"Alright, Anna, Lada, let's go." Viktor said, opening the door.
"Sure." Anna followed Viktor, with Lada close behind her.
"This way." Viktor whispered once they had exited the classroom, quietly walking forwards towards the nobles' storehouse.
15 minutes later
Just as they were nearing the storehouse, though, they heard somebody walking towards them.
"Shit!" Viktor whispered, dashing to a side corridor, and pressing himself against the wall, Anna and Lada following suit. The footsteps became closer and closer, and soon after, they saw a noble student walking past the corridor they were in.
Upon reaching the corridor, the student intently looked around at it, their eyes lingering on their hiding spot for an agonizingly long while… before, with a sigh, they turned back to the main hallway and kept walking, Viktor, Anna and Lada breathing a collective sigh of relief.
"That was a close call." Viktor whispered once they had left.
"Shush." Anna said, the three starting to stealthily creep towards the nobles' storehouse again. Soon after, Viktor found a classroom they could hide in, and the three quietly slipped in and closed the door, observing the nobles from the windows.
"I guess we can start taking notes now?" Anna said, pulling out her notebook from her backpack.
"Of course! What are you waiting for?" Viktor said, prompting Anna to furiously start jotting down notes.
2 hours later.
"How about we take shifts?" Anna suggested.
"Sure, I'll go first!" Lada cheerfully said. "Goodnight!"
"Alright, I'll go second." Anna said, handing Lada her notebook.
"I'll go third." Viktor said, lying down.
5:00 AM, Day 10
The first rays of dawn peeked over the horizon, prompting Viktor to drag the others awake.
"Wake up. It's time to go." Viktor said, nudging the two, who had curled up into a ball during the course of the night.
"Hm? Al-right~" Lada said with a yawn, getting up and rousing Anna awake.
"Anna, it's time to go." Viktor said, opening the door.
"Okay." Anna shook her head, taking a look outside the window and getting her notebook back from Viktor.
"Alright, back we go." Anna said. With that, the trio then began slowly walking back to their classroom.
15 minutes later
Finally, a long while later, the group knocked on the door of their classroom once more.
"You got anything?" Sonya said, rubbing her eyes.
"Yes. I personally think we did quite well, in fact." Anna said, handing Sonya the notebook.
"Oh, cut the fancy talk. Do we have enough information to attack?"
"Yes. We are ready to do so tonight." Viktor interjected. "So, for today, how about combat practice? We do have enough food, after all."
"Alright, you want to spar with me?" Sonya said, putting her axe to the side.
"Fine…" Viktor said, also placing his staff on the side.
"Let me decrease the number of safety hazards please." Anna said, starting to move the chairs out of the way.
5 minutes later
"Alright, ready." Anna said, standing to the side.
"I'm going to enjoy this." Rosalind said, finding a chair, crossing her arms and sitting down.
"Let the fight begin then, I guess… Are you sure this is a good idea?" Anna said, prompting a collective chorus of "Yes" from everybody else.
"Fine, then…" And at that, Viktor and Sonya started sparring.
Viktor immediately tried to gain a tempo advantage, blindly punching forwards and forcing Sonya back, every punch he sent out pushing her back a step. Punch after punch, he advanced forwards, eventually forcing her into a corner, before winding up another, final strike. Sonya, though, blocked his final strike with a grunt, and then counterattacked a punch of her own, forcing Viktor to hastily walk backwards, avoiding the punch but completely losing his balance.
Sonya now started attacking; at the cost of taking a hit, she had regained the initiative, and she began kicking and punching at Viktor. Her first kick aimed low, trying to make him lose his balance; Viktor was forced to jump up just as she began her second blow, a punch aimed towards his stomach. Viktor, flying in midair, had no choice but to block, the blow sending him flying into the classroom wall.
Sonya jumped forwards, pressing her advantage, and Viktor was only barely able to dodge the punches she sent out. He was pressed against a wall and had nowhere to run. A strange idea came to him just at that moment. He flipped off the wall, and despite taking a solid punch to the shoulder, he bowled Sonya over and pinned her down, winning the fight.
"So this means I have won, right?" Viktor said, getting back up.
"Amazing!" Rosalind said like an overexcited spectator, nodding towards Viktor. "Yeah, I think you've won."
"This was not a good idea, Viktor." Istina said, helping Sonya up. "See, now both of you have some pretty severe bruises."
"Oh, fine. Anyways, what now?" Viktor said, picking up his staff. "We still have a few hours to burn."
"Oh, how about I spar with you, Anna?" Rosalind said, standing up. "It'll be fun!"
"When are you going to learn?" Anna grumbled, getting up.
"Sure." Sonya said, sitting down in a chair. Now it was their turn to be the spectators.
"As for you, Viktor, I will beat you and your tricks next time."
"I have more than just those few tricks, you know?"
8:00 PM, Day 10
After a day of sparring and exercises, the group finally managed to wait until nightfall.
"So, let's review. They have three frontal guards, who change shifts every 4 hours. They then have approximately 15 more students inside. This will be a dangerous fight, and I suggest stealth." Anna read off her notebook.
"Oh, screw stealth. What's the issue with just charging in?" Sonya said, pointing to her axe.
"I agree. Brute force, though inefficient, would also be the plan with the least chance of failure." Viktor said, knowing that simplicity was the key to good plans.
"We're playing with our lives here. I still suggest stealth." Anna said. "How about we vote?"
"Sure. Those in favor of stealth, raise your hand." Viktor said, Anna and Lada raising their hands.
