Life Review Ch. 04

Nessa arched an eyebrow, "How many more times could you say you could do that again?"

"Maybe three or four times?" Shawn flexed his hand, it did ache a small bit after holding onto the conflux of energy.

"Do you know what you just did?" Nessa prompted.

"Not at all, my fireblast spell isn't usually that powerful," Shawn looked at his hand thoughtfully.

"I should hope not," Nessa chuckled. "That is a prime example of a spell reaching critical mass. It shows a fine level of control to keep the forces from rebounding on your body. Magic isn't always a rational force and can change according to subconscious influences from the caster. Your spell went critical when you thought your friend was in danger."

Shawn nodded his understanding.

"Do you know any other spells?" Nessa asked.

"No, Ma'am," Shawn replied.

"Did you find any essence crystals in the tomb, or from any of the monsters you fought?" Nessa looked at the two of them like she was trying to puzzle something out.

"What are those?" Cassidy queried.

Nessa rubbed her forehead and sighed, "This situation is completely unorthodox. You have plenty of power, but not much in the way of knowledge. Tell me, have you studied a day in your life?"

"Nothing about magic," Shawn answered carefully.

"Alright, I think that is about as far as we can go with you. I can raise you to a second rank acolyte. You show potential and a surprising level of potency and control, but you only know one spell and have no knowledge of how anything works outside of instinct. I'm sure if you put in the effort to study, you'll be choosing your next vocation in no time." Nessa patted his cheek and sent him off back to where Denza and the other proctors were watching.

"Didn't go well, huh?" Edwin clapped him on the shoulder.

"I was raised to a second rank acolyte, is that bad?" Shawn grinned good naturedly.

"Bad?" Edwin echoed, stupefied. "You jumped two ranks on the first day. Some acolytes takes months to even rank up to once."

"Yeah, well magic isn't exactly my strong suit. I do better with hitting things with my fists apparently," Shawn said ruefully.

"Good, because that's where I come in," Edwin had a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes. "We don't have any master level monks anywhere nearby. Those types like to keep to their monasteries or to themselves. You'll take a test with me, then with all three of us together."

"All three of you?" Shawn looked alarmed.

"In a manner of speaking. We'll be working together to put you through your paces, but it won't be unfair. We are going to be basing it off what we each know about a monk's capabilities. You won't be able to rank up past the fifth level and into journeyman because we simply are not qualified," Edwin glanced back to where Nessa's test was going into full swing. "Watch your girl, she looks like she'll be quite something given a little training."

Shawn turned and saw Cassidy firing fireballs at targets the bobbed and weaved through the air doing their best to avoid being hit. Nessa switched things up after Cassidy's aim was deemed to be satisfactory. The floating targets suddenly made a beeline for Cassidy and she was forced to dodge out of the way, it was as if each individual target were an angry hornet that was hellbent on stinging her.

Cassidy was harried to throw off her aim but her spells continued to find their mark as her body twisted and turned. If you took away the flying targets and fireballs it would like she were dancing to an outside eye. The difficulty increased one more level when Nessa joined in on the assault. She waiting for Cassidy to over-extend herself to strike with a small bolt of electricity. The first zap came when she was unprepared and she yelped at the sudden jolt.

The test continued for another minute before Cassidy was zapped again, then again a few moments later. Shawn could see the mounting frustration written all over her face. She shook herself and redoubled focus. Shawn watched as her movements became more precise and deliberate. She shifted from using one hand to the other to fire spells while using the other to intercept Nessa's punishing zaps.

"Very good, Cassidy! Keep it up!" Nessa shouted encouragingly.

Soon, the targets were zipping around Cassidy fast enough to blur. She was forced to abandon using the wand as her main focus to just her hands. She was bathed in red and orange flames as she spun in place and launched fire in all directions that could easily be misinterpreted as a fireworks display. Nessa wasn't zapping Cassidy anymore, but had her hands held aloft. Shawn glanced up to see a large mass of electrical energy gathering directly above Cassidy's head.

Shawn opened his mouth to cry out a warning, but Edwin shook his head, "She won't be hurt too badly. We pull our punches in lower ranking exams, but don't get used to it. Things get painful once you get to journeyman level."

