Chapter 2 - Day of Trial
Orin opened the door to the school house and walked in. Ikara was still eyeing some torn and broken books on the shelf, but turned to greet Orin as he walked to his desk.
"Oh, you're back….may I ask were you went??" said Ikara as she slid a tattered book back into its space.
"Uh…just went for some air, is all." murmured Orin, who was staring at his feet again.
Ikara looked at him suspiciously, but shrugged off his excuse and walked to her desk as well. They sat for a moment, then the bell rang from the bell tower, in the royal chapel. Nine times it rang, and both Ikara and Orin looked toward the basement stairs, where they heard footsteps. Sir Gyan emerged from the basement, his face wrinkly in his old age of 60. He massaged his beard with one hand as he eyed Orin and Ikara, a look of anger spreading across his face. Sir Gyan walked to the parchment on the wall, whispered it aloud to himself, and then turned to the class. His face was bright red with anger, and there was a large vein jolting from his forehead.
"Were are my other pupils?" said Sir Gyan, the red vein becoming more apparent, even though he was maintaining a calm voice.
"Haven't seen them, Sir." Orin murmured as his eyes met Sir Gyan's red face.
"Well then, we will start the lesson without them…again…" said Sir Gyan as he walked to the front of the room.
Orin and Ikara both clenched their teeth, feeling that Sir Gyan may start shouting at any moment. He did not though, he just shuffled through some old pieces of parchment and turned to his pupils again. His face was normal now, as he walked toward them.
"Here you are, children, this is your test." he said more calmly then before, "It is scored half on written, and half on physical."
Both Ikara and Orin's eyes grew large. This gave Orin a chance to pass with flying colors and show off his talent in swordplay. They both started right away, trying their best to answer the questions right, or, in Orin's case, answer the closest to right. Ikara finished early, as always, but Orin could tell she was nervous about the physical test because of her hesitation to hand in the written test. Nevertheless, she gave her test to Sir Gyan, who ask her to be seated while Orin finished. Orin took much longer, at least another 25 minutes, to hand in his test, but he finished to the best of his ability, and took his seat after handing in the assignment. Sir Gyan stood up from his desk and faced his pupils.
"Ok children, now we must head outside for the remainder of the test." said Sir Gyan as he proceeded to open the door of the school house and usher them out.
Orin was slightly confused about his teachers definition of "Physical Test." Would he be training as he did normally, or fighting Sir Gyan himself? They walked until they reached the edge of town, where a soldier stopped them. Sir Gyan took out a scroll from under his helm, and handed it to the soldier. The soldier nodded suspiciously at Gyan, but, even so, he let him pass. Gyan turned and stopped the two before they left the city's protective walls.
"Now, both of you, in order to complete the test, must participate in this trial." said Gyan as he looked from one of them to the other.
The children nodded as Gyan spoke.
"You will face one devil each," Gyan said, "and if you display the correct stances and follow simple strategies, you will get the full 50 points for the physical test."
Orin looked at Ikara, who was shaking all over, and seemed to be ready to cry out in fear. Orin was ready, though, considering that he had been training for this type of thing for weeks on end.
"Do you understand?" asked Gyan, who was now facing the vast fields of Arc Valley.
"Yes Sir," yelled Orin obediently.
"Y-y-yes Sir Gyan." said Ikara in almost a whisper.
"Very well then," said Gyan as he proceeded into the field, "follow me."
Both Ikara and Orin where shaking, but for very different reasons. Orin, for his happiness, excitement, and anxiousness, and Ikara from her fear and worry. They both followed him about a half a mile into the field, when he turned to them again.
"They will be upon us soon." he said calmly, as he played with his mustache.
They stood in wait for the devil's arrival, and were both very nervous. Gyan handed Orin a sword, and not a club either. It was a real short sword, and the blade was shining with the radiant light of the sun. It was twice as heavy as his wooden sword, but Orin did not mind the extra weight, for he had been training with both arms for a reason.
Gyan grabbed the wooden sword from Orin's case and turned it to dust with his own hands. Orin was stunned at the old man's strength, but did not say a word. Gyan also gave Ikara her rod, which was also made from wood, but this wood was that of a magical tree. Each splinter contained a bit of magic power, making the weapon able to conjure up spells far more advanced than the measly spells that could be created from human hands.
Armed with strong weapons, Orin felt that he was invincible now, and Ikara's sense of courage and self confidence were boosted as well. They stood longer and waited for the devils' arrival, when finally, they appeared. Things Orin had never imagined, even in his own creative mind, and things Ikara only read about in books. One of the creatures had the appearance of a head, but in the form of a cloud of mist. The other, was small in stature, with a human like body, but with a pig like face and was green in skin color. This devil sheathed its sword, and brandished it in front of Orin. Gyan through an item toward them, freezing them both.
