Symphonic Odyssey

Havanna bowed slightly to him and he impatiently waved his hand at her gesture. “Yes yes, that is all fine and well. I do not have time for worthless pleasantries so let us begin already. I am eager to get to my accommodations and relax.”

Eiden wasted no time in issuing his command and Havana looked at him annoyed for a moment before hiding the expression just as Velruud had.

‘It seems the people of the academy are quite skilled at concealing their true feelings,‘ Cypher thought to himself, returning to stand at the door with Velruud who remained silent.

Havana then nodded and clapped her hands. Two Zightbeasts suddenly appeared in gouts of green flames on either side of her, and she stepped aside.

“As you wish my lord. Please draw your weapon and defeat these two creatures. The first trial will begin as soon as you are ready.” The beasts that had appeared were both quite imposing but stood still with blank expressions.

One was a strange creature with blue skin. It was a head taller than Eiden and its face looked like a mix between that of a man and a rat. One of its floppy ears hung over its right eye and fanged teeth could be seen sprouting up from its lower jaw. It was thin and lanky, but muscular, and wore only a loincloth along with an orange ankle bracelet. An axe was held in its left hand and a small round shield in the other. A goblin perhaps? Or maybe something else?

The second beast was one that surprised Cypher. It was a bear cub, that much was certain as it barely stood as tall as the other creature. However, the more shocking aspect of its visage was that it looked… dead. Most of its body was only bone, however, there were bits of grey decomposing fur, muscle, and flesh hanging from them. Its rib cage was completely covered in rotting meat as were its two front paws and right hind leg, which had a bracelet similar to the one the blue creature wore locked around it near its hip.

The two were beasts Cypher had never seen before and he wondered how strong they were but could not tell from this distance. Though, from what he could see they only appeared to be in the lower tier of the first rank.

“What kind of challenge is this?” asked Eiden arrogantly. “This is supposed to be the most illustrious academy in all the world and yet you pit me against a pathetic kobold and an undead bear cub? Surely this isn’t the best you can offer me? If I must prove myself couldn’t it be against more powerful opponents? Would that not be a better showcase of my abilities?”

Havana only offered a thin smile and stretched out a hand as she repeated herself, “Please draw your weapon and defeat these two creatures.”

Eiden scoffed but did as he was asked. He stood before them and casually drew his sword, a smug look upon his face. He settled down into a battle stance and the moment he did, the two creatures animated and began to attack him.

A green ring appeared on the floor around Eiden and his opponents, and the two beasts seemed to ignore everyone outside of it. Eiden began his assault by kicking the kobold in the chest with a grunt, which sent it flying to the edge of the circle where it crumpled against an unseen barrier. It collapsed in a heap with a few of its ribs shattered.

The skeletal bear charged the young heir and he sidestepped it and sliced the creature in two. It stumbled and slid to another edge and Eiden turned his attention back to the kobold that had just stood back up.

The beast screeched and ran at Eiden with its axe held high. The two clashed for a moment and each was deflecting the other’s blows. Eiden held a smug look on his face and didn’t seem to be challenged in the slightest as he flourished his blade and parried an attack from the kobold. He sent the axe flying from its grip and then delivered a horizontal attack that severed the beast’s head.

“Really? Is this the best the academy has to offer? My worthless servant over there would prove more of a challenge than these-” He was cut off as the skeletal bear charged at him again with a roar. It had reformed its lower half and seemed to move faster than it had in its first attack. As for its lower half, it began to melt and smolder as a grey fog began to fill the area Eiden was fighting in.

Eiden sidestepped it again and tried to cut it in half once more, but his blade bounced off the spine of the creature and it slid to a stop and turned to swipe at him. He barely had enough time to block the attack and it sent him to one knee. He jumped back, confused, and was about to leap forward to attack again when the kobold swung its axe at his waist.

He barely dodged the attack and was thrown off balance. He rolled across the ground and back into a ready stance, opposite the two creatures once again. It seemed that his victory would not be so simple.

“What is the meaning of this? I killed that kobold already. Are you trying to cheat me by having me fight immortal creatures?” Havana shook her head and remained silent as the two attacked the heir once again.

He quickly managed to sever the head of the bear and vertically split the kobold in half down the middle of its body. However, before their corpses hit the ground a blueish smoke enveloped their bodies, and they reformed in one piece.

