Akryn nodded to Zack, taking a deep breath before pushing open the first gate to go in, his hand instantly going to the hilt of his black star cutter. Five monsters, meant to prove that Akryn could indeed be a respectable B rank wizard huh? Akryn was incredibly excited by the simple idea of being recognized as a B rank wizard, a feat he had accomplished in a rather short amount of time being in Blue Pegasus, compared to how long he was D rank in eclipse soul. It struck him then how much losing the vote to be the guild master of eclipse soul, and having Xierak and Akeya to rely on him, had affected him and his drive. In eclipse, he had been driven for vengeance, wanting to complete his mission and vanquish scorpion tail. But as much as he had wanted that, it had seemed somewhat distant, and it failed to push him like his current tasks and goals did. With a smile, Akryn drew his sword, as a massive, waddling bear like creature came out of the shadows. It roared, a typical bear reaction, but then it roared again, this time from its gut! Its massive belly split open, revealing two rows of massive, drooling teeth, each tooth with its own separate little mouth!, all of which screamed at Akryn.
"Well.....shit." He muttered to himself as he slid one foot back. "A Mountain Belly Biter. That's one hell of a catch right there, and normally would be a nasty opponent." Akryn admitted, slipping his sword to his right hand, and pulling a dagger from behind him, holding it in an under handed style grip. Belly Biters were strong, specializing in grabbing an opponent and letting that massive mouth on its gut rip the person to shreds. But they were also notoriously stupid and slow. Akryn smirked a bit as he rushed forward, As the Belly Biter roared again and swung one of its massive paws, Akryn dropped to his knees, sliding under the attack with relative ease, swiping black star cutter up and across, aimed at the beasts gut, just over the lip, his dagger slashing up at the swiping paw. The dagger connected solidly, digging a deep red line in the monsters fur and flesh, but with unnatural speed, the biters jaw snapped open, and then shut, on the blade of his sword trapping it.
Akryn let go of his sword however, coming out of his slide and thrusting his free hand up, palm first, into the underside of the creatures belly jaw. With shocking power, the belly biter was sent up, off of the ground, and back, to slam into the next gate, cracking the hinges and dropping Akryns sword. Akryn was already moving by then though, snatching up his sword and leaping into the air, spinning a complete circuit to slash both of his blades at the downed creature, cutting its neck, chest, belly lips, arms, and thighs in one rapid run, going through the beast it seemed to leap back off of the wall to land in the center of the room, just in time for blood to erupt from the creature before it fell and collapsed to the ground, blood pouring from the body to start pooling on the floor.
Akryn smirked a bit, whipping his blades to the side to get the blood off of them, before resheathing them and going to the next gate. Akryn shoved open the bent gate, stepping in to a room completely frosted over, with a massive, white bear sitting in the middle. Akryns jaw fell as he stared at the creature, with shimmering fur and ice cones hanging from its chin. A Frostbite, a beast related to his own wolf friend Eris. Frostbites, unlike belly biters, were creatures of good. They often led packs of Winter Watchers, and packed a considerable punch. Capable of speech, limited ice magic, and the ability to charge straight through solid stone buildings with ease. Akryn had absolutely no intention of fighting this thing, and for a moment seriously considered turning around right then and there. He simply couldn't do it! Akryn bowed to the creature, lowering his eyes in respect and backing away, before stopping as the beast spoke.
"You smell of magic boy. Old....forgotten magic. Come here cub, allow this old one to see you more clearly." The frostbite said, tilting its head and sniffing the air. Akryn obeyed, stepping forward towards the creature, still stunned that Zack had such a creature here, or that he wanted Akryn to fight it! The bear sniffed at Akryn for a moment before relaxing once more, staring at Akryn with curiousity and surprise. "You smell.....of djinn." The bear said, Akryns eyes widening in surprise, as he quickly cast a look around, to make sure no one, namely Zack, had heard the statement. "I am only half djinn, mighty frostbite, a secret I was ordered to keep for a time. How is it you can tell? My grandfathers blood is muddled and hidden, how did you know?" he asked, more than a bit concerned.
