Zy had only noticed his vision blur. But it was for a mont. He, alongside the rest of the last batch, appeared sowhere. The strong dark stone surface pressed against his shoe.
His eyes scanned the surroundings.
His seem-alike, standing beside him, mumbled out loud, "Where's this place?" He looked all over the room.
Faint orange gleams illuminated the hall.
Zy continued looking and looking, as if searching for sothing. Then he glanced left at Alaric, who was ascending towards a raised spot led to by sturdy steps.
Pebbles crunched underfoot. As Zy turned, he saw a crowd of students in the sa jackets. It was no joke.
These were the individuals who teleported from the Cultivation Highland. In other words, this was where they had been waiting inside.
What unnerved Zy was nothing other than how much pressure they were under. A part of him wanted to voice his concern to soone.
But another part told him that he had prepared for this much challenge in the first place. So, there was no lanting over spilled milk.
He sighed out loud and straightened his back. 'We need to rest before anything else after a month of cultivation. But... I won't give up even if they don't allow us to. I will push on!' He clenched his fist.
The air hung thick with the scent of sweat. The smoky scent of fire diffused with it. The hall stretched over tres. Flat planks shielded the ceilings from the light.
Fla lamps hung across the dark stone walls at distinct positions. They dispersed statues in there as well, each one depicting the stance of a strong fighter.
So others resembled legendary beasts that had fallen with their masters or alone.
Beasts were dangerous. But, when tad, they could be humanity's greatest ally.
Magnus Alaric climbed a sturdy dark stone step. Hexagonal brick pillars flanked it. He then halted inches from the last step, at a position suitable enough for most to see him. He turned around.
Sowhere in the crowd, Nero saw an interlocking rune symbol on the hem of the jacket in front of him.
He creased his brows. A serpent mark symbolises tars. Why is an exorcist in here? Are they more?'
Magnus Alaric began. Zy raised his brows. He had an idea of what would likely happen after his address.
"Here cos the competition I told you about. We welco exorcists to our midst as well for this continuous assessnt. How well you perform will determine your grade... So, try to give it your all."
Long glances were cast at him. What was he getting at?
The Archsage snapped his fingers. A strong wind blew across the hall. It took only a heartbeat for everyone to realise the fla lamps were out.
Mumbles filled the room. But before any more noise, an azure formation appeared, inches from Magnus on the podium.
It shone with a strong light, able to illuminate the entire podium and areas not that far from it.
The formation comprised a large outer rolling plate and smaller, underlying annuli. Runes etched on the rims of each, a bright sky blue light emitting from them.
In the next second, a spherical portal appeared, replacing the formation. The similarity these entities had was that their internals were blue-illuminated.
As Magnus glanced to the other side, he eyed a set of disciples. They had composed deanours and were carrying a bunch of books in their arms.
The process (walk straight ahead, drop the books, and leave)... stopped when the assud hundredth disciple appeared.
They all disappeared into the darkness. It seed sensible to tell there was a path in it.
Out of at least a thousand recruits, roughly five hundred of them seed to have made it. Magnus could only hope not much would fail this assessnt either.
A set of ash-covered books resided on his left, while folded long sheets contained the others.
"Here..." he gestured at both sides, "... we have the taming guidance manual and here... we have a detailed map of the city that will challenge you. This assessnt is important to the heads of the sanctuary, so they'll be watching you as well.
Tars should aim to contract beasts first before hunting creatures inside that city. Exorcists can carry on right after entering. Annihilate each encounter to score points. The organisation will reward the top three scorers only. Shall we proceed?"
"Of course." Zy heard that and glanced to his side. Only for him to realise that the guy beside him was already heading towards the front.
A few more tagged along with him on the way. And from the depths of the crowd, many more flushed out as well. Crunching pebbles played in listening ears.
Ti was of the essence. Zy moved forward as well. He picked up the manual and the map. Then, he stepped through the portal like the others.
Nero did the sa thing, picking for both himself and Annie. Afterwards, they proceeded into the portal as well.
Right after they left, Skyler, a smile easy on her face, took only the map before heading inside.
The continuous assessnt will begin.
***
Zy appeared in a lone space. anwhile, he heard a slow movent behind him. He turned around to lock eyes with Nero and another lady, Annie.
He gazed at him with a calm expression. But, as at the library back then, Nero was off. He tensed his shoulders and seed to be holding his breath.
"Oh... you're here as well," Zy said in his usual tone.
...
Nero nodded with a serious expression. Right away, he seed to force himself to stand straight. To appear alright.