"Those in favor of brute force, raise your hands." Viktor said, raising his hand alongside Sonya and Rosalind.
"Fine. Let's go, then." Anna said, picking up a knife and walking out, Viktor and Sonya close behind.
15 minutes later
"Alright. Three… two… one… go!" Viktor burst out of the shadows, bashing the head of one of the defending students. Viktor wasted no time, though, and a second later the student to his left too had his head bashed in, the student to the right getting beheaded by an axe – but not before she let out a sharp scream.
"Damnit!" Viktor said, tensing up. The main force of the nobles, roused by the scream would be arriving soon.
The same time, inside the storehouse
Natalya got up with a jolt and looked around, seeing many other nobles do the same.
"Natalya, was that Tatyana screaming?" A boy asked, walking up to her.
"Pavel, tell everybody to enter combat status. We are under attack."
"Yes, Natalya." The boy ran off, shouting about the impending attack.
The same time, storehouse gates.
"I don't think I can ram this door open." Viktor said, his staff only leaving a dent in the door even after a full-force strike.
"Just let me do it." Sonya sliced the lock open with her axe, the double doors flying open.
"Your staff isn't that good of a weapon sometimes, Viktor."
"Sure."
"When we go in, do not show mercy, even if these are your kin."
"Have I ever?" Viktor walked in, seeing a phalanx of nobles spread out before him.
"Viktor, you traitor. You sacrifice us, your fellow nobles, for some filthy commoners?" A boy said, walking up to Viktor.
"Pavel, shut up. Last chance, Viktor." A white-haired bear girl walked up.
"Rosa. It appears that my appearance has not changed the plot much."
"I still need to fight them, though."
"Interesting that you, in your unparalleled arrogance, still believe that you hold the advantage." Viktor said, swinging his staff at the boy in front of him and sending him flying into the already loose noble formation.
"Attack!" Viktor charged forwards, ready for battle. Behind him, he could dimly register the sounds of combat in the confined storehouse room. But it didn't matter. Adrenaline filled his mind, and a haze of red descended…
Viktor swung his staff like a hammer, sweeping over three unlucky nobles, and kicked out with his right foot, taking down another. The noble phalanx was already starting to crumble.
He jabbed his staff at a noble trying to stab him with a knife, before returning to a combat stance, just in time to block a knife that came flying out of nowhere. Obviously, a desperation move; indeed, he soon saw a noble student running away from the chaos, weaponless.
He advanced further, a noble trying to punch him, but failing as an axe chopped off his right arm, the noble collapsing in pain.
"About time." Viktor said with a nod to Sonya.
"I'm enjoying this!" Sonya yelled, returning to the battle. "Ura!"
Viktor shook his head and continued fighting. Two noble students ran towards him; he swept his staff around and with a crunch their spinal cords were snapped, the two students losing their mobility, if not their lives, instantly. Viktor advanced, treading on the blood of those who had fallen under Sonya's axe; the dead students' blood was everywhere on the storehouse floor.
He had just advanced to the next door when he saw Sonya flying straight towards him, and he braced for impact, but was still almost blow over.
"Ugh… Gah…" Sonya collapsed on the ground, blood coming out of a cut on her shoulder.
"So, Natalya, you finally show yourself. I thought you would just hide behind your people like a coward." Viktor said towards Natalya, who was using Sonya's axe to try and fend off Rosalind and Anna's combined attacks. "Anna, Rosalind, leave the fight to me." Viktor said, rushing forwards.
"Traitor." And with that, the two clashed, Natalya's axe flying towards Viktor's head; Viktor raised his staff to block, and the clang of metal filled the room, the axe leaving a deep gouge in Viktor's staff.
"You betrayed the commoners, so I betrayed the nobles." Viktor swung his staff at Natalya, splintering the handle of her axe as she tried to block.
"Viktor, you betrayed those you had known for years!" Natalya said, striking at Viktor in a single, final strike. Viktor held his staff up to block, and the two weapons collided once more, the axe flying out of Natalya's hands, but Viktor's staff likewise also flying out of his hands.
Despite this unexpected change, though, Natalya didn't miss a beat, drawing a knife and advancing again and stabbing at Viktor, trying to force him to jump backwards. Contrary to her expectations, though, Viktor did not even flinch, and instead of dodging, caught her hand. The blade of the knife left a deep gouge in his flesh as it passed by, but he held on, wrestling for control of the knife.
Suddenly, Natalya put in a burst of power and tried to wrench the knife out of his hands, but this was exactly the moment he had been waiting for. He jumped up and kicked her stomach, sending her stumbling back, the knife falling out of her hands.
Now, he was on the attack. He continuously pummeled Natalya with a series of punches, uncaring about his cut hand. He was landing some solid hits, and Natalya, realizing that she was going to lose this fight, desperately dove for the knife on the ground, Viktor kicking towards her head… just as she threw it at his shoulder, the knife impaling solidly in his shoulder a split second after his shoe connected with her head.
Natalya collapsed, unconscious, but Viktor also had been severely injured. His right palm had a deep cut right through the center, and Natalya's knife was impaled in his shoulder. As the adrenaline wore off, the pain started to rise, threatening to overwhelm him.
"So we did it?" Sonya said, picking up her now broken axe.
"Yes, but I don't think I'll be able to stay conscious for much longer…" Viktor said, falling to one knee. Natalya's a good fighter. Let her join your group, alright?"
"Alright, Viktor." Sonya said, walking over and holding his hand as he slipped into unconsciousness.
"Hold on, Viktor. Hold on…"