Tora's PovWatching the shadow, Kiri pulled himself out from it and casually walked over to where we were standing. Instructor Green looked over at us for a moment and then continued speaking. "Congratulations to those of you who have survived this exercise. It seems not everyone is incompetent. But don't let it get to your head, otherwise death will come for you when you least expect it." The doors behind him groaned as they were pulled open by the guards outside. As he stepped through the doors, Mr. Green's appearance changed to become that of a normal human once more. We walked behind him as he spoke. "You will be divided into platoons to carry out missions as soon as possible. Your platoon will consist of your already formed group and another one. Each platoon will have at least ten unit members in it." We walked into an auditorium that could seat at least a thousand people. "Get seated. After the announcements, you will find your room and acquaint yourselves with your platoon
Tora's PovFive people filed into the room. Everyone stayed quiet for a while and it felt like the tension was trying to build up. They were all dressed in the provided combat pants, boots, and black t-shirts. Seems they got here earlier than we did. "So are we going to introduce ourselves now that everyone is done sizing each other up?." The guy who gave off the air of team leader walked and stood in front of me. "The name's Richard." He said with an outstretched hand. "Richard Fyres." I shook his hand while giving him a nod. "Sekizo Tora." I replied. He gave a nod of affirmation."These are my teammates." He said. "Starting here, this is Ursula White, the battle-ready one is Cecil Forester, the one who's always ready to pounce is Conrad Beck and finally the scary looking one in all black makeup is Alexis Fey." He introduced. Scanning them, Richard had a warrior's build, with his brown hair that was shaved at the sides and the rest packed in a ponytail. He carried a sword and roun
Tora's PovTaking to the trees so I didn't have to crane my neck upwards, I followed after Alexis' crow form as she maneuvered between the trees like they were part of an obstacle course. I kept a close watch on my surroundings and used my powers to strengthen my legs so I could keep up with her. After we had been moving for a better part of twenty minutes, we came to a stop at the base of a small mountain. Funny. I don't recall seeing any mountain range when we came here. Jumping down from the tree I was perched on, I landed softly on the ground just as Alexis was turning back into a human. "No need to be so cautious. Anyone who isn't allowed will be lost the entrance. As you might have guessed, this place is enchanted." She said. "I see." Was the only reply I could give to her. "Where do we go from here?" I asked. "We are not going anywhere." I turned to look at her with a raised brow. "You are going to climb to the top. There you will find what you are looking for." She said to
Richard's Pov I watched the silver haired boy walk out of the room after addressing his friends. Even without saying much, it was obvious that he was the team leader and they respected him. I looked at Conrad who was still on the floor shaking. Be it from anger or fear, I didn't really give a damn right now. "You always speak before carefully observing who you're speaking to." I said looking at him. "I hope you learned something today." I turned away from him and went to the bed I had picked earlier when we arrived. I was putting away my sword and shield when I heard someone walk behind me. The sound of someone seating on my bed followed and I turned around to see who the person was. Ursula sat on my bed with her legs crossed and her arms folded. I had known her for quite a while and she usually did this when she wanted to talk. Stopping myself from taking off my shirt as I was about to hop into the shower, I jerked my head towards the door and walked out of the room with Ursula at
Richard's PovThe sound of weapons clashing caused Ursula to turn around immediately. Although if I hadn't parried the attack, she would be bleeding right now. I didn't know if the attack was meant to be a fatal one or if it was only intended to cause an injury. A mixed expression of shock and realization was etched on her face when she turned around. She just realized that Kiri was not just a smiley face. Weaving some signs with her hands, they glowed and she yelled out a spell as she struck her palm on the floor. "Show yourself. REVELARE." The glow from her hand seeped into the ground and went out in a wave across the room. I quickly started looking around as I knew this was her spell to show whatever was hidden, be it living or nonliving. However, nothing happened. Nothing was revealed. Kiri remained hidden. Even Cecil and Conrad wore looks of surprise on their faces. "Why isn't it working? Why can't we see him?." I said while looking around. "I don't know." Ursula screamed in
Kiri's Pov No longer able to withstand the urge, I dropped out of the shadows in front of Richard and his two teammates. The moment my feet touched the ground, I lunged at Ursula with my blade at the ready. I reached her long before her panic could fully set in. As my blade was coming down, I felt the hairs at the back of my neck stand and all my senses screamed danger. With my momentum, it was already too late to stop myself. My blade clashed with a katana the force knocked me back as a wave of current went through my arm. Dammit. "What is going on here?." A pissed-off Tora asked. I released my control over the shadows, instantly freeing everyone. Just as I was about to answer, I saw Tora's muscle twitch before he was no longer in front of me. The sound of two blades clashing behind me made me turn around quickly. Richard was being pushed back by Tora. A vengeful expression was clear as day on his face. "That guy is dangerous and unhinged." He yelled. His teammates, however, didn
Tora's PovDealing with the wolf was easy. He was no real threat. This one was a fighter. Her body was bones for battle, and she loves the thrill of the fight. This was a warrior worthy of my respect. Watching her technique, I got a rough estimate of what her power will be. Once the outline of the female warrior appeared, I heard Byakko give an appreciative growl. "A valkyrie. No wonder she is built different. Truly a fine specimen." Byakko said. At that moment, she had just dived down with power condensed at the tip of her spear. There were two ways to respond to this. Get out of the way, or respond with something equally powerful. I choose the second option. Channeling power through my arms, legs, and sword, I prepared my attack. I gathered power in my sword until the steel was blue and it was humming with electricity. I took a stance and waited while tightening up my muscles. The spear got close enough in a matter of seconds. Enhancing my senses so as to not miss the timing, I e
Tora's PovI raised my hands just in time to block a punch that was aimed at my abdomen. The force of the blow sent me flying deep within the gathering of trees outside of the clearing. I felt pain climbing up my spine and spreading throughout my body like wildfire. What on earth was that? When I finally came to a stop, I fell on my knee and looked ahead. It took great effort to channel and enhance my sight as my mind was reeling from the pain. Moving was hard and painful, a spot on indication that bones were broken. "SHIT!." I exclaimed. More pissed off than anything else. Concentrating, I began walking back to the clearing while tapping into my pain receptors and dialing them down to almost nothing. I had picked up this trick during one of my meditations some time ago. My armor was dented, but my headband and bracers remained intact. Healing internal injuries required precise focus, so finishing this battle quickly was the only acceptable option left for me. By the time I made it