As they reached a clearing, a rustle in the bushes ahead of them caught their attention and in an instant, Ivan pulled her behind him and drew out his sword. His eyes stayed fixed on the direction from where a hulking figure finally emerged, a giant orc with dirty green skin and yellow slit eyes. "Let's see how well you can put those self-defence skills to use, shall we?" he asked coolly.
And Eve knew he was preparing her for what was to come. More rustles stirred around them and then, all at once, a massive snake slithered into view from one side, while another orc lumbered out from the other.
Evelyn slowly drew her sword, turning her back against Ivan's as her eyes darted between the giant monsters, "When they said enemies, this was definitely not what I pictured."
Ivan's lips twitched, "Welcome to Blood Moon Academy, where your nightmares come with extra teeth." His voice was calm and almost entertained. "Don't fear them. Strike first, think later."
As if sensing their intent, the monsters let out a deafening screech and charged. Evelyn muttered under her breath, "Oh, perfect timing…"
[Music Recommendation: Joep Beving: Post (Edit)]
The two orcs lunged at Ivan with their massive fists, but he dodged with sharp agility. He leaped into the air, twisted and kicked one of their green heads, sending the orc crashing against a tree. Watching this, the other orc roared in fury, raising its slimy hands to grab Ivan, only for him to vanish and reappear on the ground behind it.
As the orc turned to the side, its gaze landed on Eve, who was sprinting with a giant snake closing in on her little by little.
Eve saw when the orc raised its hand to squash her, just then an idea sparked in her mind. Instead of running away, she ran towards it. The orc screeched and was about to bring its hand down, when Evelyn slid between his legs.
Ivan, who already anticipated her move, caught her arm, yanking her upright on the other side. The orc's strike came down straight onto the giant snake's head, who was following Eve. With a sickening crunch, the serpent's skull was punctured and it collapsed after a loud snarl.
Before the orc could react, Ivan leaped high and brought his blade down in a single, brutal strike, severing its head. Dark green liquid sprayed across the clearing as the body crashed to the ground.
Eve, panting, rushed to the fallen snake, drove her sword through its skull to ensure it was dead and twisted her blade until the beast stopped moving. Behind her, Ivan finished the other orc, cleaving it down with another powerful strike.
When Ivan turned to look at Eve, he saw her standing with both hands still clenched around her sword's hilt, trembling and panting. He walked over, understanding this might have been the sheltered princess's first kill. Coming to stand behind her, he placed a light hand on her shoulder and said softly, "You did well, princess."
When she didn't respond, he called again, his voice low, "Evelyn.."
"I..I killed.." she murmured faintly.
"And I am glad you did," Ivan replied without hesitation. "It means I don't have a useless partner…and you get to live."
A shaky chuckle escaped her lips, "I think that was the worst pep talk I've ever heard in my life. " She drew in a deep breath, willing her body to stop shaking. Slowly, she straightened, then turned to him with a faint smile. "But..thank you for that. I was only momentarily shocked at my first monster kill.."
He gave her a slight nod and turned to the fallen snake, "That was some quick thinking on your part."
She gave him a small smile, "I just thought, since he was going to strike, then why not aim at the right target."
Ivan's lips twitched at her explanation, then turned his head sharply as if hearing something. "We should get moving, unless we're planning to have a banquet here," He glanced at her, "Get your sword, we should leave now."
"Alright." She quickly drew her sword before sliding it back into its sheath. Ivan took her hand and guided her in the opposite direction, where his senses detected fewer disturbances.
…
While Eve and Ivan just cleared their first obstacle, Cece and Edward were locked in battle with the green goblins. She swung her chained morning star over her head, directing the spiked iron ball towards seven of the green goblins, taking them down in a single strike. As she cleared one side, she turned to watch Edward, who sliced through five goblins with chilling precision, leaving her impressed by his masterful swordsmanship.
After clearing the goblins, he turned his pale blue eyes towards Cece and saw she had already taken care of her side. He smirked at her and said, "That's an interesting choice of weapon you've got there. I must say, it's not just the weapon, it's the wielder who has some pretty impressive skills."
