Cearbhail:

So, this chapter is going to be leading up to an exciting reveal. Hope you all figure it out. And I know I repeated last chapter's intro. But... it's still relevant.

Enjoy. =^^=

"Okay, everyone. Line up in front of the application table, single-file line! No pushing, no rushing. We have all day! Literally… all… day!" A Cathay with jaguar spots calling out to us, holding a clipboard. "Come on, hopefuls."

I looked around at the other applicants. Man, there were a lot of us. But some stuck out more than others. I could see Enji staying away from everyone else. She was keeping her head down, her ears folded down. I wanted to go talk to her, thank her for her help a few days ago, but… I could tell she needed some space at the moment. If she's going to attend RFA, I'll probably get to see her around anyway.

I could see Bast standing at the front of the line, already signing her name down. I'm glad she's here, because I could see Tesh getting in the line behind me. And he was giving me a death glare. Oh man… I wonder if I can beat him in a proper match now. I'm kind of… curious. I want to fight him. Please, let me fight him.

Bast finished writing in her name and quickly jogged over to one of the other test proctors, that Tsija'numa woman Ja'Ngil knew. Bast was carrying a blue ribbon badge with a number 1 on it. Tsija'numa nodded a welcome to Bast as she walked up to her. "You're a physical ability user, right?" Bast nodded. "S'Hirr will see to your test. He will have a sparring partner prepared for you."

"Can you inform me who my opponent will be, or what abilities I may expect to face?" Bast clipped her number badge to her rabi.

Tsija'numa shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not. This is much a test about your abilities in magicka as it is a test of your adaptability while using your magick."

Bast nodded. "I understand. I will go to S'Hirr then."

I continued standing in line, looking at the other kids all here, all about my age. There were perhaps… 15, 16 of us total? In a town this big, I thought there would be more. Maybe this town is just smaller than I thought. Or maybe there aren't a lot of kids or something like that. I'm not sure.

A taller girl, dark panther fur with white tiger stripes, stepped out of the line, holding a ribbon badge with a 2 written on it. She walked over to Tsija'numa, nodding a welcome to her. "My magicka is Imaginary Friend. My name is Raska."

Tsija'numa nodded. "Okay, you'll be with Dra'Vio. She evaluates all Illusion-based students." Raska nodded and rushed over to the mystical seer that waited for her. I guess we are herded into our individual groups and then line up again. And from there, our tests begin. I could see some of the senior students also helping with the testing. Zharrim was standing near Dra'Vio, as well as the influencer Ipyan. I could see Ksaan standing next to a heavily bandaged Ja'Ngil. I hope I didn't hurt her too badly. She looked pretty beat up, and I'm sure I didn't hurt her that badly. She must have been training other students, and not just me.

I waited in line, watching more and more applicants state their magicka and getting assigned to various teachers. And then, it was finally my turn. I walked up to the table where the jaguar Cathay waited for me. The Cathay with emerald green eyes looked me up and down. "Are you old enough to apply?" He looked down at his list of names. "What's your name?"

"Ahmbra Dragonis." I stated proudly.

He looked at his sheet and then fumbled through the various application papers, pulling mine out. "Ah… says here that… you… you just turned 12. Okay, so you're the youngest you can be to apply. Okay then." He looked through my application sheet. "Electromancer, time of application… Level One evaluation." He looked up at me. "Are you ready for your test?"

I nodded. "I'll be sure to shock everyone's expectations today."

He smirked at my pun, nodding. "Oh, you'll fit in here." He handed me a badge with the number 10 on it. "Go see Tsija'ko. She'll tell you who will be testing your exam."

I nodded. "Okay, I'll go see Tsija'numa." I stated proudly, knowing her preferred article.

The Cathay choked on something, leaning forward. He coughed as he looked up at me. "What did you call her?"

Um… that's not what I expected. "Tsija'numa?"

He shook his head. "Kids these days…" He looked over at Tsija'numa. "Do… do you know what you just called her?"

I shook my head. "No, sir. I heard Ja'Ngil call her that. I just thought it was her full article."

He looked me dead in the eye. "You're… you were not raised by Khajiits. Dragonis… you were raised by that Breton lady. And your accent… it sounds elven-ish. That explains it." He leaned forward. "It's the article of a lover to another lover. Like a mate. You only use it for your mate. You can't call her that."

