Chapter 8 : Groups Formed

"Alright! I need all applicants to stand in lines so that we can get started." A blonde woman said while looking at the crowd of Golden Lion applicants. There were probably over 100 people here today of excited and energized teenagers. And within that crowd stood the sleep-depraved and exhausted Mill Kabrok. Mill didn't get to sleep last night as he started to practice with his ability more to prepare for the morning. Now he stood here and would probably fail because he passed out during the test.

"Why do you look so dead?" Mill heard a familiar voice speak out from beside him. He turned and saw his best friend Darren Pollo, a half orc that had basically grew up with Mill, staring down at him. Mill himself was around 5'11 but his 6'5 friend had him beat in the height department, must be those orc genes. Darren's skin was ashen gray and could be seen quite clearly seeing as he had on a red overcoat but no undershirt which perfectly showed off his well built upper body. He had short black hair and red eyes that were kindly looking down at Mill.

"Darren? I didn't know that you were gonna be here. Why didn't you tell me that you were trying for Golden Lion?" Mill and Darren gave each other a firm bro hug while Mill asked this question.

"Maybe I would have, if you didn't disappear for two whole days without telling your best friend where you were going. What hell man I thought that you were dead or something!" Mill paused for a moment and then facepalmed himself for his own stupidity. How had he forgotten that he hadn't seen or contacted Darren since the day before the Heroite?

"I'm sorry for that man. I just wasn't in the right headspace after that and just couldn't bear the idea of talking to anyone let alone you." Mill felt really guilty for ghosting everyone important to him for two days and wouldn't have even blamed them if they were more than just a little upset at them. However, Darren just smiled and slapped Mill on the back hard.

"It's fine dude. I understand that you probably needed some space after what happened. I mean I'd do the same thing if I was the only one in history to have gotten marked as having an unknown bloodline." Darren gave a light chuckle. "Anyway, none of this is important right now. Let's catch up after we finish this thing!" Mill nodded to Darren and focus on the woman on stage.

"Is everyone ready? Okay, so as all of you may know this is the testing site of the new Golden Lion students for this upcoming semester. My name is Fina Ophis but you will call me Instructor Ophis from this point on. Understood?" The crowd of applicants started to lightly nod. "I expect a strong verbal response from the future students of Golden Lion. Am I being clear!"

"Yes instructor!" Instructor Ophis nodded in satisfaction at this energized response. "Good. We will now begin the first phase of the test. I need all of the applicants to form groups of three and report to me or one of the other instructors when you are finished." At this moment another group four more people walked on stage with Ophis and stood at attention. "Start now!" The nicely formed rows of people quickly scrambled into a jumbled mess as people were quickly trying to get formed into groups with friends or useful people.

"So I assume that we just need one more person then?" Darren looked at Mill who just nodded in acceptance. "Good then lets go find one. There has to be someone that we can form a team with. Personally, I would prefer for it to be a kind yet beautiful woman that may not be that strong but she has a big heart and even bigger bust. She'll try her hardest to help us in any minor way but will continuously make mistakes in which she will began to feel embarrassed about. She'll feel so bad about her clumsiness that she'll tell us that she'll do anything to make up for it as long she can do it." Darren started to stare into the distance as he imagined his fantasy teammate while Mill went to look for a real person.

"I can't believe that guy sometimes." As Mill wandered the crowd he had asked many people if they wanted to be part of his group of three but they all refused by saying they were already in a group or that they themselves were only looking for one more person. Mill let out a resigned sigh, "This is gonna be impossible."

"What's this? Could it be a lonely delinquent that can't form connections with people because he's too scary. Well I guess it is part of a model's image to look after people when they are struggling so it is up to me to help him." Mill heard this annoying way of speech and turned to look at the owner.

"Karl, why in all that the Blaze has created did they let you apply to Golden Lion?" Mill looked at his former cellmate with pure disdain on his face.

