Blood in the Deser

by Sophia Schmidt

  The shaman smiled, pressing forward and ready to crush her skull like a melon.

  "Joruna Harti!"

  Quylla's ice spears pierced the ogre from all side. Blood instantly gurgled from its mouth while its knees hit the ground, having no more strength to stand.

  Lith felt flattered, the spell closely resembled his Checkmate Spears.

  "In-foi!" The shaman weaved his staff one last time, unwilling to die alone.

  Alas, Yurial had already completed a very small array that negated fire magic. He had prepared it since the moment he had noticed that one of the enemies was crazy enough to use fire magic inside the corridor.

  The shaman looked at his staff with a dumbfounded expression, the pain from the betrayal of its only true friend showed on his rough visage.

  Friya expressed her condolences by piercing its head in one fluid motion.

  The group was about to celebrate, when something else walked past the corner.

  It looked like an alligator, but it was humanoid. It stood on two legs, at least 2.5 metres (8'2") high not considering the tail.

  It wore a belt to which were hanged several trinkets, while his hands wielded a double headed axe and a hammer axe respectively. It was chewing what seemed to be an ogre's still bleeding thigh.

  It stared at them with a playful look, before taking the thigh out of its mouth and saying:

  "Ah, fresh meat!"

  Chapter 178 Scheming

  White Griffon academy, Headmaster Linjos' office.

  From his desk, Linjos was examining the data coming through the academy's magical network. Barely more than a day had passed, yet the number of groups taking part in the test was almost halved.

  It was way worse than he had predicted, but looking at the reports of his subordinates he couldn't doubt that his method was the right choice.

  "Professor Trasque is right, too many students have no combat experience, I need to invest more manpower and funds in the 'Theory of Combat Magic' classes. The mock exam helped the students only so far.

  "The scenario was too simple, and without any real injury many of them underestimated the risks. Next year I have to introduce humanoid monsters earlier and make the Professors let students get hurt a bit, or I'll be back at square one."¨C He thought.

  His communication amulet drew his attention and so did the rune glowing because of the incoming call. Linjos could not help but shiver whenever the Queen called him.

  "Your Majesty, to what do I owe the honour of this call?" He stood up, giving her a deep bow.

  "Linjos, what's the meaning of these numbers? Are you really going to flunk two thirds of the fourth year students?" Queen Sylpha ignored etiquette, neither using his title or giving him even a nod of the head in response.

  Her voice wasn't angry as much as worried.

  "The answer to your second question is no." He replied with a firm tone.

  "The first one though, is a complicated question and requires a complex answer. I require your permission to speak freely."

  "Granted." Sylpha nodded with no hesitation.

  "The numbers tell us that two thirds of the students are cowards, ill prepared for combat, cheaters or all of the above. Twenty percent gave up as soon as they knew their lives would be at risk.

  "Such mages cannot be rated over B, because those who consider themselves to have too much to lose can be easily intimidated or convinced to switch sides. Entrusting them with vital information or missions would backfire, since they would rather give up than fight and risk dying.

  "Another twenty percent either froze at the sight of blood or refused to denounce their oppressors, despite the clear intention of using them as meat shields. Both types are useless assets. The first are unsuited for combat, the seconds are spineless cowards.

  "The last twenty percent are those who attempted to bribe or threaten their supervisors to get protection and a safe way out of the dungeon. Their behaviour speaks for itself.

  "I don't plan on flunking them all, there is always the third test and the next year to prove themselves better than this. My aim is only to give them a glimpse of real life. Too many of these young master and ladies, except a few deviants, have never dirtied their hands, always delegating to their retainers.

  "The problem with the previous teaching methods is that they emphasized theory and memorization over practicality. In fact, the mortality rate of the graduates is always very high, no matter the academy they come from.

  "The old methods created mostly parlour magicians, good only to attend social events and flaunt their superior instruction. Mine will instead separate the wheat from the chaff. It's not the destination that matters, but only what they learn during the journey."

  The Queen pondered for a while before agreeing with him.

  ***

  Lukart Household, Archmage Lukart's private quarters. Before the second exam started.

  "Are you sure everything is set up properly?" Lukart asked.

  "I am not sure about anything at this point." The voice from his communication amulet replied.

  "After the mess you made during the plague, Linjos doesn't trust anyone. He used fifth year students instead of Professors as supervisors, cutting us off from most of the preparations for the second exam."

  "I'm tired of your excuses, Yurial Deirus has to die or we are both finished. His father is onto me, it's only a matter of time before he corners me for good. With Yurial's death, not only will Deirus be forced to focus on finding a replacement, but it also will divert his attention to Linjos, holding him accountable."

  "And I am sick of your madness!" The voice retorted, burning with anger.

  "I have no way to know what path Yurial's group will take, nor the ability to prevent his supervisor from using the bracelet Linjos provided to return to the main hall in case of danger or heavy injuries.

  You have to pray to your ancestors that he meets creatures strong enough to slaughter his group before his supervisor can intervene."

