Chapter 24 - Test of Bravery

The unified chanting calmed down and now everyone was trying to rest and recover some strength for the next part of the exam. They all knew that there was three parts of this year’s exam but they didn’t know when or how the next part would come. It could be the next day, next hour or even the next minute.

“The second part of the exam will start tomorrow when the first sun rises. If you still want to continue, you are to sleep on the island and if you want to give up, you may come on the ship for the night.” Lieutenant Marco yelled out.

“You’re going to keep going, Lajos?” Arnest asked.

Lajos’s hands were heavily bruised and blistered. But Lajos didn’t wince in pain and answered “Yes. I have to become a Raloman.”

“I’ll keep you company then.” Arnest also wanted to see how far he could get.

“I suggest if you’re going to continue that you start making your shelters now. A storm is coming in fast from the east.” Lieutenant Marco warned.

The examinees looked towards the east and ominous clouds that lit up with lightning were approaching. They ran to their feet, going towards the jungle, hoping to find some sort of natural barrier to shield them from the impending weather. Arnest, Lajos and Maarav headed into the jungle together.

As they walked Arnest stared up towards the canopy. Fauna that were all the colors of the rainbow, monkeys who hid in between the dense foliage and vines hung from the top branches and were draped all the way down to the forest floor. This scene created a sense of mystery and a fear of the unknown. Each step they took cautiously because they couldn’t see what was under the brushes they walked through.

After walking for thirty minutes they arrived at an open area. The canopy didn’t extend to this area so the suns and sky could be seen and there was a lack of greenery, only brown dirt patches and some grass was there. The dark clouds from before also could be seen.

“This place isn’t good to take shelter in, let’s keep looking.” Lajos said as he started to move.

But Arnest stopped him with his hand and said “Wait. I have an idea.”

Arnest activated [Shadow Bow] but shaped it less like a bow and more like a triangular shovel. He started to dig out a pit into the exposed ground and in about ten minutes it was a hole more than large enough for the three of them. He then gathered some loose and fallen branches and covered the pit, creating a thatched roof which he arranged at an angle so that when rain fell it would be directed and not pool at the top. He then looked behind at Lajos and Maarav with a giant smile, proud of his ingenuity but two stone stiff faces stared back at him.

“What’s wrong with you two?”

“Was that magic?” Lajos asked.

“Yeah, I’m a magus.” Arnest didn’t hide it at all.

“You can’t show anyone your magic.” Lajos said seriously.

“Why?”

“Magic isn’t forbidden in Ralom, but Ralomans hate magi. A magus can never become a Raloman.”

Arnest’s face was now serious too. It wasn’t that Arnest didn’t study Ralom and their customs but he had  never heard of this when he was researching in Zanabo. He did know that Ralom didn’t have any magi but he thought it was just because magi were rare. Arnest needed to and wanted to understand the reasons for this hatred.

“Why do Ralomans hate magi?”

“My father once told me to never trust someone who used magic. He never explained why. I just know Ralomans think magi are evil.”

Arnest thought for a while and then asked, “So do you think I’m evil too?”

Maarav didn’t even hesitate to say “You’re not evil! Someone who was evil wouldn’t have helped me carry that heavy jug of water.”

“Or save a friend in trouble.” Lajos added.

“Thanks for believing in me, Maarav, Lajos.”

The three of them entered the hole. Arnest had also collected some dry tinder to light a fire so Lajos started to scrape some flint and iron against each other and sparks flew. The sparks hit the tinder and started to smolder. Within a few moments there was fire. And with fire, there was warmth.

A cold front barreled into the island and so did the storm. Torrential rains thundered and gusting gales sieged the hole the three of them had taken shelter in. The roofing was able to hold even against the violent barrage and the heat from the fire combatted the cold winds.

Suddenly a grumbling sound overwhelmed that of the thunder and rain. Arnest and Lajos looked to Maarav who was beet red.

“I’ll go find some food for us.” Arnest said and he started to exit the hole.

“I’ll come too. Stay here Maarav.” said Lajos as he joined Arnest.

Arnest and Lajos left the coziness of their shelter and braved the storm in search of food. It wasn’t that terrible though because once they entered the dense canopy the winds and rain was slowed by the natural barrier. In only a few hundred feet, they found what they were looking for.

At the top of a jungle tree were seven mango fruits all bunched together. Lajos grabbed onto a vine, pulling it with his weight to test its strength. The vine held so he started to slowly climb, careful not to slip on the wet vine.

He made his way up and when at the top, as he was able to grab onto a mango, a roar thundered out. Lajos and Arnest froze, staring in the direction of the roar.

“ROOAR!”

Whatever roared did it again. Then they heard wet footsteps, rushing towards them. The sound of rain on leaves, sloshing of puddles and thunderous roars. Lajos hurried down the tree while Arnest found a brush for the two of them to hide in. Once hidden, the source of the roaring revealed itself.

It was a lion. A lion with with two tails and two heads. The left head roared and then the right one to a steady syncopated beat. Three boys dressed in soldier’s uniforms were being chased by the beast. Each time it pounced its claws into the ground it left a deep imprint and with a powerful leap it propelled itself even faster forward, closer to its prey. They ran towards the direction of the shelter Arnest had dug into the ground.

“Maarav.” Lajos whispered.

Arnest and Lajos looked towards each other for a moment to confirm what they were thinking and then they knew what they had to do. They jumped out of the brush and chased after the monster who was chasing after the three Raloman boys.

“Help, save me!” one of the boys screamed in terror.

