The Entrance Exam
As I approached the main room of the inn, there was a general nervousness among them. Dan, Clif, Mindrid and Elda where all waiting for me on the morning of the exam. Dagon was summoned to the Guild building, but Dan told me he wished he could be here. "Are you sure you're ready" Clif asked, looking me in the eyes as I ate. Between mouthfuls of food, I nodded. I had level up a few times from reading and was now level 5. After talking to Clif about levels, it is rare to see someone over 2 before the exam, and all my studying paid off, as fire ball levelled up and I learned a new skill: <stealth><Allows the caster to hide in the shadows and remain unnoticed of the enemy level is less than x>. I smile at all of them, standing up, tears brimming in my eyes, "Thank you, all of you", I start my voice shaking as I'm moved to tears. "Demo, you don't have to thank use", Clif began also tearing up. "Y-Yeah Demo come on now you got us crying too Dan said, bawling from his eyes as they all moved in to hug me. "You'll do great," Mindrid said while hugging and stroking my head. "I'm sure of it" Elda whispered into my ear. After a long time of saying goodbye crying, hugging, and saying goodbye again Clif was finally able to get me out of the door. As we arrived at the centre of Wakemear I could see people of all races, from elves to what, from my research, I believe are dragon kin. All forming a long queue up the steep winding path that leads to the massive solid oak door made by dwarven craftsmen many years ago. We join the back of the queue, which was situated about halfway up the path.
As Demo and Clif were joining the queue the last meeting before the exam was held. The head teacher, Nafre Shaphroh, started playing with his hair in frustration, while staring at the bickering teachers. "I don't understand why we are holding this thing in the first place, my son should be allowed in, he's level 3 you know. Higher than he should be".
"Oh, would you shut up about your dam kid" another teacher yelled, clearly having had enough. "How dare you" boomed the first teacher. Nafre could see the teachers slowly picking sides, it was annoying, but he could understand where they were coming from. "If I had kids, I would want them to be guaranteed a spot here too", Nafre stated cutting through the noise and replacing it with silence. "So, you will cancel-", one of the teachers started before being stopped by Nafre raising his hand. "But you must remember, so does everyone else, this is one of, if not the only places to learn magic and everybody wants their child to go here and as long as I'm head teacher everyone will get an equal chance to send their child here do you understand me". All of the teachers quietly and respectfully nodded their heads. <Mental Link Terminated>. Opening his eyes, he stared around his office as if looking at it for the first time. Everything from the old books gathering dust on the bookshelf behind him to the picture of him and his friends brought back memories for him. Calling to his assistant he said, "Open the Gates". Outside the massive oak doors, that seemed completely impractical, began to slowly move open a loud creaking noise erupted throughout Wakemear as if the Academy itself was announcing its presence.
Demo was overwhelmed, the lobby, was covered by ornate stone carving and markings off to each side of the carpet leading to the reception where massive stone pillars that reached the roof around the pillars where pretty stone carvings made to look like vines creeping up the pillars. Torches hung about halfway up them, with brilliant blue flames dancing inside of them. It was enchanting. As we approached the recitation, I could see a depiction carved into the stone of small faceless people fighting in a war long ago. The spell like trace the room put me under was broken in an instant, after being abruptly pushed past by a young boy around my age. "Serve me first", He yelled, in a rich accent. He had a voice that the instant you heard it you could tell he had been groomed his whole life. He had glossy red hair and dazzling hazel eyes with gold flecks inside of them. "I'm Level 4 don't you know, "I have worked incredibly hard to be here, I should be served first." He declared to the receptionist, fiddling with his navy blue top lined with animal fur, as she frantically tried to figure out what to do. She looked at us then looked back to the boy. Me and Clif both nodded at her signalling that she should probably serve him before us. With relief and gratitude clear on her face she turned towards the boy and said in a polite but threatening voice, "Will you be signing up for the exam". The boy, only just realising what he had done, turned a bright shade of red, almost the same colour as his hair, and muttered "Yes", He also apologised to us and her continuously. I found out his name was Drake Bloodmear. I looked at him as he walked away into the wating area but then the now softer voice of the receptionist snapped me back to reality. "Hi and welcome to the Academy, if you want to sign up for the test please tell me your name and race. Luckily for me I was prepared for this question, no way I could tell the I was a vampire they would run me out of town. "Demo and I'm Human" I said with a smile on my face. After that they escorted me to a wating room and Clif couldn't come with me I sat down in a room with about 30 other kids all wating for the exam. "Hi again Drake says approaching from the side, I smile at him sweetly. He sits next to me on the floor, all the seats were taken by the first people to arrive. He starts to apologise again but I cut him off, "You don't have to apologise again" I said, "lets, just start over, I'm Demo". He looked at me and said "sure, I'm Drake".
