We Three Mages (Editing)

Chapter Thirteen: Ranked Exams (Part Three)

This was it; the last exam. The second exam was over much faster than the first even though the second was just a solo act. Mari has been bracing herself for the third exam the second after her second was completed. She was determined not to be taken by surprise this time around with any stupid or unseemly challenges. She had been training with Lieutenant Ross for an extra hour a day, building up mainly her endurance and spell casting abilities.

At the level Mari was currently at, chants were not necessary to cast a spell. The higher level you are in magic, the more chants you must memorize; the longer the chants, the more powerful the spell.

“Mari, you ready this time around?” Jared asked. They were back at the first examination ground, standing outside a door that lead straight to the arena.

“Yeah yeah, been spending these past six days training myself hard and I can feel that I’ve gotten stronger.” Mari smiled.

“Mari, you don’t know what’s going to happen out there or what the test might be so please, don’t use your part of the Legend.” Jared starred straight at her. After the second examination, Mari had told Nadia and Jared all about what had happened and the same unsettling feeling he had gotten before Mari’s first exam had come back again.

What if she hadn’t been wearing those cuffs? Would she have used an enchantment from the Legend to help her stay on track? That thought seemed to be repeating itself in his head all on its own and it was driving him crazy.

“Why are you so worried about this? You have my book anyway.” Mari shrugged him off.

“So, you still know a few spells from it.” Jared argued.

“You worry too much.” Mari looked at the clock on the wall. “Time for me to ace this exam.”

“Don’t give up.” Jared tried to relax himself by teasing her a bit.

“Thanks.” Mari waved at him then walked through the door. Jared’s uneasiness didn’t quite settle.

“Ladies, Gentlemen, and Newages! I present to you, Exam number Three. Magical Combat!!” The Headmaster stood on a floating platform in the middle of the arena. Mari stood at one end of the field and across was her opponent. He was too far away to see his face clearly.

“The rules are simple, attack each other until the other submits or it no longer able to move. Killing is forbidden so I should not be seeing any finishing blows.” He looked at Mari then her opponent. “Let the entertain…er, Exam begin!” He snapped his fingers and his platform rose out of sight.

Mari slowly walked towards the center of the arena. There was a dead silence in the room with the only to be heard was the soft padding of the two’s feet.

Final exam, I need to win this battle in order to make up for that stupid mistake I made during the second. If I don’t ace this exam, I’ll be ranked a three or lower and I’ll just be another face in the crowd. Mari let her eyes wander into the stands and spotted Jared. For a brief moment their eyes met.

Don’t use your part of the Legend… Jared’s warning echoed throughout her head.

It couldn’t hurt. I mean, it’s not like I’m cheating or anything. It’s my power, my ability. People have already seen me use a bit of advanced magic, so if I’m careful. Mari thought to herself, but while she was deciding what to do, her opponent had made his first move.

The boy was maybe her age, perhaps a bit older. His arms were scrawny and his face looked like it had been flatten by a wall. The he walked made it clear that he knew the outcome of this exam, he knew that he was going to win.