Chapter 100: Golden Quest
The villa’s main room was quiet when Holden walked in.
Team Soup was already there. Lyra sat on the couch. Emric stood by the window, arms behind his back. Renna was perched on the armrest, bouncing her leg.
They had heard. The entire academy had heard.
Holden stood and looked at each of them.
"The Royal Envoy challenged me to the National Academy Wars," he said. "A tournament in the Capital. If I win, the grudge is settled. If I lose, they strip my immunity and come after me legally."
He paused.
"I’m not asking any of you to fight this battle for me. This is my mess. You can walk away and nobody would blame you."
Emric pushed his glasses up his nose. "Based on our performance metrics during the Borderland Expedition, our team coordination rating exceeds eighty-seven percent. Between our personal fighting skills and your strategy, we’ve got about a seventy-two percent chance of taking down any of the regular teams at the academy."
He looked at Holden.
"Since our chances of winning are high enough, I think we should go for it."
Renna jumped off the armrest. "Are you kidding me?! You think we’d just let you go to the big city without us?! This is the NATIONAL tournament! Live television! Massive crowds! I’ve been waiting for something like this since I first picked up a bow! You’re stuck with us, Holden, whether you like it or not!"
She grabbed her bow from where it leaned against the wall and slung it over her shoulder with a grin.
Lyra stood up gracefully. "You saved my life. You saved my honor. You think I would let you face the Royal Family alone after everything they’ve done?"
Her voice was calm, but her eyes were fierce.
"Team Soup fights together," she said.
Holden looked at them.
"Okay," he said simply. "Then we prepare."
The door to the room opened.
Maeve walked in carrying a thick tablet and a worn leather book. She set both on the table and looked at the group with an expression that reminded Holden of a general addressing her troops.
"Everyone sit down," she said.
They sat.
Maeve tapped her tablet. A holographic map appeared above the table, showing a sprawling city layout. Towers, arenas, bridges, and massive structures glowed in blue light.
"This is the Capital City," Maeve said. "The National Arena is here, in the central district. Competitor housing is here. Training grounds are here."
She tapped another section of the map, and it zoomed in on a large stadium surrounded by smaller buildings.
"The tournament structure is bracket-based. Thirty-two academies, five fighters per team. Each round is a different format. Some are team battles. Some are one-on-one. Some are free-for-all chaos rounds."
She closed her leather book with a slap. It was her Ashen Bestiary, the same one she had used to analyze monsters during the expedition.
"I’ve already started researching the rival academies," she continued. "The Royal War College is the favorite to win. They have three Rank 2 fighters on their main team. The Ironclad Academy from the northern territories focuses on heavy defense. The Shadow Veil Institute uses assassination tactics."
She looked directly at Holden.
"You’re not walking into this blind. I’m going to give you everything they know about you, translated into what you need to know about them."
She pulled up a schedule on her tablet.
"Starting tomorrow, we have three weeks until the tournament. Training begins at six in the morning. Combat drills until noon. Tactical review until three. Team coordination exercises until dinner. After dinner, individual practice."
Renna raised her hand. "What about breaks?"
"No breaks."
"But—"
"No breaks."
Renna lowered her hand.
Maeve looked around the room. "This isn’t a game. The Royal Family wants Holden dead. If we lose, they’ll find a way to make it happen. So we don’t lose."
She tapped her tablet, and the holographic map dissolved.
"Any questions?"
Nobody spoke.
"Good. Six AM. Don’t be late."
She walked out of the room, leaving the team in stunned silence.
Renna leaned over to Emric. "When did your sister get scary?"
"She has always been scary," Emric said. "You simply failed to notice."
Night fell over the Prime Zone.
The villa was quiet. Henry’s squad had taken the first watch outside. Renna was already asleep, exhausted from the stress of the day. Emric was in his room, probably reviewing tactical data. Maeve had locked herself in her room with enough notes to fill a library.
Holden stepped out onto the villa’s second-floor balcony.
The academy spread out below him, lit by soft lamplight. The training grounds, the dormitories, the main hall where he had just humiliated a Royal Envoy. Beyond the walls, the city glowed on the horizon.
Footsteps behind him.
Lyra appeared, wrapped in a light jacket. She walked to the railing and stood beside him, looking out at the view.
"Couldn’t sleep?" she asked.
"Too much to think about."
"Me too."
They stood in comfortable silence for a moment. The stars were bright overhead, scattered across the sky like spilled diamonds.
Lyra leaned her shoulder against his. "You know, when I agreed to date you, I thought it would be simple. Study together. Eat meals together. Maybe hold hands during academy events."
She looked up at him with a small smile.
"I didn’t expect royal execution orders and national tournaments."
"Sorry," Holden said. "I come with baggage."
"Baggage is an understatement." She shifted closer, pressing her side against his arm. "Dating a slum-rat is a lot of work, you know."
"I’ll try to be less trouble."
"No, don’t." Her voice softened. "I like the trouble."
She turned to face him, leaning her back against the railing. The moonlight caught her features, making her look almost ethereal.
"I’m serious, Holden. I know you try to protect everyone by pushing them away. You did it before the engagement banquet. You tried to do it just now with the team."
Her hand found his. Her fingers were warm as they laced through his.
"But I’m not going anywhere. Whatever happens in the Capital, whatever the Royal Family throws at us, I’m standing next to you."
Holden looked down at their joined hands. Then he looked at her face. The playful teasing was gone, replaced by something deeper. Something real.
He let go of her hand and slid his arm around her waist, pulling her close. She came willingly, resting her head against his chest.
"I’m going to tear them down," he said quietly. "Anyone in that city who tries to hurt you. Anyone who looks at you wrong. I’ll break them."
Lyra’s arms wrapped around him, her hands pressing flat against his back.
"I know you will," she whispered.
They stood like that for a long time, holding each other under the stars. No jokes. No sarcasm. Just two people who had found something real in a world that tried hard to make everything fake.
Eventually, Lyra pulled back slightly and looked up at him.
"You should get some sleep. Six AM, remember?"
"Maeve’s going to be a dictator, isn’t she?"
"She learned from the best."
Holden smiled. He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers, breathing the same air for a moment.
"Goodnight," he said.
"Goodnight."
She squeezed his hand once more and then slipped back inside, leaving him alone on the balcony with the moon and the stars.
Holden stayed there for another minute, letting the cool air clear his head. Then he went back inside, climbed the stairs to his room, and closed the door.
Time to pack.
He pulled out his storage ring and started laying out gear. The Shadow-Weave boots. The black cloak and gold mask of Asura. Everything he would need for the Capital.
Then the System chimed.
A golden screen appeared in front of him.
[GLOBAL QUEST TRIGGERED]
[Quest Name: Conquer the National Capital]
[Description: You have drawn the eyes of the kingdom. The Royal Family seeks your destruction. Enter the National Academy Wars and crush all who stand against you.]
[Objectives:]
- [ ] Arrive at the Capital City
- [ ] Register for the National Academy Wars
- [ ] Defeat all rival academy teams
- [ ] Win the National Championship
[Rewards:]
- Legendary Loot Chest (Contains: ???)
- Party System Unlocked
[Note: The Party System allows you to share a fraction of your multiplier with selected allies. Requires maximum trust. Requires absolute loyalty.]
Holden stared at the golden text.
Party System. A way to share his power with his team. With Emric, Renna, Lyra. With Maeve.
He thought about them downstairs. The way they had refused to walk away. The way they had said Team Soup fights together.
The Star-Forged Swors hummed softly in his inventory, as if it could sense what was coming.
Holden smiled.
The slums were behind him. The academy was behind him.
It was time to conquer the world.