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<01/14/1972 ~ 11:00 | Dakota Training Academy, Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>
The days easily passed into Friday without any conflict. Training was steady and non-stopped with Eliza pushing everyone to the brink, and with Jane returning to her normal self, it appeared as if all the other students in the same class have done the same as well. Many rumors speculated around her while such behavior went noticed, proving that Jane would soon be the most popular and worthy adversary as soon as graduations take effect.
Evaluations were to begin late morning in dark room six, just as Eliza mapped out, but nobody knew exactly what their objective to pass the test would be. Their teacher was withholding that information until the very end. Only those who really practiced hard would be able to pass - so it was said. Naturally, from the resulting atmosphere, very few had any difficulties making it to school on time. Danny and Taylor were defiantly away from the few who did show up late. After waking up early for a good breakfast, they both joined Jane and the class in the dark room at eleven A.M. as scheduled.
The magical light of the bright fog above them illuminated everything brilliantly, and the large metal dome in the center of the room appeared to carry more significance with the way Eliza stood just in front of it. As soon as all students were present and accounted for, it was time to give the official announcements. "Attention everyone! Quiet down please."
Jane froze in place. For many days and nights, she had been dreaming of this moment to finally come true, and here it is. After so many long hard hours of close combat training, mixed in with the consecutive invocations of Leray magical spells, Jane was ready for this test. That said, exactly how they would be tested was beyond even her knowledge. They change it up every year, making the specifications of the actual test different each time. The only thing that always remained the same is that the final evaluations demands something physical. It's never some sort of written exam, but rather a physical evaluation much similar to that of evasion therapy. On cue, Jane began to wake up quickly.
Danny could feel it, the wild excitement in the air. Everybody in this room was very eager to get the show on the road, and there was a good reason too. Passing this test means permanent Leray license status. It allows everyone to go wherever they want into Sprawn Valley, and challenge as many people as they see fit. You could find any other person with a Leray license and duel against them in a full Leray match, using skill and wits to determine who is stronger for every single battle. Danny could barely control himself either. The thought of it was more exciting than he once viewed it to be. For those who don't pass the test, they have to retake the entire course as if from day one. Even he had pressure on him right now. Training with Jane doesn't mean everything this time. He and Taylor will both be tested with something that won't be easy.
Eliza took a good breath to deeply explain the instructions for which everybody was to follow. "The final evaluations will take place shortly. Please listen carefully, as I will relay the instructions of the physical demonstrations that must be performed."
Jane's eyes lit up. Physical demonstrations? It was exactly like two years before. Jane was never part of that group, but this test was going to be all about showing off all they've learned. No wonder this is the chosen place!
"Each student has been randomly selected in an ordered system to take the evaluations one at a time. I will be the evaluator for your test today." Eliza let herself relax, and pointed to the dome behind her to signify what she meant. "Once your name has been called, step up to this station right here, and prepare yourself to use Leray magic. I will then ask you to perform a total of five Leray abilities, or attack combinations on your target. Accuracy as well as successful invocation will be counted into your score. You are required to demonstrate the ability to use at least five Leray spells, and you will be given only seven total attempts to get them right. If you do not successfully invoke five abilities within seven attempts to try, you will automatically be counted as disqualified and unfit for battle. If you can demonstrate at least five abilities, they must come out clean and quick enough to score at a specific range, with each spell obtaining a maximum of two points. The scale ranges all the way up to ten points, and the minimum requirement to pass this evaluation will be set at four-point-five."
"Wow! There are a lot of rules." Taylor spoke in a soft voice to prevent interrupting her teacher. She understood what she was being asked to do, but it was a lot to take in on such short notice. Still, Eliza made it sound harsh too. Even if she has to use all five spells, she has to do them correctly, or else score too low and still fail.
"First up," Eliza called while checking her list to see who was first. "Hawn. Step forward and demonstrate your five abilities. Feel free to take your time, but not too much time."
