Shaya felt an overriding desire to save the crying girl before her, wanting to force her way through the collapsing building if she had to. But the narrow tunnel trapped her broad shoulders and the weight of the building pressed down on her already. The tunnel only grew narrower is it went on, too big for any adult to get through. Crawling any further was pointless, despite what her emotions wanted her to do.

“I’ll be back,” she promised, pushing herself back out of the tunnel.

“No!” The girl screamed, “Don’t leave me!”

With a deep breath, Shaya inched her way back out of the collapsing building and into the smoke-hazed light of day. “Are there any other ways into the building?”

The other students shook their heads, then Azreon’s healer spoke: “We already tried when we, uh, didn’t want to... uh, waste time and resources clearing the rubble.”

“Uh huh,” Shaya sighed, turning to Una for a second opinion.

“I did a quick look, Daul is probably right.” Una dropped to her knees to look down the tunnel. “Maybe I can fit? I’m not nearly as fat as you.”

“I’m afraid even your skinny, childish frame won’t cut the mustard this time,” Shaya countered, surprised at her own levity given the urgent desire she felt for saving the child a few seconds ago.

Una glared at her.

“You started it.” Shaya stood, dusting herself off and looking around for a solution.

She found it.

Her teeth ground together and her eyes narrowed.

“Ren!” She barked, “Get over here!”

The fox-eared man flinched from a block away. He left his latest victim with a gentle caress to the succubus’ cheek, Shaya unable to see any meaningful injuries on the demon. He jogged over to Shaya and winced at Shaya and Una’s glowers.

“There’s a girl trapped under the rubble, down a narrow tunnel – think you can pull her out in your fox form?”

His tail perked up, “Definitely.”

“Then do it, we’ll handle it from there.”

His ears dropped, “Okay.”

Less than a minute later, a white fox emerged from the tunnel, tugging the girl out by her filthy tunic. One of her arms was missing and Shaya reeled from the sight despite her training.

She’s not actually a little girl Shaya, that’s just a shapeshifting demon... and one that probably manipulated you into getting yourself killed a minute ago.

“I’m not sure what we can do for her,” Una admitted, looking at the garish wound, “that’s a huge opening, our normal healing magic might not cut it.”

“I can do it,” Daul said, stepping forward as his eyes took on a red glow, “It’s not going to be pretty though.”

Ren shifted back to his human form and whipped his belt off, “Do it, I’ll worry about the bedside manners.”

He placed the leather belt in the girl’s mouth, telling her to bite down on it while Daul kneeled next to her bloody stump, hands glowing with white heat.

Shaya didn’t stay to watch the cauterization, knowing from field experience how awful the smell was - and how much the recipient screamed. Una followed her to a large building where people screamed from the upper floor, the ground level set ablaze with unnatural blue fire.

“Yeah... they seem like a write off,” Una said, “We can score easier points at other buildings.”

“It’s fine, I’ve got this one,” Shaya said, casting a shroud about her to protect against Ruby magic.

With a running start, she took three steps up a neighbouring building, then kicked off the wall with her enhanced strength. Tucking her limbs into her body, she soared into a window on the second story, rolled with her momentum, and stood to find a room full of a dozen demons. Only a few of them appeared to have any injuries, but all of them rushed her with praise and thanks.

“My heroine,” an incubus purred as he pressed up against her, completely uninjured, “I need sooo much healing that only you can provide.”

Gods damnit Rea!

She threw the incubus out the window, but only after conjuring a shroud to protect him from the flames. Una caught him and the other demons Shaya chucked out the window after him. Sweat beaded her forehead from the repeated castings to shroud each of them and stabilize more than a few of them, but eventually all but one of the demons were defenestrated to safety.

Shaya kneeled next to the last one and suppressed a wince at the blood oozing from the hideous burns across their body. The demon hacked up a glob of blood and Shaya knew there was no saving them.

“Please...” it rasped.

Another urge to save the demon hit her, but Shaya was prepared for it this time. She let the desire wash over her, then let it go like so many other unwanted thoughts.

“I’m sorry,” Shaya said to the demon, “but there’s no saving you. I’ll make sure your body gets back to your family for a burial, at least.”

Stone cracked as the magical fire consumed the building, part of the roof collapsing. Shaya picked up the dying demon in her arms and leapt down from the opening. She landed before Una and a crowd of students, the cobblestones cracking beneath her.

