A single person beat Ash to the meeting room.

The shrewd light eyes of one of her new teammate ran up and down once in assessment.

The person, a teenager, stood from where he'd been leaning on a table. Ash was instantly aware of his towering and athletic stature. His mouth smiled, yet his eyes remained cold.

"Looks like we're the first ones here." His voice was surprisingly soothing. A hand was offered in greeting.

Ash knew the real intent. Suppressing her aura, she took the hand. For a moment, the two each tried to size up the other's strength, neither relenting.

"Daxon," the guy gave his name.

"Ash," came the response as both released the other.

The door opened.

Daxon's attention moved to it and Ash looked over her shoulder.

"Um." Skyler peered around the door. The moment she saw Ash, surprise crossed her face. "You're here too?"

Ash turned her body, nodding in the process.

Seeming to gain confidence from a familiar face, Skyler walked over.

Daxon eyeballed her while reaching out his hand once again. "Daxon," he repeated the introduction from before.

"Skyler," the girl responded somewhat more timidly as she took his hand. Her own looked delicate in the larger one, almost getting swallowed whole.

They were in the process of evaluating each other when the door swung again. Their next teammate stumbled in, his face flushed and eyes wide. Upon seeing Ash, he froze.

"Ah," escaped his mouth as Ash took in the familiar face. It was the boy who shot arrows of light. He took a step back only to bump into another figure.

A throat cleared.

As though stung, the bow and arrow kid jumped into the room, pressing himself against the wall.

The figure behind him stepped in, revealing the last member. A young man with a cleanly shaved head let his eyes sweep over the room with an aloofness before shutting the door firmly. A tattoo of a snake curled around his well-toned arms crept up his neck and ended on top of his head. The only reason Ash was able to see the gaping mouth of the poisonous beast was because the newcomer lacked in height what Daxon had.

"That makes five," Daxon spoke, smile still on his face. "So, this is the full team?" He brushed past Skyler and headed for the newest member, hand outstretched.

The gesture was ignored as the man walked by. He went for a chair nearby a table in the middle of the room. Barely even shooting the others a glance he sat down.

Daxon scratched his head. "Should we start by introducing ourselves?" he asked.

Skyler nodded. The boy with the bow stayed squashed against the wall as his eyes darted from Ash to the tattooed man. Ash simply crossed her arms, waiting for Daxon who seemed to have self-appointed himself as spokesman, to continue.

"That there is Skyler," he motioned to Skyler, shooting her a smile. "Ash," he added as the smile turned to the girl. "And I'm Daxon." He nodded to the seated contestant. "You are?"

The addressed figure didn't even blink to acknowledge the question.

With a shrug, Daxon turned to the boy by the wall, eyebrows raising.

Being acknowledged gave the boy some confidence. He straightened. "Adonis," the name came together with the breath he exhaled.

There was a grunt as for the first time the man seated seemed to defrost. His scornful gaze turned to Adonis. "A green runt," he spoke, voice gruff. The eyes turned to Skyler, "a timid mouse," the attention redirected to Ash. She met the gaze evenly. "A girl here to entertain."

Ash didn't bat an eyelash at the jab.

The man's lips curled as his gaze settled on Daxon. "And an overenthusiastic hormone filled giant."

Daxon's smile looked a whole lot more forced. "What title does that leave you?" he asked, voice somewhat frosty.

The two stared each other down.

"Overconfident," Ash pitched in.

Eyes flew to her. The air that radiated from the seated man was so cold it could have frozen the deepest ocean. The killing intent was no joke either.

Ash simply shot him a sweet smile.

Adonis looked like he wanted to disappear while Skyler twisted a strand of her hair.

For the first time, the tattooed man's eyes showed a spark of interest. "Tobias," he gave Ash his name.

The room crackled with tension.

"Well then." Daxon spread out his arms. "How about we spend some time getting to know each other and figuring out a game plan?"

Ash didn't let his friendly approach fool her for even a second. She saw the truth in the teen's eyes. No one was here to make friends.

"Before we get on with that." Tobias still was staring at Ash. "Shouldn't we figure out what everyone can contribute?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Ah." Daxon rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyone willing to share?"

