"Damien!" Amelia indignant cries and weak blows to his back only served to slightly annoy him, "Why did you do that! I wanted to take the test alone."
"And fail?" he asked sharply.
"I…" Amelia stopped hitting him, her eyes puffed red while trying but failing to hold back tears, "If I failed that would have just meant I wasn't ready and that's fine. I would have been content knowing that I tried my hardest to achieve my dreams! With you and Krista helping me, I wouldn't be able to get in with my own power, I'd still be stuck relying on you two."
Even Krista felt the need to chime in, "I have to agree with Amelia here, I wanted to help her just as much as you, if not more, but that should have been up to her. It should have been Amelia who decided if we helped."
To her words he laughed, "I might have been inclined to agree with you, no that's a lie, I just think you're being fussy over nothing."
Amelia was all but ready to explode after hearing his words, so Krista tried to mediate, "Hey, let's make the most of this situation. Damien, let Amelia try to pass the test herself, and if she asks for our help, we assist her. It's a win-win."
A sensible compromise, "That sounds fair, I can agree to that," Amelia said while still frowning.
"I already said that's not going to happen," Damien replied with no hesitance.
"Okay, really!" Krista cried, "What's your problem now? We're Amelia's friends, and we should support her. Can't you see she needs this?"
"Because I consider her a friend is the exact reason that I can tell you what Amelia needs is to get over herself," argued Damien.
"You do not understand my needs," said Amelia staunchly, "What I need-"
"Is to shut up and listen," Damien finished, "I've been exactly where you're standing right now. You're unsure of yourself, you want to prove your own strength to yourself, and you think asking for help will only get in the way of that. Well, as your friend, I'm here to tell you that thought is bullshit or whatever approximate creature...Just don't let your ego ruin your chances of achieving your dreams."
Amelia couldn't face either of her friends, while turned away she spoke, "Damien, it is not some ego or some pride that pushes me to do this. It's envy. You don't know how it feels to be so unexceptional so pathetic."
"He might not, but I definitely do," Krista remarked.
Amelia quickly turned around, immediately regretting what she had said, "No, Krista no, I…"
Before she could add anymore Krista ran to embrace her friend, "I know, it's okay. I'm just sorry I didn't realize your feelings before."
That was it, Amelia couldn't hold back anymore and started bawling. Probably the best outcome in Damien's appealing, "So, you get it Amelia? We're with you all the way. Though let me just say that I think you are exceptional. I mean you're my teacher, without you I would've have had to rely on Krista for knowledge on wattiez, and where do you think that would have left me?"
"At a level, I'd imagine, no greater than a 10-year-old child," Amelia joked behind choked sobs.
"Exactly," remarked Damien," So, you'll let us help?"
A bit shaky on her feet but more ready than ever, Amelia sternly talked, "Yes, please assist me, but I'm in charge here. You follow my lead; this is still my test. Though don't let that stop you from trying your own ideas."
"Yes, ma'am!" Krista cheered.
"You got it Teach!" Damien yelled as he tried to rip open the locker, "What the- Hey! The lockers won't open!" Damien continued to pull and pull but nothing happened. "Crap, and I really need a staff!"
Seeing his plight and very tired of waiting, Derek offered his help, "Here, let me try," he said before walking to the locker.
Only, when he pulled at the locker, it opened easily, and Damien was already halfway towards the wall. Less than arm's length from the X and Damien felt a crushing weight on his ankle, before a sudden weightlessness covered his entire body. He was left hanging useless from his leg as Derek held him.
"Can't blame a guy for trying," Damien said weakly.
"Pretty sure I can," Derek remarked as he sent Damien flying into the lockers leaving him covered with staffs, clothes, and a random assortment of various other items, "Since you guys have a healer, I won't have to hold back as much. This should be fun!"
"That was holding back?!" Damien cried from beneath the rubble.
Amelia quickly rushed to his side to begin her healing while Krista brought out her black blade to face Derek, "Don't be surprised if I'm a bit harder to toss around than Damien was."
"I'm getting a real ominous feeling from that blade of yours, the material isn't like anything I've seen before," remarked Derek, "Should I be worried?"
"Very!" Krista answered.
She thrust forward with her sword, the blade intended to piece Derek's impressive chest, yet all it was met with was air. Derek had bended his body completely backwards, his head supporting most of the weight of his body in a sort of bridge. Reacting quickly, Krista drove the sword downward, aiming for his exposed gut, but once again missed as Derek flipped backwards onto his head and back onto his feet.
