The kid was drenched in sweat. I knew the kid would try to use his wings, so I made him meet me at the south gate. No-flying zones were everywhere in this area. "Did you enjoy your warm-up?" I opened the water and drank it. "Follow me."
'You think you can keep track of me?'
"This distance should be perfect for him to stay. I will observe him and his actions."
'Haha! That's what you get. Let's see what you do from here.'
'Checked your surroundings and erased your scent, successfully escaped from the animals hunting area. The kid is using his head.'
'Oh? You found a shelter in the daytime. Spent the rest gathering and scavenging.'
Horton shook his head when he saw the type of fish Vincent ate. 'Lost points for not properly preparing your food.' Horton sat in a tree drinking a beer. 'Four hours to wake up. Too long and extremely dangerous.'
'Acknowledging and learning from your mistakes is good. Your trapping skills could use some work. You did catch a rabbit with them. You did make one mistake. You left your camp unprotected.'
Horton saw Vincent return to the cave. 'Preparing for the worst without notifying the intruders. Very good. You got out of the cave without revealing anything about yourself and made a threat with my presence.'
Horton watched Vincent walk a few miles and doubled back. 'Not trusting the strangers and waiting to see if they follow. You got the right plan.'
Horton watched how Vincent 'tricked' the people who were hunting him. 'Nice try, but they are more experienced at hunting people. That can be solved with some tracking lessons.'
'I'm going to dock points for giving up the fact you can manipulate water. I am also taking points off for lowering your guard so quickly. I will give you props for using the tarp and making a net of vines below you.'
'Reacted in time and attempted getting back to the river. It shows you have a plan, and your instincts have grown sharper.'
Horton watched Vincent fight with the group of people with a disinterested look. 'Good choice of what martial arts to use. You kept the melee fighters between you and the archer, which earns you bonus points.'
Horton's face changed when he sensed the staff's intent. 'Comprehending staff intent in the middle of combat. Very nice! Taking out their magician good.'
'Making the leader think you are going after someone else but aimed at her. It was a good strategy, but she dodged. You got rid of their range support, but you threw away your weapon, which is unacceptable.'
'Breaking and disarming your opponent without your primary weapon and making your enemies turn on each other. That is devious; Jekel's mind tricks, no doubt. You prevented the enemy from killing themselves to obtain good information. You broke the leader without torture. Received the information you wanted and took everything they had.'
Horton watched as Vincent grabbed Mika and Carl's bodies. 'What are you doing with their bodies?' He followed Vincent and saw what he did. 'Disposing of the bodies and possibly gaining an ally.'
He followed Vincent and saw him fall asleep in the cave. 'Not preparing any defenses and laying out in the open.' Horton closed his notebook and went back to the bodies. He put them inside his inventory and then teleported back to the school.
The others were waiting inside the conference room. Horton made a cup of coffee and sat down. "I spent the day observing the boy. My final evaluation of him could be considered untapped, decisive, petty, and inexperienced." He tossed his notebook on the table and let them each read it.
Jekel nodded at the strategies Vincent used and at his foresight. Markus smiled at how vicious Vincent was toward his enemies.
Simon furrowed his brows. "The kid there his weapon away? He even used tonfas that he had no training with. I think you forgot the word cocky in your evaluation."
Tyre came to his defense. "Simon, he comprehended and used staff intent in his battle. Not many can do what he did." Vera did not comment on what Vincent did. Pyea had mixed feelings. "He decapitated the magician and fed her body along with her lovers to animals."
Jekel chimed in. "So what? Their leader asked them to be buried together, and Vincent told them they would have unmarked graves. He not only allowed them to be together, but he also recycled their bodies instead of burning them. He established an opening to a partnership with the local wildlife. Vincent followed my teaching to the tee."
Jekel was the one who was the most satisfied with how Vincent handled the problems. Pyea could not refute what he said and kept quiet. Vera spoke for the first time.
"The question we should be asking is obvious. What weapon should he learn next? He can learn the spear from me, the axe from Horton, or the hammer from Pyea. He should learn how to use weapons in tight spaces from Tyre."
"The spear should be the next weapon. He used the knife to sharpen sticks to fish. He could have used his staff to bash and swing them out. He could have used the knife to cut, but he sharpened sticks and stabbed. Even in combat, he stabbed three times with great speed."
Vera cracked her neck. "He comes to me after his awakening. Tyre will be in charge of healing him this time." They nodded in agreement.