Dreadlords When They Come For You

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Lux Quillon

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Tests.

While one class readies themselves to graduate and, hopefully, continue to serve Vel Anir, the class Lux Quillon was part of was to undergo a series of tests to train and decipher where their weaknesses may be. Despite how many capable mages were among his class, there were still many that should not have survived this long if the Revolution had not happened when they were young and beginning to learn kill shots. They had asked that Dreadlord, Ophir and his geomancy, back for this test, but he seemed to be heading another group, one that included Larrainth and D'Amour. Should he feel slighted that he wasn't considered to be part of a group they were in? That he was not on the same level as the best in their class?

With a shallow sigh, Lux leaned heavily against the trunk of a tree.

They had all been dragged out to the forest surrounding the read of the Academy, towards the old training courses. Some of those courses were ruins, but two challenging areas had been restored to near perfection thanks to Zephyrine Caddel, a member of the graduating class. Ophir had lead one group towards the other course, while Lux and the runts were left with a course that was infused with many, many traps and magical illusions. He lifted a pale brow when he saw the first Initiate take a crack at the course.

First, they had to navigate crossing from this side of the cliff to the other, a clearance that was a clean fifteen metres to travel. The drop would be near fatal, if you aimed to fall into the low river coursing below. The only thing to assist one across was the stepping stones held up with by a bridge bad from string.

Secondly, Initiates were expected to activate and navigate through a stone maze, where walls fell and changed the winning routes every minute. It was to test the reflexes and endurance of an Initiate. To run on instinct may work for some, but it was also a poor choice when the magic infused in this sector was calculated.

Thirdly, they were expected to cross a trapped courtyard. The cost of entry and activation of this course was to give up your magic. At the beginning of the third task was a sundial, where an Initiate was expected to pierce their hand and let their blood flow and fill the clockface etched in the marble. From one's blood, magic was siphoned, and would leave the Initiate without magic for a few hours. This task was to test the strengths of each Initiate, and more. The proctor heading their group instructed them to make it to the third task in order to hear the rest of the objectives.

Lux, not one for small talk or creating alliances, stepped up to the beginning of the first task. Magic would not help him here, but he was built to be unbreakable, unbeatable in the training pits.

"One at a time, unless you wish to fall to your deaths." Were the leaving intructions of the Proctor, moving to go down a path that would take them to the last task.
 
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Every part of their training was a test so Adda failed to see why they bothered calling days like today tests. It was just a slight change to their training, but she would do her best to make sure none of her classmates died today. She had her field med kit on as usual. It was practically a part of her being. More so than her lighting magic in some ways.

Still this first task, which seemed simple on the surface, seemed like a doozy. And one of her classmates was already stepping up to take it on.

"Perhaps the lightest ones should go first. Or the heaviest." She said, oud enough for the whole group to hear her. She failed to see how acting as individuals instead of as a team would help any of them succeed.
 
Amalthea had been sitting in the dirt, legs crossed and really not paying attention. She had found some roly poly bugs and had been playing with them instead of trying to cross the bridge. She wasn't worried about cosssing the bridge, and she wasn't worried about falling into the chasm below. All she cared about was playing with the little bugs that rolled between her hands.

She looked up blinking slowly as Adda spoke up. She wished now that she had wings like butterflies, they would carry her way up into the sun. He gold eyes traveled upwards staring into the golden globe that hung in the sky, her white bangs falling into her face.

"Oh. We're meant to do something?" She turned her head back down to the ground, and then up to watch the back of Lux as they prepared to start the course. "Oh, silly me. I forgot." She stood awkwardly, dirt and grass clinging to her pants.

Lux Quillon Adda Asphand
 
Lux let out a quiet sigh of resignation, slowly rounding on the girl that suggested something. At his supposed hesitance, half their group had pushed before him and took the slackened bridge. With too many before him now, he clenched his jaw and crossed his arms.

When it grew to just the three of them remaining, Lux pointedly gestured to the stone and rope bridge.


