Rowan shook his head as she walked back to the crowd in disgrace, her shoulders hunched, her head bowed. Some of the nobles in the crowd whispered and sneered at the poor girl, their privileged faces twisted with disdain. She took her place back in the crowd, her head glued to the ground, too ashamed to look at anyone else. The air around her seemed to shimmer with her humiliation.
After that, two more people went.
One was a noble boy in clean, ornate clothes meant for the little lord he clearly was, all embroidered silk and polished buttons. He was a failure just like the girl, perhaps even worse given his obvious advantages in life.
Looks like money can't buy everything, eh?
Rowan grinned.
The next was a knight's boy named Redrick, who didn't perform all that badly but was still nothing to be awed by. His results were middling at best — five cinderblocks broken, a decent Emission blast, and a blade that held form until instructed to strike stone where it shattered on impact.
The Watch Commander still leaned lazily on his hands, sighing with every lackluster performance, his disappointment palpable in the heavy air.
Soon another boy was called up.
"Magnus Ironborn."
Immediately gasps and subtle whispers extended through the crowd at the name.
Ironborn?
Rowan looked for the boy curiously. As in the Ironborn pirates from the Corsair Isle? Surely not. People continued to whisper to each other about the last name, the Ironborn pirates, known across the continent, hated across the continent for their raids and ruthlessness.
Magnus walked through the crowd and out in front of everyone, ready to take his test.
That's when Rowan's eyes opened wide and his brows clenched tight.
T-that... that's the little shit who stole my food earlier!
The same boy who'd snatched his roll earlier in the day and ran off now stood in front of him, preparing to take the test. His skin was dark, his hair worn in a dreaded ponytail, and he had distinct green eyes that seemed to catch the light like sea glass. He wore a shabby, unbuttoned grey vest over a faded and dirty green tunic that had clearly seen better days.
Rowan's fists clenched tight at his sides.
It makes sense now. Little shit's a pirate.
The Watch Commander commenced Magnus's first test of Emission. Magnus coiled a ball of purple Aeth in front of his palms, the energy crackling with barely restrained power. He condensed it slowly, taking his time to compress the raw energy into something more focused, more deadly.
Then he released it.
The blast didn't simply scorch the wall in black ash — it left an indent in the mighty stone the size of a small boulder, shattering the stone around it into fragments that scattered across the courtyard floor.
The crowd released shocked gasps.
Finally, for the first time since the start, the Watch Commander was no longer leaning on his hands. Instead, he stood upright, looking down with a wry smile on his face, his interest finally piqued.
"Well done, boy. We may have a future skilled Emitter specialist in our midst."
Hmm, he's good. Little asshole.
Rowan groaned internally.
Next, Magnus was brought to the tower of cinderblocks. He took a second to take a deep breath and center his Aeth, channeling it to his hand, reinforcing the bones and muscles with purple energy that seemed to harden his very flesh. Then he punched down hard on the tower, shattering five out of the ten blocks and cracking the sixth with spiderweb fractures. A very commendable showing, but it was obvious his talents lay in Emission rather than Reinforcement.
After that, he readied himself for Manifestation and turned the ambient Aeth in the air into a small dagger that actually managed to hold form in his grip, the blade maintaining its shape and solidity. He was instructed to strike it against one of the stone pillars in the courtyard as a durability and sharpness test. Surprisingly enough, the blade did not shatter against the stone, but unfortunately, it didn't leave more than a shallow cut on the weathered pillar.
He's skilled enough to make the blade, Rowan observed, but his talent lacks in the refining of it. That thing would struggle to slice a fly, much less a monster of the storm.
Igor bid him good job and sent him back to the crowd. Rowan followed him with his gaze sharply, still upset about earlier, his jaw tight with frustration.
After that, another test-taker was called and didn't perform horribly, but paled in comparison to Magnus before him. The bar had been set high, and the subsequent performances felt almost disappointing in their mediocrity.
Then Jared was called up.
"Jared Cinders."
He smiled brightly as he passed Rowan, patting him on the shoulder with easy familiarity as he moved forward.
"Don't blink," he said simply, his voice carrying absolute confidence.
I would say good luck, but he'd probably tell me he doesn't need luck.
Rowan chuckled, taking a couple steps closer, wanting to get as good a view as possible.
Time to see if he's all talk.
Rowan began to hear the subtle whispers around him. "He's from House Cinders?" people spoke curiously as Jared walked, their voices tinged with recognition and respect.
Rowan recoiled his head, realizing that just now was his first time hearing Jared's family name.
Cinders? That's a pretty reputable house. Why didn't he tell me? I've been so casual with a little lord.
House Cinders was known for producing exceptional warriors, each generation seemingly stronger than the last.
Jared looked at Igor, smile still on his face as he nodded respectfully and turned to begin his test.
It didn't take long, and it left everyone in absolute awe.
His Emission wasn't as powerful as Magnus's, but still very respectable, the blast leaving a sizeable dent in the stone wall and sending cracks spreading outward like lightning. His Manifestation was actually slightly better than Magnus's, the blade he formed looking more refined, more deadly, with sharper edges that glinted in the sunlight.
But where the real shock lay was in his Reinforcement test.
He shattered all ten of the cinderblocks with ease, his fist punching straight through the entire tower and creating a crater in the ground beneath where the blocks had stood. Fragments of cinderblock flew through the air, clattering across the courtyard.
"Ah, very good." Igor clapped, his scarred hands creating a sharp sound that echoed. "Looks like House Cinders's reputation for creating good fighters precedes them, eh, boy? We'll make one hell of a Reinforcement specialist out of you!"
Jared didn't smile, simply nodding his head with practiced humility before walking back to the crowd, his expression carefully neutral despite the impressive display.
Rowan traced him with a measuring glance, reassessing his new acquaintance.
Then the next test-taker was suddenly called up, making everyone immediately shift their attention, though Jared's impressive performance still lingered in their minds.
"Mira Tidecaller."
The Watch Commander's voice carried loudly, silencing the crowd instantly.
Unlike before, there were no whispers or gossiping as the princess elegantly strode forward, her posture perfect, her movements graceful despite the obvious tension in her shoulders. Partly because people were scared they'd get their tongues cut off for speaking ill of royalty, but more so because they were too anxious to speak. Everyone was curious what the Princess of Stanor, who was willing to give up her claim to the throne to become a Stormwatcher, had to offer.
Which they all soon found out was... very little.
She didn't do as badly as the first girl, but still gave no performance worth applause. Her Emission blast barely broke off any stone, leaving only shallow scorch marks. Her Reinforcement shattered only three cinderblocks, the tower remaining largely intact. And her hastily conjured sword shattered on the impact of the pillar with a sound like breaking glass, purple fragments dissolving into the air.
Yet of course, they still gave her applause.
Despite what the Watch Commander may say, until they were actually fully-fledged Stormwatchers, she was still their princess. The clapping echoed hollowly through the courtyard, polite but lacking any real enthusiasm.
Mira looked embarrassed, her cheeks flushed red as she stared at the floor, making her way back through the parting crowd. Applause or not, she was no stupid girl. She knew exactly how poorly she'd performed, and the knowledge seemed to weigh on her shoulders like a physical burden. Her hands trembled slightly at her sides as she took her place among the other applicants, trying to make herself small and invisible.