Oh!

…

Oh…

Shit.

I face-palmed at the realization that was smacking me in the face. My fur stood on end as I nodded politely to the Cathay. "Thanks for telling me. Sorry…"

He nodded. "I'm just glad I caught you before you called her that. She might have been forced to go through her own examination with Mage Force."

Yeah… That would be bad. "So… it's Tsija'ko?"

He nodded. "It's actually Ja'Tsija-ko, but… us adults call her Tsija'ko. Children must still use the Ja' and S' articles when addressing their elders."

I nodded. Yup, I knew that. I totally knew that. "Sorry, sir. I'll remember for now on."

He nodded. "Go on ahead, and… don't worry. I grew up in a small village in the trees. We were pretty loose with these old-fashioned rules too. But here in Rimmen, especially in this school… the staff will frown upon students not honoring them."

I nodded. "Thank you, sir." I quickly bowed to him before I stepped away. I rushed over to Ja'Tsija-ko.

The teacher watched as I approached. "And finally, M'Ahmbra has joined us." She pointed over to Ja'Ngil. "You will be testing with our combat mage: Ngil Vhoga'Shuv." As she pointed to Ja'Ngil, I spotted something wrong with her short creamy lioness fur on her arm. There were long scratches in her arms… both of them. It looked like she had been clawed or something. And her talons… they look trimmed down, but I could see some residual staining of blood in the fur around her talons. I've seen too many slaves try to end their own lives… and seen the end result of it. Ja'Tsija-ko… was cutting herself. Ja'Tsija-ko winked to me, drawing my attention back to her eyes as she said, "I think you'll find that… she's expecting you to excel."

Well, if Ja'Ngil giving me the test, I'm pretty sure she won't let me fail. She's more invested in me being here than I am.

"Or rather… she would be proctoring your exam, but… unfortunately, she's been wounded on a scale that even I can't heal… so she can't proctor the exam." That would be my fault. I overwhelmed her a few days ago. I thought she would have recovered by now, but… I guess I hit her too hard. "It is because of this that our only other combat mage will have to proctor your group. Ro'Prin."

My heart sank to the pits of my stomach. She's going to be giving me my exam? I looked down at my wonderful clothes that I bought just for this exam. I was wearing a nice sports top with a cute blouse over top of it. I'm sorry cute blouse… I'm afraid you'll be ruined by the end of this day. She ruined my other shirt too. Or… I could just lose the blouse and fight in my sports top. I'll just see what today has to bring and then make my decision on that.

I pinned my badge to my blouse as I walked over to Ja'Ngil's group. I could see Kharan standing there already, with a tall buffer Cathay-raht boy standing next to him. The boy looked lost in his thoughts. I might be able to make a new friend today. That would be cool. The boy had tiger stripes like me, and he nodded a welcome to me as I walked up to the group.

"Hi, my name is Rvi." He said, all while keeping his hands folded behind his back.

I looked at his arms, wondering if this was another thing we Khajiits do, so… I folded my arms behind me as well as I smiled a greeting to him. "Nice to meet you, Rvi. My name is Ahmbra. I'm an Electromancer."

He glanced at my arms folded behind my back and then frowned at me. "Oh, you're the… it's okay." He smirked. "This isn't a greeting or anything. My magick is Destruction… Obliteration. If I offered you my hand… you would probably cease to exist."

My facial fur puffed up for the second time today. Jeez, Ahmbra! Stop being culturally insensitive!

He continued on like he didn't notice I was embarrassed. "I'm actually applying to this university so that I can learn how to control this power of mine. I mean… I've done… a lot of things to a lot of good people." His eyes faded away. "I need… I need to study here, so that I can learn how to touch people without… killing them." He forced a smile. "So… it's great to meet you, Ahmbra, but… please keep your distance from me. You're… too nice to be around me. And anyone that gets too close to me…" His smile faded away.

Man… I felt my heart sink into my stomach again. The more and more I hear about the people living in this town, the more tragic stories I keep hearing. Enji did something to someone, not sure what yet. Ksaan's aunt was killed by the Dominion. Ipyan manipulated her whole class into loving her. And by the scars I can see in Ja'Tsija-ko's arms… I can see she's gone through some problems of her own. Mostly self-inflicted pain. And since they looked fresh… like it happened a day ago or so… I'm wondering if she has some kind of depression. I could smell the blood in her fur.

