by Andrew Rowe
They both accepted my offer. The three of us would make a great team.
And, as likely as it sounded, I found myself excited about going to the ball once again.
But first?
I had more final exams to deal with, and they weren’t going to be easy.
Chapter XIII – Third Time is the Charm
Four of us waited outside the testing facility for our next exam — our third and final chance at the simulated spire.
Jin was the last to arrive. He walked over without any sign of injuries, wearing his characteristic coat over an otherwise ordinary school uniform.
I was still nervous about allowing him to work with us, even after the conversations we’d had.
Is he going to try to use the test for a chance to kill us? Could he make it look like an accident?
I sincerely doubted both, which was the only reason I’d agreed to let him stay on the team. We were being closely monitored, and Jin had made it clear he didn’t hold a grudge.
But that was the thing about irrational fears — you couldn’t just tell them to go away and expect it to work. Trying to actively dispel my fears just expanded them, until I was picturing dozens of possible scenarios for Jin’s betrayal.
The rest of the group looked tense, too...except for Patrick. He just walked over and grabbed Jin in a hug. “Glad to see you’re out of the hospital! C’mon, we were just talking about our strategy.”
We weren’t.
We’d planned the general strategy weeks ago, and confirmed it days before.
But that little lie was enough to get everyone focused on the subject at hand. We’d need to fill Jin in, and accommodate him now that we were sure he’d be joining us. He’d asked to, of course, but we hadn’t wanted to count on it until we actually saw him. I couldn’t trust anything he said at this point.
“Corin,” Patrick gestured to me. “Want to catch Jin up?”
With Sera still having difficulty talking, it had fallen to me to serve as the de-facto leader of our group. I wasn’t entirely comfortable with it, but as long as it was a temporary measure, I could deal with it.
I nodded to Patrick, then turned to Jin. “All right, here’s the plan...”
***
We began the test.
The room I was teleported into was pitch black.
I activated my attunement.
At Carnelian level, I had a clearer sense of everything around me, even in the dark. I still couldn’t see clearly — it didn’t give me night vision — but the colors of the images around me were crisper and easier to discern.
We were in the same room I’d started in the very first time.
I’d assumed that was probably the case from the darkness, but I also known that the test could have been changed for our third attempt. We could have ended up with a different challenge entirely.
It was fortunate I’d ended up here, rather than in the other room or a completely new one. That meant less logistical awkwardness and time wasted on switching groups using the return bells.
I wasn’t going to assume everything was unchanged just from one initial indication, but I figured my next action was probably safe.
I sent a spark of mana into the first of three magical items I’d prepared specifically for this exam — a lantern.
The lantern flickered to life, an orb of flame appearing within and casting a glow across the room.
I nodded to Jin, who was at my right side.
He raised his monocle over an eye and scanned the room. I’d made him the item earlier in the year, but I hadn’t actually seen him use it here — he’d been paired with someone else last time.
“There.” He pointed.
I drew the sword on my hip and slashed in the direction he’d pointed. With a hint of mana applied to the transference aura around the blade, I sent a shockwave of force across the room, toward a seemingly empty spot in the back corner.
The furious howl that came in response confirmed Jin’s words.
The creature appeared as it charged into the light, a wolf-like beast with vicious spiked tendrils protruding from its back.
Months ago, the sight of this thing had been terrifying.
By now? It was merely routine.
I side-stepped a spiked tendril and slashed it apart, then stepped in with a jab. The creature reacted quickly, hopping out of my attack range, only to take a bullet to the side from one of Jin’s revolvers.
The noise of the gunshot startled me in spite of expecting it — even with the runes I’d etched into the guns, they were still pretty loud.
Fortunately, the creature failed to take advantage of the opening, opting to turn to run instead. I swiped at the air again, and a shockwave slammed into the creature’s back, leaving a wide cut. Jin fired two more shots, hitting once, before it dematerialized and fled into the wall.
“Resh. Wish we’d killed it outright.” I glanced at the walks cautiously, knowing it could emerge from anywhere now that it was in an incorporeal state.
Jin holstered his pistol. “It’s not a major threat. Stick with the plan. I will watch for it while I work.”
I nodded, walking over to a wall and lighting one of the torches with a burst of mental mana. That extra light would help keep the beast at bay, and it was the first part of completing the room’s central puzzle — unlocking a cage that contained a fountain near the center.
In the fountain was a key, which could be used to unlock the next room.
Thus far, nothing appeared to have changed, and thus, I suspected the solution to the puzzle remained — there were six torches, each with a rune etched beneath them. The runes came in three sets. The solution was to use three different types of mana to light the torches; a different type for each rune set.
Mental mana couldn’t actually ignite anything, of course — we’d figured out that all we had to do was channel a little bit of mana of any type other than gray into the torch and it would light itself.
I lit the matching torch just before the beast lunged at Jin from behind.
“Look—”
Jin kicked backward, catching the beast in the face. Then he spun, ducked, and grabbed it by the neck.
