Life's Just A Game

Chapter 17

[Astrid's P.O.V]

Today's the day.

The day of the final exam.

The day that will decide everything.

Standing beside my friends and the other graduates, we all faced the giant gate that is obstructing us from the battle chamber. The gate was somewhat rickety. It had surely been sturdy when it was made, it was solid titanium bars and held together with great iron nails. Standing at at about 10 feet, the bars were buried deep into the floor. The hinges and nails had become rusted and the gate hung at a jaunty angle. For such a high-tech place, the gate seemed old and out of place.

I brought my trusty Stormfly with me, completely giving it a makeover. It was now entirely made out of Gronkle Iron AND Deathsong Amber, whilst the handle is made out of lizard scales. I myself designed it; and proud of it too! Well, with the little help from Gobber. The rest brought their own weapons as well so there's no need to borrow one of the weapons in the chamber.

Then suddenly, out of nowhere, a man in a... is that a yellow suit? The man wore a bright yellow suit on with a blue tie, and a white button down shirt. Matching his suit, he donned a yellow fedora with Japanese symbols engraved on the top. When he lifted his face, he had a childish grin on his face.

Actually, looking closely at his face, he is actually a child—most likely to be a 15 or 16-year old. However, what certainly intrigued me were his eyes. He had the same color eyes of Night Fury but with one small detail. Unlike Night Fury's, this kid's eyes were reptilian and slit-like. As if he was a lizard on the hunt, his eyes trailed over us, inspecting us one by one.

"Come on, already. You're already late. Don't want to keep ol' Fury waiting." He announced. He had this bouncy, optimistic tone that made me not trust him.

We all looked at each other, figuring out what to do. Kai Sotto decided to speak up for the rest of us. "Uhm, we're sorry to ask but, who are you to boss us around?"

The kid arched an eyebrow at us. He then shrugged, carelessly ignoring Kai's rude question. "Call me Sun or Banana, I don't care. But I prefer Toothless. Now hurry up and follow me."

Toothless? Isn't that the name of the A.I. of the building?

"And before you ask, yes. I am the artificial intelligence of the building. Now just get your asses over here!" He beckoned us over.

Before we could even comprehend what the kid said, he grabbed the front bar of the gate, rust falling off as he gripped it. With one swift move, he pulled the gate open. The creaking sound of the rusted hinges and nails scraping over the titanium bars as it was dragged open let out a ear-piercing sound.

We all simultaneously winced, clapping our hands over our ears, Toothless continued to haul the gate open. How rude does this guy have to be? Once he was done and we all stood up straight, he ushered us in. The inside was pretty dark so we could barely see a thing. As soon as we step in the chamber, the air suddenly felt heavy; and being in the dark didn't help. As if we were carrying the world on our shoulders, we lumbered forward towards the middle.

"Hey, have fun in there!" Toothless called out.

Then I saw him raise his hand up, with his forefinger and his thumb pressed together. He then snapped his fingers, and all of the sudden, the lights in the battle chamber lit up. I have heard that the battle chamber was rarely used, only for special occasions like final exams or challenges. They say that whenever you come back to the battle chamber, it's never the same. Each time, it has a different setting.

This is my first time but I don't know how they'll be able to change this. The entire chamber was designed like forest. Giant nara trees, long Pampas grass, and other sorts of bushes grew on the ground. Soil and dirt made up the floor instead. Even the lights felt like we were bathing in sunlight. I must be going crazy because I swear I could see clouds in the air.