"Ah, good, now that the devils have found us," said Gyan sounding excited, "I will unfreeze them one at a time to fight you. Orin will fight the green devil, also called a Goblin, and Ikara will fight the possessive mist devil, known as a Gizmo."
Orin's eyes lit up. He would have to slay a real live devil, and show himself and others that his training was a success. He looked at the Goblin, fantasizing about slaying the evil beast, and trying to comprehend how wonderful he would feel to be able to do so.
"Orin…..Orin….ORIN!?" Yelled Gyan as his face turned a blood red again, "Are you ready!?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry Sir. Yes, I'm ready for the test." said Orin, snapping out of his battle fantasy.
"Good, then stand here." said Gyan, as he positioned Orin in the position for battle. "Ready??" asked Gyan.
"Yes SIR," exclaimed Orin, as he quickly took a defensive stance, and drew his new sword.
"Good, then lets start." said Gyan. "GO!" he shouted as he drew forth his red axe, and smashed the icy shell around the Goblin.
Gyan jumped backward in front of Ikara, but out of the way of the Orin's battle. The Goblin stood in one place for a while, as if it were still frozen, but realized that it was not, and growled loudly in agitation. Orin gave a menacing smile toward the Goblin and ran at it swiftly, sword in hand, dragging in the wind behind him from his amazing speed.
The Goblin realized that Orin had launch his attack, and began to jump from side to side, preparing to avoid the blow. Orin was too swift for the Goblin though, as he intentionally swerved around the Goblin.
As it jumped into the air to avoid the attack, Orin did a back flip into the air and spun around in mid-jump. The Goblin, surprised at the agility of his opponent, sliced at Orin nervously, but missed as Orin lifted his body, in mid-air, away from the Goblin's blade, and threw down his own blow to the green hands of the devil. It screeched in agony, and dropped its blade. It fell fast to the ground, as did its sword and Orin, who landed perfectly.
The Goblin, clutching its bloody right wrist, growled in frustration, and picked up his damaged sword. Orin jumped high in the air, and flipped over, and flew back down toward the Goblin twice as fast. Blade outstretched downward, toward the goblins head, Orin made slight move to the left in the air, and held his sword out with one hand to his left. The Goblin looked up at Orin, who was now only feet away, and gasped, unfortunately for it, that was its last breath. Orin came down fast and his blade went through so quickly, no blood remained on his sword. The Goblin dropped its blade, and with a burst of flame, turned into ashes. The sword evaporated into thin air, and all was quiet.
Orin had easily defeated the Goblin with two swift blows, and Gyan was very pleased with him. Orin passed with all 50 points, with a 36 on the written. Ikara was happy to see how easy Orin made it seem to be, and was twice as confident in herself now. She walked into position and placed herself in her battle stance, which was defensive, since mages had no need to be aggressive because of their element conjuring spells. Ikara face went almost green with nervousness, but her face was filled with the look of determination. She looked to Gyan and nodded shyly at him. With that, Gyan once again drew his axe from his back strap and, with one blow, destroyed the ice around the mist.
The Gizmo, now furious from being imprisoned within cold, flew toward Ikara, and roared loudly. Ikara, though nervous, managed to call out her incantation, and not soon after, fire surrounded the tip of her wooden rod, which did not burn to ashes. She aimed at the Gizmo, as it crept ever closer, getting faster as it came, and fired the ball of heat at the monster. It was hit almost instantly, and cried out a sinister roar, but continued toward Ikara, without stopping to rest from the blow. Ikara, who was now more nervous then before, clutched her staff tighter, and regained her determination.
She ran toward the Gizmo in an aggressive mode, and while running, yelled a different incantation. This time, the fire that appeared at the top of her rod was brighter, and raging more intensely than before. She got to the Gizmo, and, without stopping, jumped to her right and held out her staff toward the Gizmo, whose high speed prevented it from stopping short. It tried to turn, but could hardly do so, and before he could stop completely, a huge ball of fire hit the Gizmo, knocking it backward. The flame spread to the ground under the cloud and began to burn it, with fire more intense than ever before. It moaned in agony, and was engulfed into the flames. Moments later, it exploded into flame itself, and turned to dust as well. Ikara, now panting from her battle, smiled, and wiped the sweat from her brow.
Orin smiled and clapped at her obvious victory. Gyan was pleased with both of them, and Ikara received a 40 on her physical test, but got a huge 45 on the written. Gyan congratulated them both on the great accomplishment, and told them how proud they had made him. The sun was setting behind them, as they walked back to the kingdom. Orin was so proud of himself, and was glad that all his training paid off so greatly. He couldn't wait to tell his father and mother of his battle, and was no longer tired or sore. He even forgot what the priestess Sarah had said, and had no worries as he walked through the plains of Arc Valley.