"It's simple really. They let me go because my wonderful personality won them over. My agent also works at the school and recommended me for the test but that's not why I'm here." Karl castrated himself before Mill and started to beg. "Let me be part of your group." Mill was shocked by the sudden display and didn't even get a chance to form a response before the wolf boy continued. "I may be an ultra famous model someday, but as of right now you are the only person that I know. Please let me be part of your group so that I don't embarrass myself in front of my future fans." Mill wanted to refuse Karl but he also really needed a third person for his group and how do you say no to such a said display.

"Fine you're our third just get off of the floor. Models don't beg for what they want, right?" Karl jumped up and gave a big hug to Mill while wagging his tail back and forth. "Get off of me, man Just follow me and don't say anything. The way you talk is so annoying." Karl let go of Mill and violently nodded his head as he followed Mill back to where Darren was standing. At this point most people had gotten formed into groups and had informed the instructors.

"Who's that?" Darren asked as he pointed to Karl.

"A stray that I picked up to be our third now lets go tell the instructor." Darren was going to say something but Mill had already started to walk off so he held his tongue and followed him to Instructor Ophis. She was standing on stage with her arms crossed and eyes closed as she waited for people to approach her, however no one did. Had she intimidated them too much? Was she too rough? Maybe they were so dazzled by her beauty that they couldn't bear to approach her?

"Hey, Ms. Go Piss or whatever." Instructor Ophis opened her eyes and saw a group of three male students staring at her. "We have our group of three so just register us already." Mill wanted to get the test started already so he was in a bit of a rush. He was looking at the instructor when the long ponytail that she had her hair tied in broke apart and started to flow upward gently.

"What the fuck did you just say to me boy?" Ophis was enraged by the boy's relaxed way of speaking to her and by the slip of his tongue, but maybe he had genuinely misheard her name so she was going to give him a chance to apologize.

"No need to get pissed Ms. Go Piss I just was letting you know that we have our group. Mill, Darren, and Karl so that you know our names. Let's go you two." Mill and his group walked away from the stage and returned to their original spot leaving Instructor Ophis. She clenched her fists tightly and glared in at Mill.

"I'll get that boy for this."

…

After a few minutes the bustling applicants had formed into their groups of three. "It seems like all groups have been formed. Is there anyone that doesn't have a group?" Ophis scanned the crowd until she saw one person raise there hand and then speak.

"I don't have a group, Instructor Ophis." It was a girl that was standing away from the all of the groups and that girl happened to be none other than Lua Mack. She had tried to get into a group but every time she got close to people they would run away because she lost control of her curse due to her nerves. She had learned to control it to a certain extent but whenever she felt nervous she would lose control of it. 'Maybe I should just be in a group by myself? That would make things easier for me.'

Before Lua Mack could go forth with her idea of being alone the instructor called out. "Is there anyone that is willing to take a forth person into their group. Let it be known that to accommodate for the extra person that groups test from this point onwards will be more difficult than everyone else." Anyone that was going to raise their hand immediately refrained from doing so. People barely pass these tests every year so the fear of making them any harder didn't sound like a fair enough deal for them to take on a forth person.

Lua felt understanding when she saw no one being willing to take her as part of their group. Who would want to make things harder for themselves. "I'll just-"

"We'll take her!" A booming voice echoed out from the back of the crowd and everyone turned to see who it was that said this. Though they didn't have to look hard as the person that had spoken up was the tallest person in the crowd and a had a quite noticeable group of good looking men with colorful hair. "Darren Pollo here and my group will take her. That's alright isn't it, Mill?" Darren looked at his friend who now looked even more tired than before. Mill shrugged at Darren to show that he honestly didn't even care at this point.

"Good. Then Miss Mack, please join the group in the back and we will continue with our schedule." Lua wanted to say more but she had no real choice at this point and joined the group.

"Hi, my name is Lua. Thank you for let-" As Lua was introducing herself she met eyes with an all too familiar person in Mill. "YOU! If I had know that you were in this group I would have refused from the beginning." Mill looked at Lua who was now pointing at him and scanned her up and down. He closed his eyes and rested his hand on his chin until he looked at Lua and opened his mouth.

"Who are you again?"