Aganta Feier, a pyromancer from The Red Sky Covenant (RSC.) RSC is famous for their powerful agents and established presence in Luxembourg. After all, they turned the entire country into one unpenetrable flaming fortress. Seeing my first opponent in academy entrance matches being a member is exciting.
It is rare for RSC to send one of their children outside their schools. Yet it isn't something unseen. They sent some children outside to secure their existence and get financial aid from UDC. Fairtrade in my eyes. But I have a problem with my hand. Almost every child of theirs has one or two screws loose in the head. I theorize the reason for that is inside the nature of pyromancy and how their explosive and dangerous powers tend to show up at young age. And by a young age, I mean close to their birth. The stress of birth causes most pyromancers to kill their parents with a sudden burst of firey explosion in childbirth. That's the tragic reason why RSC has enough people to fill an entire country.
When you put thousands of infants with a similar background with a desire to burn down everything, and you give them teachers who teach them how to do what they desire efficiently, they turn into maniacs! Straight-up psychopaths. Even professionals in UDC divisions, people prefer not to team up with pyromancers. Pyromancers are equally dangerous in fields of battle to their allies as they are to enemies.
But, I came prepared. Remember, I grew up in a UDC facility. I heard enough stories of pyromancers burning entire swarms of Crimsons and their comrades. I have a light exosuit with a heat-resistant outer layer. But word light shouldn't make you think armor itself is weak. Since I don't need batteries to power my weapons (I create the energy, why should I need one?) I managed to open space for extras and put every random shit I found to it.
I put a small short-range mortar to fire smoke canisters and decoy drones and combined it with the heat tracking camera on my helmet. Coming to the weapons, I have many different choices. I have two barrels on each hand loaded with taser ammunition and a hidden taser stick on my back.
I heard a sizzle coming from communication systems for several seconds then a woman began talking. "Participants, please move inside the test area." I guess the time has come, dressing time
Good thing I built an inner transmitter to suit. I can connect it to the computer planted in my brain, and this little feature allows me to control it up to a hundred meters radius. Of course, with no batteries, I need to pray to God for it to work more than two minutes, but enough to create a distraction in times of need.
I knocked twice on the suit's back, and a couple of plates opened with a "hiss" sound. "I must adjust this." I looked at the small opening on the back. It is enough for me to fit through, but not so comfortably. "Here we go." I grabbed the suit from its shoulders and jumped in.
And after getting into the exosuit, I grabbed its helmet and put it on. This piece of technology has my blood, sweat, and many blueprints I stole from the UDC database. Now, time to act like a door-to-door salesman. This baby has a built-in screen and several cameras and sensors simultaneously working to provide me with the best view. On the outside, it has a one-sided bullet and heat-proof glass, which in one command allows me to use it like a nontech helmet if anything happens to the cameras providing me with vision.
"Here we go," I gassed myself a little. "And open the main screen." My pulse rate, the option of changing current sight to night vision or thermal vision, and the hostile identification system connected to UDC's database show me information about crimsons or criminals it sees. Everything showed up in front of me.
I heard the same sizzling again, and right after it, the announcer's voice echoed inside the room. "Dear participants, it is the last call. Move inside the Test arena immediately."
"UDC has money to spend on useless experimental weapons, but not enough to buy proper broadcast systems to their facilities." I began moving towards the entrance. "Well, I am not complaining. More money thrown into military projects equals more zeros on my annual budget check."
I reached a gate where a woman was waiting with a weird gadget in her hands. "Before the test begins, please wear this gadget, so we can monitor your vital status and prevent possible major injuries or death." She gave me a smile like she didn't tell me something seriously fucked up.
I grabbed the gadget from her hand. It was a thin and small square box with straps connected to its two sides. "Where should I wear that," I asked the woman. "Better chipped than death, am I right?"
"Around your neck." She pointed towards my neck.
I pulled out the helmet and wore the gadget around my neck. "Is it working?" I asked.
The woman looked at a tablet she was holding and nodded five seconds after. "Data transfer is stable and clear. You can move inside now."
The gate in front of me slowly opened. Ah, the famous test arenas and their hydraulic doors with ages-long opening times! Except for the spectator room (which has highly durable bulletproof glass,) the whole place is made out of special metal alloy plates, which are very durable and used in some of the big toys of UDC.
On the surface, this place looks simple enough, with an observation room and an open space, but I wonder how many military-grade sensors and high-tech equipment are behind it. They don't only look at who won and who lost. That would cause them to miss many young potentials.
"Participant two, please move middle of the test chamber, and make a quick ceremony before the test." One of the judges warned me.
I obeyed the order and moved to the designated place. My opponent was already standing on her designated point.
And the second I put my foot on the designated plate, Feirer grabbed my hand and began shaking. "Good luck," She smiled. "You will need it."
