《The Journeys of Seraphiel (LitRPG)》 Prologue Senses returned to her slowly. First was feeling. She felt warm. So very warm. Not quite enough to be hot, but perhaps a bit warmer than was comfortable. Not uncomfortable enough to consider doing anything about it though. It was peaceful. Calm. Then she started feeling wet. It wasn¡¯t just water though. It was as if she was submerged in some thick and viscous liquid. No, not submerged, suspended. The liquid was also keeping her warm. For some reason, the idea of being suspended in some liquid should have worried her, but she couldn¡¯t quite figure out why. Next came the feeling of being constricted. She was enclosed in a relatively small space, but she felt the walls around her were for her protection. Still, she got the sense that it too should¡¯ve worried her, but thinking was so very hard. The next sense to return to her was hearing. She could hear her own heartbeat. The calm and steady thumping in her chest as blood flowed through her veins. At first, that was the only thing she heard, but over time, ever so slowly, she started to hear other sounds. They were all muted and somehow distorted. Likely had something to do with the liquid and the walls surrounding her. She could somewhat recognize that two voices kept repeating, and she grew somewhat familiar with them. Sometimes the two voices seemed to be speaking or even singing to her, whatever that was supposed to mean. Thinking was still hard. The next sense that she became aware of came to her accidentally. It seemed that she was moved. Whatever container it was that held her was jostled and she discovered her vestibular senses, meaning movement and balance. After that, she recognized that she was moved more often, though the jostling didn¡¯t happen anymore, so she wouldn¡¯t have noticed if the earlier shock hadn¡¯t made her aware and pay attention. Along with her vestibular senses, she also discovered her proprioception, meaning awareness of her body. The jostling had moved her inside the container she was inside of, causing her to brush against the walls. It wasn¡¯t painful, as the liquid protected her well, but the sensations in her extremities made her aware that she had them. She also now recognized where they were in relation to each other. A head, an important one that, two arms, two legs, and two wings. For some reason that felt right to her. All was right in the world. Thinking was still hard. Thinking slowly became easier though. She realized she had other senses. Sight, smell, and taste, but that it would be a bad idea to test them at this point. She didn¡¯t quite understand why, but since she didn¡¯t quite know how to test those senses anyway, she decided to trust that instinct. At least for now. Also, just because thinking had become easier, that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t still hard. Besides, all was right, and she was safe. That was important. She wasn¡¯t sure how long she had been in the egg, and she had now realized she was in an egg before awareness filled her. Awareness of where she was, an egg as already mentioned, what that meant, she was in a body that required the use of an egg, and that she was now once again in a new body. Probably a new universe. With awareness came memories. Memories of all the other universes her Father had sent her to. Of the numerous times she had been sent to deal with whatever ailed the broken mess that Father called Creation. She had been exiled, and this was her punishment. Countless times she had been hurled from one reality to another, never to see the Silver City again. Never to see her family again, aside from an occasional visit one or two of her siblings were allowed. Oh, how she missed them! Even Father, although she mostly missed her siblings. At least Azrael could still visit her more often than the others. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Usually, when she was hurled from one reality to another, she was still in her own body. However, sometimes her soul was put in another body, for reasons she didn¡¯t always understand. Sometimes it was obvious. Sometimes her kind simply didn¡¯t exist in the universe she was placed into, so she was put in a body of a being that did exist there instead. Still, that body was almost always that of an adult, or what passed for an adult among its kind. Sometimes she was placed in the body of a teen, and only once before a child. She could count on the fingers of her hand the number of times she¡¯d been born in a body that wasn¡¯t at least close to reaching adulthood. The fingers of her old hand as she still didn¡¯t know how many fingers this body had. She couldn¡¯t just use her supernatural senses to scan her body either, as it seemed that most of her more unnatural abilities were blocked. Perhaps because the body was too young and unable to handle it. Wouldn¡¯t be the first time some of her abilities were blocked temporarily. And it did seem likely that complex powers and the whole being in an egg thing likely didn¡¯t mix well. When her Father tossed her from one universe to another, it was always done in order for her to fix something. Usually, it was some grand threat hanging over the head of everyone. Some great doom that would consume everything unless dealt with. Sometimes she had to deal with the problem, while other times she only needed to provide support and advice. Sometimes that something was a more mundane problem. A civil war. A robot uprising. A few times it had even been a personal problem of some important individual. Why she¡¯d been sent from a different universe to deal with a personal problem instead of Father simply sending a local shrink equivalent was a mystery. Sometimes she didn¡¯t even know what she¡¯d been sent to fix. Only that she''d accidentally done it without even realizing. Usually, though, the problem was on the level of an existential threat. The problem with free will was that mortals could do a lot to fuck up any universe Father had created for them. Her original home was far from perfect, but it was a vast improvement over some of the practical and sometimes literal hellscapes she¡¯d been to. She