I waited with Kharan and Rvi as the rest of the line continued moving on. Tesh and Ashi were the last ones to go through the line, and I watched Tesh as he was directed over to our group by Ja'Tsija-ko. I groaned as I turned to face Kharan.

"Really? Of all places… he has to come here!" I crossed my arms as I looked at Kharan.

Kharan only shrugged. "He is a combat mage. Like you and me."

Rvi kept his gaze neutral as he looked over at Kharan and me. "Don't like him either?" He asked in a hushed tone. Kharan and I both nodded.

I glanced over to Tesh, seeing his smug face looking at us. "Well, this must be the loser line. The shansha, the orphan, and the borrower all in the same line." Tesh laughed.

Orphan? I looked over at Kharan. "You're an orphan?"

Kharan shook his head. "No… I think I'm the borrower. Since I borrow everyone's magick to form my own."

If Kharan and I were the shansha and the borrower… then the orphan must be…

I looked back at Rvi, who was just barely holding his fangs back. "Shut up, sdog'vigar."

Tesh only grinned deeper. "Well, I do hope you do well on the test. If you're lucky, maybe you'll be paired up with our little shansha." He slapped me on the shoulder, hard enough to knock me forward. "I would love to see you clean up that mess."

I glanced over to Ja'Ngil, signaling her with my eyes. When I had her attention, I glanced over to Tesh, nodding my head to him. She only nodded, understanding exactly what I wanted.

"Okay, everyone." Ro'Prin walked over from the table, holding a clipboard in her hands. "We will now break into our individual testing groups. Your assigned proctor will evaluate you based on your efforts here today, and then, with a small group of graduating or graduated students who study magicka similar in structure to your own, will begin evaluating what level you are at, and whether or not you even belong in this school. Our academy specializes in two fields: the training of what we call 'Firedrakes' combat-based mages who serve Rimmen or Elsweyr during times of war, which is a field recruiting heavily thanks to the constant threats of elven mages looking to overtake our little town; and our academy specializes in the training of dangerous individuals who need to develop an understanding of their magick in a controlled environment. And if you can become a capable Firedrake in the process… well… the more the merrier." She checked her clipboard. "Okay, at this time, I will now release you to you proctors. If you need to use the restroom, please inform me or your proctor at once. You will be tested individually, or all at once. It's all at your proctor's discretion."

Ja'Ngil smiled as she walked up to us. Even though she looked thoroughly thrashed, she held herself up high as she walked over. Ro'Prin walked over, joining her as they approached us. "Good morning, applicants." Ro'Prin said as she looked down at her clipboard with our names on them. "Let's get a small review of who you are, what your powers are, and why you wish to join this academy. Let's start with… Rvi Izhar'Ieri." She nodded to Rvi, waving at him to start us off.

He glanced at us, forcing a small smile. "Um… hello. My name is Rvi Izhar'Ieri. My personal magick is Obliteration. When I touch things… they disappear into dust. I kill everything and anyone I come in contact with. I…" He nodded to his folded arms. "I keep my arms clasped behind my back… so I don't touch things. I am hoping to join this academy so that I may learn how to… touch things… without destroying them."

Ro'Prin nodded. "That is an admirable goal, and one we can assist you with. But, I feel inclined to ask. How do you eat if everything you touch explodes? And does this magick affect you at all?"

Rvi seemed startled. "Um… I learned to gently… touch my spoons and food… most of the time. I do have accidents though. And…" He looked scared at the thought. "I don't think my magick works on me. It hasn't so far…"

Ro'Prin nodded. "Okay. Now, onto Kharan Vrothy'Suen."

Kharan smirked, rubbing the back of his head. "That's me. That's my name, and my magick is Absorption. As I get closer to people, I begin absorbing their powers into me. The more people I'm around, the more power I have stored inside of me. This culminates into a new ability. With Ksaan and Ahmbra's abilities, I can take Shock and colorful explosion orbs and turn it into colorful exploding lightning. Stuff like that." He looked around. "With Rvi, Ahmbra, and…" He pointed over to Tesh. "that annoying guy, I'm pretty sure I shouldn't try combat with anyone. I'm afraid I'll blow everyone up."

