(MC POV)
"Rules are simple!" Elaria called out dramatically. "Both teams start at both ends of the arena! There's a flag in the centre of the arena that each team has to work in capturing! If you're hit by a snowball, you need to return to your team's start point before you can continue playing! If you get hit while carrying the flag, the flag drops at where you got hit! The first team to capture the flag three times wins! Only snowballs are allowed to be used to attack! Teleportation is also not allowed!"
Err… I remember suggesting a simple snowball fight though, so how did it turn out like this?
The fact that Mother had also said the winning team will receive a secret prize from her didn't help either, everyone else became quite fired up because of it.
I could almost see the intimidating aura the girls were exuding while they stared at each other.
My disciples on the other team did express their worry about shooting snowballs at me, but I assured them that it was fine to do so. A simple pout and a question of, "Do you not want me to have fun with my dear disciples?" was enough to get them to throw away their reservations about it.
Our team had one less person than the other team but since half of their team aren't Practitioners, it should be quite a fair game.
The five of us were currently at our home base which was the ruins of a building with a partially torn down roof. The game would start in another few minutes where I would fire off a red orb of light into the air to signify the game starting.
Within this time, both teams were allowed to strategize on how we were planning to play the game.
Also, Cai Hong had chosen to wear the military outfit I had seen her wearing before. She was so cute in it so I had to spend a good minute patting her first.
"Alrighty! Let's get dis' plan again!" Eris grinned at us. "I will be the carry for the flag, Cai Hong will be our mid-laner to hold them back, Master will go off lane to harass and assassinate them, Kiyomi will roam and support wherever you can and Brendan shall be our hard support to back me up!"
Not sure where Eris got this plan and names from but it seems solid enough so let's roll with it.
When it was time to start, I fired the ball into the sky and all of us moved out from our base.
I expected us to just run to our positions at a leisurely pace but apparently I was the only one who thought that way.
Eris and Cai Hong immediately rushed towards the centre of the arena like a gale, their speed blasting out a shockwave from where they had been.
Kiyomi had also rushed towards the right of the arena using her ice Technique to propel her, the normally composed girl being quite fired up about it.
Even Brendan was sprinting after Eris with several potions clutched in one hand, his snowball launcher ready to fire in his other hand at any time.
Guys? This is supposed to be a casual game right?
Oh well… I guess I'll just take it easy then.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, the centre of the arena where the flag should be exploded in snow.
Curious, I leapt on top of a ruin to get a better look at what was going on there.
Oh…
Looks like the other team decided to send Lian Li to get the flag. Now she's fighting against Eris and Cai Hong, both sides holding each other back from getting to the flag.
Eris pointed her launcher and fired first, the snowball shooting out of the barrel towards Lian Li.
Lian Li leapt up into the air, avoiding the ball by letting it pass underneath her.
Cai Hong had taken the opportunity to fire at her while she was in the air, the loli dragon somehow managing to look both adorable and menacing at the same time.
My golden haired disciple simply kicked the wall of the building nearest to her, changing her trajectory and firing off a snowball of her own.
Eris used her snowball launcher as a bat and swung it at the projectile, deflecting it to the side and using the momentum to swing the launcher back under her arm to fire another ball at her.
Lian Li shot her own launcher at the same time, their two snowballs meeting in the centre and exploding in a white cloud that obscured the zone.
All three girls jumped out of the mist and continued firing at each other, leaping up on the roofs and behind walls at high speeds you'd think they were actually having a death battle instead of a snowball fight.
I was considering going in to help but my senses suddenly screamed at me about an approaching danger.
I leaned back quickly, just in time to avoid a snowball that would have hit me on the side.
Shifting my gaze to where the ball came from, I saw Odriana perched on top of a roof with her snowball launcher at their home base, looking disappointed that she had missed.
What is she, a sniper now?
Sensing another danger, I leaned to the other side and another snowball just missed me too, this time coming from Elaria who was stationed on another roof near her sister.
I leapt down from the roof just as another snowball was shot towards me, missing my head by mere inches.
Well, guess the rooftops were covered by them, perhaps it might be a better idea for me to sneak towards their base and take those two out.
My team should be able to hold the front line for now since Brendan is also moving there to back them up. If I am correct, Kiyomi should be holding her sister back as well.
That means I have a clear shot of sneaking to their base.
Just as I thought to move in that direction, Diao Chan appeared from the corner with her launcher pointed at me.
I barely ducked underneath the snowball she shot at me, the ball exploding into white mist on the wall behind me.
"Ehehehe~ I'm going to get punished~ Please punish this bad girl good, Master~" Diao Chan giggled while wiggling her body rather provocatively.
Right…
I lifted my snowball launcher and fired a ball at her, Diao Chan moaning out loud in pleasure when the ball hit her, she didn't even bother to dodge it.
"Iyaaa~ So rough, Master! But you can do me harder, you know?"
I made a shooing motion with my hand, "Go on, you need to go back to your base to respawn."
"Teehee~ Could I ask that Master use the ropes tonight? I want to be tied up~"
I loaded more snow into the launcher and fired more snowballs at her until she left, giggling all the way.
I was about to continue forward when the sound of something exploding came from where the flag was. The explosion did not sound like snowballs were used.
Concerned, I jumped up on top of a roof, careful to keep myself hidden from their snipers.
Lian Li had summoned a Lightning wall to defend herself against Eris and Cai Hong's shots while Eris was using her own martial Techniques to counter the snowballs thrown at her.
Even Cai Hong was lobbing several Techniques around and blasting up snow all over the place.
The battle between the three really made it look like a legitimate warzone.
Just a short distance away from them was Manami and Kiyomi, locked in their own battle of fire and ice.
Kiyomi seems to have taken advantage of the fact that the rules allowed snowballs to be used as attacks and since ice was her forte, there's a snowstorm going on over there right now…
Manami had countered her sister's attack by summoning a firestorm around her, melting all the snow and ice her sister tried to fire at her.
Err… Guys? This is just supposed to be a casual snowball fight you know?