The Ice Scarabaeus

A gust of air blew past me, carrying snowflakes that melted instantly upon contact with my skin. The temperature is getting colder now. Dawn is descending soon.

It took a while before I found any sign of life. The place looked deserted at first glance. With no clue where to go next, I decided to wander around until I spot something interesting.

While walking along, I heard footsteps quickly approaching me. Turning around, I saw a young man clad in heavy armor.

His face hidden beneath his helmet. He held two swords strapped to either side of him. He seems to be in a rush.

"Have you perhaps seen my sister? She has blonde hair and red eyes and an... eccentric personality." He stated.

Blond hair, red eyes and a unique personality? Don't tell me he means that crazy girl from earlier. Is she even alive at this point?

"I have one person in mind who matches your description. The last time I saw her was at the starting area. She wanted to fight someone named Onyx." I truthfully replied.

"Onyx?! Fuck!" The guy cursed as he sprinted away mumbling incoherently.

...

I'm starting to think that attending this test was a wrong decision. All these weirdos are giving me a headache. Maybe the Underhive wasn't such a bad place after all. But the food here is so delicious...

Well whatever, let's keep moving forward. As long as I won't end up in the same class as them, I don't care anymore. Atleast they aren't hostile towards me.

With that thought, I continued exploring the area in hopes of finding a challenge.

However, it seems that luck isn't on my side as till now I have only found helpless deer or rabbits. Doubt they are worth anything.

As I aimlessly walked around, I noticed a disturbance coming from a certain direction. Birds flew off in fear, chirping angrily as they did so. Something dangerous must be there. Just what I was looking for.

"HELP!" Cried a voice from that direction.

Hastening my steps, I followed the sound of distress until I arrived at the scene of action.

Dried up blood covered the floor, splattered everywhere around. I could immediately tell that atleast a dozen participants were "killed" here.

And the reason? A giant scarabaeus covered in ice shards and spikes. An abominable creature if ever I've seen one with its razor-sharp claws and teeth.

A girl opposed the monstrosity. Her scarlet red hair flowed freely down her back as she stood in front of the beast with a spear in her hand.

Even in her weakened state, her orange eyes blazed brightly, glaring at the monster which is threatening to kill everyone in the vicinity.

She looks familiar...

"Isabella?"

The girl however was too busy fending off the scarabaeus for her to even acknowledge me. I could tell that she wouldn't last for long until the thing gets through her defense.

And judging from the amount of damage done thus far, that would happen sooner rather than later.

I didn't need to waste a single thought to know this fight is an opportunity to secure myself a good position in the competition.

Not wasting another thought, I rushed forth, thrusting my claymore against the creature's torso. My weapon sunk deep within its body, piercing straight through the tough carapace.

It shrieked from the surprise attack. Its movements faltered momentarily allowing the girl to take advantage of the situation and stab it again.

This time, her spear pierced right into its head which caused the scarabaeus to stumble backward several meters.

However, things didn't end that easily because suddenly icicles removed themself from its body and shot towards us like missiles. Each projectile carried enough force to punch holes through a brick wall.

We barely managed to dodge each strike but lost precious seconds doing so. Forced to back off of the scarabaeus, she gave me a quick nod to signal what she is about to do next.

I fought enough to know what she meant by that. Without further delay, I charged towards the scarabaeus, keeping its attention on me.

Its lethal attacks gave me no room to counterattack. The only thing I could do besides defending was a few feints.

In the corner of my eye, I could see her climbing a tree, ready to pierce its vitals when the chance presents itself. I'm glad she didn't decide to run off the moment I distracted it.

I knew I had to do something risky to force the scarabaeus to show its weak points. So without hesitation, I closed in on the previously injured part of its body threatening to pierce its organs.

Of course, the scarabaeus adamantly tried to keep me away, even if it means letting other parts unprotected. Swinging its sharp claw towards my head, I slid under it and in the same motion threw a short dagger.