"Oh my, that sword seems a bit sharper than I had originally thought," said Derek as he watched Krista pull half the blade out of the stone floor.
"Doesn't help if I can't hit you," She spoke in jest but therein laid more truth than she cared to admit. Krista was testing Derek's reactions and movements, fair to say he far exceeded her expectations. What made Krista the most worried was the fact that no aura surrounded Derek, this was purely his own physical competence.
As if actively, hearing her thoughts a thick red aura began to seep around Derek's body, "I believe it's my turn now," he said with a devilish smile.
Derek charged forward, hitting Krista with the force of a griffin, sending her crashing onto the floor. She was barely able to take a breath before Derek leaped on top of her. Fist raised high; they came crashing down like a volley of hail. Sword still held tightly in her hand she swiped at him once more, only to have her hand caught in his.
"Am I coming on too strong," Derek taunted, "Do you need a second to-"
Derek's words were cut off as he took Krista's knee directly into the bridge of his nose. Using her grabbed arm and Derek's head as leverage, Krista slid herself across the floor, and managed to catch him off guard. It didn't do much damage, but Krista did manage to escape his grasp and his nose was bent a bit at an awkward angle.
"We'll just call that a lucky shot," Krista jeered, "The first of many."
Derek just smiled as the wounds on his body quickly healed any damage Krista had caused, "Yes, it was just that, but it will not happen again."
"Krista!" called a worried voice from behind her, Amelia who now went to tend to Krista's wounds. Luckily for her it was just light bruising, at least for now.
"Time, how much time do we have left and where's Damien?" Krista asked.
"About 50 more minutes, and I thought of a plan with Damien," Amelia answered, "We managed to find a wave staff, so I had him try to sneak past Derek by using it reflect the light around his body-"
A dark figure suddenly came tumbling towards them. After a short period, it revealed itself to be Damien encased in a wild green aura holding onto a now broken staff, "That didn't work Amelia, let's try something else."
"You really need to learn how to control that aura of yours," teased Derek, "I can tell you have a pretty sizeable vase, but if you just let it out all haphazardly like that, you'll be incredibly easy to feel. Not to mention how tired that's going to make you. Learn how to channel it properly, or it'll just be you rolling on the floor again."
"Hate to say it, but the man's right," Damien spoke as he lied on the ground, his body still aching from that last attack, "I knew I should have brought my bow with me, as long as I'm with you, trouble is sure to follow. I just have to make due with wattiez, but we need a new plan... Amelia?"
"Me?" she asked incredulously.
"Not to put you on the spot, but you wanted to be the boss, which means you'll need to come up with the plans," Damien responded.
Amelia stood on weak knees again, sure Damien was right, she had said those things, but that was during the heat of the moment. She was completely unprepared to actually take a leadership role. It was only when she heard Damien's snickering did Amelia realize he was teasing her.
"Even now, seriously?! Krista groaned.
"Stress isn't good for the mind, and I can see that you're both not exactly taking it easy," Damien took the time to stand back on his feet nearly stumbling back onto the floor while doing so, "He's handing out asses to us, and I don't know about you, but I'm getting kind of tired of it. Let's play to our strengths, I know you said you wanted to be the boss, so act like a real boss and delegate."
Amelia simply smiled, "Right! Krista, it seems like you're the only one of us who can physically challenge him, especially with your sword, so you keep doing that. Damien, go grab an elemental and augmentation staff, you'll be supporting her until you can think of another plan."
"Sounds like a good plan," Krista said.
"As for me, I'll stay on standby, I'd just get in the way of you two if I tried to help. Plus, that'll give me more room to study Derek's behavior because something has been bothering me. While you fight, take care to note his eyes, report anything strange to me if you get the chance."
"Right!" shouted Damien.
Doing as they were told, Krista stood face to chest with Derek less than her blades length away from him, "Ready for round two Derek?"
"Glad-" was all Derek was able to say before a voice cried out from behind Krista.
"Flame!" A flash of energy, then a spark, occurred at the tip of Damien's staff before a plume of flame shot out aimed towards Derek.
He reacted by slamming his foot into the ground and a pillar of stone rose to protect him from the flame. Immediately after, the pillar started to fall forward, with the intention to crush both Damien and Krista.
Without missing a beat, the two nimbly dodged on either side of the oncoming projectile. Unfortunately for Krista, she had picked the side Derek was waiting on. A quick hook aimed directly at her side crashed into her, Krista was sure she heard a light cracking sound. Derek suddenly disappeared from view and based on a loud grunt Krista heard from her side, she assumed Damien wasn't fairing much better.