Chapter 10: Legendary Monstrous Bot
Finn swallowed hard at the thought of how Frey would react to what he had just done.
Yes, he had crashed into her without knowing it, but that was not an excuse to hit someone, especially the daughter of such a powerful family.
The daughter of the Antigonous family, after a short while of silence, finally reacted.
Frey frowned, her hands clamping down firmly on Finn’s shoulders, and then abruptly pushing him off her.
She was strong, and with little to no strain, she was able to throw Finn to the ground beside her.
Then she rose up to her feet indifferently, dusted herself off, and turned to face Finn once again.
"Next time you crash into me, I’ll make sure to peel the flesh off your bones." With that, she walked away.
Finn, on the other hand, slowly rose to his feet, rather happy than many would expect.
After all, he had only gotten a slap on the wrist after assaulting the all-mighty daughter of the Antigonous family.
Instead of the initial expectation of getting beaten to a pulp.
"Hahaha, that was nice bro."
Finn turned around to the source of the voice, to see the blonde boy once again at his side, with a brilliant smile that radiated beauty with his dashing face.
"What is so nice about me narrowly escaping a beating?" Finn asked, his voice clearly straining as he suppressed an urge to curse at the blonde boy.
The blonde boy chuckled, realizing the misunderstanding. "No, I wasn’t talking about that," he said, pointing at Frey.
"I was talking about your ability. It’s cool."
Finn fell silent.
This was weird.
Very weird.
This was the first time in a while he was being complimented by a total stranger—Estes excluded—but not just a compliment, but one about his Ability.
This stranger was either too nice, or just upfront, gullible, and easy to impress.
Before Finn could wander far in his delusions, the blonde stranger offered his hand out and spoke.
"I am Terrence Mont."
Finn hesitated, blinking a few times, then took Terrence’s hand in a gentle shake.
"I am Finn Vaywill."
As soon as he said his name, Finn could visibly see the face of the blonde boy contort.
’Here it comes...’ he thought, predicting the instant rejection he would get from Terrence...
However, what Finn expected, the reaction he thought he would get, did not come.
Terrence’s lips only curled in genuine surprise. "Wow, you are the son of the Traitor? That’s amazing... I have heard so much about your father. It’s an honor."
Finn was awestruck once again.
He raised an eyebrow in question at Terrence’s enigmatic behavior.
Calling him the Traitor’s son was usually an insult; however, with the way Terrence said it, there was nothing insulting about it. In fact, it even felt like he was a fan of Finn and his father.
Either that or he was a psychopath.
The two finally let go of each other’s hands, and a brief silence fell between them.
Finn used this time to study where they had appeared after entering the portal.
It seemed like a grand hall, the ground covered with a pristine red rug, the walls made out of some sort of golden material, having every now and then a tapestry placed on it—one that was strangely blank. Up in the white ceiling were bulbs shining down warm orange light.
The hall gave a sense of respect, pride, and elegance.
However, what was strange was the fact that there were only six people present here.
He, Terrence, Frey, two others, and a man dressed in a military uniform.
"That’s the Grey knight that’s going to test us, and this is the Hall of Heroes," Terrence said, as though reading the questions in Finn’s mind.
Finn paused, then turned to Terrence. "I thought Grey knights wore armour."
"Yes, but since it’s just a final assessment, I doubt that’s needed," Terrence replied.
True though, wearing armour was hard, so for an occasion as small as this, he didn’t really need one.
Finally, the Grey knight moved from the corner he was in and walked up to them. He stopped just as he reached the front of the group, cleared his throat, and spoke.
"Welcome officially to the Brixton Academy." He began, pausing for a moment before continuing, "But before you officially start your training as a Grey knight, we would like to assess your growth in strength after acquiring your guardian.
You will all be ranked based on your performance, and failure to achieve a great score will lead to consequences you will not like to experience."
He stressed the last part.
At this, Finn swallowed hard, his hand wrapping around the ancient sword’s hilt. ’Let’s hope it’s enough.’
With that, the Grey knight nodded, and then all of a sudden, the entire class alongside him was enveloped in a strange verdant energy.
In a quick motion, they disappeared.
***
The group appeared out in the open this time, in the soggy muddy plains clearly caused by heavy rain.
However, the plains were not what concerned Finn and the others the most, but the sight that stood upon the plains.
"Oh, what the hell—"
In the distance, just a couple of meters away, was a large mechanical giant standing in the midst of the soggy ground.
It stood towering up to 12 meters tall, imitating the entire body of a real-life human, only way cooler and more hefty.
Its dark obsidian body glistened like polished rock, its enormous fists making cracking noises as they tightened. In the place where its face was supposed to be was a windscreen and a seat where a man sat piloting the mech suit.
Finn was stunned, utterly stunned.
Ever since he was a child, he had heard... No, he had dreamt of the moment he would get to see a mech, especially with the stories of them he had heard from his mother.
Now seeing one, it was way cooler than he had ever imagined.
If not for the little dignity he still had, he would have run to the mech just to hold it or even plead for a turn to ride it.
Yet...
He kept his focus, knowing this mech was not here just for show and tell.
Whatever their test was, it strongly pertained to it.
Finally, the military officer in charge of them opened his mouth to speak again.
"Your test is to avoid all attacks from the mech and land three hits on it with your physical body. All powers are allowed, just don’t... destroy the mech," the officer stressed the last part.
At this, Finn’s heart raced. "A battle with a mech," he whispered to himself, anxiety rising in his heart as to how he would fare against such a contraption.
"Well, first, we will have Antigonous Frey," the officer said, taking a few steps back.
Finn turned away from the mech and landed his attention on Frey.
She still remained unshaken by it all, her usual calm exterior never once permeating under pressure.
Was even a battle with a powerful mech still not a threat to the daughter of the famous Antigonous family?
Finn wondered in reverence as he watched Frey step towards a challenging battle against a mech without flinching even once.