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The two of them reached the clearing where Maarav was still waiting for them. Near the hole shelter the three Raloman boys were on the ground while the double headed lion inched closer, exposing its teeth and licking its lips. Maarav was peeking from under the roof and Lajos breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that he was fine. But Arnest didn’t relax. He knew that the lion’s attention could easily change to Maarav, the smaller and slower target, if he was detected.

The lion jumped on top of the boy who screamed and the other two scattered away, retreating from the monster. They were not courageous enough to risk their lives to fight against such a terrifying creature. It opened its mouth wide and chomped onto the boy’s right arm. The sound of bone crunching and skin being torn apart echoed out. Two Raloman boys ran when they saw their friend being eaten. The screaming boy no longer screamed and had gone unconscious the moment his arm was ripped away from his torso.

Arnest jumped out when he saw the lion was distracted. He activated [Shadow Step] and darted behind the lion. Unsuspecting the beast kept chewing on the new toy it just had acquired. Lajos had also left the safety of the brush and quietly moved to get Maarav and bring him to safety.

Adjusting the output of mana directly to his fists, his shadowed form now only covered his hands. The shadow turned into a floating, giant blunt brick and Arnest raised it so it towered over the head of the lion. The shadow brick grew larger and larger each moment, eventually becoming a shadow boulder. He then released it and let it drop down onto the lion.

As the shadow boulder dropped, it whistled through the wind, pressing all the air downwards. The lion sensed this and stared up and saw darkness. The shadow boulder crashed into the lion’s two heads and body and was toppled over on it’s side. It twitched a bit but eventually stopped moving while Arnest stopped the mana output so the shadows dissipated. Lajos had already collected Maarav and now walked up to Arnest.

“We should leave here, who knows if there’s more monsters. It should be safer by the ships where the Sixth Army can protect us.” Lajos advised.

“Good idea, let’s-” Arnest started to say but he then saw Lajos and Maarav’s dark expressions.

Arnest realized the rain that was pelting him had stopped and there was now a shadow that was cast over him. He turned around and saw the lion standing on it’s hind legs over Arnest, getting ready to slam its front paws onto Arnest. Arnest’s narrowed his eyes and he shouted “Run!”,

The lion’s body came crashing down into the ground and Arnest barely dodged to the side at the last second. Arnest tumbled to the side and slammed into a tree, falling to the ground. Lajos saw Arnest on the ground and was about to rush to his aid but Arnest shouted again, “Run to the shore! Run to the ships!” Lajos grit his teeth, grabbed Maarav by the hand and ran.

Arnest started to chant the spell for [Shadow Step] again, forming a protective shell of darkness all around him. He still left his face exposed so that way he didn’t completely disappear and could keep the lion’s attention while Lajos and Maarav got away. The monster kept his four eyes locked onto Arnest, waiting for another opportunity to strike.

He placed his right hand behind him, forming a small [Shadow Bow] in the shape of a dagger and was the first to charge. Arnest ran towards the left side of the beast and the lion lifted its left paw to strike.

“Boom!” sounded the thunder as they reached each other.

When the two collided, the lion’s paw clawed at his chest while Arnest stabbed forward with his shadow dagger. Arnest was thrown to the side while the lion balled in pain. Despite the shadow armor, there were three gashes in Arnest’s chest which blood spilled out of. On the lion was a single gash. Specifically it’s left eye of the left head.

The left head was visibly affected but the right head stared at the other in confusion. But nevertheless it soon recovered. With three good eyes left it was able to clearly see its target and charged Arnest, who was still getting up from the ground.

“It’s a good thing I told Lajos and Maarav to run. I don’t think I would’ve been able to protect them and myself at the same time.” he thought to himself as he rose, getting ready to take the monster head on.

Arnest still had the shadow dagger in his right hand but switched it to his left. He then rushed towards the right side of the lion and prepared to strike the other head’s eye like last time. However, even though the lion was a beast, it was by no means stupid. It was weary of the strange weapon and dodged to the side first and Arnest passed by. Then it charged from Arnest’s side while he was still midair. There was no way he could stop the charge and he closed his eyes and grit his teeth, mentally preparing himself for the blow.

The lion pounced on Arnest, knocking him down on his side and hovered over him. Arnest spat out a mouthful of blood when he was hit. Its breath was hot as it smoked across Arnest’s face, saliva dripping down. Licking its lips like it was getting ready for a meal, it neared Arnest slowly with it’s two heads..

“Sit down, Leo!”

The lion stopped when it heard the yell and the beast looked in the direction of the yell. Lieutenant Marco walked out into the clearing, his hair drowning down his intense face.

“I said, sit!” the Lieutenant commanded again.

The lion heeded the order, released Arnest and sat down like an obedient pet. Lieutenant Marco walked up towards the beast, petted its heads and handed it a thick cut of meat. Behind Marco was another Raloman soldier, older, who looked like he was a part of the Sixth Army.

“I’m sorry Lieutenant for being unable to control Leo. I don’t know why he stopped listening to me.” the Raloman soldier said.

“It’s not your fault, Domado. It’s much harder to control monsters when it’s raining this hard. We shouldn’t have held the second part of the test until it cleared up.” Marco said, still petting Leo.

Arnest was still on the ground, coughing heavily. Marco glanced over towards the Raloman boy who had lost his arm and was still unconscious on the ground, rain beating against his body. “Domado, bring him to one of the healers on the ship, I’ll handle the Ingras boy.”

Marco walked up to Arnest’s side and stared down. “So, you’re a magus, Ingras boy?”

Arnest continued to cough unable to answer. He was still winded by the previous impact when the lion charged him.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone for now. After all, you did risk yourself for a Raloman.” Marco said as Arnest’s vision faded to a comatose black.