Far away in the town of Dawnchester, a man was sitting in a large hall in the stands, well dressed in a suit and smoking a pipe.
It was 2pm and so far nothing had been organised. Shit, we're getting more and more ashamed of our country and I don't know what to say. We've been hosting these events for the last 5 years and we shouldn't be in this situation. I'm going to take it out on the two biggest hierarchies of the military and the people, the old King and that slut Dorothy. No, but I'm ashamed and I'll never know how to swallow it all. And yet I love this country so much and I'd do anything to restore it to its former glory. Meanwhile, that Dorothy is enjoying herself. For her, it will be easy to launch a plot against her to eject her from the title. That'll teach her to boycott and neglect her nation. Already, we should be seeing several candidates here doing everything they can to risk their lives to pass the tests.
Afterwards, the Royal Guard arrived on the scene and walked up and down the seats to address the man.
- Uh, sir, I think you're fine.
- Can't you tell I'm UNwell? You're one of this country's royal guards, you should know that.
- By the way, Colonel Klaus, I wanted to ask you what you wanted by spending your time here.
Taken aback and angry, he asked her what he thought he was supposed to be doing in this place.
- Er, calm down, Colonel. Far be it from me to frustrate you. I just thought that since you've spent more time on the battlefields than at home, you'd like to reminisce about the old days by watching these pre-selection tournaments, just to relax.
- Of course, I'm here to scout out the candidates for the magic tournaments. I've even drawn up several plans to facilitate the mission. Give us a few days off and come and scout out potential candidates to join Jones.
- You're talking about the General.
-Of course,' he replied, smoking his pipe.
Scratching his head, the guard said: 'Sorry, you've come to the wrong place. By the way, this is where the selection tests were held. I heard that Lady Dorothy had moved the venue at the last minute.
Feeling ashamed of himself, he tilted his head and didn't know what to say, but asked her anyway: 'Why didn't you tell me sooner?
- You came without speaking to anyone and without wanting to hear me.
- And where are the trials currently taking place?
- She chose a dungeon 3 hours from here, in the south of the capital, in the forest of Akina.
- Ah, I see that dungeon, but that's sadistic of her. This dungeon is not adapted to their level, I can't tolerate that. He got up from his seat, put his pipe away and prepared to leave.
- Where are you going, Colonel?
- I'm going to find the General and ask him to intervene with Dorothy and ask her to stop or suspend her trials. I have a bad feeling about this.
* In the dungeon
HIRUKO and his friends were hiding in one of the ruined buildings of the town, waiting for the infamous beast to pass.
- HIRUKO: Luckily, we barely escaped the monster.
-Ismael: Luckily you said so, and wouldn't we be better off avoiding this beast?
-Hiruko: What? Are you talking about avoiding the beast? I didn't think you were such a coward, Ismael.
-Just look at what he did to Uli and you'll see we're not the same size. If it hadn't been for Frederico, he wouldn't be here any more.
-HIRUKO We have to get through this, that's good, but staying alive is even better.
-Uli: We have to get rid of this beast and get to the exit as quickly as possible.
-Ismael: Are you starting too? It must be the defeat in your eye that's hurting you. You've got to pull yourself together, mate.
- You don't get it, mate. I don't know what you've been through in your kingdom or with your friends, but I already consider this beast to be a threat. One thing's for sure, it's killed most of the people who've entered this dungeon. I'm not here to avenge them, but I nearly lost my head to this creature. And as far as I'm concerned, I don't leave threats alive, especially as it could hunt us down.
Hiruko: Well said, ULI.
-Ismaël: Lord.
Uli: You can leave and I'll draw up a strategy to defeat it with those who stay with me. I'm not forcing you to risk your life with us, Hiruko, Selene and I have known each other for a while, so you don't have to follow us, just like Frederico and Goki for that matter. I'm not forcing you to do the same.
- Frederico: I like the way you act together and the good humour that Hiruko shares with us. I'm willing to take the risk with you, it's part of the aim of this test.
- Goki: Hiruko saved my life, so I owe her one and after that, I'm off.
