Chapter 169: The One In A Million

Vayu Glaz sat with his eyes closed on the tower’s balcony, he saw the students battling in the grove below through the eyes of his hawk.

Tauri balanced her sword between her index finger to pass the time. Gete slept on the balcony’s floor. Loh watched them all restlessly.

“So, how are they holding up against the undead soldiers? Have they defeated the second wave?” Loh asked.

“Please,” Gete chuckled. “I’ll give them credit for defeating the first wave of my undead creations. But they would be quickly overwhelmed if they kept fighting. At best I’d say the students started running away the moment they got the chance, as they are supposed to.”

“An important lesson of the exam is to know when to retreat and focus on the objective, in this case delivering the wagon and its occupants to the tower,” Tauri Katag nodded.

Vayu shook his head a bit, “You may be right, however, the students have no need to retreat. While half the students have already been defeated or surrendered, the rest have managed to hold their own, especially the seven tourney candidates.”

“They defeated the second wave?” Gete sat up.

“They defeated all four waves,” Vayu admitted.

“Wha?” Gete’s jaw went slack.

“That’s my boy,” Loh smiled with pride.

“I guess your undead weren’t all they were worked up to be, ey, Gete?” Tauri laughed.

Gete laid down without a word and turned his back to his peers.

“Ah, come on, don’t be all sour now. Maybe next time,” Tauri kicked his leg playfully.

“I wouldn’t be celebrating just yet. The trolls are entering the fray,” Vayu said.

“I’m sort of regretting reanimating those two brutes,” Loh sighed.

Tauri slapped her back, “It’s fine. Think of it this way, the exam will be a success; they will learn the importance and necessity of retreating.”

~~~

Clypeus Gale wiped his blades on the grass. “Who knew undead could have so much blood?”

“Most undead don’t, no matter how much care the necromancers give to preserve them. These undead were made recently,” Stryg noted as he stared at the carnage around the wagon.

“Where did they get the bodies?” Kithina asked from the driver’s seat.

“Are you really that slow? What do you think happens with all the people the city’s sentinels catch at night without their nameplates?” Freya Goldelm shook her head.

Kithina’s face twisted in anger before it quickly turned to abject horror at the realization.

“We should get moving, I have a guy without an arm back here. I healed his mangled stump and managed to stop the bleeding, but he needs a proper healer,” Callum Veres called out.

“I second that, our classmate doesn’t look too good,” Nora Azol nodded.

Both Callum and Nora sat at the back of the wagon, guarding the rear.

“They’re right, we need to get moving,” Clypeus said.

“On it,” Kithina grabbed the wagon’s reins.

The harnessed centaurs moved without a word. The few remaining students hurried close to the wagon, never taking their eyes off the last of the vanguard, Stryg, Clypeus, and Freya.

“Well done back there,” Clypeus nudged Stryg’s shoulder.

“Thanks.” The blue goblin glanced at the blonde dwarf marching ahead of them, “You were pretty good too, Freya.”

“I don’t need your compliments,” she said without looking back.

Stryg narrowed his eyes and raised his spear.

“Hey, we can’t fight each other,” Clypeus stepped in front of him.

“Move out of the way, Cly. Something is hiding in the trees,” Stryg muttered.

“What?” The vampire frowned.

“Kegrog, eyes over here,” Stryg pointed.

The large orc aimed his bow at the trees from his vantage point atop the wagon, “I don’t see anything.”

Stryg’s ear twitched, “Freya, move now!”

Freya glanced back at him. The trees exploded in a blast of splinters and leaves, a trunk burst through the grove straight at Freya. She raised her shield, her body was blasted away on impact.

Two 15 ft tall giants, covered in pale white fur and scars, strode into the grassy opening. Both beasts held tree trunks between their stubby hands. Their beady red eyes slowly focused on the wagon’s centaurs. The undead giants made a guttural noise and lumbered towards the beast-kin.

“Trolls!” Clypeus shouted.

The other students screamed in panic and ran away. Stryg did not hesitate, he raised his hands, orange mana surging through his palms, and casted a flame bolt. The flames splashed on the troll's face and sizzled away.

“Trolls are incredibly resistant to fire!” Clypeus warned.

“Why didn’t you say that sooner!?” Stryg yelled.

The troll slammed its make-shift giant club at Clypeus. He rolled to the side, avoiding the strike, and dashed forward. Bright yellow scales surrounded the vampire’s body. Clypeus slashed at the troll’s ankle, his blade barely dug into the tough hide. The troll’s ankle shifted and kicked him. Clypeus’ yellow scales cracked, his body flew through the air and crashed past the wagon.

“...Help...” he groaned.

Kegrog pulled his bow back, a brown vigor spell coursing through his arms, and let loose an arrow. The wind screeched as the arrow tore through the air and pierced the troll’s throat. The creature did not flinch and kept moving forward.

“They are undead, that arrow won’t do anything if you can’t sever its head!” Kithina yelled.

“Then what the hell am I supposed to do!?” Kegrog fired another arrow.

“We need to run!” Kithina shouted.

“No, we can do this!” Stryg charged the trolls.

The small goblin ducked underneath the troll’s swing. He casted an agility spell into his legs, sprinted at one of the trolls, and jumped up on its shoulder. The troll’s head turned towards him with a large salivating open jaw. Stryg released the agility spell and flung a flame bolt into the troll’s throat. The grey giant slapped the goblin away.

Stryg’s body smashed into the ground, he tried tucking into a roll, but failed.

“Are you okay!?” Clypeus yelled.

“I’m fine… just got… wind knocked out of me,” Stryg wheezed.

“Your flames would have worked on a living troll, but burnt insides don’t do much against an undead giant,” Clypeus said.

“Of course not,” Stryg sighed painfully.

