Time seemed to fly as the three of us chatted through the night. Who knew tea and talking could be so fun? Some of the other examinees shot irritated looks now and then, but no one said anything. Most had fallen asleep anyway, Caelin among them. The few who hadn't formed little circles of their own or stood brooding by the walls. It felt like early morning by now, yet there was still no sign of a proctor. People were still slowly slipping out, with maybe forty or so remaining.

  Our chatter died down after Ariel dozed off next to Caelin, though Mallow and I continued to talk about books, stories, and anything else that came to mind. She seemed extremely interested in the comics and manga that I'd read in my past life.

  "You're telling me that you've read a 'comic' where the main character turns big and green when he's angry?" Mallow asked, pushing up her glasses with a curious look. "That sounds like a fun read."

  "Oh yeah," I said with a smile. "In some of the other comics, he teams up with a God and another guy who uses an almost indestructible shield."

  "Woah..." Mallow said, practically vibrating with excitement.

  This was the most animated I'd seen her yet, and the sight made me smile.

  "Right?" I said with a yawn.

  Between the long week and all-nighter I just pulled, the tiredness was creeping in. The tea that Mallow made was very relaxing, but her enthusiasm was what kept me up.

  As I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, I asked, "So what are you heading to Terra Grix for?

  Mallow adjusted her glasses. "I want to improve my earth magic and help promote my mom's shop. TGU carries a lot of prestige and has tons of resources at their disposal. I'm sure I could learn how to make even tastier drinks for her menu. Oh, and their library is huge. "

  "That's an awesome goal," I said.

  "What about you? What are you going for?" she asked.

  The question caught me off guard. It was the first time she'd asked me a personal question that wasn't about a book.

  "Oh! Uhm...I'm sort of dealing with amnesia," I said, twirling my hair. "The only thing I can remember is that I'm supposed to head to TGU. I'm hoping I might learn more once I get there."

  Mallow stared at me for a moment before saying, "Well, I hope you get your memories back. You seem to know a lot of fun books for someone with amnesia."

  For a split second, I worried that she'd seen right through me, but the look in her eyes told me she meant it.

  "Thank you," I said, smiling.

  Just then, a yawn sounded from somewhere above us. Mallow and I both looked up just in time to notice a slight movement along one of the decorative ceiling beams.

  A pair of legs dangled over the edge. After hearing another yawn, some arms stretched out past the beam as well. A second later, a humanoid figure rolled over the edge. Just before they hit the ground, a controlled gust of wind turned the fall into a graceful landing. The newcomer yawned and shivered, which is when I noticed the feline ears on her head and the short, bobcat-like tail flicking behind her.

  She stood slightly taller than me, with dusty brown, shoulder-length hair and whisker-like tattoos across her cheeks. A cropped light-blue tunic and matching high-waisted bottoms completed her outfit. Fingerless leather gloves revealed her sharp-tipped nails as they caught the light. Wrapped around her neck was a deep black sash with golden writing on it.

  She surveyed the room for a moment before her gaze settled on us. Rubbing her head, she walked over and asked in a chipper voice, "Hey, you two... how long would you say you've been here?"

  Mallow and I exchanged confused looks. "I'm not too sure," I said, "at least a day, though."

  The mystery catgirl frowned. "Oh boy... how am I gonna explain this to the president..."

  Behind us, Ariel and Caelin began to stir. Ariel stretched with a groan while Caelin rolled his neck and shoulders before pushing himself off the floor.

  "Good morning, girls," Caelin said with a sleepy smile, glancing between Mallow and I. "What's going on?"

  I just pointed at the newcomer. "Beats me. She literally just dropped from the ceiling."

  Mallow just nodded in confirmation.

  Ariel wiped the sleep from her eyes, stood, and took in the situation. A moment later asked, "What's a fourth-year doing at an entrance exam? Wait—let me guess...you're the proctor, aren't you?"

  "What??" Caelin and I blurted in unison.

  "Cae, you should know this," Ariel said, shaking her head. "For each year at Terra Grix, you're given a different colored sash. Black with golden letters indicates a fourth year student."

  "And, exam proctors are usually fourth-years or graduates," Mallow chimed in.

  The lynxgirl brightened. "It's refreshing to see a handful of intelligent aspiring students! You're correct. I'm Tahlis, and I am indeed your exam proctor." She tapped a fist to her head, winked, and stuck out her tongue playfully.

  "It's about time!" Caelin nearly shouted. "Is the exam finally starting?"

