull thud.
Emily froze, eyes wide with terror. But she reacted quickly, raising her hands as two dense streams of black smoke swirled around her, activating her first trait.
Trait: Ebony Veil
Allows the user to generate dense black smoke at will, spreading rapidly to cover the surrounding area. The smoke is not merely visual; it is toxic on prolonged contact, irritating airways and causing dizziness or disorientation. The user can also partially manipulate the smoke to obscure movements, making it difficult for opponents to track her or her attacks.
Liora anticipated this. Instinctively, she enveloped her head in a blue bubble that sealed off the air, blocking the smoke's toxic particles. Emerging from the black haze unharmed, she grabbed Emily's hands firmly.
Without a pause, she launched a front kick directly into Emily's torso, forcing her to spit and leaving her breathless.
Maintaining momentum, Liora followed with a powerful right punch encased in a red sphere, slamming Emily against the wall. Before she could recover, two more punches landed, each stronger than the last, pinning her against the rock and completely neutralizing her mobility.
Emily collapsed to the ground. Her bracelet flared red.
Liora inhaled deeply, planting her hands on her knees to catch her breath, sweat dripping onto the floor.
She approached Kaelis with determination and forced her bracelet to glow red.
Then she raised her gaze to the direction where she had sent the egg. With decisive force, she clenched her teeth and sprinted toward it, retrieving the object swiftly before continuing her path.