The next contestant was Niander Quorra. Physically, she was a detailed beauty, with sharp features and a certain ruggedness to her demeanor. As she stepped forward, it was clear in her persona that her charisma exuded from within. Her reserved personality had a hint of masculine energy and a tough spirit.
Mickey pondered with curiosity, 'Did her sense of fashion trick her into choosing a pendant based on her eye color instead of demon art?'
As the buzzer sounded, her pendant emitted a slight glow, and the game began with the moles popping out at their regular speed.
However, her aim surprised everyone. It was strangely off target, as she aimed towards the center instead of hitting the mole in the bottom left corner.
"Huh! Was she just showing off?" Mickey gasped, pretending to wipe sleep-crust from his eyes.
"All that glitters ain't gold," Ingram chuckled, brushing back his well-groomed hair. "Appearances can be deceiving."
'I was right about her pendant. What a waste...' Mickey thought.
However, before he could further judge her, something caught not only his but everyone's attention. The stone mallet bounced off an invisible layer, about 5 inches above the game surface, creating a sonic boom.
They couldn't see what it hit, but it was clear that contact was made. The mole in the bottom left corner was instantly pushed back in.
"Whoa! I swear I saw her miss that," Mickey exclaimed.
"Hmm, interesting. What kind of demon art is that?" Ingram pondered.
Meanwhile, Aubrey just wore a smile, lost in her own imagination, while Flynn still reveled in the excitement of his new pendant.
"That's gyrokinesis, the ability to manipulate gravity," the paladin explained. "She has infused the game surface with a dense layer of gravity, allowing her to hit any mole that appears."
Niander continued to skillfully whack away at the moles. As she struck, the force created is dispersed through the entire gravity layer, forcing the layer to slam into the entire surface of the game.
This made it fairly easy to slam into any mole that popped up, regardless of the hole it emerged from. She maintained this pace until the game reset to level 2, with her keeping a perfect score.
'I was wrong about her. She's amazing,' Mickey thought. He had never seen someone his age excel at a game so effortlessly.
The game had a total of 5 levels. Niander was already on level 3. However, it seemed her speed couldn't keep up anymore. A couple of moles popped and retracted before she could hit them with her gravity layer.
"Let's see you dodge this," she hissed, maintaining the same speed as level 2, instead of increasing her it. Yet, she had slammed the mole.
"Wait, what just happened? I thought I saw her slow down and miss a few," Mickey wondered.
"Yet another brilliant move. This year-group never ceases to amaze me," praised the paladin.
Recognizing that she couldn't match the speed at level 3, Niander coated the striking end of her mallet with a thin layer of gravity.
This made for a second gravity layer - one thin and one thick, acting in the opposite directions. The thin layer acted up against the mallet, whereas the think layer acted down on the entire game surface.
This created a repulsive field between both layers, causing a rippling disturbance with each strike.
This technique allowed her to attack the moles without directly hitting the thick gravity layer on the game.
She only needed to apply enough force for the disturbance within the repulsive field to push on the thick gravity layer, making her twice as fast, since she didn't have to swing all the way down.
The buzzer went off just as she finished level 3.
"Impressive!" complimented the paladin, who stood before her. "You applied just the right amount of strength. For that, I give you a 7. Your speed is remarkable, and your ability to devise a way to increase it is impressive, earning you an 8. Your coordination and timing were slightly off, but that's expected from a beginner. Overall, I score you at level 1.9."
'Whoa! Is it me, or are these people stingy with awarding levels?' Mickey thought.
Next up was Ingram Whitmore, an upbeat looking guy who seemed to be the epitome of positivity and optimism. Even now, his body language spoke of firmness and valor.
He was the only one with a uniquely designed pendant. It had an intricate design of the yin yang symbol crafted from black and white gemstones.
The buzzer sounded, indicating the beginning of level 1. The moles popped out of their holes at a regular speed, and he was able to hit each mole with calculated precision.
Ingram body had a perfect sync as compared to the previous contestants. He wasn't breaking a sweat at all. His shoulder just kept jerking in and out at an even pace.
It almost felt like there was nothing unique about this guy except for a perfect body and athleticism. However, Mickey's acute eyes caught onto something odd about the game.
