Elina's group was doing pretty badly, they hadn't been injured because Rane the Snow Elemental countered the fireballs with snowballs but the only one of them that could fight back was Dean and his wind blades didn't pack the same punch as Gareth's.
Elina couldn't do much to help while Johnny covered their backs from any fireballs they couldn't dodge in time, countering them with his own.
Everyone moved erratically so to not be the next target, yet Gareth excelled at this, he went straight for the Earth Elemental that attacked the igloo earlier, but when he was about to finish him off after making him stumble-
"Watch out!" Johnny warned as he pointed at something behind Gareth.
Gareth looked back to see a hammer head about to pummel his brains, he managed to dodge by a hair's breadth and disengaged from the Earth Elemental. After doing so he saw who the attacker was and his face paled.
His name was Elias Argen, a Metal Elemental with a bit of renown in the school thanks to his surname, the Argens were a somewhat known family of Hunters made up of mostly Metal Elementals with their weapon of choice being the Warhammer, Gareth didn't know why or how Elias brought his Warhammer to the exam, but it was very bad news.
Elias was also very popular at school, not only because of his surname but also because of his personality, he wasn't the brightest tool in the shed but his kindness and willingness to help overshadowed that, that's also why this situation baffled Gareth, what did they do to piss this guy off?
There was anger on Elias' eyes as he looked at Gareth and snorted. "I have no business with you Gareth, leave while you still have the chance."
"Well, you made it my business by almost caving my skull in!" Gareth grunted with annoyance.
"And? I held back, I'm giving you the chance to back off while you still can too!" Elias grumbled as he prepared himself for a other swing.
"Can you atleast explain what this fighting is all about?" Gareth bargained as he prepared some wind blades.
"Her sister leaked photos of my girlfriend cheating on me!" Elias said while angrily pointing at Elina.
"Wait wha-?" Gareth responded with confusion. "Then why are you mad at her?"
"Because Alex said she didn't want me finding out because it was just a dumb mistake and she was very sorry!" Elias responded in outrage.
"Ughhhhhh... And you believed her..." Gareth sighed in exasperation and looked at Elias. "Look... I don't want problems with you but-"
Gareth moved in the nick of time for a rubber bullet to hit his shoulder. "Fuck!"
Gareth grabbed his pained shoulder by reflex and looked to his 4 o'clock, the direction where the bullet had hit him, and saw the metallic glint of a rifle in the distance.
"Fuck you Mark!" Gareth angrily left Elias mid conversation and went off to fight with Mark.
'Shit! Aimed too low-' Mark thought as he reloaded his rifle and aimed at Gareth again.
Elias took the the chance to walk over to the turtle shell and flipped it over with a swing of his Warhammer, it crumbled to pieces as it hit the ground.
Max and Vitria were face to face with a very angry Elias while the situation of Elina's group was getting worse, they climbed the trees when the Earth Elementals tried to capture them in the ground, now on the foliage their mobility was hindered greatly, they hadn't lost yet because they focused on countering the fireballs rather than fighting back.
Even the Earth Elemental chimed in by throwing small rocks yet it didn't help much.
Max noticed only one Earth Elemental was helping and the other- was away from the battlefield, holding Selena hostage.
She was laying on a tree while sitting on the floor, chains made of earth held her in place while her head hung low, Max couldn't see her face as her hood still covered it, but the still drying blood all over her clothes told him all he needed to know.
"Hmph, are you going to follow Gareth, or be smart and turn away now?" Elias held his Warhammer tightly, waiting for their response.
"It's not like we have much of a choice..." Vitria said as she grabbed the trident Max made before and got into a fighting stance.
Just as she did, Max quickly turned her trident into a Spear and grew a staff from the parts that fell off.
Max was surprised when Elias didn't stop him, even when he added a piece of the former turtle shell as a makeshift warhammer, Max didn't question him because he was afraid that if he reminded the Metal Elemental they were enemies his neurons would connect and the fight would start before he could get ready.
Vitria extended a hand towards Max's makeshift weapon and the piece of stone that was barely a shape before turned into a Poleaxe head.
Max Took the chance to throw Vitria a smaller stone that she added to where the tip of her wooden spear was, turning the sharpened stick into a proper Spear.
Seeing that the preparations were complete Elias got into a fighting stance, startling Vitria and Max who did the same.
Not only was Elias bigger than both of them, He boasted about having a private instructor and starting his training before anyone else, so the duo wasn't very positive about their chances.
Elias started with a downward smash aimed at Vitria who dodged by sidestepping, she stabbed the side of his torso as a counterattack but her spearhead shattered on impact leaving a gash on Elias clothes but barely a white mark on his skin, Vitria was quick to make the piece get together again and disengage.
Elias' follow-up upward smash was dodged by a hair's breadth, Max took the chance to attack, using the hammer head of his poleaxe he tried to hit Elias' head, who dodged by going a step back and preparing another downward smash, this time aimed at Max who was completely open as his poleaxe's head hit the ground ahead of Elias.