Panic-stricken it used all its limbs to block the attack while desperately keeping me away. Even if just for a second, it left its remaining body defenseless.

Taking full advantage of the opening, Isabella jumped down, trying to plunge her spear directly into its throat.

Things looked great but there was one thing unaccounted for. The scarabaeus didn't necessarily need its limbs to defend itself. Instead, new icicles shot toward the midair Isabella.

In an attempt to prevent the icicles from impaling her, she blocked them with her spear, causing the spear to snap in half.

The scarabaeu as didn't waste this chance as it lunged forward, using the sharp shards on its body to stab her.

Things took a turn for the worst. To prevent it from killing Isabella, I stabbed through its chest before leaping backwards.

It wailed in pain but that didn't stop it from attacking. Using its claws to tear through the air itself, it sent shrapnel flying everywhere.

Unprepared for such a sudden assault, I got hit by three shards, cutting deeply into my flesh. I could see Isabella bleeding profusely as well, unable to retaliate due to the wound inflicted upon her.

The adrenaline pumping inside made me ignore the pain temporarily. However, with me injured and Isabella basically useless now winning here doesn't seem likely anymore.

Thus I opted for the next best option; retreat. Dodging the incoming claws, I dashed over to Isabella and picked her up. Almost like baggage, I threw her over my shoulder.

The scarabaeus, realizing that we are retreating, let out an enraged screech. It chased us down relentlessly, determined to send us to the shadow realm.

It was able to quickly catch up thanks to Isabella slowing me down significantly. But not having any choice, I continued running despite the agonizing pain in my leg.

The scarabaeus' speed wasn't exactly slow either. In fact, it was fast enough to give me a hard time dodging its attacks. A lucky slip allowed it to slash my arm open, making it bleed heavily.

I couldn't concentrate on avoiding incoming obstacles and the scarabaeus attacks which is why it was able to hit me clean with the blunt side of its claw.

The hit sent me and Isabella flying, crashing through trees and bushes. We rolled across the ground, severely bruised and battered. My vision was starting to get blurry but a sudden shock sent my body fully awake.

Feeling an ice cold sensation spreading throughout my entire body, I realized that we have fallen into a pond. The icy water numbed my senses completely.

Regaining my orientation, I looked up to find myself staring into the eyes of a scarabaeus. It stared down at me with fury, its mouth wide open in anticipation of biting through my neck.

Going up again is out of the equation. I desperately tried to look for anything to help me out of my predicament. There has to be a little air bubble here or something.

But there isn't. I can feel my body desperately wanting to breathe in this freezing liquid. Soon, I will suffocate. All hope seemed lost.

That was until I saw something glimmering deep within this deep abyss beneath us. Because it was nightfall, it stood out like a sore thumb against the darkness around it.

Gambling my life on a miracle, I grabbed Isabella and swam towards it. The depths seemed endless but I kept pushing ahead regardless. I refuse to die here.

Eventually, after nearly drowning, I reached the light only to find out it was a small passage. Without hesitating, I entered it, hoping it will lead somewhere.

If this is a dead end, we will both die. I doubt that even the academy staff can rescue us that quickly.

After swimming for what felt like hours, I finally found some kind of exit. The tunnel opened up into a large chamber made out of ice. It was a godsend!

Dragging Isabella along with me, I exited the water. We both coughed violently for a few minutes before catching our breath.

As my body recovered, I looked around this place. Shock struck me when right before us sat a young man in a lotus position, holding ice in his hands as he peacefully meditated.

He wasn't even properly clothed for this environment. Though I must admit, with his white hair blending in the surroundings and chiseled features, he looks quite handsome. Even more than me to be honest...

Glancing at Isabella, I noticed that she was also staring at the mysterious young man when suddenly her nose started to bleed.

Did her injuries worsen or why did she suddenly get a nosebleed?

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Author's Note: By now you should know the drill. If you are interested in how Isabella looks check the comments.