“Start!” “«Air Lance»~!” 0.7 second until impact, inserting secondary mana stream… “«Rising Tempest»~!” Argh, I’m still using too much mana? The accessories on my hand give off a warmth in warning. It’s so much easier to know what I did wrong with this tool, Headmistress was amazing to be able to make this. *fuuuu* I exhale a quick breath to calm myself as I make a mental note to correct the spell parameters the next time. I start concentrating on the scattered mana from the first two spells and invoke the third spell. A user’s Avatar follows the rules of the real world, it just has a numeric value instead of an instinctive feel. Since that’s the case, I should aim the condensed «Air Hammer»s carefully… solar plexus, the temples, patellas, tarsals, cubiti, carpals, proboscis, back of the cranium, top of the cranium, cervical vertebrae, beneath the clavicle, thoracic vertebrae… [ED: “A user’s Avatar follows the rules of the real world, it just has a numeric value instead of an instinctive feel.” means? T/N: I smack you upside the head, you are stunned, the stun comes up as a timer instead of “oh, I can’t move”. ED: That makes perfect sense, I feel dumb.] [T/N: In layman’s term for those weird words -in sequence-, center of chest, the s.p.a.ce between the respective eye and ear, the kneecaps, the ankles, the elbows, the wrists, the nose, the back of the head, the top of the head, the back of your neck, beneath the collarbone, center of the back. Dear G.o.ds she’s vicious.] “«Rain of Hammers»!” Arrrrrrggghhhhh, so hard to control them properly… I close my eyes briefly to refocus as the arrogant boy is tossed limply outside of the field. Even though half the hammers missed their spots, it should still be enough to stun him significantly. “What in the…” “Stop gawking newbie! Gather around!” “““«Earth Pillar»””” “Oh~ that’s some quick reactions~” “Um… Anue, what should we do?” One of the youths with a short lion’s mane asks me while tensely holding up a wooden shield between himself and the sudden earth fortress. “Have Po’am and Li’lu cast some water spells~ All of you will have to figure out how to deal with this yourselves~” “Yes! Anue!” The youth turns toward his siblings and cla.s.smates. “a.s.sault team! Run interference!”, “Water Mages, soak them!”, “The rest of you, disperse and defend! Treat this as a defensive retreat! Go!” Out of the twelve demihumans, four are noted for being exceptional in their ability to fight as warriors, three are mages with two focusing on water while one focuses on wind, like Till. The remaining five are from the Logistics cla.s.s and the Tactics and Strategy cla.s.ses. Aside from the lion-maned youth, the last group consists of four non-combatants out of these remaining five. These four carry no weapons while each of them carries a wooden large shield that can be pa.s.sed as a subst.i.tute for tabletops. “«Surge»!” “«Aqua Volley»!” The two [Water Mage]s immediately cast their respective [Spell]s onto the walls of earth while the warriors split into two pairs, with one of each pair switching out their swords for bolas. The remaining six demihumans spread themselves out along the edges of the field. I see their training being put to use as I fall back and let them take center stage. * * * * * “Commander.” “How are they doing?” “Except for one, they were treated very well. Also…” “Also…?” “They said they’d seen some demihuman slaves to the west, in the Arlan Range, when Niji and his companions went to a certain quarry to complete some quests for the local administrator and for something called ‘grinding for levels’.” Sekn maintains a stern expression. “Good, tell them to keep it up, and the one that was maltreated, tell him he can return to [Cerebus] once he’s outside the academy.” The task that Sekn had asked of the Immortals of the Academy, when they first agreed to join, was simple. Spread the news that “defeating” [Cerebus] will give them an item to summon a Cadejo mount - this was done with the consent of [Cerebus] of course. This was a three-fold plan. First, it will protect [Cerebus] from being actually defeated, even though [Cerebus] is ancient and powerful, these Immortals might one day truly defeat her, like the possibility when Bell managed to get onto her neck. In that case, it would be better for her to feign defeat and give out a Cadejo for each “defeat” as prize. Secondly, both the [Cerebus] and Sekn can keep tabs on the war potentials of the Immortals. Lastly, by spreading the Cadejo that are now masterless -since their partners died during the inferno that greeted them when they first arrived and the subsequent hibernations-, Sekn can gather news around the region with the help of these Immortals without drawing any attention to himself. The only problem is that these masterless Cadejos are currently all with the same group of people. As a result, news is rather limited. But, it will