Taylor quickly judged the overall situation here. It was more simple than she realized. The evaluations takes place in her own class, and is judged by her own teacher. Furthermore, it's a simple series of performing five specific abilities. During the battles against Cran, everyone knew two abilities on average, so it wasn't hard in theory to get up to that point. Each student would be firing at that metal dome in the center room to see the sideshow.
Jane waited to see Hawn step up to the station with Eliza. He had some time to prepare his magical aura and charge up the energy he would need. Jane already was distracted by a critical detail, and wanted to locate Danny and Taylor for a quick conversation. The group of students were also a bit distracted. Not everybody was paying attention to what was now going on in front of them, but that was because the demonstration Hawn was about to give wouldn't be anything special. Five spells really isn't much at all. The easiest way to pass the test is to use a spell involving a weapon, then Radial Stars, and then all three of the elemental balls. One could even skip an elemental factor and use needle barrage, which is a very weak attack. This is child's play!
Jane finally located Danny and Taylor standing together, yet silently apart. "Hey you two." Jane kept her voice to a near whisper. "You'll be fine in the test."
"Thanks Jane," Taylor accepted. Coming from Jane, it gave her a fair amount of comfort. "I'll give it my all."
"I hate to say it," Jane stirred.
Danny could tell that something bothered Jane, though it wasn't urgent either. Something more curious, "What's up Jane?"
Jane knew exactly what was wrong already with the evaluations. "The teachers this year are all being lenient. They're only demanding five attack spells, and allowing for two failed attempts per student." Much to her surprise, Danny and Taylor both winced at her complaint.
Danny replied, "Wait. You're saying that the test is easier than it used to be? And you're upset about it?!"
Of course he wouldn't understand. Jane knew exactly how valuable and important it is to test one's skills to the maximum level. "Two years ago, basic evaluation requirements called for a minimum of nine abilities with zero screw ups, or ten abilities with one screw up. They're really going out of their way this time to try and let everybody pass."
"The test is easier to pass," Danny reworded. "I don't see the downside." Typical Jane, always fighting just for an impossible challenge. "Look. You don't have to show off. I know you'd love to, but just worry about mixing up your tactics, and get that license."
"Gee, thanks." Jane wasn't sure how to take that. And Taylor wasn't saying anything, though she wasn't ignoring them either.
"I guess that means power levels of any kind are allowed?"
Finally addressing Taylor, Jane informed, "Yes."
"I get it now." Danny stretched his arms, in case his name gets called soon. "You don't want anyone to get by with easy wins."
"I thought you'd never learn." At least Danny was capable of picking up on things eventually. Speaking of which, Jane never really figured out what happened between Taylor and Danny since she got left unconscious from that lunar beam. She was specifically interested in the special details regarding their love for each other. Though before Jane could begin to open her mouth about it...
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Chapter Theme Shift: Race With Hovis ~ Freelancer OST
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"Jane Venn!" Eliza had to wait a moment. Jane was buried somewhere in the clutter of chatty teens today, and had to bush her way through them to reach the front of the room. Jane looked to be in perfect health, obviously ready to take her best shot at this. "Please step on the platform," she pointed. "And use five spells on the metal target in front of you."
Jane prepared herself, remembering every single skill she knew. Her interrupted chance to tease her friends would have to wait until after winning the license, but she was being forced to shave down her skills to a minimum of five abilities. After thinking about which combination she was going to use, it was decided. Beginning with an easy attack, Jane used a small amount of her MP energy, and conjured up the Leray magic into her right hand. The small red glyphring formed around her wrist, just as Jane chanted the name of her spell. "Fire Ball!" Jane's palm unleashed a speedy and quick Fire Ball shot from the center of the red glyphring, which flashed right into the metal target in just half a second. Because the material was designed to absorb magic, there wasn't much of a fiery explosion on impact as there usually was, but Jane was being graded on how easy it was for her to unleash her powers, so she remained calm for now.