Orin opened the door to the school house and walked in. Ikara was still eyeing some torn and broken books on the shelf, but turned to greet Orin as he walked to his desk.
"Oh, you're back….may I ask were you went??" said Ikara as she slid a tattered book back into its space.
"Uh…just went for some air, is all." murmured Orin, who was staring at his feet again.
Ikara looked at him suspiciously, but shrugged off his excuse and walked to her desk as well. They sat for a moment, then the bell rang from the bell tower, in the royal chapel. Nine times it rang, and both Ikara and Orin looked toward the basement stairs, where they heard footsteps. Sir Gyan emerged from the basement, his face wrinkly in his old age of 60. He massaged his beard with one hand as he eyed Orin and Ikara, a look of anger spreading across his face. Sir Gyan walked to the parchment on the wall, whispered it aloud to himself, and then turned to the class. His face was bright red with anger, and there was a large vein jolting from his forehead.
"Were are my other pupils?" said Sir Gyan, the red vein becoming more apparent, even though he was maintaining a calm voice.
"Haven't seen them, Sir." Orin murmured as his eyes met Sir Gyan's red face.
"Well then, we will start the lesson without them…again…" said Sir Gyan as he walked to the front of the room.
Orin and Ikara both clenched their teeth, feeling that Sir Gyan may start shouting at any moment. He did not though, he just shuffled through some old pieces of parchment and turned to his pupils again. His face was normal now, as he walked toward them.
"Here you are, children, this is your test." he said more calmly then before, "It is scored half on written, and half on physical."
Both Ikara and Orin's eyes grew large. This gave Orin a chance to pass with flying colors and show off his talent in swordplay. They both started right away, trying their best to answer the questions right, or, in Orin's case, answer the closest to right. Ikara finished early, as always, but Orin could tell she was nervous about the physical test because of her hesitation to hand in the written test. Nevertheless, she gave her test to Sir Gyan, who ask her to be seated while Orin finished. Orin took much longer, at least another 25 minutes, to hand in his test, but he finished to the best of his ability, and took his seat after handing in the assignment. Sir Gyan stood up from his desk and faced his pupils.
"Ok children, now we must head outside for the remainder of the test." said Sir Gyan as he proceeded to open the door of the school house and usher them out.
Orin was slightly confused about his teachers definition of "Physical Test." Would he be training as he did normally, or fighting Sir Gyan himself? They walked until they reached the edge of town, where a soldier stopped them. Sir Gyan took out a scroll from under his helm, and handed it to the soldier. The soldier nodded suspiciously at Gyan, but, even so, he let him pass. Gyan turned and stopped the two before they left the city's protective walls.
"Now, both of you, in order to complete the test, must participate in this trial." said Gyan as he looked from one of them to the other.
The children nodded as Gyan spoke.
"You will face one devil each," Gyan said, "and if you display the correct stances and follow simple strategies, you will get the full 50 points for the physical test."
Orin looked at Ikara, who was shaking all over, and seemed to be ready to cry out in fear. Orin was ready, though, considering that he had been training for this type of thing for weeks on end.
"Do you understand?" asked Gyan, who was now facing the vast fields of Arc Valley.
"Yes Sir," yelled Orin obediently.
"Y-y-yes Sir Gyan." said Ikara in almost a whisper.
"Very well then," said Gyan as he proceeded into the field, "follow me."
Both Ikara and Orin where shaking, but for very different reasons. Orin, for his happiness, excitement, and anxiousness, and Ikara from her fear and worry. They both followed him about a half a mile into the field, when he turned to them again.
"They will be upon us soon." he said calmly, as he played with his mustache.
They stood in wait for the devil's arrival, and were both very nervous. Gyan handed Orin a sword, and not a club either. It was a real short sword, and the blade was shining with the radiant light of the sun. It was twice as heavy as his wooden sword, but Orin did not mind the extra weight, for he had been training with both arms for a reason.
Gyan grabbed the wooden sword from Orin's case and turned it to dust with his own hands. Orin was stunned at the old man's strength, but did not say a word. Gyan also gave Ikara her rod, which was also made from wood, but this wood was that of a magical tree. Each splinter contained a bit of magic power, making the weapon able to conjure up spells far more advanced than the measly spells that could be created from human hands.
Armed with strong weapons, Orin felt that he was invincible now, and Ikara's sense of courage and self confidence were boosted as well. They stood longer and waited for the devils' arrival, when finally, they appeared. Things Orin had never imagined, even in his own creative mind, and things Ikara only read about in books. One of the creatures had the appearance of a head, but in the form of a cloud of mist. The other, was small in stature, with a human like body, but with a pig like face and was green in skin color. This devil sheathed its sword, and brandished it in front of Orin. Gyan through an item toward them, freezing them both.
