Once Jack finished filling out the application forms for both himself and Alette, he handed them back to the receptionist, who then gave the duo their instructions.
"Excellent. The Vanguard's Exam is just across the hallway; enter the arena there. Our platinum-ranked members will test your skills and abilities to determine which rank suits you." The receptionist closed her eyes, tilted her head to the side, and smiled cheerfully.
"Good Luck!"
"Sounds good, thank you, miss..." Said Jack.
"Abigail!"
"Right, thanks, Miss Abigail."
"Thank you, Miss Abigail!"
Jack and Alette gave a small farewell wave to Abigail as they headed toward the arena behind the central hall of the Vanguard's Guild. Passing through the doorway, they stepped into a vast arena. To their right stretched a wide, open field, and ahead of them rose triple-tiered seating that circled the grounds. Warriors filled the stands and gathered along the edges, waiting for their turn to enter the arena.
"Woooow!" Alette said in amazement as she looked at the warriors in the arena.
"Come on."
"Ah! Coming!"
Alette caught up to Jack as they walked, searching for a good place to sit. They climbed to the second tier of seating, claimed a spot, and settled in to watch the warriors fight in the arena.
In the arena, two warriors stood facing each other, eye to eye. One was a man in his thirties, clad in polished medium steel armor and wearing a platinum tag necklace, carrying a shield shaped like a lion's face and mane, and a steel sword in his other hand. Opposite him stood a swordsman in light leather armor, wielding a twinblade. He lowered the weapon until it nearly touched the ground, settling into a ready stance.
The twinblade wielder rushed toward the platinum ranker, his twinblade swirling as he spun and unleashed a frenzy of strikes from left to right. The platinum ranker was prepared, blocking every attack with his shield raised. Then he swung his sword, emitting bursts of flaming energy at the twinblade wielder.
The twinblade wielder barely leaped back, dodging the platinum ranker's strike. The platinum ranker pressed forward in pursuit, and the two traded strikes and parries, their blades clashing in rapid succession. The platinum ranker glanced at the twinblade and noticed it was fully charged with red, electrified energy as its wielder spun it faster and faster.
The twinblade wielder dashed back, spinning his entire body before thrusting forward with explosive speed. The force of his attack tore through the arena floor, sending stone fragments and dust erupting into a dense, choking cloud. For a brief moment, everything ahead of him vanished behind the swirling gray veil.
He smirked, certain the strike had decided the battle. Until his smirk faltered as the cloud slowly cleared, his eyes widened in disbelief. The tip of his twinblade had not pierced flesh; it had been caught. Locked, held firmly in place by the platinum ranker's shield.
The lion-faced shield had bitten into the blade itself, its sculpted jaws clamped around the steel as if alive. Faint golden lines pulsed along the mane, glowing brighter with each passing second.
The platinum ranker peeked over the top of his shield, his calm eyes locking onto the twinblade wielder's stunned face. Both his eyebrows twitched upward twice as he prepared to unleash something that would rebound against him.
The twinblade wielder flinched and tried to wrench his weapon free from the lion's bite, muscles tensing as he pulled with all his strength. The metal jaws did not yield. Red lightning began to surge from the shield, crackling violently along the trapped blade, yet he refused to release his grip.
With a deafening crack, the lion shield discharged. A violent blast hurled him through the air, sending him crashing and rolling across the ground, his body bruised and trembling as the platinum ranker used his power against him.
The platinum ranker's lion shield opened its mouth, dropping the twinblade to the ground, and walked up to him, offering his hand. "That was good, but next time, let it go and get yourself out of danger, especially when it involves your own weapon."
Lying on the ground, the twinblade wielder stared at the outstretched hand, then up into the platinum ranker's calm face. After a brief pause, he nodded and accepted it. With a firm pull, the platinum ranker lifted him back to his feet. The arena erupted in cheers, the audience applauding the clash between the two warriors.
The platinum ranker watched as he retrieved his twinblade and was escorted away by the healer. Then he faced the seated warriors and shouted. "Next!"
Returning to Jack and Alette's perspective as they watched the entire spar.
"That was awesome! Did you see that, Jack?!" Alette flew up and swirled excitedly beside his head.
"I sure did."
"He was spinning his weapon like crazy, and the other guy blocked every single hit! Then he unleashed this burst of pressure from his sword! It went, 'Cling! Cling! Clang! Clang!' And when he finally charged up and went for the finishing thrust, it got stopped and reversed on him! Hohoho! That was amazing!"
After all that excitement, Alette began to tire, and a sudden realization hit her. "How can you beat him, Jack? You saw what his shield can do, right?"
"Yeah… but that shield doesn't just reflect attacks, it absorbs their energy. It's definitely an enchanted artifact. And with his experience as a swordsman, his sword-and-shield style has almost no openings." His eyes remained fixed on the platinum-ranked instructor, analyzing every detail of his weapon and skills.
"You're right, my friend!"
Jack and Alette turned toward the voice as a man stepped into their conversation. He was a warrior with spiky hair and clean, faded sides, clad in full Spartan armor lined with gray fur at the neck, a flowing red cape draped behind him, and a zoma at his waist. Chains coiled around his arms as he stood beside them, both hands resting confidently on his hips.
"Ah! An escaped prisoner!" Alette shouted, startled.
"Escaped prisoner?" He glanced down at the chains wrapped around his arms. "Oh, that? Haha, no, no. I'm not a prisoner, trust me."
"And you are?" Jack asked.
"Oh yeah!" He spun his right hand and hooked his thumb toward his face. "Name's Caelus. Caelus of Sparta!" he said with a wide, cheerful smile and the face of a fearless warrior.