Ro'Prin shrugged. "Who said anything about combat? I'm not having you fight each other or us."

I smiled. Oh… thank the gods for that one. But… even as I stood here, getting excited, I found myself wondering… when stuff like this happens… a darker, worse outcome usually bears its ugly head.

"So… what are we doing then?" I found myself asking.

Ro'Prin glanced at me. "In due time. Kharan hasn't finished his introduction yet. Why have you come to this academy?" She nodded to Kharan.

Kharan's facial fur puffed up a bit, and he resumed rubbing the back of his head. "Well, my dad suggested it to me. I mean.. this is how it started. I grew up in Sandstone, it's near Dune. It's between Dune and Orcrest. Anyway, we have a shaman who lives there, in town. And one day, she was out doing her thing, which was summon water from the air. We were one of those places that didn't get a lot of water from the rain, and the nearby lake and rivers were dried up. Our delivery of water from a nearby town was running late by a week, our caravan was attacked by a flock of terror birds… anyway… she was filling up our water reservoir with her water magicka. And as I was walking by, I just… started collecting water all around me… it turned into a raincloud. It turns out there was a storm mage in town, preparing a storm spell for our area… just in case our shaman got too exhausted. Anyway, I summoned a raincloud over my head that lasted for… days. I couldn't get rid of it. So… that was my first experience… and Dad said I should go to here… to be trained. So that… I don't accidentally do something bad… or so that I can come back… and do some good for the town. Like the shaman. Or the storm mage."

Ro'Prin nodded. "With our training, I'm sure you can do just that." She looked over to me. "And next is Ahmbra Dragonis."

I nodded. Okay, time for me to give my own introduction. "I am Ahmbra Dragonis. I'm not from any real town… or something like that. I mean… I've traveled… some." I sighed. "I'm from this camp called Hidden Oasis, and I pretty much worked in a tavern called Forbidden Oasis. I grew up there, and I was… there was this battle and everyone died. I left the ruins of the camp with this woman who could work powerful magicka. She used Ice magicka… and ever since I met her… I wanted to be like her. A strong powerful mage who could single-handedly save a whole town of people. I've seen what this world is like… on both spectrums, good and bad, and I know I want to help make this world a better place. And with magick… I can. So, that's why I'm here. My personal magicka is electrokinesis… I'm an Electromancer. And one day, I'll become as strong as she was. And I'll help people the way she helped me."

Ro'Prin seemed unmoved by my speech, but she did nod. "That's why this academy exists." She looked from me over to Tesh. "And now, Tesh Zaxuh'Akha."

Tesh smirked as he said, "I'm a direct descendant of the founder of this town: Junna Suen'Akha. And as such, I have a destiny ahead of me. I'm expected to live up to her example, and this academy that was founded by her will be the place where I will show the example I will set for this town. And when I become a Firedrake, I will be clean this town up. I will make sure the impure bloods will be purged of, the dangerous and useless magicks wiped from the genetic pool. Only strong resilient magicks will keep this town safe… not…" He glanced over to Rvi. "some dust blowing hand job." He grinned. "My magick is the strongest in the whole town. Much like my ancestor, I have the ability to read others, except, I can't read minds like she could… but I can observe anyone's magick and make it my own. I have a memory of up to 10 spells currently, and as I grow stronger, my ability to remember spells will increase. I am having trouble combining them into stronger forms, but… I do have the ability to merge abilities, much like our little Absorber." He smirked over at Kharan. "If I can learn his magick… make it my own… I'll become invincible. I could just keep 9 other spells in my memory and use his to copy the more… direct ones I need in any situation. So, this academy, this class I will be growing in, all their powers will be mine. And I'll be the top of the class. No doubt about it. I belong here… unlike a certain lightning rod." He didn't even bother glancing at me.

Ro'Prin nodded. "Yup. If what you say is true, and you can live up to the hype your ancestor has left for you, I cannot wait to see you in class." What? She actually liked what he had to say? She didn't even blink during his whole hate speech. "The way you talk, you're going to need to be the best. Otherwise, well, I'm not Dra'Vio… but I foresee a lot of people dunking your head in the toilet." She looked at the four of us. "I was going to do the combat trials… where you fight against each other and display your talent but… let's take a headcount of everyone's abilities at this current moment."