Max saw his life flash before his eyes as the hammer approached but it barely grazed his nose as it went back towards its owner.
Vitria had taken the chance to stab Elias' head, who bashed the spearhead away using his elbow before it hit him, with the unforeseen consequence of also dragging the warhammer.
Max quickly regained his composure and decided to play a trick, he used the axe head of his poleaxe and used the part between the blade and the shaft to drag Elias' knee, making him lose balance and leave his torso defenseless, opening an opportunity for Vitria to stab it, making Elias recoil back because of the force.
Elias pulled his foot up and stomped on Max's poleaxe, he barely managed to pull it back before Elias' foot destroyed it.
Elias was truly angry now, and he showed it by going all out with a downward smash towards Max, who barely had the time to put his poleaxe up and use its shaft to defend himself, he closed his eyes while expecting the crunch of the wooden shift followed by the crunch of his own skull, but it never came.
Instead when Max opened his eyes he saw that the shaft held the warhammer back, his arms felt like jello but it was worth it.
Vitria used the chance to stab at Elias' torso, shattering the spearhead again but pushing him back.
After every stab there was less and less of the spearhead left behind, soon there wouldn't be a spearhead anymore.
The duo and Elias had a staredown that lasted a few moments as they expected the other to attack first, which was cut short as a scream rang out.
One of the rocks the Earth Elemental threw had actually hit its target, the Snow Elemental making them lose balance and fall off from the three, just as they did they ended up captured, which turned the already dire situation of Elina's team to even worse.
Max and Vitria gave eachother a look, she signaled to Elina's group, Max looked at Elias but nodded and went to help.
The poleaxe head fell to the ground as Max held the staff with one hand, the Fire Elementals turned their attention to him and threw their fireballs but Max either slapped them away or dodged, he had to make this quick after all.
While running towards the Fire Elementals he used the last remaining vein-like things he had to turn his left elbow into a Node, which was the arm that held the staff.
Once he got in the face of the Fire Elemental closest to him he wacked them on the head with all his might.
"Student Maximilian Avasius has gained a Life.
Student Kate Zou has lost a Life."
One down, 4 to go.
Just as he went running towards his next target Max saw a person come out of a tree, not like the tree opened up letting the person out, but the person literally manifested from the tree, they wore green nurse scrubs with a plus sign that had a deeper shade of green on the breast pocket, they rushed to Kate's side and started tending to her wounds, which was odd, considering that they often waited for the battle to be over to do that...
Max pushed the thought aside, he had to be quick, Vitria was counting on him-
He wacked his new victim after that, leaving them in a similar situation to Kate.
"Student Maximilian Avasius has gained a Life.
Student Aurel Olvera has lost a Life. "
2 down, 3 to go.
The Fire Elementals were freaking out a bit, running away from Max rather than continously throwing fireballs.
This time it was one of the Earth Elementals, he tried to hold Max back to let his friends escape, His plan worked, but it cost him a bit.
"Student Maximilian Avasius has gained a Life.
Student Angus Strate has lost a Life. "
3 down, 0 to go.
The Fire Elementals had ran off, leaving Elina's group in peace, Max-
"Student Elias Argen has gained a Life.
Student Vitria Luminix has lost a Life."
He looked back, Vitria... she was on the ground, Elias was standing besides her, looking down with pity, and then he looked at Max's direction with reignited anger.
Max did the same.
But that anger was not aimed at Elias, but rather at himself.
He had failed Vitria, he had helped as fast as he could, yet he wasn't fast enough...
Elias slowly walked closer, or atleast that's how it looked in Max's perspective.
Elina and her group... they had also ran off the second the Fire Elementals weren't focusing on them...
Max looked at Elias with a hint of fear, Gareth was nowhere to be found, Vitria was unconscious, Selena was being held hostage...
This whole situation had gone to shit...
Max took a step back as Elias got closer.
Maybe he could run now- Gareth and Vitria wouldn't fault him... right?
Who in their right mind would fight a Metal Elemental all by themselves?!
How could anyone expect him to do so?! He was just a Plant-
NO.
He wasn't, He wasn't just a Plant Elemental.
He wasn't weak, atleast not anymore.
And he sure as hell wouldn't continue being a coward.
He was tired of always hiding what he actually thought because people stronger than him would beat him up for calling them what they were.
Cheaters, Liars, Bullies.
He was Rowan, and he was going to be true to himself, for the first time in a long time.
A memory he had hidden in a deep corner of his mind resurfaced.
"Only cowards leave their friends behind, and we are not cowards!" A female voice spoke, not even the howling winds and thundering lighting could drown out her bravery.
Max smiled lightly as Elias got even closer.
Gareth and Vitria were the only friends he had in a long time, Selena... Well... Let's just say Max had a low standard for who he considered friends.
The smell of something burning filled the air as Max's staff turned into a poleaxe made of ashen wood.
His skin darkened to a grayish color, the places were his Nodes resided turned into broad veins that seemed to store Magma inside.
The air around Max turned noticeable hotter as he got into a fighting stance.
His smile became a shit eating grin as he looked at Elias expectantly.