Fan’s hammer connected with the Scrollguard’s snout, the impact echoing through the clearing as the giant beast’s head snapped downward. A red mist of blood erupted from its scaly head. Fan stood on top of the giant reptilian, her feet planted firmly along the bridge of the beast’s nose. A black aura traced her body. Her gray clay-like skin shined brighter and her eyes grew darker. She raised her gauntlet and shot it into the wound she opened. The monster howled and buckled.
My eyes widened, and I couldn’t help but shout, “What kind of power let you do that? What's up with the glowing body?”
“Blood infusions!” she yelled over the loud grumble as the beast gathered itself. “This is the power you are competing for! Our job is to show you the potential of it. Think of it as... motivation!” She grinned, her eyes blazing with intensity. The beast bucked and twisted, trying to shake her. But Fan held firm. The grappling hook was buried in the Scrollguard’s skin and held her place. She planted her feet and swung her hammer again, aiming for the Scrollguard’s jaw.
A loud popping noise echoed amongst the trees as Fan’s attack broke the bone.
My heart pounded in my ears, almost louder than the heavy, earth-shaking thuds of the Scrollguard as it trampled around and swung its head violently. Fan retracted her grapple and kicked herself away from the twisting creature. She landed with acrobatic grace next to me. I barely had a moment to react before the creature regained its focus. The giant beast turned its massive yellow eyes on Fan. It barreled forward with fury.
The ground beneath our feet vibrated with each thunderous step, the air filled with the acrid scent of disturbed earth. Fan’s hammer strikes had done little to slow it down. Her aura continued to glow black next to me. Her black eyes had a strange white glow along the outer edges of them.
She sprinted forward, jumped, and twisted over the lizard’s dive attack. Both Silas and I dodged, covering our heads from the fallen debris made as the beast crashed into the earth. Fan landed on the back of the Scrollguard and shot her grapple into its back, steadying herself.
“Spread out! Hit the ankles! Don’t let it pin us down! Rinka, aim for the wounds I opened. Erik, try to knock it off balance. Go,” Fan commanded.
An arrow whizzed past me and struck the giant lizard in its forehead, the same spot where Fan had slammed her hammer into earlier. I twisted and saw Rinka standing on the branch of a tree. She gave me a thumbs-up. The beast roared. I turned back and saw it kick up a large rock with its back foot. The Scrollguard swiped its tail, aiming for our archer.
“Rinka watch-” As I turned, I saw Rinka use her grapple gauntlet to shoot herself out of the way. She landed on a nearby branch and wiped her forehead. I breathed a sigh of relief and turned around.
I focused back on the battle and saw Silas flanking the Scrollguard. He had switched out his mechanical arm attachment to his sword. It was badass, to say the least seeing a blade-armed kid charge towards danger.
Instead of using my grapple gauntlet, I sprinted to catch up to Silas. My body glided over the battlefield as I pumped my legs. I felt Fern breathe with me. In the chaos of battle, where everyone was distracted, I could let loose.
My heart beat twice as fast as it ever had. It was like having an engine in my chest. Our ‘doubled strength’ propelled me forward like a shark, dodging craters in the dirt, and the massive legs stomping around.
I twisted around the reptile’s back legs, leaving Silas behind, and slammed my bo staff into its enormous back foot. I aimed for a round protruding ankle bone.
THWACK
My staff slammed into its ankle bone. The impact reverberated through my hands, but I endured. As did my staff. It did not break, no matter how much force I put into it.
—What kind of wood was this made from? I wondered.
The beast howled and twisted.
“Now! Silas, go!” Ruriel yelled. I turned, looking past the lizard’s body, to see my two roommates charge in and slice their blades across the beast’s feet. Crimson blood sprayed out, half coating Silas in the red liquid.
I held myself back from gagging.
The Scrollguard screeched and twisted, stumbling with weakened legs. It tried to chomp down on Silas, but as it tried to bite down on them, Fan yanked the spiny fin on the back of the beast. The lizard missed its snack and ended up taking a big bite of dirt.
Amani and Habr ran up, taking positions directly in front of the creature’s snout, brass knuckles drawn. They started pummeling the snot out of the fallen beast. Both of their punches packed a heavy force behind them. The things Silas said about their strength were true.
Their first repeatedly slammed into the skull. The beasts yelped. Bones were cracking as Amani and Habr silently slammed their brass knuckles into each eye socket. It was gruesome.
—I kinda feel bad for it.
Fan had slid down the snout and jumped up in the air. She twisted several times like an acrobat and swung her hammer down onto its skull. Just as her hammer was about to make contact, a burst of hot steam erupted from the beast’s body.
Hot steam stung my eyes immediately. I closed them tight and tried to peek to see anything, but the steam caused me to close them again.
I closed them tight, squinting as I tried to peek through the dense cloud, but the heat forced them shut again. I heard loud screeching as my eyes were closed.
—‘What happened to the beast? We were winning,’ Fern said to me.
After a moment, I forced my eyes open, adjusting to the pain. All around me, steam billowed, thick and disorienting—I could barely see my hand in front of my face.
