As the boy wanders the country roads, Aulwin slinks through the shadows behind him, looking for an opportunity to emerge. Seeing that the path the boy was walking merged into to a major road, he regains his physical form, hoping to appear to simply be another traveler.
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As the guardians follow the young boy on his travel the roads that split are now starting to converge leading to the same direction, on one side of the road a post sign can be seen which reads 'Zalfari'. Along the road, a group of people can seen walking towards the same town, judging from their gears they are also participant of the guild exam. Aulwin was the first to take action and approach the young boy who was about to join in with the larger group in front of him. The boy notices Aulwin and decide to offer greeting "Ah hello there, are you here for the exam as well??" the boy ask, he quickly correct himself even before Aulwin could reply "Actually that was a dumb question to ask looking at your equipment, the name is Juno nice to meet ya!" he greet the stranger with a smile. On the other hand, the other guardians follow Aulwin's lead and decided to join up with the larger group of people in front leaving Aulwin with the boy they had followed.
Rokru, The Skeleton Lord
Rokru approach the group of people with a rather threatening aura around him, the other participant seems to be avoiding him. two cheeky men whisper to each other commenting on Rokru who aren't aware of them "See that ironclad guy?" said the first man which the second man reply "Yea that got to cost a fortune hopefully his skills will match it.. though i doubt it would, commoner from the countryside like us wouldn't stand a chance against those from the other city" the second man give out a depressing sigh "Well at least its a good thing that our exam took place in Zalfari, should be easier" they keep on talking while moving away from Rokru. The intimidating warrior continue down his path fixing his sight on the town's gate which can now be seen from a far.
Dral'Nasraki looks around at all the people making their way toward the entrance exam. Wow, there sure are a lot... she thought to herself. She wanted to fly up above the crowd, but she knew that her power was disabled for her own good, for now.
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The group had arrived at the town of Zalfari, the town is bustling with people who are all excited for the guild entrance exam that comes around once a year. For the spectators who is not participating the exam is nothing more than entertainment source while the exam for the participants is a ticket of acceptance to the guild. The exam will be held in a massive arena set in the middle of the town, participants must first fill up some documents before entering these are rather quite easy even for the guardians that doesn't lived among the humans. After that is over all of the participants are instructed to gather within the arena waiting for the guild officials to enter.
A man in a clean long white jacket enter the arena followed by a couple of other unnamed officials, the man in white jacket introduce himself to be the one in charge of the entrance exam at Zalfari his name is Gurguit. Gurguit continue the explanation of how the exam works "currently the amount of participants here is 128.. alright for the first phase of the exam we will cut the number down to 60", Gurguit give out a slight smirk and said "The first part of the exam will be a free for all, there are no certain allies here and all will fight until the number reaches 60.. the time limit is 2 hour and if the number does not reach 60 by that time all are disqualified.. that is all, the exam will begin in 10 minutes" Gurguit and the other official then return to their spectator seats and begin their observation. The crowd of participants starts to spread around the available space of the arena as the spectators start their cheering and time count down on the sidelines protect from any crossfire by a magical barrier.
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Rokru, The Skeleton Lord
Folding his arms, the armored warrior stand still towering over his allies while exerting his intimidate aura towards the other participants. Many people through either rational sense or pure instinct seems to avoid the guardians however it wasn't long before those with confidence decides to step up against the challenge. A man with a scared face walk towards the group with his band of minions, "You all seems like you will a good match among this boring exam, what do you think? up for a fight?" with a snap of his fingers his flock of minions run towards their demise with no thought of it whatsoever. Rokru swiftly grab his blades despite his colossal body the drawn was rather instant, the swing of his blade sent an amount of weaklings sky high which the fall render them unconscious and unable to continue. Rokru speaks up showing his disappointment towards the challengers "Weakness..." setting his sight to the scared face man.
Aulwin strides over to the scarred man with an air of menace. He lifts him by the neck, drawing him closer. "It certainly is dishonorable to send grunts to fight on your behalf." Aulwin tosses him across the room, settling into a fighting stance. "Why don't you prove you belong here? I would be happy to provide your entrance exam."
Dral'Nasraki practiced with her sword, slashing and brandishing it in graceful, flowing, dancelike movements. The spectators were transfixed, but a murmur of "what a showoff" rose within the crowd of participants.
