Opposition

**** Eight Hours Ago/Darius's POV ****

I was woken up by Titus, telling me we had arrived at the island and that it was time to get off the boat. I quickly grabbed my bag, and took out all of the clothes in it. I then stuffed my new pillow into the bag.

We were only allowed two bags of gear, while one of mine had important things like plants and clean bottled water, this one only had clothes. When I thought about whether I would rather have a good sleep, or be clean, the choice was simple. Titus looked at me oddly as I did it.

"Is that pillow that comfortable?"

He asked, looking at the pillow in my hand. I looked at him, before zipping my bag.

"Yes, it is literally the most comfortable thing I have ever had. I'll let you try it sometime, and you'll see how you've never experienced true sleep."

With that I left my other bag for Titus to carry, and I carried the bag with my pillow. I wasn't going to let anyone take this bag away. This pillow was now my most prized possession. 

After walking out to the deck, and down the boarding ramp, we gathered on the beach of a beautiful island. Professor Gram was standing there, waiting for everyone to leave the ship, and when he saw me he made an annoyed look.

'This guy really has a problem with me for no reason.'

I thought to myself, noticing his disdain in his look, but I didn't let it bother me. I stayed at the back of the group, in no rush to get close to Gram at all. He then began to explain the test.

The test was a three day test, to see how well we can adapt to extreme conditions, as the frontlines are unpredictable. If your camp was ambushed, and you had to run away to find another camp, you had to have basic survival skills. Hunting for your own food was also a reality on the frontlines, since having supply lines reach the frontline consistently is unreasonable. 

There were monsters on the island, and there were drones all over to monitor our actions. This was also to ensure our safety, but it didn't guarantee it. We got protective bracelets though, which were inscribed with a protective rune that would activate if we took fatal damage, and immediately notify all nearby professors of your position. 

However the moment they explained this, I knew that it sounded exactly like the setting for most major events in a novel.

An island survival test. I had already been warned demons were going to attack. Then a reckless protagonist. I knew this was going to be a headache, and that I wasn't going to get to use my pillow as much as I wanted.

I wanted to take this test easy, and focus less on my grades and more on developing the hero. My plan was still in place, but there were variables now. I had to take an active role.

Gram finished explaining the grading, which would just be dependent on how well we do at gathering resources and up to the professors' evaluation. I wasn't worried about that, I was more worried about how I was going to evade the eyes of the evaluators, but that also was soon resolved.

As we were told goodbye, and good luck, a professor I had never met before bumped into me. When they bumped into me, they slipped a handheld device into my hand, and boarded the boat as if nothing happened.

I quietly turned to a random direction, and began to walk with Titus. I kept my backpack worn on my front, like a baby carrier, and looked at the device in the space between my bag and me. 

It was a small tablet, that allowed me to release a small area jammer that would prevent the drones from coming to the area where it was. I quickly checked all it's functions, before putting it away deep in my backpack, and continuing to walk.

It was small moments like these that made me really appreciate having Titus around. He saw the device but didn't say anything. He was very... Perceptive of the nature of my work. Like how he never asked why I have a torture cell in my basement. He just accepted it. 

We continued walking deep into the forest, closer to the mountain, to look for a good place to set up camp. Our checklist was simple:

1. Accessible water.

2. Defensible

3. Sturdy

We found a suitable spot on top of a ridge overlook a river. We would be able to see people, or animals, going to the water below, while also being able to build our shelter just outside of their line of sight. There was the risk of an attack from above, but the cliff behind us was very steep. 

They would need specialized climbing equipment or someone with control over Earth magic. Both would be detectable.

Titus set down our bags, and I grabbed his camp pack to get the tarps and ropes we packed. Using this, and a few trees, we had a shelter that would last as long as there was not a hurricane. I touched my bag with plants, and concocted a paralytic mixture. I applied just a bit, as I was using an extremely strong plant, and headed into the forest. 

Titus hid our bags nearby, and then came with me. Was I worried that someone would take our stuff?

No. Who would be stupid enough to mess with me at this point? While most of the students and staff only thought I was getting into fights in the forest, the truth known by troublemakers was much worse.

I would drug students who were trying to make problems with me. This was accomplished by things like slipping sleeping powder into their food, or ambushing them in the bathroom with a paralytic agent. 

Have you ever felt like your legs were exposed on the toilet?

...

They are.

It was messy when they began to freak out due to a surprise cut coming from under the stalls, but that wasn't my problem. Once they were knocked out, Titus and I would bring them to the woods, before waking them up. I then used them to practice my ability to track targets, while moving quietly in the forest. 

Yes, I hunted them.

BUT!

I never hurt them. I simply instilled a deep sense of fear that I could kill them at any point. As such, people left me alone now.

So I felt comfortable just leaving my stuff strewn around my camp.

Titus and I were walking for another ten minutes before we found traces of people. I counted the sets of footprints, and figured there were three people. I knew that there was no point walking in the same direction as the footprints, since animals would either avoid the kids, or whatever animals they came across would just be killed by them. 

The whole point of this test was to see how well they would do at managing resources. There was no real threat to their safety on the island, at least there wasn't supposed to be.