- Uli: What if you die first?
- Goki: No, I won't die before I've paid my debt, and neither will he. So I'm willing to stay with you.
- Ismaël: I see, you're nuts.
- ULI: Ismael, we can create a diversion and in the meantime you can get away from this creature. That way, you can even join another team if we don't come back alive.
- Ismaël: OK, but I was taught in my kingdom not to take on anyone stronger than myself. But I'll still be waiting for you on the other side.
-Uli: That's kind of you.
-Or, Frederico, why don't you tell us what you know so I can plan my strategy accordingly?
- Frederico: Don't worry, look what I've done after scanning this creature.
- I see, so listen up, guys...
10 minutes after their discussions, our young braves were observing the beast's movements in the ruins.
- Hiruko: It's more than 20 metres away, we should attack it from here.
- Uli: No, we're still waiting. Just be patient a little longer and you, Frederico, don't lose your concentration, it'll be crucial for this operation.
-Selene: He's 15 metres away from us, with his sense of smell he'll locate us in 20 seconds, Uli.
-Uli: I know, but we still have to wait, he must be quite close.
- Goki: We're ten metres from him now, so let's all get ready.
-Hiruko: OK, I'm all set.
-Ismaël: He's 5 metres from us.
- Goki: Shh, he can hear us. He's got a good sense of smell, but that doesn't mean his hearing is impaired.
- Ismaël: Sorry.
The beast approached to within three metres of the young heroes. Knowing the risks they were running, they could have started hostilities with the beast and disobeyed Uli's instructions, but it was quite the opposite: they trusted him, as a troop would do, devoted body and soul to its leader. But it wasn't until the beast had come within two metres of them that the two of them began to talk to each other. They communicated with each other only by glancing and nodding. It was then that...
- ULI: Now!
They spread out and circled him.
-Uli: Hiruko, go on, throw!
-Here, this miserable thing.
Hiruko threw some kind of powder at him. At the same time, Uli ordered Frederico to inject a spark of fire which, on contact with the powder, ignited the whole explosion area, forming a 5 metre radius which sent the draugr into a state of burns.
* Flashback (about their plan)
-Uli: - so, according to this scan, even though he's a creature, he's still a draugr, hence his ability to choose a singleton target when he's surrounded. He could therefore choose one of us at random and it's not certain that it's Ishmael, so that won't allow him to escape. We need to start by blinding him while depriving him of any means of locating us, whether by sight, smell or even hearing.
-Selene: How are we going to do that? All our magic is fundamental.
- Frederico: Yes, but there's more to this world than magic.
- Selene explains.
-Frederico: With the help of alchemy and science, we can combine several elements to create reactions.
- Hiruko: What do you want us to combine them with to create reactions?
- Uli: By showing me his arsenal, Frederico told me that we had enough to create an explosion.
-Hiruko: Really? Tell us!
- Frederico: by using flour and propelling it through oxygen.
- Hiruko: Only? Of course it will bother him, but he'll have us in his sights.
- Uli: You're right, but if we add small bursts of fire, this flour dust is likely to cause an explosion within a 5 metre radius. This explosion would blind him and the smell of the explosion would also prevent him from following our scent trails. What's more, after the explosion hits him in the face, his hearing will be impaired for at least 10 seconds.
- Hiruko: That's cool, but we'll have to tell God our ration.
- Uli: You have to make sacrifices, it's either that or die.
Hiruko: OK.
*returning to the fight with the Draugr*.
-Hiruko: It worked, even if we're going to complain about the food later.
-Uli: Let's not waste time, Selene, just immobilise him.
-Selene: OK.
Selene then used her weapon to immobilise the creature with her rope.
-Uli: Well done, Selene. Now it's your turn, Ismael.
-Ismael: Just pretend it's done.
* Flashback (to when they were making a plan)
- Uli: Selene, after you've immobilised him, his limbs won't be enough. He'll still be able to free himself like before, but you, Ismael, have to help us.
- Hiruko: Are you sure? Can't we just distract him so he leaves?