"Y-yes, indeed," he stuttered. Zy raised his brows in a casual manner. Annie looked between the both of them, sensing that sothing felt off.
But she kept quiet—for so reason, she didn't feel like staying for long around the new guy. She didn't get why; he seed sohow... she didn't know.
Zy unfolded the map. Specks of dust drifting in the air moved to the paper's surface. The landscape around them held nothing else but disaster.
Slabs of brick walls slept over one another all over. Insects buzzed in distant places, which one could assu were the sources of the decay scent.
The sky was pitch black. Amidst the lapping of so slabs, Annie spotted a cranium with a gaze that seed to fixate on her. She inched closer to Nero, clutching his arm in awe.
To the west, in the distance, were towering mountain peaks. They stretched far beyond what the eyes could see.
Plateaus, ridges, and escarpnts grinned back at the eyes that saw. Even birds flopping atop seed to be speaking of an impending danger.
Nero swallowed. Annie whimpered. But Zy engrossed himself in the map instead.
Annie complained to Nero, "This place gives the..."
Zy cut in, inching closer as he raised his glance. They have locked the weaponry in the southern direction. We should fetch weapons and prepare to set out."
Nero imdiately replied, his struggle to converse with Zy fading. "Yes, let's do as you suggested. Where do we go?"
"A few kilotres to the south."
...
They walked over the ruins, encountering different things on the way. They ant sothing to others, but not to Zy. After walking for a while, they finally arrived at the front of a cabin.
Zy broke the lock with brute force. Seeing it unaccessed until now ant there were more weapons in this city.
They found a chest at the centre, while so weapons were also hung on nails driven into the walls. Zy didn't waste ti as he fetched a sword from the wall, after which he checked the chest to find a dagger and a pouch.
Nero knew he wasn't good with any weapons, or just afraid of wielding them. So, relating to his young age back then, he chose a slingshot. And Annie only got a shield to stand on the defence while Nero advanced.
Before leaving, Zy told Nero about what happened in Frosthaven. About the Necrot that killed Silvan Ferox and also the root of Lady Nadia's death.
The monster that killed her was the Necrot's summon. Without any notice, Zy then walked away. Nero implored him to stay with them, but he chose to be a lone adventurer in this world of ruins.
Nero clenched his fist. The damned Necrot, always pestering him over his years in Frosthaven, found nothing else to take from him... but Lady Nadia.
The one who, out of concern, took him in when he was at a very young age.
'God damn it!'
...
With the sword strapped behind him, Zy proceeded into a forest marked nearby on the map. The beast-taming manual said to gather ingredients first.
Base ingredients for pills should include potent herbs and rare minerals. But the last ingredient was the blood of the creature he wanted to ta. And also his own blood.
He could only gather the easy ingredients first before deciding on which beast to ta. One thing was certain: this place was teeming with creatures.
He plucked a bunch of crystal Soulroot herb from the forest. Then, he picked a golden-yellow flower called the Binding Lotus.
The manual said the ingredients were not that rare or hard to get. He was to alchemise a low-grade Bonding Pill.
After gathering, he moved on to purifying the herbs and flowers at a nearby river. The next stage, to decide which creature to ta, seed the most mind-boggling and risky.
All tars in here were creating low-grade pills, referencing the manual.
So, the rank of beast they would ta was the Elental Spirits, the fifth rank. Higher ranks include Greater Guardians, High Elders, Primordial Lords... and the strongest, Ancient Titans.
He had passed the first two stages. Ingredient gathering, and purification. The next and last stage was infusion.
He checked the manual again. It had information on Elental Spirit beasts. It listed their abilities, features, and weaknesses.
When in a group, Zy knew, taming creatures would not be that easy. Well, he was more concerned about the kind of beast that would be accompanying him for a very long ti.
The manual held a strong warning: taming wasn't about pills alone, but if the beast recognises one as a true tar.
He read about a turtle with a moss-covered, rocky shell. But its role turned Zy off - a defensive companion for tars who prioritise protection. Zy reminded himself: he was an aggressive fighter.
He often prioritised attack over defence. He lingered over the manual; he found so potential tas like a shadow rat. But his interest changed when he found the right one.
He smiled, excitent washing over him. 'The perfect candidate...'
Thus, he journeyed east to a valley said to be teeming with a kind of firefly-like insect.
The valley was wide and open. Cracked earth covered its floor. Hills made of grey clay surrounded it. So parts of the hills crumbled. Pale dust streaked down their sides.
The air was heavy with the scent of dry soil. It felt quiet and isolated until chirping sounds approached. Zy could see shadows running from two corners of the valley.
