The magic class exams were up next. A unique challenge was given to the students. Instructor Yeizura led them to the simulation rooms. He gave them a quick briefing. Each member would be given one unlimited use elemental magic crystal. The Corpses they face would be invulnerable to physical attacks unless attacked by magic they were weak against. The squads would need to come up with strategies on the go. They would have no knowledge of the type of monsters they would fight.

  Avryn’s squad took their turn. They get dropped into the battlefield. A flock of Corpse birds circled high above them. Avryn immediately commanded for Tvira to fire her fire arrows. The force of their explosions knocked most of the birds out.

  “Alright, Rinna, finish them off,” Avryn exclaimed.

  Rinna was surprised. It seemed Avryn took learning magic to heart. He felt like a different man now. She nodded and used her lightning enhanced shots to take out the stragglers. They moved on to the next part of the test.

  A massive pack of wolves were their next “item” on the exam. A huge frost wall down the middle cut down their numbers easily. Avryn was smiling from the handiwork. The ice crystal hummed in response. Wolves were weak against both fire and frost, so he and Tvira worked their way in defeating the pack. They had just enough energy to deal with the second which were trapped in the ice prison.

  “Keep your guard up, we’re not out of the woods just yet,” Avryn promoted caution.

  The team were beset by a wall of fire. Avryn gave a look to Valoche. He had the wind element crystal. He summoned its power, and blew away the wall of fire with a huge gust of wind. The fire died out in one fell swoop.

  His poise as a leader had improved. Rinna was almost admiring him from afar. She shook her head and resumed. Another obstacle was around the corner. They crossed the bend and met up with a colossal Corpse bear known as an Ursa. It was the size of an elephant.

  “Valoche!” Avryn turned to.

  He was two steps ahead as he charged his axe with the crystal’s wind element. He threw it with great force. The axe hit the bear’s shoulder. It hampered its movement only by a little. Rinna knelt down and shot paralyzing bullets at it. Its charge now turned into a slightly fast walk. Avryn used his ice magic to freeze the axe embedded at the bear’s shoulder. He dodged one swipe.

  Stolen story; please report.

  He jumped away to the side. Rinna used this opportunity to fire her lightning shots. It exploded on the ice and bursted open the bear’s shoulder. Tvira used this as a signal to fire her arrows next The fiery arrows were more than enough to immobilize the bear. Valoche went to charge at it, with the winds helping him, he cleaved through the Ursa’s skull in two.

  Avryn checked in with his Scribe. They were at the halfway point. Time was ticking. They had a few minutes left. The next obstacle was a fifty foot wall. They strategized for a bit.

  “I can carry my sister and use the winds to help me fly over.” Valoche suggested.

  “Right that leaves me and Rinna,” he looked up the walls.

  He looks up at it and made some mental notes. He reckoned he could climb it with Rinna on his back. She was against the idea at first but relented after Avryn pointed out she had no experience climbing. Valoche went off with Tvira, a swirling wind guiding them up.

  Rinna climbed on Avryn’s back.

  “Ready?” Avryn asked.

  “Just go. Quickly,” she hid her shame.

  “Accuracy over speed, we need to make this climb count,” he retorted.

  “…Fine,” she replied.

  Avryn knew he could do this climb. He used to climb trees when no one was looking. The treetops back home gave him his comfort. It was the only other place he could stay besides the barracks. It was even peaceful on some days. He still remembered the scrapes and bruises he had when he first started.

  The same technique could be applied to rock climbing, and so he did. The climb was a few minutes despite the added weight of Rinna. He reached out his hand and Valoche helped him finish to the top. He let Rinna come down.

  “We’re almost done. Wonder what’s gonna come up,” Avryn spoke.

  “You climb like a natural,” Tvira praised.

  “Well it all started from a bored kid,” he thanked her.

  “Let’s move,” Rinna hurried them up.

  One last obstacle remained. They moved along to the end of the forest. They came upon an empty nest the size of a bus. Tvira whistled towards her squad mates. A great Corpse Alpha Eagle hovered above them. They scattered about as it flapped gusts of winds towards them. Tvira fired her arrows to counter but the winds were strong enough to redirect it back to her. She ducked just in time and repositioned herself.

  Avryn cooked up a plan.

  “I’ll distract it, you guys go all out, you hear?” he exclaimed.

  He went to the eagle and taunted it. He countered the cutting winds by slashing them away. Bullets, arrows, and axes flew as they are charged with elemental energies as they landed on the bird. Explosions sounded off as the eagle groaned in pain. Muscle memory still kept it hovering. Avryn waited and then pounced on his opportunity. He combined his sabre with ice magic and stabbed the ground, trapping the eagle’s tail on the ground.

  Tvira burned the feather of its wings away. It fell down to the ground with a huge thud. Rinna and Valoche combined their efforts to chop the eagle’s head clean off. Blood trailed from its neck as it body started to decay.

  Avryn plucked his sabre from the ground and admired their handiwork. He checked on his Scribe. They had a minute left to spare.

  “Congratulations, Squad Avryn, you pass,” Yeizura announced.