The starting platform was in a clearing just inside the forest, Professor Unda led us there.
"Now be careful, and don't try to hurt anyone ok?" She handed each of us a charm. "Good luck."
A horn sounded in the distance signaling the pre-game five minute planning session.
"Ok, let's put our heads together and make a plan. I for one vote that I scout the area from the air." I said, starting the meeting.
"I vote myself as a scout, I have the detection sub-affinity." Laura chimed in.
"You seem more like the rouge, starting fires to control the enemy and all that." Yomo shrugged
"I vote Ingen, he can fly high and use his enchanted glasses to see further."
"I agree." Yomo said
"NO! You're just saying that because he's your friend! What is his golem going to do during that time huh? Sit on its thumbs? He can't command it while he's flying!"
"Denny, follow Devin at a range of three meters and capture anyone who gets close to him other than Yomo, Laura, and me." I made a smug expression
Denny walked over to Devin, stopping three meters away.
"See, he's no problem."
"What about your pet? What's he going to do?"
"He's no pet, he's my companion, and he's going to carry you and Yomo. Devin has his skate thingy so he's fine and Denny is quite fast, but you and Yomo can only run on your own two legs."
"No! I absolutely refuse!"
"Walk then."
The horn sounded a second time.
"Also, if you find the core, don't grab it, wait for the enemy to take it, and ambush them. If you detect Vincent, run with the core, he can blink so ambushing won't work. That way we can escape the three others easily."
My wings unfurled and my glasses became goggles as I took off.
'Shit, we spent so much time arguing about the scout role that I didn't give Devin or Yomo any role.'
I scanned the area for signs of the core's landing. After a bit I noticed movement.
"Zoom to fifty percent."
My goggles honed my vision until I saw a stranger wearing a professor's uniform.
'He's probably temporary staff for the exam.'
"Zoom to normal."
I continued scanning until I saw an unbelievably quick person running through the woods.
"Zoom to one hundred percent."
'Mental note: make that something I don't have to say aloud.' I spat out a bug.
It was Ben using his sub-affinity: Physical Enhancement. He was obviously the scout, and he was wasting so much Eneru.
'He'll be exhausted in like four or five minutes, assuming he just started.'
As if on cue, Ben suddenly stopped, immobile.
'I should probably help him, right?'
'Not if you want us to win.' Spirit had become my advisor as of late. 'This screams trap.'
'Wait, what's that?'
A man dressed in leather armor started approaching Ben.
'I'm going to investigate, there might be some shenanigans going on.'
"Zoom to normal."
I dove at high speed to a space in between the newcomer and Ben. I executed my landing strategy perfectly and landed between the two, quickly assembling a quarterstaff.
"Who are you!?" I shouted, trying to look as intimidating as possible.
The large man laughed "I'm just here to make sure the kiddo is ok, I've been temporarily reassigned from another academy to assist."
'I'm not convinced' Spirit contested the man 'He's a human, schools invariably are made of only naturals, unless they are martial schools.'
"What academy" My stance got stronger and Skeleton Armor was slowly forming from a nearby tree,
"Rizbe Advanced Academy."
'That's no martial school.'
"Liar." I closed my stance and prepared for an attack.
'Orin! Let Laura and Yomo off and get over to me!'
"Fine then, I was hoping for a quiet harvest, but I guess we'll have to go loud."
He drew a longsword and swung at me. He was surprised when I deflected his nonchalant swing and got a little more serious, throwing a real swing. He was once again surprised when all he hit was air, and he got a bruise on his side.
'I can't beat him non-lethally alone' I thought 'I'm literally seven, all I can manage, even enhanced, is a bruise.' I made my grappling hook sharp in case.
I drew a rune: Rapse (Repel), and the man was pushed away from me. I formed a wooden shell around myself and Ben, then cast the rune: Peren (Resistant), My shell gained a blue sheen, and the thumping of a sword on the outside never made it through. There was one issue though, my Eneru was draining, fast, I cast resistant instead of unbreakable to reduce the strain but it still wasn't enough.
"Ingen? What are you doing?" Ben was struggling to speak.
"We are under attack, I think there are core hunters here."
'I couldn't get them to get off of me, sorry.' Orin thought to me through the mind-link.
I heard the thunder of paws and I dropped the shell. I had already used up two thirds of my Eneru reserve. I couldn't catch my assailant by surprise again so I was forced to fight him all-out. We exchanged three blows, my protective charm flashed twice and he got a bruise before Orin landed on him, pinning him to the ground.
"You MUTT!" The man grabbed Orin by the paws and pushed him off, forcing Orin to shrink so as to not crush his passengers.
Laura landed on her feet and threw her knives at the man, only igniting them just before they hit. The man tried to dodge but he found himself tangled up in some vines. Yomo was getting up from the ground and preparing to cast some runes, but an arrow from the treeline pierced his shoulder.
"LAURA I NEED A FLARE! NOW!" I shouted, throwing her a bag of oil.
She threw the bag in the air and hit it with a burning knife, making an obvious explosion.
"Devin, get on Yomo's wound! Yomo! Can you still cast?"
"Yes!" His voice was pained.
"Give Denny an ice sword. Denny, ATTACK! I'll take out the archer!"
'It's going to be a minute before the professors can get to this part of the woods, until then, I might need to become a killer.'