The beast thrashed, spines flying toward his face, but Jin picked it up and slammed it against the ground, then laid his knee across its neck. While I closed with sword in hand, Jin drew a knife and jammed it into the creature’s chest, dragging it downward.
The monster stilled.
“That was...quick.” I blinked at him.
“Been practicing.” Jin gave me a sly grin, then flipped his knife back into a concealed sheath inside his coat. “And I don’t have to hide my strength from you anymore.”
That was true. I hadn’t been paying much attention, but he was burning with his full Sunstone aura. He’d always suppressed his true strength before our fight, but presumably the academy staff already knew about it, and...well, I obviously knew now, too.
I wish I’d learned under better circumstances.
“C’mon. Hard part is over. Let’s get the rest.” He pointed at the torches.
We each picked another one of the remaining pairs and lit them. I used transference mana. I wasn’t sure what type he was using...probably perception?
Either way, we got all the torches lit. The iron cage lifted away, and the fountain in the center was revealed, allowing us to approach and access the key in the water.
The “water” was acid, of course. I hadn’t forgotten that.
Previously, we’d frozen the water, either with Selys-Lyann or Sera’s skills. I was banned from using Selys-Lyann after nearly killing myself with it, so that was out. Sera probably could have frozen it, but we’d decided conserving her mana was a priority.
I had a much simpler solution. I handed Jin the torch, and brought out a small rod, similar to a dueling cane.
I pressed the rune on the cane. The key shook, then flew toward the end of the rod.
Magnetism was a form of metal magic, usual
ly restricted to people with the Forgemaster attunement in Caelford.
There were, however, a few others who could use it.
Keras was one of them, but he couldn’t help me enchant items without risking breaking them.
Fortunately, I had found another option — Tavare, one of Derek’s summoned monsters. It took some convincing to get Derek to summon them to help me with an enchantment, but it was very worth it.
With the key stuck to the end of the rod, I stepped back, avoiding the cage as it fell back to the ground.
“Easy.” I remarked.
“Indeed.” Jin agreed.
The tip of the rod was sizzling. “Oh, ack. Acid on the key.”
I deactivated the magnet function, letting the key drop to the floor. Fortunately, the rod didn’t seem badly damaged.
“Okay, we’ll need to move the key without touching it.” I knelt down next to it.
“Should have kept your gauntlet for that.”
I shook my head. “Don’t need it. I’ve picked up a few new tricks.”
I pulled just a bit of transference mana into my hand, then released it, blasting the key forward.
“Hmpf. Not bad. Can you get it into the keyhole that way?”
I shook my head. “No, but I can get it close enough and pick it back up with the rod for just a second.”
The rod’s tip was burned, but not badly enough that I was overly concerned. We were probably dispersing any remaining acid on the key just by moving it around, too.
I pushed the key over to the door to what I was affectionately calling the “Tyrant Room”. I knew from past experience that it contained a long hall lined by magical vines, and a majestic carpeted floor leading down the center toward a throne.
On the throne was a crown.
Picking up that crown would summon an illusion of the Tyrant in Gold.
I rubbed my face, remembering where he’d punched me in the face. Thanks, Professor Orden. Your teaching methods are second to none.
I shook my head, raising the key to the door using the rod, and opened it.
We’d planned for this, too.
The door opened, revealing exactly the room we’d expected.
There was one problem —
The Tyrant was already there.
Nine feet tall and armored in golden mail, he carried a gilded two-handed sword, which had been lying hidden in the vines last time we’d visited the room.
I’d seen something else shimmering in the vines, too, which I’d presumed to be a hidden key. The plan had been to use the magnetic rod to pull the key out of the room and avoid the crown entirely.
This was, of course, no longer possible.
I backed away immediately.
“Ah, the young swordsman has returned. Do you intend to fight me without the benefit of your winged friend this time?”
I frowned. Professor Orden had been the one running the test last time, hadn’t she?
Who else knew about what I’d done last time?
...Was the Tyrant here a summoned monster, rather than an illusion? If that was the case, perhaps his knowledge would have persisted...
But it was more likely there was just more than one teacher observing and running each test. This was probably an illusion, just like the others.
I couldn’t let his taunts intimidate me.
“I’m afraid I won’t be challenging you today. Just here for the key, no need to scuff your armor.” I glanced around the room while I talked, hoping a bit of chatter would buy me time.
That glimmer I’d seen in the vines was gone.
I saw why a moment later, when the Tyrant raised his left hand. “Regrettably, the key is already in my possession.”
“Is it?” I pointed the magnetic rod at the key and turned it on.
The key flew out of his hand.
The Tyrant stared blankly at us for a moment. “That was rude.”
I nodded. “Yeah, we’re like that.” I tossed the rod, key and all, to Jin. “Try that on the box.”
He caught the rod and headed toward the back of the room, where we’d found a container we’d never been able to open.
The Tyrant took his sword in both hands and stepped forward. “That belonged to me.”
