Liz Castor, daughter of Apollo, wielder of divine archery, golden-eyed warrior of doom, and current queen of stubbornness, was fending off ten opponents at once.
Kael rubbed his eyes as if he was trying to see better.
He mumbled, "Oh darn, that’s a lot of people," rubbing his chin. "For love, you know, I feel I have to help."
Cyrus, perched nearby, gave him a long, unimpressed look.
Kael took that as a You think?—but it was more like, You are so lame.
Without hesitation, he melted into the shadows, slipping behind Liz as she took down another opponent with a well-placed shot.
Now, he could have done the smart thing—stealthily taken out a few enemies without drawing attention.
But where was the fun in that?
Instead, he slowly came up behind her from the shadows, like a ghost in the middle of her fight, and whispered next to her ear.
"Hey there, Sunshine, did you miss me?"
Liz turned, drew an arrow, and aimed it straight at his face in an instant. Kael hadn’t expected her reflexes to be that fast.
Kael grinned. "Whoa, wait, wait. I know I have a very punchable face, but I’d like to keep it intact."
Her eyes flicked from him to the enemies surrounding her—annoyance, frustration... slight relief.
Then, her expression hardened. "Kael, what do you want?"
"I am here to help you, my dearest ball of sunshine. Please don’t shoot me."
"I don’t need your help."
"Sure about that?" he asked, turning his head to dodge an arrow meant for him, just as one of the attackers rushed toward her.
Liz sidestepped easily, avoiding the strike, then slammed her bow into his gut, sending him flying.
"Positive," she huffed.
Kael watched her movements—the way she flowed between opponents like she was dancing through the chaos. Every step was precise. Sharp. Trained.
She was holding her own.
But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to annoy her.
"Listen, Sunshine, I love the whole independent warrior aesthetic you’ve got going on," he said, sidestepping an arrow that zipped past him, "but there are ten of them. You’re good, but you’re not a god yet."
Liz scoffed. "Give me ten minutes."
The enemy students were getting frustrated.
One of them, a big muscular guy wielding a spear, glared at them. "You two, stop flirting right now and fight properly!"
Kael melted into the shadows, appeared behind the guy, and bonked him on the head.
"Shut up. You’re embarrassing my beloved Liz."
Kael reappeared beside her, back to back. "So, where were we?"
Liz gritted her teeth. "I will end you."
"Noooo, I’m too young and handsome to die!"
Liz shot him a disgusted look. "You are annoying."
The entire colosseum of spectators watching the battle royale burst into laughter.
Even some of the students attacking Liz looked unsure now.
The guy with the spear groaned, rubbing his face. "You’re embarrassing us in front of the families."
Kael reappeared behind him again and bonked him once more. "Just go to sleep already."
Liz shot Kael a glare that screamed Leave. Now.
Kael smirked. "Fine, fine, I get the hint. I’ll let you have your dramatic solo moment."
And just like that, he dissolved into the shadows.
See, normal people would leave.
Liz was doing great. Really good.
But that didn’t mean he couldn’t have fun with it. It’s just not in his character.
He hid in the shadows, waiting for the perfect timing.
And then, every time one of her attackers turned their back—BAM.
Kael popped up, bonked them on the head with the blunt end of his dagger, and vanished before they could react.
One guy yelped and turned around wildly, swinging his weapon at nothing.
Another tripped over himself, looking around in pure panic after Kael pulled his pants down.
A girl with an axe actually screamed, spinning in circles like she was being haunted.
Liz, bless her soul, tried to ignore it.
She was still taking them down with her arrows, dodging strikes, and delivering precision headshots, but she knew what he was doing.
"KAEL!" she finally snapped, eyes flashing.
He popped out of the shadows next to her, giving his most innocent look.
"Yes, dearest Liz?" He clasped his hands together. "Did you call for me, princess?" Then he reappeared behind the enemy.
Her eye twitched. "STOP HAUNTING MY PREY!"
Kael paused mid-bonk. "Aw, but it’s fun!" he protested.
Then, with a sigh, he muttered, "Fine, this is the last one."
One of the students immediately dropped their weapon and ran.
"SEE?" He gestured. "Look! They’re eliminating themselves. This is tactical strategy, Liz. Brain over brawn."
She let out a deep breath, clearly rethinking all her life choices. "If I let you stay, will you at least fight properly?"
Kael grinned. "Oh, Sunshine. I thought you’d never ask."
The fight was over in minutes.
With Liz’s arrows and Kael’s perfectly-timed bonks, they cleared out the attackers like it was nothing.
As they stood over the fallen students, Liz turned to him, her expression unreadable.
"...Fine," she said. "You’re useful."
Kael gasped, clutching his chest. "Are—are you saying I’ve won your approval? Is this what victory feels like?" He flashed a grin. "So... when are we getting married?"
Liz rolled her eyes. "You are annoying."
Kael shrugged. "I know."
Liz crossed her arms. "How many points do you have?"
Kael checked. "60 points."
"I don’t know. I woke up like that."
She gave him a suspicious look. "You cheater."
Kael gasped while clutching his chest. "I would never cheat on you."
"I meant the points."
"Oh... well, that’s my little secret."
Liz sighed. "Whatever. Let’s move."
Kael hesitated. "I’m scared. Can we hold hands?"
She pointed an arrow at him.
Kael held up his hands in surrender. "I’m good. I’ll hold my own hands."
"Does this count as a date?"
"Damn it, you’re no fun."
Liz, frustrated, sighed. "Let’s just keep moving."