CHAPTER 47: TESTING FOR THE TRIAL

As we left the peculiar guild receptionist in search for testing ground 4 I got a chance to admire the decor within the building. In top of the series of paintings displaying adventures in all sorts of situations, the actual design of the building was stunning. The hall we were currently in had a wooden facade on top of the marble walls. The wood was finely carved and inscribed with various shapes and styles.

Columns rose every 5 meters along the walls and these were engraved with vines and flowers wrapped around them. The desk the receptionists sat behind was a lovely dark oak and looked to be made of a single oiece despite being nearly 20 meters long. Their were several doors leading off to different parts of the guild building each with a placard above it detailing what lay beyond, these ranged from tavern which looked to have quite the throughflow of adventures to less exciting ones such as ’Offices 1-10’.

We eventually found our door which was labelled as ’Training Grounds 1-5’. Making our way through we entered into a long corridor that eventually opened up to a small room which housed 5 other doors and a desk behind which sat a human guild worker. Seeing us arrive he looked up giving us a Quick Look over before speaking. "Welcome, you all here about the trail ground pre trials?"

Chuckling at that I spoke up. "Got it in one, yeah we are hoping to sign up for it, can you help us with that?"

"Personally I can’t but go through door number 4 and the senior guild tester can get you sorted out." He replied with a small smile.

Thanking him we proceeded through the mentioned door. I through the door we found ourselves in a fairly large room around 10x10m in size, it has ring of marble tiles around the outside of the room before a slight drop into a sand pit that takes up the majority of the room. Mana lamps line the walls giving a soft illumination to the room. Sat cross legged in the centre of this room is a bare chested absolute mountain of a human man. Upon seeing us enter he smoothly rises to his feet and looks each of us over critically. We in turn study him.

He is truly giant for a human easily 7ft tall, skin like midnight he only wears loose fitting pants made for ease of movement. He is bald up top and with a neatly trimmed bead woven with a few beads of gold which contrast well with his golden eyes that sparkle with an intensity that I haven’t felt since we met that owl during the monster tide.

After studying each of us for a moment longer the man speaks up, his voice firm and radiating both confidence and command. "So 3 fresh Iron ranks, a half demon, a vampire and an elf bonded to a mid Cooper ranked dragon. Now isn’t this quite the party." His words make all of us instantly freeze in shock. How does he know that? I subconsciously reach up to check and yep my ears are still hidden beneith my hair and Dawn is looking more like a snake currently wrapped around my neck as for how he knew Amanda was a vampire, well I have no idea.

As we all tensed and I began circulating my mana trying to be ready for anything he spoke up again. "Don’t worry I’m not going to hart you or reveal your secrets to others, although I am curious as to how a member of an extinct race is standing before me, one with a nature attunment at that. And bonded to a exceptionally rare dragon with a similar affinity." He said whilst focusing his gaze on me.

And before I can even think about what to do I find myself speaking without meaning to. "I’m an outworlder an.." and before I go any further I slap my hand over my mouth to stop myself from saying anything else.

Seeing me reveal this so easily Kana steps forward and growls out. "You better stop whatever the fuck you are doing to her." As she speaks Amanda also steps in front of me suddenly with daggers in her hands and glaring at the man who still stood implacably in the center of the room.

To this he only smiles and holds his arms out to either side of himself. "You shall have to make me." And then to all of our surprise it is Dawn that acts first, through her link she apparently felt my distress and seeing her mum and mothers getting ready to fight decided to jump the gun. She leaps off from my neck to the side and mana surges from her into the ground and races towards the man, and a hole suddenly opens up beneath him ready to trap him. However to all of our surprise bar his apparently he just remains standing in thin air in the exact same pose as before only with a slightly wider smile.

After a moment of shock from all of us we snap into action. Kana quickly draws her now and fires off a quick arrow whilst Amanda dashes around to the side opposite from Dawn. I meanwhile move towards Dawn so I can protect her if needed whilst quickly casting 3 Vine whips spread around him.

