@Lunarlord34

A young man, sixteen summers old, clearly of an affluent family by the quality of his clothing, had traveled far to arrive at the city, in a carriage at a steady pace. He’d enjoyed watching the landscape, honestly. He couldn’t go long without looking at the castle in the distance, and the city growing closer.

He had traveled from his father's summer home, and though he wasn't a nobleman, his father desperately wanted that clout. Angus was dressed to impress, giving an impression of nobility, as much as his father felt was worth dedicating to his son whom would “probably fail anyway. May as well look good.”

He wasn’t here for his father. He was a here to be a magic knight for all the belief his mother had poured into him. He was here because, ever since he’d gotten his grimoire, it had given him confidence. The book that told him he could be strong. That he could be big! The way his mother had seemed so hopeful.. he wanted to bring that hope to others! To inspire!

With driven purpose, Angus found the stadium and got his application in before all the slots filled up.

“Angus McFegel, number 341!”

He accepted his badge with a proud smile, happy to have made it in time. He gazed at the symbol of his first step with pride as he made his way into the waiting space, too busy with his admiration to notice too much around him.

Eventually, they entered the arena and were introduced to the capitals they were to try and impress. Each was impressive in their own right, but something he heard about Captain Greenvalley set her apart, to him. Punched a mountain..?

However, his admiration was replaced with.. distress. R A N G E D magic. Oh dear. The second test he could do, he just had to hold on to enough magic power. But the first test..

“Number 341, Angus McFegel!”

Hmph. Right.



Angus McFegel took his position and stared down the targets as they began to reform, pulling his three-leaf grimoire from its holster. The announcer said magic bullets would be good enough, but..

With the range that he could manage, Angus was able to blast away a few targets, but that wasn’t going to be good enough. He was a better shot than that, but how could he show it?

He saw an opportunity! The way those tiles were moving just now.. they were about to line up! His hand flew out and he murmured his spell, a beam of pressure lashing out from his palm. One target was pierced dead center, and two more were destroyed behind it, in the perimeter of the target.

He couldn’t just go tossing that spell around. It was rather power hungry, and there were more trials to go. 20 seconds had passed. Waiting for opportunities to roll around wasn't going to get him a great score, or impress or inspire anyone. He had to be Big!

He started to gather pressure in his legs, “as long as the targets are destroyed with ranged magic, right?” He cast a simple reinforcement spell, needing more speed and the strength to launch himself, “you never said I couldn't leave the starting position!”

Angus leapt forward to bring himself into range and began throwing bullets. He was a very efficient shot, hardly ever missing a target. He showed acrobatic ability, as well, leaping up to land on a target and leaping off to another as he turned to destroy the one he'd just left.

After 25 seconds, Angus returned to the starting position and quickly scanned the targets. The farthest away from him.. that one. 3 seconds left. He aimed carefully. 2 seconds, he gathered pressure into his arm. 1 second, a murmur of his spell and a focused wave of pressure shot out in a beam, smashing through the target that had flown itself so far away.

Time.

Man, was he glad when that trial was over. The crowd seemed mostly impressed but confused. They wondered at why he had done the trial in the way he had. No matter. Hey, he hoped that fellow who only got six had some redemptive showings ahead of him. Angus knew the next one would be good for himself, at least.



A stone pillar, plain and simple. This. This was where he would shine. He walked toward the pillar calmly, gathering pressure into his hand as he did, gradually, thoroughly, “perhaps some of you thought my previous showing.. lacking? Ha HAH! Don’t be fooled..” he placed his hand on the pillar, “I’m BOMBASTIC!”

A powerful shockwave rendered the entire pillar into an explosion of dust, away from him. A moment passed, and the crowd exploded into cheers.



Flying, and catching that object? Holding on to it would be no problem, and flying with a broom wasn’t going to be a problem, either. That had been one of the things he’d been good at, under his mother’s tutelage. Touch was the most effective way he could use his magic, and he’d be holding the broom, feeling it. It suited him well.

As it was one of the few traditional methods he’d been good at, it was one that received a great deal of his focus, as it was a hope he could impress his father. He built up pressure in his legs, reinforced, and, with a kick-off, burst from his starting position, quickly seizing one of the angel balls in a blitz of speed. He knew his weakness of range would be a terrible disadvantage here. Anyone looking to steal his orb would have an easy time picking him off from afar. If he got surrounded, he’d be at a real disadvantage. Now, surely his display had-

Yep! He was a target! As he dodged a first barrage of bullets, he blasted one or two out of the air as they came for him. He'd get surrounded, here. "BLAST, you've got me outnumbered!" He used the shockwave of released pressure to push him out of the way of another barrage before zipping off for the perimeter of the arena. If he put them all on one side of him, it'd be easier to watch them all.

