Nally quickly glanced at the clock on her right before refocusing her attention on the exam papers spread out in front of her. Forty minutes had already gone by, yet there was no second whistle. This was fine, as it gave her more time to write, but also not fine, as it meant more chaos.
Directly behind her, Jonah and Hitto exchanged blows – with foes who came at them from all sides. Hitto used his nimble body and ferocious techniques to get the upper hand, while Jonah provided a textbook example of swordsmanship. Together, they skillfully subdued their opponents.
“That’s the last of mine!” Hitto shouted while delivering a fierce punch to an armoured fighter. The impact was enough to crack their chest plate and send them flying. “How are things on your end, Nally?”
“I just finished your test,” she hollered. “Keep up with the plan until I'm done Jonah’s.”
“Sounds good!” said Jonah while thrusting his sword towards his enemy. They were locked in a tight interchange with blades clashing quickly. Then, Jonah got the upper hand with a flick of his wrist, catching the palm of his opponent with his sword as their blade flew out of their hand. An ‘eep’ escaped from the masked perpetrator, who fled the area clutching their wound.
Just as they finished the first batch, more began to approach. Hitto let out a little chuckle at the sight. So, they all don’t have pencils? He thought. And they think the best way to fix that problem is to attack us when we’ve dominated thus far? He cracked his knuckles and prepared –
Suddenly, a lightning bolt flashed from the second terrace, catching everyone’s attention. The impact was fierce enough to shake the whole hall. “What the hell was that?” Hitto questioned. He wanted to take a look but was rudely interrupted by a swinging blade.
Most had recovered from the frightening scene, and the battle resumed. He and Jonah watched each other’s back as they faced the new arrivals. There were five in total who circled around them, sending projectiles at them periodically to change things up.
Jonah parried away the latest pellet and finally broke the status quo by charging towards one of them. Instantly, two others that were close by pinched his location and locked him into a three-man encirclement. Unfazed, Jonah shouted. “Release!” Green energy flickered around him for a second before dissipating. Then, he yelled again. “Hitto, move - Wind Incantation 3!”
The former logger's eyes widened for a moment. It was the same move the rapier user had used against him in Vika. A green circle with incomprehensible letters hummed above them before releasing hurling gusts of wind. The three foes were struck alongside Jonah, who gritted his teeth. “Attack them, now!”
Hitto only gave a nod before instantly moving in against the other two. In quick succession, he delivered rapid punches to them both, knocking them out. Then, he turned his attention back to Jonah. Surprisingly, he was still standing while the other three lay defeated.
“Great job,” the crimson-eyed boy smiled. “I honestly wasn’t expecting that from you.”
“T-thanks,” Jonah winced while staggering about. “But I don’t thin - ”
He collapsed to the ground. Hitto quickly ran over and checked his pulse through his wrist. Jonah’s eyes then trembled open. “D-Don’t worry. I just did a bit too much. I shouldn’t have taken that incantation head-on.” Hitto hoisted him onto his back and carried him over towards Nally. He then slumped him on a chair nearby.
“Be more careful with him!” Nally insisted. “And I’m almost done with his tests, so we are almost there.”
“Great,” Hitto sighed. “This plan of yours was too much. I hadn’t fought like that in a long time.”
“You didn’t enjoy it?” she chuckled.
Hitto shook his head with a smirk while looking in the direction where the lightning had struck. He saw Rurah slumped onto the ground, with the rapier wielder engaged in a one-versus-two with some figures dressed in black. "Those guys!" he exclaimed.
“Who?”
“You saw that lightning earlier?” he asked. “I think it was the big guy I fought earlier who did it. He’s completely knocked out down there, or maybe even dead.”
“And why is that our problem?” she frowned. “We need to focus on moving on to the next round.”
“He still owes me a new axe,” Hitto grinned. “So, I’m not going to let him die here.”
Ned quickly parried away another one of Crystal's kunai before dodging another swing from the masked guild member. He was now taking heavy breaths, unsure about what to do. Whenever he thought he finally had Crystal in his grasp, the guild member intervened.
How can I separate them? He thought.
“TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY,” Crystal shouted – at the masked person. “Fuck you know how much I - ”
She was taken off her feet and slammed into the ground by something that came hurtling down like a meteor. Dust clouded the air as the ground shook from the impact. Ned's mouth simply gaped open at the sight.
“Geez,” he heard a person say as the dust subsided. A black figure emerged into view. It was that same unhinged-looking boy he had seen at Vika—the one with the red eyes. He dusted off his hands with a smile. “I didn’t expect it to be a girl.”
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“Behind you!” the boy responded.
Ned dodged the masked guild member's attack just in time. This punch was fiercer than the previous ones, and he found it hard to stay on his feet as the person prepared for another swing. Then, the crimson-eyed boy came charging in like a bull. He grabbed the stray arm of the assassin, who quickly broke free from his grip using their spare arm.
They then executed a series of backward somersaults before landing on a chair, using it as a springboard to propel themselves forward. They used the momentum to throttle themselves towards Hitto, catching him off and delivering a punch to his chin. Instantly, the boy's body slumped, and he collapsed onto the ground as the masked person proceeded to pummel his face in further. The ground shook with each excessive blow as blood splattered everywhere.
Ned, on the other hand, was frozen in place. The force behind every strike and the fighting style of the masked individual had undergone a complete transformation. It was as if they weren’t the same person. Had they been holding back? If so, what was with the sudden change?
…
Crystal.
He ran towards the girl who lay in a heap of rubble. Her uniform was torn, and her face was stained by blood and streaking tears. He quickly hoisted her up and placed his rapier by her neck. “I don’t want to do this,” he grimaced. “But you leave me no choice if you don’t go now.”