  A few of the other testers had noticed the commotion and had wandered over. A small circle was forming, eagerly waiting to hear what the status of the exam was.

  Tahlis yawned scratched her head. "Yeahh... about that. I doubt any of you would be able to finish anymore."

  Gasps and groans rippled through the crowd.

  Derrith pushed his forward, his eyes locked on Tahlis. "What do you mean we can't finish anymore? We've wasted so much time just waiting!"

  Tahlis giggled. "Well, waiting wasn't part of the original plan...but it worked great for eliminating the softies." She briefly looked around. "Luckily for us all—" she muttered under her breath, "—there's just enough of you left to let you move on to the next trial."

  "But we didn't even get to do anything!" Derrith yelled.

  I could tell he was getting heated again because a hand was already reaching for his sword. He snuck a glance at me, then straightened up, puffed out his chest, and tried to flex without making it obvious. I made an attempt to smile, though I'm sure there was a tinge of disgust I just couldn't hide.

  "I was perfectly happy to let you all move on," Tahlis said, her grin turning mischievous. "Buuut, if you'd prefer, we can still do what I originally had planned."

  You could feel the earth tremble before she even spoke. The air felt heavy for a split second before Tahlis said, "ArisDarrunTar XalunVey KorrDarrunOris." {Enhanced Earth Rise, Expand Mold and carve, Harden Earth and bind}.

  The floor molded like putty as a figure began to form from the floor. It rose to five feet tall, then six, then seven, stopping at roughly ten feet tall. Large, glowing-yellow eyes flickered to life like a candle would, contrasting its dark stone body. Glowing lines around its body pulsed with energy, giving the impression of throbbing magma under cracked earth.

  "Initially," Tahlis said with a concerning look in her eyes, "I was going to conjure a few of these little guys to reduce the applicant pool, but that might have gotten... messy."

  Gasps were heard around the room.

  Mallow's eyes just about bulged past her glasses. "A basalt golem!" she squeaked. "That's—"

  "—fifth-tier at least!" Caelin finished for her, nodding eagerly.

  "Wow," Ariel whispered. "The manaura it would take to summon just one...and she was going to summon multiple? That's a fourth year for you."

  A cold shiver ran through my spine. Magic was beautiful, terrifying— and Tahlis wielded it like it was second nature. A wave of uneasiness washed through the crowd. Almost everyone had a hand on their weapons.

  "How in Elemora were we supposed to fight more than one of those!?" someone shouted from the crowd.

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  Tahlis's ear twitched towards the voice. "That would have been up to you," she grinned.

  The way she said that made me uneasy. There was nothing but apathy in her voice. I stole a quick glance at Derrith, who was now trembling at the sight of the towering construct.

  He noticed me looking and puffed up like last time. "I— I could totally handle one of those!" he blurted, trying to save some face.

  "Terra Grix University has no room for weaklings," Tahlis continued. "Only the elite may grace its halls."

  Caelin leaned over to us. "I'm glad she took a cat nap instead..." he whispered.

  The three of us nodded in silent agreement.

  "I'd take a test of patience over a test of 'don't die by big rock guys' any day," I muttered.

  Tahlis's might have heard us because her ear flicked in our direction. She began pointing across the crowd, quietly counting. She stopped when her finger landed on our group.

  Tahlis smiled and clapped. "Thirty-six left," she announced. "Luckily for you all, we've reached a passable amount of testers. I suppose I can let you continue on," she said with a satisfied hum.

  A wave of relieved sighs rippled through the room, mine among them. Yet, something about the way she said that made me feel as if she wasn't done with us. Mallow and Caelin both looked unfazed, seeming more interested in the Golem than the danger it represented. Caelin was even bobbing his head side to side as if he was doing a mock battle in his head. Ariel, like me, looked as if she thought it couldn't possibly be this easy.

  Tahlis turned and strolled past the remaining testers towards the engraving at the center of room, her golem lumbering behind her. Everyone quickly moved out of the way. When she reached the center, she pulled a shimmering amulet out of her pocket. Its gemstones looked like the ones embedded all over Elemyr. Holding it close for a moment, she murmured something.

  A second later the amulet flared to life. A loud *thump-click* echoed from beneath the floor. Suddenly, thin lines appeared along the engraving as the floor shook and the stones shifted. The lines widened, splitting open into a downward-leading staircase. The rumbling continued for a minute before returning to silence.

  I released the breath I'd been holding. Maybe my gut feeling was wrong, and the first trial wouldn't be so bad after all.

