Ten minutes," I said to the faculty at the gate. It regarded me silently for a moment before asking if I was sure. I replied in the affirmative and demanded to be let through. It seemingly sighed and marked something down on a clipboard before moving aside and letting me pass.
I strode confidently inside and surveyed my surroundings. This is it, the infamous fire cavern, the final challenge for cadets that determines if they are worthy to take the SeeD exams. This is one of the last steps. I'm so close to fulfilling my dream that I can touch it, taste it even.
I quickly made my way through the tunnels, not bothering to engage the monsters beyond the odd swipe with my blade to knock them out of my path. A bunch of overgrown flies mostly. All were useless pests. No need to consult a map as I had memorized every possible path in the cavern as part of the preparation for the upcoming battle.
Even though I had chosen the most efficient route, it was still a fairly long walk. Finally I reached my destination. I gaped at the size of the massive pit of flames for a moment before quickly regaining my composure. I pasted a smirk on my face and steadied my slightly trembling hands before calling out my challenge with as much arrogance, bravado, and vulgarity as I could muster.
The ground rumbled beneath my feet. I fought to stay upright as the contents of the pit erupted into a burning tower. A loud roar filled the room and a figure began to emerge from the tower. It was the one I had come for. The fire demon-god known as Ifrit.
"Petulant Human!" it roared. "You dare challenge me in that matter? You must long for death! Allow me to oblige!" My only response was to enter my battle stance, which only served to enrage him further. I said a quick non-verbal prayer to Hyne before focusing on the thought that would get me through this battle as hell began to fall.
Flames hit me from all directions. Before long, I was engulfed by them. Yet I stood impassively throughout the onslaught and concentrated on my thought. The beast started throwing heavier spells, fire hot enough to melt steel instantly, but still I survived.
After awhile, the demon began to weaken, but I did not strike, not yet. The heat had grown to an intensity far greater than that of the sun, but still I stood. Then the fire stopped. The demon stood stooped and exhausted. He had poured all of his energy into fire to destroy me, not knowing that I had spent my entire career as a cadet training for this battle. My tolerance to fire magic had been built until my body began to absorb it and use it as a healing substance. It was much more effective than the best restoratives available on the market, even better than the rare import smuggled out of Galbadian military laboratories.
All was quiet for a moment, then the first audible noise I'd made since issuing my challenge filled the large den. The beast moved in a last desperate, pathetic attempt to strike with his great claw, a blow that could still be fatal, even now. As the dangerous limb came towards me, I completed my thought with a single word: "GO!"
And there I stood, laughing in the face of the devil himself. He knew he was beaten as lightning began to rain down upon his head. The battered demon bowed before me and offered himself as my guard and companion. Upon my acceptance, he burst into flames and disappeared. I knelt and held out my hands. Within seconds a red stone fell into them. I clasped the stone between my hands and felt the warmth of my victory as my body absorbed it. I stood up and quickly exited.
The faculty stood in the same place I had left it. It seemed surprised to see me, but recovered quickly and made a note on its clipboard. "Cadet has completed the challenge with six minutes remaining out of ten minutes given. Cadet is now authorized to take the SeeD field examination on the next available date." It handed me a slip of paper. "You did well, Cadet Almasy. Give this to Instructor Trepe upon your return to Garden." Faculty using a name instead of the student's assigned number was rare in and of itself; a compliment was nearly unheard of. I bit my lip to contain my grin until I was out of sight and on my way back to campus. I was one step closer to my dream.