didn¡¯t always succeed, especially on the more nebulous missions. Sometimes she misunderstood her mission, and Father never deigned to explain of course. Explanations were not His thing. Sometimes she misunderstood the mission on purpose. Her idea of how things should go didn¡¯t always coincide with Father''s. There were certain principles that she held important, and He had certain others. A few times she¡¯d outright refused. She¡¯d either taken a vacation, or she¡¯d just outright disagreed with her mission and done the opposite. That only happened when the threat wasn¡¯t an existential one of course. She wasn¡¯t fond of allowing the innocent to suffer just because she and Father had a difference of opinion. It was the one thing she didn¡¯t want to let go, even if her willingness to play along with Father¡¯s designs had frayed to the point of almost willful disobedience by now. Nevertheless, it was safe to say that she was here on a mission. Wherever here was. It likely wasn¡¯t an urgent one, seeing as she was in an egg. It would take years, likely decades, before she had any sort of power to make a difference. She wasn¡¯t sure what happened to her real body every time she was shoved into another, though the new body would inevitably slowly transform to become closer to her real one. The change was slow and gradual, but it always happened. She¡¯d done some research on the topic a dozen universes back and come to the conclusion that the body adapted to the soul inhabiting it. No matter the reason though, she¡¯d inevitably be reunited with her real body in the next universe. Or her current body would turn into her old one. Wonder what her mission this time would be? Suddenly a bright blue transparent box appeared in her vision. Considering her new eyes were completely unused and closed, the bright blue box was rather difficult to ignore.
¡°Welcome to the Universe of Legends! You have been selected to become a Champion in the Great Game between the gods! The System hopes you will grow strong and enjoy your stay!¡±
Well. That was new. Chapter 1 - Hatching Truths -------- Her remaining time in the egg passed quickly. Or at least it felt that way. There were two main reasons for that. The first one was that she had a lot to think about. What did the blue box mean? The blue box had mentioned something called the System, with a capitalized S. That suggested the name was important. She''d been to technologically advanced universes before, and the word implied something artificial. Something like artificial intelligence for example. Though she did suppose it could be magical as well, or even both. And implied intelligence didn¡¯t mean actual self-awareness. Either way, she had run into the concept of worlds governed by a system of some sort, and even the concept of blue boxes, even if she¡¯d never been in a universe like that before. She¡¯d read some stories though. And in most of those stories, the presence of a System, with a capital S, implied something game-like. If true, she wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about it aside from one thing. At least it would be new. She had no idea how a game-like System would react to her inherent abilities, if it did at all. It would be interesting to find out though. The fact that she didn¡¯t have access to them at the moment either meant she didn''t have those abilities here, or that they were somehow integrated into the System and momentarily unavailable. Another thing to consider was that the blue box had claimed she had been summoned as a Champion. She¡¯d been sent to several universes, and she¡¯d been a champion of some sort many times, but she¡¯d never been summoned directly before. Father had always sent her. And she wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about being the Champion, with a capital C again, of some force that she knew nothing about. If even Father couldn¡¯t command her obedience, then she certainly wouldn¡¯t acquiesce to some random summoner¡¯s whims either. And why in an egg if she was supposed to be a Champion? Wouldn¡¯t her real adult body be a much better fit for the job? That said, if the cause was worthy, she might work with this summoner as long as they didn¡¯t expect her to follow their commands. The words Great Game also didn¡¯t inspire confidence, as they suggested politics and hijinks. She hated politics. She much preferred pummeling her way through problems. Hijinks were something she had more preference for. Those could be fun. The second reason time seemed to pass quickly, and another reason why she was somewhat certain something odd was going on, was because every time she went to sleep, there was more information in her head. Most of that information was something she already knew, but she was still aware that she¡¯d been given information that a small child would normally learn as a baby. The basics of how to walk, how to talk, how to not defecate on the floor, and the basics of socialization. The sort of thing a parent would teach their child as a baby. Some of the information was more advanced though. Apparently, her new species, which to her relief was still an Angel of some sort, was hatched from eggs, and this sort of knowledge transfer was common. The babies would hatch basically with the knowledge and skills of a two-year-old. Well, two-year-old Angel that is, as it seemed they were rather intense in what a child that young should know, as she also got basic information on things like survival. Shelter, source of fresh water, what to eat and what not to eat in the wilderness. It would appear that it wasn¡¯t uncommon for these eggs to be lost in the wilderness, and part of the knowledge transfer was to prepare the baby to survive in said wilds. Oh, and she of course got a basic language package, though that didn¡¯t matter as Father had given her and her siblings several Gifts, one of which was the Gift of Tongues, allowing her to speak, understand, read, and write all languages perfectly. Interestingly, the lessons she got had nothing about the System or anything to do with it really. ------ She wasn¡¯t sure how, but one moment she simply knew that her time in the egg was over. A strong instinct bordering on a compulsion forced her to spread her limbs and struggle free of her containment. It took a bit of effort, but not enough to be a true struggle. A single push audibly caused the egg to crack. Another one cause the crack to widen enough for the viscous liquid to start flowing out. A third push widened the crack enough to allow some light to peek through the cracks. Apparently, her struggle didn¡¯t go unnoticed, as she heard an immature voice shouting. ¡°Mom! Hatching time!