*Four Hours Later*
It was noon, Brose barely took five steps from his earlier position only to fall to his knees, his energy and malcore thoroughly depleted. During his attack, he wanted to make sure that he was under the limit but something deep within him clouded his judgment.
His rage fogged his mike mad before he knew it he had unleased a pillar of flame from the skies towards Jarren. The sight was visible from all over the forest regardless of where one was. Orissa alongside her companion came up and picked his exhausted figure and left.
Jarren walked through the foliage, his figure masked by the branches that arched over his figure, the drone never once letting his shadow out of it's sight. Judging by his direction, it was clear that he was headed towards the starting point of the trial.
Looking at his points, he was sure that no one else would be able to catch up.
[{You have a total of 192,600 points}]
Callista was beneath her with 115,200 points and Brose was with 76,700 points. For the rest, they were in the league of 60,000 points with slight deviations of higher or lower. It was crystal clear that he had this victory in his hands.
But it would be too soon to leave. He still wanted to play a bit before his time came.
...
Looking at the sky above him, Brose's vision was nothing more than a blur before it all came to him. His eyes opened with shock as he hopped off the water made stretcher by Orissa only to crash into the ground. "What are you doing? The tournament is basically over." She chimed in, her voice heavy with disappointment as she carried on.
Brose who sat back on the stretcher looked to his side and saw Ingrid, his blisters had managed to heal however his skin was badly damaged. His tendons and fat were fried, a level of healing above her league to administer but she made sure that he was comfortable.
"Ingrid..." A faint whisper escaped his lips only for his vision to fall into darkness.
...
His figure wasn't in the cozy white palace that he had once been but suspended in a vast fiery field. Everything here seemed to be constituted of flames, the sun, fauna and flora. The beauty of the scape slowly grew too hot for him to handle. His breathes hastened and before he knew it, he was on his feet.
A loud voice echoed through the lands, it's tone suggested fury. "You weren't meant to engage with him Brose!" His face paled, wishing for his being to cease existence and relevance on the plane of reality. It was Ignovar, The God Of Flames. His figure seated in a throne of flames, radiant and pure.
"I... I..." His own mind fled him, words hard to construct. "You were lucky that he chose to spare you but who knows if he'll be as merciful the next time you two meet. You have no chance of fighting him let alone beat him little one." Ignovar's tone softened.
"I was blinded by rage. A mistake that will not resurface." His words filled with pause and stammer. "You lie even to me? I a god? I can still sense the need of revenge burning deep within your soul." Ignovar knew that for Jarren to leave him in the state that he did was nothing more than a warning.
He knew that Brose would seek revenge thus kept him alive. 'For his entertainment.' Ignovar concluded as he looked at the kid prostrated before him. "You may leave, but do not exert yourself so heavily Brose. And your spirit for vengeance will have to go unquenched."
In an instant, his figure dissappeared from that world. "Gah!" Clutching his chest, he looked around to realize that he was in the infirmary. The designs sleek and dripping with modern technology as tubes of water poked his skin. Without a second thought he unplugged them and took off.
"Wait! We still have to check your vitals first before you leave." A nurse popped up, her face riddled with worry from Brose's sudden rush. "I want to see Ingrid, how is he?" His tone filled with fear and curiousity. "He's recovering well but I urge you that you head back to your bed. We will discharge you shortly thus I ask for a few minutes of your time."
Hearing that his best ally was fine, he made his way back to his bed. Clean sheets, a view of the academy and a white sterile room. The modernity overwriting the medieval thematic of the world. A doctor made his appearance shortly after to which he was given a series of questions about his state.
Ten minutes passed and he was allowed to leave but first made a visit to Ingrid. "He'll be fine however he won't be able to participate in the tournament. The tendons and cartilages still have some recovering to do but he'll be fine in a matter of weeks."
Glancing at his wrist, it was then that he realized that his bracelet was gone. "The results have already been announced, I urge you to head to the auditorium for the briefings." Noticing his curiousity, the doctor added.
His figure darted out of the infirmary, his sizzled purple blazer fluttering as he ran. The evening sun began to set, it's orange steaks blinding his face as he inched closer and closer to the auditorium. Empty however there were a select few students present.
And it was then that he saw it.
