Vera was at least two feet shorter than me as she walked infront of me I could see the top of her head was just below my chest.
"You know just because you're well endowed and super tall doesn't mean you have to stare at me I know I'm tiny." Vera said glancing back at me.
"You're tiny but at least you have some body and a mature face you look like a grown woman through and through just tiny it makes me wonder though how old are you anyway?" I asked
"I'm fourty three what about you?"
"Seven." Vera stopped in her tracks and spun around and glared at me.
"Quit joking around how old are you?" She asked staring me dead in the eyes.
"I'm seven I swear I'm not lying." Vera's eyes narrowed looking at me then she walked around me almost as if eyeing me up stopping infront of me again she looked up at my chest. Her hand on her chin as if deep in thought then looked back up at my face then back at my chest she kept on looking back and fourth between the two for an entire minute before she spun around and began walking again.
"You have the body of a brothel hottie who god spent eons sculpting to perfection not skipping any details and a face only a goddess should have and you're trying to convince me you're seven years old you're hilarious."
"I am I was artificially aged because I was gunna be like you my whole life because my immortality was going to take full effect when I was really young I would be stuck in a child's body so being forcefully aged was my only choice." Vera responded to my words with a sigh.
"Immortality I forgot the Flamecrest line has the divine blood of war and knowledge in it they've tried wiping all the secrets about their family after The Crimson Queen was killed but there are a few books and scrolls still around that have those secrets all be it they're all very very very rare and illegal they are a death sentence to found with I guess that makes your story somewhat believable I'm going to have to have a serious talk with your mother about letting her daughter travel to the death blossoms alone I may be a bad person but submitting a child to this place is awful." Vera's head dropped slightly as she spoke her voice growing softer yet her presence made this usually unsettling forest feel brighter.
"I honestly don't think she had a choice there's been a few times it seems like she wanted to speak out about how I was being treated and trained but everytime she would either just stop or say something that made no sense and everytime that happened a faint blue glow came from her back it felt as if she was being controlled and don't worry about me here I'm not alone my friend is with me."
"What am I your friend now I barely know you and that faint blue glow sounds like a covenant marking if she has a covenant with someone it would definitely explain her not having a choice."
"Hmm good to know we're almost there."
"I know captain obvious it's my old base we're heading too." Ignoring her snarky comment we continued our trek through the forest in silence Vera occasionally glancing back at me by the time the sun began to set we arrived and as we did the shadows below the split tree seemed to come alive and Dread appeared from them her arms crossed. Seeing this Vera jumped back and primed herself to attack Dread looked at her with her cold eyes and in an instant closed the distance her blade drawn ready to take off her head with no time to draw my blades I blocked her strike with my bracers. Vera flinched hearing the blade ring as it struck my bracers Vera seemingly unable to keep track of either of us Dread turned her cold gaze to me lowering her blade then putting it back in its sheathe.
"I'm assuming you made friends or allied with this person Nyssa." Dread said keeping her eyes locked on me.
"That's right we've made an agreement as long as we can assist her in her pursuit of research and practice of fire magic she will assist however we need also luckily for us she was one of the people who that man told us about so she's no longer a threat." I responded
"Hmm I see so that means you're Vera the other two were men you're the only woman shorter than I expected." Dread spoke directly to Vera looking down at her Vera stepped up to Dread her head even with her shoulders.
"My agreement is with Nyssa not whoever you are sulky so keep quiet." Vera said her aggressive tone returning.
"Is that so it just so happens I'm Nyssa's mentor so your agreement extends to me because I'm in charge so you will address me as sir or I will relieve you of your woman hood and leave you to rot." Dread's flat cold tone made the threat much more terrifying causing Vers to stumble back a bead of sweat visibly forming on her forehead not replying to what was said.
"Anyway Nyssa there are sixty eight people inside that little cave right now including the two higher ups this is a combat test to see if you can fight only relying on physical attacks no magic you will be blindfolded for this as well you can only rely on your other senses kill all sixty eight and you pass if you require assistance in any capacity you fail and will be punished accordingly." Hearing Dread's words I drew my blades.
"Do I have a time limit?" I asked
"No and word of advice in a fight where you are outnumbered you must control the fight at all times you must be the first to strike you cannot let them group together on you be in control at all times." Dread said walking behind me putting a black cloth around my eyes.
