Chapter 350: Hunter Exam: Theatre of War, VI

"But why are you taking the candidates?" Ned asked, quite confused.

"Well." Tiathe paused. "That's where we get the points. Also, Minron likes challenges so it's a win for me and not you."

The Wood elf then raffled her hair, making sure that she covered either the sides of her head. She looked at Ned still puzzled, perhaps she was thinking if why was she talking to a human.

Before Ned could react she began, "Ned." And paused. "We elves are always honest with ourselves. Even if I hated humans, if someone shows genuine emotions, it was hard for us to let it go. That must be why we are betrayed. It takes a lot of consideration to trust humans—you—but once we did. Well, I say that must be the reason why we are betrayed."

"I won't betray you." Ned held a finger. "Also, I'm here as a candidate... But... Does it ever occur to you to leave? Escape?"

"More than once. But, maybe, after a hundred times of escaping, I realized: 'Where to go if I did escape?'"

"And you gave up."

"And I gave up."

Tiathe pulled the fur of her pelt toward her neck, covering most sides of her ears, or what was left of them.

For a couple of minutes, Ned learned something about the slave. On the collar locked around her neck were Arrays that only respond to a specific Mana. And even if one was a master enough to unlock the collar, which Ned could have done easily, there was a mark engraved behind her neck. This engraved, or burned mark according to Tiathe was like a lock, and the key was left to her master to control her freely. If for some reason that she disobeyed her master, both the collar and the burned mark will react against her will and will shock her. Slowly, putting her in too much agony and wished that she would die, instead.

Ned settled of him of not taking off the collar. She was way better here than the rest of the slaves, Ned supposed. And suppose that he was right. But Ned couldn't be right all the time. He sighed.

Around the granary, the Kruka-toas started to gather around. Ned could hear them croaking as they make a circle around the shelter.

"Don't worry," Tiathe said waving a hand to Ned. "They were looking for me since Minron is about to battle another candidate."

She paused and looked straight at Ned.

"Weren't you bothered?" She asked, looking at Ned weirdly like she still can't believe she was talking casually at him.

"You said it yourself that you don't kil them."

"And you believed that?"

"Why wouldn't I ?"

She gave Ned a long pause, but Ned knew what she was doing. Unlike Sas Koron that couldn't read him, elves were able to feel if someone was lying to them or not.

Moments later, she shook her head and said, "Can't believe the words you were saying were all real. You don't lie do you?"

"It all depends on what I need to achieve," Ned said calmly, "but there's no point for me to lie."

Ned wanted to extract more information about the exam but it seemed that Tiathe was only limited to the information around the encampment.

[I pity her.]

To Ned's surprise, ICE said something she wasn't supposed to.

Ned frowned, trying to divide his attention between the elf and ICE.

Why did you say that? Ned asked inside his mind in response to the curiosity ICE was showing.

"You might be different and—there's this human tongue that suits you well Ned, this—"

"'Weird'," Ned cut her off.

"Yes, 'weird'. Too weird for a human child, but it seemed that..."

[The child elf was like me...]

ICE voice's puts a bit of stress on Ned, she was speaking as though she was more of a human.

In what way? Ned asked in his mind.

[She was like me—string with codes. Only able to move or live by following someone's orders.]

Ned can't argue more with that, it was after all correct in the sense that ICE was created by Calahir in various amounts codes and given to Ned to aid him. On the other hand, Tiathe was a slave that only moves and reacts according to his Master's words. Unable to escape, or have freedom since she was limited on what she can do, or what the codes told her to do.

The two left the granary and went to the center where Minron was fighting another candidate.

Before they reached the center of the encampment, the Kruka-toas were lined on both sides, not showing any kind of surprise.

It seemed that the beasts were used to Tiathe walking along with humans, it also seemed that the looks of disgust on their faces were not even hidden.

Tiathe simply waved her hand and the clamp of beast stood in silence immediately.

Ned tried to peek at the elf, perhaps he was showing something that Ned has yet to notice, perhaps it was all a lie, perhaps this was her way to lure the candidates. But no, Ned didn't saw any hint of contempt, nor lies visible in her face. She was pure, her smile, her eyes. But she was a slave to the humans. Ned sighed just by thinking about humans, her masters, and whatever they have done to her. Aside from her anger before, Ned saw nothing else but innocence.

Ned had the thought of releasing her, but it was soon dismissed after Master Will's face flashed inside his mind.

Of course, Ned thought, my goals come first.

Arriving at the center, Tiathe led Ned to the center, next to the fire pit, on an elevated ground. Above this ground was a chair (more like a throne made of dried vines that were slithering like snakes). In this grotesque-looking throne, Tiathe sat. Crossed her legs and fingered her hair. She gestured for Ned to stand next to her. She ordered the beasts that were surrounding to go back to the granary.

Only seconds have passed after the pair of Kruka-toas went back with a wooden crate full of the Storing Orb.

"There," Tiathe said after the pair of beasts dropped down the wooden crate. Crystals jiggle from the inside. The pair of magical beasts left with a snicker looking down at Ned. They ought to look down at him since they were, at the minimum, 6 feet tall: a couple of inches taller than Ned. "500 points of orbs and an added 200 for the rest of the orbs we have gathered from other candidates."

Ned have already 200 points of Mana stored in his orb, and an additional 700 from Tiathe would make his life better in the first phase of the exam. This means all he needed to worry about was 100 to reach a thousand points while making his way to the center. Not bad, Ned thought.

"Defeat Minron is all I needed to have the 700 points?"

"Correct," Tiathe waved a hand, then Minron started to ram towards the bloodied, and obviously terrified candidate. "But there's more."

"Won't she die?" Ned said after realizing that Minron was not gonna stop any second.

The minotaur rammed his head to the terrified candidate. The candidate raised her hand with a staff she held thinking that her stick would stop a thousand-pound beast.

It didn't stop Minron, but a barrier she conjured made of Terra magic crumbled to pieces and reduced the strength of his ram. Still, throwing the candidate to the iron cage across the other side.

Ned could barely hear audible voices from the cages, but he noticed the captives in the middle cages were worried about the female candidate.

The staff she held broke to half, becoming useless. But not the minotaur. Minron jumped, leaving dust on the ground, and landed before the female mage.

"You should stop it," Ned said, although he doesn't know who the female candidate was. It was still disappointing to see someone die for no big reason. She could always give up and try her luck in the next year's Hunter Exam.

Tiathe only looked down at Ned as she sat on her dried throne. She didn't bother to stop the minotaur as the double-edged ax hacked the female candidate's leg.

The scream of pain rebounded the sides of the shelters. Her scream was too loud it went between the cheers of the magical beasts that were surrounding the center.

"The only difference between you and the other candidates, Ned is that... you stand beside me while they were locked inside. Aside from that, your goals are all the same... So? Do you want to proceed or not?"

Ned talked to himself for a second, although Tiathe approved of him, she was after all a slave bound to the words of her master. So, whatever Ned does, even if they become friends or not with the elf, he got to do what he got to do as a candidate.

Ned sighed looking at the elf. Her eyes, under the fine threads of her blonde hair, gleamed with an anger that was difficult for her to hide. But when she started to stare down at Ned for a long time, her face seemed to loosen up a bit.

She bit her lips, as though a sudden change occurred in her eyes, there was more, more like lust. "I'll take your silence means a yes," she said.

Another silence, but Ned's fingers rubbed the hilt of his sword.

"Yes, indeed... Then... " She paused and raised her hands, in a circular motion that made Minron stopped his arms as big as a log and looked at her. For a moment, the minotaur stopped killing her. "The 700 points or the lives of the humans?"