Pencils rattled as they rubbed against the paper, the teacher was in front of all of us watching to see if we copied. Looking to the side meant the end of our exams. A test I hadn't studied for, I only knew it was Trigonometry. I hated mathematics and its numbers, that's all I could think of as my hands sweated trying to find the answers to the questions on the paper.
The professor did not move, his imperturbable face seemed to see infinity, but we knew from our own experience that he observed everything. Even the imperceptible movement of the eraser when eliminating any error.
Professor Pulgar was the worst of all at the university. He knew how to set the first easy questions, but the last two were the ones that had the highest score to pass the exam. However, I didn't even know the first three. The night had been too unruly to get into flipping through the book, let alone the past week.
“Something wrong, young Galleon?" the professor gazed at me through his cold, dark eyes.
He had faced gods, millenary monsters, and diabolical witches, but the fear he felt before those eyes was a thousand times worse. Sweat broke out on his forehead and a few drops fell on my leaf.
“I studied, didn't I? The last exams leave much to be desired” the professor did not have the decorum to mitigate that in front of my classmates. “I told you that this career was not for you, you should do like some of your classmates and drop out.”
I raised my head, but not to meet my professor's cold gaze, but I caught a peculiar sound. My eyes went to the window that overlooked the street, the students wandered around as if it were a normal, non-examination.
“What are you looking for outside? Nothing is lost to you, Galleon.”
It was true, but I still ran to the window. The professor was startled and got up to reprimand me.
“Go away and sit down, don't disturb...”
“Everybody on the floor” was an order from me.
A huge ax broke the window panes and before it could slice any of the students I gave it a strong kick, I avoided being cut, sending it against the ceiling where it remained stuck, causing a terrible crack in the roof.
“Everybody get out!” I asked, but they looked at me like a madman, I could see their eyes going from me to the murder weapon hanging from the roof. -Move...
Then I received the first blow, I had turned my back to the real enemy.
A huge giant with an Arabian style beard, his clothing was a woolen tunic that reached his ankles of purple color, adjusted with a leather belt and a shoe of the same material, he wore a tiara on his curly brown hair.
My adversary pulled another huge ax from his burly back and did not wait for me to break free from the dented wall upon impact. The tip of his weapon missed me, I was able to dodge, but we fell as the structure of the second floor collapsed.
Screams and fear prevailed. The room where we had finished was quickly evacuated.
The Persian began to speak, people were never going to understand what he was saying, the only language that savage was fluent in was Farsi or Old Persian. However, due to my status as the bearer of the power of a god, I could understand his language.
“Mr. Gaumata said, leave him alone," the other ax fell and the Persian caught it in his free hand. “He doesn't want to see your nose in our affairs again.”
His short expletive allowed me to stand up and remove the debris from my uniform, which was now filthy. My mother was going to kill me.
“Speak up or you're a real fool," he brandished his two axes menacingly. “I demand an immediate answer.”
So far I did not understand anything, I know I was on a quest to find those chosen by the five sages and obtain the five rings of the elements to give to the bearers, and thus avert the approaching apocalypse. To make a long story short, I had already twice encountered the Illuminati and the last and corrupt Templars. The latter was led by a strange old man. It would be that old geezer who commanded the big guy.
My conclusions were that the old man was in search of the rings as well, but I remembered that in the battle he took a strange chest. A fight that destroyed a part of the Chinese Wall.
The big guy didn't wait for my answer or I thought too much, he threw his weapon at me again. I dodged it and ran through the corridors. I could feel the looks of confusion, the looks of fear, and the looks of the assassin behind me following me.
I dodged another one of his deadly attacks, we were already in the open field, on the baseball field. I looked for an area free of students and teachers, but they followed the fight. My classmates were a few meters away watching in horror as I barely dodged the big guy's slashes.
“Mr. Gaumata is not a murderer, but I am, and I'd rather murder you before you cause more trouble, you little mortal.”
I didn't understand how my trigonometry exam had led to this unexpected end. I couldn't believe it, as I jumped back and forth avoiding being sliced.
“Call the authorities!" shouted the beautiful Desiree, I knew the voice was hers, I couldn't see her, but I could hear her.
“What is going on here? “ That voice belonged to Professor Gutierrez of Descriptive Geometry. “They're going to kill him, by God and the saints.”
I expected the big guy to give up, but he seemed to have a lot of stamina, as well as speed, in some of his attacks I thought he didn't count. I was overestimating him.
“Could you at least tell me what they're after?" I asked, smiling.
The giant stopped his offensives.
“That's what a warrior like you answers to me, the great Darius, the greatest hunter, the greatest king in history," he raised his weapon in anger, "Do you think you can defeat me?”
I kept laughing at that big guy of pure muscle, the day was going to end well. The exam could be postponed because of a terrorist attack, I could see the headlines. The only thing I had to be careful about was them seeing my powers and that was about to be fixed.
This Dario guy attacked, but again I shied away from his edge, the weapon stuck in the ground and I took the opportunity to stick my finger in the dirt. It was a few seconds, but around us rose a great wall of earth and stones that avoided the gaze of the students or professors on campus. My secret would be kept secret.
“You are not a mere mortal," Dario's eyes were studying me, he had realized that he was the one who was overestimating me.
“I should thank you for getting me out of my exam," I made a mocking bow, "Now I will be able to study properly and pass my exam, I should reward you properly.”
The big guy opened his eyes like a madman. He understood me because I spoke his language through my necklace of the god Tepeyollotl, the god of mountains, earthquakes, and echoes.
“It's time to reward you," I said and touched my golden necklace in the shape of a jaguar.
My body transformed, I grew a few more centimeters and my muscles became toned. A dense yellow fur with spots populated my physiognomy and a strong tail sprouted, as well as sharp claws and deadly fangs. My eyes were two feline slits, so it meant it was time to get serious.
The Persian was the first to attack, but I moved like lightning and knocked him down by embedding my claws in his chest, causing him to crash into the wall, which withstood the shock. My enemy tried to knock me down with his free hand, but with a simple movement, I disabled it. We both stared at each other, he knew he was my prey.
Like a mouse I threw him to the other end of the field, I went for him, before he could get up I hit him three times in the joints. His cries of pain gave me no pleasure, but I sought to make him surrender. A hero never killed.
“You are a bearer of the gods!" Darius was short of breath, I let him recover a little. “I did not expect to meet one.”
“In your time they didn't exist," I made his face eat dirt. “How can you know?”
“You think I'm afraid, mortal," the big man's biceps swelled and he surprisingly broke out of my grip. “Mr. Gaumata is a sorcerer, so even though he didn't exist thousands of years ago, he has lived long enough to see the changes in the world. He has lived long enough to see the changes and adapt.” I received a punch in the stomach and another in my face, but I continued to hold on. “I, Darius the Great, have the power of my lord flowing through me, it is enough to stand up to your magic.”
“Of course!" and my claws dug deep into the earth to bring forth two huge fists of earth that swallowed the poor Persian. “You know my answer!”
