Grim'Lok walks through the forest with Nay right beside him. "This exam is kinda easy right?" His words are laced with confidence. "You think the rest of the exam is gonna be that easy?" Nay says as she scans the forest for threats.
"If everyone's as weak as the last guy then yeah of course," Grim'Lok says as he slows down to Nay's pace, grabbing her arm to stop her from walking.
"I feel like we haven't talked much since I came back to the dojo. I've been so laser focused on getting stronger I guess I've neglected everything else." Grim'Lok's voice quivers slightly before giving her a determined look "I'm gonna make it up to you.".
Nay looks into his eyes and smiles. "Don't even worry about it. We gotta get to this checkpoint so let's hurry."
Suddenly an explosion is heard nearby, followed by a small shockwave that follows after. "We should hurry." Nay says as she takes a step forward, before a presence causes her to freeze.
"Yes you should hurry to the checkpoint!" A high pitched voice is heard and Grim'Lok quickly turns around, Nay doing the same. They see a tall, lanky man wearing a tattered cloak and a featureless white mask with black swirls on it. "Hello Grim'Lok!" The man says, causing Grim'Lok's eyes to widen.
"How do you know my name?" Grim'Lok asks, and his fists clench. "I know many things, Grim'Lok. How are you doing today Nay?" Upon hearing her name Nay shuffles closer to Grim'Lok.
The cloaked man begins to flicker and distort as he fades into nothingness.
"Who are-" Grim'Lok couldn't even finish his sentence before he was interrupted, "Zeru Kagemura, but I'm known around as The Faceless Phantom." Zeru appears a few feet in front of them, with a sing-song voice that irritates Grim'Lok as Chikara starts forming around his fists.
"What do you want?" Nay demands as she starts summoning her Chikara to her legs.
"To see Grim'Lok and that mark in action." Zeru's voice is cheerful as Grim'Lok's eyes widen in confusion. "How do you know about that?" Grim'Loks voice is harsh like the growl of a wolf.
Zeru laughs, before suddenly stopping. "I told you I know everything right?" His high-pitched voice drops to a calm, serious one. "I think it's funny actually."
The ground under Grim'Lok starts to crack as his anger starts to rise. "What the hell are you talking about!"
Zeru stays silent which causes Grim'Lok to dash at him angrily, his arm covered in Chikara. "Answer me!"
Grim'Loks punch phases through Zeru's entire body "Did you think that was gonna work?" Zeru's high pitched voice combined with the phasing through Zeru makes him distracted. Grim'loks fist crashes into a tree behind Zeru, splitting it in 2 halves that fall in opposite directions.
"For someone who fights like a rabid beast, you sure don't smell blood in the wind, Wolfshire. Funny, isn't it? How some blades break before their time… even the ones that were meant to protect you." Zeru skillfully parries Grim'Loks punch, redirecting it to the ground. "Survive this next encounter, and you just might see what I mean." As Zeru finishes his sentence a massive ball of Chikara phases through his body at subsonic speeds slamming into Nay faster than she can even perceive.
BOOM!
The ball explodes sending Nay flying back into a nearby boulder already formed from a previous battle that took place there.
"Nay!" Grim'Lok looks at Nay then back at Zeru's who's now fading away "What the hell is that guy." Grim'Loks' rage surges as the mark on his shoulder starts to glow violently.
Grim'Lok runs towards Nay but another Chikara ball comes flying towards him causing him to instinctively deflect the attack by surrounding his arms with Chikara, swiping it away and into the air, causing a giant explosion that paints the area in a bright red light for a moment.
"You're good." A silver haired man walks towards Grim'Lok, wearing a standard OMEN Uniform. "Most contestants would've folded, I mean look at her." The man says as the air around him swirls like a cyclone. "My name is Daisuke, an OMEN Sentinel recently turned Ronin." He points at Grim'Lok, "Zeru told me to kill you, and he promised a lot of money." Daisuke's eyes meet Grim'Loks with determination, "And I like making money!"
Grim'Lok wastes no time darting towards Daisuke, "You're gonna go broke because I ain't dying today!" he screams out as he leaps into the air.
Daisuke raises his arms as they glow a green chikara, summoning a wood wall that sends Grim'Loks' punch ricocheting back. He leaps back landing a few feet away clasping his hands together. "Kusari no To!" A green vine made of pure Chikara bursts through the wood wall in front of Grim'Lok.
"Damn-" Grim'Lok tries to jump away but the vine wraps around his leg slamming him into the ground. It lifts him into the air and slams him into the ground again, and again. Grim'Lok grits his teeth holding in his pain as he's flung through multiple trees finally coming to a skidding stop when his body crashes into the boulder next to Nay who's laying beside it.
Grim'Lok clutches his ribs as he gasps for air.
Daisuke vanishes, appearing in front of Grim'Lok and stomping on his chest, imprinting his body into the boulder. "You're not cut out to be a warrior!"
