The Cleric Council

Chapter I: Walking Into The Light

"Sure. Let's send 40 kids into the Wicked Forest for a slightly deadly test, this sounds like a fantastic idea!" Selshi murmured sarcastically, cutting down yet another branch.

"I don't think it's that bad," Rain chipped in, using her lance to get rid of vines that hung a little too low.

"I just don't understand what we're supposed to be accomplishing here," Malek admitted, following the two girls in the rear, keeping an eye out for enemies.

The forest that day was brighter than usual, with the leaves just coming back after a harsh winter. The lack of foliage allowed the sun to stream through, shining on the three. It made the woods incredibly humid, and incredibly hard to focus on the task at hand.

"The paper says that we're supposed to learn how to work in respective teams, and use what we've learned in the past seven years to clear obstacles set up specifically to test our abilities," Selshi explained, holding a scroll.

"Whatever," Malek grumbled, "That sounds a little dumb,"

"It is, but it's easy so let's just get it over with," Rain agreed.

"I just don't understand how this is our final exam. There are a million other things that would showcase our abilities. How are they even keeping track of what we do?" Selshi sighed, frustrated. She knew the final exam changed every year, and was hoping that this would be a little more interesting.

Cleric Territory was known for a lot of things. Being the home of healers, and was the most open country on the planet. The melting pot, accepting everyone and everything. But in recent years, it started to become known for its [Haven't Come Up With Name] Academy. With its heavy diversity, the leaders decided something that would target all fighters would be beneficiary. Therefore creating a school that took kids as young as five, and would send them off twelve years later and the most well trained people in [Name of Planet].

"It says our target is a group of [Name of Monster] in the South. If we continue from here, we should reach them within an hour," Malek was their resident tracker and archer, learning the movements of wildlife and creatures was a specialty, and Selshi was quietly grateful that he was here.

Rain was a Lancer. They were rare to intermingle with Clerics, and just other classes in general. She had shown up in the country one day, and had been admitted to the Academy. Rain didn't like to talk about her past, and neither of them pushed her to. She was a great fighter. Quick, fearless, and a little reckless.

Selshi was the healer of the group. She knew basic battle magic, but mostly was there to make sure no one died. They considered her the most vital part of the group.

A noise from beyond broke her from her musings. She didn't know what it was. Something deep from the ground. A rumbling.

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear what, Sel?" Rain asked quietly, looking around.

Something sat in Selshi's chest uncomfortably. A feeling of dread, and more unsettlingly, that something was watching the trio.

"Hide,"

She pulled Rain and Malek behind a bush, surveying the area. Selshi and Malek blended in just fine, with Malek having blond hair and brown eyes, and Selshi having brown hair and green eyes; but poor Rain stuck out like a sore thumb. Red eyes and stark white hair, contrasting harshly with their surroundings.

Then, chaos started. Birds fled from the safety of their trees, and animals ran from every direction. Deer, rabbits, squirrels, and one very inconvenienced looking bear.

Goblins and gnomes stumbled out of the bushes in front of them, behind the animals.

"That's what they were running from," Rain said, a bit relieved, "Let's take care of these guys,"