He was forced to look on in nerve wracking silence as Nessa finished charging her mass of electrical energy. Cassidy glanced up and he heard her utter a low curse. She had enough time to clasp both her hands above her head and summoned her flames to form into a beach ball sized mass of spinning flame. With a crack of thunder, a bolt of lighting was released from the mass and smashed directly down on top of Cassidy. The bolt struck the ball of fire above her and was split down the center as it was deflected to either side where the electricity arced off into the ground.

Edwin let out a low whistle, "Well I'll be damned. I didn't think she had it in her."

"Had what?" Shawn asked. Edwin's answer died on his lips when another bolt smashed down and Cassidy was forced onto one knee, her arms shaking with the effort of keeping them up.

Nessa's face was a mask of concentration as she sent lightning strike after lightning strike down onto Cassidy, battering her into the ground with the sheer force of the natural energy. Shawn thought she was done for after a particularly heavy strike sent her down onto both knees. Cassidy's face was dripping with sweat and the air was thick with the smell of ozone. She weathered the next strike and struggled to her feet. She glanced back at him and he could see the determination in her eyes, she wouldn't be beaten by this.

The orb over Cassidy's head grew in size rapidly, each strike of the lighting now glancing off at wider angles. Shawn watched in wide eyed fascination as Cassidy's combined fireball spell was forced to go critical. The temperature of the arena grew stifling in the wake of the small sun she had created. The mass the she was controlling, with nothing but her mind, made Shawn's critical fireblast look like a firecracker. The azure barriers sprang up around the area as the energy on the field ratcheted up several levels. Gasps from the crowd told Shawn that personal defenses had been brought to bear too.

Shawn glanced to Roark who pulled his cloak around himself tighter and angled himself away from the magical energies, but Edwin stood where he was, impassive. Shawn's new set of magical instincts blared in his mind like klaxon alarms and he suddenly knew that a spell of this critical density could destroy a small building.

Cassidy shifted the spell to one shaking hand and reached to grab the Wise Witch's staff from her back. Once in hand, she transferred the spell carefull to the staff. The massive orb wobbled as it jumped mediums, but once it was supported by the focus the inner section of the staff flared bright red as it channeled the destructive forces. She waited for the pause between strikes to make her move. After the bolt arced off her spell, Cassidy gripped her staff with both hands and swung it like a bat, sending the critical spell roaring into the mass of electrical energy above.

It was Nessa's turn to sweat as she struggled to contain the sheer explosive force of the spell. Cassidy's magic followed the principles of a star going critical. The fireball reached a level of fusion that was using both Cassidy and the forces around it for energy. It jumped in size and darkened in color until it was a deep crimson. Fire and electricity collided against each other in an impressive display of destructive potential. Nessa forced the lightning to encircle the critical mass of fire. Now cut off from potential fuel sources, the spell moved to the final stages. In the blink of an eye the crimson sphere explode outwards into the 'supergiant' phase before collapsing in on itself and exploding out once more into a scaled back supernova that blasted apart the electrical cage, but was robbed of much of its powers and petered out harmlessly in a corona of multi-spectrum light.

The arena was quiet before erupting into applause and cheers, even Edwin was clapping his hands with a broad smile on his face. Cassidy swayed on her feet and was caught by Nessa who lowered her to the ground, face slick with sweat. They spoke to one another until Cassidy was able to stand up by herself. Nessa supported her with an arm around her shoulders as she led her back to Shawn and Denza.

"Your girl is completely crazy, you know that?" Edwin chuckled. "I don't think I've seen anyone actually make Nessa try during a preliminary ranking exam."

"She can get out of control sometimes," Shawn shook his head. He accepted Cassidy into his arms when the two groups merged.

Shawn could see that Nessa was just as weary as Cassidy. Her hair was a mess and her hat was off kilter but she had a gleam in her eye that he could only place as pride. Shawn and Edwin helped the two women to the edge of the field where there were a few benches for them to sit on. Two of the guild members from the stands had gotten up and were soon offering the two glasses of water which they accepted gratefully. Edwin and Shawn took their seats on a seperate bench and left the both women to talk amongst themselves.