"Good luck," I responded. "My best wishes to you too."
"We don't have too much time, so ten seconds to get away from each other, and we will start the test. God, there are at least twenty percent more applicants this year." A judge talked.
"You know the rules, try not to kill, it is okay to taunt, over swearing is just stupid and don't do that, don't cheat, and at least try not to kill each other." Another judge talked.
A bell ringed.
It means the timer began ticking.
Aganta created two streams of flames coming from her back and used them to raise herself to the air. I heard it is not an easy trick, which means she is strong. Good, I wouldn't enjoy it otherwise.
"A bug like you should be honored to get burned by an elite Feirer." Aganta began taunting. "I Aganta Fierer will give you the honor of tasting the flames of Red Sky. Now feel my flames."
I shoot two taser bullets toward her. Her tongue might be sharp, but bullets don't care about words.
She easily dodged the taser shots by dashing right. "All you got?" She clapped her hand and created a small fireball between her hands. "If we are playing from the range, you could at least try to force me a bit. Here, let me demonstrate how you do it."
The fireball grew larger as she talked, and now it is a size of a watermelon. "Try not to burn." She threw the burning projectile towards the ground, right next to me.
I jumped back and used my arms to block in front of me. I might avoid the main explosion, but the aftershock might still damage me. Yet it didn't explode. Instead, it created a cross shape on the ground. "Don't be that scared. I am only showing the smallest things I am capable of!" She snapped her fingers, and a pillar of cross-shaped flame raised from her attack's mark.
"Then let's get a bit serious then, shall we?" I began running towards her fast as a feline. The minute I close the distance, I will win.
Aganta created another fireball and threw it to the ground. This time fire spread like a line and cut the arena in two with flame pillars. I jumped through the pillars of flame. "Daring today, arent we?" Aganta mocked my attempt.
"You were the one who asked me to force you." I began to shoot smoke canisters around for cover. Now she is blind, and I can still spot her using thermal vision.
"Hiding like a coward is not trying harder! She shouted and began manipulating the cross-shaped pillar of flame like a whip. That is an incredible ability. Aganta masterfully moves the flames and covers large parts of the arena.
Thankfully, she chooses to attack around randomly over locating my position using her flight, then doing precise strikes. Still, if I don't finish this battle fast enough, she will hit me eventually, and I don't want to turn into grilled meat. While talking about ending this match, I am close enough to be seen. I think it is time to fire the decoy.
I aimed towards my right with the mortar on my back, fired the decoy drone over there, then increased my speed. The drone will shoot taser bullets at Aganta, and if I am lucky enough, she will make an attack requiring some focus. If everything goes as I planned, she will lose in thirty seconds.
Drone began shooting at Aganta, but she created a fire shield around her and didn't bother herself with something like changing her position in battle. "There you are! Do you think you could take me down with such a cheap trick? I feel like you are insulting me by doing that."
Heat signs over her body increased by an absurd amount. "Then let me punish you!" She clapped her hand, and a giant spear of flame raised under the decoy drone. Flames pierced through the poor decoy and turned it into a pond of molten metal.
I am sure I wouldn't want to get hit by something destructive like that, but with it, she gave me an opening. I jumped out of the smoke cloud and dashed fastest as I could to close the distance. "Don't get too angry, will ya?" I grabbed Aganta's leg, then slammed her to the ground before she managed to fly higher.
"Fucking decoy!" She shouted as she lost her focus on her ability, and suddenly all the flames surrounding the test ground disappeared. I guess she wasn't that strong after all.
But Aganta is still in the game. It is not to be time to celebrate. She wrapped herself with fire with a quick hand movement and pushed me away. Now she can return to keep the enemy away with hazardous amounts of fire. If only she had the ability to control her temper, well, it could be said to most pyromancers.
Flames covering her body grew a little, and she shouted like a mad dog. "Now I am pissed off!" She dashed towards me and tried to punch my face, but I dodged her punch and grabbed her from the waist to slam her.
"Not today," I mocked her. "Accepting defeat now?"
She laughed. "Oh, you fell for that." Suddenly flames around her began increasing their temperature. Oh, such a lowly trick.
"We will see who fell to the trap." I strengthened my grip. Outer layers can hold for at least ten more seconds before I get barbequed, enough time for me to direct power to outer plates and zap her out.
"What do you... Ahh!" With a sudden strike of (controlled amount of) electricity, Aganta's flames faded, and she dropped unconscious. I cathed her and gently placed her on the ground. Hopefully, I didn't cause any long-term health problems, but I might be wishing too good for someone who just tried to burn me into crisp.
"Test match is over. Aganta Feirer lost, but she will have another chance to prove herself after she recovers. Coming to you, mister Leonardo, your performance in this match will positively affect your final score."
I bowed toward the jury and left the arena.