Fire Ball is a very weak attack, but for Jane, it was both powerful and easy. With much practice, her own Fire Ball attack was not actually the weakest one in the book. After invoking it so many times, the power level of her Fire Ball spell compared to some of the other students would be much higher in scale. Eliza should be more than capable of detecting as much. Jane continued her momentum by pulling up her daggers, both of them in each hand. She wasted no time in between shifting attacks and skills, other than the time it took to charge the energy into the places they needed to go. Jane began channeling the energy into her two daggers, making them glow red with auras like before. "Flying Guillotine!" After charging enough MP energy to the blades and concentrating, Jane threw her daggers at the target. Due to the angle and design of this special skill, the spinning daggers crossed paths, forming a magical red aura in the form of a circle after picking up some distance and velocity, with the radius defined by the two spinning daggers. With this, the red spinning disk became the attack Jane wanted to, following the daggers themselves towards the same target on the metal. The daggers didn't spread further apart from each other or close in together as they went through the air, bound magnetically by the continued assistance of Leray magic in the design of the spell. Essentially, her Flying Guillotine attack spell became the same sized solid red circle drilling through the air with little effort. Because of the metal dome however, the daggers would have to bounce right back into Jane's hands before continuing a longer barrage of damage. Eliza had to know that. Jane's Flying Guillotine cannot be fully formed in the second half for this reason, but it still counts as a successful skill anyway, and Jane demonstrated it perfectly.
Jane's daggers came flying back to her the way they were meant to. In any other attack spell using magical daggers, the blades would simply teleport back into her hands. Flying Guillotine treats the daggers like a boomerang, requiring the user to catch them once they fly back. The red circle of damage disappears at the last moment to let Jane catch them harmlessly. As soon as Jane caught her daggers, she began to run straight for the same target on the metal dome, daggers out and ready. Her transition was very speedy, making it difficult to predict what Jane was about to try next. When she got close enough on foot, Jane began attacking the metal dome with her daggers. Not only was she slashing at the metal material, Jane was also kicking and punching the wall with her awesome close combat combination. Officially, this was not a specific Leray skill, but Jane knew that and went with it anyway. Eliza would accept this under the circumstances since it still counts as a type of attack in the long run. With every slash Jane gave however, the daggers bounced back against the hard metal material, clinging loud noise echoing through the air, and putting force against her that made the combination that much harder to control.
Taylor was watching with Danny carefully, evaluating how well Jane was doing. So far, her abilities came out rather quickly. But now what was she up to? All Jane was doing now was attacking the target with her close combat battling style. That doesn't count as one of the five skills, does it?
"Does that count as a Leray skill?" Danny wanted Taylor to answer, but all she did was give him a shoulder shrug. It wasn't very clear, but Jane sure was into that style of hers.
Jane performed a back flip, gaining distance from that target while hopping into the air and out of the way. She then charged more energy, causing her hands to glow a blue color. "Magical Blitz!" The energy balls from Magical Blitz formed in Jane's hands, and she threw them at the target one by one with all her might. After the second throw with her left hand, Jane formed two more in her hands again, since this ability can form up to a total of four energy spheres. Jane then threw the next two, making for a beautiful magical combination attack. Once all four hit the dark spot on the metal target, Jane was now in line to use her fifth and final attack spell.
This time, there was some delay. Jane needed to charge her energy correctly, as this skill takes a bit more time to invoke than other spells do. Jane cautiously and slowly backed away several paces during the charging sequence, making it easier for her to take aim at the same location again. As soon as Jane's magic was ready, she chanted her attack name while throwing that energy in front of her as if holding onto it with her arms. "Shadow Wave!" Jane immediately formed a large and powerful Shadow Wave, much like the ones she had done before. The Shadow Wave quickly slid its way on the ground towards the metal target. As soon as it came into contact with the metal, the Shadow Wave exploded in place after a short second of damage, and the impulse made a loud whoosh noise to it as well.
Jane was already feeling a bit dizzy. It was one thing using all of those attacks, but Jane really went as fast as she could with it. As quick as it was, that was the completion of the goal. She had just done it, passed the final evaluations with flying colors and no mistakes. It was fun, but now it was already over before Jane had a chance to enjoy it further.