Shaya cocked an eyebrow at Una, who shrugged. “They’re smart enough to want good grades, that means following you.”

“Works for me.” Shaya set down the limp demon and closed their eye-lids. She stood and looked at the handful of students around her. “Listen up! If you want to do well, we need to work together! That means doing what you’re told, but it also means letting me know if there’s an aspect of the exam you feel you haven’t proven to our lovely teaching assistants! If you’re okay with that, stick around; if you’re not, get out of our way!”

“How do you expect us to take orders from a barbarian?” Daul challenged, then pointed at Ren, “Or someone who is willing to work with scum like that?”

“You have to set aside your distaste for Ren, his abilities are too useful not to leverage,” Shaya retorted, voice cool, “As for me, my planning skills and strength enhancement saved your ass before and just saved a victim you would’ve failed to. Now stop wasting my time, we have lives to save.”

None of the students left. Not even Azreon’s lackey.

Shaya nodded, looking at her crew and barked orders to each of them.

They got to work.

Una made sure no one wasted time on vocal victims that dramatized their injuries and identified the most injured victims to take to Yllaneth’s camp. Ren scouted buildings in his fox form, identifying the best way to reach each victim. Daul grumbled about taking orders from a barbarian, but fell into line as the worst injuries came to him for cauterization. Shaya made sure he didn’t waste his energy on other spells, unless needed for the exam, since she knew how draining Ruby aether was from her time with Bri and Rea.

It didn’t take long for everyone to fall into line as Shaya proved true to her word. People approached her, outlined what spells they needed to use for their grades, and she made sure to give them a chance. That didn’t mean letting victims suffer, however. A student was given one chance to heal the wounded or shift rubble, but Shaya or Una intervened if things threatened to go awry.

“Clear,” Ren yipped in his fox form, his white fur coated in dirt and soot from an hour of rescuing people.

Shaya grunted in acknowledgement and used a sledgehammer she had shaped from a wooden joist to demolish the building, ensuring it didn’t collapse on any passersby. All her time talking up Oraeus on his favourite topic – architecture – had proven more useful than she had imagined.

“Hey,” the fox said, padding alongside her as they moved to the next building, “Can we talk?”

“You know, I think I was coming to respect you before you screwed things up.”

“I know,” the fox whined, ears drooping, “I’m going to own my mistakes, ask for forgiveness. I’ll make things right.”

“And just how many lovers do you need to apologize to?”

“There’s a whole lot of people I owe apologies to, including you. I... I didn't think what I was doing would have consequences, the Academy kinda moonlights as a breeding ground for more nephilim to fill the orphanages... but I knew what I was doing was wrong.”

“Why are you telling me this, Ren?”

There was a long pause before the fox continued. “Because... I care about what you think, Shaya. You’re not just a stick in the mud, you really do want to make a difference. And not just for your self-aggrandizement. You deserve better.”

“If you care about what I think,” Shaya frowned down at her companion, “then why are you still lying to me?”

“What do you mean? I’m not!”

“I know you got caught on purpose, Ren,” Shaya snapped, “I’ve seen you actually care for lovers, like Yllaneth, and I know you’re not the idiot you pretend to be. Now scout out the next victim and don’t talk to me again until you’re willing to come clean.”

The exam finished without them exchanging another word.

+++++

The Forge’s heat haze was a welcome sight that evening, the normally unbearable warmth even refreshing given the cooling temperatures. Auric was surprised to see her when she strolled through the entrance and he frowned down at her as she approached, a longbox slung over her shoulder.

“Students aren’t allowed to work during the exam period,” he rumbled, crossing his huge arms before him, “especially not those who are still recovering from multiple fractures.”

“Bari gave me a clean bill of-” Shaya stopped and held up her hands in surrender at his glare, “Okay, I’ll cut the flippancy. I’d like access to the handle workshop; I acquired a new blade, but it’s not indexed for someone my size. I’d appreciate it the favour if you let me swap the grip tonight.”

“Oh?” His arms unfolded as his curiosity was piqued. ”Can I see this new blade?”

“You know, I think you caved a little too easily, boss.”

“Shush, show me the new sword.”

With a put-upon sigh, Shaya unslung the box and opened the latch to reveal the mithrite blade. Auric whistled at its debut, but he quirked a rusty-red eyebrow at her.

“And just how did you come into possession of a sword of such fine make?”