Daisuke slowly raises his arm to Grim'Lok forming a giant wooden spike at his palm, "Welcome to your death." He watches Grim'Lok slowly stand up with his head pointed at the ground and his black hair blocking his face.
"Not cut out..?" Grim'Loks voice is cold and distant, "I worked my ass off for this… only for you to call me weak?" The mark on Grim'Loks shoulder pulses violently as the wind starts to swirl around Grim'Lok, causing nearby wildlife to scatter.
The air warped around Grim'Lok as he slowly started disappearing to the shock of Daisuke. "So fast-" Daisuke could barely finish his sentence before Grim'Lok appeared in front of him, his fist slamming into Daisuke's face, sending him crashing through the air.
He wastes no time dashing to try to catch Daisuke's airborne body, "Speed! I NEED MORE SPEED!" The mark, as if reacting to his words, pulses as chikara starts to cover his body, accelerating his speed. He leaps into the air above Daisuke, He starts throwing an endless barrage of punches bouncing Daisuke from the air to the ground. "I think you're not cut out for being a warrior!" His barrage of punches comes to a halt as Daisuke's imprints into the large crater in the ground. "Die!" Grim'Lok's fist comes barreling towards Daisuke but stops when a voice screams his name. "Grim'Lok, calm yourself."
He turns to see Nay standing up near the boulder, he immediately calms down as the Mark goes back into its dormant state. "You're okay." He says as Nay walks up to him and flicks him in the forehead, "That's for allowing yourself to be flung like some ragdoll!"
Ilija walks through the forest, the sun peeking through the leaves. "I need to find a token." He says as he hears the sounds of voices nearby. He leaps up to the branches above as below two boys walk side by side with each other.
"Everything is going according to plan Eroa." The boy on the left says, as the one on the right pulls out a token out of his pocket causing Ilija to smirk.
"And to think we were lucky enough to get tokens so early, It's almost too good to be true.." Eroa says as he stops. "Kyuuma, the checkpoint is up ahead," He sniffs the air, "Two sentinels and… a stalker!" Quickly he summons a Chikara ball and throws it at Ilija's position.
"How the-" Ilija drops down from the tree and onto the path a few dozen feet away from the two. The Chikara ball explodes somewhere nearby. "You sniffed me out like a dog." Ilija says and Kyuuma chuckles. "He just called you a dog!" Eora's face flushes, "Be quiet!" He runs towards Ilija and throws a punch which gets caught. Kyuuma comes flying in with a kick that causes Ilija to let Eora's hand go and block the kick.
Eora hits Ilija with two hard hooks to the body, followed by an uppercut that sends him flying into the air. "We got him!"
Ilija looks down at the ground and sticks his tongue out, the symbol on his tongue glowing again. He summons a barrier to stop his momentum, holding onto it so he can plan his next move.
"They haven't shown me much.." He analyzes them, noticing the way their hands twitch with anticipation. "They aren't stronger than me by themselves so.." He summons a black bolt leaping towards the ground. He sours through the air launching the bolt at the ground causing a dirt cloud to kick up.
"He blinded us using the environment!" Kyuuma screams out as he's hit with a hard hook, he tries to use his Chikara sense but his concentration is knocked off as he's kicked in the stomach sending him flying through the forest. The dirt cloud dissipates leaving Ilija standing face to face with Eora.
"One down." Ilija says as he squares off with Eora, the forest around them halfway destroyed by Ilija's black bolt technique. "All I need is that token, give it up." His words make Eora scoff and take a step forward. "How about no." Eora says confidently.
They dashed at each other, each one preparing an attack. Eora barrels in with a hard punch that Ilija swiftly dodges, hitting him with a hook of his own that lands flush. Ilija tries to follow the hook up with a head kick but Eora ducks it, pushing Ilija away to gain space.
Zeru Kagemura watches Ilija's battle with the two from a distance ontop of a branch. "Show me more." his voice is low and ominous.
Ilija plants his foot into the ground to stop his momentum. He flickers towards Eora appearing behind him. "No more wasting time!" Ilija screams out as he begins fuelling Chikara into his hands creating two black bolts. Eora turns around but it's too late, the bolts send him flying back pinning him on a tree by the hood of his hoodie. "I needed to calculate the distance. I knew you'd turn around and by that movement your hood would be left wide open." He takes the Token out of his pocket.
"Oh and you should probably check on the other guy." Ilija points towards smoke coming from the distance, "When you can move that is."
With that being said Ilija traverses the path down the path, the forest slowly shifting into an open field and in the distance he sees it, "The checkpoint."
A large, arching stone structure with towering spires, each carved with intricate patterns of ancient symbols and protective wards, representing OMEN's history and the sacred trials. The archway is slightly elevated, with large stone pillars on each side, each adorned with symbols of the OMEN organization—an emblem of a crescent moon overlaid with an hourglass. The gate glows faintly with a mystic aura, emanating from the runes engraved on its surface.
