“The next phase will be behind closed doors,” the teacher explained. “It will involve a combat scenario with spellcasting. Any components used will be replaced. And don’t worry, the school will also provide Concentrated Melam Pills to make up for lost energy.”

There were four Seers before Xerxes. As he waited, he tried to time how long it took between each session, and came to the conclusion that each mage was assessed for only about four or five minutes. In the case of the second person in line, it seemed they were only inside for a minute.

He wasn’t sure what it meant.

When it was his turn, he entered what seemed to be little more than a large rectangular room with stone floor, walls, and ceiling. At the end was a raised section with a table, behind which sat three teachers. One of them was Archon Shabadras, and another he recognized from lectures as Archon Pag. The third, he didn’t know.

“Seer Xerxes,” said Archon Pag, “from Mannemid. Welcome.”

“Good to be here.”

“The test is simple. Archon Shabadras will summon two Abhorrent spawn. The first one, you will fight using a mundane weapon of your choice. The second one you’ll fight using your magic. It’s my understanding you study the Epitome, is that right?”

Xerxes still wasn’t sure what the Epitome meant, but he knew it had to do with longswords.

“That’s right,” he said.

“There’s a longsword on the weapon rack behind you. Feel free to use it, or any of the other weapons. In terms of spell components, do you have your pouch with you?”

He nodded. “Always.”

“Good. In that case, use your own spell components, and you’ll be compensated afterward. Remember, part of the test is spellcasting. Even if you feel you can dispatch the second Abhorrent without using magic, we still want to see what you’re capable of.”

“Understood, Archon.”

“Take your weapon. The test will begin as soon as you’re armed. It’s impossible to accurately identify the spawn to be summoned, so be prepared for the unexpected. We’ll step in if necessary, and any injuries you sustain will be healed as soon as the assessment is over.”

“Yes, sir.”

Xerxes backed up and took the longsword from the weapon rack. As soon as his hand closed around the hilt, he felt a mixture of nostalgia and envy. The weapon was obviously superior to his own. Similar to the one he’d come across in the small shop in Kisiga back home, it didn’t look particularly special. But the balance was perfect, and he could tell that the craftsmanship was superb.

He swung the sword, stepped into the center, and loosened his component pouch’s drawstring.

At the table, Shabadras, looking bored, took a glass vial out of a box, popped the cork, and dumped a sludge into his palm. A disgusting aroma filled the chamber as he then went on to cast the spell.

Twin portals of darkness opened, with Xerxes standing in front of them waiting to see what would pop out.

Expect the unexpected, huh? he thought, keeping his sword in the Skyward position. Considering I’ve only ever seen two types of Abhorrent spawn, that seems like the obvious thing to do. What are the chances that—

Even as the thought ran through his head, he saw spindly white legs reaching out from each of the portals, along with that distinctive, noxious aroma that he’d encountered on multiple occasions back home.

You’ve got to be kidding me….

No, it was no joke. Out of the two portals crawled two spider-like abhorrent with reddish head appendages that resembled faces.

As soon as the two creatures were out in the open, the one on the right started crawling toward him.

He danced forward and skewered it at an angle he knew would make it easy to finish the thing off with one more action. He pulled his sword out with a twist, causing black blood and whitish fluid to splatter everywhere as the monster collapsed.

He jumped back, placed the sword on the ground behind him, then pulled out a handful of crabnickel powder.

The teachers seemed shocked that he’d already taken out the first Abhorrent, and the second was currently standing there motionless. Apparently, Archon Shabadras hadn’t yet given it a command to do anything.

Xerxes traced the Asgagu Isten rune, and the melam flowed, causing his fist to burn brightly a moment before the second Abhorrent started moving.

It stepped toward him, but he was already in motion. Wanting to prevent it from grabbing him with its legs, he took two leaping steps to the left, then planted his foot on the wall and jumped into the air. It wasn’t the most beautiful jumping attack ever seen in combat. But it did the job. His fist slammed into the creature’s back, and he tried to keep his nose pinched shut to keep out the fetid fumes that erupted up.

The thing stumbled away, but he didn’t let it get far. He grabbed one of the slimy legs and used it as leverage to keep his burning hand continuing through the thing’s innards. It hissed, but he ignored it and shoved his hand further inside.

It tried to grab him, but its legs didn’t bend in the right way to make it happen easily. It only took a second or two of him digging through its innards before it collapsed into death.

He flicked his arm, which freed it of a bit of the gore, but not much.

He stepped away from the two corpses, put his hands behind his back, and looked at the teachers.

They were all staring at him with open expressions of shock. One of them, the Archon Shabadras who’d summoned the Abhorrent, even had his mouth open.

Xerxes took in a breath and exhaled slowly.

Shabadras’ spell ended, and the Abhorrent faded from existence, including the spilled blood and mangled bits of flesh.

Finally, the teacher in charge cleared his throat softly.

“Well done, Seer Xerxes.” He shuffled some of the papers in front of him, picked one in particular, and looked at it closely. “This isn’t the interview portion of the assessment, so we don’t have your full file here. But… my guess is that you’ve fought more than one or two Abhorrent in the past.”

“That’s right,” Xerxes answered. “The first was a juvenile. That fight ended… poorly. The second I killed single-handedly.”

“That’s nothing short of astounding,” Archon Shabadras said. “But what do you mean when you say the first fight ended poorly?”

Xerxes’ jaw tightened. “One of my friends didn’t make it out alive. A Balatu Seer named Bel.”

Archon Shabadras’ expression softened. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Now I remember,” Archon Pag said. “You came here in the group with Seer Gandash. Very interesting.”

The three teachers exchanged a glance.

“Well, the assessment is over, Seer Xerxes,” Archon Pag continued. “The back door leads to a washroom where you can clean yourself up. Your interview is scheduled for Fourthday after the lunch hour. We’ll see you then.”