Chapter 34: Combat Testing (1)

Chapter 34: Combat Testing (1)

Gandash finished his portion of the written test early, and was one of the first to leave the classroom. Xerxes took every last second of the time available. He spent a lot of time adding what if sections to the end of his essay. Like what if the Abhorrent have swords or what if theres a landslide. He hoped the teachers would interpret them as him really thinking about the question.

He still had two important what ifs left in mind when the teacher announced the five-minute countdown. In the end, he barely managed to scrawl a concluding sentence down to tie the whole essay together.

Im screwed, he thought as he trudged downstairs to the dining hall, where they were serving deep-fried kibbeh with a pomegranate sauce and some sort of salad.

Gandash was still working on his lunch, so Xerxes joined him, bringing a plate full of kibbeh but no salad.

That was fun, huh? Gandash said.

Fun? Xerxes said, dunking a kibbeh into the sauce. More like torture.

His friend looked at him with an eyebrow raised. That bad?

Yeah.

What was your essay question? Im curious if everyone got the same topic.

Lead three mages and a bunch of troops against some Abhorrent in a valley. He took a bite of kibbeh.

Same as me! What mage lineup did you pick?

Dunking the kibbeh again, he said, The obvious one. Asgagu, Nasaru, Balatu. Even out of the corner of his eye, Xerxes could see Gandash flinching. He looked up at his friend. What. Thats not right?

Gandash shrugged slightly. I doubt theres any completely right or wrong answer. But at the Seer level, Nasaru mages can only cast a small shield that protects one person. What good is that going to do overall?

Eventually, Xerxes prowled the campus a bit looking for his friends. The entire place seemed eerily quiet. But when he stopped by the library, it was packed. Gandash was there, and Katayoun too. He even spotted Enusat at a table. Apparently, everyone was focused on last-minute studying.

But there wasnt any point in studying now. Feeling like he had nothing better to do, he went to the forest clearing and did a bit of solo longsword practice before settling down at the base of a boulder to do some meditating. Hed never recovered fully from the spellcasting on Mannemid, and wouldnt be able to perform a Flush without maxing out.

That evening, he did some restless rune study, then slept early.

The next day passed similarly.

When Thirdday came, he felt ready. Waking early, he ate a light breakfast and made sure to be the first person to show up at the assembly hall in the very back of the university building complex. It was a large, echoey room that was large enough to easily fit several hundred, with wood floors and a vaulted ceiling.

This phase of the testing was much more in line with Xerxes strengths. The first round involved going through a series of stations where the students would interact with a teacher to display various skills and abilities. Each station was walled off by temporary curtains, giving a small amount of privacy inside.

At the first station was a burly mage Xerxes didnt recognize.

Name and home starisle? the man said.

Xerxes from Mannemid.

Noted. Im going to assess your unarmed striking. Put on these gloves.

After the striking assessment came grappling. Then weapon proficiencies, including obvious options like short sword and shield, spear, and staff. There were a few exotic additions, such as a whip, war flail, and curved daggers similar to the ones Satashusar had used back on Mannemid. No longsword, which caused Xerxes to frown in disappointment.

After that, the group was led out to one of the back fields, where they were put into groups of four to display horsemanship. That included both solo horseback riding, and charioteering.

There was a short lunch, and then they met again near the main assembly hall. Once they were all gathered, a teacher led them around a corner and down a hall, then had them line up against the wall.