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Gurguit observe the casually for his expectation of the countryside exam are rather low, however soon a surprise struck him. Among the vast majority of participants a number of candidates seems to show quite a potential. Gurguit readjust his sitting position to a more comfortable one and shift his focus towards those he deem interesting. One of the unnamed officials raise up his hand and cast a spell up to the sky, the spell cause an flare of fire to form which then took a shape of numbers indicating the remaining participants till sixty along with the remaining time limit.
The scared man press down his anger and tried to remain calm ignoring Aulwin's taunt, The scared man draws his sword out from its sheath and leap forward slamming down his sword down at Aulwin, many opening can be seen as the scared man perform his attack. Standing before the one who has passed through so many front lines this attack is almost like a child play. The three brothers was swift in reducing the number of participants, even though it's looks like a type of fire magic the power it shows is nothing like what the fire magic users there had seen before, in order to battle the floating fire magic user some of the participants aim their water magic at the target above. The blade dance Dral'Nasraki had perform seems to attract a group of spectators to her own show even some participants stop their battle to observe the performance. But along with those who likes the show there are also those who dislike it, a women with a spear charge towards Dral'Nasraki marking her as a target for elimination. Even the edge of the arena is not a safe place from the elimination process of this exam, there is one agile beauty who gracefully knock down an amount of candidates unconscious. The attack was instant and swift making retaliation almost impossible, Those at edge who witness these attacks and still remain group up together making this their best decision on their counterattack.
Participants Remaining: 91 / Time Remaining: 1 Hour
Even though it seemed like she was in a completely different plane of existence, Dral'Nasraki saw the spear wielding woman in the corner of her sight and swung round immediately, and in one swift, fluid moment had used the blunt end of her sword to strike her would-be attacker in the side. The woman collapsed to the ground, and the dragon in disguise moved away. She then put the skills she was practicing into use, battling with other competitors for real.
Suddenly, Anirael awoke again. He was not wearing Sieghard, but only the simple gray tunic and pants he wore underneath his armor. He was sprawled out, lying face down in the grass. There was no floor, and yet he knew this was a floor; his floor; the twelfth floor. Drawing himself up to his knees, he shook his head to awaken himself further. He knelt in the central clearing of the magical forest that was his domain. This clearing was fifty meters in radius, forming a perfect circle with a single stone path leading to both the entrance and the exit, broken only by the perfect circle of grass. Surrounding the clearing and stretching to the edges of the tower was a great wood of various deciduous trees, always in full green bloom, hulking trunks and sprawling roots coated in moss. Magic plants littered the ground, the trees, and the clearing. Flowers of all colors gave of light matching that of their petals, and vines twisting through the trees bloomed bulbs of soft yellow light. The bulbs gave off magic spores that acted much like fireflies, traveling through the air, glowing on and off a while, then fading from existence. An enchantment covered the ceiling to appear as the clear night sky without a moon. Alone, the artificial starlight and glowing plant life lit the whole floor. It was as though this was a dream realm containing only a nocturnal timberland.
How had he ended up like this? He closed his eyes and put his head in his hands, remembering what he could. Only fragments returned to Anirael, but enough to decipher some of what transpired during his final moments. Several heroes; a fierce struggle to keep them from his lord; a desperate gambit with the Blackened Brand; then nothing. How many had he killed during that fight? How many with his last attack with the Brand? Some? Most? Any at all? More importantly, how had the heroes even reached him? What lead up to his final stand? The Dark Lord interrupted Anirael's thoughts, demanding his presence at once. He stood up and stumbled, still groggy. Taking a moment to steady himself, he summoned Sieghard to make himself presentable and hurried to the thirteenth floor.
Once there, he stood before the throne and the shadowy figure that occupied it. Anirael felt the familiar power from within it - faint, but still undoubtedly present. "What would you have of me, my lord?" Anirael inquired.
"Alas, there is little time to explain..." the weakened Lord choked out. "Go... aid your peers. Infiltrate the Guild. I will give you... what you need." And with that, information flooded Anirael's mind. The revived guardians; the erasure of Claret; the introduction of Gareth; the surrounding area; the runes; Zalfari; the entrance exam.
"At once, my lord." Anirael bowed and exited with haste.
