Ayla ran ahead before stopping and turning at the first formation. She shouted as she grandly waved her arms towards the formation, "okay! I don't want to have to go to the parlour every day - but it'd be nice - so we should team up on this time around!"

"Air and earth! We need everyone who knows the 'Earth Wall' and 'Air Wall' spell to step forward!" Erik shouted, claiming his spot in front, as the boys' leader.

Only James, Jack and Jill stepped forward representing the earth side. There were a guy and girl who stepped forward for covering the wind attribute, but including Erik and Ayla, there were only four in total.

"Damn it," Erik growled as he saw they were down to three since Eldrich and Wendi were sent for remedial lessons. "Jack and Jill! We'll need to maintain a corridor. I don't think you were with us last time, so you'll both need to activate earth wall to block the flying shrapnel. Me and Tanner will block the wind from destroying it as we make a passage through before switching out with Ayla and Stacy!"

"Okay!" Ayla confirmed for the both of them. "Once we all get to the base, where it's safe, we'll keep low, and do the same to get out!"

"Mhmm!" Stacy confirmed.

Since the raging winds in the air formation were chaotic and did not adhere to a single, predictable direction, save for the currents launching the man-sized boulder, a complete passage was needed to traverse safely.

"Okay! The plan is set! Are you ready?!"

"Yeah!"

"Woo!"

"Hoo-rah!"

"Nice! Let's... go Tanner! "Air Wall!""

The currents of wind were blocked for a moment, two earthen walls appeared cutting through the jagged spikes dotting the ground, and three students ran for it. It was Ayla, Stacy, and Jill who stood at the edge of the four-meter wide earth wall while they shouted out their own spells.

A single wall appeared on one side, but James shouted, "leave it to me! Earth Wall!"

And the next four meters were secured.

And a massive boulder whipped around from the corner of their sight.

"Earth Pillar!" Jack shouted, just barely managing to reinforce the wall in time. The boulder hit into the ascending pillar, smashed it, but was lifted back up from its downward trajectory. It knocked the top-third of Jill's wall into shreds, but Ayla beckoned them to move.

""Air Wall!""

""Earth Wall""

Inch-by-inch, they finally made it to the base of the hill.

The walls only lasted some fifteen-seconds even with the wind being muted, so their passage back was destroyed before even the first made it to the top and called out, "Flatten."

James, the last in the rotation before, set a deep slide as he carefully kept his shield up to block the flying jagged rocks. He had to batter three from the air before he secured a safe drop-zone by digging deep into the rock.

"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!" Erik shouted as he saw both Jack and Jill go up the hill and tumble down shortly thereafter. They weren't able to dodge some of the chaotic, blunted spiked that punched into their backs from the peak.

James already called out Flatten three times before they could take over. The path kept reforming into the jagged spikes that refused to be pressed down for long.

Mathias, Lisanna, and the other unsuitable mages hurried after while the wind mages followed. They wanted to catch their breath, but were forced into action as the last reached the top of the hill.

They climbed by hand to avoid the flying shrapnel, slide down the shuddering path, and soon broke open a new corridor.

It only took five minutes, but the two groups were exhausted. They made it out with just a few knicks and no casualties, but Ayla, Erik, James, and the rest of the people they called on were panting with sweat-streaked foreheads.

What was worse what that the next obstacle needed their attention too.

After they sluggishly wandered over to the other side, Erik shook his head violently and slapped his cheeks. "As much as I want to rest, I don't think she'll let us. This is one where we absolutely must not lose to! I found sand in my uniform today - I refuse to let that happen again!"

Erik glared at Mathias who turned away, whistling. He warned Erik anyways so he did not feel that guilty.

Ayla added, "I don't think there is enough moisturizer in the world to fix us if we mess up again!" The girls and even some of the looks-conscious guys nodded. "Lisanna and Hunter! You two cast Fire Lance on the sand to harden it while we make another path. It only needs to go in one direction, but we need those walls to be high and strong! Don't hit the walls with the fire attacks! Me and Stacy will prevent the winds from blowing them away again; you two be ready to secure a path without as much sand to the top! We'll go in and out the same way!"

Both Erik and the other boy looked at each hesitantly. If either knew of a spell that would keep them from being mummified like last time, they would've used it.

"... Uh, really strong wind wall?"

"... Really strong wind wall," Erik agreed tiredly.