Ilija's eyes gaze to the left of the gate, a large hourglass that nearly looks less than halfway full. "That thing is at least ten feet tall, not to mention the gate is as tall as it." Ilija mutters to himself before his eyes widen as he hears voices behind him.
"Are you stupid? There's no way I could lose the preliminary exam." Grim'Lok says as he walks the path, with his eyes closed. "Woah.. Look at that thing." Nay says, causing grim'Lok to open his eyes and gaze upon the imposing checkpoint gate.
"That thing is huge." Grim'Lok says as his eyes slowly drift towards Ilija. "Who's that?"
Ilija watches as Grim'Lok and Nay walk towards him, "Yo!" Grim'Lok waves, Nay doing the same. "My name's Grim'Lok Wolfshire and this is Nay." His voice is low and steady, Ilija looks at them both before taking a deep breath. "My name is Ilija Castiel."
Nay slightly tilts her head when she hears his name. "That's exotic, where are you from?"
Ilija shrugs as he begins walking towards the gate. "You don't know? What do you mean you don't know!" Grim'Lok runs after him. "Wait up!" Nay screams out as she chases after them.
The open field they walk through is a dried out yellow color, a stark contrast to the luscious green forest they were just in. The gate ahead is a few hundred feet ahead of them, the wind blowing around them.
Grim'Lok stops walking as he sees 3 people flicker in front of them, one of them being Mercer, someone who Ilija had a brief encounter with.
Mercer stands in the middle of 2 people. "Synn-Synn, Kinn-Kinn, you see those three?" He asks. Synn-Synn the girl on the left nods saying. "They look like easy pickings." Kinn-Kinn the boy on the right sighs. "Do we have too? I mean we already have tokens." Mercer smirks as his eyes lock onto Ilija, "Yes we do, I've spotted someone I've desperately wanted my rematch with."
Ilija spots Mercer and grits his teeth, "Why him." His voice is harsh as his face flashes with irritation. Grim'Lok and Nay stare at the three people in front of them, "These guys look like bad news.." Grim'Lok says, causing Nay to nod in agreement. "Ilija, you know these guys?"
Ilija continues to stare at Mercer, "I know him in the middle, and only him."
Mercer starts walking towards them. "Kinn-Kinn, get the tall one, Synn-Synn gets the girl and I'll get the blonde one."
Kinn-Kinn's eyes lock onto Grim'Lok and before anyone can reacts blitzes Grim'Lok appearing in front of him. His body spins around as his legs slams into Grim'Loks face sending him flying through the field, instead of attacking Ilija and Nay he darts towards Grim'Lok.
Ilija and Nay dash at Mercer and Synn-Synn, Ilija just slightly faster than her reaching Mercer before she reaches Synn-Synn.
Ilija throws a hard hook at Mercer which he ducks, He throws a jab which he slips followed by two more all of them being avoided. "I gave you 3 hours blondie, you haven't gotten any better?" Mercer says as he slips Ilija's next jab, cracking him with an uppercut. Ilija's body trembles as Mercer spartan kicks him in the chest, sending him tumbling through the field.
Synn-Synn blocks Nay's punch, throwing a kick of her own that Nay catches with ease. She kicks Synn-Synn's leg out from under her, raising her leg up for an axe kick. Synn-Synn rolls out of the way of Nay's kick and looks at the small crater she created. Wasting no further moment she punches Nay as hard as she can, sending her staggering back.
The three sentinels guarding the gate watch the battle taking place in front of them. "This might be our strongest class of initiates in a long time. And these guys seem even weaker than the last kid let through.."
Grim'Lok gets hit with a punch he never sees coming, his eyes locking onto Kinn-Kinn's afterimage as it fades away. "Damnit!"
Kinn-kinn comes to a skidding halt in front of Grim'Lok, "You're far too slow to even hit me." His words cause Grim'Lok to throw a punch that he sidesteps with ease. He throws another and then another which he leaps away from. "It's like fighting a tortoise."
Grim'Lok charges towards Kinn-Kinn who continues to leap away from him. "Keep up!" Kinn-Kinn's mocking words cause Grim'Loks anger to rise.
Mercer walks towards Ilija who wipes a streak of blood from his nose. "I'm gonna beat you senseless Ice boy!" Ilija screams out as his punch comes barreling towards Mercer who puts his block up to guard his face. Suddenly his fist stops, his other hand slamming into Mercer's side causing his body to rumble from the impact. "GAAH!" His hands drop to his body, keeling over slightly allowing Ilija to jump into the air hitting him with a hard knee that sends him back a few feet.
Mercer's eyes open with anger as he stomps on the ground causing a giant Ice spike to erupt from under Ilija almost impaling him as he skillfully avoids the spikes.
Ilija throws a chikara ball at Mercer. "Take this!" The ball comes barrelling towards Mercer who smirks holding his hand out. "Below Zero." The air around suddenly drops to freezing temperatures , He catches the Chikara ball freezing it upon impact with his hands. Everyone stares at Mercer with shock and awe.