~~~

Callum jumped out from the back of the wagon, “Nora, take care of the volunteers.”

“Understood,” Nora nodded earnestly.

Callum ran towards the front where Stryg and Clypeus fought.

Nora turned to the hooded volunteers sitting quietly in the wagon.

“Professor Ismene, you’re in here, aren’t you?” She whispered.

“Perhaps,” Ismene lowered her hood.

“I knew it was you the moment I saw that lightning bolt. You saved our classmate,” Nora pointed to the unconscious boy next to her.

“I did,” Ismene said calmly.

“You’re here to keep us safe, right? We were told we’d encounter the equivalents of bandits during this exam. So why in all the bloody Realms are we fighting trolls!?”

“I do not know. I did not create this exam, blame Riri for that.”

“Who?”

“The principal.”

“Huh? You know what, whatever,” Nora shook her head. “You have to stop this before someone else gets seriously hurt.”

Ismene lifted her hood back up, “My job is to make sure the students do not die, nothing more. What happens to the other volunteers or the centaurs is completely up to you.”

“People might die if you don’t do anything!”

“You will find no help from me, child.”

“You’re unbelievable,” Nora frowned.

“Am I? For choosing to believe in you?”

“That’s…”

“Nora, I singled you out and trained you for the past two years because I knew something about you that you don’t seem to realize. Don’t make me regret my decision.”

“Master…” Nora swallowed.