Ro'Prin pointed to Rvi. "Death-dealing fingerbanging." She pointed over to Kharan. "Death-dealing lightning." She pointed over to Tesh. "Death-dealing everything." She shrugged. "I do not want dead students. So… here's what we're going to do." She slammed her foot on the ground. A golem made of dirt and mud sprang out of the dirt. "This is Rocky. He's my personal summoning golem. I use him for sparring practice. I will use him to fight my battles for you. So, let's begin with Rvi." She waved the boy forward. "You will go first."

Rvi nodded, slowly walking up to the golem. Rvi sighed as he slid into a small stance. He stepped forward, snaking out his hand. He gently tapped the golem, and the result was immediate. The golem just blasted apart into dust. There was no audible sound… no resulting anything. The golem was just… gone. I imagined that happening to me… and I couldn't begin to wonder what it would have felt like. I would just be… suddenly gone? Just like that? He barely even touched the golem. It seemed more like a gentle knuckle-tap on the chest… and that was the result? What would happen if Rvi became rushed? He actually reminded me of the cub that could destroy everything with a sneeze. I wonder if people like him were just walking around the town. What would have my catnapping had been like if Ipyan or the cat-napper had this kind of magicka? I really don't know. But it was sending chills to my bones.

Ro'Prin nodded. "And that's a pass. It was a simple maneuver, but you shattered Rocky. That was a Level 3 golem, compacted dirt that would absorb lesser spells. And you shattered it. Once we can safely evaluate your magick… if there is a safe way to evaluate it… we'll give you a proper level. Until then, you are considered Level 3. An Unstable Level 3. Actually… let's test that." Ro'Prin slammed her foot on the ground. Three pillars of rocks sprang up from the ground. She grunted as she slammed the pillars of rock together, pushing them against each other until they formed something harder and more compact than her original construct. With another scream, I could see the rock morphing before my eyes. It was turning into a clear crystal. What? What kind of magicka is that? She can make crystals? Is that even possible?

When Ro'Prin was finished, she nodded to the crystal pillar. "This is a Level 5 pillar. Try your luck."

Rvi cautiously glanced at the pillar. He sighed as he did his same tap, only this time… there was an audible sound. It was like the pillar was emitting a loud wailing sound in response to his tap. I had to cover my ears as the pitch blasted through my eardrums. Rvi covered his ears too, gently holding them as he fell to his knees. The ground around the pillar started to push off the ground, flying away from the pillar.

Ro'Prin nodded. "Seems to be unfocused, but definitely a Level 3. A Level 4 would have at least cracked it." She nodded to Rvi. "I think we found your new training partner." She smirked. "If only I was Level 6. A crystal golem would be purrfect for you."

Rvi uncovered his ears, looking up at the crystal pillar. He placed his hands on the pillar, and the humming came back, just as loudly as before. It became louder for a second before it started dying down to a lower pitch. Rvi looked shocked at just how the crystal was creating a sound by increasing his amount of Obliteration magicka. I haven't really seen him smile… not genuinely, but… I could see a sparkle in his eye as he ran his hands across the crystal, laughing as he made it hum a song for him.

Ro'Prin was standing there, taking notes. "Able to adjust the pitch. A Level 3 user of Obliteration. Some slight control, even after a small remedial course. This will be an interesting student." She nodded to Ja'Ngil. "Okay, up next. Let's get Tesh."

Tesh scoffed as he walked up Ro'Prin. "So, what's this test then?"

"Your test will be copying my magick, and Ja'Ngil's. Think of this as a sparring match, if you wish, but your test will be to compete with our magicks. And overcoming our trials." Ro'Prin said, waving to Ja'Ngil to come join her.

Tesh sneered. "At least try to make this hard." He pointed over to me. "I want to fight her too."

I felt a growl growing in my throat. "I'll destroy you." I said, walking up to him. "Test us both at the same time! I want to wipe that shabla smirk off his mouth."

Ro'Prin rolled her eyes, looking at both of us. "No!" She looked at me and then over to Tesh. She sighed as she saw both of us glaring death threats at each other. "Iwack." She looked over to Ja'Ngil. "If we don't do this… they'll just fight after the test." She sighed, looking back at us. "Fine. Request accepted. Both of you better give it your all."