I drew my sword again, taking a traditional fencing stance. “You seem to think a lot of things belong to you.” I gestured with my sword at the crown he was now wearing above his mask. “At least you’ve got the crown. Isn’t that good enough?”
The Tyrant shook his head. “Of course not. Everything belongs to me. I’ll show you why.”
The Tyrant charged.
I slashed the air, sending a shockwave in his direction, but he cut the shockwave in half with a swing of his own. Then he was in swinging range, taking a huge sweep at my midsection.
I backed off.
Jin calmly said, “It doesn’t fit,” as if I wasn’t currently in the middle of battling against a seven-foot tall illusory deity.
“Okay, little help, then?” The Tyrant’s next swing connected with my blade, battering it to the side with incredible force. Then he released one hand to throw a punch at my face.
Not again.
I ducked, lashing out with a punch of my own, charged with transference mana. It only blasted him back a few inches, but that was just enough to make his next swing miss.
I took advantage of that, swiping my blade upward and connecting with his chin.
The blade deflected harmlessly off his steel mask, just as I’d feared.
Then he was swinging again, with enough force to cut me in half.
Move.
I activated the ring of jumping, blasting myself out of the way. The Tyrant’s blade hit the stone where I’d just been standing, and I hit him with a shockwave of force from the side.
He barely even seemed to notice it. His armor was unmarked.
Then Jin shot him in the back of the head.
I heard the ring of metal as I suddenly remembered that Jin was there, and the Tyrant fell forward a step.
Jin’s attunement was preventing both the Tyrant and me from noticing him sneaking up, I realized. Nice.
I couldn’t be too congratulatory, though, because the Tyrant backhanded Jin a moment later.
The Tyrant was still moving, and from what I could see when he spun around to swing his sword at Jin, he was probably unhurt.
This is ridiculous. We can’t beat him in a straight fight.
“Keep him busy!” I shouted.
I heard the sounds of gunfire pinging against metal in response.
I rushed for where Jin had dropped the key next to the box.
Should I keep trying to open the box and hope there’s something useful inside?
No, that could take ages for something that may be unrelated.
I picked up the key and rushed to the other door: the one leading to the fire statues.
I set the key in the lock. It fit. I didn’t turn it.
“Hey! Over here!” I blasted the Tyrant from behind.
“You fight without honor. I am quite disappointed.” He turned, ignoring Jin for the moment, to walk in my direction.
“You know, my father says the same thing all the time.” I waited for the Tyrant to get right in front of me — and thus, in front of the door. “So this is going to be cathartic.”
I turned the key, then immediately activated the ring of jumping to push myself out of the way.
The door opened.
The fire statues inside fired out a blast of incinerating flame, enveloping the Tyrant completely.
It was the same way Jin had been annihilated in the first test. Those flames were a powerful trap.
When the flames subsided, however, the Tyrant still stood.
“You are a fool if you think that—”
Jin hurled a knife.
It pieced the Tyrant right in the center of the chest, through his armor.
The Tyrant lifted a hand to the knife, mumbling in disbelief. “How...?”
Jin’s second knife lodged in the Tyrant’s skull, just below the crown.
The Tyrant fell to a knee, his greatsword slipping from his fingers.
“Finish it, then.”
I raised a hand for Jin to wait, then walked closer to our injured enemy. “One thing first.”
The Tyrant turned his masked face toward me, but remained silent.
“This is for breaking my favorite nose.” I grabbed the crown off his head, then slammed the pommel of my sword into the knife that was already embedded in his forehead.
His head snapped back and he crumpled to the ground.
I kicked him one more time for good measure, then sheathed my sword.
I sat the crown on my head, then turned to Jin. “So, you want the greatsword?”
“A little gaudy for my tastes, but it might be useful.” He stepped over and picked up the huge weapon. “Surprisingly light. Shall I try it on the box, Sire?”
I shook my now magnificently adorned head. “Nay, good Sir Jin. Perhaps I should take a look at the runes, now that I’m a bit better versed with them.”
I inspected the box. After deciphering the runes, I came to a sad conclusion.
“It would appear that my time as a monarch has come to a swift end.” I took off the crown, rotated it, and found a rune on the back.
I pressed the rune to a matching one on the box.
The crown vanished, and the box clicked open.
“Tragic,” Jin muttered, completely deadpan.
Inside the box, I found another key — this one colored red. “This is probably for the flame room.”
Jin retrieved his knives from the Tyrant’s corpse. “Shall I fetch Sera, then?”
I nodded.
Jin rang the return bell and vanished.
Before Sera appeared, I heard a crashing noise coming from the direction of the Tyrant’s room...followed by a roar loud enough that it caused me to tremble.
I took a defensive stance, looking in that room’s direction, but there was no monster in evidence.
Just the room — and one wall in the back that was glowing under my attuned sight.
The false wall.
I’d remembered that it existed, but I hadn’t planned to make it a priority to investigate unless we couldn’t find the solutions within the Tyrant’s room. With the Tyrant beaten, it had seemed irrelevant, except...