"I'll keep that in mind wish me luck Vera." I said walking towards the entrance of the cave having memorized exactly where it was reaching it was easy. as I entered I used the sound of my footsteps echoing to guide myself through the cave until I heard voices deeper inside the footsteps of Dread and Vera sounded behind me as we approached the chamber where the voices were coming from. The sound of conversation drowned my footsteps out making it impossible for them to hear my approach but once I came into view I heard someone attempt to ask who I was remembering Dread's advice I gave him no chance to finish his sentence. I lunged immediately my blade meeting resistance as it cut through him warm blood splattered on my face as his body hit the floor every one in the chamber drew their weapons nearly simultaneously I could hear swords leaving their sheathes arrows being knocked and oddly enough a gun racking. I assigned that noise as the highest threat I sprinted in that direction the familiar click of the trigger further narrowing down its location I dodged to the right hearing the mana charged bullet fly by me impacting the wall with an explosion. Before they could pull the trigger again I threw my sword a scream sounding out from a man's mouth as I heard the gun hit the floor the footsteps around me causing me to drop down avoiding the slashes above me. I shot up slashing towards the ceiling feeling my blade rip through someone's body raising my right hand blocking the next strike kicking the attacker in the stomach spinning around bringing my blade back down on them three down sixty five to go. I could hear the group was still in disarray from my sudden attack which played to my advantage with the gun out of play for now I had much more freedom I continued forward. Sprinting I cleaved through as many people as possible using their footsteps breathing and sword swipes to find my mark. Reaching the wall I spun around the familiar change in pressure on my right side alerting me to another attack my hand shot up grabbing the blade before it reached me ripping the blade from their hands I spun it around and slashed it across their chest their body dropping. By now I was soaked in blood so much that I could taste it fourty three down twenty five to go the remaining people had grouped together making this difficult I extended my left hand and felt the hilt of the sword I had thrown and pulled it from the wall just under fourty two seconds had passed I was determined to finish this in under a minute. Hearing their footsteps approach cautiously I could sense that their left side was weaker than the right I sprinted towards the right side just before entering striking range I pivoted launching myself towards the left catching the people over there off guard my first swing connecting while I ducked the an attack from another. Spinning around kicking them in the leg before my other blade met their body the sound of an arrow being knocked catching my attention I drew my dagger throwing towards the sound of wood snapping following my action. I continued my slaughter dodging and countering every attack while cleaving my way through the group sixty five down three to go one of them was loud fear showing through his fast short breaths his death following shortly as I reached him. The other two were calm trying their best to stay quiet their steps calculated attempting to catch me on both sides I knew I couldn't let them attack at once I decided to attack the one behind me hoping to catch them off guard the ring of my blade echoed through the chamber whatever weapon he was using I had no clue what it was. Having no information I needed to stay in control I relentlessly swung my blade not letting up and inch but I didn't have much time his ally closing in behind me hearing the grunt of the man behind me while he swung I ducked down and swept his feet from under him before dodging a hit from the other his weapon connecting with the ground with astonishing force. Telling me it was a hammer immediately I sprung at him my blade grazing him I jumped spinning around landing a kick to his head ducking my head while I landed the other man's blow sailing over my head I stepped behind him switching my grip on my blade thrusting it through the man then lifting it towards the ceiling through his body. I found the last man unconscious from my kick to the head I drew my blade across his neck sixty eight down zero to go the cloth around my eyes felt as if it was glued to my face because of the blood. Taking it off I could see the carnage I had caused bodies strewn around blood pooling all through the chamber the shadows in the entrance seemingly coming alive as Vera and Dread emerged.
"Fifty six seconds good job you pass I'll take us back to our little camp." Dread was the first to speak walking towards me while dragging Vera by the arm.
"Uhh please ignore any previous insults Nyssa your are terrifying and whoever you are can you let me go now I feel like a ping pong ball being tossed around right now." Vera said tugging at Dread's hand
"Let her go dread she's not going to cause trouble." As the words left my mouth dread released her and Vera sprinted to my side.
"Please tell me that ghost looking woman is ironically named Dread and not the actual Dread." Vera looked between me and Dread as she spoke.
"I am The embodiment Dread of the four archangels so yes I am the actual dread." Dread's response was sharp and cold Vera just stared at her eyes wide.
"So the daughter of Ignia's current commandant and one of the archangels and you implied this was a test would I be right in assuming you're replacing the commandant?" She asked
"Honestly no clue I'm just training her and Nyssa our next lesson is a very important one so we start right now Vera after this we can have a discussion on what you want to do."
"Wait start right right now?!" I asked
"Yes right now you two follow me Vera you might actually be helpful for this lesson." Dread spoke leading us out of the cave.