… Now this is a strange sight to behold.
It's been a few days since Xyle found out about me and I'm sure I made it clear enough to him to not tell anyone. It looks like he got the memo but… I don't know what to do about what I'm looking at.
"Hey, Tess!" Xyle says to me when he noticed me walk through the doors of the guild. He was talking to Maul and Brights and his party was nowhere to be found. He was sitting comfortably with them like they were old chums. Well… he's being chummy and they look a bit uncomfortable and annoyed.
"Uh… hello, gentlemen." I answer awkwardly.
"Ah. Welcome. Mr. Vaticus was saying some very strange things about you." Maul says. Oh Lord. "I'd like to know why he knows so much of someone he hardly had any contact with."
"I'd like to know that, myself." I tell him obviously agitated. Xyle jumps a bit at my harsh tone towards him. "I've gotten my rest as promised, Mr. Maul."
"Good. I think this will be a good experience for you both once the others get here."
"I take it this pertains to what you mentioned about a mission a few days ago, sir?" I ask.
"Very good." Maul answer. Nailed it! "I've decided to have you two secretly compete with each other in this excavation through the Wärcoz caves at the end of the trail through the forest. You will be provided with the tools required for this trial according to your desired class. And a temporary voucher to enter in that is used as a single use teleportation seal in case you have an emergency." He hands us two papers with the same crop circle drawings on them. Simple to draw too. "You two will be given two each for your competition one for short range teleportation for any reason you have for it. The other with instantly send you back to start. If you use the last one you forfeit the competition. Do you both understand?"
"Yes, sir." We say in unison.
"Alright then." Brights says. "You two can head for the courtyard in about ten minutes. Xyle, you come with me so I can get your things ready."
"Coming… see you around, Tess." Stop greeting me, it's weird. He and brights leave, leaving me with Maul.
"It seems you've gathered quite an amount of respect from Vaticus." Maul says to me.
"... So it seems." Still a bit confused but oh well.
"Come. You and I have a bit more training to catch up on before I lend you material."
"..." That… doesn't sound too friendly.
We head to the training hall and Maul strips to his battle clothes again. I am never going to get used to that. He grabs a knife from his back pocket and stands in a fighting pose ready to start.
[Reflex] activated: new threat level detected. Commence fight response. Threat level at mild capacity. Recommending [second nature response].
Rejected. [Second nature] will result in loss of sanity.
… acknowledged. Recommending new response.
Activating [core].
[night dancer spells] activated.
[dark magic counter spells] activated.
Connecting to [Alfa trigger] in 5…
Maul rushes me before the countdown starts and I dodge just in time only to get nicked in the neck.
[4]
He continues to rush me and pick up speed to the point of making me dizzy and slowly lose my balance. Come on hang in there, Tessa!
[3]
His last attack connects and I barely block it before I'm sent off across the yard.
[2]
I stumble and recollect myself in time to see him rush me again. Everything starts to go into slow motion suddenly.
[1]
I feel my marks burning on my face and brace myself for his next hit.
[Alfa trigger] ready.
All senses set for battle.
All limits removed.
All skills at new level sets.
All blessings set to [fight] response.
¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤
Tessa counters Maul attack and somehow forces him off balance and catches him by surprise. He falls back in shock and sees her in a new stance that he hasn't seen before. It was graceful like a dancers but stern like his style. Curious of her change he changes his stance and puts more power into his attacks adding magic to his weapons like the knight Antonio did. His knife glows again read for a different approach. He sees that her stance change to a more aggressive stance the moment he does and could instantly tell what she was doing.
"... So you've found a way to adapt to change in a moments notice. Not bad, Halliway. But I'm afraid dodging isn't going to get you too far."
He rushes her and chants a spell that summons a multitude of circles around him as his marks appear and glow.
"... I know." Tessa suddenly answers as circles appear around her arms and shoulders like a shield.
Maul fires his spell in shock of what he saw, throwing off his timing just enough for Tessa to dance through the attack until she was in front of him. She hops over the last attack and sends a kick to his head launching him in the air then kicks his stomach and sending him back to his items.
"... Aah~... Ouch. Ow ow." Maul sits up and crack his neck and chin. "Nm! Shit. What in the Messa was that!?"
"... You good?" Tessa asks nervously.
"Like you need to ask. Answer my question."
"[Alfa trigger]. I'm the ruling alfa in the goblin sector so I guess it's a buff."
"... That doesn't explain how your able to summon your blessings spells without a chant, girl."
"... I have to say something??"
"...urgh~..." Maul cringes with his hand on his nose. "... Apparently not. You seem to be using guard spells from Bateyalo. They're dark green which would be a type of charm. But they're too dark for a normal charm… what did Brights tell you your charms were?"
"Night sky blue for moon healing, Liluna. Dark green for dark charms or charm of the whisperer, Bateyalo. And off white for grand life, Hayula."
"... That is such a strange combination of blessings you have, you know."
"Yes. Brights told me the same when he found out."
Tessa stands at the ready again and her posture takes Maul's interest more than the fight. He attacks her and sends a flurry of spells at her with normal attacks as he speaks to her.
"What is this stance that you take? I've lived for nearly a century and I've seen every fighting style but this one."
Tessa catches his knife to speak. "Its from a previous life memory. I don't think I've told you this before, but I have memories of my past life. I never had the need to use the skills I learned then until now. I wanted to make sure that knowledge didn't go to waste."
"Good on you." He adds more power to his knife and it heats up in Tessa's hand, forcing her to let go. He takes the opportunity to send her back to the center of the field they were in. She struggles to get up when Maul pins her to the ground with a knee to her spin between her shoulders. She cries out in pain. "Too bad your pain tolerance is still lacking."
