Slay The Examans

Dawn of War

As Ari awoke, the sounds of his peers gathering for a morning meal greeted his ears. It must have only been less than an hour after the crack of dawn, and yet his friends Lex and Po were already making small talk like the nerds they were. Groaning, Ari ripped the bedsheets off and got out of bed stretching, his mind foggy from the several hours spent studying the texts handed out by his teachers. Being in the temporary Collegian clan, he was somewhat used to being exhausted like this, but it wasn't something that your body can just accept.
"Is that the smell of bacon?" Ari says as he enters the common room where Lex is cooking breakfast. Looking up from the fire for a brief moment, Lex looks him in the eyes and nods.
"Look who's up early, or rather perhaps a bit late," Po greets him. "I could see you up even a few hours after I woke up. What made you stay up so late?"
"I'm being tested by the Examans today," Ari replies. "I had to study so that I can pass into the clan I desire."
"Fair enough reason I suppose. Final test for the Engeneros clan today, right?"
"Yeah, I want to ace this test. It'll really help determine whether or not I join them. This year at least."
"Hm. Well, whatever, finals for the monks aren't happening for at least another week, and because I am taking the writers test, where one must write a fable in the given time limit, I can't even study for it anyways, I just have to prepare and come up with ideas."
"Well good luck with that, you will probably pass with flying colors," Lex responds with. "Breakfast is finished!" he proclaims, and the aroma of various spices, foods, and the scent of coffee made Ari's and Po's mouths water with delight.
"Good, I, am, famished," Po says, getting up to grab his plate. Walking over he bumps into the side of the chair, nearly knocking it over. He grabs his meal and eagerly digs in. Ari, however, is a little less clumsy and more careful, not bumping into anything. As he starts eating, the various spices mixed together on the eggs, the crunchy yet not too crunchy bacon, the sweetness and bitterness of the coffee nearly brought tears to his eyes.
Finishing up he prepared for the day, finishing off with preparing himself mentally for the test. He was so nervous he could feel his heart clenching as dozens of what-if scenarios passed through his head. Pulling himself together, he sets off towards the testing building. Finding an empty seat, he waits until the test administrator, an Examan, always an Examan, said to begin.
As more and more students filed in, chatting with nervous delight, the Examan stared at them all. Or so it seemed at least. No one knew what the examans actually looked like, for they wore long robes that concealed every part of them, and masks of various animals that revealed nothing of the head and neck underneath. A true nightmare walking amongst them. If it weren't for the fact that Ari absolutely had to be there if he wanted to pass, he would have ran away, because these people always gave him the jitters. And he wasn't alone in that sense.
Once everyone had settled down, the instructor cleared his throat, and began speaking. "We all know why you're here. You want to become an Engeneros. Well, I doubt I have to really say more than that. However, let me remind you the penalty for cheating." As soon as they said this, they flicked out a hidden knife, holding it up for inspection. "If you want to cheat, go ahead, its fine by me. Just don't let me catch you," he said, and with that, the test began.
The test was fairly uneventful, until around halfway through, at least. At this point the instructor had done a full check on everyone twice, when he was looking at a curly haired ginger. He's cheating off of the girl next to him, and he's been caught too. Indeed he had been. Everyone except the cheater and cheated watched as the inspector stalked towards the cheater and held the knife up against his throat. He squeaked and nearly started crying. "No! Not me!" he pleaded to no avail. In a second, he slumped against the desk, crimson pooling off the desk.
Ari had of course heard this happened almost regularly, and he didn't necessarily think its too harsh. However, seeing it happen in person made him feel uncomfortable, especially the screams. Of all the cruel and oppressive things the Examans did, this was the worst of all. And it was this very act that sparked the opposition against the cruel faction.