Cece's dark red eyes took in his striking features, pale blue hair and eyes and she said, "You didn't do too bad yourself out there. Those are some impressive sword skills you've got."
He grinned, "I was trained to use one from a young age back in my household. They're very particular about it."
"I see and now you get to put them to use." Cece turned her gaze upwards. "Looks like it's going to get pretty stormy soon." Grey clouds swirled above, rumbling as if warning them of an impending tempest.
Edward sighed, "Just what we needed," he said sarcastically. "Honesty, what kind of a psycho would design this kind of madness in the name of a test."
Cece curled her lips in distaste, "We have two devils at play here, Leo and Dante…but what surprises me is Seira's imagination. What must go on in her mind to come up with all of this?"
"Let's head forward, we have eight hours to find the stone." Edward said.
Cece gave a nod, "Let's go." In the back of her mind, she worried about her friend, but then she reminded herself that Evelyn was with the most feared man on this continent, which gave her some peace of mind.
….
Back with Ivan and Evelyn, they had just slain a group of goblins. Eve panted, glancing up at the sky though the thick canopy that blocked most of the light and heard the distant rumbling.
"Looks like it's going to rain." she murmured.
Ivan swung his sword through the air to remove excess dark blood from the goblins they had just slain, then sheathed it. He glanced at Evelyn and saw her panting, sweat tickling down the side of her exquisite face. "If it gets bad, we'll need to take shelter for a while. You should keep hydrating, or you'll faint."
She raised her hand to wipe the sweat from under her chin. "Yes..I'm just trying to save the water in my canteen, since we still have many hours ahead."
He studied her quietly for a moment before suggesting, "How about we find a river? I'm sure it's not far from here."
Eve's eyes lit up at the suggestion, "Uh, that would be great. We can both restock some water then."
He gave a nod and they were about to continue walking, when a slight rustle came from behind them. Instinctively, they both drew their swords, ready to face another enemy. But as the figure emerged from the shadows, they were surprised to see it wasn't a monster, but a pretty red-haired vampiress, accompanied by a lanky human man.
The woman's gaze fell on Ivan and her eyes lit up, her lips curved into a seductive smile as she swayed towards him, purring, "Your Highness, what a pleasant surprise. It's been such a long time since you.." She pushed her hair back behind her ear and added shyly, "Since you called me to serve you.."
She fluttered her eyelashes and looked up at him.
Ivan, with a blank expression, lowered his sword and Evelyn followed suit. As he sheathed it, he remained silent, his stoic expression unwavering.
Leah continued, "Well, it's good we found you here, you could use another helping hand..a vampire, instead of a lumen." She smiled at him.
Ivan finally moved his lips, "No need, I don't need any extra help, my partner here is more than enough."
Leah's smile faltered at the mention of Evelyn, whom she had been conveniently ignoring. Her red eyes snapped to Evelyn and she gave her a curt nod.
"Oh I didn't know, she has been serving you.." Her eyes flared with hostility but she masked it instantly with a sweet smile that didn't reach her eyes.
Eve stood there with an impassive expression, catching on to Leah's earlier words, hinting that she had once served Ivan, and worse, she was now lumping her in the same boat. An ugly feeling rose in her chest, a mix of anger and almost possessiveness. Her eyes flickered golden for the briefest moment, unnoticed by anyone.
"I don't think it's any of your business on what I do. You should focus on your task instead," Ivan said, his sharp eyes turning to the human man standing awkwardly beside Leah.
Leah, missing the insult behind his words, exclaimed dramatically, "That's right! Now that I've found you, I'm sure we can all rely on your guidance." She stepped forward to touch his arm.
Before she could reach him, he took a step back, his tone icy, "It seems your memory has gone stale, Lady Leah. Let me refresh it for you, this is an exam and we don't owe each other any guidance." He turned to Evelyn and said, "Let's go, Evelyn."
As he called her name, Leah was shocked to see him address the princess so casually and panicked. Determined to get rid of Evelyn today, she subtly pressed the ring on her finger, letting a trace of the potion stored within smear onto her fingers, and reached out to touch Evelyn's sleeve out of nowhere.