- Damian -
Damian struggled to walk through the deep snow. Each step seemed to sink him even deeper; however, along with the roups, they o desd from the top of the icy hill.
As soon as they exited through the security gate, they were unched into the world. All the hundreds of groups were focused on the areas he city to obtain an easy and safe score. However, the groups that wao stand out began to separate to go deeper.
Some walked toward the forest north of the city, while others went south to a terrain with various recesses and caves. Yet no group was foolish enough to go east or west, heading toward the enormous mountains outside the exam area.
Damian looked at his other teammates. "Where are we going?" he asked Armadillo, the boy with a professional name in the market.
He had a power that would generally be useless but was essential for this exam. He could use Energy to send low-impact Seismic Waves and analyze where there were sources of Energy in the region.
This allowed them to avoid oppos but, above all, to find valuable anomalies.
The boy with thick gsses crouched doushed the snow away from the ground, where he ied his bare hand. His face trembled, sometimes seeming pleased and other times t in pain.
'Weird as fuck.' That was all Damian could think about this power. 'But extremely necessary.'
"South. I still don't know what it is, but it seems to emit a lot of Energy," Armadillo said in his nasal voice.
In addition to the two of them, Leo apahe group, listening to everything around the four. To plete the team, there was Anchor—a boy from the first battalion who owed some favors to the Nemo family.
He had been 'hired' as a bodyguard for the group. They wouldn't o battle sihey had two of the best terrain reaissance recruits, but Damian preferred to i in something more secure to ensure safety in case of any 'i.'
Anchor had the power to increase his weight several dozen times, proportionally increasing his density, literally making him a human tank. His ability was already at a level where he could easily be a merary for the Houses; however, he wao graduate as a Ranger, and this was his ce.
Leo stantly moved his head, trying to ge the dire of his ears to better hear what was happening.
"Anything important?" Damian asked.
"Nothing. We're still very close to the roups; they're interfering with the sounds," the boy expined.
Anchor remained impassive and focused on following the group.
As they walked south, they found a vast field, even with some spaces where there was no snoatches of grass appeared.
However, as they were about to advance, Leo raised one of his hands.
"Stop!"
Hiss
Whoosh
A geyser exploded a few meters ahead of them.
"I believe the field must have more of these; follow me," the boy said before they resumed walking.
"We o go there!" Armadillo poio one of the recesses oher side of the field. "That's the entrao a cave."
"Got it," Leo firmed.
They gradually advanced while Armadillo tinued using his gauo mark the positions of the geysers and the cave entrance.
+5 Points - Geyser discovered ?? +5 Points - Cave discovered ?? ? Time remaining: 05:15:32Leo guided the group step by step. "Don't take a siep away from where I'm walking."
As soon as he finished speaking, aneyser erupted, expelling hot water.
Soon, they crossed the field, reag the cave's entrahe opening made it seem like the cave was small and shouldn't have anything special; several others were like it in the region.
"Are we in the right pce?" Damian asked.
"Yes, yes, yes," Armadillo replied with a straement.
They began to desd into the cave, trying not to slip on the small loose stones on the slope. However, something caught the group's attention: although the ground was covered with rocks, the walls seemed made of ice.
"fusing," Armadillo ented. However, he didn't pay much attention and tinued his exploration.
"Damian," Leo called his partner.
"Yes?" The boy looked at him.
"I think we're being followed. There are three roups close to ours, but..." Leo paused for a sed, listening to the sounds around. "But one of them is stantly getting closer; they still seem to be in the geysers' field."
"Hmm." Damian thought for a moment. "Do you think it could be a problem?"
"From what I hear, they seem light; they shouldn't be a bat team. I haven't heard them perform any aggressive as," Leo ented.
"Thehem be. They must just be looking for more points. Since we're ahead aer prepared, we'll get them before they do," Damian replied. "Besides, the points only t for whoever discovers first."
Leo nodded, returning to focus on the sounds he ig up.
"Attention! Goblins ahead. Let's divert to this side of the cave."
--
--
- Oliver -
+1 Point - Terrain discoveredThe notificatio appearing for Isabe as she walked ahead of the group.
Upon reag the pin, the group was also presented with the same problem as the others. Stay he city or advao more distant terrain.
"Staying here will give us a mediocre score," Isabe ented. "I'm only receiving one point when we advao a erritory."
An firmed the notification.
If the four only wao graduate, it would be enough, but everyohere had the ambition to bee Rangers except for An.
"What do we do?" An asked, looking at Oliver. Oliver had iently bee the group's leader by inviting everyohere.
"Let's get out of here," Oliver ented.
"But to the north or south?" Katherine asked.
Oliver looked around, trying to find more information.
"We'll go south. To the north, there seem to be forests. Closed areas like that make surveying difficult and hinder long-distatles," the boy expined his reasoning.
Without any terargument, they began to walk south of the city.
"How are the notifications?" Oliver asked.
"Um, we've received some points, but it seems this territory is already being mapped," An expined.
"Then we must have roups that also came this way. We o speed up our pace," Oliver ented.
The four tried to walk faster but soon noticed they were getting tired from the snow.
After a few more minutes of walking, they reached the field of geysers.
Hiss
Whoosh
"Damn. This is quite dangerous," An ented, seeiions.
However, Oliver's attention was on something else. In the middle of the field, a group was walking, and there was someone he articurly ied in—Damian, among them.
Oliver approached Isabe. "Bel! Bel!"
The girl, who was focused on the field ahead, looked ed.
The boy poio the group. "Was that the boy you heard?"
She squinted her eyes, trying to observe them. It retty difficult, especially with the water jets between the fields. "I-I think so. It's hard to tell from this distance, but I think so."
"Alright," Oliver firmed and began to look at the ground around them. They could see the trampled grass.
'Should I follow them? Would that be the best option for my team or a personal decision?' The boy debated what he o do. 'Let's follow them at least to fierritory. If any opportunity arises, I'll take it. But I o focus on the exam.'
"Guys, look at the ground. There's already a group ahead of us. They've left their footprints marked; step exactly in the same pces," Oliver ahe team.
The boy began to walk ahead, using his vision and agility to navigate between the geysers. Fortunately, the falling water wasn't enough to erase the footprints on the ground, allowing them to advao the other side of the field.
'We tinue further south or keep following them,' Oliver thought.
Before the boy could make a decision, he heard a deafening noise.
Roar
The four turned south, seeing two groups running back toward the field of geysers but being chased by a giant Snow Tiger. The creature quickly leaped over the two groups and nded in the ter of the field, creating a small crater with its weight.
"Mark it," Oliver poio An.
"You two, into the cave." The boy spoke to Katherine and Isabe.
Ag quickly, An grabbed his gau and poi at the monster, marking it on the map.
+15 Points - Snow Tiger discovered ?? ? Captains notified"The Gau called the captains to rescue them," An expined.
"Alright, now it's our turn. Into the cave."
GCLopes