“Best to focus on your exam.”

~~~

Callum stuck his hand out and fired off a bright spell. The blast of light seared across the trolls, burning their fur. The trolls stepped back and covered their faces.

Clypeus fell to the ground in pain, the flash of light burning his retinas.

“I knew it! Trolls are more sensitive to light than even vampires!” Callum yelled in triumph.

“Dammit, Callum, I can’t see shit! Stop doing that without warning us!” Clypeus swiped his blade around haphazardly.

“Agreed,” Stryg blinked, his lilac irises widened to the edges of his eyes.

“Cly, watch out!” Kithina yelled.

A troll swung down with their club.

“Not today!” Callum blasted the troll with another white flash of light.

The troll stumbled back.

“Agh, fuck, it hurts!” Clypeus rolled on the ground.

“Oh, uh, sorry,” Callum winced.

An arrow stabbed the eye of the other troll. It shook with irritation.

“The trolls are moving slower, I have a better shot. The bright spells are working!” Kegrog shouted.

The trolls charged the wagon.

Callum jumped between them, “I’ve got this!”

The vampire hybrid threw his hands up, nothing happened. There was no white mana in his heart.

The healing spell from earlier, Callum’s eyes widened in horror.

“I have no mana left!” Callum jumped away.

The troll’s club glanced his shoulder and sent him crashing into the ground. Callum’s body rolled on the floor like a ragdoll. The other troll stomped its foot down at the vampire hybrid. Kithina blasted Callum away with a gust of wind, pushing the vampire out of harm's way.

Stryg vaulted onto the back of the troll and dug his claws into its fur and hide. The troll tried grabbing the goblin, but he ducked around its hands. Grey mana flowed into Stryg’s blue arms.

The troll may not have had any life force, but the undead creature was charged with black mana. Stryg casted a drain spell aimed at the troll’s mana, it slowly leaked away from the giant. Stryg’s arms burned, there was too much black mana. He couldn’t drain and absorb it all at once. The troll’s hand caught his shirt and flung him away.

Stryg smashed into a tree and fell over with a groan. He watched in a daze as the trolls went for the terrified centaurs. Kithina blasted the undead giants with wind spells, but they did not budge.

A troll swung his club low right at the centaurs. Kithina jumped in front of the beast-kin. Yellow scales flared to life on her skin. The club smacked right into the dwarf’s small body.

“Fuuuuuck!” Kithina screamed as her body went flying past the canopy.

“Oi! You fugly giant imbeciles!” Clypeus yelled.

The trolls slowly turned to the vampire lying on the ground.

He slowly stood up through ragged breaths. One hand nursed his ribs, the other pointed a blade at the trolls with a shaky grip. “Keep your eyes over here, you ugly bastards.”

The trolls raised their massive clubs.

Clypeus took a stance, “I am the Shield of Veres. Be it monster or man, here I stand proud and I shall not falter!”

He spun low, dodging the clubs. He kicked off the ground, green mana flowed through him. A troll charged him. Vines curled out of the ground and grabbed its ankle, the flora spell taking hold. The troll groaned in frustration.

Clypeus shouted in defiance and sliced at its calves, while shifting away from the troll’s grasps.

The second troll did not hesitate, it raised its club, prepared to crush both the vampire and its fellow undead’s foot. Clypeus’ eyes widened, he threw himself to the side as the club slammed down. The troll’s entangled leg was barely damaged, but the vines had been ripped to shreds.

Both trolls turned their beady eyes at the downed vampire.

A water whip lashed at a troll’s back, it turned around. Nora stood in front of the giant.

“Nora, get out of here! What are you thinking!? Your water barrel is back at the wagon, you can’t cast torrent spells from here! Run!” Clypeus screamed.

“No one else. I won’t let you hurt a single person,” Nora glared at the trolls.

Four water whips formed in the air around the small human.

“She created water?” Clypeus muttered in shock.

The giants swung their clubs at her. Nora flicked her hands, the water whips blurred. They latched onto the giants’ hands and yanked them away. The trolls stumbled backwards. Nora raised her hands, blue mana condensed into thousands droplets of water around her. A towering wave roared into existence and swept the trolls into the trees.

Clypeus stared at Nora with wide eyes. “How did you…?”

“Kegrog, back me up!” Nora yelled and ran past the stunned vampire.

“On it!” Kegrog pulled out another arrow.

Clypeus shook his head, pushed himself to his feet, and ran after his fiancé.

Ismene smiled from the wagon, Nora, you always underestimate yourself, limiting your own abilities. But when you fight for others, your true potential reveals itself.

Stryg stared at his friends as they battled the undead giants. Nora’s blue magic was overwhelming, her torrent spells kept knocking the trolls down. They undead giants couldn’t stop her. Yet Stryg realized the bitter truth. The torrent spells were doing very little in terms of damage.

Soon Nora would run out of blue mana. Clypeus was a master swordsman but his blades could not cut deep enough. Kegrog’s arrows did little to no effect either.

The only thing that seemed to damage the trolls was...

“Bright spells,” Stryg muttered.

He pushed himself to his feet and ran. He had never seen a troll before, nor did he know what it was capable of. None of that mattered right now. Stryg ran at the fallen tree in the distance, where an enchanted shield was all that kept Freya from being crushed underneath the trunk’s weight.

Stryg threw his spear aside and slid next to the pinned Freya, “Are you alive?”

“I can’t move,” she gritted her teeth.

“Good, you’re conscious. That shield really is impressive,” he nodded.

“...I can’t reach my necklace. Twist the gem until it turns red, then leave me, please.”

“You’ll be disqualified,” he frowned.

Freya gasped as the tree’s weight pushed her deeper into the ground.

“I can’t do anything like this. At least the trolls won’t focus me if my necklace is red,” she grimaced.

Stryg glanced at his classmates fighting off the trolls in the distance. “We need your help. You’re the only mage left capable of casting bright spells.”

“Weren’t you listening? I can’t move, you stupid goblin,” Freya winced in pain.

“I don’t like you either, Gold-Eyes, but we still need your help. Hold on.”

Stryg slipped his fingers between her shield and the tree. He groaned with strained effort as he tried lifting up. His claws dug into the bark, yet the trunk barely moved an inch. Stryg wheezed and slowly dropped the trunk back down, the edge of the shield sank deeper into the ground.

His feet collapsed underneath him. “It’s heavy,” he huffed.

“No shit,” she grumbled. “Help me with my necklace already.”

He wiped his face with his forearm, “Not a chance,”

He reached his hands under the trunk once more.

She frowned, “What are you doing? The trunk’s too heavy, you’ll break your back. Stop it, you stupid goblin! Are you crazy?!”

People usually didn’t believe in him, ever since he was a child back in the Blood Fang tribe. He was used to it. But there was one who believed in him when no one else did, his master. And for Loh he wouldn’t give up, for her he would pass any test, no matter the odds. Stryg swore he would one day be worthy of the words she often said to him.

The goblin looked down at Freya with a wide grin, “I’m not crazy, I’m the one in a million.”

Stryg gritted his teeth, his muscles tensed, and his legs dug into the ground. He lifted with all the strength his body could summon. The tree creaked and slowly rose an inch, then another.

Stryg grimaced, his fingers trembled, sweat dripped off his brow, the trunk slowly sank back down.

“You need to let go!” Freya yelled.

“Not...yet,” Stryg seethed through clenched teeth.

The trunk hovered two inches above the shield, Stryg’s shoulders trembled. He wouldn’t let go, not yet. All he needed was a little more strength, only a little more.

The air vibrated, the grass blades bent flat, Freya’s golden hair curled into the air. An inner light leaked from his lilac eyes.

Stryg roared in unyielding determination. The bark cracked between his fingers. He lifted the trunk in one smooth motion and threw it aside. The trunk flew a dozen feet away, bounced on the grass, and rolled into another tree.

Stryg fell to his knees, he felt cold as if all the blood had drained from his body.

Freya stared at him in disbelief. “W-wha… What was that?”

Stryg stared at her, only the faintest of glows left in his eyes, “We need your help.”

Freya glanced at the tree. She swallowed, “Do you?”