The Azra-El Series Ch. 18.2

Knowing Blaze's dilemma, Afriel walked up to him.

"Big Bro," she whispered, surprising him. Though most of his classmates who called him that rarely used it out of respect, none of the Malakim in his class ever called him that. "I need you to know that you can trust me. I will try my best."

Her words brought him clarity. He nodded and gave her a weak smile before she went back to her pole.

A 90mph fastball came at him with an accuracy that did not befit its speed. But, smacking fastball booty was what he craved. It made the best sound on contact.

Thunk, the ball sailed towards his aunts and Elyssa. Rebecca and Ely jumped into the air simultaneously, but Becky had a longer reach, and she caught it before Ely's hand could reach it.

"SLAM!" Ria declared and the on-field umpire gave her a dirty look. "That was a great shot, but I doubt the wisdom of it. This puts Afriel back on strike."

244/8 -- 18 Rounds. 21 required from 2 rounds.

"GO BLAZE! And the pink-haired ina too!" Rebecca yelled as she passed the ball to the nearest fielder.

Class 1A's dugout was silent.

As Afriel stood at the mound, her face was an epitome of calmness, but one glance at her shivering legs could tell how nervous she was. However, Blaze found hope in it. Her nervousness meant that she cared.

True to her word, Afriel tried her best. She faced each pitch with grit, searching for an opportunity to get him back on strike. On the seventh pitch she finally managed to find a gap.

Blaze hit two ground slams in the last three pitches.

"Raving Carnikes! I did not expect the Fury's strike rate to get better as the game went on. It should be the other way around! Will 1A win this game? Will Blaze Er Lokra score her first 150?

"I have no idea who is going to win, now. The game can go in any direction. But, what a show of batting it has been. Elegance and technique from Theodora, and power and sensibility from Blaze. It has been a thrilling contest."

Unbeknownst to Blaze, his teammates were in an anxious wreck of excitement.

"Fluffy Pegasi Whiskers! I think they might do it. Do you think they can do it? Are we going to win?" Kida hopped on her feet.

"Shut up and sit down! You're making me dizzy," Rachel scolded her, half-heartedly. Everyone in the dugout was as jittery as her.

253/8 -- 19 Rounds. 12 runs required to win in 1 round.

Blaze walked up to Afriel, placed a hand on the back of her neck and pulled her towards him to touch their foreheads. She was almost as tall as him. "Just get the freaking single, you punk. You can do it. You got us this far. I will call you Big Sis for the rest of the week if you do it," he told her, staring right into her eyes.

"I will," she told him firmly and he let her go.

A blonde-haired pitcher who had been relatively economical in her previous rounds stepped up to pitch as Afriel walked up to the pitching pole.

"This is the decisive moment, folks. Will Afriel manage to hand over the strike to Blaze, or will the blondie get her out?"

Afriel took a deep breath and focused on the pitcher as she stepped up and readied herself. The pitcher wound up and threw a speedy curveball with a shrill grunt.

Afriel did one better than she promised Blaze. She smacked the ball and pierced it between the fielders with enough pace on it to reach the boundary. The fielder chasing after it could've cut it off if she tried her best, but she chose to let it go.

"Ground slam."

"Oh My! I did not see that coming. It was a smart decision by that player to let the ball reach the boundary. They don't want Blaze on strike."

257/8. 8 runs required from 9 pitches.

The entire fielding team surrounded Afriel inside the infield. They knew she didn't have the timing or skill to make big hits. She could only hit along the ground or pop it up and get caught.

Afriel tried to play it safe like she was supposed to, but no matter what she did, she couldn't find a gap. Six pitches went by in a jiffy.

8 runs needed from 3 pitches.

Blaze had nothing to say to Afriel. She was a great pitcher and she knew exactly what to expect from the pitchers. It was her knowledge of pitching and her grit that let her survive this far. So, he simply smiled at her and stood ready to run at the slightest chance.

Afriel seemed to come to some decision as she stepped up to the batting mound. Her bat was steady as she faced the pitcher readying herself. The blondie wound up and threw. Afriel's grip on the bat changed the moment the ball was released. The pitch was a crisp sinker that visibly dropped in the air, right before it reached the batter. Afriel held her bat like a putting club and scooped the ball into the air.

A gasp went through the crowd, expecting the ball to be caught. Instead, it defied expectations by teasingly floating over the left shortstop's head before landing safely, a few feet behind her.