Tessa doesn't struggle to escape from the pain. As he continues to talk. "Well it was bound to be a matter of time before you settled on a limit I suppose. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Though I am mildly disappointed. I wonder what is so odd about you that the three most incompatible gods gave you their blessings as if to compensate for something you lack."
Tessa suddenly lets out a harsh rumble from her core in her chest. He hears her growls of frustration and smirked to himself. "What's the matter? Frustrated? Could it be true that you actually lack something they felt you needed. Maybe self-esteem? Control of your life? How about a better sense of awareness of how lame you are in terms of strength compared to the hero? You're a goblin. Of course your weak. Of course you'd give up as soon as things don't go your way. Of course you'd try to find every which way to make amends for you lack of competency."
Tessa's frustration grows with each word to the point of tears as she grits her teeth and growls louder. She pounds a fist to the ground and tries to stand but is pressed back down again. "Oh? Were you trying to stand?" Maul continues. "I hadn't noticed that you wanted to move. If you intend on leaving I might let if you call quits now. I'll let you up if you resign yourself and give up on the guild. After all a little goblin like you probably doesn't belong here anyways, right?"
Tessa stops struggling and her growls fall to a hush. She is still and quiet. "... Hmph. I guess you are the same as the others … I wonder why I'm not surprised by that? Well, another talent gone to waste in a goblin as per usual."
Tessa growls again and suddenly starts rising. Maul presses her down again but this time she keeps pushing against him. Her perseverance confuses him as they fight with pure will power. Her growls grow louder until she starts to shout as she pushes up and finally gets a leg in. With one finally force, she shoves him off and sends him flying back and makes him lose his knife as a black mist surrounds her. Her eyes glow and gloss over like a feral animal ready to kill her prey. The black mist starts to spark around her while lightening was being summoned. He could almost hear their eerie whispers from the mist.
Maul feels an instant sense of fear that tells him to run for his life. His body ran cold like ice when Tessa turns to face him baring her teeth as her chest expands and compresses with each rumbling breath. She cracks her back with a roll of her shoulders and eases down to a crawl and creeps towards him with a hiss. Maul panics and scrambles backwards to his knife as she crept closer. She picks up speed then pounces him the moment he grabs the knife.
It's quiet with only the wind howling softly. Maul was pinned to the ground gasping for air with Tessa's hand on his throat. Blood drips onto his chest and shoulder. Tessa hovered over him with his knife completely forced through her shoulder just missing her lung. She was still growling harshly. A tear falls from her eyes and hits his cheek as she eases off his throat to let him breath. He gasps and coughs as his airways become free again. Tessa wipes her eyes with her now free hand. She clears her throat and takes a deep breath, then takes hold of the knife and yanked it out with a groan of pain.
"... That… is actually very frustrating." She admits. "Because you're right. I don't have the self-esteem needed for this. I don't bother controlling my life. I don't think I can ever compare to even the F- class adventurers. Simply because I'm a goblin. A creature. What's more feral. Someone considered a wild animal even to her own kind. You want to know why I have these blessings the way I do. Probably to help me keep my sanity! Keep a sense of humanity after suddenly finding myself in the woods with absolutely nothing and slowly losing myself to it until they chose to allow me to keep my memories and human mind. So I'm taking advantage of this second chance. I don't care if I'm competent. I can get by. I don't care if I'm strong or not. I can get strong. I don't care if I can't control my life. I don't need to. I can control how I live it though. I can keep growing. I can keep going. I can do what I will and no one is going to make me think otherwise. And if I don't meet your expectations here… then I just have to keep trying. One heartbreaking step at a time."
She finally stands and walks off as her wound heals and leaves a scar. Maul sits up and watches her leave holding his throat for a long while before standing and following behind.
¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤
… I won't interfere. You have done well, girl.
¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤
Xyle, Tessa and a large group of new adventurers arrive at the forest entrance and line up waiting for Maul and Brights to give them details. Xyle noticed Tessa at the other end of the line with her ears down and a pinkish nose. This made him feel very unsettled when he remembered seeing her cry once before. Tears never fell but her face would look like she had a fever.
"Welcome all of you!" Brights says to the line. "You've all been given three types of items. First is your gear to match you profession of choice. The second would be a map of the cave system that tells you where you need to go. Finally, you have a transport circle as a quick return in case of an emergency. You use it you forfeit your temporary licence and must re-register at the guild. Each of you must have a group or party of 3 or 4. If you are not in a party yet do so now unless you prefer to go about the test solo. That's on you. That's about it. You can start at any time now. If you got any questions come and ask them now before you go. Get yourselves situated."
The trainees start to gather together and form their parties with friends while others rush to Xyle to have him join them. Feeling overwhelmed he looks around quickly to find Tessa and sees her talking to the guild masters then heads out to the forest on her own. He panics and struggles to get out of the crowd to chase after her until he remembered that he was supposed to be racing her as an opponent. He watches as she disappears into the shadows, when he hears the others gossiping.
"You noticed too, right?"
"Yeah. The little goblin actually got a temporary license."
"Think we can force him to quick?"
"There's no way I'm getting a weak little goblin in my party. He'll just quit as soon as he gets scared. So lame."
"I'm amazed they actually let him go this far. The poor thing is going to be traumatized after this with all of the chaotic beasts in the forest and the cave."
Their conversations continue until some of them follow after her inside. This only made him worry more for her safety rather than think of the competition. He goes after them on his own and begins his mission.