Chapter 3: sunlight
He woke with his sisters' lips to his own. He was wet all over. The ground he was lying on was moist and he could hear the running of water.
He coughed up water. Kim was leaning over him.
"Are you alright?" she said urgently. "You almost drowned. If it weren't for Jon you would have been lying on the bottom of the sea by now. It was a really stupid thing you did last night."
He looked around him. Pushing himself up onto his elbows he surveyed the small crowd surrounding him. There was his mother and his sister. There was Jon sitting on his left and a general gathering of people. Most of them he recognized from the streets and some were just strangers.
"It was very bad for you to go rushing into the rain like that last night. You could have died," said his mother.
"Yeah, well if it weren't for me then this woman would have drowned. I saved a life you know," said Xzarik, letting a little cough out.
"I know," said his mother. "I was there."
"What!" said Xzarik. He nearly choked. "What were you doing out there?"
"I was looking for you," she said. "Now get some rest. You had a hard night."
"Did I miss my exam?" said Xzarik.
"It's too late now." Said Kim "they are going to start in five minutes."
"Good" said Xzarik. He jumped onto his feet and looked around. He was a considerable way down the river. If he ran then maybe he could make it in time?
"Where are you going? Said his mother. "You need your rest."
"I'm taking this grade whether you like it or not" he said. He broke into a slow run, not looking back.
Kim ran after him and when she had was level with him said, "You can't do a grade like this."
"I'm doing this grade if it kills me." He said, slacking a little.
She considered this and finally replied, "Well if you're going to do it then you'll need your sword." She handed him his sword. "I stole it from Jon. He was going to give it to you when you were strong enough to hold it again."
"Thanks" said Xzarik.
"Well it was the least I could do after you saved mother." She replied.
He thought that he wasn't running that fast. He was at a slow jog now. But the scenery was zooming past him and Kim was just standing next to him. She was going at the same speed as him. He stopped running. The scenery kept on going past him.
"Are you doing that?" he shouted over the rush of wind.
"|Just a little spell I read about last night. I didn't know if it was going to work so I tested it. It should take us to the entrance of the grade hall." She replied loudly.
The grade hall was a very large hall that all of the grades were taken in. It was a little way from the edge of the village. Placing it here was very useful. For one it gave protection from some of the more violent storms, it had firm ground and if any high-energy magic accidents occurred then the villagers were fairly safe.
They arrived outside the grade hall with a jolt and were thrown to the floor. A man stood over them and helped Kimberly and Xzarik up.
"Are you here to watch grades today?" he said in a deep voice.
"She is, but I'm taking my grade eight" he said to the large man. "Are you too?"
"Not exactly." He replied. "I'm one of the judges. You look as if you've just drowned and come back to life. What happened?"
"He went and saved someone from the storm. He stopped her from drowning but fell in the river and got washed up down river." Blurted out Kim.
The man looked impressed. "Well well well. We certainly are a hero aren't we. Ever considered working as a bodyguard? You'd do well." He said. "But the whole unconscious thing may impair your fighting today. Maybe you want to take your grade next year."
"No, I have to take it now." He said after a little time.
"I know how you feel. Anyway there are a few little preparations I have to do. Undoubtedly you have some too so I won't keep you. You probably need to warm up. See you in the grade room." He said. The large man turned on his foot and walked up the long flight of steps that made the staircase to the entrance to the hall. Xzarik and Kim looked up above the doors. A raven ruffled its' wings and took off. They watched it circle them and then stepped through the doorway.
The room they entered was a small room with a single window that was placed into a wall so that it overlooked the great hall. There was a section of the room roped off and only a few people were in there. The group of people were polishing their weapons, stretching their muscles, checking their armor and generally preparing for what seemed to be a very important fight. Xzarik assumed these were the hopeful grade eights. He went to join them.
"You takin' the grades?" asked a tall thin man. He was wearing black leather armor studded with silver rivets. Like all level seven fighters he wore a heavy broadsword across his back. He had an evil sense surrounding him.