Blaze and Afriel completed their single.

258/8, 7 required from 2 pitches.

Ria let out a squeak of excitement that was heard by the entire stadium. "7 runs to win in two pitches. Two ground slams or a Slam. How will Blaze do it? Or, will 2E manage to finally trip her up? How is this game so exciting?"

Blaze was also 6 short of his 150, but he didn't realize it. He had only been paying attention to the main score.

Nervousness beset him for the first time that game. He stood facing the pitching pole as the pitcher, the captain, and the MFs huddled together to discuss their strategy. Unconsciously, he bit his lower lip.

"OI BRAT!" a voice pierced through the noisy stadium. "This auntie needs a Hela-damned 150!"

Rebecca's voice washed away his anxiety like magic.

He was the one who was supposed to terrorize naïve little angels, not the other way around. His smug, devilish grin returned without him even putting an effort into it.

"That seems to be the Blazing Fury's aunt. They share the same red hair, too! Her words seem to have brought back the devilish grin. I think I know what to expect, folks!"

Fourth and final rule of Berserking: Smack them into the ground (out of the ground if it's a Flyball)

As the pitcher stepped up, Blaze took a deep breath, steadied his mind, and put up his bat; his gaze was affixed on the pitcher's eyes. Blondie wound up and threw. He noticed the seam position as soon as the ball was released. It was an out-swinging slider -- a risky move as he was good against sliders, but it could've worked if he was caught by surprise.

It didn't catch him by surprise.

He stepped into the path of the ball and scooped it up with impeccable timing. A wind from the east kept it afloat for an uncomfortably long moment. Two fielders stood by the ropes, hoping the ball would reach their hands. If they could fly, they would've caught it. That's why flying flyball was so different from the one played on the ground.

"It's going, going, and GONE!"

"SLAM!" the umpire announced when the ball fell to the ground.

"That's a SLAM! Class 1A wins! The Blazing Fury has scored a tremendous 150 to lead her team to victory. What a match, folks! The twists and turns had my tits tittering in tension. Ivka, I am so glad I decided to watch and commentate this game..." Ria's voice kept rambling.

Blaze watched the ball before turning to his dugout. A body slammed into him and her arms and legs wrapped around him in a joyful hug as her bat skittered away on the pitch.

Within moments, Blaze was bowled over by ten excited young angels. Blaze spread his wings and hugged them all. Aahna had come back during the final over, with a cast around her toe. She was carried on to the pitch by the others.

Flyball Final (Year 1-3 Bracket)

Class 2E vs Class 1A

Scores: 264/8 vs 266/8

Class 1A Scorecard

1. Blaze - 152

2. Kida - 52

3. Bi - 21

4. Aahna -- 4 (Retired Out)

5. Minerva - 0

6. Ditti -- 4

7. Rachel (Captain) - 15

8. Kritti - 0

9. Nina - 2

10. Afriel -11

Extras -- 5

Result: Class 1A wins the final and the tournament

The students of Class 1A met up with their families only for a little while before they went back to their dorm to celebrate their victory. Jie Er and Rebecca returned back to their inn while Elyssa joined Blaze. On Blaze's insistence, the duo secretly went out to town, bought some mead, and sneaked it back onto campus.

After a delicious dinner, Blaze waited until the matron had enough of the students' noise and chose to retire to bed early. That's when he brought out the alcohol.

Climbing onto his throne-couch, he spoke to the entire dorm. "Alright, punks. We WON the tournament!"

A loud cheer went through the hall.

"So, we need an appropriate celebration. We might not get a similar opportunity again. Our gracious Big Sister Elyss-

"I had nothing to do with this! You told me you wanted to buy some exotic juice. I should've known better."

"Your gracious Big Bro Blaze, has brought you some alcohol," he quickly changed his tune. "I've seen even the prudish Malakim's top brass drink at Riverbridge, so it shouldn't be a problem if you drink within a limit. Only two pints for each of you. Maybe another if I think you're still sober.

"If you don't want any part of this, you're free to leave, but no one outside this room needs to know. Snitches get stitches. Now, come get your due!" he said, bringing out four pitchers of mead.

However, once the young angels got a taste of the sweet mamgi mead, none of them were satisfied with a single drink. Thankfully, Blaze had more than four pitchers in his space ring. By the time the jars were empty, most had at least 3 drinks.

