Planning Is Good
Iris got shakily to his feet. His legs buckled under extreme pressure. He let out a soft sigh. Luna wasn't much better. He assumed that she felt just as bad as he did, if not worse considering she had gotten attacked more than he did.
The elders watched as Iris crawled over to his swords and tried getting them out of the lion. He sighed, 'Tsk, this lion is being a pain in my arse.' He propped himself up and tugged on his blades again, finally getting one of them out. He felt a little better when he grabbed the blade and finally got himself to his feet. He gave another tug on the Flame Blade and it came loose. Iris shoved them into their respective sheaths and walked back towards Luna.
He propped her up and walked over to the elders with her limping beside him. "I'm guessing the second test is still going to happen?" Iris asked the group of bewildered elders. "Y-yes." One of them replied. "However, the box is now closed. With two legendary creatures we can no longer risk the safety of the other examinees." Said another elder.
Iris nodded his head, "Do you guys have any healing items on you?" Iris asked. "Yes, here. Take these, you're going to need them for the next test. I will personally oversee the next two tests." The grand elder replied, appearing next to the group of elders. The elders looked over at the grand elder with disbelieving eyes. Iris shook his head and drank one of the vials, helping Luna drink the other. The grand elder's attitude had disappeared. He no longer acted arrogant in front of Iris. Or maybe it was because Luna was next to him. After all, she was a gold rank.
Recalling some memories the first years during the second test would try and pull off a pincer attack. Their right flank was left somewhat undefended however. If he were to make a small squad to go and capture the flag his chances of success would greatly increase. Although he would have to send some of the examinees out onto the field or else the first years would get suspicious. That would most likely cause them to rearrange their formations and their defense to skyrocket.
Iris shook his head and helped Luna outside the box. While the potion was effective, it needed time to do its work. Iris set Luna down by the tree and sat beside her. "Are you feeling any better?" He asked, breaking the silence. "Yeah, that potion works miracles. T-thanks for saving me." She said, stuttering over her thanks. "No problem. Now you need to rest up, the second test most likely won't be any better than the first." Iris said, feigning ignorance.
Luna sighed, "Yeah, I need a breather. That lion was tough." Luna looked over at the elders cutting open the carcass. Her gaze turned to one of disgust. 'Tsk, of course, they would reap the rightful rewards of the one who had killed the beast.' She thought to herself. She got into a lotus position and began drawing in energy from her surroundings, revitalizing her sore body.
Iris went over to the group that had passed the test. He looked at them, picking some he thought would be best for group B. Group A would be the main force that attacked center field. Group B was the flag group, the ones he thought were best for entering enemy lines. Group C would be the group defending against the pincer attack. Two gold ranks caught Iris' eye. They looked quite sneaky. He walked up to them and introduced himself, "Hello, my name's Iris." The two looked at each other and nodded. "I am Raner, and this is my sister Clarisse." The more brutish of the two said. The sister stood silently looking at Iris.
The brother sister duo were confused as to why the prodigy had come to introduce himself. They were delighted, however. Making relations with someone much stronger than them was a good move. Even if they didn't recognize his rank, they recognized the power he wields. They both had decided to introduce themselves.
Iris looked at them formulating a plan. "Are any of you two proficient in the magic arts?" Iris asked. "Clarisse is, she's always been the knowledgeable one." Raner said, letting out a laugh. Clarisse blushed at the compliment. Iris remembered the duo from his past life, they had always been the top of their classes. Though, they accepted a high level mission. Clarisse was the only one who had survived the mission. She was dirty and light as a feather when she was found in the mountains. Her brother had been brutally slaughtered by goblins. She had been taken by them. The blanks weren't very hard to fill in. What happened to her was something most people would die from. Somehow she escaped and ran to a nearby village. She was found at the steps of a tavern nude and disgusting.
Iris sighed. That was another thing he had to do, not only figure out what his sword did, but also clear out the goblin tribes in the mountains. The disgusting creatures needed to be wiped out. He needed to do this for Clarisse in his past life. He wouldn't let anyone else suffer the fate she had.
Iris clenched his fists and let them go again before bringing his hand up to his chin. He appeared deep in thought when the duo coughed, bringing his attention back to them. "So, why'd you introduce yourself?" Raner asked. "Oh, it has to do with the second challenge. We are going against the first years in a mock battle. We have to capture the enemy flag." Iris said. "Uh, how did you know what the second challenge was?" Raner inquired. "The elders told me." Iris said, lying. Raner nodded his head. "I need people to help me capture the enemies flag, I need three squads." Iris said confidently. The siblings nodded in unison. "Alright, we can help you with that. What do you need us for?" Raner asked. "You'll know when we get to the field. However, one group needs to have a mix of semi-capable people. Another group needs healers, high-defense shielders, and the last group needs people like you, me, and your sister. People capable of high offensive abilities. Gold rank mostly. The last group needs to be small though, no more than 7 people. Luna will be taking point. Make sure people know that." Iris replied.
Iris was confident in his plan. The defense was lackluster with most of their forces split between the pincer attack and the main battle. We were outclassed by a wide margin seeing as most of the first years were at least gold rank. This plan was solid, however, it didn't account for assassins in their party. They would most likely be hiding within the trees. That was the main issue with our attack. "Oh, and also. Set some traps up on the west side of the field. Make them crude but effective, we don't want them to run away. We just need them to slow down." Iris said. "Alright I'll see what I can put together." Raner said, marvelling at the thought process of Iris.
Iris knew some assassins were listening in on his conversation. He didn't doubt that they would inform the commander of the first years. Iris chuckled to himself. The traps were only a distraction, the pincer force would play into his hands. He was going to cut them down before they even knew what was going on. A team of 7 gold ranks versus a group of twenty, while it may seem unimaginable to win, he had planned everything down to the t. His plan would succeed. It had to.
After he walked away from the group he heard some footsteps walking away in the opposite direction. He had succeeded. He gave himself a small grin. Iris made his way over to Luna who was regaining her spent energy. He didn't dare wake her as he sat beside her. When drawing in energy any disturbance, no matter how minor, could have detrimental effects. Iris sat quietly next to her, watching her cultivate. She had fair skin, a pretty face, and a scary aura about her.
Maybe once this was all over he could settle down and teach, maybe marry someone. He laughed at the thought. He had a long way to go.