  "Alllrighty then!" Tahlis said, cheerfully clapping her hands together. "All you have to do to reach the second trial is make it down these stairs. You'll know when you get there."

  No one moved. There were nervous looks around the crowd as everyone waited to see who'd take the first step. Ariel took a breath and was about to take a step forward when Caelin's hand reached out and stopped her.

  "Hold on... I've got a bad feeling," he whispered.

  I froze. Of the four of us, he'd been in the most real fights for sure. If he was uneasy, I had every reason to be, too.

  A couple of seconds later, a scrawny looking guy took two shaky steps forward. He looked as though he'd come from a land of famine. Suddenly, he bolted for the stairs. His boots scraped along the stone, each breath a wheezing gasp as panic overtook patience. He'd nearly made it halfway before I heard the sound of rumbling stone and something heavy moving through the air.

  Seemingly out of nowhere, a five foot boulder slammed into him. My gut wrenched as I heard breaking bones.

  The boulder continued along its path with the poor guy stuck to it. It bounced twice and tumbled to a stop, splats of blood marking where it touched the floor.

  I slowly turned towards Tahlis.

  Her playful demeanor had turned cold. The golem was slowly lowering its arms, no doubt the source of the boulder.

  "I did say to get to the second trial you have to make it down the stairs," Tahlis said without a hint of remorse. "Only the best of the best have a future at Terra Grix."

  You could have heard a pin drop as everyone absorbed what just happened.

  "Best of luck!" Tahlis smiled, glee returning to her voice. Then, a gust of wind swirled at her feet and propelled her back up to the beams along the ceiling.

  Her golem lumbered forward, planting itself between us and the staircase.

  Screams and panic erupted as everyone scattered. Some people instinctively regrouped, clinging to whatever little alliances they'd formed overnight. Two more testers made a desperate sprint for the stairs.

  The golem raised its arms while a swirl of dark stone formed and solidified in its hands. Like a pitcher, it launched the boulder through the air. The massive projectile clipped one runner in the leg, sending appendage flying in a grotesque arc. The other tried to jump over and failed. He was sent rag-dolling in the air, hitting the ground with a crunch. Both were down, one screaming and the other unmoving.

  I felt sick. There was nothing I could have done, but I felt bad for those guys.

  "Alright, we need a plan," Caelin said, freeing me from my thoughts. "There's no way we make it past a basalt golem without one of us getting hurt."

  "Agreed," Ariel said, her eyes fixed on the monster. "Golems are very sturdy though... at our level we'd be lucky to even scratch it."

  Time was ticking, and a few others had attempted to make it to the staircase. Maybe three were able to sneak through while the golem flattened another group.

  "Maybe we can distract it somehow," I said desperately.

  "I'm sure if we attack it, we'll draw its attention..." Caelin said grimly.

  Almost as if to prove his point, one of the female testers yelled, "VaelElvaris!" {Push wind with power}. The forceful gust slammed into the golem, only to disperse uselessly across its rocky body.

  At the same time, a Zutari boy ran close slashing his sword at the golem's knee. The sharp 'twang' of breaking metal echoed through the room as the sword snapped on contact.

  The golem swung at the sword wielder, sending him twisting through the air. In the same motion, it formed a cannonball-sized rock and launched it at the girl who'd cast the spell. She didn't stand a chance as it tore right through her.

  I didn't have time to feel bad. If we didn't hurry, we'd be following their lead shortly. I scanned the room, noting that maybe twenty or so people remained.

  * Think. Think, Mae! There has to be a way! *

  My mind raced through every game, every boss fight, every enemy weakness I'd ever learned in my past life.

  * If this golem was like the ones in my games, water and bludgeoning attacks were the way to go, right? *

  As if it were scripted, Mallow finally spoke. "Given that basalt golems are earth-based monsters, water and heavy-hitting attacks should be quite effective. Do any of you have high water affinity?"

  "Caelin and I both are pretty adept with water magic," Ariel said, while Caelin nodded.

  "Oh yeaahh!" I said.

  I'd seen Ariel cast water spells, but almost forgot that Caelin could too.

  "I have an idea guys," I said, heart pounding. "Let's get it wet, then smash it. No wine necessary."

  Caelin blinked. "What's that mean?"

  "Is that from a 'comic'?" Mallow asked, pushing up her glasses— clearly intrigued.

  I quickly explained the plan for our 'special wombo-combo' attack.

  "That's... a solid plan," Ariel said with a smile. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

  "Classic Mae!" Caelin said with a big grin.