be only a matter of time before other Immortals will try to defeat the [Cerebus]. If experience is any indication, more Immortals will come as news that she is “defeatable” spreads. “Yes, Commader.” “Alright, let’s head back before we are missed.” Sekn starts walking back toward the field after giving the order. “““Yes, sir!””” * * * * * The fight started in earnest when the Immortals finally sent out «Earth Lance»s one after another toward where Till and her group were standing, immediately after they released the earthen walls. Niji felt something was off after a series of weak attacks against the «Earth Pillar»s, thus ordering the shift in tactics. Originally, he wanted to drag the opponents into a close range battle since he’s rightfully fearful of the [Wind] spells. Unlike the past him, Niji no longer looks at the [Wind Mage] as a weak support cla.s.s, especially after finally having one join his guild, [Atonement], a while back. The low level [Mage] turned out to be invaluable in their subsequent conquests of the [Barghest Dungeon] by using similar techniques to what Till did the first time around. Although [Wind Mage]s have low power in terms of raw strength, they are very flexible in their support and can use the environment to their advantage, limited by their power and imagination, not to mention the [Spell]’s near invisibility when it is casted. What’s most fearsome though, is that they can be long range specialists, which make them hard to target since they simply need to use their allies as shields and escape when necessary before hara.s.sing the opponents again. The «Earth Lance»s were mercilessly hammered down by Till’s «Air Hammer»s before they could even travel half their distance to the [Water Mage]s in front of them. Upon seeing the halfhearted surround tactics employed by the demihumans, the melee-based Immortals charged out of their formation at the two pairs of demihumans at the left and right of the group and the pair of [Water Mage]s in front. The pair of [Archer]s on Niji’s side started hara.s.sing the five demihumans that are lining the outer reaches of the battlefield, who simply turtled behind their large shields. The three Immortal [Mage]s’ focus remained on Till since she can remove someone from the battle in an instance. As soon as the melee-based Immortals get within striking distance of the demihumans on the left side of the battlefield, the demihumans retreat suddenly. It is around this point that Sekn and his aides reappear and take a seat nonchalantly at a previously arranged spot that’s out of the way. “Summer’s Parch!” One of the demihumans standing at the outer reaches of the field shouts. [T/N: 夏成 燥] ““““«Dust Devil»”””” The other 4 demihumans shouts in unison. A small tornado appears where the attacked pair of demihumans were, sending mud -produced by the barrage of water [Spell]s previously- all over the attacking Immortals. “Heee ya~!” Till shouts while pointing toward the muddied Immortals. ““«Earth Pillar»”” **Gaaaa** *fyu* *Kan* Two earthen walls raise out of the ground next to the mud-covered melees as they try to remove the mud from their eyes. A formless arrow flies out from Rick’s bow towards the other melees attacking the other pair of demihumans on the right side, causing a metallic sound to ring out as it strikes someone in the head, making it tilt up and to the side. The demihuman pair took advantage of the strike, one of them immediately releasing her bolas at the nearest unaffected melee and starts throwing daggers. With the muddied ground underfoot, the Immortals have a hard time dodging the a.s.sault, thus resorting to merely standing their ground while blocking with their shields. The demihuman with the sword and shield silently starts a crouching run and stabs the stunned Immortal in the throat before running back. On the other side, the other pair safely retreated with the help of the miniature tornado and threw bolas at the group approaching their [Water Mage]s, managing to tie one opponent up and making him fall face first onto the muddied ground, leaving Niji standing alone. The pair of [Mage]s took advantage of that by using «Surge» and «Aqua Volley», which Niji dodged with ease. Unfortunately for the his teammate who’s on the ground, he’s completely soaked from the sudden wave of water and bruised from the heavy arcing b.a.l.l.s of water that smashed down on him. In just one moment, the Immortals end up being in an unfavourable position. The five ranged Immortals are unharmed, but of the eight Immortal melees that went against the three groups of two demihumans, they are all hamstrung. The three on the left are covered in mud, Niji is alone facing off against two [Water Mage]s with a bound teammate at his feet. While on the right, one is ruled “dead” by the referee and the two remaining melees are on slippery, muddy ground as they cautiously try to defend