More silence. Though they had to work as a team, revealing one's ace at this point was a rookie move.

"How about choice of weapon at least?" Skyler spoke softly. "That way we'll have an idea of short or long range to better decide placement." She showed surprisingly good insight.

Tobias leaned back, not looking like he was going to contribute. Daxon scratched his nose, pausing.

"Long range," Adonis stepped forward, taking the moment to get closer to the group. His goal seemed to be Skylar as he kept a wide distance from Ash. "Bow," he added. Even if he'd wanted to hide it, the boy was aware that Ash already knew and could easily spill the beans.

Marksman, Ash automatically assigned a position in her mind. We could use him for support or ambush. Her last encounter with the boy flashed through her mind, confirming that there wasn't much hope that could be placed in his one on one combat skills.

"Short," Skyler shared, she was, after all, the one who'd suggested it. "I work best in an area with plantation." She bit her lip. "War hammer," she added after a moment.

All eyes flew to her, disbelief or surprise written in all of them.

Ash was aware how deceiving looks were, but somehow the petit girl carrying around a giant hammer was difficult to imagine. She had no weapon for the qualification round, Ash noted as she instantly realized she needed to reassess the girl. Is it a crystal activated weapon? She was hesitant to believe it. Not only did those weapons take a massive amount of power to form but maintaining them really drained one's energy. Skyler didn't exactly look or behave like the strong type.

Though all attention stayed on the smaller girl, she offered no more. She fidgeted with her fingers.

Daxon's light laugh broke the silence. "Long or short. Scythe," he revealed as his arms crossed over his chest. "And since we're sharing best terrain," his lips twitched, "water is a plus."

Ash want the least bit surprised about the terrain information. To enter Dragon Bane, having a crystal alone wasn't enough. Higher crystal holders trained themselves to use the power to manipulate some force. It took great effort but, paired with impeccable fighting skills it set the elite apart from the folks who could merely send a few knives flying.

Daxon nodded to Adonis. "What terrain?" he asked for a clarification.

"Mountainous," came the reply.

Daxon rolled his eyes. "Obviously. Element?"

The other boy shifted uncomfortably.

Having faced him before, Ash could guess why. From what she'd seen, his arrows were a crystal activated weapon. Something told her he poured all his power into them. For a marksman, it made sense. But if he was ever caught off guard, he would easily be taken down.

"Hand to hand combat," Ash rescued the boy from giving an answer.

She ignored the relieved look Adonis sent her.

Ash chose a reply that would satisfy the question. While her answer was vague, hand to hand combat was a strength. "Terrain doesn't matter." That part was mostly true.

Tobias cocked his head, continuing to not blink as he gave a dry stare.

Daxon's eyebrows rose, but he probed no further as he turned to the seated member. "Anything to offer?"

"Short range," Tobias surprised them by surrendering information. "Fast entry and exit. Poison is a gift I give for free." He tapped the snakehead on his crown. "I let you live long enough to regret life immensely."

Assassin? Ash considered. Then again, with the exception of Adonis, she couldn't trust if any of the others were telling the truth or bluffing. With weapons, she would find out soon enough, but terrain and elements were another matter.

"So, it looks like we'd be at an advantage if we get a terrain with cover," Daxon spoke for the group. "It seems like Ash, Skylar and I would work better on full-on confrontation while Adonis and Tobis would support.

Adonis and Skylar nodded while Tobias grunted, seeming to find something amusing about the assumption.

"Then, shall we plan some scenarios for advantage and extreme disadvantage situations alike?" Daxon suggested.

Tobias leaned further back in the chair, rocking on its back two legs. "Scenario? I say every man for himself."

Ash turned her gaze to the person who looked like he wasn't going to be a team player.

"Weren't you listening earlier?" she asked in a flat tone.

"As long as we win, teamwork or no teamwork doesn't matter," Tobias shot back.

"But if we face a team where every single member is stronger than you, then what?" Daxon challenged.

Tobias showed his whites. "Doubt it."

His cocky attitude was taxing, and Ash honestly didn't care for it. The overconfident ones were usually the weaker, their attitude used to try intimidating others, but somehow she felt that Tobias wasn't all talk. However, if Tobias wasn't going to join the team, then she wouldn't waste her energy to convince him.