"Denza's exam won't be as exciting," Edwin said after a moment. They watched Roark speaking with Denza on the field. Neither of them moved but he could see the minor movements of Denza's posture shift as she answered unheard questions.

"I should hope not," Shawn rested his elbows on his knees. "Is Roark a fair procter? I would hate to see Denza get cheated because of her race."

"If they were alone, probably not. Roark is part of the Imperial Ranger Corps. They are stationed at the outposts and border towns to lead the patrols. It's a common post to seek for those who have an axe to grind. You'll see similar attitudes in Velain," Edwin shook his head sadly. "He will be fair if not only because he knows Nessa and I don't tolerate such things. We know enough about what he does to tell the difference between being difficult and unfair."

"So the three of your are masters, but of what exactly?" Shawn glanced up at Edwin.

"Well, Roark is a master ranger. He has a total guild rank for fifteen. Nessa is a master witch, but has a total guild ranking of around the mid thirties. I have achieved mastery in the warrior, soldier, officer, arms-master, and guardian vocations for a total guild ranking for forty five." Edwin's eyes never left Roark as he set up the field for Denza's test.

"So what do rank levels signify? Overall strength or power?" Shawn inquired.

"Only in the way that having more experience makes you better overall. The rank system is to show both your knowledge and prowess. In a sense, the higher one's guild rank the more one knows. The difference is that while Roark only has a rank of fifteen, he is still a fully fledged master. His time is mostly spent in the service of the Imperium, but Expeditionary work pays better," Edwin offered Shawn a knowing smile. "But Roark is as deadly as they come. All it takes in a momentary lack of concentration to let an arrow pierce your throat. Even for me and Nessa."

"So they have some other use?" Shawn pressed.

Edwin nodded, " Yes. The rank system is mainly designed to keep inexperienced people from taking on contracts that will inevitably lead to their death. Let's say for example that I put out a contract for manticore spines. That contract is submitted to the guild who has someone stamp it with an experience level associated with the danger level. If I were to increase the danger, the rank increases. A manticore is classified as a J20 class creature. That means that a journeyman of a guild rank of twenty can take it on alone."

"So Roark wouldn't be able to take the contract because it is considered too dangerous?" Shawn was beginning to understand how the system worked.

"I have no doubt that man could hunt and kill and manticore on his own, but the guild would not allow him to do so under contract because of liability. If he died on a contract he wasn't allowed to be on, the Imperium would be entitled to a set amount of money or resources to compensate for their loss, and then again for his family," Edwin explained.

Shawn's questions had to wait because Roark's test was about to begin. The center of the field now had three tables set up with a variety of materials laid out across them. Edwin had to give Shawn a running commentary because he couldn't hear Roark's quiet gravelly voice across the distance between them.

Denza had to correctly identify and disassemble the traps he had constructed while explaining their advantages and disadvantages, then reassemble them. It was much like how the military taught their soldiers to strip, clean, and reassemble their guns. The test quickly moved on to hunting and tracking. The verbal section of the test went without a hitch. Denza's next challenge came in the form of a series of obstacles designed to mimic natural formations. She was then instructed to move cover to cover and not leave a trace of her presence. Roark watched Denza's movements and only corrected her a handful to times.

He then had her stand at a firing line and hit targets at varying distances, with some hiding behind cover. The test was done twice, once from center field, than the full length of the arena. Denza's arrows hit the mark every single time. Shawn was riveted watching Denza's form effortlessly draw and release her arrows with deadly precision. The crowd grew enthralled by the performance as Roark made increasingly difficult targets to hit, including a group of four dummies that were completely behind cover, one hiding directly behind the wall.

Edwin frowned in displeasure, "Roark, what are you playing at?"

The cloaked figure turned to Edwin, "What are you insinuating, Edwin?"

Nessa joined in Edwin's displeasure, "That last shot is impossible under normal circumstances!"

"I expect all of my students to be able to make that shot before they graduate from being apprentice hunters," He said haughtily. "It isn't my fault you have such low standards for your examinations, Nessa."