As the arrow and vines rush towards him he seems to blur and before we can process what he did all 3 of my vines have been cut at the base and he is holding Kanas arrow in one hand. "Good opening attack, but, not good enough." Then he dashes forwards at Amanda she launches some bullets of blood and then slashes out with her daggers at the approaching man.

I meanwhile blast out my aura directing all the negative effects I can on the man but he seems to not even notice it as he dodges the bullets fired his way with laughable ease before expertly deflecting each slash Amanda sends his way.

Kana continues to send arrow after arrow some imbued with wind, some she charges before releasing and some that curve at unnatural angles to try and catch him off guard. Yet the man dodges and deflects each attack sent his way all the while parrying each and every strike Amanda sends his way.

Seeing that we are just not nearly fast enough to deal with him I decide to imbue my dress with the concept of Wind, my dress becomes semi transparent and begins to flow like it is in an unseen breeze, in return though I feel myself becoming faster and more agile. Using this newfound speed I move around the arena so I am flanking him with Amanda.

From my new spot I summon a series of root and vine strikes/ whips mixing them up and making trying to bait him into messing up and taking at least a single hit from one of us. Dawn is not idle during this and before long she lets out a truly adorable roar, or more accurately a high pitched squeek. However, the effect thins has on myself and the 2 girls is amazing. He suddenly feel reinvigorated and I notice that my speed has moved up another notch whilst my mana is recharging faster than before.

The man however only increases his own speed to match us still avoiding every attack thrown his way. Deciding we need to slow him down somehow I utilise nature moulding to grow grasses all around the area especially around where he is effortlessly partying all of Amanda’s desperate strikes, I also noticed that her muscles are currently bulging and she has a slightly crazed look in her eyes.

Once the grass is sufficiently grown I give it a single command, grab him. And instantly the grasses respond, stalked grow in rapid succession all reaching out for his legs and feet aiming to grab him or even just to cause him to stumble. As I work on that Kana steps up her game, now running around the room she launches arrow after at a steadily increasing speeds.

Amanda not one to let this chance go adds more bulleys of blood to her rapid strikes. However, the man is just too fast, he moves like this is a part of a coriagraphed dance moving effortlessly around each arrow fired, parrying each dagger strike sent his way and swiftly destroying each vine and root that stabs towards him.

Realising that we need to change things up or we are not going to get anywhere I begin to summon a variety of elemental flowers some I imbue with ice, some with fire, then wind, lightning any and every natural element I can think of I create a flower for. And then I send them all floating towards him. It is a beautiful sight seeing the myriad different types of flowers gently making their way towards him.

And either because he doesn’t view them as a threat or just doesn’t register them they manage to surround him. I quickly yell out to Amanda who recognising the flowers jumps back, this gives me time to spend the a good chunk of my remaining mana to summon 4 rootwalls to surround him and trap him in with the flowers. A moment of silence follows this before a resounding explosion of elemental magics destroys the root walls.

Within the now destroyed walls a cloud of mana hovers and slowly disputes leaving the man stood there, however I notice that he is now sporting a single small cut across his chest. He seems to notice that aswell as he smiles and finally speaks again. "Well I must say you all aren’t so bad. You have solid teamwork, that shows you trust each other. Decent ly strong attacks for your level and you actually managed to deal a blow to me. You have my congratulations."

We all stare at him in weary confusion but before any of us can think to ask a question he continues. "Yes I think you will make adequate members of the expedition. Congratulations to the 4 of you you have passed the test." Upon hearing those words we stare at him in confusion before the reality of what just happened settled in.

That entire situation was just him testing us? Although thinking back he never actually launched an attack he only blocked and dodged, if he had wanted to strike back I doubt we would have even lasted a minute before we were all either dead or incapacitated.

Then my brain finally catches up and I blurt out. "Wait we passed the test? We can go to the trail grounds? Even Dawn?" He simply nods at that before looking us all over.

"You will be joined by another member we will be heading in with 100 people in teams of 5. Report back to this room in 2 days at mid day to meet your teammate."