“...” The goat man stared down at Flame’s cradle-mate, quiet and in thought as he metaphorically picked apart Navy with his gaze, cataloging the boy’s expression and body language. Flame thanked himself for choosing to be smart, instead of proud, at this moment.
‘Being proud meant nothing if you were punished. That was the lesson he was learning today,’ he thought to himself firmly.
He silently waited for Navy’s punishment for cheating the system the adults had in place for the test, thanking the gods for his own quick thinking. He hoped the giant forgot about him.
The goat’s mouth slowly curled and he huffed out a puff of smoke, and then…
All of the imps subconsciously took a breath in the face of the thickening tension.
…A laugh.
Another hearty laugh exploded through the room. The room's energy returned slowly as everyone’s bated breath slowly released.
“I like you guys,” The giant said jovially, well aware of the effect he had on the poor imps. He looked down at the two imps with amusement, “I’m glad the Chief let you lessers live,”
“Uhhh… thanks?” Smokey said, not understanding the compliment.
What? He wasn’t… Why…
Flame grit his teeth as the man forgot about him, continuing his walk down. Continuing his walk and passing by as if Flame was nothing special. It’s what Flame wanted but… but…
Damn.
He was bigging up these people that hadn’t even done licks of damage. These people who were so pathetic that most of them failed to leave any marks on the giant's body.
Someone who couldn’t even do fire magic. And a child who just waved his hands and made the clouds blacker. Truly wonderful assets to the tribe.
Why was he bigging up these,
These…
These…
Lessers.
Flame felt something nasty nestle next to his heart. A black hand which squeezed him tight whenever he even glanced at any of his fellow combatants.
Contradicting thoughts battled within his mind, filling his soul with crude turmoil. He envied them. He hated them. He wanted their help. He detested their help. He was going to push himself above and beyond. Upon realization of his poor grade, he steeled himself.
It was his right as a superior, blessed, being to stand at the very top. He refused to stay in last place like he had so humiliatingly been placed in for this test.
He reminded himself that he was better.
He reminded himself that he was stronger.
“Navy was your name right?” The giant said offhandedly.
Navy nodded.
“Have you told anyone about the second test?”
Navy shook his head.
“Alright, I'll trust you,”
Flame watched the delusional giant suck in a giant gulp of air, “ALRIGHT! EVERYONE PAIR UP INTO GROUPS OF…” He counted the kids quietly for ten seconds. “FIVE! WE’RE HEADING OUTSIDE IN 30 MINUTES!!!”
Boof!
While the lumbering man waited for the imps to organize themselves for leaving, he snuck a quick rest, collapsing promptly on his side and lazily picking at his nose.
While he vigorously removed all 'detritus' from inside his nasal cavity, he closed his eyes in meditation, breathing in and out.
Surprisingly, it had an actual effect, for while he lounged, he glowed a faint fuchsia, generating and using some kind of energy that Flame hadn't seen before.
The sound of shuffling started. People ran up to the people they were most familiar with, or people they had found strong.
A couple imps even came up to him, but Flame ignored them. He was too good for these randoms. A little under half the camp didn’t even participate in the battle.
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He wasn’t even going to humor them. These others didn’t even have the intelligence nor the bravery to participate. If most of the lessers managed to scrimp up enough of either to participate, then those who were their betters had no excuse.
“You want to go together?”
“Sure!”
“You want to join my group?”
“I wanna ask them but…”
A chorus of "Pick me!'s" and "Choose me!'s". Tail runs up to him and just stands beside him, not even asking whether it is fine to be in his company.
Flame looked over and he saw the imp smile deviously, eyes glimmering with new confidence, as he looked at Flame. Seems like this battle has already given Tail newfound strength since they last talked..
Cheeky kid.
Flame smiles slightly. Tail was so meek before, but after springing into the action and showing how formidable he was, he really has changed for the better.
He was happy to have Tail on his team, and he felt slightly better with a competent soldier at his side.
That bitter feeling didn’t leave him though.
He looked over to Navy, then over to Rhodney.
He knew that they would be useful. He knew it, but...