Suddenly a voice comes through a magic circle on the wall, "ATTENTION, participants of the exam you will now be escorted towards the exam area". As it finished a door opened and two teaches came out and began guiding everyone out of the room and down a corridor with no windows and into a gigantic white room. If it weren't for the glass viewing area on the wall It would have looked like and endless void of white. Before anyone had time to react the teachers had left the room closing the door behind them. Drake began whispering to me "This is the main training room it has magic barriers charged by crystals to stop the room from being destroyed. And that glass block over there", he pointed toward it, "it is made of one of the strongest materials in the world, this is amazing". Drake was over the moon, but I was more focused on the exam. The exam changes every time to make it hard to prepare for, sometimes it is a written exam, but the fact they took us here mean it is, probably not. The same voice from before bellowed out of the walls "Todays exam will be a battle royal the teachers have given you a magic ring", I stared at my hands and sure enough a ring was on it, when did they do that, as they left. Wow the teachers here are amazing, ok so now I was getting just as excited as Drake. "This ring will auto teleport you to the medical centre on campus if you are to sustain life threatening damage, this allows are student to be able to fight without holding back". What the hell this was amazing my head was spinning. "The battle royal will be judge by men and the other teachers, we are looking for skill and technique so remember your placement doesn't mean you won't pass but the person who comes in first will be guaranteed a place. Just then on one of the walls a table appeared with a total out of 30 and most recent elimination. I took a deep breath as the voice continued. "The Training room will be used to stimulate an environment for the exam it will be a massive jungle and will start in 2 minutes anyone found fighting before then will be automatically eliminated". The voice stopped talking as a 2-minute time appeared in the sky and the environment was built around me, Drake looked at me and I nodded I could guess what he was thinking, we form a team. We both ran as far as we could from the centre passing everything from animals to stone ruins, but we didn't stop until I ran face first into an invisible wall. Drake stopped just before it, laughing at me. I glared at him. Knowing this was the perimeter we scanned the surrounding area of thick jungle. "This seems like a good enough place to wait for the exam to start" Drake said. "Yeah" I replied, picking myself up and rubbing my nose, "if anyone comes, we can dash into the trees over there" pointing at the dense foliage to my left. "Or fight", I added after seeing the look of horror on Drakes face that I dare suggest we runaway. He smiled and we both looked up at the timer as it hit zero. A giant bell sound rang throughout the arena the exam had begun.
Instantly 10 people died leaving only 20 left. Drake and I where dumbstruck at the amount of people who had died. Then to my right I hear someone chanting a prayer and push drake to the ground a fire ball barely missing my head. I used the skill stealth and Drakes eyes widen as I disappear in front of him. I sneak behind the attacker the give him a hard kick to the ribs, thanks to the fact I'm a vampire my strength is more than 5x that of an averaged human, I heard them crack as I sent him flying into the invisible wall. He smashed into it hard and was teleported away. I looked up at the board to confirm his elimination and see that 5 more people had gone. Only 15 left. "You have <stealth>" Drake cried with admiration in his eyes. "I'm getting the next one so I can show off in front of you" Drake said a smile appearing on both are faces, "Sure" I say, my smile growing wider into a grin. "Let's head to the centre, ok". Drake nodded eager to fight.
The centre was a war zone all the traces of a forest had been burned away by 3 people teaming together. "Sani, a dragon kin, was naturally highly proficient in basic fire magic, doesn't he know that the explosions and fire from the fire ball can hurt him to. The two others with him appear to be using him to win, a dwarf and an Elf" reported Cigene to his teammates. "we should probably stay in here and wait for an opening". The rest of his team nodded in agreement. But then they heard a whoosh, and it was like air was on fire. "Oh, great idols grant me the magic of <fire ball>", Sani said before forming 3 fire balls in his hands. Tython, the dwarf, raised his hand over the fire ball and said, "oh, great idols grant me the magic of <explosion>". Suddenly, the fire balls grew in size and Sani threw them towards a rock in which Cigene was hiding behind. "Oh, that was a big one" They laugh as the 5 people in the team and 5 that where in the explosion radius were eliminated, only two left.
Drake and I stopped. The difference between the centre and surrounding area was night and day the beautiful green forest gave way to a charred land scape and desolate surroundings. The smell of smoke clung to the air. We saw them, the last 3 members and the giant ball of death being thrown at us. "Run" Drake screamed just giving me enough time to react. <Basic Magic: Shadow movement>, instantly I was teleported behind the elf and <Basic Magic: Fire Ball> to instantly blow his head off before they had any time to react. The dwarf trying to swing its fist at me but before it connected, I jumped into the air. "Oh, heavenly Idols bless me with you magic <water Blade>", while I distracted the elf, Drake finished his prayer and shot a blade of water cutting him in two. "Yeah", I cheer raising my hands, just as a scale clad fist smashes into my back, mid descent, throwing me to the ground with such force a crater was formed. I slowly stand up, shaking, coughing up blood as Drake comes to my side. "Well, hello there, I'm Sani the dragon kin, I admit you caught us off guard and killed my teammates was pretty impressive but", He said falling to the ground turning his human looking face, despite the patches of black scales forming, towards me, "How did you use magic without a prayer".
"A unique skill", I answer quickly and dismissively. "Lucky" Sani responded, "well I'm going to eliminate your friend then you he said smiling". "Oh- ", <Dragonic speed>. It sounded like Drake had tried to cast magic but in the blink of an eye he was gone. A single drop of his blood fell into my open mouth, gaping a Sani's speed.
<Notice: You have drunk the blood of Drake Bloodmear>
<Acquiring Skills….>
<Basic Magic: <Water Blade><Shoots a concentrated blade of water at a target>
Basic Magic<Heal><Heals a target or caster for 10,000 HP>
My eyes widen, no way. Drake wasn't joking about training before, having a healing spell before going to the Academy was practically unheard of and just as hard, or a lest that was what Clif said when I asked him about getting one. I felt really bad for what I was about to do, but my drive to win supressed my conflicting conscience. <Heal>, energy spread throughout my body, like a shot of caffeine in the morning all my wounds healed up. I turned around conviction in my eyes and stared at Sani dumbstruck face which quickly change into a smile. In a matter of seconds, he was in front of me unfortunately for him I was ready, <Shadow Movement>, <Water Blade>. I instantly teleported behind him and cut off his head. His body fell to the ground before teleporting away. A loud bell sounded, and the exam was over.