"All three of us." Kharan said as he walked up, but when I glared at him, Tesh probably joining me, he quickly held his hands up, backing back away. "On second thought… I'll just take my test later."

"Follow me." Ro'Prin waved to us as she led us away from the other students taking their tests. Kharan followed behind Tesh and me.

"You have some nerve." Tesh whispered to me. "You got lucky during the training camp. But I'm not the same person you fought last time. I have prepared to shame you. You don't know the magicka I have inside of me."

I smirked. "Good. I can't wait to show everyone here just how strong I have become. And at the end of this… you'll be on your knees, paying me proper respect as a fellow mage."

Tesh growled. "You? Win? There is no dimension where you will…"

"I already beat you once. I'll do it again." I interrupted him. "Spare me the clichéd villain talk. We're going to be classmates. And after today, you'll see I'm just as good as you are."

Ro'Prin and Ja'Ngil came to a stop as we entered a sandy flat plain. Ro'Prin slammed her foot on the ground and the nearby sand all connected into a square boxing ring. "This will be your testing site. You will fight each other until one of you falls out of bounds, or until one of you gives up."

Tesh chuckled. "You won't stand a chance." Lightning crackled on his fur. Bright blue fire started forming over his left eye. And the ground started to shake. "I'll roll you right out of the arena."

I took a deep breath as I walked into the combat square. I continued to take deep breaths as Tesh joined me in the square. And we just stood there, looking each other in the eye as we waited for Ro'Prin to signal the beginning of our fight. I was collecting magicka in my fingertips, preparing for my first attack. I just hoped this would work. I wanted a one-shot kill for this battle.

"And begin." Ro'Prin said.

I screamed as I snapped my right hand out, launching five beams from my fingers. Lightning crackled right to Tesh, but he was already snapping his foot down, bringing up a small pillar of rocks to defend himself with. He was quickly pushing himself over the pillar, jumping right to me. I launched another bolt of lightning at him with my left hand, which he took without trying to block. It was then that I realized… my bolt of lightning went right through him. And as he did that, I remembered Ashi's ability to project Illusions of himself into reality.

I looked for any signs of moving dirt, and after a small glance, could see a bunch of dirt kicking up as something quickly approached me. Something almost as fast as Bast. I screamed as I poured lightning out of my aura, letting it fly across the arena, letting it hit everything. Tesh's invisibility dropped as he blocked my lightning with his own. "Fine!" He screamed, covering himself in lightning.

He snapped his hand out, blasting lightning at me. I smirked as I took his bolt of lightning, absorbing it. "I've been training with Kharan. He always uses my magicka against me… so I've learned how to deal with other electromancers." I flicked my finger, letting his attack surge out of me. "Congrats on that, though. It almost felt as strong as Kharan's. You know… the first in his lineage. That's your thing, right? Hating on firstborns and outsiders? Kharan's both. Just like me."

I knew Tesh's trigger is his inability to fully control his abilities, and pushing that button will force him to make mistakes. When I last fought him, he could use multiple forms of magicka… but if he concentrated on more than one… both spells lost their durability and strength. I'm guessing that's a limiting factor. One I can exploit. If he attacks me with my own magicka, I can just divert it. And if he uses something else, I just have to force him to use more than one. As long as I keep blasting him with my lightning, I'll be able to keep him on the defensive, using Bast's speed magicka, keeping him from tricking me with Ashi's, and force him to keep using lightning to protect himself. That's at least two magicks he has to use, and one I can't defend against.

Tesh, after hearing my insult, screamed, throwing his fists down as he created a massive wave of rocks shooting out of the ground. Sheesh… he's supposed to be weak… like me. And yet, rocks were shooting up from the ground, destroying our combat square. I bent my knee as I poured lightning through my leg muscles. Oh well… time to do my new trick. I screamed in return as I pushed forward, sprinting for the rising pillars. I aimed for Tesh as I jumped, snapping my foot out in front of me. Lightning covering my leg snapped out, hitting the pillars of rocks. My lightning tore right through them, and I flew through the approaching wave of rock pillars. I kept flying through the stones, breaking through his attack. Next thing I knew, I was flying right at him. I smiled as I imagined the look on his face as I ran my foot through it.