"Excellent work Jane." It was amazing to see the girl pull off this much recovery, after she was still totally out of commission just days ago from that odd flu. Not only was she easily capable of using magic again, Jane's natural speed and reflexes seemed to have returned to her as well. She has the stamina of a soldier! Eliza marked down the scores of each attack. "You didn't let up for a single moment, and your attacks were performed with great style and combination. You're score turns out to be nine point five."
Jane gasped aside from many others who heard the count. She was waiting to hear the words that she had passed, but the score she received was really high for what people normally receive. 9.5 out of ten is really great, and carrying that on the Leray license will make for an excellent resume to get into a more advanced class in the future. Jane bowed at her teacher, proud of her work and her gratitude status. She then walked back into the crowd, holding her tongue while she let herself breathe. They don't hand out the licenses until after everyone has taken the test, obviously because the evaluation scores must be on them before creation.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Taylor found Jane quickly after returning here. "Jane, that was great! And I just now learned that you can use physical attacks as one of the allowed skills."
Jane put her hands on her hips. She was allowed to gloat with a score like that. Finally! After all that hard work, it's finally paying off in full! "It's a great way to switch up a battle by conserving your MP when needed. The damage is a bit lower, but not if you know how to fight like I do."
"This is actually pretty fun," Danny added. "What score did you get?"
Jane wasn't sure how to explain to Mr. smart mouth that he would never get as good of a score as her, and it would actually be bad to add any additional pressure right before the performance. "Uh, I'll tell you after you get your score. It's out of a total of ten."
"Danny Mason!"
Danny heard the sound of Eliza's voice echo through the entire room. She only seems to yell when calling names. That makes sense, since everybody is in a talkative mood right now. It's all about who passed the test so far, and how well their skills will look as soon as they go, but now it was Danny's turn. Officially ready, he walked up to the same station being used as before. Eliza was there, waiting on him to get the show on the road.
"Please step on the platform, and use five Leray skills on the metal target in front of you. Aim carefully for the dark spots." Forced to repeat instructions to each student, Eliza was already getting bored, but watching Jane's performance was awesome. Danny was one of Jane's training partners too. So this should at least be something more worthy than what was average in basic.
Danny tensed up a little on purpose. He had to quickly decide on his five skills and then go with it. After being told there are only two failed attempts allowed, it was still enough to try and risk on his underdeveloped Earth Glave. So that's what he went with first. He had to aim at the target and charge up his energy first. Earth Glave is usually a spell that uses the earth power in the ground to shoot up rocks and dirt in a grounded area attack around the opponent, but in this case, the earthy materials would be formed by magic as well, seeing as everyone is in a metallic room. "Earth Glave!" Danny unleashed his charged energy, and just like he imagined it, shifts in the ground formed large pillars of rock shooting upwards until they impacted on the target he was supposed to hit. The chunks of rock shot forward and advanced in a horizontal like fashion as well. It was a multiple hit combo, and his hands were still glowing brown after the successful use of his first earth spell.
Danny felt an incredible amount of excitement and happiness that stunned his focus for the next few seconds. That was his first successful use of Earth Glave, and he did it right here in front of the test as well. Awesome! "Now for the rest." Danny held out his arm, charging energy until a red glyphring formed around his wrist. "Fire Ball." Danny shot off his Fire Ball attack with ease and without even shouting the chant past an indoor voice, as the projectile quickly slammed into the target out in front. It was hard to see happening since those weaker attacks often move quicker through the air.