Soon, Rachel was asking Afriel whether she would be more likely to be friends with a Yaksha or a Pixie. Afriel's answers got lost in translation of her indecipherable drunken words.

The angels played games and chatted endlessly until one by one, they started falling asleep in the common room. Blaze realized that he would be in trouble the next morning, but he didn't care enough in that moment.

Elyssa proved to be quite weak with alcohol. It had only taken her three drinks to become a floundering drunk. Currently, she had her arms draped around his neck and leaning against him on the sofa. Their game of chaken had ended abruptly when Aahna fell asleep mid-game.

"Blaaazeyyy," Ely muttered drunkenly, "I might've ne'r said dis ta ya before, but you're my bestest friend!"

"To think you called me a kid when we first met," he said, wryly. "And, since when do you call me, Blazey?"

He was quite buzzed too, but he could at least handle a few drinks.

"Ay! yer still a kid. And, I like how Blazey sounds. Siof calls you Blazey, no? Why can't I?"

"I doubt you'll still be calling me that after you are sober."

"I'll call my bestie wudever I want," she said, pressing her cheek against his. "Am I your best friend too?"

Blaze laughed. He didn't expect Elyssa to be an emotional drunk, but he quite liked it. "Of course. Am I not always saying we're best friends?"

"More than Siofra or Astrid?"

"Obviously. Siofra's like a sister, and Astrid... well, it's complicated."

"Booo. You kissed Asti... you've ne'r kissed me before."

"What are you saying?"

A kiss on the cheek was a not an uncommon display among angels who were close.

"Nud like you did ta Asti at Sekat."

Blaze didn't know what to say to that. Though Elyssa knew about his member, she knew nothing of what he was doing with it. Nor did he think she knew what that kiss in Sekat truly meant.

"You're drunk, Ely. Let me take you back to your dorm."

"No! I dun wanna."

"You don't want to be here when the matron sees us in the morning, Ely."

"Dun care. We'll get into trouble together," she said, tightening her grip around his neck.

Blaze sighed and fell silent, enjoying the buzz and letting his mind adrift in a comfortable blankness.

"Ely," he spoke after a while. "How confident are you about winning the YAMAT?"

"I'm da best..." she slurred. "Da only two angels who could defeat be graduated last tourney."

"Confident, aren't ya?"

"Bery..."

"What about Brija?" he asked after a moment. "I remember she placed higher than you in the last YAMAT."

However, there was no more response from Elyssa. He glanced at her and found her fast asleep against his shoulder. Sighing, he lay his head against hers and drifted off into sleep.

***

The next morning, they all were woken up by a very unhappy matron. However, all his classmates were tight-lipped. Though the matron guessed what may have happened, she couldn't do much as all of them claimed that they had just fallen asleep in the dorm because they had a little too much 'fun'.

The matron let the other students go with a warning, but she made Blaze and Elyssa clean up the mess. So, it was noon by the time the duo managed to make their way to Jie Er and Rebecca's inn. By then, an alarming piece of news had spread throughout the town. Blaze and Elyssa noticed the tense atmosphere prevailing in the town even before they reached his aunts' room.

"A bulletin was issued this morning," Rebecca told them when they entered. "The demons attacked eleven important strongholds along the borders of Aranya, Xian, and Lanoan, yesterday. We have lost six of them, two in each of the three countries."

"How?!"

"We don't have the details yet, but needless to say, we were caught unprepared."

"What does this mean?"

"It means that we have to try and take back the strongholds before the demons have a chance to consolidate their positions. Luckily, if we act fast, we should be able to take them back. But, I don't understand why they did this, and why now?"

The strongholds were inside Heavenly Union territory, so the invading demons were still surrounded from three sides with very few supply routes.

"They must have a greater goal that we are not privy to, Rebecca. Unless, this whole thing is simply a prelude to the start of another continent-wide war."

"I guess so, Jie Er."

"What will happen to you, Aunt Becky?" Blaze asked Rebecca.

"I've already been called back. I will be reporting for duty tonight. Jie Er and I will be leaving after lunch. I am sorry, Blaze Er. I don't think I will be able to watch you at the tournament," she said unhappily, brushing his hair.

Blaze immediately noticed that her words did not have any reassurances. It meant that she'd be involved in the force that was going to take back the strongholds, even though she did not explicitly say it.

