Dodging and weaving, it almost felt like I was toying with the lioness in front of me. By all means did my stats not rival her in the slightest and yet here I was, simply ducking and sidestepping otherwise fatal attacks.
This blessing was doing a lot more than I ever thought it would. It actually took me my surprise how gimmicky it was, how overpowered having a decisive lightning fast instinct that didn't require much reflexive action.
Or was I simply a bit too slow witted back then compared to now...
We'll never know.
Looking at the bestial figure of the hero who had come to 'stop' Vanessa, she was growing weary and more tired. The prowling nature of the lioness degraded from first impressions, this vengeful thing of brutality to a desperate kitty choking on its own breath.
It was fortunate because I otherwise had no means to defeat her. Sure I could completely keep up with her in close combat, but my attacks would've done nothing against her hard exterior.
But thankfully everyone has their limits.
"Y-you... *huff* your a.. coward! Fi-ght me... *huff* like a man..."
Her figure passed mine quite weakly. It was surprising she could still talk in her animal form. Wouldn't her vocal cords be like a tigers? Or was there some sort of translation magic going on that permitted this anomaly?
"*huff*... Aren't you a b-bad... guy? *huff*" The swaying of her body seemed a lot more exaggerated at this point.
"Isn't that a bit rude, don't you say Mrs-hero-of-the-city?" I rested my hands on my hips. A firm talking to was mandatory, it seemed I had to fix the common sense of the world by my self as well. "You shouldn't be judging people based off their appearances."
Nodding wisely to the bewildered tiger I eventually sighed. Even after I didn't attack her for what was an embarrassingly long time on her part, I could still sense animosity.
"T-then why did... you stop me from *huff* arresting that villain biker earlier?" It seemed at this point her stamina gave up and her lioness form reverted into her regular human one. "...Don't pull something out of your ass this time! I want a real answer."
The hero had given up and sat onto the ground of the parking lot waiting for an answer. A pretty pitiful sight for a protector of the city. But her form shifting must've taken everything out of her, plus she had been chased me in that state for a solid hour.
"...So they could owe me?" I put a finger to my lips and tilted my head in pretend thinking. "But in all honesty, didn't you notice how those pillars weren't just cement? Its a tad bit suspicious if you ask me."
The lioness now laying there in her tight sportwear now drenched in sweat, looked around with pessimism. But sure enough scattered about the debris and broken vehicles were pieces of wires and boxes of machinery.
They didn't look like they were supposed to be there mixed up alongside the pillar's strong material.
"...Security measures?" She woefully mumbled.
"Of what kind?" I starred incredulously at her. "...Just give it up and take the loss. You can even call your boss to investigate more thoroughly."
At this point Vanessa must've deactivated all the bombs the dark organisation had set up. Another plot point averted? No, it's unlikely. There was no villainous incident to occur in the last examination.
But perhaps it helped change Vanessa? Plant that small seed in her.
I hoped so.
...
...
Arthur Starlight huffed and leaned on his knees. There was an ache in his side as well as a pain in his head, overall a vertigo that assaulted his senses. It had become so unbearable, just as he was about to collapse, an angelic arm caught him and held his body close.
The white haired boy looked at the black-haired elf. A reassuring smile coated her lips as the great thud echoed a few distances away. A massive beast they had just slain.
"We did it... we survived until the end, Arthur!" In the noisiness of the jungle, the young man could only hear her voice.
A sweet delicate sound.
"...I'm glad, Ella."
"Oi oi, are you forgetting something?" A strikingly soothing voice echoed in the confines of Arthur's head. But was readily ignored in the moment.
With that, the survivors of the final trial of Kordell Academy is announced. A certain ranking now showing on the large screens plastered around the colosseum. But for the duo intimately close, time halted in their eyes. A tender moment.
In the next moment they vanished before anything transpired.
The two stumbled to the floor as the simulation around them disappeared. An instructor seemed to have pulled the teenagers back into the colosseum's halls where four recognisable figures resided.
Instructor Donny and Claire were there. As well as the slim figure of the classy Instructor Q leaning close to the much meeker busty witch, Instructor Lani.
Alongside Arthur and Ella, a handful of students seemed to have been teleported as well. Even a distinct pink haired girl could also be seen in the group.
"Congrats! All ten of you have passed all three trials of Kordell's examination." A shouty voice erupted from Donny, his arms resting on his hips. "I was very pleased with what I saw and I just know you guys will do great when the year begins!"
A sense of pride weaved through the expressions of the teenagers present, especially for Arthur. His eyes shining and with a mouth barely holding itself together from grinning smugly.
"Calm your farm bro, it's not like you did anything..." Arthur's mouth twitched as the voice in his head shut his pride down.
Instructor Donny continued.
"To reward you kiddos we'll give you the opportunity to have first pick of which Instructor you'd like to be taught under." Murmurs spread through the adolescents present, this was a big moment for them. "...Of course I'm always available."
There was a pause before they looked away from the hulking giant to discuss quietly. It wasn't a pleasant sight. A soft sigh left the Instructor's lips as a dolled hand patted his back. Too frequent did this happen.
Meanwhile Arthur fixed his eyes on a certain busty teacher. His eyes wandered dangerously but was quickly brought to the attention of Ella who beckoned at his side.
"Do you know who would be a good homeroom teacher, Arthur?"
"Eh? A-ah... maybe I-Instructor Lani?" The young man looked guiltily away from a cold set of eyes and rubbed the back of his neck. "O-or even Instructor Claire!"
The face Ella had been looking at Arthur with softened, there was some credibility around that statement. A certified Calamity class ex-hero who returned from defending the country against disasters due to 'personal reasons' and now teaches at Kordell.
The two of them looked out from their conversation and naturally turned to the woman in question.
There she was, her eyes gleaming a pearly glow whilst she looked downwards in consideration. She wore blue and grey traditional clothing that looked to be from eastern origins. Her long black hair wrapped by thin braids made it seem like a crown.
Instructor Claire reached down and patted a sulking mass of muscles who had turned his body away from the students.
Arthur's mouth twitched.
He swore he could hear sobbing in the loudness of student discussion.