Goleil studied his enemies, crouching slightly as his eyes unfocused to better pick up movement with his peripheral vision.
'If I didn't destroy my mana circuits, I could've taken these guys easily, and I have no idea what the golden aura is from nor how I got it. This is not going to be easy...'
He searched his opponent's armor for openings he could strike, and time seemed to slow as they charged at him as one. Without a weapon, this fight was impossible if he couldn't take one or two down immediately. He could try taking a weapon first, but it could take too long. Taking one down and taking his sword was the best option, but it still required him to have enough time to incapacitate a soldier and steal his weapon before the rest of the enemy had approached.
Running wasn't an option. The room was big, but not big enough. He had to lay it all on the line.
The four soldiers were coming at him altogether, but two were in the front and two in the back, like a square. Goleil jumped to his left towards the corner of the square, limiting his enemy's avenues of attack.
The Krodian soldier in front of him thrust his sword towards Goleil's chest and met only air as he twisted his body so the sword just barely missed.
'He's fast! Way too fast to be normal!'
He lunged forward and struck at the soldier's unprotected throat, crushing his windpipe with his fist. The sword clattered to the ground as the soldier collapsed to the ground.
Now that He had breached the corner of the square formation, the other three soldiers could engage with Goleil and quickly attacked him from three sides simultaneously.
They moved normally until they struck when they sped up to superhuman abilities.
'They must be able to use mana to augment themselves!' He thought, deflecting a strike towards his neck and barely dodging the others.
Goleil was solidly on the back foot, barely dodging each strike as the three soldiers swung at him mercilessly, but his diminished strength could not hold out for long.
The soldier to his right tried to stab him in the liver, but Goleil jumped to his side and took off his head, only to find that the remaining two soldiers had taken the opportunity to get on either side of him.
He deflected a stab to his thigh and whipped around to deal with the one behind him, but all that greeted him was the tip of a sword screaming towards his face.
He tried to dodge, but the sword followed him like a snake, and he was too tired to move any faster. He realized that he wasn't going to be able to hold them off anymore. Perhaps in his peak condition, he would've been able to finish this fight, but not now.
He closed his eyes and awaited the pain.
"You'd still go so gently into that goodnight?" The instructor said, his voice disappointed.
The pain never came, and Goleil opened his eyes. The soldiers were gone; he was intact and still alive.
He sighed. "I didn't die, then. Thank the Flame!" He said, letting out a breath of relief.
The instructor shook his head. "You couldn't even take on four soldiers. Why are you so happy?!"
Goleil's eyes widened. "But, instructor! They could all use mana enhancement, and it was more like fighting four elite warriors than soldiers!"
"As if that matters! Look around you! You have all you need to achieve victory!" He said and pushed the door open.
He looked back at Goleil. "You must go far faster if you are to fulfill your purpose, Guardsman."
Goleil's eye narrowed, and he shouted, "Wait! What is my purpose?!"
But the door had closed, and the instructor was gone.
Goleil stopped and stared numbly at the door.
'One question at a time, Guardsman. Just what did he mean by everything you need is here? The room is empty!' He thought, looking around.
Then he remembered the patterns. Well, more like he was reminded of them by how glaringly obvious they were, engraved into every flat surface in the room.
"Is... this what he meant?"
He knelt and started studying the engravings on the floor, starting with what looked to be the least complex.
...
Outside the door, the instructor had their face to the wood as if looking through glass.
He could see Goleil start studying the engravings, and a smile appeared on his face.
The man suddenly began shrinking, his skin morphing. The training suit shrunk and readjusted itself to fit the new frame. His short dark hair became a long radiant gold, and his eyes turned a divine gold. When his body stopped changing, it was no longer that of Sir Jagan Alfrun but of a woman whose beauty was unparalleled. Her body was toned and hard like a warrior's, and her skin had a healthy tan. She stood tall and proud, much like a soldier.
She began to walk away from the door with a smile.
"He might just figure it out before schedule!" She whispered.
She suddenly went stiff and unmoving, then disappeared from where she had been, reappearing in a garden kilometers away. She now wore the signature armor of the Vrean Sun Guard without the helmet.
The dusk sun hung in the sky unmoving, the trees swaying in the gentle breeze. They formed a clearing of flowers and in the center was a simple wooden table and four chairs.
Kneeling beside one of the flowers and gently caressing it was a woman whose beauty was only matched by the newcomer.
Her hair was a deep black, her eyes purple, and her robes matched her hair. She was beautiful in a different way than the former instructor, far gentler, mature, and seductive.
"Hello, dear Vrea." She said, moving to the garden's center and sitting in one of the chairs.
Vrea did not move from her position.
"What do you want Qut?" She asked arrogantly.
"To warn you, of course! You've done something quite awful, haven't you? You've created a monster!" She said, giggling.