The Leo's Ruby

Chapter 5

"I see why you all have no use of magic. This is amazing! I can take a moving painting and I can do this funny magic of changing my appearance with the press of a button and I don't even feel any mana being used." Mr. Thomas marveled.

"Why do you still have that picture?" I asked. I'm surprised that after our time apart he still kept it. It gave me a very small amount of hope but mostly anger.

"I-I like the picture." He said. He looked ashamed by what he had said. His eyes shifted to the ground. It was the second time I had seen him like this in a while. The first time was when he first told me how he felt.

"Fine keep it. You only like skinny girls anyways." I said coldly.

He suddenly got a bit serious and even Mr.Thomas pulled himself from the marvelous contraption as he sensed his shift in mood.

"I don't really care much as long as you're healthy enough to move freely."

A minute passed but Mr.Thomas assumed his role as the adult in this situation and spoke first.

"Here, Leo. I think we should have a final practice before I have you fight each other. That will be your final exams." He said.

Leo's shock mirrored my own. I didn't want to fight him especially since he was much better with his weapon than I'll ever be with the lance. This might even put a hole in what seemed to be a rekindling of friendship.

"Why do we have to fight?" I asked. Leo looked grateful I spoke up.

"Well, I want to make sure you don't drag each other down. The only real thing at stake is a light weight metal armour. The loser will be forced to find some other way of getting the armor. That can prove difficult since in times of peace armour smiths usually hide them in dangerous or very secretive places." Mr. Thomas said.

Now I really didn't want to lose. That armour may be the thing to make me be on par with Leo. And is helpful against our enemy.

"What if there is a tie?" Leo asked.

"Then no one gets the armour. You both get enhancement charms to boost your basic stats." Mr. Thomas explained. "But only if I can deem it was truly a tie then you still get the charm."

It might just be better to get the tie too. I don't know. Either winning or tie would be good.

"When is training? I want to get a head start. Wouldn't want to lose to you, Rubes." Leo grinned.

"We can start now. This time the dummy will move and attack. Be careful." Mr. Thomas said as he snapped his finger and the flesh colored, no-faced figure appeared from nowhere.

The dummy launched itself at Leo who brought out his gauntlets to block in the knick of time. The figure fell back and waited for Leo. He steadied his breath and looked like he was waiting for the optimum time.

Leo launched himself in the air. The dummy looked confused by what happened. It couldn't sense him any longer. Leo landed a swift blow to the figure and its head was knocked off of its neck. Dummy's can't sense things in the air only the ground.

I have a new respect for him and, surprisingly, he looked really cool doing it.

Mr. Thomas looked surprised and a little mad. However he smoothed his face so that no one could see his anger. What was he mad about?

"That was very well done. You live up to your name, fighting fierecely like a lion. Ruby you're next." He said.

As we switched out, Leo gave me both a grin but his eyes looked urgent and serious. He was on to something.

A new gray figure appeared from the ether.

The dummy walked around me, waiting. Mr. Thomas must want to teach me a different technique than Leo.

I brought out my lance and watched how the dummy moved. It was very mechanical. I couldn't launch myself in the air but I could do something else. I would have to you surprise in a much different and less flashy way.

I backed away as the dummy moved forward. I placed my lance on the ground and the dummy launched toward it. It also can only sense objects on the ground. I quickly lifted the lance off the ground and it stopped coming so close to me. It stopped 15 feet away.

Leo sighed. Was it a sigh of relief? Was he worried? I shouldn't give myself false hope. That's how he got me last time.

I knew what I had to do. I lifted my lance like a launching spear. The dummy didn't react. Now to not move my feet even slightly. I then prepared myself to throw and launched it into the air and it peirced the dummy in it's stomach. I did it.

Mr.Thomas looked impressed also.

"To think you figured that out in a minute 30 seconds is impressive. You are the fastest thinker we have gotten from your world in about a thousand years." He said.

"How would you know? I thought you were fifty." Leo asked. He was very curious.

"When I said fifty, I converted my own age to the standard age range of 0-100. Guardians like me can live up to 3000 years."

"You're one thousand five hundred?!" He looked as unbelieving as I did.

"Yes. Us Guardians live from milenium to milenium, training the 60 heroes we get and once we reach our sixtieth, we die."

"Are we the thirtieth?"

"Thirtieth and thirty first." He corrected. He looked from Leo to me. I was the eleventh.

"Usually heroes don't come in pairs. You are the third pair ever."