  As we lined up, I noticed Derrith was among the few still standing. He and several of the Lanarians he'd grouped with bolted for the staircase. The golem quickly locked onto them, forming and hurling a boulder with unsettling precision. For a second, it looked like all three were going to get flattened, but at the last moment Derrith surged ahead using his 'buddies' as moving cover.

  The boulder took the other two out in one brutal hit. Derrith didn't even look back, his long blond hair vanishing down the stairs.

  * What an absolute scumbag! If I ever see him again I'll make sure he's sorry!*

  Simmering with anger now, I knew we had to make this count. After all, by now there were maybe ten people left, including us.

  "Ready!?" I shouted.

  "Ready!" My friends replied in unison.

  I glanced at Mallow, who pushed up her glasses and gave me a firm nod.

  "Let's do this."

  Both Caelin and Ariel started casting their spells, almost sounding similar but producing different results.

  "TysarVex, QuiraKelTaris!" {Surge and unleash, Water rise and Move} Ariel cried. Water spiraled into existence at the tip of her wand, compressing into a tight sphere before erupting forward. A torrent of water shaped like a javelin shot straight towards the golem.

  Caelin raised his sword, shouting, "Tysaris XalQuiraKel!" {Surge with power, amplify water and move}. A similar ball of water formed at the blade's tip, then coated the edge of his blade. With a wide sweeping motion, he hurled an arc of water slicing through the air.

  Both blasts of water struck the golem in its hip and thigh. The water vaporized into steam as it hit, with small chucks of basalt crumbling down to the ground. A sharp sizzling-crack filled the air, making it seem like the golem was not only sturdy, but superheated too. It actually shuddered as if it had taken damage.

  Mallow and I had no time to waste. It was now or never!

  Mallow waved a wand of her own. "LunDarrun VeySelKor!" {Mold earth, carve, smooth and harden}. A small stone pillar rose from the ground while a large basketball-sized rock formed at the tip. The earth shaped and smoothed itself, forming a polished sphere. The final result reminded me of a T-Ball stand holding a basketball shaped rock.

  My turn.

  I steadied my breath, recalling the chaotic spell I'd used on Marlo. It had been a little too explosive, but it was definitely powerful. I needed to fine its precision.

  I extended my hand towards the polished stone. "Alright, batter up! Mae's fastball-special— incoming! SyrElvaKel ElvaTysAris!" {Channeled wind move, wind surge with power}.

  Instead of a feral tornado exploding outward, a swirling ball of air condensed in my hand. The pressure whipped my hair and dress around, like a flag in heavy wind. I used my left arm to steady my right as I tried to aim the spell.

  The pressure built—

  —then snapped.

  The air cracked like a whip as the ball of wind slamming into our improvised cannonball. In an instant, the stone was rocketed off its stand. I heard the sound of air being displaced with a deep *whooom* as it rocketed through the air.

  My heart pounded as I watched the stone sail through the air. The spell was so strong it even added a little spin to the cannonball, and for a moment I feared our attack would miss. Luckily, it veered back on course. My heart fluttered as our attack hit right where the water spells had. The impact was violent, echoing the sound of exploding stone throughout the room. The cannonball shattered, sending rock shards skittering across the floor. The impact destroyed a large portion of the golem's side, causing it to topple to the ground with a loud *boom*.

  Only now did I realize that I had been holding my breath the whole time. I let out a sigh of relief as the four of us stood frozen, watching for movement.

  A tiny tap on my neck broke me out of my trance. I tilted my head back to see what it was. It was none other than my favorite little fairy.

  "Ro—!" I stammered before she shushed me. She shook her head side to side, clearly wanting to remain hidden. She pointed to the staircase, reminding me of the goal at hand. Then, she quickly tucked herself back into my hood.

  "Guys, we better take this chance to move!" I shouted.

  "I think you might be right!" Ariel said, pointing at the golem.

  It had begun trying to stand itself up, though it was having trouble because of the damage.

  "That was amazing!" Caelin said as we started running. "We've got to celebrate later!"

  "I would have to agree, that was rather impressive teamwork," Mallow said.

  The four of us quickly hurried towards the staircase. I glanced one last time at the rafters looking to see if Tahlis was still up there. Sure enough, I saw her. She was perched on a large, intricate beam staring directly at me. Her eyes looked almost predatory, as if she'd spotted some prey. The last thing I saw before descending down the stairs was a feral smile and a wink. I had no doubt that if I survived this ordeal, I'd be seeing her again.