themselves. *biii* Till sticks out her tongue while pulling down one of her eyelids. Niji’s guildmates can only fume and look around cautiously as she taunts them. One of the things Till learned during her recent study about commerce is that psychological warfare is sometimes even more effective than actually injuring your foes. Using the c.o.c.ky youth as a punching bag for her [Spell]s caused the opponents to pay excessive attention to her, allowing her allies to exploit any potential openings. “Go out Le’oni~ let me see what you lot have planned~” Till smiles as she goes back to standing with her feet shoulder width apart after giving the lion-maned youth a quick instruction. “Um… should I still attack?” Rick looks a little out of place since he feels like he isn’t even needed in the fight. “Just cover them, and don’t get killed~” … “Regroup! Cover us!” Niji starts reorganizing his team, dragging the mud-soaked teammate at his feet back toward the ranged users. The other melees starts pulling back as well, with earth pillars appearing whenever the demihuman fighters get too close. The [Archer]s busy themselves as they send arrows continuously at Rick and Till. “d.a.m.n it! How can these weaklings toy with us like this?!” “Weaklings? G.o.d d.a.m.n it newb, stop being so c.o.c.ky just because you helped beat [Cerebus]. Those two, along with two others, pretty much took on [Cerebus] by themselves! And these guys are trained by them. Get that through that thick skull of yours! Before you end up like that idiot that got sent flying!” “Calm down, Daisy. Those two weren’t there, they are just ignorant.” *fuuuu* “Yes, calm down, revise our strategy. Mages, buy us some time while I try to think of something.” Niji lets out a sigh while trying to calm the situation. “““Yes!””” … The fight stalls as Niji’s group remains protected within the walls of earth that pop up whenever the demihumans try to attack. Till, and by extension, Rick, simply stand around near the rear as they wait for the inevitable a.s.sault by Niji and his teammates. The [Water Mage]s moves around while casting [Spell]s quietly non-stop, but no visible effect appears. *Gaaaaaa* *Gaaaaaa* *Gaaaaaa* A series of earth pillars with varying heights completely surrounds Niji’s group. “Get ready!” The lion-maned youth gives the order while lowering his stance and positioning himself between the walls and the [Water Mage]s behind him. ““Earth Lance!”” Two cone shaped slabs of earth fly out from the left and right of the earthen walls. The demihuman fighters react quickly and retreat slightly toward the center. ““Autumn’s Arrival!”” [T/N: 秋落 成] ““Winter’s Thaw!”” [T/N: 冬休 解] ““““““«Air Hammer»!”””””” All five demihumans at the edge of the field shout in unison once more. Till joins in as well, shattering the other speeding cone of earth. “«Earth Pillar»!” *Gaaaaa* *pyu pyu* As soon as the rest of the earthen wall crumbles, a new one arrives. Unexpectedly, [Archer]s are dropping down onto the raising pillars from the air and start shooting at the [Water Mages]. They had climbed to the top of the previous pillar in preparation, the new pillar is made slightly further back, giving them a temporary foothold on the high-ground. Le’oni managed to block the arrows in time for one of the [Water Mage]s, but the other one is. .h.i.t numerous times in the chest and is ruled “out” by Echo. The rest of the demihumans look up at the sudden attackers, from below, while raising their shields. “““Resting Winter’s Midmorning!””” [T/N: 冬休 蟄] ““““““«Air Lance»!”””””” Six voices ring in unison as a pair of invisible ma.s.ses slam the exposed [Archer]s in their chests, sending them flying toward the ground from their position ten odd meters from above. ““«Earth Lance!»”” A pair of earthen cones flies toward the demihumans on the right. ““Summer’s Parch!”” “““““«Air Hammer»!””””” “““«Backslide»!””” ““«Reinforce»!”” ““Go! «Linear Thrust»! «Defensive Stance»!”” The cones of earth turn to rubble, at the same time, Niji’s group -who were holding onto the cones- used their respective skills while jumping off. Niji and two others glide backward toward the center, their forward momentum suddenly reversing. Two [Warrior]s wielding an axe and sword respectively with their shields tighten their body and temporarily strengthen it while they get launched by the two [Guardian]s, sending them right into the unsuspecting pair of demihuman fighters on the right side of the battlefield. *pyu pyu pyu pyu* “d.a.m.n it! «Rapidfire»!” Rick is the first to react since he’s the only one that wasn’t really doing anything aside from watching. He sends a barrage of formless arrows at the three that are gliding back toward the center. “Go Niji!” “Get them boss!” *shi shi shi shi* Rick’s arrows cut into the two leather-clad fighters from Niji’s side as they use their own bodies as shields and run forward. “«Aqua Volley»!” The lone [Water