Only a few people in the camp chose not to participate in the contest. Mostly, people who did not regularly fight and were more focused on other things. Even then, there were still some from that group who joined in on the contest. As Natasha explained the rules of each contest, the crowd was filled with excitement. People in the crowd ranged from serious expressions to pure excitement. Everyone seemed to prepare themselves for the contest in different ways.
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Austin did not get the chance to see the race start. Each member of the group was placed in a different part of the forest, and Austin was placed around the center of the race. While the order did not matter for the most part, the group decided that it would be best for Austin to be at the center in case anything went wrong.
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Austin opened his senses while he waited for the contestants to arrive at his point. He figured that he should try his best to track their Essence. Despite this, he still grew bored with his position. As he grew more and more bored, he folded his arms and tapped his foot. He knew that his position was needed, but it was so boring.
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As Austin waited, he took in Aether. He had gotten to a point where he mostly only took in Aether when he was meditating. He would take the Aether in and instantly purify it to match his own Essence. He had started to forget that he could take in small doses of Aether while doing other tasks and purify it later. While it was not much, it still gave Austin something to do and work towards as he waited.
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Contestants started to break through the dense forest into Austin’s view. He was not shocked to see that Gavin and Maya were at the front of the group. After he saw Maya’s technique, he realized how talented Maya was at enhancing her body. While he did not get the chance to see Gavin’s technique, the way people talked made him feel the same about him.
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Even with Gavin and Maya leading the group, the other contestants were not far behind. Each person trained extensively for the contest, and it was obvious from how close the race was. One after another, contestants ran past Austin’s checkpoint. There was barely a gap as the contestants ran past him, and he realized that the results would be incredibly close, no matter what. He could not even be sure if Gavin or Maya would win.
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As the last person past Austin, he stayed in position. Austin was to stay in position until Mike relieved him. Mike was at the first checkpoint, and each person would relieve the next checkpoint. They figured that would be the best way to handle the situation. Not only did it keep a checkpoint up, but it kept someone at the group’s back at all times.
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Austin hoped that the other challenges would not be as boring for him. He knew that the race being boring was overall a good thing because it meant there were no problems. He just could not stand the constant waiting around. While he could draw in Aether, that was not exactly exciting. Not to mention, he could not enter a deep meditation because he had to keep himself aware.
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Just as Austin was about to hit his breaking point, he saw Mike through the trees. Mike lightly jogged at an even pace. Austin could not blame him for his pace, but he felt somewhat annoyed as he grew impatient. Mike soon noticed Austin and waved as he got closer.
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“You are hereby relieved,” Mike smiled as he reached Austin.
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“Thank god,” Austin sighed. “I don’t know how much longer I could take.”
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“Agreed, our jobs are pretty boring for this one,” Mike nodded. “But that is better than if something happened.”
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“I know you’re right, but it’s still a pain,” Austin laughed.
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“If you think this is a pain, you should have seen guard duty in the army,” Mike laughed. “Hours upon hours of nothing.”
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“But same deal as here, nothing was always better than something,” Austin said.
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“Yep, exactly, be grateful for the nothing,” Mike said. “Well, I’m gonna head back to camp. You should probably get after Jess. I’m sure she is just as impatient as you.”
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“Probably more so,” Austin said. “Have you met her?”
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“True, true,” Mike chuckled before he started to jog away.
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As Mike left, Austin let out a sigh of relief. Finally, he could leave his spot. He took a deep breath in as he channeled his Essence throughout his body. He felt energy spark to life inside of him, then immediately ran off in a dash to his next checkpoint. Now that he could move, he was going to enjoy it.
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Mike may have taken the slow and steady approach to Austin, but Austin would take the more fun approach. Essence shot through Austin’s legs and sent him flying forward. As he flew forward, he gained more altitude and grabbed a sturdy branch. Austin used the momentum of his flight to swing with his arms and throw himself forward. Wind rushed around his body as he flew through the air. He continued this routine as he moved towards Jess, a broad smile on his face as he did. He had very few chances to experience the freedom and excitement of Essence, and he would enjoy every second of it.
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Austin’s running and swinging made him move through the forest at a much faster pace than Mike. Jess soon came into Austin’s vision. As he grew closer to her, he made a dramatic swing from a branch to land directly in front of her. Once Austin landed, he extended his arms to the side as if he were displaying himself. He then placed an arm on his chest and bowed like an actor putting on a show.
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“You done?” Jess rolled her eyes. “Is this what took you so long? You were busy playing on your way here?”
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“Rude, if anyone is to blame, it’s Mike. He just strolled through the forest on his way to me. At least,I was moving fast,” Austin said.
