Noctis C to B Exam

Dear Mr. X’ail,

First of all I want to congratulate you on the speed of your growth. If you keep developing your abilities at this pace you will have a bright future ahead of you.

That said upon review of your performance up until this point it has become apparent to us that you have difficulty using your abilities in the midst of combat. As mages of Sabertooth our tasks will often involve defending the populace and each other against various threats which can only effectively be dealt with using hard methods, regretful as that may be.

To that end we have devised a trial which will focus on the importance of both protecting others and protecting yourself. Furthermore the trial will be impossible to successfully complete without the usage of your abilities. A protector who can survive their ordeals can continue to protect more lives in the future, and during the most challenging of times it is the most important that you can act without hesitation.

If you follow the instructions attached to this missive you will find yourself in a large round chamber near the top of Yggdrasil. In the middle of this chamber there will be three pillars of magically infused stone. Your task is to protect these pillars.

Upon confirmation that you are prepared the chamber will be locked and sealed for the duration of the exam. Magic seals will also prevent escape through supernatural means. Throughout the exam entities will spawn: some of them will attempt to break the pillars, others will attempt to render you unconscious. However no lasting harm will be done by them.

The exam will last for one quarter of an hour. You will have succeeded if by the end of that time at least one pillar remains standing and you yourself are still conscious.

I wish you good luck in your exam.

Yours sincerely,

Shirokawa Itori

The trial chamber in question is made of smooth grey stone and illuminated by small lachrima along the edge of the ceiling which emit a clear blue-silver light. The three pillars in the middle of the chamber are circular, with a diameter roughly equal to a grown man’s shoulder width, and they reach up to your chest. They’re made of a darker stone than the chamber and appear to be embedded into the floor with lines of glowing blue magic running through them.

When the exam begins the door will disappear. Fresh air will be supplied. The chamber is large enough that you should be able to fight freely regardless of your preferred combat style. The enemies which will spawn throughout the trial are called wraithbeasts, ethereal creatures that mimic the appearance and behaviour of various animals. Ghostly boars will attempt to destroy the pillars while spirit bears will try to attack Noctis himself. You can add other apparitions if you want, as long as they share the trait that they ignore physical attacks and defences.

The pillars can resist a handful of attacks each before shattering.

The bears are sufficiently strong that while Noctis should have little issue dealing with them one at a time he should have some difficulty handling several at the same time even if he uses his abilities. While their attacks will hurt if they connect they drain Noctis’s stamina rather than harm him.

The purpose of this exam is to help Noctis become more comfortable using his abilities for the purpose of combat while emphasizing Sabertooth’s goal of acting as protectors.

This exam requires a minimum of 1,000 words.

Good luck.