¡± The voice was fairly androgynous but did slightly tend towards male. A young sibling perhaps? She didn¡¯t wait though and pushed more, causing the crack to widen further, allowing her limbs more room to maneuver, and giving her more leverage. Her wings especially helped her in pushing the walls further away from her. The rest of the liquid drained away, and she could draw her first breath and finally open her eyes. The lights in the room were relatively dim, so it wasn¡¯t painful on her new eyes, though the goop on her face made seeing things somewhat challenging. Hopefully, a bath was in her near future. She did notice a blurry but quite obviously female figure rushing into the room. She could see the woman¡¯s dove-like white wings and her long and flowing blond hair. Making out details beyond that was a bit of a struggle. The woman rushed towards her and started to help with what remained of the egg, easily removing the rest of it, and catching her before she fell to the floor. No wait. The egg had been placed on some kind of a pedestal as she was almost looking at the woman in her blurry face. Wouldn¡¯t a drop from this height be dangerous? ¡°There we go little one. Let mommy help you!¡± The woman gushed with the cooing high-pitched voice that you used to talk to babies and small animals. She produced some kind of soft fabric from next to the pedestal, which she used to wipe some of the goop off her face. It felt nice to touch and helped clear her vision. She still smelled quite bad though. The goop wasn¡¯t exactly perfume when it came to her sense of smell, and her olfactory senses finally seemed to be working. She kinda wished they didn¡¯t at that moment. She could now see the woman¡¯s, apparently her mother¡¯s, face more clearly and the woman was quite beautiful in the typical angelic fashion. Angels rarely were unattractive unless they chose to be. She also looked rather stern but also fairly young. That said, if the Angels of this universe were anything like proper Angels, then appearances could be very deceiving in that regard. Amenadiel and Uriel both looked older than her real body, even if they were much younger. Agelessness was funny that way. She could also now see her sibling(provisional). The sibling looked almost as androgynous as they sounded, but you could see some boyish features. He too had wavy blond hair, though much shorter than mother(provisional), cut to around shoulder length. He looked to be around perhaps four or five years old, though how the egg factored into that number was a mystery. And how did Angels in this place age anyway? Her old body hadn¡¯t aged a day since it had been created, and her siblings had stopped aging after a point. ¡°There you go little one. Is everything alright?¡± The mother spoke softly, apparently fully aware that the baby had been taught how to speak during her time in the egg. ¡°Goopy. A bath would be nice.¡± She complained eloquently, causing her new family(provisional) to giggle. ¡°Figures her first word would be goopy.¡± Her brother(provisional) commented with a happy smile. ¡°We already have a nice bath ready for you little one. Your wings could certainly use it. I know how nasty goopy wings can feel.¡± She probably didn¡¯t intend for that to sound lewd, but that¡¯s how it came off anyway. ¡°Before that though, introductions are in order. I''m your mother, Ophiel, and this is your big brother Raziel. And you, my little baby girl, will be named Seraphiel!" The woman, now officially her mother, declared. Also, no other family members? ¡®Father, you hypocrite! For all your refusal to meddle in the affairs of mortals, you sure like to meddle in mine!¡¯ She silently cursed the Creator. At least she got to keep her name. Too much of a coincidence without Father having a hand in it. As far as meddling went, this one was more benign. Still hypocritical. Speaking of fathers, this new family seemed to be lacking in the dad department. She¡¯d have to figure that part out eventually. Maybe he was just at work or something? Her thoughts were interrupted before she could get any further. The goop was still giving her a constant itch which in turn caused her to sneeze in a way that even she herself would¡¯ve described as cute. It was also a little cold with the warmth of the egg now gone, and the goop now drying and cooling on her skin. ¡°Mother. Brother. Greetings. Now for that bath, please. Warm, if at all possible.¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°She¡¯s ar-articulate mom!¡± Her brother declared in a somewhat childish voice. He seemed relatively mature for his apparent age, though his face and voice clearly had that child-like innocence. Something she would never be able to replicate. That brought up one of the decisions she¡¯d made while in the egg. Once she would get her mother alone, she would need to inform her that she was mentally much older than she seemed. It would be impossible for her to hide that fact anyway, and she didn¡¯t even want to waste time trying. Gift of Tongues was very helpful, but it did make baby-talk impossible. She could speak with an accent and even slang, but something like baby-talk was beyond her abilities. She¡¯d also lost any child-like innocence she might have once had tens of thousands of years ago. What she¡¯d been forced to live through had made her too jaded to pretend to be an innocent child and faking it would be too bothersome. "Alright, alright. My baby needs a bath, and as a mother, I shall oblige." The woman laughed and scooped her up, staining her white and simple dress in the process, but she didn''t seem to care. Seraphiel was