Leo stared at Aria's outstretched hand, thinking about his options carefully. A partner meant better chances of survival, but also some complications. If this trial determined squadron assignments, whoever he allied with now might become a permanent teammate. An archer was certainly useful for ranged combat, but would require protection in close quarters.
After a moment's hesitation, he clasped her hand firmly. "Allies it is. For now."
"Ain't that sweet," Aria replied with a smile. "Let's move. Standing still makes us targets."
They set off through the forest, maintaining a cautious pace as Aria led them along animal trails that offered both cover and clear lines of sight.
"So, shadow boy, what's your story?" Aria asked, her eyes constantly scanning their surroundings. "The rumors say you've got a crystal embedded in your skull and can talk to monsters."
Leo couldn't help but smile. "Those are some exaggerated rumors. I was a journalist who asked too many questions, I just… annoyed the GPA too much."
"And the shadow business?"
"It's something recent, I'm still figuring it out," Leo replied, not quite ready to share the full story with someone he'd just met. "What about you? Former GPA tactical specialist doesn't exactly scream 'resistance fighter.'"
Aria navigated around a fallen log before answering. "I spent five years in the GPA Hunters Division. Got tired of being treated like a second-class soldier because I wasn't Awakened." She began getting angry just talking about it. "No matter how many commendations I earned or how many missions I completed, I was always just 'support personnel.'"
"Is that why you left?"
"Left is a pretty word for 'escaped with classified intel after my team was sacrificed as a distraction for an Awakened soldier.'" She glanced back at him, her expression unreadable. "Found out later my entire squad was listed as 'acceptable casualties' before the operation even began."
Leo winced. The GPA had done stuff like this before but for it to be getting more common. "What a world we live in."
"Save your sorry. I ain't dead yet." She tapped the bow slung across her back. "My old man taught me to hunt with this when I was eight. By twelve, I could take down a deer at three hundred yards. Although they were more 'efficient' weapons out there, sometimes old-school just works better."
"And they just provided you with a bow for this test?" Leo asked, gesturing to her weapon.
"Yep. Custom composite with variable tension settings. Plus some fancy arrows, standard, explosive, and a few with Lumina-infused tips." She smirked. "Guess they figured out I'm better with this than their precious plasma rifles."
Leo raised an eyebrow. He tried to ignore the fact that she got so much better resources than he did. "You sound almost grateful."
"Don't get me wrong, shadow boy. These Resistance folks ain't saints. But at least they respect skill, Awakened or not." She paused, adjusting her quiver. "You'd be damn lucky to have me assigned to your squadron. I've forgotten more about tactical operations than most recruits will ever learn."
"What about those shape-shifters you mentioned?" Leo asked, remembering her earlier warning.
Aria's serious expression cracked into a grin. "Had you going there, didn't I? Just a little welcome test. Gotta see if my potential teammates scare easy."
"That's not funny," Leo muttered, very much annoyed, though secretly relieved. Shape-shifters were typically Demon-tier beasts or, at minimum, peak Hunter-tier. These were threats far beyond his current abilities.
From what he'd researched, even a C-class Awakened would struggle against such creatures. Leo estimated his own capabilities at E-rank, or possibly D-rank after his training with Neo.
"Everything's funny when you might die tomorrow," Aria replied with a shrug. "Since you asked, my test started in that clearing back there. Three evolved raccoons tried to make a meal of me within minutes. Took care of them, found higher ground, and been picking my way toward the center since."
Leo took note of the fact that in the earlier parts of the test they would only encounter evolved animals. 'I'm guessing the nightmare beasts are further in.' He thought in relief.
As they progressed deeper into the forest, the trees grew larger and the bushes and grass grew denser. Strange mushrooms clung to rotting logs, and occasional rustling in the bushes kept them both alert.
The first real challenge came an hour later. A patch of disturbed earth ahead of them suddenly erupted as a creature burst from underground.
It was a rodent-like animal the size of a large dog, with oversized front claws and small glowing eyes. Its fur was mottled brown.
"It's an evolved Earthmole," Aria identified immediately, nocking an arrow. "Had plenty of these around my home, they hunt by vibrations."
Before she could loose her shot, the creature disappeared back underground. A moment later, another mound of earth moved rapidly toward them. Leo jumped aside as the mole burst upward where he'd been standing, snapping powerful jaws before diving back into the soil.
"They're playing with us," Leo said, backing toward a tree. "Like a deadly game of whack-a-mole."
"Then let's change the rules," Aria replied. She quickly climbed the nearest tree with ease, positioning herself on a sturdy branch. "Get up here! They can't burrow through wood."
Leo followed her example, scaling the tree with less ease. From their position, Aria had a clear shot at the ground below, where multiple earth mounds now moved in erratic patterns.
"I'll take the shot when they surface," she called. "Can you do anything with those shadows to detect where they'll pop up next?"
Leo considered for a moment, then nodded. "I can try."
Closing his eyes, he extended his awareness into the shadows cast by the trees. He'd never attempted to use his abilities as a detection system before, but the principle seemed sound, shadows touched everything, including what lay beneath the surface.
As his consciousness spread through the darkness, Leo began to sense movement disturbing the shadow-patterns, the Earthmoles tunneling just below the forest floor, their bodies displacing soil and creating subtle vibrations. He could track them now, predict where they would emerge.
"Two o'clock, three meters out," Leo called.
Aria's arrow flew the instant the creature surfaced, striking it precisely through its eye. The Earthmole collapsed with a shrill squeal.
"Nine o'clock!" Leo warned.
Another arrow, another successful hit. They repeated this coordinated attack until five Earthmoles lay dead on the forest floor.
"Not bad, shadow boy," Aria remarked, clearly impressed. "That's some useful trick you've got."
As Leo prepared to respond, his extended shadow sense detected something else moving beneath the earth.
Unless he focused hard, Leo shouldn't have been able to clearly sense through the shadows. He had stopped paying attention after defeating the last Earthmole, meaning the only reason he could sense this new threat was simply because it was just that massive, far larger than any Earthmole.
Whatever it was, it moved freely, consuming the remaining moles in its path with barely a pause.
As it moved, the ground shook, the stones on the forest floor vibrated and the birds perched up on the trees flew away as the leaves shook off.
A cold dread filled Leo as he realized the creature was heading directly toward the center of the testing grounds. Toward their destination.
"Aria," he whispered, his voice filled with alarm. "What the hell is that thing?"