Demon Wolf

The two dozen trial overseers focused on the blood-soaked girl. Their intense focus lasted but a moment, yet during that fleeting instant Wolf sensed a flood of hostility pouring on the grinning fool. Then, senior disciples resumed their work, pretending nothing had happened.

As Leena’s apprentice sister interviewed the bloodied Minella, Wolf noticed a much greater level of scrutiny, one which turned the formal debriefing into an interrogation.

As Minella finished her briefing, two young women hobbled into the clearing supporting each other. Their faces were pale, their wounds still bleeding.

“You backstabbing bitch,” one screamed as soon as she spotted Minella.

“You robbed us!” the other shouted, pressing her palm to her side with blood oozing between her fingers.

“I robbed nobody. Here.” Minella tossed a pair of holdingring towards the newcomers, her brazen confession drawing even more attention.

I protected these for you," she continued, raising her chin high.

“Order,” the disciple who interrogated Minella shouted. “Come here. Hand over your communication devices.”

She then glanced at the thrown holdingrings, a trace of sympathy leaking into her stern face. “And heal up.”

Wolf kept an ear open, listening as the administrator took the girls’ personal details and their account of what had happened along the way. The three of them had formed a group; several kilometers before the goal, Minella, who watched their backs, launched a sudden attack. She disabled Dora in a single strike, then overpowered the surprised Larine.

Time passed and bloodied humans grew more frequent. Few got wounded fighting Monster Beasts; most suffered sneak attacks, but one group of four fought for their place fairly and the administrator interviewing them nodded in approval while jotting the record.

Two days later, a boy and a girl walked down the paved road holding hands.

“You! Come here.” Leena, the sole remaining proctor, beckoned the young woman.

“Um…” Instead of an excited laugh, the girl hesitated. 

“Go. There’s only one spot,” the boy encouraged her, but she shook her head.

“Excuse me.” She gazed at the stern administrator, giving her the most winning smile she could muster. “Could you admit us both?”

“Sure.” Leena nodded before going through the same routine as with the rest. However, she omitted the communication devices.

Leena stored her desk and ledger before clearing her throat.

“Gather round. The last successful applicants have arrived, concluding the test.” She stood silent for half a minute, before everyone shuffled together.

“The path of cultivation is cruel. To advance, we must trample our enemies and overcome countless challenges. We face enemies and competition every step of the way. However, we are not Monster Beasts. As an orthodox faction, Earth Pavilion’s members can’t betray their word, nor can they betray their friends and companions. Sects can nurture the weak into strong. However, nobody can change your innate character. Our elders have already verified all questionable reports, so please step forward once I call your name.”

Leena called out thirty names. Among them, Wolf recognized two groups of supposedly innocent victims.

“You lot are the scum of mankind who sneak-attacked your companions on your way over. You will be cursed to secrecy before you leave in shame. I recommend seeking unorthodox sects to continue your cultivation.”

Most girls shouted about their families and influence, but Leena did not bat an eye.

“We… we’re innocent. That bitch backstabed us,” Heaval, one of the victims, stuttered.

“The rulings of Earth Pavilion’s elders are final.” Leena kept her voice frosty, but Wolf caught a hint of sympathy in her gaze.

Wait. They rig who’s right and who’s wrong? What the hells is the point of this trial, then? If an elder is sheltering someone, that person will probably rise to power, becoming an elder and forming a vicious cycle.

No.

Their matters aren’t my concern. I require access to their manuals, and I need to climb, to find my way home. These savages can freeze in icy hells for all I care.

Wolf ignored the injustice and the grief in those disappointed faces. He was an impassive bystander, watching Leena’s henchmen lead away those who had failed the trial.

I should keep my distance from these people, regardless of how they label themselves. It’s obvious sheltered brats can betray you free of consequence and ignore the rules. Wolf shifted his gaze towards Jakob. I wonder whether you will push me off a cliff one day?

“As for the rest of you,” Leena addressed the remaining trial takers, interrupting Wolf’s thoughts. “You passed the test of character. Let’s proceed with the realm and aptitude tests.”

With those words, Leena spun on her heel and climbed the wide steps as hundreds of her future juniors followed like sheep.

Wolf noted the happiness of those betrayed. Their grins shone schadenfreude and satisfaction at getting rid of the “backstabbing bitches”.