The bear let out a growling chuckle as it laid down. "The scents of magic stay with an individual for a lifetime, and for a frostbite, those scents can be picked up and singled out with ease. It is not you, but your grand father I smell. As well as the burning winds of Sin and the over whelming scent of a dragon. Truly yours is a story I might like to hear some day. But for now, I must wonder why you are here. Has the quick one sent you down here for a test? He finds that to be quite a good habit, though I would disagree. Pitting a single man against a few beasts is hardly a fitting test for a mage or warrior. You seem to be both. So tell me young man, why should I allow you to pass? If th quick one sent you here, he truly believes you can win, and you likely have the might to slay me. But you do not seem to have the heart for slaying me. Admirable. But you seem to be detrmined, despite your reluctance. Tell me of your secret, boy. Tell me why it is you seek to grow stronger."
Akryn looked at the frostbite before sitting down, deciding that if anyone could be told, it was this creature. He had been planning to tell his friends and allies anyway, might as well rehearse. "Very well. My name is Akryn Motomiji, grand son of former scorpion tail guild master, Genryusei Toblerone, a soul djinn, as was my mother, Mirajane Motomiji. I seek more power to complete my mission, the mission given to me by my grand father. Twenty years ago, Genryusei Toblerone forsaw the coming destruction of his guild and family, and performed an ancient, and forbidden spell, one that forced him out of fiore and into hiding. My grandfather made a deal with the devil. The souls of my family and guild are currently bound to Genryusei Toblerone, their former guild master. Their bodies are held by Alphonse Mirasol, the current guild master of scorpion tail, and their murderer. If I can find this man, his true form, not one of his puppets, and defeat him, then I can release their bodies and give them peace, perhaps life again. I intend to ask my friends and allies for help in this when I am done here. Will you let me pass?" Akryn asked, feeling at ease with the frostbite for some reason.
The mighty bear listened to Akryn and his story quietly, taking it all in before sitting up to look Akryn in the eye. "What you are attempting to do young man.....will change you, as a man. You seek to destroy a great evil and save the lives yet to be lost. But evil like you seek is cancerous, controlling, and spreads with great speed and power. What you are attempting has the potential to change the face of this land, and a great many lives. I will not stand in your way, disapprove as I might. But proceed with caution, and bear in mind the damage that may yet be wrought." The Frostbite said, jerking its head and making the next gates open up for Akryn, before it would flop back down again. "When you succeed here, and I have confidence that you shall, tell the quick one to find better testing methods. And should you succeed in your quest, do return to me. It sounds like a tale I would much like to hear."
Akryn smiled before standing and then bowing to the bear once more, before proceeding on to the next room. He was glad he hadn't had to fight it honestly. Frostbites were good creatures, and this world needed all the good it could get. That thought was reinforced as Akryn entered the next room and got an eye full of the next beastie. His jaw dropped, and he instantly drew his sword and a dagger. A saber toothed savage, one of the most vicious and violent creatures native to fiore. It already was slowly pacing back and forth, drool slipping from its exposed teeth, its pale, pupilless eyes boring into Akryn. This thing was a predator, nearly hunted to extinction, and for good reason.. Possesing a fair amount of intelligence, and seeming to enjoy causing pain, saber toothed savages had earned that title due to their absolutely ruthless behavior, and not a single man or woman had ever mourned the loss of these creatures.
With a snarl, the monster suddenly rushed in, swinging its head side to side as it did. Unlike most sabertooth creatures, the savages teeth were sharped, and cut like daggers when the head was swung like that. Akryn was forced to start hopping back, away from the swipes, and then was forced to start jumping as well as the paws came into play! Even as he hopped, skipped, and jumped, his blades went to furious work, pumping rapidly back and forth, deflecting the tail that swung, again and again and again. These things were usually best to fight from afar, as the sheer number of attacks it could bring in at close range would out do almost any warrior.