~~~
Anirael arrived at the entrance exam just in time to hear the explanation of the rules. Ideally, he would have found them before the beginning of the exam, but no such luck. Thankfully, they were all strong enough that they would likely make themselves known as the exam ran its course. Anirael's assessment proved correct early in the first round: Calamitas and his brothers made a big show of their fire magic, Aulwin threw a man across the arena, and Aelis beat down on the outliers. Anirael surmised Rokru wore the armor and Dral'Nasraki was the one demonstrating her sword skills. Anirael tried not to stand out. Wielding his quarterstaff, he took a defensive stance somewhat close to the edge of the arena and focused on maintaining situational awareness, only dispatching those who approached him. However, he could not well disguise his skill with the weapon. A small few among the contestants and the crowd seemed to take notice of the way Anirael handled his polearm.
Then the flare signaled the halfway point of the exam. Not quite half of all contestants had been dealt with, but more than half of those who were required to fall had, in fact, fallen. The situation had changed in that the guardians aside from himself became targets for the other contestants, who rightly considered them a threat. For the most part, Anirael had no concerns that the guardians could handle themselves. That said, the group forming to take on Aelis might pose a problem. Melee was not her strong suit. If she resorted to storm magic it's not likely the other contestants would survive, and Gurguit didn't make clear whether killing other participants is permitted. Anirael approached the gang and announced his presence by delivering a crushing two-handed horizontal swing with the quarterstaff to the torso of the one the furthest from the center. The man flipped over, winded and stunned with perhaps a broken rib or two. He wouldn't be standing up again any time soon.
"Come now, gentlemen, surely one girl doesn't require you all," he taunted, returning to a guard stance. The group split, with some turning to the new challenger and others deciding Aelis posed a greater threat. As Anirael battled those who decided on him, he used the length of his staff to his advantage to avoid being overwhelmed, keeping his opponents at range and pushing them away and into each other with well-placed thrusts.
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Gurguit smirk as he count the number of contestants that piqued his interest, "A lot of interesting newcomer this time, it was actually not that bad coming to one of the further exam site". Those who fall and went unconscious were immediately teleport by the official mages with some sort of spatial magic to prevent any further damage to them. Many have fallen during this phase of the exam and he end of it is near 65 contestants remain which means 5 more before the times run out. On one corner of the arena, a gang of thugs-like participants seems to be grouping up on one boy. Even though it seems like the odds are stacking against him, his smile show no sign of fears "one, two, three, four, five.. man exactly five?? this must be my lucky day" said the boy. Without wasting any time remain the boy instantly knock away one of the guy with his elbow to their mid section and through quick reflexes he adjust the position of his sword which block the incoming swing of a sword from behind. The boy dodge a couple of attacks from thug while chanting a spell in mind, with the spell completion the boy cover himself with bright particles that explode a moment after it was cast sending the enemies a couple of meters away unconscious, The boy speaks to the group of thug who is lying down whether they still hear him or not "The name is Juno, i always welcome a rematch if you ever need one".
Participants Remaining: 60 / Time Remaining: 20 minutes
With participants number reduce to 60, Gurguit stood up which in turn make the flame numbers disappear above him, he gives the remaining contestants a round of applause along with the spectators. After a good applause was given Gurguit then speaks up silencing the cheers "Well done to those who remain, you are now halfway to becoming a part of the Guild however the next challenge won't be as easy as this if i were to say" said Gurguit as he scan the remaining contestants. "The second phase of the exam will commence at 8am tomorrow, gather at this arena by then and be prepared for it" he pause for a thought then continue almost forgetting what he needed to say "Also all of you who passes the first phase of the exam may stay at the Red Dragon Inn each of you will be provided with your own room free of charge, the Guild also prepared a feast for all of you well it was sponsor by the town so be sure to thank them" said Gurguit who then look at those who failed the exams "As for those of you who failed you won't be staying at the inn but you may join the feast if you want the inn is way too big for just 60 peoples after all" Gurguit step down from announcement area and leave along with the other officials who spectate with him. It is now evening, many of the townsfolk are celebrating around the Red Dragon Inn which result in a quiet streets in other part of the town.
With a grumble, Aulwin slaps away the man's clumsy swing with one gauntlet-clad hand. "Looks like you pass, barely. Next time I won't play around for so long." Auwin leaves the exam room, pausing to give the scarred man a dirty look. Aulwin heads to the Inn, ready to stuff himself after thousands of years of fasting.
