Myrr: Reincarnated Timemage Assassin

Chapter 54: I know

[Stormy Breeze of My Loneliness, Gather Forth-Gust]

Carefully, I point one arm behind me and send a blast of wind backwards while flinging myself upwards with the other. It's like I've got a mini jet turbine coming out of my hand. Latching onto a rocky crack in the cliff, I alternate hands and repeat the process to keep going-

[Stormy Breeze of My Loneliness, Gather Forth-Gust]

One more throw, a few more meters.

If a rock climber from Earth saw this, he would lose his mind. As it is, I just hope that people think I've just stopped holding back.

[Stormy Breeze of My Loneliness, Gather Forth-Gust]

My hand leaves the rocky face and I fly upwards boosted by magic. Wind rushes in my face but I keep my eyes wide open. As I vault over one of the faster candidates, he abruptly twists around and lashes out. His axe whistles towards my neck but he makes the mistake of attacking me in the future. By the time I reach him in the present, I simply take a small detour around him. Since I don't carry any ranged weapons, I leave him be but make another note. Small boy. Beady eyes. Blonde hair. One-handed axe. To my surprise, I notice that he tenses when I pass him by, as if considering chasing me. However, at the last second, he thinks better of it and lets me go. Yep...this one's hiding something. I bet he'll be one of the last kids to summit.

*Whoosh*

Then I'm past. The rest of the way to the top is a clear path. I join the line of waiting faces at the summit somewhere past the 70th place mark, a few spots after the girl with the throwing dagger. Mingling with the crowd of waiting children, we watch the last few spots fill up. As it becomes clear who is close enough to have a shot and who isn't, the fighting becomes even more brutal. Any two candidates who are close enough to knock each other off either go for it, or split apart and race for the top. Those confident in their strength try to block those trying to eek by with speed. It's interesting. This entire time, I haven't seen anyone try to use magic. Mephis did say that the ability was exceedingly rare. I suppose short of geniuses like me, who would normally be recruited to magic schools if they had the talent, most children at this age can't do much anyways. Certainly, I doubt anyone else can cast spells silently. Which means either no one else here can cast spells, or if they can, they're saving it for a surprise. If that were the case, then they'd have to be a real monster. Physically strong enough to complete the climb, but also gifted enough to practice as a mage. Well...then again...I'm describing myself, aren't I?

Putting my worries to rest, I keep an eye on the last ones to finish. As expected, the blonde boy with the hand axes finishes almost dead last in 99th place. Immediately, I'm suspicious of him. If you finish that late, you're either incompetent and lucky, or you're extremely confident in your skills to the point where you know you won't be knocked out. Several other ones I've marked also come up to the top, and I'm actually quite happy that they made it. It means that I've managed to pick out the dangerous ones. A few children I didn't notice also make it, but I don't pay them too much mind. With so many people, even my well-trained eyes can't watch them all. As the last girl summits, gasping for air, Jarshan raises his hand.

"Done." He says and though he does not seem to raise his voice, everyone on the Cliffs of Sisyphus hears him clearly. "The rest of you...leave. Our Sect does not need trash." Within seconds, anyone still left climbing is punted off. A few belligerent kids, so tired that they cannot heed Jarshan's command, are quickly swarmed by flickering Rainstopper Assassins in their white kabuki masks. Soon the cliffs are empty except those of us at the top. We look around nervously, glancing from place to place, taking in the rocky structures and the stony peak which Jarshan stands on, watching us from. As for myself, I've already been here when I visited Elina so I'm not as interested. Rather, I prefer to watch the overseer of the trials. Jarshan's demeanor reminds me a little of Perideen. Aloof, but observant, though if anything, he seems even more implacable. However, while Perideen gives the impression that he would simply walk away from a threat, Jarshan has a quiet ferocity to him. It makes him seem more dangerous, someone not to be provoked. His face remains blank, yet I can't help but wonder if his gaze lingers on me for just a bit longer than it should as he examines the children who passed the first trial.