He stood resolute. He drew his sword from his back, clasping it into the dry earth. Then, at that mont, cricket species bugs rushed out from each corner. The chirping sounds amplified as they drew nearer.
Zy widened his palms. In a matter of five seconds, fireballs conjured to life, inches above his palms.
He smiled, as if enjoying sothing from this. Without warning, he shot the fireballs into the midst of the rushing bugs.
The attack hit a few bugs, shredding their thoraxes and antennae.
Zy imdiately retrieved the sword, dashing straight on. He could feel sothing pumping beneath his chest. It felt alive, and the strange fact was that he had the sa feeling. Excitent.
He bent his body as a bug lunged with its leg, the thorax evading him by inches. Before it escaped, Zy drove his sword straight through its body.
The creature's halved body dropped on the dry surface. He moved like air between attacks. Years of not practising nuanced his footwork.
As a matter of fact, he fell victim to two lunges at a ti. A shockwave lifted him, driving him backwards and slamming his body against the wall of the clay hill.
He fell flat on his stomach as he plumted back to the ground. He chuckled while coughing up dust, unaware of the particles escaping from his throat.
To see that the bugs were rushing at him with such killer instinct jolted him to pick up his sword and... dance with blades!
'Whispering Fang Style is my technique!'
He dropped his body towards a bug's attack; as he was about to get hit, he savoured its legs.
Then he halved its body as well. Blood splashed on his face, the cold feeling almost unsensable in this weather. But he seed to be more driven by the cold taste of blood.
What was going on over him?
His knees dragged on the floor beneath the attacks of three bugs at a ti. His pants at knee level shredded, biting sensations needling into his knees.
He halted, then sorsaulted backwards. He landed on a bug. He drove his sword into its back.
The bug snarled in agony. But it was the splash of blood for Zy again.
Blood soaked his pants as well, oozing from the open wound on his knee. He drove the blade out, jumping off it to savour the head of another, mid-air, by the swing of his sword.
His body thrashed on the ground. But he had taken down another one again.
Slash, slash, slash!!!
...
Zy jumped from a high spot. He landed on the ground, and a huge weight fell behind him, raising a cloud of dust.
Blood painted his face, and the sa liquid dripped down his blade. He panted while swallowing his saliva.
Regaining so of his energy, he turned to see one bug struggling to stand on its feet. He had left it alive to fulfil his mission. He walked closer, its two tres' height looming above him.
Deep down, he knew he wouldn't have survived if it had not been for his martial arts skills.
He halted before the bug. The manual said that Spark Bugs are the most dangerous, low-ranked beasts if they exist in a group.
Zy knew that now that he had taken down the rest, the injured one wasn't a threat any more. He retrieved the pouch from the ground. Then, he fetched the herbs, arranging them on the ground.
He rose to drive blood out of the creature. But at that mont, he held back. This was a beast he was taking as his companion, and slaying its other kind was a thing at first.
Instead of harming it again, he should show care so as to sustain their relationship for long... and also, let the bonding be successful.
He plucked a flower from the Soulroot, rubbing it against the bloodied part of the monster.
He took that as getting its blood after all. Then he fetched the dagger, slitting his palm right away. Blood trickled down to the herbs and flowers as he positioned his palm above them.
The creature moaned in agony. All Zy could do was move on to the next stage. He sat, legs crossed before the pile of ingredients, then shut his eyes.
Using his recent observation as an approach, he didn't take long to activate flas on his palm. The hum of magic filled the atmosphere. The flowers began to emit golden lights.
Blood separated from them, converging over the flowers into a round-shaped form. Zy kept the energy flowing.
The essence of the Soulroot liquefied. It flowed upward and swirled into the converged blood. Then, the Binding Lotus did the sa.
Without warning, a burst of crimson light illuminated Zy's focused expression.
He had added the final ingredient: more elental energy. The air crackled. The potion finally turned into a crystal pill. It was translucent, with golden-red veins running through it.
Zy opened his eyes. And he held it up to the light.
He smiled.
Without wasting ti, he rose and used the last bit of his remaining energy to drive the pill into the beast...
He completed it. The bonding....
Zy hiccuped in that sudden mont. Sothing popped inside him. His senses went numb, staring up at the sky.
He was looking at a place. His Soul Land, and this Spark Bug was inside it.
The bug swirled with golden light. Its wounds closed up.
Zy felt himself again.
But as he turned his head down...
... he heard a voice in his head.
'I will fight by your side forever, tar...'
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