However that was only applicable to the average student. I was looking for the ones who were below average. The outcasts of the grade, who were desperate, and willing to ignore the rumors they had heard about me if it meant improving their grade.

So Titus and I continued to walk, before I found traces of a small scuffle, and followed it. It wasn't far away where we discovered a small boy who was holding his arm that was bent in a weird direction. When he saw us, his first reaction was fear, because he was injured and now the two famous delinquents had just showed up. 

"W-what do you want?! I-I don't have anything!"

He shouted, backing away slightly. I simply smiled, and calmly replied to him.

"Is that any way to talk to someone who was going to help you?"

At this his face immediately showed confusion.

"What do you mean 'help' me?"

At this, I gently reached into a small pouch I had taken from my bag earlier, and pulled out a vial of liquid. It was different from the potion I gave Titus. This one was purely healing. 

"It's a healing potion. Enough to med that broken arm of yours, and a little left over in case of emergency."

He immediately showed suspicion, and went back on guard.

"What do you want for it.."

I smiled. A real smile, because I knew I had him. My words sounded like the whispers of the devil, or lies you would feed yourself to justify things you've done wrong. Because you wanted to believe.

"I don't want anything. I just want to offer you this, and if you're every in need of a potion or something else... Consider me first."

I extended the vial to him, and his eyes almost looked like the eyes of a hungry beast that had just found a free meal.

I saw him hesitating, and this is where I nailed it in.

"If you don't want to feel like it's for free, why don't you just spread a few nice rumors about me? I keep hearing mean things, but I'm not actually that bad of a guy..."

I flashed a fake smile at the end, helping him believe this was all a ploy to get people to improve my image. Paired with the idea that he was 'earning' the potion, rather than being given it out of the goodness of my heart, he believed the whole thing much more. 

Nodding, he took the vial from my hand, and quickly drank it. Listening to my words from earlier, he left a little bit in there, for in case of emergency. I didn't deceive him about the effects, as his arm immediately began to slide back in place before he felt an itchy feeling inside his arm that he couldn't reach. He didn't feel any pain, because I had also mixed in a mild sedative, so he showed an immediate subservient attitude.

"Thank you, Darius... I do think that maybe the rumors about you are a little... Exaggerated. I'll remember the deal."

With that he got up, and left the area.

Titus looked at him in pity after he left. I noticed this, and turned to talk to him.

"Do you not feel good about doing this?"

I asked. He slowly pulled his eyes away from the kid's back.

"I just know how addictive the stuff you put in there was... The feeling of withdrawal will kick in hard after a day... I just worried he might not be able to quit even after this test."

I walked over and put my hand on his shoulder. I leaned in, so the drone couldn't hear this part of the conversation, and they would simply think I was up to no good.

"I have a potion to negate the addiction. I will give it to all the kids after I use them. Remember, my goal isn't to use these kids and throw them to the curb."

Titus didn't react much, but he gave me a look of trust. He placed his confidence in me, and that I was telling the truth, so he didn't say anymore. Instead we began to walk again, looking for sets of lonely footprints.

****

After several hours, we had managed to distribute my drugs to almost 20 kids. They ranged from things like healing potions, to steroids, and even a potion that made them feel more awake. After we finished, we decided to quickly hunt down something to eat. 

Titus found a set of boar prints, and we followed them to a small cave. With a simple throw, a sharp knife plunged into the rear of the boar, and within a few seconds the boar collapsed unable to move anymore. Titus carried it back to our camp, and I took over.

I had him hang the pig from a tree, far away from our camp, and I bled the pig. Once I finished draining it, I took a skinning knife and began removing the outer layers. I quickly, and precisely, got rid of everything that was inedible. I deboned the meat, and brought back a large amount of meat. Thankfully I had brought a butchers apron, otherwise I would have been covered in blood. 

Titus and I grilled the pork, and ate a large meal before our meal was disturbed by a loud scream. Titus looked off into the distance, before looking back at me. I looked back at him and sighed.

"Yeah.. That's probably my cue to get started with my work... You're free to come along if you want."

With that I stood up, changing my clothes and sliding my holster on. I hadn't used my pistol outside of practicing my aim since the first day at the Academy, but it didn't feel out of place on my hip.

I then put on my belt of vials, and looked over to Titus. I could see the visible worry on his face.

Titus had never lost his drive to save people, but I knew there were times were he restrained himself because he didn't want to bother me. I walked over, and put my arm on his shoulders.

"We'll save them. We won't let anyone innocent die."

I said, smiling at him. He turned his head to me, and his worry melted from his face. He nodded and we headed out. Running through the forest, towards the scream from earlier. 

The reason why this scream caught our attention, was because it had been long enough into the test that everyone was more or less stable in condition. We had personally helped a lot of people who were struggling, and even helped them find others who would be willing to group up. 

So no one was walking around alone at this hour of the night, instead the only threats would be unexpected ones.

Like, let's say, demons?

