Cyrus Solaris
My blood boiled. This was supposed to be a game, a way of displaying our skills. But these befoons think their power is law. I'll show them what true power is. The trolls didn't sense me coming, their emotions severing their connection to strategy and logic.
Stalking my prey, I channeled cosmic energy into my astral tattoo. Just as the trolls noticed my presence, their faces were plummeting into the ground.
"How does it feel?" I said, slamming my augmented fist into the kidneys of the largest student.
"I doubt it feels good. Being helpless and all." The feeling of breaking through a layer of cosmic energy was exhilarating. Wincing in pain, the student pleaded for me to stop.
"I never would have thought trolls sound like dying whales," I said, knocking him unconscious with another strike.
"Shut up."
With one glance at the jokester, I confirmed he was still breathing before continuing my assault on the remaining trolls.
I spared no empathy for the other two; they looked like ants trying to crawl away. I took my time walking toward them. They made their own rules; I'm just enforcing the consequences.
"Who are you?" the taller troll asked with almost an inaudible gasp.
"Does it matter?" I shot back, activating the gravity well and silencing his words as he choked on air. Standing over him, his eyes grew wide with desperation. Something he looked past when he was beating down on the student earlier.
He didn't show mercy then, so I won't now. I threw one strike to each side of his ribcage, each ending with the snap of bones. The pain was too much for him to stay conscious.
The last troll left was petrified after seeing his comrades fall so easily. The terrified look on his face was the satisfaction I desired. I wanted someone to fear me; I wanted to prove my grueling training was worth it.
Staring into the last troll's eyes, I leaned close and whispered. "You are weak."
I started gathering the dimensional storage of my opponents. "Yo are you okay? Can you stand?" I asked the jokester.
I tossed one of the totems to the injured student. "Here, a consolation prize. Better get on moving before they wake."
"Oh, so you're leaving me here with these dudes, and here I thought we were starting a blossoming friendship."
"I'm working alone, and you'll only slow me down. You should be happy I gave you a totem in the first place."
"Oh, so you're the dark and mysterious type. You must have a ton of friends."
My eyes twitched at his words. I wanted to prove him wrong, but he was right; being social was not my strong suit. When I was younger, kids walked on eggshells around me because I was the heir of the clan.
I let the cool breeze of the high altitude sky brush past me. "I'll be going then," I said as I started to leave the area.
"How bout we make a deal. I tag along with you until I'm healed, and I'll give you my two Totems. Is that fair?"
The offer caused me to stop in my tracks. I originally gave him one of the totems because I felt he had contributed enough to deserve it. "Fine, but as soon as you're good, we are going our separate ways."
"Sure, sure that's cool with me, and here I'll give you an upfront payment," the kid said as he handed me one of his totems.
"Also, um, what's your name? It would be kind of weird for me to be talking to you without knowing your name."
"It's Cyrus and yours?"
"Cyrus, huh. Oh, wait, you scored the second highest in the last evaluation. Makes sense as to how you beat them so quickly." Struggling to one knee, the kid raised a hand.
"My name is Voen."
"Come on, Voen, let's get going."
After an hour had passed, Voen and I made our way through the floating forest. I instantly regretted my decision. Between his obnoxious grunts and his abysmal gait, he slowed me down drastically. But I couldn't turn down someone in need. Grandpa would ream me out if I did.
"Hey Cyrus, do you hear that?" Voen asked, tapping his ear.
Amongst the normal rustling of trees and bushes, nothing stood out to me. Even with my gravisense active, nothing in my radius seemed out of the norm.
"No.. What did you hear?"
"Well, there seems to be something massive coming our way and quickly."
When I turned to look his way, his soft and jovial demeanor swapped with one of concentration. I couldn't help but feel he knew about this before striking a deal with me.
Voen was smarter than he looked.
"Alright then, get on my back, and hold tight." I channeled cosmic energy into my legs. In an instant, we were flying through the woods, leaves turning into faint blurs in my peripheral vision, as a firm layer of wind and light rain droplets pressed against my body.
"Voen, by any chance, do you know what's coming for us?"
"Well, based on the vibrations, and the frequency in which they come– It's an astral behemoth," he said with a strained smile.
"You gotta be kidding me. Just my luck". I muttered.