Even Akryn was being hard pressed, but he was just starting to get into trouble as he leapt a paw, only to have it come back in from the side, to get back handed.....pawed in the hip as he was descending, with enough force to send him tumbling away to smash into the gate, producing a clang. Before Akryn got back up, the monster was on him, straddling him and trying to sink its saber teeth into the side of his head. Akryn let go of his sword and snatched his free hand up, closing it into a fist and punching at the side of the savages head. His free hand was the one with the red glove on it. Wind would blast out of the glove, blasting the massive cat away from his body and throwing it away to smash into a wall.
Both Akryn and the saber tooth savage were back on their feet quickly, Akryn with his sword back in hand, and the two began circling once more, eyeing one another. Akryn was wary of this creature, and it was only the third one. Akryn pushed those thoughts aside though as the monster rushed him again, and he rushed it, spinning as they neared to swinghis sword at the creatures shoulder, dodging to the left as he did so, barely dodging a vicious swing of the teeth. Bot Akryn and the creature were right back at it though, spinning on a dime to start swiping at one another. Normlly the savage would have had the advantage, being a living, breathing weapon and all. But Akryn was also a living, breathing weapon, and anyone watching the battle would have been treated to an absolutely wonderful display of martial prowess and animal ferocity, from both combatants. Dagger met tooth, paw was blocked by leg, and tail was batted aside, again and again. But as the battle continued, the savage began to weary, blood seeping from an ever increasing number of wounds starting to slow its reactions, lessen its attacks, and weaken its resolve.
In a sudden flash, Akryn was on the other side of the savage, his sword raised as if he had just slashed from lower left to upper right. He and the savage froze for just a bit, holding their positions before blood erupted from the savages side, and the beast collapsed, breath gasping out of its lungs as it began kicking, trying futilely to keep itself from dieing. Akryn in comparison had only a small cut on his side. He touched it softly, trying to gauge how much damage there was to his own body. It seemed like no serious damage had been done. But with a sigh of apprehension, Akryn looked at the fourth gate. A saber tooth savage was no weak creature. Such creatures had killed past heroes, and laid wastes to whole villages. If Akryn had not scored that first hit on its shoulder, resulting in the blood loss, then even he may not have won that fight, at least not without some more serious injuries. "This is the B rank exam huh? Makes me think of the jobs I took with the team. Difference is, then I had the team." He muttered before sheathing his weapons. He then did something wholly unexpected. He undid his belt and harness and let all his blades fall to the ground before making his way to the next gate.
Akryn was powerful, far more physically powerful than he had ever shown before. Swords and magic knives were nice, yeah, but right now they were simply in the way. He could not afford to hold back here, not in this fight. "Zack.....If you are watching this, then forgive me." He said as he pushed open the next gate and stepped inside.
He was almost immediately forced back out of the room again as a massive, tusked creature slammed into him, driving him back. Akryns saving grace was the fact that Akryn caught the tusks, keeping them from impaling his body. That did not keep him from being smashed into the third gate, denting it back the other way, the hinges cracking off of the stone, as its jaws snapped viciously at Akryn. "ARE YOU SHITTING ME??? ARE YOU SHITTING ME???" He shouted, hoping Zack heard him. A bosconian charger. "OF EVERYTHING YOU PUT IN THIS SIX TIMES CURSED, THRICE FORGOTTEN, PIT FROM SATANS ANUS, YOU PUT IN A BOSCONIAN CHARGER??? I GET OUT OF HERE AND I AM KICKING YOUR ASS ZACK!!!!" Akryn screamed as he began twisting his arms, using the monsters tusks as handles, as he attempted to twist the behemoths head and neck, trying to get some leverage or room to move and breathe.