carried through the surprisingly modern-looking apartment and into a huge, white-tiled bathroom with several showers and a large bath built into the floor. The walls were covered with painted images of Angels doing battle against various foes, wielding weapons like swords and spears and what looked like magic at a glance. As for technology in the room, running water was obvious, though it seemed most of the systems worked with a combination of magic and technology. There were golden-colored faucets, but Ophiel controlled them with a swipe of a finger over magical-looking dials, and the effects seemed instant. Her mother carried her directly into the large in-built bath, getting in and settling into the shallow end while keeping Seraphiel in her lap to prevent her from accidentally drowning. She started to vigorously scrub her with a nearby sponge and sweet-smelling soap, taking special care to clean out each of her feathers without mussing them. It felt quite pleasant. It had been some time since someone had fussed like that over her. The bath included a lot of laughter and a bit of playing around, as water was accidentally thrown around by their movements. Soon enough though, Ophiel declared her clean enough for purpose and lifted her out of the bath and set her down on her own feet before getting out herself. Seraphiel had expected her mother to change clothing and clean herself again at this point, but instead the woman just said a few words laden with magic and it seems like a wave of energy washed over her form, leaving her and her clothes perfectly clean and dry. Seraphiel lifted an eyebrow at that. ¡°You could¡¯ve done that from the start?¡± She asked a bit pointedly. ¡°And miss the fun of your first bath? I don¡¯t think so. Besides, it¡¯s important to get your wings clean properly, and magic goes only so far.¡± Her mother smiled angelically. Then she made her wings disappear, as if they¡¯d never been there. She gave a small sigh. She supposed that a small moment of normalcy would be fine as she was about to turn this woman¡¯s world around. ¡°Right. I need to tell you something.¡± Incidentally, a quick look at her own wings told her that they remained just as golden as her real body¡¯s wings tended to be. At least most of the time. That one tended to change quite a lot interestingly enough. Ophiel hid her smile, clearly not believing a toddler would have something actually important to talk about. ¡°Judging by your looks it¡¯s serious.¡± She joked. ¡°I¡¯m much older than I seem.¡± She stated directly. ¡°I¡¯m not a normal newborn, or newly-hatched, whichever is more accurate in this universe.¡± Her mother blinked owlishly for a few moments before the gears in her head obviously started turning. ¡°You mean you¡¯ve lived a life somewhere else before being born here? Like a reincarnation or something?¡± ¡°Yes, though not exactly reincarnation. And just to make sure you don¡¯t misunderstand; I don¡¯t just mean the information I was given while in the egg.¡± She admitted, waiting for the inevitable questions. Ophiel looked a little conflicted for a moment. ¡°I have to ask this first. Does that mean you took over what was supposed to become my baby? What happened to them?¡± ¡°Just to avoid any misunderstandings, this is only my second time being born, although I¡¯ve lived through multiple lifetimes and many universes. You do not need to fear that your child was harmed in any way. As far as I understand such things, my soul gets placed inside a vessel only when there isn¡¯t one already inhabiting it. Meaning, either there wouldn¡¯t have been a child without me in the first place, or, and I¡¯m sorry to say this is even possible, the child had perished, and the soul had passed on before I was placed here. I have experienced both though with adult bodies. My soul has been inserted into a dead body which was then healed, and I¡¯ve also been given a body from thin air, so to speak.¡± Her words caused Ophiel to look sad for a moment. ¡°You speak as if something like this has happened to you several times. Too many times judging by how tired your voice is. Why? What could cause something like that to happen?¡± It seemed that her mother was taking it well, despite also looking a little sad. It seemed her sympathy was overriding any worry about her new child¡¯s identity. And it was obvious that the woman still considered her their child. ¡°It has been¡­way too long. As for why, well usually I¡¯m sent because a universe needs help. They need a savior of some kind, and Father sends me to fix things. Whether I¡¯m to be that savior directly, or I¡¯m to help that savior depends on the situation.¡± She couldn¡¯t help some of the bitterness leaking into her voice. Ophiel knelt in front of her, still being much taller, and pulled her into a gentle hug. ¡°My little savior. You¡¯re exhausted, aren¡¯t you? I can hear it in your voice. You¡¯re still going to be my daughter, even if you¡¯re special. No matter what, we¡¯ll still be your family while you¡¯re here. My daughter is just a bit more than normal.¡± She seemed to be almost convincing herself. Perhaps she was. Seraphiel could use the hug, even if it wasn¡¯t quite necessary. She allowed herself to sink into it. It was nice. Warm hugs were always welcome. They stayed like that for several minutes, before Ophiel seemed to realize something. ¡°Wait. I think that might mean you¡¯re a Champion!¡± ¡°That¡¯s something a blue box mentioned while I was still in the egg, yes.¡± She admitted while pulling away a bit to look at her mother for clarification. ¡°Ooh, you got your first System announcement! Did it tell you whose Champion you are?¡± Her mother suddenly seemed very excited. Seraphiel gathered that being a Champion was likely an honor. "It did not, and I didn¡¯t get any further announcements. It was just a welcoming message. You seem to be familiar with the concept though.¡± ¡°Ah, well, everyone in this universe is, though you did mention that you came from the outside. Hmm, how should I explain this. Ooh, I¡¯m excited that there¡¯s something to teach you. You¡¯re not familiar with the System either?