"I should have known that he would do something this sneaky and cheap," sneered Serena at once. "That man has always been like this."
Damien did not comment; he had more or less understood the kind of person Lexiel was from the moment; that man had mocked him while trying to emphasise that he was better than the rest.
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It wasn't a surprise that he did such a thing. Lexiel seemed like the guy who would lick his bread such that no one took it.
"Now, what are we supposed to do?" Dom asked with a tremor raking through his body.
Serena frowned and stated, "If it was someone else, then I would have fought fair and square. But Lexiel doesn't fight fair; he fights to win."
"If we face him head on, then I am afraid that we will be defeated without even getting a chance to retaliate."
"Then what do you suggest?" Damien asked, wanting to hear Serena's input.
"We will have to keep ourselves hidden," Serena told them. "Especially you," she tipped her chin at Damien, who pursed his lips in response. "We cannot defeat that man but what we can do is to drag this fight as long as possible. Though he had snatched a lot of bandanas, the rules clearly state that only when the hiders are completely defeated can the seekers become the winners."
"If we somehow manage to keep the bandana safe till then, the winning team will be ours."
"Except for a small problem," Dom remarked. "Lexiel's senses are way too sharp."
"Be prepared," he told the rest as he took out his own sword.
On the other side, at the small training ground, Lord Godric was sitting on a chair with the elders of the guild.
"Hmm, this man is really smart but it seems like he lacks courage," one of the elders frowned and commented while watching what was happening in the forest in a flying orb. "I mean, he is a beast warrior; how can he not face the challenges that are heading his way?"
Gina, on the other hand, turned to look at the man who had spoken. She smiled and stated, "You are wrong, Elder Dex. Just as Damien said, this is a tactical retreat. He knows that his strength is not on par with Lexiel, so why would he make the foolish mistake of fighting with him? Isn't that equivalent to losing?"
"She is right," another man spoke up while watching the scene in front of him. "They are a team of defenders and hiders; their main task is to keep that bandana safe and not have it snatched by the seekers. I think it's a good strategy; at least in case it works, they will be the winners."
"I believe that he is doing the right thing as well," chuckled another elder. "Have you forgotten when we had to play the same game? We ended up running into a superior-rank beastman. And you, being stubborn, charged at them. Not only did you lose the bandana, I remember you almost got your tooth knocked out."
Elder Dex glared at the man who brought up old matters and snorted, "Alright, alright. There is no need for you to say so many words; I understand."
Back then, the game that they played was not this tame. The guilds where they grew up only relied on one motto and that was The Strong Stands at the Top.
Thus, they were beaten, mutilated, and sometimes they were even sent to the infirmary for more than three weeks. Now, the situation was a bit better. At least Lord Godric didn't pursue strength and power blindly. If not, then this guild would be the same as the ones who were at the top of the list, but behind that glory, there was the blood of many beastmen who lost their battles because they were not strong enough to survive till the end.
Thus, they were plucked like useless weeds and destroyed. With only a few strong ones remaining, how could those guilds not rank first and second? The superior-rank beast men were being used to their bones as they were necessary for the rise of these guilds.
On the other side, Damien was waiting for Lexiel to lead his team to where he was hiding.