The speed at which the moles were popping out wasn't the same. He felt it had reduced, but that could as well be a product of his imagination. So Mickey thought nothing of it.
Level 1 was a flawless victory for Ingram. The game had quickly reset to level 2. And just like in level 1, he whacked every mole who dared pop its head out.
"Hmm, there's a constant decrease in the speed at which the moles pop out." The paladin revealed, with his fingers brushing his goatie beard.
Upon hearing this, Mickey realized he wasn't hallucinating if even Paladin had noticed it.
'What might his demon art be?' He pondered.
Level 2 was over, yet there was no flaw, much less a sense of struggle in Ingram's movements. It was just as fluid as before.
At level 3, Ingram increased the speed of his arm a bit but kept reducing it throughout the level. Yet again, his performance was flawless. There was no hiccup in his movements.
It was an intriguing sight to behold, as though the game was being enslaved by its manufacturer.
The Paladin's deductions were spot on. With every strike, the speed of the moles is reduced by a tiny bit. This kept happening until a level 3 speed was reduced to that of a level 1.
Ingram had made it to level 5 without missing or going out of sync. But that was when they could all glimpse at a hint of struggle in his movements.
He was struggling to keep up with the popping moles, moving up and down at the speed of a bullet. But all that changed after a while. It felt like his body had adjusted with the speed, but it actual fact, he had altered his strategy.
This didn't go unnoticed, though. The paladin had caught onto the changes.
'This time around, not only is the speed of the moles decreasing, but his arm speed increases with every corresponding decrease in the moles' speed, almost as if his arm sucks the speed out of them with every successful hit.' He pondered.
"He was slower at the beginning of this level, but there's balance in speed between his arm and the moles now," Mickey said out loud, and Niander couldn't agree more.
There was now a perfect balance between Ingram's striking speed and that of the popping moles. He kept whacking till the buzzer went off, signaling the end of the game.
"I can't believe he managed to pull that off." Niander murmured, knowing first hand the harder it got with it level.
"Young man," the paladin called out to Ingram, who came around. "Try as I might, I couldn't figure out your demon art throughout the test. Tell me, what is it?"
Ingram paused for a moment, perhaps thinking if he should reveal that aspect of himself to the paladin, but after a while, he thought it would be fine.
"Duality Manipulation!" He revealed.
The paladin's eyes widened as though they would pop out of their sockets at any moment.
"You mean 'Yin Yang manipulation' - the power over natural and spiritual dualities of polar opposites or contrary forces that are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world?" The paladin almost fell over, ranting like an obsessed adventurer who had just discovered the secrets of the universe.
"Indeed, you know your books." Ingram replied with a smile.
"You are from a hellblazer bloodline." The paladin exclaimed, his mouth left wide open out of sheer surprise.
'But I thought it was rare for hellblazer bloodlines who kept their demon art a secret to enroll their kids here at Astral Sanctum.' The Paladin thought, 'This is the second time I have seen a hellblazer today. Hmm, interesting indeed?'
He turned to Ingram, who stood there, waiting for judgment.
"It's obvious you have surpassed the 1st level of demonic bonding. You are already in sync with your demon counterpart. Based on your bloodline, I would be a fool to think you haven't." The paladin addressed with a stern look.
"You have transcended the level of 'Initial connection', and now at level 2 - 'Strengthened ties'. Therefore, it's only fair that I awarded you the highest level in the beginner test. I hereby place you at level 2."
Mickey gasped, now understanding the grading system for the test. He initially thought they were stingy, but it turned out that both a pact-less individual and one that had just formed a pact were regarded to be at level 1, which was known as Initial connection.
Then the intensity and fine tune exhibited when they use their demon art determines their proficiency level from 1.1 all the way to 2. However, they wouldn't be awarded anything beyond level 2, even if they show hints of surpassing that level.
This was a code in the regulations of the Astral Sanctum. They believe that regardless of a beginner's demon art proficiency, they still had a lot to learn.
"This marks the end of your test. You are required to stick around till the other groups are done..." The paladin ordered.
"...and, thank you all. Especially you, Whitmore, for your bloodline's contribution in our battle for survival." The paladin said with a genuine smile as he wiped away the rune symbols still wobbling in the air.
As he did, the metallic floor came into view once again.
***