“Focus up!” Fan’s voice cut through the hiss of the steam. “The Scrollguard has entered its second stage. It’s distressed, we have it on the run!” She sounded both urgent and exhilarated, her voice carrying over the chaos. “I’ve hunted these things before—with Waelid. We did it during orientation practicals and during pillar floor resets.” Her words were quick but confident. “Rinka! Are you in position?!”
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“Yes!” Rinka’s shout came from above, her voice echoing through the thick mist. I looked up, impressed, even though I could barely see her. Fan had thought ahead—positioning Rinka above to monitor the battlefield from above the steam.
“You could have warned us about this!” I called out, half in frustration, half in admiration.
Fan barked a laugh through the steam. “Part of the test Recruit Erik! See how you react on your feet. How you handle things when they go wrong. We won’t hold your hand,” she paused. “The Scrollguard’s smaller now. It’s faster and more agile. This isn’t about one big bite anymore—it’s death by a hundred cuts.”
Her words sank in just as Rinka’s voice rang out from above. “It’s heading towards Habr and Amani!”
“Stay back to back, you two! Prepare to block, or strike!” Fan yelled. But a sharp cry echoed through the steam—Habr’s scream. I turned my head, heart hammering as I tried to locate them. The Scrollguard had attacked them.
“He’s fine, just a small gash,” Amani said. I heard more mumblings from her as she said something to Habr.
I gritted my teeth. Frustration bubbled in my chest.
—Think, Erik, think. The steam was making us blind, but...
My mind flashed back to Stealth and Survival class—to the snake ‘incident’. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and cleared my mind. I lowered my staff until it touched the ground, grounding myself as I listened.
Fern focused alongside me, our senses overlapping. I could hear it—the subtle shifting, the faint scrape of claws against rock, the rush of movement through steam. The echolocation I had developed activated. In my mind’s eye, the vibrations created a picture. Fern’s voice echoed in awe. “It’s incredible... we can see with our hearing.”
“There,” I whispered, feeling a rush of clarity.
“It’s coming towards you Fan! On your right!” Rinka shouted from up above.
I added. “Aim upwards—it’s seven feet tall... wait... and…now!”
Fan didn’t hesitate.
With my eyes closed, I saw her swing with sound. Her movements ripple in my mind. She grunted and swung her hammer with a powerful arc. The weapon sailed through the steam, finding its target with a resounding crunch. That was followed by a high-pitched screech from the Scrollguard. The creature tumbled past Fan and headed towards me. It was disoriented; it was open.
I planted my feet, and my eyes were closed. I held my hands as Hopsander instructed me, and I cocked my hip back, ready to twist. Claws scraped against the ground. Five yards, three yards, one yard. I yelled and released the tension I built up. My bo staff crushed into the lower jaw of the beast appearing in the mist.
It let out a gasping scream before it fell, colliding with me. I fell backward and its large-scale body rolled over me before falling into the dirt. The steam lessened and Fan ran towards me in the steam.
“Where is it?” She said, panting. I pointed towards the twitching body on the ground as I pushed myself up with my staff.
Fan slid on her knees towards the bottle. She ripped out a glass bottle from her back pocket and pulled out a long, thin knife. She quickly punctured the creature’s chest. A smooth trail of blood poured out and Fan held her ear to the beast’s chest.
“What are you-”
“Shh!” Fan said, shutting me up. The rest of our group walked up slowly. The mist was gone. Fan grinned and then held the bottle up to the knife. The blood had pooled at her feet and now, when the flow was slowing, she let the remaining bits of fresh blood fall into the jar. When the jar was almost filled, the blood stopped pouring out of the creature’s chest. Its body stopped moving and its eyes lost all life.
With the final drops of blood in the jar, Fan smiled, her eyes finding mine. “Good job, Erik! You use your senses expertly. Professor Srlick would be proud. Much stronger than the average recruit,” she added. Her eyes narrowed. “Wonder why.”
—She knows why, I thought, remembering how she could tell I was a “Twin-soul” when she first met me.
I ignored her comment and nodded at the blood vial. She stood up and pulled a small pinch of Pillardust out and sprinkled it into the jar.
“What’s that?”
“Step one to the infusion process, recruit.” She said. She placed the vial of blood in her pack.
“I thought the infusion had to be done here with the magical beast’s last breath?” Silas asked, stepping up with Ruriel. They both looked exhausted from trying to dodge all the fallen debris from the beast earlier.
Fan shook her head. “If you collect the blood during the last heartbeats and seal it with Pillardust, you can use the blood later for an official infusion process. This helps us control all variables, so we try to collect as many blood infusion samples as we can when in the field. Who knows, maybe this one will be your infusion. Could be useful, yeah? Steam powers, enhanced strength, speed.”
“Wait, that’s how it works? Do we get powers too? Well, what’s yours? Can you show us any powers?” I asked back to back to back.