I had briefly told Titus that there were going to be demons, so he was running at full speed currently. He outpaced me, but I had no trouble following him. I had already activated the jamming device, so there shouldn't be any interference from teachers. The demons probably had one of their own, so it should be a while before a teacher finally comes to help. 

So it was now my responsibility to make sure no one innocent got hurt. I noticed that there were now visible signs of a fight, so I knew I was close. It was another minute of running, before I heard the sounds of fighting. I came up behind a tree, and watched Titus fighting three students, all of which had demonic tattoos on their necks and arms. 

A sign they had drank something to imbue them with the power of demons.

Demons had unique tattoos on their bodies, that allowed them to utilize the mana around their bodies, instead of how other races would internalize mana then project that phenomenon outwards. Demons were born with their tattoos, so when I saw the humans with it, I knew what they had done.

I watched the fight play out, with Titus still overwhelming the students. As I said, he was the strongest student in a fight, for our grade. However the wounds that began to pile up on his body was a testament to how strong demons were.

The three students were different archetypes of demons. One was simply sprinting at Titus, taking the hits but regenerating instantly. This one was going to be the most annoying to deal with.

Then there was one that had green demonic flames radiating from their tattoos. This one would die, even if we left them alone, because their power was essentially burning them alive from the moment it activated. They were incredibly aggressive, but you could see the discordance in their body/mind.

They were afraid to die from Titus's fists, but they were slowly dying because of their power anyways so why fear death? Because they were still human.

The last one was annoying. They were moving at incredible speeds, suddenly disappearing and reappearing. Titus was able to react to the other two easily, but this one kept attacking his blind spots. 

'Okay. That's enough observing. I don't want him to use too much strength now. I need Titus later.'

I then grabbed a dagger, coated it in a mana disrupting poison, and pulled it back while aiming. I watched the fight go on for another couple minutes, before I suddenly threw my knife at a Titus's shadow.

The moment it was about to hit the ground, seemingly missing, the shadow began to rise and the dagger sunk into someone's shoulder.

"ARRRGH!"

The teleporting demon climbed out of Titus's shadow, and began to writhe on the floor in pain.

"Jeremiah! What's wrong? URGH!"

While the burning demon was distracted trying to check on his friend, Titus landed a nasty punch into it's gut, sending it flying back into a tree.

The regenerating demon quickly began to rush Titus, buying time for his ally to recover. However that was where he met a problem.

A dagger came out of nowhere, and landed into his thigh. He grabbed it, and pulled it out, trusting in his ability to regenerate any wound. 

However after a few moments he collapsed onto the ground, falling face first into a mound of dirt. Titus simply looked at him for a moment, before ignoring him completely. He walked to the burning demon, who was just getting back to his feet, before launching a powerful kick into it's midsection.

I had come into view by now, and Titus looked at me.

"Thanks, also, what are we doing with these guys?"

He asked. I knew what he was really asking. I took out my pistol, before pointing it at the teleporting demon's head. I pulled the trigger, and his head blew up like a balloon. 

I then looked at Titus, and he simply nodded. He grabbed the burning demon, ignoring the scorching heat on his hands, and began to beat the demon's head into the tree.

Surprised the tree didn't give out before the demon's head, I shrugged my shoulders before walking to the final demon. The one that regenerated all of it's wounds, but because of my toxin it was simply laying on the ground, tears streaming down it's face as it looked at it's two friends be killed.

I crouched down, and looked at him with disgust.

"You were going to kill others. Those people all had friends too. Loved ones. You think their suffering is any less than yours would have been?"

I didn't expect a reply, since he couldn't move, but I shook my head. Answering an unspoken question.

"I don't care about what you experienced. The only opinion that matters is that of the one who lives... And today, that isn't you."

I pulled out my pistol, and fired a shot into his head. I expected him to die, but to my surprise, his head began to regenerate. 

"Ahh... Annoying fucker."

I was looking through the vials I had on hand, going through the possible mixtures, to see if there was anything useful. I didn't want to have to keep sedating him, as that would be annoying, but I didn't seem to have any way of killing him.

It was then that I received a notification.

[Black Flintlock Pistol has responded to your wishes.]

[Black Flintlock Pistol has gained a new ability.]

[Open Wounds][E-Rank]

[Your shots will no longer be able to be healed by any magic below E-Rank.]

I smiled, as I read the text, but I suddenly heard a garbled voice next to me.

I looked down and saw that the demon's head had regenerated, and he was curing me. 

'The sedative is already wearing off... This would have been really annoying... Well, if things were the same as a minute ago.'

"Y-o-uuuu'reee... d-de-aaad... me. me... me-at!"

He was looking at me with such malice and hatred. He really believed he would be able to avenge his friends.

"What fucking idiot would let you regenerate? If I couldn't kill you, I would just keep drugging you and shooting your head off..."

I then leaned down and pointed my pistol at his head.

"But I CAN kill you."

I head a scream from the side, where I saw Hannah Stonewall on the ground, with Titus standing in front of her path. She was on the ground, clutching her stomach where I saw a footprint.

'Size 14. Titus's foot.'

I smirked at the image of him kicking her in the stomach, before I looked back at the demon and pulled the trigger with a bang.