"Don't panic. This might be its final outburst, or just its last gasp," Rhodes said, trying to sound hopeful. "Let's hold out a little longer. Maybe it'll burn out before we do."
The Scuttle Crab darted wildly across the canyon floor, carrying Rhodes and Cana on its back. But the tremors underfoot and boulders rolling from the crumbling cliffs made escape treacherous.
Cana gritted her teeth and used the last of her magic power to hurl a few enchanted cards. They detonated in flashes of light, striking the beast in its mouth, nostrils, and open wounds.
The monster howled in pain. It looked battered, venom staining its face, a broken horn, cracked scales, missing teeth, and one eye swollen shut, but it only seed to grow more furious.
Its tail smashed the ground repeatedly, sending shockwaves through the earth. Two mountains ahead trembled and collapsed, spilling a cascade of stone from every direction.
If it weren't for the Scuttle Crab's full-range vision, dodging the chaos would've been impossible.
Even so, the rumbling ground ssed with its balance. A boulder the size of a barrel struck one of its legs.
"Take over—Raptor Form!"
Rhodes' legs transford into powerful bird talons. He grabbed Cana by the shoulders and soared upward with a flap of his wings.
The unicorn monster roared and hurled a massive rock after them.
As it vanished from the field, the Scuttle Crab sent one last snapshot of the terrain, allowing Rhodes to dodge two incoming strikes from behind.
Wings beating fast, Rhodes carried Cana through the air while the monster chased them below, still managing to fling stones their way despite its wounds.
"No," Cana murmured, her expression clouded with despair. She felt the bitter sting of failure looming once again.
"I..." Rhodes hesitated. "There are two options left."
Cana looked up, desperate. "Tell . What can we do?"
"First option: we find a place to hide and stall for ti. If we can hold out until dusk, I might have just enough magic left to summon the Brambleback. With its strength, even this unicorn might—"
"No." Cana imdiately shook her head. "You're already at your limit. Pushing yourself any further could cause lasting damage to your magic circuits."
It wasn't a life-or-death battle. It was her S-Class exam. And while it mattered greatly to her, it wasn't worth risking Rhodes' future.
Rhodes nodded slowly. He'd expected her answer.
"The second option is, I try to Take over it."
Cana's eyes widened, and she objected even more fiercely. "No! Rhodes, that's way too dangerous!"
"An enraged beast is hard enough to contain under normal circumstances. You're a genius with Take Over magic, sure, but not like this. Not while you're exhausted. If you lose control..."
The thought of him ending up like Elfman, that out-of-control transformation from years ago, sent a chill down her spine.
Elfman had been lucky to recover. But Rhodes might not be.
Cana's voice trembled. "I won't let you risk that. I'd rather fail this exam."
Rhodes didn't answer imdiately.
Even without her saying it outright, he could tell just how much this exam ant to her.
As long as there was still a chance, Rhodes didn't want to give up.
It wasn't the safest idea, but, with Master Makarov and Erza watching their backs, the situation couldn't spiral too far out of control.
Whoosh—Bang!
A crimson flare soared into the sky, bursting into a radiant bloom of red light.
"Cana?"
"That's enough, Rhodes." Cana lowered her head, her voice soft and trembling. "You've done more than enough. It's ... I'm just not strong enough. I don't deserve it."
Tears slid silently down Cana's cheeks and fell onto the battered head of the unicorn monster below.
The creature blinked up at her, just in ti to see a figure clad in dark armor descend from above.
"Requip: Black Wing Armor!"
Firing a flare during the exam ant forfeiting the test. The mission would now fall to Erza.
Rhodes carried Cana to an open area nearby and gently set her down.
She dropped to her knees, one hand supporting her weight, the other pounding the earth in frustration.
Tears stread down her face. She tried to stifle her sobs, but within monts, she broke down and cried openly.
Rhodes stood silently beside her, unsure of what to say. Behind them, Erza landed gracefully after a flurry of sword swings, and the rampaging unicorn finally collapsed to the ground with a guttural roar of defeat.