Swinging her sword around before putting it back into its sheath, Dral'Nasraki flashed a look at the remaining participants before joining her fellow guardians on the way to the inn. Red Dragon, huh... I wonder if that name has something to do with me. She thought.
Anirael fell into line with his allies as though he had been with them the whole time, using his staff as a walking stick. However, it occurred to him that since he had not been with them at the outset, they likely didn't know his alias. To remedy this, Anirael decided on a brief introduction to one of the guardians within earshot of all the others. He strode next to Aulwin and began the conversation.
"I don't believe we've met," Anirael said. "The name's Gren. And you are?" The Dark Lord had already given Anirael the name Aulwin was using, but it would be easier to maintain everyone's cover if he treated the exchange as though they were truly meeting for the first time.
"Ruthord." Aulwin replies, pausing for a moment to shoot the shaman a sly grin. "Say, you look familiar. Did you grow up down north, in Casandora? I'm sure you've heard of it, the Lord there has quite a bit of power."
Anirael smirked, finding he somewhat enjoyed this facade of an exchange. "As a matter of fact, I did. It's small - only a dozen or so interesting people - but the lord is certainly an imposing figure. I suppose you grew up in the area as well?"
"I sure did. Grew up in the first district, in fact. But enough talk, let's eat." With this said, Aulwin hustles over to the Inn, gesturing for the other guardians to follow.
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The feast continues on as it only gather even more people as the night goes on, it wasn't exactly certain when does this celebration first started but it seems to be a popular trend that spread throughout the city and town that host the guild exam. In someway it is most likely a form of gratitude towards the guild and most of those who work under them since their job is to help and protect the people of Aonia. The party mostly took over the whole space of the inn for the duration of the night, the main area of the first floor which consist many rows of long table, the rather large bar stand which connects to the kitchen behind as well as the fireplace at the end of the room, then the stairs that connect to second and third floor which is where the rooms are located. The Red Dragon inn is potentially the most popular spot for the town peoples and visitors alike to visit as it is also known as the place where those who work for the guild gathers since the inn and the guild does hold some form of partnership. In order to blend in the disguise guardians had decided to join the celebration, some of the guardians manage to blend in perfectly while others have trouble doing so. After the party is over the guardians went their separate ways to their own rooms getting prepare for what they may face tomorrow.
Within the silent night somewhere far away from Zalfari, a massive pile of corpses are place at the center of an unnamed village with a figure sitting at the top of mountain of the dead. The figure is cloaked by the shadows of the night making it difficult to see the figure clearly however even the darkest night could not hide the blade that it holds, the blade that shine a deep crimson in color shows a bloody history of its past.
The next day arrives as the participants who passed the first phase of the guild exams and many spectators once again gather at the arena. At exactly 8AM, the guild officials including Gurguit enter the area within the exclusive spectators area. Gurguit wasted no time and starts his speech "Good morning participants did you sleep well last night, i hope you do since you will need all the energy available for this test" he jested "Now without further ado I will now explain the rules of the second phase of the guild exams, In this phase you all will be transported to a special area supervise by the guild" Gurguit then introduce a spatial specialist mage at his side "The passing condition of this phase is rather simple gather at the shrine located somewhere within the area by the time limit and you will pass however it might not be as easy as it sounded since you will indeed find many obstacle hindering your way there" Gurguit pause a moment to observe the participants reaction "Also we will not disclose the quota of passing participants for this phase, the number of available spot will tick down the moment a participant walk into the shrine so it is also a race in itself, obstruct or battle against other participants is also allowed those who loses their consciousness, declare surrender or the available spot within the shrine runs out will fail the exam, that is all now gather at center of the arena and be prepared for spatial transportation". After the crowd gather, a group of spatial mages then begin their set up and chant their spell after a moment of preparation a black substance emerge by the use of spatial spell and swallow the whole crowd together transferring them to another place, Gurguit then sit back and signal one of the officials by his side to cast a far sight magic into an massive image screen for the spectators to witness the exam. After the transportation the participants now find themselves within a massive jungle filled with countless trees where all of the participants are separated.
As the boy wanders the country roads, Aulwin slinks through the shadows behind him, looking for an opportunity to emerge. Seeing that the path the boy was walking merged into to a major road, he regains his physical form, hoping to appear to simply be another traveler.
