"Grade Four. Deer anima. Missions completed." She mumbled as she read through Oscar's records. It was not that eye-popping or incredible record as the person himself was average. But her grey eyes widened, stuck on a particular record. "This…He's been to the Abyss Prison?"
She read on, and as she did, her pretty face frowned more and more. The attendants at her side began to tremble and shut their lips, afraid of making a sound. They were praying inside for the young boy that somehow drew her ire.
"Bring Great Elder Robert to me." Margaret said in a chilling tone that made the attendants shrink back.
"Ma'am?" A brave attendant asked.
"I said…." She formed a cold smile with narrow eyes, making the attendant bow in fear. "Bring me that idiot, Robert."
The attendants felt as if they were walking a tightrope. They knew exactly what Margaret was capable of. Overcoming his fear, one attendant ran out in a hurry. "I will find him immediately!"
"Well then, boy. Show me how far you can go." Margaret stared at Oscar, who was still seated.
…….
"Os!" Frederick exclaimed as he found Oscar in the crowd.
"Fred? How was your match?" Oscar stopped meditating. He recovered enough for the next match.
"Easy. I got someone who managed to become a Middle Apprentice Exalt with Grade Four Exolsia. Not that Grade Fours are weak; this guy wasn't as prepared as you." Frederick boasted.
"I went against a Grade Five girl. She was strong, but I won in the end." Oscar didn't take Frederick's comments to heart. It was the expected norm.
"A girl? Anything happened between the two of you?" Frederick started to tease.
"She wants a rematch later." Oscar sighed, knowing Frederick's thoughts.
"Later? Os, my man. You're finally maturing into an adult. I need to catch up."
"I don't have any intentions like that." Oscar flatly denied Frederick's warped scenario.
"Seriously? You need to lighten up. You spend so much of your time in the library."
"I do." Oscar smiled, wondering how Frederick would react if he told him about Celestina.
Frederick faked a cough and spoke seriously, "I noticed something about the matchups. They put all the Grade Fours against Grade Fives or higher. There was not a single case of Grade Four against Grade Four."
"Trying to weed out the weak?" Oscar raised his brow. It was an odd arrangement.
"Looks like it. Some of the Grade Fives leftovers matched against Grade Six. You won against a Grade Five Exalt so your next opponent may be a Grade Six."
Going by this structure and convention, the top students should be Grade Sevens and Grade Sixes. It seemed unfair, but it was better for ranking the students if they were placed in this manner.
"There you were." Emily's figure pushed its way to Oscar and Frederick. Blood was on her cheek, making her face look dangerously seductive.
"You…" Frederick stammered.
"What?"
"You have blood over here." Frederick tapped the side of his cheek.
Emily took out a napkin and wiped it off, seeing the blood on it. "Thanks for telling me. My opponent charged in like a bull, so I slammed my staff into his face." She casually spoke while twirling her staff.
"I feel sorry for your opponent." Oscar dryly chuckled. In the past months of sparring with Emily, he found her to be a very direct and vicious girl who did not show mercy to anyone.
Oscar, Frederick, and Emily talked during their break, celebrating their first victories.
"Oscar Terr!" An elder called.
The next round was starting. Oscar nodded to his friends and departed for the stage. Since he ended earlier, he would fight earlier as well.
On top of the stage, he spotted a tall and skinny man. This person was wrapped in a large cloak, revealing his thin face and nothing more. He had black hair that reached his shoulders with blue eyes.
'Hiding something.' Oscar could tell that cloak was too big for someone with his figure. There had to be something in it.
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"Hello. I'm a second-year student, George Harper."
"Second-year? I'm Oscar Terr." Oscar's face fell. Someone with a year above him would surely have more resources.
"I have to say I'm quite jealous of you, first-years," George whined.
"Jealous?"
"Your year got an increased amount of Elixir from the start. If I had that much elixir from the moment I started in the Pavilion, I would have been much better off."
Oscar did not respond to that. It was unfortunate for the years above them, but students could not do anything about it.
"Sorry, but this tournament is a good chance for me to climb. I'll be making you suffer." George did not hold any malice in his eyes but a determination to defeat anyone in his way.
Most of the second-year and third-year students were Middle Apprentice Exalts. Most of the older students were already Elite or Greater Apprentice Exalts. The distribution of Elixirs increased for everyone regardless of the year, but it still left a bad taste in the seniors, who watched the first-years reap the benefits from the start.
Those older students felt wronged that this new batch of students was getting more resources from the start and decided to fight back at this Grand Gathering. But George thought nothing of it; he was not one to keep being hung up on others. He was jealous but did not wish ill will on any new students.
"Are you ready?" The proctor asked.
"Ready!" Oscar pulled out his buckler, staring at George with a piercing gaze. This senior of his was certainly prepared and experienced, meaning it would be a tough battle. Oddly, he noticed that George did not get into any stance and did not pull out any weapons, looking relaxed.
"Begin!" The proctor signaled for the start.