Mage] steps out from behind Le’oni and fires off a series of the heavy b.a.l.l.s of water at the bloodied fighters while Le’oni rushes forward to meet them. *dokan* “«Backstab»!” Niji’s figure blurs before completely fading, lightly slashing down at the [Water Mage] that’s preoccupied with attacking the two fighters. *zushin zushin* On the right side of the field, the 2 warriors collided with the demihumans while emitting blazing red auras. Seeing the airborne [Warrior]s, the demihumans know they can’t evade in time and that blocking would be futile, they thus opt for a counter-attack. The users, not expecting them to do something so reckless, pull their shields in tight to their bodies. The demihumans rotate their bodies while absorbing some of the impact, spinning around and slashing down on the users’ heads at the last possible moment. The attack is successful, but the impact with the users’ strengthened body knocks them both out. … ““«Earth Pillar»!”” “«Scatter Shot»” While the melees are fighting, Niji’s [Mage]s walled in the pair of demihuman fighters on the left side of the battlefield. The two tried to rush forward at the [Mage]s, but ended up being pelted into the earthen wall formed behind them. They gave up soon after. Till, trying to prevent the [Guardian]s from reaching the demihumans at the edge of the field, sends them flying with dozens of concentrated «Air Lance»s. [Guardian]s in «Defensive Stance» are notoriously difficult to dislodge, all the more reason for Till to remove them before they become a major threat in the latter part of the battle. As it stands, Niji and his three [Mage]s remain on his side. On the Academy’s side, Till, Rick, Le’oni, one [Wind Mage] and four non-combatants remain. *KA* *KA* *KA* Le’oni continues to press Niji as their wooden weapons collide. Le’oni had rushed him after Niji “killed” the [Water Mage]. Le’oni has the defensive advantage with his sword and shield, but Niji is nimble on his feet, parrying effectively with his wooden daggers. “Plan C, go!” Niji suddenly throws one of the daggers in his hands at Le’oni’s face before making an amazingly high, acrobatic jump over him. ““«Air Lance»!”” ““«Air Hammer»!”” “«Dust Devil»!” “““«Earth Lance»!””” The demihumans at the edge shout all at once, sending one of the [Mage]s to the ground. In the mean time, the [Mage]s themselves sends three earth lances at Le’oni in a single file. “Oh no you don’t! «Rapidfire»” Rick sends a barrage of arrows at the airborne Niji. “Le’oni~! To your right~! «Air Hammer»~, «Air Hammer»~, «Air Hammer»~” In the mean time, Till tries to hammer the cones of earth heading toward Le’oni. Due to the way the earth [Spell]s are lined up, Till can’t target them effectively and likely won’t be able to destroy them in time. Le’oni lost sight of Niji after pulling his shield up to stop the dagger flying toward his face, upon hearing Till’s warning, he immediately reacts and turns around, spotting the earthen cones flying toward him. He raises his shield once more and sidesteps, hoping to make it in time. At this moment… “«Heaven’s Dive»!” Niji suddenly accelerates toward Le’oni after taking two formless arrows to his left shoulder, at the last moment, he pulls Le’oni down by his right shoulder instead of striking him with the dagger. The «Earth Lance»s continues toward Till and Rick, which Till manages to hammer down in time. “Man… nice!” Rick couldn’t help but praise that display. Likewise, the audience is on the edge of their seat, with the occasional squeal from the over-excited crowd. They have been silently watching the fight, but even they know the climax is coming. “Focus on one of them at a time! Only one of them is a [Mage], the rest are fakes!” Niji shouts while helping Le’oni up, who proceeds to walk out of the field sheepishly, understanding that the pull on his shoulder could have easily been a dagger to his head. Likewise, the other demihumans walk off the field as well since their cover is blown, the [Wind Mage] is too exposed to be of much help in this situation. [T/N: Niji is a slllllyyyyy b.u.g.g.e.r, instead of just knocking Le’oni out, he dragged him down so that he can buy time to tell his mages what to do when he helps him up] “Hehehe~ Good job figuring that out~” “G.o.d d.a.m.n it you two, this isn’t 14 vs 14, it was 14 vs 10! And you guys are still kicking our a.s.ses… Argh, Let’s finish this!” Niji is still optimistic that he can at least get a draw now that it’s 3 vs 2. Rick proceeds to scratch his head. “Umm… I don’t recomme-” “Okay~, «Rising Tempest»~ … «Tears of Lament»!” Till bolts to the sky boosted by her [Spell] before aiming downward with concentrated «Air Lance»s. Activating the accessory on her left arm, she use the Ring of the Crystal Mirror, the Ring of Dancing Fae and the water mana stored within the vambrace itself. She makes minute adjustments at the last second to prevent