"If you want to carry the team and win this thing alone, be my guest," Ash told him calmly before turning to the others. "Should we get some practice together...see who compliments who before making a strategy?" she suggested.

Glances were exchanged. While her suggestion made sense, she also knew everyone's hesitation.

"I'm not jumping at it either," Ash told them. "I'm not trying to become buddies or make you reveal whatever card you have up your sleeves. But I want to pass this round. Getting eliminated isn't an option. So, either we co-operate and act like a team for a short time and then part ways, or we each do our own thing, get in each other's way and get eliminated." She paused, not paying any attention to Tobias. "You can either have six enemies and three allies or fight nine enemies. Take your pick."

Tobias' eyes narrowed as the girl purposely left a person out of the friend count and added him to the enemy one.

Adios' head bobbed rapidly in agreement. Skylar shifted, not protesting, and Daxon smiled.

"Nine enemies makes no difference." Tobias lazily stretched, rocking back on the chair once more.

Ash's cold eyes swept to him. She felt Callous stir, her scorn for this contestant seeming to make him curious.

"Do what you want. But the moment you get in the way, you'll be the first to go," the girl spoke the words flatly.

Ash felt the killing intent instantly.

To any naked eye, it looked like Tobias was sitting one moment and shimmered out of existence in the next. Before the chair legs even hit the ground, he was behind Ash. It was a speed impossible without the use of one's crystal.

"How...?" Skylar began while Adios' mouth hung open.

"Looks like we can activate our crystals in these rooms," Daxon spoke, his own face filled with surprise.

"You talk awfully big," Tobias breathed as he took some of Ash's silky hair in a hand. He breathed in, chest pressed into her back.

"I'm just using speech you can understand," Ash retorted calmly while Adios looked between the two, seeming mighty uncomfortable.

Daxon crossed his arms, seeming content in watching while Skylar looked ready to step in.

"Really, now?" Tobias whirled Ash around to face him. He was a head shorter, and thus she was left staring at that snakehead.

The young man's fingers crawled up her shoulder and toward her neck. "What makes you so sure you can stand on equal ground with me?" The fingers latched on her throat, curling around.

Ash remained calm, meeting his gaze. Callous was awake, waiting.

"Equal?" Ash asked. Her lip twitched, and she saw Tobias' mask of confidence slip for but a moment. She leaned forward, forcing Tobias' hand stronger against her windpipe.

Her long lashes blinked, as she stared down at the short figure. Ash was very much aware of Tobias' eyes focusing on her lips as she moved them.

"Red," she mouthed.

Tobias' confidence slipped further.

Perhaps the young man had moved faster for most to see, but he'd made a very big mistake in activating his crystal in haste. At the moment he'd charged, Ash had seen the faintest flash of color shimmer through his pocket.

Tobias flashed his teeth. "Scared?"

Ash knew why he'd ask. Red – not far from the top of crystals. In the hands of someone talented enough, they would be powerful enough to face several of the officials.

With this knowledge, Ash raised her hand and clamped it around the one which still had a hold on her throat. "Honestly?" She squeezed forcing the other to loosen his grip. "Impressive."

Tobias' grin widened.

"And yet disappointing."

The grin froze.

The other three watching looked perplexed by the turn in conversation they didn't fully understand.

Ash had no difficulty removing the hand from her that had lost its strength.

"Welcome to the big league," she told the young man, her eyes flashing purple for the briefest of moments.

Small fry, she could feel Callous smirk as he settled back down, interest waning.

Ash turned back to her teammates. "So, practice?" she suggested.

Skylar and Adios quickly agreed.

"Let's see if we can get a training room," Daxon suggested as he led the way to the door.

"Wait!" a voice made them pause.

Tobias turned to face them. "I've changed my mind. A team fight sounds a lot more fun than I thought." He walked toward them before brushing by Ash. "I hope you don't disappoint me," he said as he took the lead.

Ash watched the back of the short guy, a chuckle escaping her lips at his sudden change in attitude.

"Well then." Daxon's eyes lit up. "Let's find ourselves a winning strategy!"

The newly formed team walked together in the direction of the training wing.