Oscar summoned his deer anima immediately, charging together toward George, who still seemed impassive at the rampaging Oscar. The deer anima pointed its antlers, intending to impale George.
"Nice try." George unveiled a bow and shot two arrows at Oscar and his deer anima. The arrows flew accurately toward their eyes.
Oscar brought his buckler up in a hurry to block the arrow while his deer swung its antlers to meet it.
"These arrows…." Oscar observed that the arrows faded into nothingness after they fell to the floor. These were arrows made of Ein, making them far more dangerous.
"Nice block. Strange choice in a buckler but a good defense." George complimented Oscar as if teaching a child.
"Where's your Anima?" Oscar asked jokingly.
"First rule of battle, don't show all your cards. If you can block these two arrows, then how about ten?" George's eyes glinted dangerously as he rapidly shot ten arrows in succession.
"Return!" Oscar unsummoned his deer anima, making five arrows miss and hit nothing but air while he dodged and blocked the others.
His deer anima was not that big, but it was ill-suited to deal with these ranged attacks. Though it could block them, some would get through and cause Oscar damage.
More arrows shot at Oscar. Some flew in an arc while others pierced straightly through the air. Oscar continued to block and dodge while keeping an eye on George, who shifted around the arena.
Oscar knew it was not good to fight in a battle of attrition here. He still hasn't seen George's Anima, and the cloak still bothered him. So Oscar poured strength into his legs and kicked off.
'Stone Gaze'
Oscar stopped George before he could ready another arrow.
The sudden loss of movement surprised George, but he was a Grade Six and far more progressed in his Exalt powers. The link between him and Oscar was broken in mere moments, and George was free to move, but the shadow of a looming threat came close.
A black buckler came swinging at George. Suddenly, Ein gathered like wind under his feet, carrying him away as fast as possible.
"That's 'Wind Steps'!" Oscar recognized his best friend's spell. Of course, no one had exclusive rights to use a spell. 'Wind Steps' were an ideal spell for an archer like George who needed to create distance.
It was a spell he had seen too many times. Oscar gave chase after George. He noticed that George always stood still to shoot his arrows, meaning he had to stop if he wanted to fight back.
Oscar believed as long as he kept chasing George, George would have no time to prepare an arrow before Oscar could reach him. Oscar was on the defensive earlier because George managed to take the initiative from a distance.
'Now that you've lost your advantage, what will you do?' Oscar still felt wary of what George was hiding. There was no way a second-year student wouldn't have more spells, not to mention his anima wasn't unleashed.
George broke out in a frown. This freshman persisted and kept pouncing when he tried to stop and shoot. He could tell that Oscar was quite an experienced fighter despite only being in the Pavilion for a year.
"There's nothing else I can do here. I wanted to save this for later." George complained. Suddenly, a sharp blue object pierced out of George's cloak, making a hole, and shot toward Oscar, who was giving chase.
Oscar did not have time to lift his buckler since this attack came from nowhere. Quickly, his face swerved to the side, letting it pass. A cut appeared on his cheek, and blood dripped down.
"That didn't get you? You have nice reactions." George took off his cloak. Underneath, he wore a sleeveless shirt with a zipper and shorts. His entire body was so thin that Oscar felt his arms could break at any moment.
The most shocking was not his appearance but the beast that jumped to the floor. It was covered in blue quills and had a cute face of a rodent. The creature was as large as a cat.
"Exalt Beast? The Sapphire Hedgehog?" Oscar's obsidian eyes stared at the Sapphire Hedgehog with its spiky quills. He read about this creature in a book. The quills were a beautiful dark blue, but they could shoot out from the body as projectiles in defense.
The quills were part of the body and, thus, naturally infused with Ein. If one was not careful, it could impale the body in seconds. Seeing this creature, Oscar realized George's power. "Then your Anima is the bow."
"Correct. I don't have a weapon because my friend here is expensive. The Menagerie is not for the poor. I saved what I could from all my missions to purchase this guy."
Oscar touched the cheek with the cut. Even though he was unprepared, the quill easily broke through the Ein around his body and cut him. He had to proceed with caution here.
"You're quite good. I didn't expect to use my buddy here, but victory is victory." George grabbed his Sapphire Hedgehog, who had lowered its quills for him. He threw the creature to the other side of the stage, causing Oscar to put his guard up.
"Shit." Oscar said to himself.
"Let's begin the hunt." George drew his bow back with a fresh Ein arrow while on the other side, the Sapphire Hedgehodge straightened its quills, ready to shoot them out.
Oscar was caught between the two as arrows and quills shot at him.
…….
Frederick stepped on the stage. After Oscar left, he continued to rest while chatting with Emily. As the second to return, he was next to be called.
"Alright, who's my opponent?" Moments later, another boy jumped on the stage, leaving Frederick dumbfounded as he stared blankly at the newcomer.
"I've been waiting for this." It was Austin Taylor. His one eye stared at Frederick like a dead man.