Danny kept his arm straight, forming a bright blue glyphring as soon as the red one had faded. Then, after finally releasing his energy, he chanted "Ice Ball!" The ball of frozen magical energy shot from his hand again, forming a bright cyan colored sphere of freezing water and air that was went flying towards the target. After that, Danny retreated his arm back to his side, charging energy for a rather different attack just as he witnessed the powerful icy blast at the end of the impact at the dome. "Stand back for this one, Ms. Eliza. Whirlwind!" Danny immediately created the same Whirlwind attack he did earlier, but with an incredible twist. Danny moved his hands and quickly formed the spinning vortex of air and wind slashes into the spot further away where the target was. The vortex of air was quickly formed from the location far in front of Danny this time, instead of using it all around him. He briefly read about this before, that certain skills can often be formed and spawned in locations other than where they are originally designed to be, with the offset cost of using additional magic energy in the same spell. The fast spinning residual air made the entire room windy, but Eliza took no immediate damage despite being too close to him for a defensive attack like that. The Whirlwind was attacking the dome right now, not anyone else.
Danny's hands stopped glowing once his Whirlwind ended, and he went with the next spell. "Hammer of Might!" Danny repositioned his hands and arms as if he were holding up a two handed sword. At that moment, the same yellow glyphring spawned above him, and created the large magical hammer associated with that skill. The hammer formed in such a way where Danny was already holding it without effort. All the magical charging and discharging sounds only made this moment more epic. At this point, he could have charged and attacked his target, but after what he learned before, it was not necessary even for the purpose of the evaluation.
Eliza waited for the hammer to fade away before realizing that this was what Danny's combination of five moves had to offer. Impressive variance for a beginner! "It's nice to see how you chose your attacks with such randomness. You could easily form a strategy with what you already know. And with that, you score... a six point one."
Danny was frozen, uncertain of how good or bad that score was. Six point one out of ten didn't sound very good at all... But still, four point five was passing, which means he managed to succeed after all. Was that the standard score?
"It's a good score," Eliza elaborated, noticing how Danny was worried about the score in question. "All you need to do is decrease your invocation time in real battles, but you've done enough to pass the test. Congratulations."
"Yes!" Danny deepened his gesture holding up an iron fist. It was possible to pass after all, and he had thanks to his teacher. After the demonstration of his new confidence, Danny headed back into the crowd. However, before he could even find Jane or Taylor again, he heard Eliza call out her name.
"Taylor Feer!"
Danny wasn't expecting her to be up right after him, and so he stopped, remaining in the front of the group after turning around to watch Taylor perform. He managed to see her just as Taylor made it through to the station pad where Eliza was standing next to. Jane was beside Danny now, watching her performance as well.
Taylor was already told of what she needed to do, and she took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Okay... Five skills... Here goes..." Taylor charged up her energy for the first attack she knew best. "Whirlwind!" Without much time before it actually happened, Taylor created a powerful vortex of wind surrounding her. Normally, this would end up damaging poor Eliza. Why she was standing so close was beyond Taylor's understanding, but Taylor thought ahead and extended the radius of her Whirlwind on purpose, allowing her teacher to remain inside the eye of the vortex without expanding it too wide to affect the students standing a distance behind her. Thus, Eliza nor anyone else took Leray damage, but the gusts of wind here were powerful. Their hair flew everywhere due to the spell, all until it died down seconds later.
Taylor hoped Eliza would not take that too personally. Even her hair had to be messed up a bit. Without worrying any further, now is the time to use, "Sphere of Might!" Taylor aimed both of her blue glowing hands at the target in front of her. After unleashing her energy, a large red sphere of Leray magic attack energy formed on the dark spot of the target. It was hard to tell because the sphere was both perfectly rounded off and translucent, but it was also spinning in place, dealing magical damage to the target Taylor was aiming for. The impressive thing was that the sphere did not shoot out from anywhere. It just phased into the physical realm on the target as if designed to teleport there.
Danny winced. "I didn't know she could use Sphere of Might!"
Jane nodded up and down, impressed that Taylor would lead into this with a surprise. "Unlike Hammer of Might, Sphere of Might is designed to do damage without even getting close to your target. And because it uses dark red glyphrings to spawn right where your opponent is standing, it can be confusing to try and evade it. The damage type in this case is non-elemental magical damage only, so her spell is somewhat weaker than your version."
