The Path 026 (Patreon)

As the Labyrinth was only a few kilometers across, based on what he had seen from the top of the wall, Will wasn't too surprised when he heard the tell-tale sounds of combat a few minutes after he set out.

'Time to do some recruiting...' mused Will, turning a corner and following a long corridor for roughly a hundred meters before finding the entrance to a large enclosure where five people were gathered in a loose circle, facing outward.

*swsswsswsswswss*

"B-Bound by blaze! Circle drawn! Protect those within...!" shouted a boy with platinum-blonde hair, causing a vortex of flame to materialize around him and the other examinees as a fierce, leopard-like creature covered in shimmering black scales pounced at them.

*Rwwaowaowraaaaaaaaaaaa-!*

Though it wasn't seriously injured, being repelled by the vortex of flames pissed the leopard-like creature off. In retaliation, it flicked its inordinately long tail like a whip, causing a spear-like spine to shoot from its tip, hitting the young Mage in the throat.

"Flynn...!" screamed a well-dressed, lightly armored, brown-haired youth wielding a sword and a well-made heater shield. But as he reached out to try and help his friend, the young Mage's body disappeared into motes of bluish-white, along with the protective swirl of flames.

"You fool! Stay in formation!" shouted a girl with long, dirty blonde hair, but it was too late. The moment the wall of flames disappeared, a second leopard-like creature leaped into the group, tackling and sinking its teeth into a spear-wielding youth with distinctive green hair.

"Oh, come on! This is why I hate allying with other people...!" exclaimed the girl, swinging what looked like a flamberge, but it was much smaller, barely larger than a shortsword. More notably, it had a distinctive black hue, and when swung, an inky, dark-purple substance was expelled from the blade's edge, coating both the monster and the green-haired youth.

*RRRROWWWWRROWGH!!!*

As the dark-purple substance ate through its body like a powerful acid, the leopard-like creature began to roll across the ground and flail about like it had been set ablaze. At the same time, a second boy with brown hair attempted to use the opportunity when the girl's back was turned to stab her between the neck and shoulder with a dagger, shouting, "This is for Aengus, you accursed freak...!"

Feeling a shiver run up her spine, the sword-wielding girl attempted to turn and deflect the coming blow, but the moment she turned around, a sudden impact separated her and her would-be assassin, causing them to stumble and roll backward as Will appeared, declaring, "It's not healthy to harbor such bloodlust at such a young age..."

Following his words, Will casually flicked a throwing knife past the ear of the lightly armored youth as he turned his head. The leopard-like creature had used that as an opportunity to pounce, but while it was successful in tackling the youth to the ground, it was unable to sink its teeth and claws into him as Will's knife was buried in its forehead up to the handle.

Unaware that his assailant was dead, the lightly armored youth freaked out, struggling violently beneath the nearly three-meter-long feline as he screamed bloody murder. Will considered lending a hand, but as he found the scene fairly amusing, he just smiled and turned to the duo he had sent flying, saying, "If you still want to settle things, I'll be the judge."

"Glady..." growled the girl with dirty blonde hair, rising to her feet and staring daggers at the youth who had tried to backstab her. One thing of note was that, while she was staring directly at the other examinee, her pale, nearly white-blue eyes lacked focus. She had pupils, but they were a faint, milky grey instead of black.

'Interesting...' thought Will, shifting his gaze to the girl's clearly cursed sword and wondering if there was a connection between it and the girl's blindness.

"Just who do you-!" exclaimed the would-be assassin, but when he saw who had pushed him away, his expression paled, and his eyes became as round as saucers. 

"Don't mind me," said Will, producing a sword from his bangle and tossing it to the youth, impaling the ground between his feet as he appended, "Go ahead and continue."

"Don't even think of running or trying to make excuses...!" shouted the girl with dirty blonde hair, sensing that her opponent's will to fight had all but disappeared.

"Excuses?" parroted the youth, his fury reigniting as he rose to his feet, grabbed the provided sword's handle, and shouted, "You eliminated my friend! Do you have any idea-!"

Clenching her teeth, the girl with dirty blonde hair abruptly shifted her weight forward and accelerated. She clearly had no interest in what the youth had to say, and Will had no interest in stopping them. Instead, he crossed his arms and observed the match with a neutral expression.

"Hyaah...!" 

Swinging down her sword with all her strength, the ostensibly blind blonde was hopping to end things quickly, but the brown-haired youth managed to intercept and deflect the sweeping blow toward the sky. In the same motion, he kicked the blind girl directly in the chest, but while he was able to force her back, she didn't appear to have sustained any serious injuries as she flashed her teeth and snarled.

"Growl all you like!" shouted the brown-haired youth, charging forward and performing an overhead strike on the girl's blade as he smiled and exclaimed, "I know you can't use that sword's ability back to back! Just give...up...and...die...!"