"Yes." said Xzarik. He was feeling nervous for the first time in a long time. Many people died during the tests and Xzarik thought much less confident now that he had seen the other entrants.
"En't you a bit young?" he questioned suspiciously.
"Not really. It doesn't matter does it?" He replied.
"No. Good luck then." He said, and continued to check his armor.
"All entrants to the main hall!" boomed a loud voice. A dwarf was standing in the doorway. He turned and marched smartly down a flight of stairs. The entrants formed into a line and followed the dwarfs' example. A line had been drawn on the floor parallel to a long table. It ran the length of the hall. Above the table was the long window through which eager and worried relatives of the entrants supported them. Kim had her nose pressed against the window and it was consequently steaming up.
"Form yourselves onto the line!" barked the dwarf that had led them into the hall. They followed his orders and lined up, facing the table. There were four judges, not including the dwarf that looked like just a steward. To make the judging fairer there was one of each race; Dwarf, Human, Troll and Elven. Xzarik surveyed the room. There were all sorts of contraptions lining the walls. A couple were familiar, as he had used them in his last grading, but most were weird. There was a mat in front of the judge's table. He recognized this as the recovery mat. As no one was allowed to leave the room during the grades, and they stopped for nothing, the unlucky entrants were left here to recover. It was placed in such a position that the judges would not be able to see the dying person in front of them. Apparently this could put them off their judging.
"The Grades work like this: I tell you what to do and you do it, no questions. Only speak when spoken to. If an entrant is wounded you speak to the medics and then continue with what you are doing." Said a quiet voice. This was the man that Xzarik and Kim had met outside. He was now in complete black leather. His weapons of choice were two daggers and were hanging at his waist. He wore a long coat made of leather. This was the customary dress code of his class of fighter. The black leather strip around his body signified that he was a level seventeen assassin. "The first test is a simple one. Each of you will take a partner and spar unarmed. At the signal you will draw your weapons and fight." the man said. "Oh by the way, my name is Eldax. Let the Grading begin."
He woke with his sisters' lips to his own. He was wet all over. The ground he was lying on was moist and he could hear the running of water.
He coughed up water. Kim was leaning over him.
"Are you alright?" she said urgently. "You almost drowned. If it weren't for Jon you would have been lying on the bottom of the sea by now. It was a really stupid thing you did last night."
He looked around him. Pushing himself up onto his elbows he surveyed the small crowd surrounding him. There was his mother and his sister. There was Jon sitting on his left and a general gathering of people. Most of them he recognized from the streets and some were just strangers.
"It was very bad for you to go rushing into the rain like that last night. You could have died," said his mother.
"Yeah, well if it weren't for me then this woman would have drowned. I saved a life you know," said Xzarik, letting a little cough out.
"I know," said his mother. "I was there."
"What!" said Xzarik. He nearly choked. "What were you doing out there?"
"I was looking for you," she said. "Now get some rest. You had a hard night."
"Did I miss my exam?" said Xzarik.
"It's too late now." Said Kim "they are going to start in five minutes."
"Good" said Xzarik. He jumped onto his feet and looked around. He was a considerable way down the river. If he ran then maybe he could make it in time?
"Where are you going? Said his mother. "You need your rest."
"I'm taking this grade whether you like it or not" he said. He broke into a slow run, not looking back.
Kim ran after him and when she had was level with him said, "You can't do a grade like this."
"I'm doing this grade if it kills me." He said, slacking a little.
She considered this and finally replied, "Well if you're going to do it then you'll need your sword." She handed him his sword. "I stole it from Jon. He was going to give it to you when you were strong enough to hold it again."
"Thanks" said Xzarik.
"Well it was the least I could do after you saved mother." She replied.
He thought that he wasn't running that fast. He was at a slow jog now. But the scenery was zooming past him and Kim was just standing next to him. She was going at the same speed as him. He stopped running. The scenery kept on going past him.
"Are you doing that?" he shouted over the rush of wind.