[{Jarren Velros and Kaelin Morren have a total of 213,000 points}]
[{Callista Vaewlyn and Ingrid Rotrare have a total of 128,800 points}]
[{Brose Emberborne has a total of 69,600 points while Orissa Jademly has a total of 84,000}]
The list went on but his mind didn't bother. '213,000 points!' The number felt way too high for anyone to compete with, a select few barely making it to the 100,000 point threshold. "Brose! I was going to meet you in the infirmary but here you are." Timothy shot out a smile, his face beaming a joy however Brose was lost in his own world.
"Don't bother yourself with such numbers. With your performance, I'm sure that you could secure a great future, possibly becoming a famous adventurer." He encouraged snapping Brose back to the bitter reality. 'It was never a fair game to begin with.' The truth dawned on him, his breathe sharp and hitchy.
Timothy stepped of the stage and making his way to Brose who watched the man. He looked more of a salesman rather than a professor. Without a word the two left the scene and took a short walk. "Brose,I don't think how lucky you are with your ability of manipulating malcore, for me it's a dream that I can only perceive but never live."
Brose was familiar with those who came from the fallen world and a part of him felt sorry. However he had no power to make a difference thus he could only watch. "A loss won't determine the future but help you change it. Be the man you wish to be." He paused, recalling his fight.
He was sure that he would meet his end at the time and yet Jarren refrained from doing so. Hubris or pity was a question he couldn't answer but he knew that facing him would only result with his loss. Not just that but he would encounter many more losses thus he couldn't sulk with every single loss when he couldn't change his outcome.
"Thank you Timothy." He mused, his eyes landing on the sharply dressed individual. "There's no need to thank me Brose, after all it is my duty to help all students with their progress." Ruffing his coat, Timothy let out a deep hearted chuckled.
The two looked at the sunset, their faces bathed with the sun's rays. "Just try to live your live to the best of your ability , help those you can. We'll I'll see you around." His tone ending with finality, he left. Brose looked at his own fists, curling them into balls before letting go.
There was no need stressing over something he had no control over but they wouldn't mean that he would let Jarren keep on toying with those he loved and cared about. 'Jarren Velros, let's see how long you bathe in your victory.'
And with that, he made his way to his room.
...
"We have to make it as far away from here my lady." The scene of a lady, gorgeous and stunning came into view. In her mid twenties, her black locks of hair perfectly cascaded down her back, her sharp obsidian beads for eyes and white dress made her a beauty of the entire kingdom of Othare.
However unfortunately for the residents of Othare, there was a scourge under way. Overnight bizzare new creatures graced their lands and claimed the lives of many. It's started with their livestock and plantations which wasn't a cause for concern at the time but now, here they were paying the price for it.
The king was off fighting, the princess here was now hauled away to another kingdom for her safety. Her mother had already lost her life to the damned beasts, her siblings left defending or left the kingdom and here she was.
Her stubborn nature was hard for the staff to work with as she yearned to stay and help her father however he denied it. And here she was, in a carriage that sped away from the lands she had grown up in. Screams filled the air, a metallic tint following it shortly after. Towns could be seen engulfed in flames, others overrun by monsters abhorrent to look at.
Othare was one of the few kingdoms that had been unfortunate to catch up in terms of technology and now they faced the faults of it. Whether the attack was personal or random, it was sure that they wouldn't be able to save it.
Getting past the kingdom walls, the carriage was instantly swallowed by the canopy of the forest notorious for all kinds of creatures lurking about as well as bandits as villains. Time was of the essence thus they had no other option than to take it.
"Damn it!" The carriage slowed down, the coachmen and knights cursing at sight in front of them. A hoarde of the monsters blocked their path, no other choice of going around was present. "It'll be done, my lady and we will soon get you to safety." One of his men spoke, their voice laced with courage but beneath it was fear.
She poked her head out of the carriage to see what unfurled. Her stomach dropped, her eyes opening with shock. It started with gnarls which overtime blended with h clashing of metal, by the end of it all was piles of corpses littering the path.
It wasn't that the knights were incompetent but rather their opponents were stronger. Some with bizarre features, others groaned but they all had a common factor that made her blood curl in fear. They all had humanoid figures and now they were approaching her carriage.