Darksteel

Chapter 2; How NOT to fight a Monster.

The Monster was wolf-like in appearance, with a horned head too large for its body, thick black fur, and a snarling mouth full of teeth that gleamed like sharpened daggers.

 With a growl, the creature began to advance, hackles raised, fangs bared. It was looking at Asta as though he was a nervous appetizer-- which wasn't far from the truth, really. And it was at that moment that Asta did the only logical, intelligent thing he could think of.

He screamed for help.

The Monster paused, seemingly confused as Asta pounded on the door that he had come through, bellowing at the top of his lungs.

'What sort of a test is this?' Asta thought wildly as he scrambled for an escape. At this point, he would have gladly accepted mathematics. At least THOSE sorts of things didn't have teeth.

Looking back at the creature, he was sure that he saw something like an incredulous look pass over its face.

He yelled harder.

But either the Headmaster did not notice or she did not care, for no one came to his rescue. By now, however, the Monster had stopped coming closer and simply stared at him, unblinking. 

His throat feeling raw, Asta turned and stared back at the animal. For a moment, neither one of them moved.

Summoning all his courage — which wasn't much, but he had to take what he could get— Asta stepped forward and slowly stretched out a hand, palm facing outward. "Good dog," he whispered, cringing as the Monster sniffed his hand, "You're a good dog."

Perhaps it was not the smartest of plans, it is rather hard to think when one is three steps away from becoming kibble.

To his surprise, however, the creature 's tail began to wag and it seemed to relax, its black tongue lolling from its mouth. Asta peered into the Monster's glowing, yellow eyes and smiled. There, this wasn't so bad...

Suddenly, the door swung open with a bang and the Monster lept to its paws, growling as the Headmaster strode forward, a longsword in hand. The creature lunged at her, and she slew it with one clean stroke. The Monster cried out once-- a keening wail that sent shivers up Asta's spine-- then it disappeared in a puff of black smoke. 

Asta gaped at the woman. "Why would you do that?" he demanded shakily, "It wasn't hurting anyone!"

"Nevermind that." she hissed, "What exactly did you think you were doing?"

" I—" Asta paused. He hadn't known WHAT he was doing. His only thought was trying to escape the room without being eaten. But since that wasn't a good answer, he stayed silent.

The Headmaster sighed, seemingly disappointed, "Either way, you are alive, which means you passed the test... albeit in an unusual way."

 Asta felt his heart lift, though he wasn't sure why. "Does this mean I can stay?" 

The Headmaster nodded reluctantly and gestured for him to leave the room.

 Asta obliged, feeling a mixture of nervousness, excitment, and confusion as he made his way through the dining hall once more.

Plopping back down at the breakfast table, he tried his best to ignore the wide-eyed stares of his classmates and instead focused on the remains of his cold eggs.

 "We thought you were dead." said a black-haired boy who Asta had never seen before. His face was open and kind, with roundish features, hooded eyes, and a charming smile.

 Asta liked him immediately.

"I thought I was dead too," he replied, "Or at least that I was going to be. It was the scariest moment of my morning."