Taylor's red spinning sphere disappeared while the two red glyphring attached to each side of it collapsed on each other. Now it was time for the third spell. Taylor went for it full this time, sprinting towards the metal target. If done incorrectly, this could really end up damaging her foot, but it was worth a shot for a new physical attack. Taylor kept running towards the target, getting as close as she could. "Jump Kick!" Taylor jumped high into the air with her leg far out in front for a mid-air kick. The upside to this was that Jump Kick is really a Leray attack skill. By infusing MP energy into her foot, Taylor's kick becomes more powerful and does more damage than it normally would. At the same time, the white glowing aura around her entire shoe simultaneously protects that part of her body from taking damage should Taylor kick something as sturdy as this massive metal dome. Jump Kick also does some considerable blunt damage as well. So this was the perfect time to try it out. After slamming her foot on the metal, Taylor bounced back off of it, and almost failed to land correctly. The move was successful because her foot was glowing right before impact. Taylor could tell that it worked. It's just hard to be certain with an inanimate object that cannot respond to force or to pain. What was with that anyway...?
Taylor concentrated on the task at hand. After landing on both feet this time, she had performed this skill as best as she could, and now it was time for the fourth attempt. Taylor however didn't go all the way back to her station before invoking the next skill. She began walking backwards while invoking her next magical spell. This one doesn't require distance to use, so running back to her station with haste was not important for the purpose. Taylor's hand began glowing blue, forming a larger glyphring in front of her that was spinning a bit faster than the normal rotational speed of other glyphrings. "Ice Needles!" Taylor immediately fired a barrage of frozen needles from her hands, forming right through the glyphring. The attack was executed beautifully. The spell blasted a large wide spread barrage of frozen needles all flying straight into the dome without falling down. The accuracy wasn't the best, but that came with the design for this spell in the first place.
As soon as Taylor's Ice Needles wore off, her feet were back on the station pad since she had been walking backwards during her invocation. Now it was time for the last spell. After charging her energy and taking about two whole seconds to launch her attack, Taylor chanted, "Shadow Wave!" The same shadowy aura stuck to the ground formed and began sliding forward towards the target. While picking up speed, Taylor was hopeful that it would be a good score altogether.
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Chapter Theme Shift: Assassin ~ Kevin Rix (ASCAP)
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Jane knew what it looked like already for a Shadow Wave to strike a target, so she quickly changed the subject to Danny's case. "So, what did you score?"
"Let's see..." Danny almost forgot what he scored earlier, but it wasn't too difficult to remember with some thought. "Six point one. Not my best work I think."
"I see," Jane responded. "Though it is in the upper quartile range for what these other people are scoring I bet. It's really difficult to score highly."
"So what did you get?"
"Well..." Jane felt bad about comparing her score to Danny's now. She did train harder after all. After letting the excitement fill in her lungs again, she couldn't resist! "Nine point five should be enough."
"Nine point five?!" Danny reacted. "I'm not so sure I deserve a license if you can score that high."
Jane encouraged, "Hey come on! I just said, six point one isn't bad. You'll still be getting a license. Plus, you can train more and get better, regardless of what the score is today." From the corner of Jane's eye, Taylor was finished, now awaiting Eliza's report.
"Taylor Feer? You're skills are impressive for a beginner. You'll do fine out in the field with continued gradual practice. And your score tallies up to six point seven."
"Awesome!" Taylor knew she was capable of passing. A six point seven was well above the minimum score of four point five. Even if what Jane said about lowering the bar was true, this was already so exciting. "I'll go tell Jane the good news."
Eliza admired that passion. It couldn't have all belonged to Taylor alone. Jane was well known for inspiring others to do well in Leray magic training. With such determination, they were going to make a great team together. While Taylor dashed off to locate Jane, Eliza called in the next person on the list. "Eevee Sanna!"
"What did you get?" Danny pleaded. Taylor just returned from her evaluation, and she looked well excited by whatever Eliza said to her.
"Six point seven!" She said it loud and proud, as if you couldn't get a better score than that.