¡± Her mother seemed inordinately happy at the idea for some reason. ¡°I¡¯m not, no.¡± She admitted again. ¡°Right. Ok. According to what we¡¯ve been taught, our universe is special, and we¡¯ve known about the existence of others for as long as we¡¯ve existed. Our universe is something like a wandering one that sometimes comes into contact with those other universes. The most exciting pieces of those universes get added to ours, expanding it and making it more interesting. More interesting for the gods that is, as the results aren¡¯t always so positive for us. The gods are playing this huge, complicated game, where their chosen Champions compete against each other. The gods bring these Champions from other universes, and the better their Champion does, the more authority and power the god they represent gets. The worlds and races those gods rule over also gain from the Champion''s success. Although¡­usually the Champions are brought here as adults." Her mother looked thoughtful. ¡°Ok, what about this System then?¡± Seraphiel asked. ¡°That¡¯s a much more difficult topic, and you¡¯ll be having lessons on that subject until you become old enough. Simply, it¡¯s something that manages the universe and everything inside of it, while giving us power. You don¡¯t need to worry about the details for a while though, as you¡¯ll only get access to the System when you become older. It still exists even for you, but its effects are diminished, and you won¡¯t be able to access the features until your System Day.¡± ¡°And when will that be?¡± She asked, obviously getting curious. This was a new thing for her after all. She rarely experienced truly new things anymore. ¡°That depends on your race. For us Angels, it¡¯s on your twentieth birthday. We are more powerful than most races, but we grow up a little slower. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s meant to compensate or if it¡¯s just the natural order of things.¡± Ophiel explained with a thoughtful look. Clearly, she¡¯d given the idea some consideration before now. ¡°Is that counting the time spent in the egg?¡± Among the information she¡¯d gained was the fact that Angels spent two years as eggs. ¡°That is counted, yes. For instance, your brother is six, which includes the two years as an egg. That also makes you two years old.¡± Ophiel smiled at the question. It was rather obvious her new daughter was more intelligent than normal, even if she lacked some of the knowledge common to everyone. It would make her easier to raise, which would always be good. Perhaps having a more mature daughter wasn¡¯t such a bad thing? ¡°So, on your eighteenth birthday in practical terms. I don¡¯t suppose that marks your adulthood or something?¡± She asked, finding the number a bit coincidental. "Oh no! That marks the start of puberty. As I said, Angels mature more slowly. Draenei get their System Day around the same time, but races like Humans and Elves get theirs much earlier. Magical beast races like dragons get theirs almost straight after being born since they have to live in the wilds. I think we and the Draenei get ours the latest, although we get new races every now and then, so I don''t know if that''s still true. As I said, our universe gets added to. That brings in new races, new Champions, new gods, and even new types of powers, which all then get integrated into the System.¡± A rough estimate using her brother as a measuring stick meant that the Angels matured at about half the speed of humans, though they effectively started at two. So physical maturity maybe somewhere around forty. That was going to take a while. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to ask you to do something for me.¡± Her mother suddenly whispered. ¡°I¡¯d like you to hide your previous lives from your brother. He¡¯s been so excited about being a big brother ever since I laid your egg, that I don¡¯t want to take that away from him. He¡¯s also a bit too young for such concepts. He can adapt to a smart little sister, and will likely even prefer that, but his heart would be broken if he found out you¡¯re older than him.¡± ¡°I suppose, though I won¡¯t be able to hide it for too long. He¡¯ll figure out something¡¯s going on sooner or later. There¡¯s a reason I told you straight away, and that wasn¡¯t just because I wanted to be honest.¡± Seraphiel shrugged. She didn¡¯t feel bad about the small lie, though she would prefer if there was no need for it. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll start putting the pieces together when older, but by that time he¡¯ll be mature enough to deal with it as well. For now, he¡¯s simply too young. Let him have his moment.¡± Ophiel urged her, and since it seemed like something important to her new family, she agreed. Chapter 1,5 - Gifts ------- Seraphiel frowned in concentration at the book she was holding. One of the Gifts Father had given her was not working. The Gift of Knowledge was the most complicated of the Gifts, as it provided the user with information on anything they wanted. The more you already knew about the topic or the object, the more detailed the information the Gift provided. It only provided you with information you could understand, and when used on a completely new object or concept, the additional information could be very limited. As inconsistent as the Gift could be, she¡¯d relied on it many times in the past while thrust into another universe. And now it was failing her. That had never happened before. The idea that there was something in this universe powerful enough to stop Father¡¯s Gift from working was inconceivable, so the only explanation was that Father was denying her the use of the Gift on purpose. Why now? What made this universe different? And was the Gift denied for her permanently, or only during her stay in this universe? She could manage without the Gift, but it would make things more difficult. Having a ready source of information at her fingertips had been very useful in the past. Luckily her travels and trials had already made her knowledgeable enough that she was an expert on most topics, so her reliance on the Gift had grown less important as time passed. The most important problem