Tesh, still running on Bast juice, was quick to respond. He snapped his hand out, blocking my kick that was coming right for his face. Our two lightnings connected, creating a shocking explosion of static collision. And I ended up brushing past Tesh, landing behind him.

"Did you think that would work on me?" He asked, tilting his head. "I study Whispering Fang! You think some novice kick like that would get me? I've been studying my whole life!" He quickly snapped out a back kick, taking the wind right out of my chest as he kicked me with Bast-infused combat arts. I fell to my knees as I grabbed my breathless chest. Man… if he has a portion of Bast's true ability… oh gods… I don't ever want to fight her. He kicked me hard enough to shatter a few ribs. He might have. Ow.

Tesh quickly snapped a foot across my face, sending me to the ground. Stars danced around my vision. "What was that you said about having me kneel to you?" He walked over to me, bending down to look me in the eye as I started pushing myself back up. "Something about seeing you like a… fellow mage? Someone on par with me? I'm a legacy!" He snapped his foot out, and a pillar or rocks shot me right in the stomach, throwing me off my arms and knees. I flew in the air for a few seconds before crashing down. Man… he hits with rocks almost as hard as he did with that kick. I could feel blood in my mouth. I think I bit my tongue somewhere during all that.

"It's a beautiful day outside today. Birds are singing, cacti are blooming… On days like this, trash like you… should be burning in Oblivion." Tesh mused as he walked over to me, standing on top of me. He placed a foot on top of me. "Go ahead… give up. You can't win."

I groaned as I reached up, grabbing his leg. "You forget one thing, Tesh." I groaned. "Your magick, while versatile, cannot match the original strength of its user. So… up close like this… if I hit you with everything I have… you can't protect against it. And having this last step to overcome… fills me with DETERMINATION!" I screamed as I summoned everything I had, forcing it to collect in my hand. Tesh tried his best to break his foot away from me, but I was quicker. I pushed everything I had into his leg, and I was welcomed to his body lighting up as I turned him into a Dwemer lightbulb. It only lasted a few seconds, but after I poured what I had in me into him, he fell off of me, landing on the ground.

Ro'Prin clapped her hands. "And that will conclude the test for you two." She walked over to the combat square, clapping her hands as she walked over to us. Tesh was already recovering as he reached for his head, grabbing it. He looked dazed and confused. Good, let him enjoy that headache for a while. He deserves it. "You both showed moments where you controlled your combat magick to its future potential. Using lightning to kick your way through rocks was a marvelous tactic, and showed me that you've managed to manipulate your lightning in a way that's not just flicking wads of lightning at people. I was hoping you wouldn't just show me some bolt of lightning and call it a day… and this ended up being just what I needed to see. Ahmbra, you have scored high enough to qualify. You are a Level 3 user of Shock Magick. Congratulations."

Ro'Prin looked down at Tesh. "And you. You live up to your ancestor. You displayed variable knowledge of several different forms of magicka. You manipulated the ground, generated a protective shell of lightning, altered your speed, reflexes, and strength, and manipulated physical reality with Illusions. A simple mastery… but a Level 4 mastery, but one that needs further refinement. It loses its strength, but even so, you are clearly a Level 3. We are honored to have you join, Tesh Zaxuh'Akha." She looked down at both of us. "Congratulations on both of you. I see great promise for both of you." She turned on her heel, walking over to Kharan. "Your turn."

Kharan looked over to me and Tesh. I wonder if he felt like he had a hard act to follow. Tesh and I pretty much rocked this whole testing arena. Although, nothing can beat Rvi's ability to just turn things to dust.

Ro'Prin slammed her foot on the ground, summoning another rock golem. "Go ahead and practice on Rocky. Show me everything you can muster. This is the Level 4 version of…"

Kharan pushed off his back foot, vanishing in a Bast-inspired flash, his fist covered with electrified ice. When he slammed his fist against the earth golem, his electrified ice exploded into a shockwave that Obliterated not only the rock golem, but the ground around him. I watched as he created a massive zone of nothing but himself. He floated there in the air for a few seconds before gently floating to the ground, his eyes glowing with some kind of… magickal buildup. The glowing in his fur vanished rather quickly.