As the guardians follow the young boy on his travel the roads that split are now starting to converge leading to the same direction, on one side of the road a post sign can be seen which reads 'Zalfari'. Along the road, a group of people can seen walking towards the same town, judging from their gears they are also participant of the guild exam. Aulwin was the first to take action and approach the young boy who was about to join in with the larger group in front of him. The boy notices Aulwin and decide to offer greeting "Ah hello there, are you here for the exam as well??" the boy ask, he quickly correct himself even before Aulwin could reply "Actually that was a dumb question to ask looking at your equipment, the name is Juno nice to meet ya!" he greet the stranger with a smile. On the other hand, the other guardians follow Aulwin's lead and decided to join up with the larger group of people in front leaving Aulwin with the boy they had followed.
Rokru, The Skeleton Lord
Rokru approach the group of people with a rather threatening aura around him, the other participant seems to be avoiding him. two cheeky men whisper to each other commenting on Rokru who aren't aware of them "See that ironclad guy?" said the first man which the second man reply "Yea that got to cost a fortune hopefully his skills will match it.. though i doubt it would, commoner from the countryside like us wouldn't stand a chance against those from the other city" the second man give out a depressing sigh "Well at least its a good thing that our exam took place in Zalfari, should be easier" they keep on talking while moving away from Rokru. The intimidating warrior continue down his path fixing his sight on the town's gate which can now be seen from a far.
Aulwin peers ahead, trying to make out details of the city.
Dral'Nasraki looks around at all the people making their way toward the entrance exam. Wow, there sure are a lot... she thought to herself. She wanted to fly up above the crowd, but she knew that her power was disabled for her own good, for now.
sometimes, nullposts must be made.
My avatar: Faiya the dragon
404: eggs not found
The group had arrived at the town of Zalfari, the town is bustling with people who are all excited for the guild entrance exam that comes around once a year. For the spectators who is not participating the exam is nothing more than entertainment source while the exam for the participants is a ticket of acceptance to the guild. The exam will be held in a massive arena set in the middle of the town, participants must first fill up some documents before entering these are rather quite easy even for the guardians that doesn't lived among the humans. After that is over all of the participants are instructed to gather within the arena waiting for the guild officials to enter.
A man in a clean long white jacket enter the arena followed by a couple of other unnamed officials, the man in white jacket introduce himself to be the one in charge of the entrance exam at Zalfari his name is Gurguit. Gurguit continue the explanation of how the exam works "currently the amount of participants here is 128.. alright for the first phase of the exam we will cut the number down to 60", Gurguit give out a slight smirk and said "The first part of the exam will be a free for all, there are no certain allies here and all will fight until the number reaches 60.. the time limit is 2 hour and if the number does not reach 60 by that time all are disqualified.. that is all, the exam will begin in 10 minutes" Gurguit and the other official then return to their spectator seats and begin their observation. The crowd of participants starts to spread around the available space of the arena as the spectators start their cheering and time count down on the sidelines protect from any crossfire by a magical barrier.
"Entrance Exam First Phase... Begin!!"
Gurguit
"Of course we should," Aulwin grumbles. "We aren't enemies."
Aulwin, guessing elimination doesn't mean death, practices swinging with the flat of his blade downwards.
Rokru, The Skeleton Lord
Folding his arms, the armored warrior stand still towering over his allies while exerting his intimidate aura towards the other participants. Many people through either rational sense or pure instinct seems to avoid the guardians however it wasn't long before those with confidence decides to step up against the challenge. A man with a scared face walk towards the group with his band of minions, "You all seems like you will a good match among this boring exam, what do you think? up for a fight?" with a snap of his fingers his flock of minions run towards their demise with no thought of it whatsoever. Rokru swiftly grab his blades despite his colossal body the drawn was rather instant, the swing of his blade sent an amount of weaklings sky high which the fall render them unconscious and unable to continue. Rokru speaks up showing his disappointment towards the challengers "Weakness..." setting his sight to the scared face man.
Aulwin strides over to the scarred man with an air of menace. He lifts him by the neck, drawing him closer. "It certainly is dishonorable to send grunts to fight on your behalf." Aulwin tosses him across the room, settling into a fighting stance. "Why don't you prove you belong here? I would be happy to provide your entrance exam."
Dral'Nasraki practiced with her sword, slashing and brandishing it in graceful, flowing, dancelike movements. The spectators were transfixed, but a murmur of "what a showoff" rose within the crowd of participants.
sometimes, nullposts must be made.