Jane let out an interesting reaction by mistake, failing to comprehend the chain of thought quickly enough. "Doah!" Neither Jane nor Danny was expecting Taylor to be so enthusiastic about a score that was only slightly elevated above the average rate. Jane still noticed there was a sizable difference in one critical comparison. "Well, that's still better than Danny's score."
"Hah!" Taylor pointed to Danny's face, rubbing it in deep. "I knew I could beat you! And Danny eats my dust again." Taylor had so much energy now, after things were getting back to normal in the way she wanted it to be. Danny did really well demonstrating his abilities, but Taylor was still a bit better than him.
Jane thought she was about to sweat with the way Taylor was acting. She sure is happy to have that score, though it was really about beating Danny and passing at the same time. That was Taylor's motivation all along. Taylor must have gotten a fresh morning today to be this hyper. I thought I was known as the excitable girl. Or maybe I'm the strange one according to the class... "That's great news Taylor. As soon as they finish with everyone, we all get our licenses!" Jane joined Taylor in jumping up and down with laughter and excitement.
Danny thought they looked really stupid doing that, but with such a successful trial, who could blame them? Their very success here made him smile in sympathy. With both of them passing, Danny and Taylor really could pursue their plan to follow Jane around all they want to. One day, Jane will make it to the Junon region on her grand quest of whatever she is supposed to do. Once that day comes, Danny will have to refine his plan to help Taylor out with her situation back home. But for now, that stuff is on pause.
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Much time passed while the class was relocated into the normal classroom again. Only some of the other classes were doing their evaluations in other dark rooms. Right now, Eliza was ready to give out the licenses. After being told to form a line leading up to the front of the room, Eliza simply handed them out one by one. While Taylor and Jane were in line with each other, they noticed the small section of three other students standing outside of the line, looking depressed.
"How come they aren't lining up?" Taylor pointed.
Jane quickly pulled Taylor's arm down, doing her best not to draw attention to herself. It was rude for her to call them out like that. Even if they weren't training hard enough, failing to get a license could literally be the end of one's career. "They must be the three who didn't pass the test. Either their abilities were too weak to surpass a four point five, or they failed more than two times." Poor kids. They just couldn't cut it. Although their disposition was not solid evidence that they were the three who failed the evaluations, it was obvious enough to Jane. It was given away by the looks on their faces, followed by the heavy humiliation since others took notice as well. Without licenses to show for it in their hands, they had to be the three unlucky ones. Jane gave a loud sigh. "Not everybody makes it. Some people just can't cut it until they've had even more time of training."
"That's so sad." Taylor didn't know what else to do. They would have to retake the class; in perspective, they didn't have a choice either. If they can't pass the evaluations, they aren't strong enough to be released into the field as a mage.
"Only under special permissions can one retake the test, but it has to be within three days. One who doesn't yet have what it takes really can't refine their skills in just three days without professional help. But the three-day rule was designed to help pick up those who came so very close to passing the test. I can't speak for them, since they have the right to not share their own scores."
Taylor considered what Jane was talking about. It seemed like everybody would pass, but in truth, all she was able to pay attention to this semester was Jane, Danny, and herself; this included her studies and Leray abilities. Because she was Jane's friend, and not anyone else's, it was a total mystery to who the others were and what they were like. She never even learned the names of the other classmates. The semester however was not a long one, only a month and a half long for what she put into perspective. It seemed odd to refer to advanced classes taking years to complete, but perhaps basic training is the quickest semester available.
The line moved forward even more. Once Jane finally made it to Eliza, she got the first long glance at her own Leray wielder's license. It was even more fascinating than she ever imagined. Made out of some strange kind of soft bendable metal substance, the license was chrome coated and colored differently with the digits. The card had Jane's picture on the front, and her status on the front of the card as well. Eliza handed Jane the card. While Jane was examining the license card, her teacher explained once more about what it meant to have and own a license.
"Jane Venn. I present to you your official Leray wielder's license. With this card, you may challenge or be challenged by any person who also possesses one of these licenses. As such, you are hereby legally allowed to take part in full battles between other Leray wielders of any caliber."
