Aura, who was in the middle of digesting the information that Chloe had given her about the Void Spawn and life-form sensor, narrowed her eyes when she heard a Voice announce that one minute was left before the trials start.
Placing the swords across her back, she felt the suit magnetically lock the blades in place. She left her perch on the rock, walking a few meters away.
"Chloe, get ready as soon as the Trial starts I want the life-form sensor scanning" Aura instructed.
[Affirmative]
Aura waited in silence, her nerves on edge, made worse by her emotions, a mix of worry, fear and excitement.
Then the anticipated notification came.
[Starting Trial]
[Timer activated]
[Teammate tracking is now enabled and the pickup point has been marked on your sensors]
Aura immediately activated Object Weave, and suddenly, she could sense everything around her. The pebbles littering the ground, the boulders and the small insects hiding underneath, even the swords on her back. She felt them all and instinctively knew with but a thought they would respond to her will.
Aura didn't waste time. She selected 10 pebbles, all roughly the size of a small fruit, and imagined picking them all up. She felt a small pulling force lift them off the ground as they settled into a stationary orbit around her.
Aura lifted her wrist and noted that the timer was now counting down…no time for practice…she thought…now for a direction… "Chloe.." she began but stopped as a voice echoed in her head.
[Detecting one teammate's signal to your left 3 kilometres away.]
"Time to move then" stated Aura, and started jogging in the direction of her teammate, jumping over smaller boulders and skirting around the larger ones. The pebble-littered surface of the planet didn't help, making traversing tough.
Despite this inconvenience, she practised controlling the pebbles. Starting with one, she began moving it up, down, sideways, and in any possible way she could conceive, familiarising herself with the spells' usage and controlling more as her confidence grew.
Unfortunately, the trial was not going to wait for her to master a spell. The sensor's proximity warnings activated.
[Void spawn approaching from the front, 6 targets]
Aura stopped at Chloe's warning, scanning the area ahead of her. The faint clicking of claws on pebbles and menacing growls reached her in between the almost consistent thunder.
The sensors warnings change, becoming more insistent. An unnatural energy swept through the air, hair instinctively raising along her arms under the combat suit. Something deep inside her screamed a warning that what approached was highly dangerous.
Aura took the swords from her back, holding them at the ready, just as six Void Spawn materialised ahead from behind boulders.
Purple-black energy pulsed through them as glowing void crystals darted within their wolf-like forms, fangs gleaming. They surged towards her in a loose V-formation.
[Six Void Spawn, 10 meters, crystals active]
Aura griped her swords as Chloe's warning echoed through her mind, her heart pounding with fear…crystals only…limbs reform..she reminded herself. Her orbit of pebbles widened and circled faster, acting as a deterrent.
However, the lead Void spawn ignored it, leaping over, targeting her, jaws snapping, she side stepped, pebbles crunching under her feet, and thrusted a sword at its crystal, grazing it.
The pack responded by fanning out, attempting to flank her.
Aura quickly shot two pebbles, targeting two void spawns on her left, cracking one crystal faintly. Then, she tightened the pebble's orbit as she dodged claws, retreating behind a boulder.
[Six Void Spawn, 5 Meters, one crystal damaged]
With Chloe's warning in mind, she crouched, taking cover. Aura refocused, fear easing as she tracked the glowing crystals.
Two void spawns suddenly became ethereal, weaving through her defence orbit, then solidified charging.
[Two Void Spawn, 3 meters, one crystal damaged]
Chloe warned. Aura launched four pebbles, two cracking a crystal. She dashed forward, her sword shattering it; purple energy rippled as it crumbled…one down…five left…she tallied.
The pack circled, one lunging. Aura cast Chrono Shift, and time rippled as all crystal movements slowed. Three pebbles hit the lunging beast's already cracked crystal, shattering it.
The remaining four turned incorporeal, circling faster. Aura lifted a handful of ground pebbles, shooting them outward, forcing two to solidify, then moved to open ground, swords ready
[Four Void Spawn, 4 meters]
The four Void Spawn swarmed, crystals glowing, shifting intangible to dodge her pebbles; they circled, then attacked together.
Aura briefly directed the surrounding pebbles, interrupting their attack, grazing a crystal. Pressing the advantage, she charged, sending five pebbles flying. With time slowing the crystals further, they hit, cracking it apart. A sword embedded in another… four down…two to go…Navi..she was determined to survive.
The remaining two flickered ethereal, evading the pebble wave, then solidified in a pincer move, claws slashing
Aura vaulted a boulder, spraying ground pebbles to blind one. Four pebbles cracked the second beast's slowed crystal, and her sword thrust shattered it.
The last one pounced, shifting forms as it attacked. A pebble cracked its crystal as she parried a bite. The beast landed growling, lunged, and attacked again.
Her pebbles shot forward, with Chrono Shift effects still locking its crystal. They struck, cracking it, followed by her swords splitting the crystal. Energy rippled, then faded.
[No Void Spawn detected, teammate 2 kilometres ahead. Mana reserves: 11.5 casts remaining]
At Chloe's observation, Aura's legs gave out as she collapsed to the ground, adrenaline slowly fading…I survive…because of my training…if I didn't have that… even with spells…it would be a nightmare…not that it already isn't…after all, it was one battle…Her thoughts drifted…I guess Father was right about all that training.
Her father was a high-ranking officer in the military, and he had insisted that she choose one weapon to specialise in. She also received basic defence training, her father's reason, because of an incident that befell her mother, but he refused to discuss it. Aura was pulled from her thoughts by Chloe,
[Warning staying here is unadvisable]
"Yeah, let's go find my friends", Aura agreed as she stood up, placing her sword across her back. She surveyed her surroundings before continuing her trek towards her teammates…I wonder who it is…she hope it was Navi…regardless i hope everyone is ok…Aura thought as her concern for Navi and the others pushed her forward. She kept her pebbles orbiting, ready for the next inevitable battle.
********************
Several kilometres in a different direction, a young man with purple hair and duel knives could be seen running. Chasing him were five Void spawn, and they were closing in fast.