There was no getting around the sand.

Everyone got into positions: Ayla and Stacy were the first to move, brokering no complaints by asking if they were ready, and casted their spells. The broke off, by the sand pierced through the wind wall, slowly breaking as the sudden wedge was darkening to an opaque beige. Yet, the first walls were built and fire glassed over the drifting, waist-high sand-dunes.

Despite generous serving sand for lunch, they passed to the gradual incline where Erik and the other boy were called up.

"Do something!"

They looked at each other. ""Wind Wall!""

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They both at the same idea: since Erik was off a beat, he overlapped the barrier as was the other boys' original plan.

It was just enough away to avoid being entangled, and they could layer another shield behind it. The only issue was that it was three-feet wide. It was the only way to stretch the length of the peak.

Lisanna and Hunter glassed the remaining mounds of sand and all four wind mages sped on hands and knees towards the peak, returned well-dusted, and bolstered the defences as sand and sediment swept over them all.

The walls had to be recast, but they made it out.

"... Mathias?" Ayla waited expectantly.

"Yeah, yeah."

She brightened up - granted, her cheeks still flushed with scarlet before returning to her cheerful self.

He produced a bit of water for people to wash their mouths out with, but he was half-hearted. He knew the next obstacle would be severe. And he did not want to buy new boots every day.

The jets of fire no longer scared him as much as taking a step anywhere - anywhere - in the exterior of the formation. And the actual blackened rock was ominous in-and-of-itself.

"Okay. With the next two, we'll be pairing up. It would be ridiculous if we were just washed with fire or ice each time someone made it to the top," Erik explained. "I know you all are scared by the ring of fire, but it isn't that bad. Sure as hell better than the ice and snow." There were many that nodded with him, confusing Mathias.

"Anyways! We'll be having the water mages and fire mages as escorts." The others all nodded.

Mathias instinctively backed up, but he was stepped into James. She was steadied goodnaturedly, but that was no different than trapping him as Erik caught the behaviour.

"Mathias will be escorting Jack! Lisanna, Jill! Hunter, James! Synthy, Tanner!" He continued rambling off the matches before running out of people.

Since the numbers worked out perfectly, he was pleased with himself as he said, "ready Mathias? Jack?"

"Yeah," Jack said easily, getting ready to run.

"W-wait! This-"

"Remember! The jets of fire are your own responsibility to dodge so the escort will just be dealing with the final burst! Okay... and... go!"

Mathias was pushed into the formation - and hurriedly jumped back. But he did begrudgingly accept the role. Since he was clearly being forced into the role - perhaps as a punishment for trying it alone before. After sitting Jack down, covering the boy's boots in icy cleats, a liberal layer around his training pants, before summoning an entire suit of icy armour for himself that did not impede his ability to run from the terrifying flames.

"O-okay... I-I think I'm... r-read-"

This time Erik pushed him in all the way.

Jack ran beside him, pressing forward and faster as the fire licked his heels. Oddly, it seemed like the icy cleats were not affecting his ability to run, but they not give him enough speed to catch up to the steaming figure in front.

The haze alone could not produce as much distortion as what Jack saw as he thought he saw icy tears fall amidst the water left behind with step. Like Mathias, he was hesitant to jump on the blackened rocks that spewed flames, but since the other boy seemed unharmed, he just followed the same tempo until he caught up once he realized Mathias froze.

His armour was three-quarters gone, but Jack noted that ice on his boots was still holding firm. Since it was just the last step, Jack dragged Mathias up with him.

"N-no!" Mathias shouted. "Why!?"

"You knew this would happen!"

Jack was knocked back as Mathias flailed at the top of the hill. Jack managed to catch himself by throwing his back into the figure behind him before he pressed his bare palms into the ground. He even lifted his knees that hit the blackened stone underneath before they, too, could be burnt as his half-hearted attempt at protective gear hissed at him.

Jack could at least expect his soles of his shoes to burn - not his uniform.

Mathias, however, was completely squatted, hands over his head, over as he turned his icy back to the rolling waves of fire that smashed into his back.

Jack, luckily, was low enough to dodge the remanents of the fire by hiding behind him, and escaped completely unscathed - even as Mathias abandoned him the second the burst subsided to get off the hill as fast he could.

Jack had nary as a singe on his arms, legs, or clothe. At most, his head was a little too hot and his feet were too cold.