He also noticed the derisive smirks of those who evaded justice. He could tell they had learned nothing from this experience.

Worse. They learned they can get away with it.

The giant manling flock followed its shepherd and after a thousand steps climbed onto a spacious platform. Just like the square below, two paths flanked the plateau, one branching left, the other right. At the far end, a wide stairway led up, ascending further into the mountain.

The mist still obscured the sight above, only hinting at the peak’s towering majesty. However, the fog below had disappeared, revealing the forest ring, surrounded by the endless, ordered fields and orchards which disappeared into the horizon.

“Take the path to the right and follow it to the end. There, other Earth Pavilion’s disciples will conduct aptitude tests and realm checks. You can’t fail the realm check, and unless your talent is horrid, you will pass the aptitude test.”

Why was I worried? Wolf wondered, staring at Leena’s departing figure. They accepted over half the people. The only real criteria seems to be passing the Spell Formations in two days and not stabbing your buddy in the back.

Wolf winced at that last thought. It’s not a bad way to screen people, I guess. But wait, how did people pass that bewildering Spell Formation? Was it only on the central path? But that’s crazy. Hardly anyone coming from other directions had a tough fight. You can tell by the state of their clothes, if nothing else. They just picked fights they could easily win. So why is the one facing danger head on penalized rather than rewarded?

The way their examination functions, it’s like they want competent people to die while sheltering mediocrity.

Mulling such thoughts, Wolf followed the flock to confirm his estimated realm.

***

Eleanor banged on her mentor’s office door. “Pavilion Master, we have his personal information and the results of his trial.”

She patiently waited for the elderly woman to wake up, recall who she was, who was the person knocking on her door, and who was the ‘he’ Eleanor mentioned.

“Come in,” the words came after Eleanor’s counting reached thirty-seven.

The Earth Pavilion’s chief elder shuddered, and after taking a moment to gather herself, she opened the door.

“Greetings, Pavilion Master. His name is Wolf Hillman,” Eleanor kept the pavilion master’s questions to a bare minimum, both to save time and spare the woman’s dwindling mind. “He hails from outside the Glorious Tyranny, for his realm he stated he was at the peak. However, we don’t know what he meant by that, we will find out soon. My guess is that he knowingly or unknowingly entered the peerless stages. I just hope he hasn’t gone too far in his ignorance.”

Eleanor paused for a moment to give her master time to process the information. In the awkward silence she counted to twenty, pointedly ignoring those murky eyes and heavy bags which had not diminished after days of sleep.

“His combat senses are extraordinary, more so than mine, and his confidence seems limitless. He never hesitated to trade injury for a certain kill, dodging lethal blows by less than a finger’s width multiple times. His attack power is around mid stage Blood Saturating, while the durability of his body seems beyond Tendon Strengthening, meaning he practiced an intermediate or higher quality body refining art to an unknown stage.”

Eleanor started another count to twenty, watching her master’s lips draw into a smile as shocked realization dawned in her dull eyes. I haven’t gotten to the best part yet.

“We have recorded all of his fights. I analyzed them, and I don’t think they are worth your time. Seeing his competence, I activated the grand defensive formation’s Infinite Forest. He shrugged off the bewildering formation designed for Bone Scribing realm masters, even using it as a lecturing material for his companion.”

Eleanor did not delve into details on the Spell Formation. Without a guide, the entire kingdom of Boreo could besiege the Earth Pavilion, never reaching their gates. Yet, a twenty year old passed it without breaking a sweat.

The pavilion master’s smile took several moments to turn into a wide grin. “I want to see the recordings personally. Also, draft the usual offer for an elite disciple we wish to transfer. This time, don’t bother sending the introduction to the top twenty. Send it only to the top six Earth Pavilions, especially the sixth. Leave the terms and description of his abilities blank, I will fill those.”

The murky-eyed woman paused.

“And hurry, secluded worlds will appear shortly, we have to get rid of him before the Blood Saturating ones open. If we don’t, his value will increase, but I won’t live to see it.”

The pavilion master faltered, but Eleanor’s gaze remained impassive. You didn’t mean to say that aloud, did you?

For a moment, she considered the pros and cons of dragging the matter out, letting her master pass away peacefully and then reaping the significant benefits of her pavilion’s raising a star.

Random Roll

sleepydad88 d20+10 backstabbing bastards, turns into 30, I guess Avrae has less faith in humanity than I do.