Riba's sleepless night crept on like a wounded snake, it felt like a lifetime before the glimmering sun rose and shone through windows. The beams of light tickled Riba awake. It was time. The day of the Warrior Tests. Riba gathered his things and said goodbye to Kara, who was perched on the window sill. His stomach churned, like water in a bucket in the hands of a nervous child. He felt he wasn't ready. But then again, he couldn't fail, not while Mr.Toruga was rooting for him. He entered the towering gates of the institution's castle-like structure. All the first year students were sorted into large groups, like animals being lead to the slaughter. In this case, the students off to their treacherous test. The teacher with the "no-nonsense" attitude, Mr. Bod, lead everyone down into the depths of the institution's dungeons. The dark stone tunnels twisted and turned, deeper and deeper into the belly of the beast. A blinding light resonated from the exit, and the students were greeted by an eruption of cheers. The second and third years, as well as family members and teachers, sat in seats, which were stationed on the outskirts of the colossal arena. An empty section of the seating area made everyone assume it was for the first years to sit. Riba took a front row seat to get a perfect view of the action.
"Riba!" Came a familiar voice.
Riba turned to see Gareth, smiling and squeezing between the seats to get to him. They did a little handshake and sat beside each other. In the middle of the large arena was a teacher. Compared to the size of the structure, she was nothing but an ant. But her voice was as large as the arena itself.
"GREETINGS EVERYONE!" She boomed.
Her technique was "Booming Sound". It allowed her to make large sound waves with her hands, so she pushed her two fingers into her neck to amplify her vocal chords. Riba was given a feeling of uneasiness and realized the reason was right beside him. That nasty urchin, the blue-haired girl was seated beside him, her arms crossed.
"THIS TEST IS A WAY FOR YOU TO SHOW WHAT YOU'VE GOT, AND ALLOW YOU TO BOOST YOUR MARKS!"
Everyone cheered in response.
Another teacher, Mr. Tanner walked through the arena doors cradling a vase made out of crystals. It almost shone as bright as the sun on one of the hottest days of summer.
"That vase has all the names of the first years in it." Gareth whispered to Riba as they both watched with excitement. Mr. Tanner placed the vase in front of the announcer, Ms. Bayora.
"LET'S PICK THE FIRST TWO COMBATANTS!"
Ms. Bayora lifted the lid off the vase, resulting in hundreds of slips of parchment swirling like a violent tornado in the air. It swerved and spun, almost mimicking the movements of a snake. Finally, they retreated back into their crystal refuge, and left only two slips, holding two names.
"KORRA MORAINE VERSUS LEODOR TANAN"
Instantly, the blue-haired girl stood and walked toward the descending stairs leading to the center of the arena. Her name was Korra. Similar to the name of Riba's feline friend. Leo joined her in the center. Korra stared down her opponent, making him feel rather uneasy.
"UP FIRST! THE GIRL WITH A STRONG TECHNIQUE, AND THE ONE I'M ROOTING FOR, KORRA MORAINE!" Ms. Bayora boomed, "AGAINST HER IS ANOTHER WHO CAN MATCH HER SKILL, LEODOR TANAN!"
The cheering was ear piercing. The two combatants readied themselves. Everyone shifted in their seats anxiously.
"BEGIN!"
Ms. Bayora swung her hand down, and it began. They barreled at each other, clenching their fists. Korra remained on the defensive, large stone walls transpiring from the ground to shield their creator from oncoming attacks. Leodor's technique was from the "Strike Class" and was a simple strength enhancing spell. As strong as he was, Korra's will to win was stronger. His hard punches were no stronger than a feather being thrown at Korra's formidable enclosure. Riba studied both individuals closely, analyzing their attacks and movements. It didn't take his mind long to grasp her strategy. Leo was in the middle of the action and failed to notice that Korra was running around him in circles, forming walls around him until he was barricaded in. The loud thuds from his punches rang out as he frantically tried to unbound himself from his prison. It was no use, for Korra was using all her magical energy to make the walls as formidable as possible. A warrior can make their magic stronger, but it takes up more magical energy, therefore tiring out the user.
"I GIVE UP!" Came Leodor's panicked voice.
"KORRA MOVES ON TO THE NEXT ROUND!" Ms. Bayora cheered.
Korra smirked and lowered her walls, letting a crestfallen Leodor out from his prison.