My avatar: Faiya the dragon
404: eggs not found
Gurguit observe the casually for his expectation of the countryside exam are rather low, however soon a surprise struck him. Among the vast majority of participants a number of candidates seems to show quite a potential. Gurguit readjust his sitting position to a more comfortable one and shift his focus towards those he deem interesting. One of the unnamed officials raise up his hand and cast a spell up to the sky, the spell cause an flare of fire to form which then took a shape of numbers indicating the remaining participants till sixty along with the remaining time limit.
The scared man press down his anger and tried to remain calm ignoring Aulwin's taunt, The scared man draws his sword out from its sheath and leap forward slamming down his sword down at Aulwin, many opening can be seen as the scared man perform his attack. Standing before the one who has passed through so many front lines this attack is almost like a child play. The three brothers was swift in reducing the number of participants, even though it's looks like a type of fire magic the power it shows is nothing like what the fire magic users there had seen before, in order to battle the floating fire magic user some of the participants aim their water magic at the target above. The blade dance Dral'Nasraki had perform seems to attract a group of spectators to her own show even some participants stop their battle to observe the performance. But along with those who likes the show there are also those who dislike it, a women with a spear charge towards Dral'Nasraki marking her as a target for elimination. Even the edge of the arena is not a safe place from the elimination process of this exam, there is one agile beauty who gracefully knock down an amount of candidates unconscious. The attack was instant and swift making retaliation almost impossible, Those at edge who witness these attacks and still remain group up together making this their best decision on their counterattack.
Participants Remaining: 91 / Time Remaining: 1 Hour
Even though it seemed like she was in a completely different plane of existence, Dral'Nasraki saw the spear wielding woman in the corner of her sight and swung round immediately, and in one swift, fluid moment had used the blunt end of her sword to strike her would-be attacker in the side. The woman collapsed to the ground, and the dragon in disguise moved away. She then put the skills she was practicing into use, battling with other competitors for real.
sometimes, nullposts must be made.
My avatar: Faiya the dragon
404: eggs not found
Suddenly, Anirael awoke again. He was not wearing Sieghard, but only the simple gray tunic and pants he wore underneath his armor. He was sprawled out, lying face down in the grass. There was no floor, and yet he knew this was a floor; his floor; the twelfth floor. Drawing himself up to his knees, he shook his head to awaken himself further. He knelt in the central clearing of the magical forest that was his domain. This clearing was fifty meters in radius, forming a perfect circle with a single stone path leading to both the entrance and the exit, broken only by the perfect circle of grass. Surrounding the clearing and stretching to the edges of the tower was a great wood of various deciduous trees, always in full green bloom, hulking trunks and sprawling roots coated in moss. Magic plants littered the ground, the trees, and the clearing. Flowers of all colors gave of light matching that of their petals, and vines twisting through the trees bloomed bulbs of soft yellow light. The bulbs gave off magic spores that acted much like fireflies, traveling through the air, glowing on and off a while, then fading from existence. An enchantment covered the ceiling to appear as the clear night sky without a moon. Alone, the artificial starlight and glowing plant life lit the whole floor. It was as though this was a dream realm containing only a nocturnal timberland.
How had he ended up like this? He closed his eyes and put his head in his hands, remembering what he could. Only fragments returned to Anirael, but enough to decipher some of what transpired during his final moments. Several heroes; a fierce struggle to keep them from his lord; a desperate gambit with the Blackened Brand; then nothing. How many had he killed during that fight? How many with his last attack with the Brand? Some? Most? Any at all? More importantly, how had the heroes even reached him? What lead up to his final stand? The Dark Lord interrupted Anirael's thoughts, demanding his presence at once. He stood up and stumbled, still groggy. Taking a moment to steady himself, he summoned Sieghard to make himself presentable and hurried to the thirteenth floor.
Once there, he stood before the throne and the shadowy figure that occupied it. Anirael felt the familiar power from within it - faint, but still undoubtedly present. "What would you have of me, my lord?" Anirael inquired.
"Alas, there is little time to explain..." the weakened Lord choked out. "Go... aid your peers. Infiltrate the Guild. I will give you... what you need." And with that, information flooded Anirael's mind. The revived guardians; the erasure of Claret; the introduction of Gareth; the surrounding area; the runes; Zalfari; the entrance exam.
"At once, my lord." Anirael bowed and exited with haste.
