56 The Last Team Member
Right away Rahz settle on a 4 member squad that could move in and out the zones of operation without much difficulty.
Rahz thought about it and decided to leave Blaire in the safe environment of the village as she was still level 9 and it would be more detrimental to the team if they had to protect her at all times. The team already had two members in him and Elune and he need it 1 scout for sure and he was not sure about the other class. The problem he was facing was that all his skills had and area of effect to them and immolation corroded everything around him whether it was friend or foe. Theoretically if he had a Range class like a ranger or a mage it would be the best but the majority of the classes the village specialized in were Close Combat classes.
Rahz put the problem of the last spot aside for a quick second and went to talk to Aya, as the scout leader she could provided information about possible candidates for his team.
"Well...Well..Well but if it isn't the new leader extraordinaire Rahz. I heard you got your ass whooped by Team Leopard before I pick you up. Don't look down on your fellow trainees too much just because you got a little bit of power, it just makes you look like a dumbass"
Rahz smiled at the scout leader and while moving his hands like he was brushing off what happened he said, " I was just trying to check the progress of my fellow warriors and see where I stand"
"To what do I owe the visit".
"I need a scout for my team and I didn't know if scout leader could point me in the right direction. I am looking for excellent reconnaissance skills and if he is great with the knife even better".
" For a counter-intelligence work like you are about to do, I can only recommend two people as the others are great at surveillance or fighting but not both. Well one is my protégé and recently promoted to Level 10 Arne which I think you are familiar with, his evolution task was to steal things from level 15's or above without being discovered and was awarded his evolution within a day. The other is a little older than you guys and is level 14 but he also meets your requirements".
Rahz heard that Arne had promoted and made up his mind to get him on his team since they had already worked together and the chemistry was pretty good. With the scout problem resolved, Rahz continue to think about the fourth member for his team but couldn't think of anybody besides Bhirl who was not at home.
There was nothing Elune could do to help Rahz just following him around so she returned home and continue the suggestion of the Witch Doctor to accelerate the hatching of her egg. The Witch Doctor wasn't an ancient soul for nothing, Elune's egg was the only one he recognized as it was a very coveted pet by the defiler community. It was the Egg of a Basilisks.
The Basilisk were consider the king of serpents and as such they had the strongest venom known to the realm capable of killing level 50 warriors if it manage to penetrate their skin. However, the most troublesome feature was the petrifying gaze that could turn living creatures to stone as long as their gazes met. The serpent could activated this ability at will as if it was a continuing spell there was no way for the basilisk to eat.
A mature basilisk was close to 100 ft in length and 5 ft in diameter, similar to a cobra it love to stand erect but instead of having two fangs it had two rows of teeth coated with poison. They were extremely territorial and protective of who they considered their kin.
Since they love a poisonous environment one of the best way to accelerate their hatching was through a poisonous bath and constant infusion of rune energy from the parent. Blaire took out the cauldron and with the help of the Witch Doctor and many of the spirit Herbs acquired in Willowdale she made the poisonous substance and then let the egg soak in while she supplied her Runic energy to the egg. This also serve as a great energy depletion exercise and help increased her energy to the next level. Elune was really close to level 11 and was extremely static that she was about to be one step closer to avenging her clan.
Rahz try asking his parents for a suggestion on the fourth member but he was left to his own devices as it was a learning experience for him and something he should try to do alone. This task not only tested Rahz ability to lead but also tested his ability to put a team together that worked in principle. Rahz needed to investigate and learn more about the other classes and the way they could synergized with the other members of the team.
Rahz decided to do maintenance on his weapon while meditating on a possible solution to his conundrum. After a couple of hours of meditating Rahz realized that he knew very little about the other warriors in the village, he barely knew what guardians could do and he knew even less about Beastlords. Thankfully it was not a problem at all as the village had a training system that included sparring and he could see the matches and see what could work.
When Rahz arrived to the training grounds once more everybody got excite it because they thought he was going to challenge a team once again but they were sadly disappointed as Rahz just sat on the ground and watched the fights.
Rahz quickly found out that the sample was too small and some already had a team so he approach the elder and propose a mini tournament with an elixir of constitution as a reward. Anybody up to Level 13 could participate but they need it to be un affiliated to another group.
The plan was a success and very quickly excitement ran across the village warriors that were able to sign on to take part on the event, some even thought of quitting their teams to compete but they quickly reconsidered as the Elders would reprimand them quite harshly.
The next morning there was excitement all around as the morning training was stopped and the arena was set up. Even Chief Cerdic enjoyed the idea and the whole leadership of the village was present to enjoy the matches. A total of 16 fighters were eligible to participate and there was a representative of every class.
Arne was not in the mini tournament as he had been approach by Rahz already and he had accepted the offer earning him his very own Constitution Elixir.
The prize was a hit with everyone in the village, and even a 30 year old came to join the tournament as there was no age cap just a level ceiling. All the matches were single elimination and skills were allowed but the contestant need it to use wooden weapons. The idea was to have a fun event without any casualties while still showcasing their battle prowess.
There were 10 warriors, 2 rogues, 2 Beastlords, and 2 Shamans. The other scout Aya had talked about was present and was one of the main candidates to the last member position. The initial fights were very quickly decided, there was a clear gap in the level of skill of the contestant and it wasn't a surprise that the higher level fighters shone throughout the first round of competition but the real revelation of the tournament were the two Beastlords that managed to defeat their opponent with an overwhelming advantage.
The Warder Pets of the Beastlords couldn't be more different, one had a Bear and the other one had one of the spiders from the caves to the north but their teamwork was exceptional. This two particular Warders were also in the minority for the whole village as the majority preferred the damage oriented cat family and used Frostsabers.
Aya's pick also made it through and his battle sense was amazing as well, it wasn't easy as a rogue to beat a guardian an he made look like child's play. Last but not least was the underdog, a shaman with an Ursine totemic incarnation that made him as tough as nails. He could kite the opponent exceptionally well and when they least expected switch to Ursine and attack with savage force.
It was not surprise to anybody when this 4 individuals made it all the way to the semifinal, and for this final bouts it turnout to be Shaman vs. Beastlord (Bear Warder) and Rogue vs Beastlord (Spider Warder) everybody was excited and the cheers didn't stop coming as the fighters gave it their all.