"That…" Ro'Prin watched in fascination. "In one punch? You Obliterated a Level 4 construction?" She smirked. She pointed to Rvi's crystal pillar. "I want you to punch that pillar with same…"

Kharan was already pushing ahead, vanishing as he sprinted with his advanced speed. He did the same thing I did with my kick earlier, and when he contacted, there was a loud wail, one that created a physical shockwave. When the shockwave reached us, I felt the pulse of the vibrations from the crystal pillar. My entire core was shaking from Kharan's impact.

The sound died off slowly. And by the time it was over, everyone from the test gathered around the pillar. I ended up joining everyone near the pillar, and I was surprised by what I saw. There was a massive crack through the whole pillar.

Ro'Prin looked surprised at the sight of the crystal pillar. "A Level 5 pillar… cracked. Matched in strength. You combined every spell you had… and effectively formed a Level 5 spell… mixing several spells, compounding them, and putting a crack in my absorption crystal pillar. You…" She shook her head. "You need to be here." She placed her arm around Kharan's shoulder, still blankly staring at her crystal pillar. "If left untrained… you might end up destroying our town."

I glanced at Kharan. He… he is this powerful? What does this mean? If I'm the savior of this town from some kind of massive accident… one that almost destroys the town… one that I have to defend against… what if Kharan… my new friend, and possibly best friend… what if he was the thing I had to defend the town against?

I glanced over to Dra'Vio… and she was looking me in the eye, slowly nodding her head. I don't know if she was confirming my thoughts… or telling me I was on the right path… or if she's just old person swaying… I'm not sure, honestly. But, I felt a chill running down my back. What could this mean? And if Kharan will be in RFA, where all the strongest magick users in Rimmen come to study their arts… what will happen if he absorbs everyone's powers? What kind of Level of destruction will he reach? And… am I even able to defend against that? I could barely beat Tesh… and that's because his magick gets stretched too thin too quickly, and is easy to exploit. Kharan is different. He just… he just keeps getting stronger.

I felt a rock forming in the pit of my stomach. This was it. This was my real challenge, I just… I just knew it. Kharan… my friend… was going to become my worst enemy. I don't know how I knew it… but… my gut is telling me so. My hands trembled as I looked at him. He had this oddly calm demeanor about him as he stared at the crack in the crystal, a small smile forming on his face. And I remembered that smirk from somewhere else. And then it clicked. Umbra… he had it when he held Umbra.

The Dominion wasn't the real threat. My new friend was. And that scared me more.

Cearbhail:

So... shall we discuss Kharan? I mean... I could reveal his entire character thing, but that has A LOT of spoilers in it. If anyone is interested in his full character bio that I created for him... you can ask for it. Until then. Let's put someone else's up on the list. How about two of them? Like last time?

...

Rvi

Rvi is cursed with being related to one of the few heroes of Rimmen: Brahstra. He is a weak little boy who wants only to be normal, but he cannot. Everything he touches is reduced to dust if he pushes too hard. Even if he wears gloves, he'll only end up making them scraps of leather on the floor. If he pushes someone, they explode into blood and guts. He killed his own parents by hugging them before his sixth birthday. He's emotionally locked away, a husk of a boy. He keeps his arms folded behind his back, never moving them except to sit down, where he puts them in his lap. His Force magicka is only limited to his hands, but as he grows stronger he becomes a walking hazard… and becomes tormented enough in his second year that he asks his fellow students to help kill him. (there is more, but it's spolierish).

Raska

Raska is a very imaginative girl. She has a Conjuration/Illusion thing going on where she can create her own summon allies. She can project her imaginary friends and give them actual life with complete personalities. They can't stay around for too long and at the moment she can only summon one at most. Her imaginary friends come with their own magicka, which through Conjuration can become a real attack. They fight for her, while she stands in the back and cheers them on. Having two skooma addicts as parents, especially the abusive ones they are… Raska learned how to create her own 'imaginary' parents to raise her for them. Both of her parents work for the Trade, the underground drug/criminal group currently hiding in plain sight inside Rimmen. She's held in her own prison of a world while she lives at home, seeing how her mother uses Torture magick as a form of punishment, and her father uses Knock-out Magick to put her to sleep whenever she becomes too rebellious. Raska wants nothing more than to escape her life at home, but she's constantly returning if not only to protect her younger sister, Suht, who's only 4 years old. Although Raska hates her living situation, she's not overly resentful of her parents because it helped her learn how to make her own situation better with a little imagination… and Illusion actualization.