The Stonehearted Knight-Chapter 454: The first branch

"Everyone following from the several locations equipped with the banners, I hope you have a nice twelve hours before you. There will be no visuals but I will provide the commentary as we proceed. It will be just like you guys are with me, following everything with your own eyes."

The representative spoke with much enthusiasm. Only he knew where he got all the energy to do so.

Some of the elders even joked that the guy was so repulsive, no human joined him in the night to tire him out. Their jokes turned into discussions about which of the old men looked the most tired.

Only the representative and the High Elders followed the progress of the teams through the screen before them. The display of the teams wasn’t open to the general public. But a small group of people like them would still be able to keep an eye out.

...

Team: Alliance of the cursed ones/ 00:10 SS (since start)

Gronke galloped on the first branch. He had transformed himself into a giant boar. His twenty meters long body blurred through the path.

"I never thought I would ride a pig," Elron squealed, his laughter barely audible above the storming winds.

Hex ignored him. Though, he too had not imagined doing something like when he had proposed to take the farthest spot on the branch. Only when he asked his team mates to wait on him while he went to the designated spot, did Gronke protest.

The big man wasn’t willing to split. Not because of fear. Or laziness. His reasoning was simple. He would bite off Elron’s head if left alone with the irritating guy for too long. Truthfully, Hex wouldn’t mind. And yet they were now sitting on Gronke, rushing to the spot.

They reached their spot quickly. Hex could see the sea at the end.

"Quick. Elron, you are in charge of the shrubs at this end. Gronke, take a rest. I will check the endpoint." Hex delegated the tasks. For all his faults, Elron hadn’t protested against Hex taking the role of leader.

"You do know it would be easier to hurry to the second branch and ambush any team that did find a flag, right?"

Elron asked while diving through the shrubs. He was thorough.

"I know," Hex replied. He had considered it. And he suspected one or more teams would take that approach. If not on the second branch then perhaps higher up.

He, however, chose to do it this way. It was a good way to see the limit of his skill. And another reason was of course his promise to the owner to find the Divinity crystal he so longed for.

And if they didn’t find the flag, the option to fight against someone who did have one at a higher branch would still be viable, wouldn’t it? 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Found it!"

Surprisingly, it was Elron who managed to find a flag. Hex rushed over.

"Guess our luck wasn’t that bad. Good job, boss," Elron laughed as he waved with the green flag in his hand.

"That’s five points. We just need to not lose it." Gronke said with his usual calmness, while munching on some snacks. Who knew how many of those things he carried with him.

"This is indeed the best start we can have. Now, if we could find the treasure near it..."

Hex followed Elron to the brush he had found the flag in between. He inspected it but couldn’t find anything of worth. Gronke suggested uprooting the brush. With no other idea, Hex grabbed the strands of overgrown weed.

As soon as pulled the brush out, he sensed it. A large crystal lay wrapped in the roots of the plant.

"A Devil’s crystal?" Elron exclaimed. It was indeed a Devil’s crystal.

’To think such a treasure exists on the first branch. I look forward to the ones at the higher levels.’ Hex pocketed the crystal. The agreement was that they would keep every treasure with Hex. Once the round finished, they would divide based on contribution.

’Right now, Elron is in the lead.’

...

Team: Eye of the Sky/ 00:15 SS (since start)

"That...girl...had found the blue flag, dear." Starria appeared out of nowhere and reported to her husband. Sven stood with the red flag in his hand.

"Don’t let your jealousy get the better of you, love." Sven stroked her hair and said. Starria harrumped but soon started to purr in the hands of her lover.

"Those sand bastards have the yellow one," Serenade said, as she popped out of thin air.

She and Starria both excelled at ambushes and recon. Starria’s Space abilities allowed her to move undetected, whereas Serenade used her wind abilities to hear all that was said, even at distances greater than a thousand meters.

This was their job. To gather intel.

"What about the green flag?" Sven asked as he played with the red flag in his hand.

"No traces of it."

"That means either no one has found it yet. Or, it’s in the hands of either those beasts or that brat from the south."

Sven looked in the direction where he believed the green flag was in.

"Should we chase them?" Serenade was more than eager to battle. She smelled the bloodlust oozing from her hubby. And if her husband desired something, she would see to it that he got a taste of it.

"Not yet. We will lose time. There is another prey who is closer, isn’t there?"

...

Team: Heaven’s Army

’The red one is with Sven. Yellow one with the people from the sand. I have the blue one. That leaves the green one,’ Althea focused on the Strings of Fate near her.

’I can’t sense any strings showing a glow. And that is a tell on itself.’ Althea opened her eyes. A smile tugged at her lips. Despite everything occurring she was happy he found the green flag.

...

At the base

"From the looks of it every flag has been captured. And they are moving toward the second branch. So far the points are as follows:

Alliance of Cursed Ones: 5 points

Heaven’s Army: 4 points

Shifting Sands: 3 points

Eye of the Sky: 2 points

Tyrannical Trident: Unranked

Divine Servants: Unranked

Wrixian Heroes: Unranked

Touch of Life: Unranked