Logically of course, a bosconian charger was the next step up from a saber tooth savage. That logic was not a comfort to Akryn at the moment as the beast used sheer power to twist its head back and slam forward, driving its tusks on either side of Akryn, and its snout into Akryns gut, where the teeth got a firm, painful hold on his flesh. The charger pulled back, holding Akryn by a painful bit of skin, fat, and muscle, before it would begin to shake its head vigorously.
Akryn let out a cry of pain, one hand letting go of a tusk to grab the beasts hair, trying and pulling hard and desperately in an attempt to escape the bite. Suddenly, the charger would toss its head and let go, throwing Akryn across the room, slamming into the ground and sliding across it for a few feet, curling in a ball to hold his damaged gut. He didn't have long to react however as the beast came rushing in again ,tusks lowered, and Akryn, on instinct, shot a foot out, aiming to kick the thing in the snout to try and slow it. What he got for his troubles was his foot clamped firmly in the monsters jaws, Again the creature whipped its head back and forth, whipping akryn around by his leg, causing him extreme pain before throwing him once more. Akryn hit the ground and rolled, this time coming up on one foot and a knee though, so he could meet the next charge, grabbing the tusk once more but still being forced back. This time however, Akryn was more prepared, and as the moster pushed, Akryn would begin to thrust his head forward, again and again and again, battering the chargers skull with stone shattering force. Eventually the beast stopped pushing and stumbled back and shook its head, giving Akryn room to breathe finally.
Akryn was suddenly glad that he had left his weapons in here though, as with a thought, the seven cuts erupted from their sheathes and flew up into the air, before driving back down, ferociously, all seven diving into the chargers back. The beast roared in pain, and thenn howled as the blades would begin to spin and twist in the monsters flesh. But even for all the damage the knives caused, Akryn knew that they would be far from enough to finish the beast off. He rushed along the wall, using it as balance, as he hurried towards his sword, laying on the ground. He did not make it though as the chager obeyed its name and charged him, slamming one of its massive shoulders into his side before grabbing his good leg, twisting, and throwing Akryn across the room again.
Akryn rolled along the floor again before activating his wind walk spell, using gusts of wind under his feet to suddenly start hovering over the ground, using his hand to catch himself as he glared at the charger. Even with the seven cuts burrowing into its back, it had found time to attack Akryn. "Fine.' He muttered to himself as he raised his fists, a circling gust of wind suddenly surrounding him. "No more kids gloves."
Akryn began slowly circling around the charger as it stomped and punched the ground, before both combatants would charge each other again. The charger would rise up onto its hind feet as it neard, raising its large hands and swinging at Akryn, who neatly dodged under the first swing, throwing tqwo quick jabs at his opponents muscular underside, before being driven back by a downward slam, but rushing back in again, throwing two left jabs and a right straight in rapid succession before sliding down and towards the left, under another swing two deliver two more jabs at the monsters ribs.
Akryn suddenly raised his arms defensivly, just in time to take a massive forearm to his own forarms, sending him flying back across the room to smash into the room, before another massive fist would slam into his gut, producing a spray of red from his mouth, before the monsters jaws would snap in, trying to dig its tusks into akryns neck. it instead caught an uppercut to its jaw, forcing it to stumble back, as Akryn suddenly jumped high into the air, his wind walk ability letting go much higher than any normal human could hope to jump. The charger looked up at Akryn and roared, beating its chest before Akryn would flip through the air, using his wind walk and gravity to shoot down at the charger like a rocket, throwing a hard, mean right hook, shooting between the monsters grasping hands to connect solidly with its face. But one punch wasn't enough, as Akryn would begin to throw punch after punch, unleashing a vicious barrage of fists, elbows, palms, and soon knees, hammering down at the monster with a sudden burst of absolute brutality, matching the chargers savageness with his own savageness.
After nearly five minutes of this barrage, Akryn would finallty land on the ground, ending his wind walk spell, and allowing the monster to fall over to the ground with a resounding crash, its face, shoulders, neck, and upper chst unrecognizable and completely destroyed. Akryn breathed hard before dropping to one knee, trying to regain his breath and stamina. What on earth, he wondered to himself, whatr on earth could be next??? Only one creature came to mind, and the idea did not sit well with him.