her [Spell] from actually hitting them. *dokkan dokkan dokkan dokkan dokkan dokkan dokkan dokkan dokkan dokkan dokkan …* … *Uuuuuuuu* “d.a.m.n it, Till, you didn’t have to hit me too!” Rick is rubbing his left arm and shoulder while groaning since he dove out of the field as Till’s attacks seemed like they were going to hit him. “Your own fault for running around~ It wouldn’t have hurt you if you didn’t move~” *Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu* Miserable groans come from nearby as Niji and his group make their way to where Till and Rick are. The audience, on the other hand, are all talking in loud, excited voices. “What… on… earth… was THAT?” Niji points to the field with shaking fingers, filled with watery craters, as he limps toward them while a.s.sisted by his least injured teammate - the first one to be sent out of the field. The youth is stopped by Niji about a dozen paces away from the two before making his way over on his own. The youth can only stare at Till with terror in his eyes, he was merely “stunned and tossed”, so he ended up watching the fight from the sideline once the stun-effect wore off after some of the demihumans dragged him to a safe spot. “Just a lot of «Air Lance»s~” “Filled with water?! I can’t imagine the result if you hit us dead on with that… Argh… we’ve a long way to go before we reach your level…” Niji is well aware that he and his teammates weren’t targeted by the spell on purpose, yet they can’t even stand up after just getting hit by the shrapnel kicked up from the impact, let alone being hit by it. [ED: FLUID DYNAMICS - THE COMPRESSIBILITY OF WATER IS 4% BY VOLUME, EFFECTIVELY AN INCOMPRESSIBLE SUBSTANCE THAT CAN SIMPLY BE CONSIDERED USING PENETRATION IMPACT CALCULATIONS AT IT’S DENSITY SINCE THEY ALREADY ACCOUNT FOR THE FACT THAT HIGH SPEED IMPACTS OPERATE ON EVERYTHING BEHAVING AS A FLUID. Vis-a-vis - watah hurt nigguh] “Don’t worry about it, you did good, getting those archers up there… attacking your teammates to send them flying… and that jump! d.a.m.n it, if I know how to jump like that, I might have won against that captain!” Rick consoles Niji while recalling his own fight with the Feian Captain. “How did you figure out we only had another mage instead of five~?” Till nods cutely, agreeing with Rick. “When they shouted different things and only one of my mages got hit.” “d.a.m.n, you noticed that?” Rick raises an eyebrow. Niji flashes a triumphant grin before turning looking left and right, speaking in hushed tones. “Are you guys raising an army here to take over a kingdom or what? Count me in if you guys are doing something interesting. Those were just kids right? And you’ve an actual army just doing escort duties!” “Ha… Ha… Ha…” The blonde youth laughs uneasily. “Don’t worry about it~ But we will let you know if we are up to something interesting~” “That’s a promise!” Niji turns his head as he notices some figures approaching. “Looks like your NPCs want you for something, I’ll be on my way then.” He gives them a quick salute before heading toward his guildmates, with the still sh.e.l.lshocked teen in tow. “Hohoho, that was a most excellent duel!” The group of Elders make their way over, under the escort of the demihumans. Elder Markus was the first to speak. “Glad you enjoyed it~” “We noticed four of the youths on your team weren’t fighters… why was that?” “It’s for their training, in case of a sudden war, even non-combatants will have to play a role if they are to survive. At least that’s what my family keeps telling me. Even if they can’t fight, they can still be eyes and ears, as well as distractions.” The Elders nod sagely in agreement. “Excellent, excellent. I was wondering… is there a limit to how many students you are willing to accept?” “I was going to ask that, Elder Markus.” “Actually, I wonder if I can enroll my nieces and nephews as well.” “Oh ho, I was just thinking the same thing, although I also want to send some of my servant’s children here as well.” … The talk ended up with the Elders competing for enrollment spots for the Academy. They got loud during their discussions, to the point that the other n.o.bles in their entourage overheard them and joined into the fray. After rea.s.suring that there will be enough spots for everyone, the crowd finally calms down. … “Greetings Headmaster, Miss, Elders.” Cori greets them with a shallow bow at the waist while bringing his right arm forward in a sweeping motion. He finally managed to introduce himself after the commotion. The group acknowledge him with slight movements and a nod, before turning their head at the creature next to him. “I’m from a village near Feia, there’s som-” “Eh?!” Till suddenly releases a voice in surprise as Gui goes up to her and climbs onto her shoulders with his paws, sniffing. “Little girl, do you know my brother?” Gui continues to sniff her while tilting his head back and forth.