with the Gift malfunctioning though, was the worrying thought that it might not be the only Gift that didn¡¯t work. If the Gifts were being revoked for some reason, that had very unpleasant implications, as some of the Gifts were much more vital. Her Gift of Tongues, allowing her to read, write, speak, and understand all languages seemed to still be working perfectly, so not all of them were malfunctioning. The one she was most worried about was the Gift of Permanence. The Gift made her and all her siblings immortal, and almost invulnerable. Only certain special weapons and other Celestials could harm them, and they were not susceptible to elements, hunger, or other maladies. She¡¯d run into other weapons and beings powerful enough to override the invulnerability in the past, but generally the Gift had still held true. What if it no longer worked? That would make things much more difficult. She¡¯d already lost access to most of her other powers. ¡°You seem to be deep in thought.¡± Ophiel¡¯s voice surprised her from behind her, causing her to look up startled. ¡°I suppose I am.¡± The two of them were still getting used to each other and their new relationship. ¡°I just found out that some of my oldest abilities are no longer working.¡± Her new mother hummed in thought. ¡°It might be because they¡¯re being integrated into the System, and you won¡¯t get access to the System before your System Day. I¡¯ve heard of such things happening to new arrivals in the past.¡± She frowned. The idea that this System was interfering with Father¡¯s Gifts seemed blasphemous. ¡°Let us hope that is the case. I would hate to lose access to them.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry too much. All the Champions have only grown more powerful after being brought to our universe and given access to the System.¡± Ophiel reassured her. ¡°I am curious though. Whose Champion are you? I know you don¡¯t know either, so I¡¯m just thinking out loud. Usually, the Gods only have a single Champion or a united group that plays the part of a single Champion. The god that both Angels and Draenei serve, the Light, already has a Champion. At least I haven¡¯t heard of anything happening to change that. Maybe you¡¯ve been summoned by one of the minor gods? Perhaps that¡¯s why you¡¯re a child?¡± As she couldn¡¯t really provide any answers, Seraphiel chose to stay quiet, but it seemed Ophiel had said as much as she wanted on the topic as well. Instead, she changed the subject. ¡°I¡¯m curious about your past. You said you¡¯ve been sent to other universes several times in the past. That implies that someone does the sending. And I also get the sense there¡¯s more to the story. Mind if I probe a little?¡± Seraphiel gave a sigh. It was perhaps expected that the question would be asked. It usually was at some point. ¡°Something you should know. I was created in the original universe, by the Creator God. Yes, I say created, as my kind were not born but created by Father directly.¡± She noticed something about Ophiel¡¯s expression. ¡°Ah, yes, I imagine most universes think they¡¯re the original. All I can say is that after having visited many other universes, I¡¯m fairly confident in my conclusions. Having seen Father create the seeds that sprouted into the other universes also implies as much.¡± ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s assume that¡¯s true. Why are you not there anymore?¡± Ophiel asked. She had no special reason to think her new daughter was lying, though it did imply many things. Like the fact that she might be much older than Ophiel thought. ¡°Father took a very hands-off approach to His creation. Yet He set down certain rules for us that didn¡¯t apply to the rest of His creations. Some of it made sense as we were custodians, not overlords. However, we were often also forbidden to act in order to make things better. I think the idea that the concept of free will warrants suffering the results of bad decisions has some merit, but there have to be limits. Some of us disagreed with Father¡¯s approach. My brother Lucifer and I were the leaders of what was later called the rebellion, although we weren¡¯t really rebelling as much as we simply wanted Father to change some things. Or let us help with the worst and most pointless problems. For our supposed rebellion we were punished rather harshly. Lucifer was forced to rule over Hell, the place where the souls of the damned were forever tormented for their sins, while I was cast out, exiled to other universes. To fix the other universes before attempting to fix our own, or at least I think that was supposed to be the lesson. He never really explained. Ever since, I¡¯ve been sent from one universe to another to ¡°fix¡± them. Sometimes there¡¯s a very obvious existential threat, and sometimes I have to fix something smaller.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Sometimes I¡¯m not even sure why I¡¯ve been sent.¡± The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "And you''ve grown tired," Ophiel said with clear sympathy in her voice. She¡¯d noticed that about her new daughter immediately. ¡°Yes.¡± She admitted. ¡°Even with good intentions, there becomes a point where you no longer care like you used to. When you wish people would just fix their own mistakes. I also can¡¯t claim that all that I¡¯ve seen and done hasn¡¯t left its mark on me. I¡¯m no longer the Angel that I used to be.¡± ¡°In what way?¡± Her mother asked gently and quietly while pulling her into her lap while hugging her from behind. ¡°I¡¯m no longer as moral as I used to be. I tolerate things that I didn¡¯t use to, and I¡¯ve personally done things that I¡¯ve condemned others for doing in the past. All in the name of the bigger picture. Or in some cases just because I¡¯m tired and it was the most expedient path. I can honestly claim that I used to be the epitome of goodness and righteousness. Now though? At best I¡¯m morally grey with the general tendency to protect those weaker than me.