Akryn sat there on the floor, taking stock of his injuries. Three of the four had been defeated with no real injuries. The fourth had likely fractured his leg and crushed his abdominal muscles. He was bleeding well from both injuries, and had a hard time standing. His mobility and abdominal strength were fairly shot, and his balance was as well. "If this is a nitro, I am in a lot of trouble." Akryn muttered before slowly standing up and hobbling towards the gate.
Akryn slowly opened the gate and stepped inside, ready for a fight, befored sighing as he saw the creature inside. A Nitro. A demon, a smart one with high levels of intelligence and martial prowess. Of every monster he had faced, this thing was the biggest threat. A B rank monster, one stronger than any mage he had faced thus far, except maybe Malvis, the scorpion tail ace he had faced before.
Without a word, both Akryn and the monster slid into a fighting stance Quite suddenly they would rush each other, Akryn throwing a punch that was easily turned aside, as the nitro brought its leg up for a kick, which Akrynblocked by lowering his elbow, blocking the strike, before shooting his arm straight out, aiming to punch the beast in the gut. The beast blocked the blow, snapping its head forward at the same time that Akryn did. Their forheads collided, producing a cracking sound from both of their heads, and they stumbled back and away, before both would rush in again. Nitro stiffened his fingers, jabbing its claws at Akryns chest and gut in rapid succession, as Akryn weaved back and forth, dodging the blows before suddenly rushing close, throwing an elbow at the monsters jaw. The monster took the blow and spun away, raising a foot in a back heeled kick. Akryn flipped backwards, dodging it and giving space, but he crumpled when he landed, his injured leg unable to support the weight of the landing. Akryn looked up just in time to get Nitros knee to his face, sending him tumbling away, a kick nailing him in the gut before he could recover, sending him through the air to smash into the wall, cracking the stone, before yet anoher kick nailed him, driving him through the wall and back into the fourth room again. Akryn rolled along the ground, finally stopping ad slowly trying to force himself up to his hads and knees, turning to look over at the slowly advancing monster.
In his injured state, Akryn was over matched here and he knew it. But he was still holding back. He hung his head for a moment before standing slowly, cursing himself. "Zack.....if you can see this, forgive me for holding back. Grandfather....forgive me for what I am about to do. I must win. I have to win." Akryn said as he raised his hands out to the sies, hands open and fingers extended. He would then cross his left leg across the other and then twist his hips slightly.
The monster roared and charged in at Akryn, raising a fist. But as it drew near, Akryjn suddenly started spinning forward, using one hand to shove aside the fist as he spun to the side, striking the creatures back with his other hand before straightening and tensing his legs, suddenly lunging in at the beast from behind, his stance changing entirely as he drove his fingertips into the monsters back, then striking the same way with the other hand, repeating the strike multiple times before leaping back as the beast spun, swinging a back handed fist.
Akryn resumed his stance, but his eyes widened in surprise as the nitro suddenly assumed the same pose. He knew that these things were supposed to learn fast, but damn, he had certainly not expected a learning speed like that! Still, as fast and strong as this thing was, it wasn't Akryn, and it could only learn what it saw. "So, don't use the same trick twice, easy enough I suppose." Akryn said as he suddenly rushed in, his opponent doing the same. Akryn jabbed his hand at the nitro, fingers stiffened like daggers, only for the nitro to do the same, but at an angle to intercept, and divert Akryns strike, before its other arm would shoot in towards Akryns throat.
Akryn caught the incoming hand and twisted his arm, twisting the wrist painfully, and twisting the nitros arm. It responded by jumping and flipping, fixing the angle of its arm before snapping a foot up, aimed for Akryns temple. Akryn released the wrist and brought up his left hand to block the kick, using his right to reach over and grab the ankle. Akryn then ducked under the leg, putting his shoulder in the crook of the knee, pulling on the ankle, tilting to one side, and rising, using his strength and the angle to throw the nitro through the air.