~~~
Anirael arrived at the entrance exam just in time to hear the explanation of the rules. Ideally, he would have found them before the beginning of the exam, but no such luck. Thankfully, they were all strong enough that they would likely make themselves known as the exam ran its course. Anirael's assessment proved correct early in the first round: Calamitas and his brothers made a big show of their fire magic, Aulwin threw a man across the arena, and Aelis beat down on the outliers. Anirael surmised Rokru wore the armor and Dral'Nasraki was the one demonstrating her sword skills. Anirael tried not to stand out. Wielding his quarterstaff, he took a defensive stance somewhat close to the edge of the arena and focused on maintaining situational awareness, only dispatching those who approached him. However, he could not well disguise his skill with the weapon. A small few among the contestants and the crowd seemed to take notice of the way Anirael handled his polearm.
Then the flare signaled the halfway point of the exam. Not quite half of all contestants had been dealt with, but more than half of those who were required to fall had, in fact, fallen. The situation had changed in that the guardians aside from himself became targets for the other contestants, who rightly considered them a threat. For the most part, Anirael had no concerns that the guardians could handle themselves. That said, the group forming to take on Aelis might pose a problem. Melee was not her strong suit. If she resorted to storm magic it's not likely the other contestants would survive, and Gurguit didn't make clear whether killing other participants is permitted. Anirael approached the gang and announced his presence by delivering a crushing two-handed horizontal swing with the quarterstaff to the torso of the one the furthest from the center. The man flipped over, winded and stunned with perhaps a broken rib or two. He wouldn't be standing up again any time soon.
"Come now, gentlemen, surely one girl doesn't require you all," he taunted, returning to a guard stance. The group split, with some turning to the new challenger and others deciding Aelis posed a greater threat. As Anirael battled those who decided on him, he used the length of his staff to his advantage to avoid being overwhelmed, keeping his opponents at range and pushing them away and into each other with well-placed thrusts.
There's no kill like overkill.
Gurguit smirk as he count the number of contestants that piqued his interest, "A lot of interesting newcomer this time, it was actually not that bad coming to one of the further exam site". Those who fall and went unconscious were immediately teleport by the official mages with some sort of spatial magic to prevent any further damage to them. Many have fallen during this phase of the exam and he end of it is near 65 contestants remain which means 5 more before the times run out. On one corner of the arena, a gang of thugs-like participants seems to be grouping up on one boy. Even though it seems like the odds are stacking against him, his smile show no sign of fears "one, two, three, four, five.. man exactly five?? this must be my lucky day" said the boy. Without wasting any time remain the boy instantly knock away one of the guy with his elbow to their mid section and through quick reflexes he adjust the position of his sword which block the incoming swing of a sword from behind. The boy dodge a couple of attacks from thug while chanting a spell in mind, with the spell completion the boy cover himself with bright particles that explode a moment after it was cast sending the enemies a couple of meters away unconscious, The boy speaks to the group of thug who is lying down whether they still hear him or not "The name is Juno, i always welcome a rematch if you ever need one".
Participants Remaining: 60 / Time Remaining: 20 minutes
With participants number reduce to 60, Gurguit stood up which in turn make the flame numbers disappear above him, he gives the remaining contestants a round of applause along with the spectators. After a good applause was given Gurguit then speaks up silencing the cheers "Well done to those who remain, you are now halfway to becoming a part of the Guild however the next challenge won't be as easy as this if i were to say" said Gurguit as he scan the remaining contestants. "The second phase of the exam will commence at 8am tomorrow, gather at this arena by then and be prepared for it" he pause for a thought then continue almost forgetting what he needed to say "Also all of you who passes the first phase of the exam may stay at the Red Dragon Inn each of you will be provided with your own room free of charge, the Guild also prepared a feast for all of you well it was sponsor by the town so be sure to thank them" said Gurguit who then look at those who failed the exams "As for those of you who failed you won't be staying at the inn but you may join the feast if you want the inn is way too big for just 60 peoples after all" Gurguit step down from announcement area and leave along with the other officials who spectate with him. It is now evening, many of the townsfolk are celebrating around the Red Dragon Inn which result in a quiet streets in other part of the town.
With a grumble, Aulwin slaps away the man's clumsy swing with one gauntlet-clad hand. "Looks like you pass, barely. Next time I won't play around for so long." Auwin leaves the exam room, pausing to give the scarred man a dirty look. Aulwin heads to the Inn, ready to stuff himself after thousands of years of fasting.