  The communication was cut off, leaving Lukart banging his head against his desk in desperation. Once again, he had to stake everything on dumb luck, hoping for the fifth year kid to be as unlucky as incompetent.

  ***

  Lith's mind accessed Soluspedia, instantly recognizing their new opponent from one of the academy's bestiaries. It was a Kroxy, a rare form that crocodiles and alligators could achieve after evolving into magical beasts.

  Instead of becoming just a bigger and smarter version of the original reptile, capable of using water and earth magic, a Kroxy would develop a humanoid physiology gaining the ability to use weapons.

  Lith stepped forward, ready to intervene. Linjos had warned him about the dungeon's wild and unpredictable environment. The test was all about the ability to overcome the trauma of the first kill of a humanoid being.

  The weak and magicless goblins were just an appetizer, followed by the much stronger and dangerous ogres, that yet used fake magic too, making them an opponent Phloria's group could still face.

  "A rare magical beast capable of using true magic though, isn't something on their league. Heck, maybe is even above mine." Lith thought.

  "In such a humid environment while being surrounded by rocks, there isn't much I can do. Even going all out with fusion magic is useless. That thing weighs at least half a ton, even with my enhanced strength it can swat me like a fly."

  "Not to mention its bright cyan mana core." Solus pointed out.

  "It's control over the most abundant elements is far superior to yours. Please be careful."¨C

  Phloria was still recovering from the fireball, helped by Quylla. Yurial would never make it in time to cast another array, leaving Friya the only one ready to fight. Lith round up his friends erecting a barrier around them and took out Linjos' amulet.

  No exam was worth his life, Lith would never risk getting killed for a stupid reason like pride or a grade.

  The Kroxy though, didn't pay the group any further attention. Instead it kept col
lecting the ogres' corpses storing them in the dimensional amulets hanging from its belt.

  The ogres in the quicksand were still alive and when they saw the beast walking toward them, they screamed in terror. Ogres were much more similar to humans than goblins, their shrieks gave everyone goose bumps.

  The Kroxy walked over the quicksand like it was solid ground, needing only one hand to lift an ogre before biting its head off.

  "It's a pity I can't store them alive, I like my meals feisty."

  "It talks!" Despite still being stunned, Phloria couldn't keep herself from expressing her amazement.

  "I do. And I'm not a thing, rude hatchling. My name is Phillard."

  "This creature is not afraid of speaking in front of humans." Lith observed.

  "Either it's arrogant like Irtu and doesn't care, or it's benevolent like Ryman or Kalla."¨C

  "By the way, what are you doing down here?" Phillard continued.

  "More exactly, what the heck is going on? I mean, I'm not the type to look a gift steak in the bone, but usually there are no goblins, ogres or trolls in the dungeon, only humans. And you don't smell like enemies to me."

  "Smell?" Yurial asked, incapable of relaxing.

  "Yes, the Lord of the man-made mountain and the Lord of the forest have a deal. When the Lord of the mountain catches an intruder, after he is done with them, he gives his enemies two choices.

  A swift death or the dungeon, where they become our prey. You have no idea how many pick the dungeon, hoping to find a way out. And usually they do, it only takes up to five or six hours to get out of my a*s."

  Phillard emitted a gurgling laughter, drooling all over the ground.

  "But he usually marks them with a distinct smell to make it easy for us to distinguish them from his servants. Are you his servants?"

  The whole group nodded furiously as one.

  "If it's the truth and you are lost, just take the first left, the third right and then the second right after that corner and you'll find the door to the castle. Someone will open it for you.

  If you are lying, you'll be stuck here and I'll have you for dinner on my way back."

  No one dared to move, Lith kept the barrier on and the finger on the escape button until the Kroxy disappeared from their view, its steps fading away in the distance.

  Then, they started moving toward the exit, hoping for that to be their last hurdle.

  Chapter 179 The Real Deal

  The group followed the directions given by the Kroxy, updating their map along the way. At first they had been dubious if to trust its words, but after thinking about it for a while they decided it was worth giving it a shot.

  "If Phillard really wanted to harm us, he would have done it while we were at our weakest." Phloria pointed out, the other agreeing with her.

  "Gods, I still can't believe magical beasts can talk and reason just like us humans. If I had known that during the mock exam, I'm afraid I would have experienced the same hesitation I had at the start of the dungeon."

  Her words made the others think hard about their previous experience. Magical beasts were capable of using magic just like them, if not better, to fight tactically and to care for their teammates.

  "It's been really stupid of me ignoring all the facts and let prejudice guide my reasoning." Yurial thought. "Just because they have a different form, it doesn't mean they are incapable of having feelings.

  "I must talk about this matter with my father, he never mentioned this issue while discussing how to manage our grand duchy. Befriending them could be really profitable."¨C

  The further they progressed through the dungeon, the more crossroads they encountered. By using Life Vision, Lith could see that there were no more big life forms lurking in the other paths, just insects and what he hoped to be rats.