The nitro flew through the air in a cart wheel before hitting the wall, with his feet, and lunging back in at Akryn, thrusting with his claws again. Akryn bent to the side, but then feel backwards as his abdomen and leg gave out, putting him squarely on his rump. The nitro rolled past Akryn, but regained its feet quickly, spun, and dove at the downed Akryn once more. Akryn swung his hips, throwing his legs into a circle around, and then over his body, forcing the nitro back ,before Akryn would launch off the ground with his arms, landing on his good leg and raising his arms once more.
The nitro was on him again in an instant, and Akryn was furiously back pedaling, his hands snatching back, forth, up, down, across, batting aside the vicious, pointed jabs with those dangerous claws. In retaliation, Akryn turned asie another blow, before bending his arm and rushing in with an elbow, right behind his opponents jab. The nitro took the blow between the eyes and stumbled back, but managed to raise its arms once more in time to block Akryns spinning kick, before hopping back and raising its claws once more.
This time however, its was Akryn who was on the offensive, snapping a series of powerful, and quick, jabs at his opponents face, adding a few straights every now and then. But as Akryn continued the barrage, the speed of his attacks increased, as did the variety. Soon, elbows, palm strikes, collapsing punches, headbutts, knees, kicks, and even the occasional shoulder charge. Soon, the nitro was being forced back, back pedaling away from Akryn as it attempted to ward off his barrage, unsuccessfully. The Nitro was strong, and a deadly creature. but Akryn was no longer holding back, and each blow hit with bone shattering force, no, stone shattering force, each blow came in almost to fast for the nitro to see, even with its enhanced vision and reflexes. Akryn was fighting harder than he had even with Zack, and the nitro simply could not keep up with that kind of skill and power.
Soon enough, the nitro had run out of room to retreat, and its eyes widened in the realization that it was now trapped. Blow after blow rained in, some successfully picked off, but plenty of them getting through, bruising the body and cracking the bone. With each blow, the nitro slowed, its reactions slowing and its deflections coming in later and later. Soon it was unable to block, instead taking the beating, as Akryn pounded it viciously
Cracks began to appear in the stone wall behind the nitro, cracks, and then outwards dents, and then pieces would begin to fall away. Soon after, blood would begin to leak through. Soon after that, chunks of stone would begin to fall. In no time at all, the nitro had been pounded through the stone wall, quite dead, but Akryn was still going, his endless barrage smashing the monster to a featureless paste, and yet he continued his attack.
Soon the beast was against the next wall, with the same kind of attack and damage to the wall continuing, before Akryn pounded the beast through that wall as well. By time it reached the next wall, an arm had fallen off and its beak was in absolute pieces. As it was pounded through the next wall, a leg was gone. Six walls were pounded through, and the nitro was in various pieces strewn throught three different rooms and completely unrecognizable.
Akryn stood in the third room, his fist embedded in the stone wall, as he leaned against it, covered in blood and panting hard. It was over. he had completed Zacks mission, finally, and with most of his body still intact. He wasn't even going to pretend it wasn't hard, because it most certainly had been hard. But with a grin, Akryn realized that he could probably go more. It spoke well for his stamina. Good. He would need that stamina in the upcoming events that he had planned. Stamina, and allies.
With a deep breath, Akryn dislodged his fist from the stone wall and slowly began making his way towards the exit, taking just a moment to collect his weaponry and gear, before heading to where Zack likely was at. He had passed Zacks little test. Now it was time to get even better.
![Grand Master [2000]](https://i.imgur.com/SGD5XSW.png)
![Master [1000]](https://i.imgur.com/AQXM4xC.png)
![Senior [500]](https://i.imgur.com/Nmfn8cD.png)
![Novice [250]](https://i.imgur.com/lrYlde6.png)