“Enough Erik,” Fan said, holding up a hand. “You will learn this. I’m no teacher. Let’s focus on the task at hand.” She bent down and grabbed the scroll, now much smaller. She put the item away and tied her pack closed.
We all took a moment to catch our breath, the adrenaline still coursing through our veins. Exhaustion settled in. Fan looked around at the group. Her black, iris-less eyes observed us.
—One would call those eyes soulless, but that’s mean. I am not even sure what kind of race she is. She is humanoid, but that skin and those eyes… they are something else, I thought. Do you know what she is? I asked Fern.
—‘I think she’s from Kohlin. My brother used to talk about them. An island of warrior women where they are born from carved clay,’ Fern said.
Fan stood up abruptly. “Alright, everyone, listen up. We need to find Waelid’s group quickly so we can help them get their scroll and leave. We’re making great time—it’s a miracle we found a Scrollguard this fast.” She pointed to herself with her thumb. “During our year, it took until nightfall to track even one down. I am surprised we found one while the sun was out. They mostly move at night.” She paused, her brow furrowing slightly. “Well, we didn’t really find it. It found us.”
“Yeah,” Rinka said quietly. She stood up next to Fan. The tall Kohlin woman looked intimidating next to the sweet small Rinka. “It was quite odd that it came charging at us like it did. Almost as if something set it off.”
Fan shook her head. “No time to worry about that now. Let’s move out! Stay alert for any dangers.” She led the way, her posture still rigid with energy.
Something felt off. Was this really the same Practical where students died? It all felt too easy so far. Beat down a couple of helpless monsters and then head back? There was nothing...challenging about this.
—Fern, what are your thoughts? Does something feel off about all of this? I thought to him. The mental speaking to him was becoming second nature.
—'I agree. Why make it seem so dangerous when Fan can do those sorts of powerful attacks? And what about Waelid? He stopped a guardian himself, which seemed much more terrifying than the Scrollguard.'
—Yeah, let's keep our ears open for any surprises. Let's not let our guard down.
----------------------------------------
The sun set behind us. Its orange color shined through the clouded walls of the Pillar. The first floor bathed in golden hour light. We navigated through the forest floor. The steam cloud was far behind us and the dead, drained body of the Scrollguard was left to decompose and regenerate somewhere else within the Pillar in six months. We were heading towards the mountain area where Waelid’s group was supposed to be. Instead of using our grapple gauntlets to speed through the trees, we walked, trying to regain our strength after the battle. My muscles were screaming from the exertion, and I wasn’t the only one. Everyone seemed drained, except for Fan, who was still moving like we had just started the day.
“Adrenaline crash,” Fan said, noticing our slower pace. “First dance with real danger always does that—hits you harder than you think. Sometimes recruits even pass out.” She pulled out a small object and tossed it into her mouth before she mumbled to us behind the food. “Eat up. Ol’ Mumm’s muffins. They’ll help.”
I grabbed the muffin I had stashed away and took a bite. It was surprisingly good—sweet with a hint of cinnamon and small pockets of honey. The taste was an added benefit because, within moments, I could feel the energy seeping back into my body as I ate. Habr even remarked that the cuts on his legs, caused by the Scrollguard, had already started healing. Slowly, strength returned to us, and we prepared to pick up the pace.
“Alright,” Fan called out, “you all ready? Gauntlets up! Let’s catch up to Waelid’s group.” We all raised our grapple gauntlets, aiming for the higher branches to propel ourselves forward.
But before we could fire, a rustle sounded from the surrounding trees, and suddenly, shadow figures emerged from all sides, surrounding us. My heart sank as I recognized the black and gold sashes with the sigil—House Enlil.
Marcus, the arrogant bully who got humiliated by Waelid, stepped forward from the trees with a smug expression. “Well, well, look what we have here, a couple of anuses'” he sneered. The House Enlil recruits laughed. “We’ll be taking that scroll, thank you very much.”
—Damn that's kinda clever. What can I do with Enlil...En-loser? I thought intrusively.
He gestured around, and I counted at least twenty Enlil recruits, many with bows drawn, others wielding hammers and blades, all surrounding us. One girl caught my eye. The one who had switched houses with me during the blood sorting. She held a long, thin Katana and stared me down with pale eyes behind black hair.
—Outnumbered and out-gunned, I thought.
—'What was that about not letting our guard down?' Fern grumbled in my mind.
Ignoring him, I tightened my grip on the staff, I saw the same response ripple over my companions as tension spread. Fan’s eyes narrowed. Then, her body glowed with that black outline illuminating her.
—If the boss says it's on, it's on. Let's go fern. They can't kill us, it's against the rules and all that. I thought to him.
—'Finally, I can let out more anger' He said behind what sounded like gritted teeth.
I focused on my breathing, urging Fern forward to pull in his strength again. I felt him stand up beside me.
Across from us, Marcus started to glow himself.
—Shit.
A bright red light shined across his body and his shadow grew around us. His head dropped and twitched as he looked towards the ground. Then, he looked up at us, and four bright white eyes shined from his now-changed face.
"Meet my blood infusion," He said.