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“If you didn’t take too much time swinging around like a monkey,” Jess sighed.
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“You should give it a try. It doesn’t hurt to have a little fun sometimes,” Austin suggested.
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“I’ll think about it, but for now I’m going to go relieve Beth,” Jess said coldly.
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“Have fun, I’m heading back to camp,” Austin waved before he turned in the direction of the camp.
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Luckily, Austin did not have to go through the path that they decided for the race and could take shortcuts. It did not take long for him to arrive back at the camp. Most of the contestants were already gathered at the camp when he arrived. The delay of being relieved from his checkpoint gave plenty of time for the race to finish before he returned.
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Austin joined Mike and Natasha at the center of the camp. The four weapons were each stabbed into the ground in front of them for the whole camp to see. Since the race was over, the winner was obviously already chosen, but the presentation of the weapon would wait until everyone was gathered.
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Austin looked over the camp to try to get an indication of the victor. He figured that someone’s expression would give it away, at least the winner’s would. He first looked at Maya and saw that she was straight-faced. If there was anyone who would not hide their excitement, it would be her. So, he instantly knew that she did not win. He then looked at Gavin and saw he, too, was straight-faced. Austin could not determine if that was just his face or if he lost the race.
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“Who won?” Austin whispered to Mike.
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“Be a little patient,” Mike smirked.
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“That’s not fair. You get to know,” Austin sighed.
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“Beth and Jess will be here soon. Now shush,” Mike said.
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Mike was right, it did not take much longer for Beth and Jess to arrive. They quickly joined the group in the center and stood still. Natasha now stood in the center of the group. The group all stood straight with their hands behind their backs. Natasha then took a small step forward and lightly brushed her hand against the ends of the various weapons.
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“First, I would like to say good job to all the participants in this race. You all tried your hardest, and your efforts showed,” Natasha announced to the group. “These weapons are prized possessions and will greatly help your advancement as warriors. Because of this, a weapon should go to someone who shows great promise. So despite your efforts, there are winners, and there are losers. Let’s go ahead and start with the winner. Katie, please come up here and join me.”
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Katie was a scout under Jess’s leadership. She had the traditional triangle warrior markings on her face and two band markings around her arm. She was a very petite woman with long, straight black hair. Her pale skin contrasted heavily with the darkness of her hair. A broad smile adorned her face as she walked up to Natasha.
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“Katie is our winner of the race,” Natasha paused for a moment as the crowd clapped. “As the first winner of the contest, she gets first pick of a weapon.”
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Katie bowed slightly to Natasha in appreciation and glanced over the weapons. She did not take long to pick a weapon, and shockingly, she pulled the most ordinary-looking weapon out of the group. The weapon was the short sword. A weapon that looked shockingly simple compared to the other weapons. It lacked any special adornment with its simple blade and basic leather handle. Katie held the weapon for a moment before she lowered it to her side.
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“Congratulations again, Katie! You did a very good job!” Natasha said as Katie walked back into the crowd. The crowd once more applauded her as she walked back. “Moving on, sadly, we must eliminate the bottom two. This is especially sad due to the fact that every participant tried their hardest. Sean and Kris, I’m sorry to say that you will be eliminated.”
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The crowd grew silent and looked at the two expectantly. Sean shrugged his shoulders at the revelation. Kris was another scout woman. She only had one band around her arm. She wore her brown hair in a bun and was of average build and height. At the revelation of her elimination, her face turned into a deep frown as she hit her leg in frustration. Other scouts began to comfort her by rubbing her back and talking to her.
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“Thank you all for your participation and hard work. Get some rest. We will start the next game in an hour,” Natasha finished her announcement.
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The crowd separated into various groups. Natasha also allowed Austin to go spend time with his family before the next game. He looked through the crowd to find Maya. When he approached her, she had Elliot in her arms and was talking to Ava.
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“Not fair!” Elliot complained. “Big cheater!”
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“No one cheated,” Austin said as he ran his hand through Elliot’s hair in a comforting gesture.
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“I really thought I had it, but Katie came out of nowhere in the end,” Maya said. “I think she was conserving her Essence for a big burst at the end.”
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“I’m sorry. I really thought it would be you or Gavin,” Austin said.
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“It’s fine, just goes to show I have more to learn. Besides, there are still other games. I’m going to win something!” Maya said enthusiastically
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“I think you have a pretty good chance. At least, from what I can tell from everyone’s Essence,” Ava commented. “Besides, you gotta win for us moms. Show everyone how badass a mom can be.”
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“Hell yeah, I’ll show them all. They think just because we are moms that we can’t be badass, but we are the real badasses,” Maya smirked.
