Feeling his anxiety flare up again, he consoled himself.
'It's fine'
He began firing arrows focusing on his form and only adjusting it minutely, it's getting harder and harder to grab arrows since there were so few of them. Groping around blindly Azario grasped the last arrow, his eyes subconsciously possessed by the timer
It displayed
3
Azario calmly pulled the arrow back
2
His upper body felt warm and sore the spring had left a single white light on Azario's pale left cheek signifying its residence.
1
Azario began lining up the shot, feeling the crushing weight of stress on him, every inch of his body shaking with pressure, not yet he told himself adjusting his aim with fanatic zeal, the milliseconds flashed by his body subjected him to crazed pressure, knowing that any moment now his time would be up
Now
0
*Woosh*
He released the arrow.
*Thud*
It hit sublimely on the bull's eye but Azario did not even have a moment of release as the target showcasing the fruit of his labor popped out of existence closing the earnest smile on Azario's face to be wiped clean.
A hologram appeared above him in the air.
"Now that you have had some practice the first test shall begin" said a voice.
In front of him was a tanned attractive looking woman, with conspicuous clothing she seemed to be wearing a white woolen robe that was folded over his chest it connected on either side of her shoulders. Something about her seemed unnatural and surreal.
But what shocked Azario is what happened next, she spoke,
"what in the gods blessed names is happening", she exclaimed but strangely her body did not move a single muscle as if she was frozen in invisible ice only her voice able to escape such a prison her eyes cruelly glued onto Azario.
"why can I not move", she cried proceeding to engage in what sounded like a struggle.
"Don't mind.. uh she's just what was created in this virtual reality and she is also part of the test" informed Emily, almost rushing out the words.
'what is going on here, I thought that the first Test was meant to test how accurately I can shoot 10 shots', Azario thought.
"This lady would be your target"
"what", Azario blurted
You will get three points for inflicting a seriously damaging shot, you will get 2 points for inflicting a mildly damaging shot and only 1 point for a shot that does little damage.
"Ohh Hera mother of the gods I beseech thee please save me from this torment and I will be you're most ardent follower get back to my son safely he's but a boy the pitiable sobs of the woman made even Azario feel bad.
'what the hell, why would they do this to prepare us or something and even if this is fake which I don't know this is still so messed up'.
"You have one minute 30 seconds", again Emily woods stated before her hologram disappeared.
Azario blinked missing the woman who vanished and reappeared at far away distance that was most likely similar to where the practice target was stationed earlier.
A significantly large timer appeared above the woman. It displayed 1:29.
Arousing a subdued sense of urgency in Azario but he stood paralyzed in indecision. Time coldly passing regardless. Azario held his head in his hands.
'There's no way she's real right? There's no way they knocked me out and took me to this field how else would holograms and actual objects appear out of thin air there's just no way right',Azario thought his expression betraying his assureity
'Even if the vertex actually have such technology why would they waste it on beings they see as inferior there's just no way right', Azario argued with himself unconvincingly
'Maybe parts of this are virtual and other parts are real to the vertex it might be cheaper to use human lives than technological resources These monsters have cloning after all human life means nothing to them'
He looked up at the time.
"****! Its 50! "He yelled, thoughtlessly knocking an arrow and pulling it back
"Please now have mercy I have a 8 year old son", she screeched miserably stunning Azario in his attempt
'How can I hear her so clearly-', He interrupted himself.
'Damn it! if I don't get on to the archery team then I'm probably gonna die',
She continued pleading desperately
"Damn it!", Azario said aloud, pulling the arrow back there's a left cheek you wirelessly adjusted his hey Wrestling stalwart resistance of his humanity gritting his teeth he stiffly released the arrow
*Woosh*
The whistle of the arrow seemed t to have restored Silence to the serine fields but it would not last.
"Aaagh please have mercy",the woman screamed, the arrow drawing a vivid line of Crimson across her left cheek but for a surprising moment in his life azaria was not dissatisfied with failure . It displayed 40 second left.
Spurred on by desperation azaria quickly knocked another arrow his sights once again set in the midsection of the woman.
*Woosh*
*Thunk*
An ear piercing scream desecrated the peaceful meadows. The Arrow what's sticking out of the left cebtre of the woman's chest already a dark patch of blood had developed on the cotton robe. Azario recoiled in shock, eyeing the timer but it continued on just the same
'Dammit, this is already fatal'
"Please! Do you not fear the pits of Tartarus", she screeched.
Azario drowned out her pleas with unsettling ease. He released another arrow.
*Woosh*
*Thunk*
Agh this time a choking sob filled the meadows. This time the arrow this time the arrow had penetrated to the far right of her chest into her lungs, spawning another dark red patch on her robe.
time to process he had another arrow ready
*Woosh*
*Thunk*
Agh a miserable scream followed
the arrow an inch deep to the bottom right of the arrow he had shot before. Before even giving himself
*Woosh*
*Thunk*
The left abdomen. Another
*Woosh*
*Thunk*
The Head. Another
*Woosh*
*Thunk*
The far right chest. Another
Another,Another,Another,Another ANOTHER. Azario reached 4 another arrow but thin air welcomed his grasp. His face stiffened unable to look at his handiwork. The woman's body was lined with arrows, her once white robe sporting All sorts of hues of red. Azario stood soullessly his arms limped his sides a part of himself definitely died.
"The next test,"
The familiar voice of Emily woods causing him to look up weakly seeing her hologram
"Will record how many shots you're able to pull off in a short amount of time"
A 40 or so yards in front of Azario, five adult men appeared. They were wearing linen fabric draped over their shoulders that reached their knees fastened to their waist with leather looking belts. But to Azario utmost shock they were wielding knives each.
"You son of a coward how dare you kill my wife I'm going to make you remember what I do to you even in your next life", he yelled
Azario's heart began to race feeling of crippling sense of dread
"what's going on" he said aloud, panic evident in his voice
The second test will involve you shooting at these men as fast as you can to prevent them from hurting you,
"No this can't be there must be something wrong here, you want to find out how fast I can shoot ", Azario pleaded to the inorganic hologram but his pleas fell on deaf ears
"Get ready you son of a whore we won't rest until we kill you"
The bloodlust they executed choked Azario preventing him from by uttering anymore words.
"Don't worry though you won't die since this is a virtual reality"
Azario released a sigh of relief
"But you will feel the pain"
"wait why I'm going to feel the pain of being killed?! No wait please" he panicked
"The second test starts now"