Tail caught his eye, “You want them to join us? Only one other imp in our group fought and he just threw fire balls. It'd make the five…”
Even with Tails' newly found confidence the boy still seemed apprehensive in his words.
Talking like he was stepping on glass.
Shaking slightly.
It was an interesting dichotomy. He talks meekly, but when he had rushed out to battle, he had used earth magic to dramatic effect, with equally devastating results. 'It was...' Flame grudgingly thought to himself, 'really cool.'
Flame would never tell him that though. He still remembered how his boulder shook the ground.
Raise, huh…
“We don’t need lessers on our team… Rumble.”
The newly named imp looked at him, and his smile somehow got even wider. Rumble and him walked back into their group.
Flame deliberated.
Planning.
Thinking.
His pride wouldn’t let him ask Navy what the next test was.
He sighed, looking over to Smokey, Navy, and Rhodney. The black hand squeezed harder. Should he…
No.
No.
He turned around to grab his boys. The next test will be soon.
…
“Smokey, you were so cool! That smoke just WHOOOOOSHED out of your mouth!” Torrent congratulated Smokey loudly, happily clapping the imp’s back after she and Misty made it over.
“Y-Yeah… You did great.” Misty tried her best to join the hype.
Smokey tried to play it off like it was nothing, but Rhodney could instantly tell upon peeking his eyes open that the boy was doing a terrible job. His face was beat red.
His nose almost glowed with embarrassment. The boy literally had smoke coming out of his ears.
Rhodney chuckled at the animation.
“It.. it was nothing! Anyone could’ve done it!” Smokey said, trying to smile through it.
“Literally.” Navy said, ruining the hype. “Navy! Don’t be mean!” Said Torrent.
Torrent had long horns. They had a similar placement to Navy’s sitting right above her eyebrows. They curved into standing straight up, going a good distance above her head.
They weren’t as thick as Rhodney’s, being shaped and the size of large poles. They looked alot like sucked candy canes.
Sharp points on the black and white pinstripe design. Rhodney quite enjoyed how she looked, finding her characteristic squint and bright energy fun.
Navy ignored Torrent, and addressed the group. “We have to get ready for the next test.” He pointed to Smokey, “Sit.”
“Wait, who made you the– Whoa!”
Navy pushed the boy on the ground and started giving him a rushed version of the mantra he’d given Rhodney. He quickly instructed him quickly about the basics of what Rhodney was calling, mana meditation.
“...And if you get good enough you can use it to construct spells that you couldn’t do normally. Wizards are the ones who normally use this, but monsters can also use it to help deal with mana sickness and mana fatigue.”
Smokey’s smoke coming out of his ears increased. Wafting out around him as confusion spun. “W-Where did you learn all this?” Smokey said, asking the real questions.
“...God.”
“...”
“...”
“Sounds about right.” Smokey said.
“He just accepted it!” Torrent yells.
He put the girls in a similar position and we all sat in a circle. The combatants glowed slightly as they all pulled mana from the rich atmosphere.
A few of the passing imps that were slightly injured from the battle overheard Navy’s instruction and joined in a little ways away.
Wordlessly thanking him as they felt their joints feel as though they were oiled up. Rhodney knew he was. Fatigue left their bodies and time seemed to move way faster than normal.
Smokey got up after about 15 minutes. Smokey’s smoke had a low magic cost for how effective it was in the enclosed space.
His huge dragon-like horns also told us that he probably had a ton left in the tank as well.
Navy stood up after about twenty minutes, silently cursing to himself about how long it took. Rhodney didn’t blame him, even Rhodney’s butt was starting to hurt.
He’d been here before the others had even started. The mana had been coming into his body and for some reason, wasn’t nourishing him as well as it probably should’ve.
Was it because it was his own irregular powers, or because he simply had a gaping well that his healing mana had burned through?
He didn’t know.
Magic was not something he had a specialty in, Nor was it something the gods seemed to give him knowledge in like Navy. He wished he could ask the Guardian more questions.
He really should’ve asked more instead of being so stubborn.