Swinging her sword around before putting it back into its sheath, Dral'Nasraki flashed a look at the remaining participants before joining her fellow guardians on the way to the inn. Red Dragon, huh... I wonder if that name has something to do with me. She thought.
sometimes, nullposts must be made.
My avatar: Faiya the dragon
404: eggs not found
Anirael fell into line with his allies as though he had been with them the whole time, using his staff as a walking stick. However, it occurred to him that since he had not been with them at the outset, they likely didn't know his alias. To remedy this, Anirael decided on a brief introduction to one of the guardians within earshot of all the others. He strode next to Aulwin and began the conversation.
"I don't believe we've met," Anirael said. "The name's Gren. And you are?" The Dark Lord had already given Anirael the name Aulwin was using, but it would be easier to maintain everyone's cover if he treated the exchange as though they were truly meeting for the first time.
There's no kill like overkill.
"Ruthord." Aulwin replies, pausing for a moment to shoot the shaman a sly grin. "Say, you look familiar. Did you grow up down north, in Casandora? I'm sure you've heard of it, the Lord there has quite a bit of power."
Anirael smirked, finding he somewhat enjoyed this facade of an exchange. "As a matter of fact, I did. It's small - only a dozen or so interesting people - but the lord is certainly an imposing figure. I suppose you grew up in the area as well?"
There's no kill like overkill.
"I sure did. Grew up in the first district, in fact. But enough talk, let's eat." With this said, Aulwin hustles over to the Inn, gesturing for the other guardians to follow.
The feast continues on as it only gather even more people as the night goes on, it wasn't exactly certain when does this celebration first started but it seems to be a popular trend that spread throughout the city and town that host the guild exam. In someway it is most likely a form of gratitude towards the guild and most of those who work under them since their job is to help and protect the people of Aonia. The party mostly took over the whole space of the inn for the duration of the night, the main area of the first floor which consist many rows of long table, the rather large bar stand which connects to the kitchen behind as well as the fireplace at the end of the room, then the stairs that connect to second and third floor which is where the rooms are located. The Red Dragon inn is potentially the most popular spot for the town peoples and visitors alike to visit as it is also known as the place where those who work for the guild gathers since the inn and the guild does hold some form of partnership. In order to blend in the disguise guardians had decided to join the celebration, some of the guardians manage to blend in perfectly while others have trouble doing so. After the party is over the guardians went their separate ways to their own rooms getting prepare for what they may face tomorrow.
Within the silent night somewhere far away from Zalfari, a massive pile of corpses are place at the center of an unnamed village with a figure sitting at the top of mountain of the dead. The figure is cloaked by the shadows of the night making it difficult to see the figure clearly however even the darkest night could not hide the blade that it holds, the blade that shine a deep crimson in color shows a bloody history of its past.
The next day arrives as the participants who passed the first phase of the guild exams and many spectators once again gather at the arena. At exactly 8AM, the guild officials including Gurguit enter the area within the exclusive spectators area. Gurguit wasted no time and starts his speech "Good morning participants did you sleep well last night, i hope you do since you will need all the energy available for this test" he jested "Now without further ado I will now explain the rules of the second phase of the guild exams, In this phase you all will be transported to a special area supervise by the guild" Gurguit then introduce a spatial specialist mage at his side "The passing condition of this phase is rather simple gather at the shrine located somewhere within the area by the time limit and you will pass however it might not be as easy as it sounded since you will indeed find many obstacle hindering your way there" Gurguit pause a moment to observe the participants reaction "Also we will not disclose the quota of passing participants for this phase, the number of available spot will tick down the moment a participant walk into the shrine so it is also a race in itself, obstruct or battle against other participants is also allowed those who loses their consciousness, declare surrender or the available spot within the shrine runs out will fail the exam, that is all now gather at center of the arena and be prepared for spatial transportation". After the crowd gather, a group of spatial mages then begin their set up and chant their spell after a moment of preparation a black substance emerge by the use of spatial spell and swallow the whole crowd together transferring them to another place, Gurguit then sit back and signal one of the officials by his side to cast a far sight magic into an massive image screen for the spectators to witness the exam. After the transportation the participants now find themselves within a massive jungle filled with countless trees where all of the participants are separated.