Eiden looked annoyed this time. Having seen their recovery first hand he grunted in frustration and leapt towards the pair again. Again the two appeared to get stronger and faster than they had been before. Eiden attempted to cut them apart, only to find that his sword could only leave deep cuts on the kobold, and the skeletal bear remained unharmed.

This battle continued like that for a few minutes. Each time Eiden would slay the beasts, they would reform and attack him again stronger than before. Eiden’s smug smile had vanished and sweat was starting to gather on his brow.

After slaying the beasts six times they stood again and each roared, their bracelets shining brightly. Horns grew out from the kobold’s head as its muscles expanded, and the skeletal bear seemed to double in size.

Now they only came at Eiden one at a time. First, the kobold struck and Eiden stumbled as its axe slammed against his sword. He struggled with the beast and barely managed to disengage and leap back. At that point, the kobold stood still and the bear rushed forwards.

Eiden held a look of panic and dodged the reckless charge of the creature. He sliced at it but his sword simply clipped its side and slid down to crash against the bracelet on its hip.

The orange ring shattered and the beast collapsed to the ground before returning to its original size. He swung his blade and decapitated it. At last, the beast remained on the ground and did not stir.

Understanding seemed to light up Eiden’s eyes then and he turned just in time to catch the kobold swinging at him. He parried the attack and swung his sword under the beast’s legs catching it off guard. It hit the ground hard and landed on its back.

Eiden wasted no time and chopped off the kobold’s leg just above the orange bracelet, and then slammed the pommel of his sword against the ring, shattering it. The beast wobbled to its feet and limped towards Eiden, but he simply cut it in two once more.

At last, the two beasts were dead and their bodies disappeared in a puff of smoke. The green ring on the ground around Eiden faded away and he stood leaning on his sword, a triumphant look upon his weary face.

Twenty minutes had passed at that point and Havana stepped forward. “It took you a while to discover the source of their strength but in the end, you managed to kill them before they reached the second rank. Well done.” She bowed slightly, but Eiden scowled at her.

“You didn’t tell me they would get stronger! I could have been killed if I hadn’t figured out what was going on.” Eiden hissed. Havana simply looked at him, a peculiar emotion shining in her eyes.

“What kind of test would it be if we gave you the answers? You see, this is a controlled environment, my lord. There was no chance that you would have been killed. Had you allowed them to reach the second rank or been about to receive a fatal blow, the test would have simply ended.”

Eiden looked at her with disdain and simply grunted as he sheathed his sword. “Are we done? Is that it?”

Havana’s eye twitched ever so slightly and she shook her head. “That was merely the combat portion of the test, now we will move on to evaluating the other aspects of your mental abilities.”

Eiden began to grumble a complaint, but thought better of it and instead looked towards Velruud, “You there, butler! Fetch me some water will you? I am thirsty after my battle and wish to drink before anything else.”

The butler simply stood silent and still, but Cypher could feel a cold aura flowing from him. After a moment, he turned and exited through a doorway to the left of where he had been standing. He returned a moment later with a pitcher and a goblet in his hands.

“Good, now bastard, prove your worth and bring me something to drink!” Velruud looked puzzled but handed the items to Cypher, who reluctantly took them and did as he was asked.

After the heir had finished drinking, Havana loudly cleared her throat and continued speaking, “If you are satisfied, we shall continue with the test.” She waved her hand and two chairs appeared. They each sat in one and she pulled a small clipboard from somewhere Cypher could not see.

After a moment, Velruud touched his fingers to his temple and closed his eyes. He then excused himself from the three and left through the door they had entered from. Eiden paid him no mind but Cypher watched as the butler left and stared at the door for a moment after it had closed behind him.

He turned his attention back to Havana and Eiden after a moment. Havana proceeded to ask him various questions and he answered with obvious impatience at the simple ones and restrained frustration at the more difficult ones. For thirty minutes she continued with the line of inquiries, never revealing if his answers were correct or not.

Finally, she finished and after scratching some notes into her clipboard, she stood and looked at Velruud who had just returned. “You may guide our applicant to the next stage of the test. I am finished with him. As for you my lord, your points here will be calculated and added to your score in the next stage. Simply follow Velruud and he shall guide you.”

With that, she stood, offered a weak bow, and exited the room from the door she had first entered.