-Uli: I know it's too much to ask, but where you come from, their soldiers are reputed to have great flexibility of movement. So I'd like you to cut off the points of support on this creature with your blade.
- Goki: If that's what it takes, I can do it, Uli.
- Uli: You're too quick, but I'd like you to keep fully recharging your magic.
-Ismaël: It'll work too, he'll be blinded so I can do it in peace.
- Thanks a lot mate.
*Returning to the fight with the Draugr*
Using his dancing shaman technique, Ismael cut off all four of the beast's legs with precise dance movements.
- Ismaël: That's it, I've done my bit, Uli. I'm counting on you!
-Uli: Thank you very much, Ismaël.
-Ismaël: Come back alive, dear comrades.
Ismael then left for the other end of the ruined city.
Uli: Now, let's wait for his next attack, friends, stay on your guard.
* Flashback (to when they were making a plan)
-Hiruko: Hey, haven't you forgotten something? Have you forgotten about the salvo of spikes he can produce?
-Uli: I'm the one who's remembered the most about these spikes, Hiruko. Don't worry, I counted the time it took him to throw them.
-Selene: I also counted when I was holding him back, so that's a total of 2 seconds and 30 tenths?
-Uli: - Selene: By 3 seconds and 6 tenths, after this draugr, I noticed that he was acting like the animal he imitated: the body. In fact, according to our courses at the academy, a draugr decides to poison us, or decides to throw a laser at you, or simply crush you with its limbs. When I saw the remains at the entrance to the dungeon tunnel, I saw bodies missing parts, and when I went looking for those parts, I couldn't find any. Those I found were crushed and compiled, both men and women. So I deduced that it was this beast that simply devoured them and spat them out, since it doesn't have an animal digestive system.
-Goki: So his animal instincts are getting the better of him when it comes to making decisions about his enemies or his prey. That explains why it wanted to devour me with its jaws.
-Uli: Yes, and for his spikes. When I tried to pierce his eye, I was 160 cm away from him. That means he can extend them up to 2 metres from the ground. At that point, you'll have to jump very high, folks.
-Frederico: And when I scanned him, my device predicted that he couldn't produce spikes twice in a row. So he'll need an interval of more than 30 seconds.
- Goki: In short.
-Uli: Yes, exactly.
-Goki: We've got a good chance against this creature.
*Returning to the fight with the Draugr*.
The beast was in a position where it was deprived of its senses and unable to see where its opponents were. It decided to throw its spikes, and as it was unable to aim, the beast grew spikes 250 cm high, which completely covered the 10 metre radius.
But our young braves, already warned, jumped higher than the spikes.
-Frederico: Uli was right, he decided to target us all by making the spikes appear higher than usual.
-Uli: Hiruko, turn him around!
* Flashback (when the plan was drawn up)
-Hiruko: So, Frederico, with your camera, were you able to find its core?
-Frederico: Yes, its core is...
-Goki: on its abdomen.
-Frederico: OK, you're stealing my thunder, and how did you find out in the first place?
- Goki: Just as he was about to devour me with his jaws, in that brief moment, I saw something shiny on his abdomen.
-Uli: And so you're going to puncture it with your speed, from where you're going to have to recharge your mana all the way, Goki
-Frederico: Didn't you want to pierce it with your spear yourself? I thought it was personal.
- Uli: It is, but I have to be reasonable, I'd be risking my life when Goki, with his speed, could pierce him. He'd be as precise with his stone as he is with his sword. I'm not blinded by revenge though.
- Goki: Agreed.
* Returning to the fight with the draugr*
After escaping the spikes thrown by the draugr, Uli shouted at Selene to move away and at Hiruko to hold the rope to which the draugr was tied, then, using her superhuman strength, to turn the draugr over so that Goki could pierce its abdomen. Hiruko, with such difficulty, grabbed the rope to which the beast was tied and pushed with all his strength to turn the beast over, and he succeeded, leaving the conclusion to Goki Kosuga. Goki, who was in the process of loading his sword, let go and pierced the core of the beast with a single blow.