As the brown-haired youth was stronger than her, at least physically, the blind girl was forced to take a knee as he continued hammering her guard with the intent to break her. However, as he didn't even try to change the interval between attacks, she quickly acclimated to his rhythm, waiting for him to ready another strike before changing the angle of her sword just as he swung down with all his weight behind it.

Unable to change course, the brown-haired youth's eyes widened as his body lurched forward, the tip of his sword sinking into the ground. At the same time, the blind girl smoothly guided the jagged edge of her blade to the side of his neck, simply holding it there and allowing his momentum to handle the rest.

With the jugular sliced open and blood gushing out like a waterfall, the brown-haired youth released his weapon and futilely attempted to stymy its flow with his hands as the girl coldly stated, "You're mistaken about my sword. It isn't that it takes time to recharge..."

Without explaining further, the girl pressed her thumb into a groove on the sword's handle, causing a purple pattern reminiscent of a constellation to glow along its surface. Then, to the youth's horror, she made a sweeping motion, causing all the blood he had spilled to be drawn toward the blade, soaking into it like a sponge and causing it to grow noticeably larger.

Losing what remained of his will to resist, the youth crumpled to the ground, his body shattering to countless pieces and dispersing into a cloud of bluish-white mist. 

"How annoying..." muttered the blind girl, her sword contracting to its original size. Despite this, she turned to face Will, aiming the tip of her flamberge at his throat from afar as she stated, "You had better not be expecting any gratitude. I didn't need your help..."

"That's fine. I intervened because I felt like it," said Will, maintaining a relaxed smile as he turned to look at the group's only other survivor. He had eventually realized he wasn't being attacked, but instead of trying to free himself from beneath his feline assailant, he was staring up at the sky with a blank, shell-shocked look.

'Looks like this one is a bust...' thought Will. The blind girl wasn't likely to team up with anyone so recently after being backstabbed, and the young noble looked like he needed his mother and a few years of therapy before he could be convinced to continue.

'Well, it never hurts to try...'

Ignoring the blind girl, Will grabbed the scruff of the deceased monster and pulled it off the brown-haired youth, tossing it several meters in the process. The tiny pins on the youth's uniform indicated he was from the North, so Will decided to use that, grinning cheekily as he asked, "Is this all a Thuaidh-born noble amounts to? So much for the great conquerors of the North..."

Though he initially ignored Will and continued staring off into space, the brown-haired youth frowned at the insult to his heritage. He didn't bounce back immediately, but his blue-grey eyes regained some of their vigor as he met Will's gaze with a glower, looking like he wanted to say something but ultimately deciding against it.

Extending his right hand, Will remarked, "Looks like you remembered you have a backbone. But can you stand...?"

Staring at Will's hand, the youth's frown deepened. He wanted to slap it away, but as there was a 'substantial' difference in his and Will's status, he suppressed the urge and rose to a seated position of his own accord, stating, "Of course, I can...". However, as he had shit and pissed himself, he made no attempts to prove his claim.

"Then I'll leave you to it," said Will, nodding in approval before rising to his feet and returning his gaze to the blind girl, who, after being ignored, was staring at him with a hateful pout.

"You're still here...?" asked Will, raising his brows.

"..."

Resisting the urge to charge forward and take a swing at Will's throat, the girl lowered her sword and responded, "My name is Madeen Briar. While it was unwarranted, the fact remains that you came to my aid. You may not have my gratitude, but should the opportunity present itself, I will aid you in turn..."

Without waiting for Will's response, Madeen turned and started walking away. Will got the impression she expected him to call out and attempt to stop her, but as he had always been a bit of a contrarian, at least when it came to people trying to bait him, he remained silent, the corners of his smile curling upward as she noticeably slowed to afford him more time to stop her.

'Pride makes people do some truly hilarious things...' mused Will, causing Madeen to stop and stare at him with an open-mouthed, offended look as he turned and began walking in the opposite direction...

...

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Waking after what felt like days, Tim tried to rise and look for something to wet his parched throat, but his head felt like it had been replaced by a lead weight. It vaguely reminded him of the nightmares where he would wake and find himself unable to move, but instead of being surrounded by darkness or feeling cold, his surroundings were well-lit, and he was caked in sweat due to the heat and humidity.

"You shouldn't try to move just yet," said a familiar voice, followed by Ohta appearing next to him, explaining, "Because of your lack of control, all the Mana and Aura was purged from your body. If not for the Laws governing this place, you would have died on the spot."

Unconcerned with his body's condition, Tim mustered every ounce of his willpower to ask, "Dori...did you...find her...?"

"There you go...always putting others first..." muttered Ohta, shaking his head in mild exasperation. Unfortunately, while he had managed to track Dori's scent, all he found at the trail's end were signs of a struggle. Thus, after clearing all the monsters in the area, he returned to where he had left Tim, determined to ensure at least one of the two siblings passed the exam...

...

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