¡± She¡¯d come to terms with her changed self a long time ago, but that didn¡¯t stop her from shedding a single tear for that which had been lost. "I would consider that a good quality," Ophiel reassured her, hugging her a little tighter. ¡°I would agree. However, beyond that¡­¡± She didn¡¯t finish. She¡¯d broken most rules and committed most sins at least once. Sometimes she¡¯d done it just to spite Father. "Maybe these are the lessons your father wanted you to learn," Ophiel suggested. ¡°Perhaps.¡± She dried her eyes. She hadn¡¯t even noticed any tears forming. Bah! Child bodies and their tendency to cry at the slightest things! ¡°Anyway, I think it¡¯s only fair if I get to ask a probing question of my own.¡± ¡°I think I already know what, but sure. Go ahead and ask.¡± Ophiel¡¯s own smile strained a little. ¡°I seem to notice that there¡¯s no father in the picture. In that vein, I haven¡¯t seen any other family either.¡± ¡°Yeah, I suppose it would be rather obvious to someone like you, who has seen so many other families.¡± Ophiel nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t always live in this city. Since we haven¡¯t started your history lessons yet, you probably aren¡¯t aware that Celestis, that¡¯s our country¡¯s name by the way, is in a constant state of war. There are three types of wars we¡¯re generally involved in. The first kind is border wars and wars for resources between the countries of our world. Those are fairly standard, and I imagine you¡¯ve been involved in plenty of those judging by what you said before.¡± Seraphiel nodded. "Yes, I''ve seen more war than I care to think about. Fought in many as well." ¡°Right. The second type is battles between worlds. Usually, the fights between the gods are solved between Champions, but sometimes things get out of hand. And sometimes the gods bring in a race or races that are more aggressive and go on conquest sprees. Or at least try to and find out they aren¡¯t quite as mighty as they used to be. Currently, there are several such cases that are quite dangerous in the universe at large, but none of them are directly threatening us at the moment. The third type of war is against what we call Locusts. Races that have been brought along whenever the universe expands, and act like locusts. They are generally either mindless or part of some kind of hive mind, and attack everyone around them almost blindly. The Great Bastion at our southern border is holding off one such race. I think the gods bring such races in to keep things interesting and to make leveling easier. Killing things is pretty much required for many Classes after all.¡± ¡°That seems both interesting and more than slightly horrifying.¡± Seraphiel retorted both aghast at and intrigued by the idea. ¡°It is both of those, yes. Anyway, why am I telling you this? The point is that I left my childhood home to fight the Locusts attacking the Great Bastion. I felt it was my duty. Noblesse oblige and all that. My family didn¡¯t agree. Still, while they might have been angry at me, they only cut ties with me when I married Raziel¡¯s father. My family is heavily involved in politics and marrying ¡°below my station¡± so to speak would¡¯ve been a huge scandal. So, they cut ties. I never got along with my family and my rebellion with the Great Bastion had already brought things close to a breaking point. The marriage just broke things completely.¡± Ophiel explained. ¡°I met him at the Great Bastion, and we fought together for several years.¡± ¡°Raziel¡¯s father?¡± She asked with narrowed eyes. ¡°Caught that, didn¡¯t you? Yes, the man I married died just before Raziel was born.¡± Ophiel admitted with a sad look on her face. ¡°Our marriage didn¡¯t last long, but I don¡¯t regret going through with it. At least I got Raziel to remember him by.¡± ¡°So, my father is¡­¡± She prodded. ¡°I honestly couldn¡¯t say.¡± Now Ophiel looked embarrassed. ¡°I admit that I didn¡¯t deal with my husband¡¯s death very well. I didn¡¯t let my grief affect Raziel, or at least I tried to avoid it, but I did drink quite a bit to dull the pain. And when I drank, I also often sought comfort and release in the arms of other men. Your father could be any of a couple dozen such trysts. I got my act together when I realized you were on the way. That¡¯s¡­perhaps also why I wanted you to be a good little sister for Raziel. His early childhood could¡¯ve been better and I¡¯m afraid I wasn¡¯t there as much as I should¡¯ve been. I just wanted him to have the little sister he so much wanted.¡± "I see," Seraphiel said simply. It wasn''t too far outside her expectations. ¡°You¡¯re judging me.¡± Ophiel took her simple words the wrong way. That¡¯s why she was so shocked when Seraphiel burst into laughter. ¡°I would never. My favourite brother Lucifer is the biggest manwhore ever, and I haven¡¯t been much better in some of the universes I¡¯ve been to. Since I could never settle down anywhere, I replaced any long-term family with¡­well, you know.¡± ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m not sure I wanted to hear that about my daughter.¡± Ophiel seemed conflicted. On one hand, like mother like daughter. On the other hand, she wasn¡¯t sure she wanted that for her daughter, no matter how many lives that daughter had lived. Seraphiel grinned. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good thing you don¡¯t have to worry about any of that when it comes to me for a while yet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a comforting thought.¡± Ophiel seemed relieved, though not for long as she realized that the problem had only been pushed forward and nothing else. Chapter 2 - Stats --------- ¡±Ready to go kids?¡± Ophiel asked while straightening out Raziel¡¯s attire. Unsurprisingly Seraphiel had managed to dress herself impeccably. She also somehow managed to bear her candy-pink clothing with stoic acceptance. Something she¡¯d done with everything the last few years. At first, Ophiel had been a little skeptical about her young daughter''s claims about having lived other lives, but that skepticism had quickly vanished. It wasn''t really even that she''d thought the girl had been making it up, and more that she just needed to verify the truth. The speed at which the girl had adapted to the situation and ''learned'' new skills had been rather obvious. In fact, it was quite clear that she wasn¡¯t learning new things, and instead simply slowly revealing that which she already knew. The fact that the girl had taken over cooking entirely by the age of five was just the most obvious example. Seraphiel had just announced one evening that she¡¯d had enough of Ophiel¡¯s admittedly sub-par cooking and was now going to be taking care of it. Both Ophiel and Raziel had quite quickly accepted the change after tasting the young girl¡¯s cooking, and since then the kitchen had been Seraphiel¡¯s domain. ¡°I was born ready.