"By all means, the smallest can go first."

He had not wanted to be here and watch them fail. Or do the task badly. Whichever option was excruciating...he could have been working his way through the second task right now, but now he had to play polite... in his own way.

"You're up, sunshine." Lux looked to Adda, not remembering her name. Not that he was bad at names, but because he saw no use in remembering the names of someone that could still die before they graduated.

Adda Asphand
Amalthea Marsh
 
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Her plan was already hitting snags because the rest of her classmates had left already. Her plan had been to alternate between lightest and heaviest. The lightest would go first and mark any stones that were too dangerous to use. Then a couple of their bigger classmates. And of course rope would be used to reienforce the bridge. Surely she wasnt the only one that carried some rope with her? Maybe she was.

If that was the case then her rope would be used to create something to grab should the bridge fail. Then another light student would go and check again. By doing this it made crossing safer for them all. Perhaps it would take longer but more of them would graduate and they would be able to work together more easily. Perhaps she was overthinking again.

But there were still a few of them left and it could still work. If she could just explain. Adda was surprised when Lux stopped and spoke. The initiate looked around and her cheeks colored.

She was the smallest left. Lux towered above her and so did the other girl. Still blushing she pulled out her rope and picked up a rock from the ground.

"Adda. It's Adda. You're....Lux right? And..." she looked at Amalthea. " You're Amalthea, right?" She said. Adda walked to the edge on their side.

"I'll mark which stones are safe and if the rope eachs I'll tie it off to make something to grab if you fall. If we work together we'll stand a better chance to graduate together," she managed to say.


She found a spot to tie one of the rope to and checked that it was secure. The crevice was so deep.... It made her nervous, but she didnt want to let that stop her. So she started across. The stones did dip a little, but that was fine. They were steady. Then she hit the first that was about to fall. It moved violently and she marked it with an X and moved on. She did that the whole way across. Unfortunately her rope did not reach the other side but it did reach the second nearest stone. She secured her rope and got to the other side.

On the other side of the floating stone bridge she stood and faced her remaining fellow students.

"Come on! Don't step on the ones with an X!" She called across. And she stayed put, waiting for them.
 
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Many students had already crossed, but the pale girl was in no hurry to join them. She had gotten distracted again, a caterpillar had crawled across her too big boots and she had stooped to watch it wiggle. "Hello little 'pillar, you are fuzzy fuzzy and soft. You want to be a butterfly too!" There was a childish awe in her voice as the caterpillar found its way to her other boot.

She hadn't heard the exchange between Lux and Adda, but when her name was mention, she raised her eyes dreamily to locate the source. Her eyes meandered as he mouth slackened in an "O" shape. She pointed at her chest with a slow but happy smile. "I'm Thea!" She waved at the other girl before her eyes sidled over to find Lux.

As Adda made her attempt across, Amalthea slowly stepped up to stand beside Lux. Her golden eyes seemed blank as she grabbed his wrist with her hand. "Friend will help Thea across?"

Lux Quillon Adda Asphand
 
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Now it felt like an insult he was left to this group and not with the elite students in their class.

Lux set his jaw, slowly exhaling a frustrated sigh through his nose as he glanced between the two girls. Between the girl scout and the fucker holding him by the wrist, he could feel the need to shirk them and do this all himself, but the other girl had gone ahead and did the friendly, team building thing and assisted him and the one that called herself Thea.

"I think this was supposed to be a solitary task, just as everything else is." But there was no use as he was all too aware that time was running out.

"Fuck's sake." He groaned before pulling the girl with him. "You go first." So he could watch her fall if she managed the wrong move.
 
Her impression of Lux so far was that he was an asshole who still clung to the old ways. "Just come over together! We're losing time!" she called across the space dividing them. Perhaps trying to build team comradery was a stupid idea. But she didn't want to stop now.

She jumped up and down and cheered. "Come on! You can do it!" she cheered for them. Maybe one of them was scared to cross?