"Awesome!" Jane's eyes were lighting up already. Her information was everywhere in a summarized form, which she red back to herself. Jane Venn | Age: 16 | Graduated facility: Dakota | Graduation Date: January 14, 1972 | Last Ev. Score: 9.5 | Current Status: Novice Leray Wielder | Credits: 300 Cr. There were also some strange 3D like stamps on the front that covered much of the card. On the back, the scan-ready bar would allow digital equipment to read the license as well. Jane flipped it back over, locating more about the thing while Eliza continued to explain.
"The blue stamp on your card is an activation lock. As I explained before, activation locks are used to prevent a Leray wielder from battling legally, often through the means of penalties or suspensions. In this case, it's only a one-day grace period. Everybody who obtains their first license must wait at least twenty-four hours before they can battle anybody else, in order to allow the system to process all of the information... Good job Jane. Next!"
Taylor stepped forward as Jane stepped to the side, her eyes totally glued to her license. Eliza handed Taylor her license now. Her picture was on the card, despite not remembering taking picture day this year. The slight background that was mostly cropped around her face was familiar to the frontal section of the school, during the student lineup of the wall formation. Someone went through the trouble of taking her picture that day, no; everyone's picture during the lineup for the Cran challenge, all just to make sure the license cards keep the images for each person. But all of her stats were on it, including the standard starter kit of 300 Cr. Eliza once again explained to Taylor how it all worked, while Jane savored her moment much longer.
Danny, who had already received his license before both of them located Jane near the front of the line, burrowing her head deep in the moment she longed for. "Hey Jane."
Jane happily greeted Danny. Now that it was finally done with, nothing could break this awesome happiness she was feeling. "I can't believe I've finally done it! I still have to wait a day before battling. But starting Monday of next week, I begin my first journey to Blue Port Town." Jane almost sounded like she was about to cry tears of joy.
"Sounds fun. And you realize I'll be joining you." Danny's words almost struck Jane by surprise. She must have already forgotten the promise she made earlier, about letting them travel with her on her grand journey.
"Count me in too."
Jane saw Taylor step into the reunion as well. "You mean it? You want to become Leray masters too?"
"Uh—"
"Well..." Taylor was not going to agree to that just yet. From the reaction of the boy next to her, neither was Danny. "Not exactly, but I do want to get much stronger. What better way than to follow in the footsteps of the best?"
Good answer. Jane had to give them credit for their sense of adventure. "I'll be aiming for the top of course, one day to challenge the League of Elites, and win the championship. My road isn't going to be easy, nor will it happen quickly either. But I know that with a lot of hard work and a good learning experience, I can finally be a Leray master!" Her volume level immediately stole attention from the entire class, even interrupting the teacher mid-sentence.
Danny always admired that one thing Jane had no matter what, her confidence and energy. Her short-lived moment just now made him chuckle slightly. It was stunning at times to see how high one can aim, and she has the biggest motivation anyone has ever seen. It sure wasn't the same kind of goal as discovering a new breakthrough in science, or developing the world's best technology, but it was a goal he could support a friend for at the very least. All of this Leray stuff, it's really rather fun for something that would from the distance seem so childish. All people do is battle each other, but at the same time, they work really hard because Leray magic isn't as easy as it looks. In all of this, if Danny could end up getting really strong as a Leray wielder, perhaps he could defend Taylor when that time comes. One day or another, her family and his family will track them both down, and try to force them both on that plane ride home. Until home is actually safe, there is no way Danny plans to quit perfecting the plan to fix it all. And Leray magic - dangerous? Yeah right Nyar! It can only be dangerous if you mess with the unknown. Speaking of which...
"So as a celebration of our success, I was thinking of having a party at my place tonight." Jane was seriously offering both of them to join in for fun tonight. With her family's help, and their raging happiness over this awesome moment, nothing was going to stop them now. Danny and Taylor both ended up agreeing to the party as expected. Jane had much time between that and Monday to consider exactly how she will plan out her journey to train for the League of Elites. One thing is for sure. This moment Jane was waiting for so long, it's only the beginning.