The masked guild member abruptly halted their pummeling. Flicking blood off their gloves, they approached Ned, lifting their arms slowly into the air. Despite this, Ned remained cautious. The person still had the same agile movement technique they used to encircle Rurah and him earlier. There was a chance they could use it again.
“Stay right there!” he commanded.
Then the boy who was knocked out suddenly appeared behind the masked foe. He had a stretched-out leg that connected to their neck, sending the person flying into a lower row. Instantly, Ned released his grip on Crystal and let out a quivering sigh. He felt his legs buckle as he staggered onto his knees.
The battered-faced boy approached him with a stumble in his step. He collapsed in front of Ned, lifting up his injured head slightly. “You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah,” the rapier wielder responded. “Sorry, but what's your name? My name is Ned – or wait, are you okay?”
“Hitto!” the boy grinned. “I think I already told you that, though!” His eyes then shut as his head slumped to the ground.
Ned quickly collected himself and steadied his breathing. He then took a stand once more, hoisting his rapier in every direction. Just as he had thought, the masked person was back. They used the flickering technique to appear behind him, which he predicted, sending a quick elbow toward their stomach.
Unfortunately, the blow missed as the person had flickered away again. Ned's eyes drifted rapidly around the area again. Each time, he was expecting to see the masked person but only saw trembling examinee takers instead. Then, he looked towards the ground – Crystal was gone.
Shit, he cussed. They got me.
He sank into a chair, holding his tears back as he faced the ground: his test, his best friend, and even the people who did all this. Everything was gone.
“You okay?” he heard someone question from behind. His head cocked upwards toward the row behind him, where a beautiful girl with long blonde locks stood. She tilted her head slightly with concern before crouching down in front of him. “Are you alright?”
“No,” he sighed. “Both my friend and I had our test papers stolen and ripped. We are going to fail this year's Warrior's Examination.”
"Really?" the girl smiled. She rummaged through her knapsack, pulling out two papers which she handed to him.
Ned quickly scanned through them. They were exam papers. “What?” he asked. “What am I supposed to do with these?”
“Write your test!” she laughed. “Didn’t you hear the administrator's three rules?”
His eyes widened. "You're right. He never said we couldn't take another's exam and claim it as our own. I Feel bad for doing this, but we have no other choice."
“Exactly!” she cheered. “Nice to meet you! My name is Nally Stenner!”
“Ned Sommer,” he replied. “And likewise.”
She then jumped down to his row and crept over towards Hitto. A sigh escaped her mouth as she heaved the boy into her arms with some effort. Ned quickly went over to help as they slumped the battered boy into a chair.
“Do you know him?” the rapier wielder asked.
“Yeah, he’s my companion,” she responded, looking to the left. “And for some reason, my other companion is hiding!”
Ned quickly peered over into the row behind them. Crouched on the ground was a person he was very familiar with – Jonah Harp. He shook his head at the sight and let out a sigh. Then, reluctantly, he spoke to him. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Mazza?"
“I’m here for the exam,” the swordsman responded.
“Sure,” Ned frowned. “You already know I want nothing to do with you, so get lost.”
“Woah!” Nally intervened. “Let’s focus on getting our knocked-out buddies patched up here before you guys start kissing!”
“What????”
After some effort, Nally smiled triumphantly at her handiwork. Rurah was a five-star opponent when it came to administering aid. His large body meant it was very difficult to get the bandages around him while carrying him to the chair was a three-person initiative. Nevertheless, they succeeded, he was breathing, and Ned completed the tests.
"Give yourselves a pat on the back, girls!" she exclaimed. "We just killed that! Rurah and Hitto will live to see another day!"
“Maybe saved that would be the better terminology,” Ned laughed.
“You sound like me,” she smiled.
“Is that a compliment?”
During the whole process of caring for Rurah and Hitto, Jonah remained on the fringes of the conversation, only speaking when it was to be of use. Now, he stood still, twiddling his thumbs and awkwardly mumbling each time he thought it was a good time to join in on the conversation.
"Are you okay?" Nally questioned, catching him off guard. "Why aren't you talking?"
“It’s nothing!” he chuckled awkwardly. “Anything else I can help with?”
“Thanks for everything,” Ned frowned. “But I want you to go now.”
“Why?” Nally asked. “I thought you two would’ve solved your problem by now.”
“I-It’s not a problem we can solve easily,” Jonah stammered. “Nally, you should watch after Hitto and make sure he recovers. I’ll be taking my leave now. Good luck on your next exam.”
His head drooped, and he started walking away. Nally felt an urge to call out to him but decided not to. The last thing she wanted was for him and Ned to engage in an actual fight. This seemed like the best course of action for the time being.
“Could you explain to me the problem?” she asked.
Ned let out a heavy sigh. “Sure.”
Dr. Scale watched on in disappointment. The first terrace had turned into a complete bloodbath, and it was all because of Damon Crowe. Now, he stood ominously in the first row with Sir Malcom’s neck in his grip. His body swayed from side to side, and blood periodically spurted from his mouth as he struggled for air. The poor knight was all but dead. Damon then released his grip, and the body fell.
"Just great," Dr. Scale sighed. While all the actions were technically permissible, the real issue now was having to justify them to the deceased people's families. The number of lawsuits the Association was going to face this year… was staggering.
Then suddenly, an invigilator phased into view. "G-Guild Master!" he stammered. "I have a report!"
“What is it?” the doctor enquired.
“Everyone is dead.”
“What?”
“Sorry,” the invigilator began again. “Everyone on the left side of the third terrace. Numbering over fifty, including the invigilators stationed there, are dead.”
“You’re lying,” Dr. Scale shook.
“It is true, my lord,” confirmed the shaking man. “All except for one who we believe to be the perpetrator—a single masked person.”