Edwin rose to his feet, his teeth bared in anger but before he could speak, Denza lifted her bow and fired her arrow in a long graceful arc. She quickly drew two more arrows and sent them away in two more arcing shots. With her last two arrows she fired her first shot in a high arc before she pulled her last arrow back to full draw, tracking the arc of the first missile with a trained eye. At the precise moment the arrow lost momentum and began its descent, she fired. The arrow streaked away from her fingers and Shawn lost track of the small target, but heard the sound of metal striking metal.

The crowd waiting with baited breath as Shawn, Edwin, and Roark jogged to the four targets clustered behind cover. Shawn's mouth fell open as he saw all four targets were deadeye shots, straight through the bullzye.

Roark stared at the four targets and spat, "Lucky shot."

"You're a bastard, Roark," Edwin growled. "I know for a fact that even you struggle to make that shot, and she pulled it off with ease. Give the girl her rank and it better be fair, or the next letter I send is to the Velisian branch head."

"You wouldn't dare," Roark tried to sound menacing, but the effect was lost when he backed away under Edwin's furious stare.

"Oh I would," Edwin assured him. "Claudia and I go way back. I know for a fact that she has a special place on her shit list for members like you. It would be a shame to have your master's rank revoked now wouldn't it?"

"Fine, have it your way Edwin. But I will remember this," Roark said darkly. "This mongrel can have her fourth level ranger apprenticeship."

Edwin's eyebrows shot up, "Ranger? I thought she was taking the hunter's exam?"

"She did," Roark admitted grudgingly.

"You were trying to throw her off by including the ranger exam, weren't you," Edwin accused.

"So what if I did, Edwin?" Roark crossed his arms. "It doesn't matter if I made the test harder if the Elf passed, now does it?"

"It does if you deliberately set Denza up to fail!" Shawn barked, his protective feelings for Denza setting his anger aflame.

"What do you know? You're just an unproven initiate," Roark shot back indignantly.

Shawn picked Roark up by the front of his cloak and pulled him in so that they were face to face. Shawn could see under the hood now, and Roark was a sallow man with an overly large nose and tiny eyes, "Listen here you sack of shit, I'm sick of people targeting Denza because they have some bone to pick with another country. We both know you are only doing it here because she stands less of a chance at beating you at your own game. You're just mad because she did beat you."

Roark gave him a glacial stare. A small movement at his side alerted Shawn to the fact that the sour faced ranger had his hand on the pommel of a long knife at his belt, "Remove your hands, initiate."

Edwin showed his considerable strength to push them apart, "While I agree with you, Shawn, it isn't your place to reprimand a master of the guild."

Shawn stepped back and huffed, "Fine."

He turned his back on Roark and jogged to where Denza stood waiting for judgement. He closed the distance rapidly and scooped her up in bear hug, "You did it!"

Denza's face broke out into a wide smile while the crowd clapped politely, which irritated Shawn even more. Edwin rejoined them trailed by the ill-tempered ranger. He patted Denza on the shoulder, "Congratulations, miss. You've been granted full marks as a hunter and have been promoted to a fourth level apprentice ranger. This is definitely a first for me, but from the looks of it, all three of you seem to be extraordinary."

"Thank you, Edwin," Denza said graciously. "I figured out what Roark was doing after the initial exam and he started asking me about terrain and unseen movement in increasing detail. The archery portion of the exam was normal until the second half. My teacher in Velain was part of the ranger corps, the airborne division. Typically those types of shots are done using different bows that have both high velocity and low velocity strings, and arrows made from different compositions. I had to make do with what I had."

The three of them looked at Denza in shock. Shawn was the first to recover, "I had no idea you were so accomplished! Why didn't you say something?"

"Well, we haven't really been in a situation for me to utilize my training," Denza rolled her eyes.

Edwin threw back his head and let out a booming full stomached laugh, "And here I was thinking Roark was being unfair, but it was in fact you who was being unfair to Roark!"

Roark wasn't amused. He stared at Denza for a long moment before stalking away angrily. Denza watched him go with a look of disdain, "He wouldn't have made it past apprentice if he was having trouble making that shot."

"I can't wait to tell him," Edwin chuckled.

"Go Denza! Wooo!" Cassidy pumped her fist in the air, Nessa nodded to Denza respectfully.

"Are you ready for your exam, Shawn?" Edwin asked.