There was a lot of stuff going on in the middle, and it seemed like most of the other bigger contenders were more interested in the commotion for the victory spheres that were still free. He lucked out, then. Still, though.. there were a lot of them.

This was getting out of hand. He had to thin them out or scare them off. A competitor got too close, mistaking his lack of aggression for pacifism or weakness, and received a magic bullet to the broom. Almost like that had been a signal, Angus changed behavior and went on the offensive. He'd stop flight, reangle his broom and begin flying in the new direction. He couldn't go throwing around Adi here, either.

After a minute or two, most of his attackers seemed to lose interest and leave to find easier prey, but there were those who still thought they could take him. A quick Ast blast pushed him out of the way of most attacks, or dispersed big area attacks enough for him to escape. He could shoot down projectiles coming at him with his magic bullets, too. He just had to keep his prize secure.

Quite a lot of magic was on display, but Angus couldn’t let himself get distracted. Keep your eyes on the prize. What he needed to do was lose the attention on him. He pivoted again and blasted off for the largest mosh of other applicants he could spot nearby, leading his aggressors through the crowd of bodies and weaving among them, doing all he could to make them lose track of him before emerging again and diving into the next one. He kept his ball in his hand, inside his jacket. He didn’t want anyone to see he had one. He was denying his competitors their chance, but it was his chance, too. He had to take it.

Before he realized, the trial was over. He pulled the sphere out and gazed at it, with the same admiration he had at his applicant badge. He heard the announcement that they were allowed rest for a moment.. Good. He could use it.



The bracelets were immediately suspicious. Why were they being passed out by hand, when the brooms had been so efficiently distributed by magic? Angus gazed at the bracelet suspiciously before they were all addressed again. And transported! With a little circle he could see the arena through. “Oooh hoh hoo! Fancy!”

He looked ahead, and saw an obstical course in front of him, and a white line and barrier marking the starting threshold. Once his bracelet clamped down and he heard the news, Angus grimaced as the fatigue set in, sudden and pronounced, but he kept his feet beneath him. He’d exhausted himself before. With deep breaths to refresh himself, he focused on his body. His muscles were fine. He knew that. He just had to press forward.

After gathering himself for a moment, Angus began to run forward. He slid for the barbed wire, sliding under and then realizing he was backwards. "Hm." With a bit of effort, he managed to turn himself over onto his stomach, but others had caught up to him and it was difficult to turn around. He ended up crawling through backwards. He offered what he hoped was a pleasant smile to the person behind.. In front? Of him.

Next were swinging bars, easy enough! Hand after hand, keep your momentum going. The climbing wall was a little more difficult, but ultimately more of a mental challenge than a physical one, for him.

Now, these wooden poles were going to need his concentration. He’d gotten used to being out of mana, but now he was getting physically tired, too. Usually, he wouldn't be, but both fatigues combined were insidious. He took some time to rest, sitting and watching the poles. After about five minutes, he rose again, ready. He'd devised a plan for making his own way through. He leapt onto the first pole and climbed to the top! Pulling himself up carefully, he gained his balance and poised himself to spring to the next. He didn't quite make it all the way, but he was able to catch on to the top with his hands, and slam face first into the pole. Several repetitions later, and he was giving a thumbs up to a concerned group of students on the other side, watching him. The winced at the long, red mark down his center.

After that, it was just a matter of dodging the swinging arms of some spinning contraptions. He almost fell once or twice, as dodging was causing him to throw his balance, but he managed to get across.

The final obstacle was deceptively simple. It was a ramp, but as he came up to it and inspected it, he discovered, "it's covered in oil! How devious." Perhaps momentum could help him? He charged it twice, but couldn’t get all the way to the top. He gave himself a moment to rest, remembering what it felt like when he had traction and when he didn’t. What happened when he lost traction. He had to keep from sudden movements..

Try as he might, he couldn't overcome the slippery surface. He wasn't ready to give up, but time was running out! He'd been resting, out of breath, for a short time. He'd regained himself when he watched a girl take a final run at it. There was only time enough for one more attempt, so he joined her.

He made it to the top, but she fell short, only grasping the edge. He'd watched her try very hard on that slope, as well. Her effort should not go in vain.

Quickly, Angus spun himself around to stand in front of her, as he came to the top, "don't worry!" crouched in front of her and grabbed her forearms with a reverse grip, "I've got you!" and pulled her up with reckless abandon! They were almost out of time, he had to hurry!

He may have hurried too much. He'd pitched himself forward and was now going to tumble off, "oh no!"

@Zeroth