"Becky!" he said, wrapping his arms around her waist in an emotional hug.

The four angels had a quiet lunch at the inn before it was time for Jie Er and Rebecca's carriage.

Blaze pulled Rebecca aside before the two older angels got onto the carriage. "You better come back in one piece, you old coot," he said, choking up a little. He felt very afraid for her safety. Attacking defensive positions usually had a high number of casualties; even more if the attacking force were in a hurry.

"Don't worry, little one. Think of this as my training session. Since Jie Er is an arch now and you are getting stronger every day, I can't let you two leave me behind. I also can't leave you and Jie Er alone, can I? You'd be bawling your eyes out for days, and Jie Er would be heartbroken.

"Also, I haven't visited mum since our visit to Sekat. If I don't come back to say hi to her, she will not let me rest in peace in the afterlife," she laughed. She then tilted his head upwards and planted a kiss on his forehead. Recently, even Rebecca had been acting a little like a parent towards him.

Soon, Jie Er and Rebecca's carriage was off towards Varan.

"She will be alright, Blaze," Elyssa spoke solemnly as they watched it soar away. "The Black Thorn regiment are the special forces of Aranya. They are very strong. They may be in more danger than the regular infantry, but they usually survive more than them. This is what Aunt Becky has been training for."

"I hope so, Elyssa. She is my only family after Jie Er, and I don't know what I would do if I lost her."

"This is the world we live in, Blaze... You've gotta be strong for them. My mom is already at one of the strongholds. I just have to believe she will make it back as all the other times."

Elyssa had called General Lynn Sturm after hearing the news, earlier.

"Thanks, Ely. And when they do, let's show them our winning goblets."

Large golden goblets with their names printed on them were given to the winners of the tournament.

"Do you think they will still continue with the tournament? Seems like this is a big deal," he asked, as they made their way back to the dorm.

"They should, unless the demons make their way further inland. No reason for stopping an event that brings hope and excitement to so many angels in the HU."

"I guess... Will Duchess Marigold still be coming with us to D'Warka?"

"Most likely. But, she has other work over there, so she may not be able to spend much time with us. On the other hand, you will have a chance to meet Astrid's mom," she said, with a glint in her eye.

***

Tests took up most of the following week for the students of Class 1A. On top of the written exams, they had to participate in the year-end combat assessment test, which Blaze was exempt from as he was participating in the tournament. For the USMAT bracket, Tir was sending, Blaze, Priscilla, and another angel name Drisana-- a fifty-eight-year-old angel. The selections had been completed the week before the flyball final. Siofra was representing the pixies and not Tir.

Most of Aeigirdie (Wednesday), Blaze spent watching his classmates spar against other students of Year 1. Since the students in Year 1 were not expected to fly or even have wings, combat assessment was based on hand-to-hand techniques, various melee and ranged weapons, Pegasi riding, and one team fight against a team from a different class.

Blaze was impressed by his year-mates' techniques. They were on par with his own at the start of the year, and that was quite good, as he had some experience in martial arts from his previous life on Earth.

The Pegasi flying test was the easier one, as the class simply had to take their Pegasi and fly around the campus. It was graded on skill and how well the Pegasus reacted to their commands, and it was graded by Claudis.

Rachel, who always wanted to be a Pegasi knight, was the unchallenged first in his class. Her control over her Pegasus was almost telepathic. Blaze came second after he showed off his latest Pegasi flying skills on Badava. Just like Tonya had told him when they went flying into the clouds, Badava had let him ride her from that day onwards.

The group fight was a Capture the Flag match, held in randomly picked locations throughout the campus. Blaze went to watch Aahna's match as she was the best strategist in their class -- Of course, only after her Big Bro. Hehe.

As fate or the teachers deemed fit, Aahna faced off against Kaya Ammal, her worst nemesis. Aahna's team consisted of Afriel and eight other students from Blaze's class, none of whom were the best of warriors. Kaya's team seemed to mirror Aahna's in terms of combat strength.

Aahna's team started out on a grassy knoll and Kaya's team in the middle of a wood, separated by a small stream. Aahna's advantage was height and a defensible position, while Kaya's was the lack of visibility.

Blaze and the teachers watched the match from the air, witnessing a thrilling hour of pure strategy-oriented combat. Aahna sat on her hilltop and used her vantage point to dish out continuous instructions as her team spread out to launch an attack.