"Ah, good, now that the devils have found us," said Gyan sounding excited, "I will unfreeze them one at a time to fight you. Orin will fight the green devil, also called a Goblin, and Ikara will fight the possessive mist devil, known as a Gizmo."
Orin's eyes lit up. He would have to slay a real live devil, and show himself and others that his training was a success. He looked at the Goblin, fantasizing about slaying the evil beast, and trying to comprehend how wonderful he would feel to be able to do so.
"Orin…..Orin….ORIN!?" Yelled Gyan as his face turned a blood red again, "Are you ready!?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry Sir. Yes, I'm ready for the test." said Orin, snapping out of his battle fantasy.
"Good, then stand here." said Gyan, as he positioned Orin in the position for battle. "Ready??" asked Gyan.
"Yes SIR," exclaimed Orin, as he quickly took a defensive stance, and drew his new sword.
"Good, then lets start." said Gyan. "GO!" he shouted as he drew forth his red axe, and smashed the icy shell around the Goblin.
Gyan jumped backward in front of Ikara, but out of the way of the Orin's battle. The Goblin stood in one place for a while, as if it were still frozen, but realized that it was not, and growled loudly in agitation. Orin gave a menacing smile toward the Goblin and ran at it swiftly, sword in hand, dragging in the wind behind him from his amazing speed.
The Goblin realized that Orin had launch his attack, and began to jump from side to side, preparing to avoid the blow. Orin was too swift for the Goblin though, as he intentionally swerved around the Goblin.
As it jumped into the air to avoid the attack, Orin did a back flip into the air and spun around in mid-jump. The Goblin, surprised at the agility of his opponent, sliced at Orin nervously, but missed as Orin lifted his body, in mid-air, away from the Goblin's blade, and threw down his own blow to the green hands of the devil. It screeched in agony, and dropped its blade. It fell fast to the ground, as did its sword and Orin, who landed perfectly.
The Goblin, clutching its bloody right wrist, growled in frustration, and picked up his damaged sword. Orin jumped high in the air, and flipped over, and flew back down toward the Goblin twice as fast. Blade outstretched downward, toward the goblins head, Orin made slight move to the left in the air, and held his sword out with one hand to his left. The Goblin looked up at Orin, who was now only feet away, and gasped, unfortunately for it, that was its last breath. Orin came down fast and his blade went through so quickly, no blood remained on his sword. The Goblin dropped its blade, and with a burst of flame, turned into ashes. The sword evaporated into thin air, and all was quiet.
Orin had easily defeated the Goblin with two swift blows, and Gyan was very pleased with him. Orin passed with all 50 points, with a 36 on the written. Ikara was happy to see how easy Orin made it seem to be, and was twice as confident in herself now. She walked into position and placed herself in her battle stance, which was defensive, since mages had no need to be aggressive because of their element conjuring spells. Ikara face went almost green with nervousness, but her face was filled with the look of determination. She looked to Gyan and nodded shyly at him. With that, Gyan once again drew his axe from his back strap and, with one blow, destroyed the ice around the mist.
The Gizmo, now furious from being imprisoned within cold, flew toward Ikara, and roared loudly. Ikara, though nervous, managed to call out her incantation, and not soon after, fire surrounded the tip of her wooden rod, which did not burn to ashes. She aimed at the Gizmo, as it crept ever closer, getting faster as it came, and fired the ball of heat at the monster. It was hit almost instantly, and cried out a sinister roar, but continued toward Ikara, without stopping to rest from the blow. Ikara, who was now more nervous then before, clutched her staff tighter, and regained her determination.
She ran toward the Gizmo in an aggressive mode, and while running, yelled a different incantation. This time, the fire that appeared at the top of her rod was brighter, and raging more intensely than before. She got to the Gizmo, and, without stopping, jumped to her right and held out her staff toward the Gizmo, whose high speed prevented it from stopping short. It tried to turn, but could hardly do so, and before he could stop completely, a huge ball of fire hit the Gizmo, knocking it backward. The flame spread to the ground under the cloud and began to burn it, with fire more intense than ever before. It moaned in agony, and was engulfed into the flames. Moments later, it exploded into flame itself, and turned to dust as well. Ikara, now panting from her battle, smiled, and wiped the sweat from her brow.
Orin smiled and clapped at her obvious victory. Gyan was pleased with both of them, and Ikara received a 40 on her physical test, but got a huge 45 on the written. Gyan congratulated them both on the great accomplishment, and told them how proud they had made him. The sun was setting behind them, as they walked back to the kingdom. Orin was so proud of himself, and was glad that all his training paid off so greatly. He couldn't wait to tell his father and mother of his battle, and was no longer tired or sore. He even forgot what the priestess Sarah had said, and had no worries as he walked through the plains of Arc Valley.