"|Just a little spell I read about last night. I didn't know if it was going to work so I tested it. It should take us to the entrance of the grade hall." She replied loudly.
The grade hall was a very large hall that all of the grades were taken in. It was a little way from the edge of the village. Placing it here was very useful. For one it gave protection from some of the more violent storms, it had firm ground and if any high-energy magic accidents occurred then the villagers were fairly safe.
They arrived outside the grade hall with a jolt and were thrown to the floor. A man stood over them and helped Kimberly and Xzarik up.
"Are you here to watch grades today?" he said in a deep voice.
"She is, but I'm taking my grade eight" he said to the large man. "Are you too?"
"Not exactly." He replied. "I'm one of the judges. You look as if you've just drowned and come back to life. What happened?"
"He went and saved someone from the storm. He stopped her from drowning but fell in the river and got washed up down river." Blurted out Kim.
The man looked impressed. "Well well well. We certainly are a hero aren't we. Ever considered working as a bodyguard? You'd do well." He said. "But the whole unconscious thing may impair your fighting today. Maybe you want to take your grade next year."
"No, I have to take it now." He said after a little time.
"I know how you feel. Anyway there are a few little preparations I have to do. Undoubtedly you have some too so I won't keep you. You probably need to warm up. See you in the grade room." He said. The large man turned on his foot and walked up the long flight of steps that made the staircase to the entrance to the hall. Xzarik and Kim looked up above the doors. A raven ruffled its' wings and took off. They watched it circle them and then stepped through the doorway.
The room they entered was a small room with a single window that was placed into a wall so that it overlooked the great hall. There was a section of the room roped off and only a few people were in there. The group of people were polishing their weapons, stretching their muscles, checking their armor and generally preparing for what seemed to be a very important fight. Xzarik assumed these were the hopeful grade eights. He went to join them.
"You takin' the grades?" asked a tall thin man. He was wearing black leather armor studded with silver rivets. Like all level seven fighters he wore a heavy broadsword across his back. He had an evil sense surrounding him.
"Yes." said Xzarik. He was feeling nervous for the first time in a long time. Many people died during the tests and Xzarik thought much less confident now that he had seen the other entrants.
"En't you a bit young?" he questioned suspiciously.
"Not really. It doesn't matter does it?" He replied.
"No. Good luck then." He said, and continued to check his armor.
"All entrants to the main hall!" boomed a loud voice. A dwarf was standing in the doorway. He turned and marched smartly down a flight of stairs. The entrants formed into a line and followed the dwarfs' example. A line had been drawn on the floor parallel to a long table. It ran the length of the hall. Above the table was the long window through which eager and worried relatives of the entrants supported them. Kim had her nose pressed against the window and it was consequently steaming up.
"Form yourselves onto the line!" barked the dwarf that had led them into the hall. They followed his orders and lined up, facing the table. There were four judges, not including the dwarf that looked like just a steward. To make the judging fairer there was one of each race; Dwarf, Human, Troll and Elven. Xzarik surveyed the room. There were all sorts of contraptions lining the walls. A couple were familiar, as he had used them in his last grading, but most were weird. There was a mat in front of the judge's table. He recognized this as the recovery mat. As no one was allowed to leave the room during the grades, and they stopped for nothing, the unlucky entrants were left here to recover. It was placed in such a position that the judges would not be able to see the dying person in front of them. Apparently this could put them off their judging.
"The Grades work like this: I tell you what to do and you do it, no questions. Only speak when spoken to. If an entrant is wounded you speak to the medics and then continue with what you are doing." Said a quiet voice. This was the man that Xzarik and Kim had met outside. He was now in complete black leather. His weapons of choice were two daggers and were hanging at his waist. He wore a long coat made of leather. This was the customary dress code of his class of fighter. The black leather strip around his body signified that he was a level seventeen assassin. "The first test is a simple one. Each of you will take a partner and spar unarmed. At the signal you will draw your weapons and fight." the man said. "Oh by the way, my name is Eldax. Let the Grading begin."