  "It seems that goblins and ogres were all we add to face." Lith thought. "It makes sense if Yurial is right and the purpose of the exam was imparting practical experience about fighting humans. Any more would just be plain cruel."¨C

  Lith knew he was right when after the last turn Linjos' amulet emitted a green glow, indicating that he was free from his role of supervisor, yet since they were still cautiously walking instead of being transported into the main hall, he was also wrong.

  "I think that the test has yet to end, it's just that my role has been changed from passive spectator to active player." He explained to the others making them even more nervous.

  Of all the reasons they could think of for allowing Lith to help them, not a single one did bode well.

  The last cave was a big one. The ceiling was over ten metres (33') high and the room was at least thirty metres (33 yards) long and twenty meters (22 yards) wide. On the other side of the cave there was visible a huge glowing door that seemed to be made of silver.

  There were three humanoid figures near the exit, and the light was too dim to distinguish their features. They were bigger than goblins but smaller than ogres and that alone normally would boost the group's confidence.

  It was the first time they outnumbered their opponents and they had also the element of surprise. Knowing Linjos though, they assumed that the last opponents were bound to be the strongest.

  "They have yet to notice us. We can snipe them all from here." Yurial whispered, after the group had retreated back in the previous tunnel.

  "I would love to." Phloria replied with a sigh. "Have you considered how devious Linjos is, though? What if those are other students and not enemies? What if they are waiting for the door to open or serving as bait to see how reckless we are?

  Maybe it's just an impulse control test. Linjos made Lith join our team to make us overconfident and rush things. Is anyone able to identify them?"

  At such distance and with so poor light, not even Lith could see much. According to Solus their physical condition was poor, and even if they had cyan cores, they hadn't much mana left.

  "I wish I could share this information with the others. Phloria is probably right, this is just another damn test."¨C Lith thought

  At Phloria's sign everyone activated a flying spell from their rings, to not make any noise while moving forward.

  The group spread out with Phoria, Friya and Lith on the first line, while Quylla and Yurial stayed in the rear. The spacing between them was enough to help each other if the necessity arose, but also allowed them to scatter in case of attack.

  Because of the cave's dimensions it was possible to use fire magic, also if their opponents were capable of using magic, a single fireball or even a lightning could take them all out at once if they kept walking in a single line.

  Soon they were close enough to recognize the three well dressed humans.

  Phloria felt really proud of herself and couldn't wait to boast in front of the others, when she and the other three received a pat on the shoulder with air magic from Lith, the convened sign for danger.

  When they turned to look at him, he was repeatedly tapping his nose.

  They suddenly remembered Phillard's words. Linjos' enemies were marked with a distinctive smell, and now they were close enough to be able to perceive it.

  Lith was able to see Phloria's expression freeze into a panicked one, while she and the others sweated bullets.

  "Phloria was right all along." Lith thought. "Those three are still part of the test, but she has underestimated Linjos. He isn't as devious as she believed, he is much worse. Linjos is testing their resolution and my self control at the same time.

  If I am right, they are allowed to kill, while I am not."¨C

  Quylla's line of thinking was very similar to Lith's, yet she was on the verge of tears.

  "How could I have ever thought that killing someone is cool when Friya told me about Lith's background check? I pictured him like a fairy tale hero, slaying monsters and criminals, but reality is different.

  Taking a life is terrible, it leaves a void in your heart like your very soul is withering. Even if they are enemies of the Headmaster, I can't kill t
hem in cold blood. They did nothing to me, they may be innocent."¨C

  Becoming used killing in self defence and overcoming the trauma derived from killing humanoid beings were two entirely different matters. Not even by sleeping close to each other and keeping a light was enough to drive away the nightmares.

  Killing someone of your own kin was the supreme moral taboo, just the idea was enough to send their minds into chaos.

  The choice was taken off their hands when one of the three turned in their direction.

  "Watch out!" She yelled. "Enemies incoming!"

  The three had rough looking faces, they clearly lacked food and sleep for several days. Their fear was evident, making the group even more hesitant to attack. Being surrounded and outnumbered, the three attacked only using first magic, hoping to quickly beat such young opponents, before their remaining strength ran out.

  Phloria and Friya hid behind their magically conjured shields, while Yurial and Quylla could only dodge. The three chose to use first magic not only because it didn't require much mana, but also to prevent their opponents from casting spells.

  One of the biggest differences between true and fake magic was that while true mages would consume mana only after conjuring their spells, a fake mage would spend it as the casting was initiated, so being interrupted resulted in a waste of mana.

  The three were doomed nonetheless. They were disarmed, while Phloria's group only needed one spell stored into their rings to kill them. The problem was they were unwilling to, even under such attack.

  Lith sighed, realizing his role in that charade. He pumped his mana into the staff, activating its effects once more and sending six needle sized ice shards into the eyes of his enemies, blinding them.

  The staff was an experimental hybrid between an enchanted item and an alchemical one.

  It enhanced a mage's focus and mana sensitivity allowing even fake mages to alter the trajectory of their spells after the cast, something usually only tier five magic could achieve.