Three days later.
The frenzy over the S-Class Wizard Promotion Exam had died down.
Warren, who had sulked for an entire day after failing to pass, had perked up and was now joking around with Max again.
Mickey hadn't taken the outco well either, she'd been challenging guildmates to sparring matches for two days straight, clearly using combat to blow off steam.
Master Makarov himself wasn't in the best mood either. He had just returned from a disciplinary eting at the Council's local branch.
Apparently, the S-Class Exam had caused extensive environntal damage, and to make matters worse, the battle with the unicorn monster had sent shockwaves as far as the Clover Bridge, terrifying passing passengers on a nearby train.
Naturally, the clever old man blad it all on the unicorn.
The Magic Council, understanding the threat level and destructive power of such a creature, ultimately let the matter go. They acknowledged the necessity of neutralizing the monster... but they didn't hand out any comndations either.
Master Makarov finally felt a bit of relief. He'd managed to avoid having to submit a formal written apology to the Magic Council, and for that alone, he considered it a win.
But the ones who were left feeling the heaviest were Cana and Rhodes.
Cana had been drowning herself in booze ever since the exam ended, no one was sure if she'd even been sober for an hour over the past three days.
As for Rhodes, he'd barely left his house. Whenever he did co to the guild, he completed his assignnts, trained hard, and disappeared into so quiet corner to rest. He avoided talking to others if he could help it.
Today, as he tried to sneak off again, soone gently tugged at the back of his shirt.
Turning around, he saw Mira's concerned face.
Rhodes avoided eting her gaze and forced a half-smile. "What's up? Oh, do you need help registering a mission? I was just gonna—"
Mira didn't acknowledge his excuse. Instead, she softly asked, "Will you sit with for a bit?"
Rhodes paused for a mont, then gave a small nod.
Mira smiled gently, took his wrist, and guided him to a seat at the front counter.
She didn't say anything right away. Instead, she poured two drinks, setting one in front of each of them. Then, she slid her stool a bit closer to him, smoothed out her skirt, and sat down.
Their elbows bumped on the table. Both of them shifted slightly, pulling back a few centiters like awkward school kids sharing a desk, maintaining a delicate "no-touch" border between them.
"Mira," Rhodes started hesitantly, unsure of what to say.
Mira smiled and interrupted kindly, "Try the drink first. It's a new recipe Mr. Cook's been working on."
"Alright." Rhodes took a sip. The first taste was tart, but it quickly gave way to a wave of sweetness that filled his mouth.
"What do you think?"
"Tastes a bit like sea buckthorn juice, but it's really sweet."
"That's because they added sugar and so other flavorings. Just a bit of the sea buckthorn's sourness was left behind." Mira took a sip herself, closing her eyes as if savoring it.
"Sea buckthorn's still in season, so I stocked up. I had Mr. Cook try turning them into drinks."
Rhodes humd in approval. "It's nice."
"Speaking of which, on the way to the market the other day..."
Mira didn't wait for his response. She simply kept talking, cheerfully recounting things that had happened at the guild while Rhodes was away, or what she ran into while out and about.
Rhodes sat there, listening. Every story was mundane: who bickered with who, who picked a fight, which shop raised its prices, which vendor she managed to haggle down...
Mira clearly knew why Rhodes was in a slump, but she never once brought up the exam.
Instead, she just filled the space with her warm presence and light chatter—little, ordinary things that made the world feel less heavy.
She laughed as she spoke, sotis throwing in a wink or a smirk, and gradually, Rhodes felt his heart settle.
He slowly drank from his cup, the sweet-and-sour flavor sohow more comforting now than before. Through Mira's stories, he looked at the guild with fresh eyes—like seeing its heartbeat through her words.
Eventually, his cup was empty. Without a word, Mira pushed hers toward him.
Rhodes blinked, surprised.
Mira turned her head away, pretending not to notice. "It's way too sweet. If I drink the whole thing, I'll just get fat."
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