The icy finally collapsed once he made a few steps outside the formation.

Lisanna and Jill were next. They, too, simply ran across the smouldering, erupting field, but Jill cast earth pillar to give space to jump whereas Lisanna physically climbed it without issue.

Once they both reached the peak, Lisanna pulled Jill back, shouted, "Fire Wall!" Unlike the flickering versions she produced before, this one was a solid shield. Some parts shimmered and the fire attacked the world around it, but for the most part, it was just concentrated flames.

And the wreath of flames burst into the wall. From the outside, it was clear that the wreath was slowed, but it was not stopped completely.

It pierced through the wall's weak points, tore it apart, and a dulled wave of rolling flames hit Lisanna.

Lisanna grimaced, but most portions of the inferno were blocked by her own natural resistance or by the training clothes. They, too, made it back easily, if marginally a little worse for wear.

"Good job, you two," said Jack.

"Yeah! I'm glad I didn't have to do it myself. Thanks, Lisanna!"

"N-no problem, but... that one is going to be hard."

"Yeah... I can't stand that one."

"It could be worse," said Jack with a laugh. "He's already cooling himself off."

Mathias, as Jack said, was at the base of the moat cooling off his head. While it was not as bad as last time and his boots were unharmed, he did not have a strong affinity to fire. More specifically, if he wasn't forced into dealing with it, he wouldn't. His fight with Lisanna was at least something he could predict or deal with.

But whenever a step was made on the ground there was a stream of fire that shot out? That was no sensible environment. Even if where he was at now forced him to dodge a few stray pieces of hail, but it was fairly easy to sense them coming. It all radiated outwards so he knew exactly what direction it would come from.

The only complication with this one, aside from the hail, was the exploding orb of ice and snow. It seemed like there was a safety measure as he unnaturally fell towards the moat last time, so he was confident he could repeat that formation.

Since the fire formation was one that demanded speed rather than patience, it only took a few minutes before everyone passed. Some better, some worse.

"Okay!" Ayla took the lead this time. "This will be done in pairs as well! I think the same teams will be fine, but fire mages be sure to use a fire pillar or something to break it before it erupts! Water mages, use some sort of shield!

"And... Mathias and Jack! Go!"

This time Jack was hesitant, but Mathias was already crouching over the water, creating a path across the wide moat.

He made sure to corrugate the ice for traction, but he did not expect Jack to be the one pushed this time.

"Gust!"

Ayla used magic to send him stumbling forward on the thin icy bridge that seemed to crumble with each step. He just ran forward once he was hit with the first hailstone.

Mathias strengthened it a little more, ran, and jumped the last meter. It was fractured and broken by the vicious whirlpools below.

He caught up with Jack who was cursing every second his hands pressed against the ice and frozen stone while heaving himself up each ledge. Since he had to do it ten times, his fingers screamed at him.

Mathias was already waiting by at the second-last tier, under an overhang to block the hail as Jack appeared.

"Okay, let's go!" Mathias said, basking in the lovely chill in an otherwise scorching hot summer day.

"Wa-"

Mathias grabbed his outstretched hand, pulled Jack up. After walking around for a moment, trying to find the spot he wanted, he stepped on the edge of the ice formation's peak and dragged an uncooperative Jack up the last few steps.

Ice hardened underneath him, but this time he anchored it into the ground on one end.

Ice cracked slowly at first, but then the icy geyser burst from underneath, lifting the edge of the icy plate before wrenching it out of the ground.

He was launched several meters into the air with Jack as snow, ice, and even liquid water rained upwards towards them.

As he predicted, they fell into the whirlpools. Unlike before, however, he picked the proper whirlpool from judging its currents with his eye and was only submerged in the chilled water for a few seconds. The two were spit up onto dry land.

"... H-he-help...!"

Jack's teeth were chattering so he dried each of their clothes out. It would help a little.

Normally, he would have no reason to look at the other formation yet. Especially since he already did it once and he just passed the easiest one (for him). Except a resounding roar burst out from behind them, crashing stones to their side, and a screech behind the group that had yet to finish the water formation.

"... Are... are you... kidding me...?" Mathias said as was locked eyes with a small phoenix bursting from the ashes, spewing white-hot flames as it circled around the small formation.

He did not want to look at the other two, nor imagine what might be awaiting him if they finished this formation.