¡± Seraphiel smiled at their little inside joke, before moving to help her brother don his attire. Winter clothing had become a necessity in the last month, and while Raziel could handle simpler clothing pretty easily, heavier clothing was a problem. Mainly because of the wings. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand how you can hide your wings so easily Sephy!¡± Raziel protested to his sister. ¡°Or that they never tangle with your clothing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you don¡¯t fully understand how they work. The wings are only a physical tangible object when and where you want them to be. You don¡¯t really have to hide them, as much as just want them to be intangible. They are what you want them to be.¡± The girl explained. For the fiftieth time. This month. ¡°Intangib-what?¡± Raziel asked Ophiel loudly with obvious confusion while pulling the robes over his head. The boy had already gotten used to being bewildered by his little sister, bless him. It wasn¡¯t that he was not smart, but Seraphiel simply outshone him in comparison. ¡°Intangible. It means unable to be touched or affected by physical objects.¡± Ophiel patted her son on the head and ushered both of them out the door and towards the elevator that took them down to the ground floor. There they went to the transit stop to wait for the magicar. As she looked around, Seraphiel had to admit that the city was an interesting mix of technology and magic, just like their home. In many ways it was quite advanced, with public transportation via magical vehicles, and buildings constructed mostly of steel, crystal, and glass. Most of the buildings around her were very tall, and the city planners loved building and designing vertically. In the city center, none of the buildings were less than a dozen floors, and many of the buildings had skyways built between them with roads filled with vehicles. Usually, the roads could be seen in three layers, though in the deepest part of the city the layers went up to five. Flying vehicles existed but were rarer and usually reserved for either the super wealthy or for trade and travel between cities. The fact that half of the city¡¯s population could fly also contributed to the vertical nature of the architecture. The buildings were rather uniform in appearance, mostly having large floor-to-ceiling windows, occasionally interspersed with magical crystals that helped maintain the buildings and allow them to ignore some structural issues. The top floors were usually owned by Angels, and not just because they were the ruling force in the city. It was also practical, as the Angels could easily fly from one building to another, while the Draenei and occasional other races needed to travel the old-fashioned way. On the other hand, the Draenei also had several floating islands of their own, that circled around the city like a ring of defensive forts. They ranged in size from just big enough for a single house, to floating fortresses that were practically cities by themselves. Their apartment was located on the top three floors of their building near the center of the city. Ophiel was quite well-off and could comfortably afford such space on the salary of an archmagus, though their lifestyle aside from the home was far from lavish. Their apartment also had many of the luxuries she¡¯d come to find common in technologically advanced universes, such as entertainment systems close to TV and music players. There was even a magical internet equivalent. On the other hand, there was no electricity as such. Everything ran on magic. The number of appliances that could work on ambient mana was limited, and she¡¯d quickly realized that the level of luxury one could enjoy was strictly proportional to how much mana one had. Or if you could afford to hire someone else to charge your apartment¡¯s mana circuits if mana wasn¡¯t your thing. The economy, or at least what she''d seen of it, was a weird mix of more modern and older-fashioned. People valued quality over price, so most of your clothing and items were created by artisans with Skills and levels in an appropriate Class. On the other hand, commerce guilds had focused many of the storefronts of those artisans into large commercial complexes which reminded her of the large stores and malls often found in post-industrial revolution worlds. And those Skills and levels often allowed the artisans to produce simple products en masse, almost like a factory would. That reduced the prices to manageable levels while maintaining quality. You could find smaller stores elsewhere in the city, but those were either stubborn and very individualistic artisans, or they were more service-oriented enterprises with the location being a matter of distance from workplaces. The city itself was densely populated, as hinted at by the building style. The city was situated on a floating island just like the smaller ones circling it, so space was at a premium. A little more than half the population was made up of Angels of various types. Two-thirds of the rest were the mostly blue-, grey-, or purple-skinned, horned, and hooved Draenei, and the rest were a mix of travelers, merchants, and others that had chosen to make this city their temporary home for one reason or another. Permanent residents from other races were not exactly discouraged from what Seraphiel had seen and heard, but they weren¡¯t exactly welcomed either. The magicar, which looked like a bus that floated above the road magically, dropped them off near the academic district, and the trio got off at the stop in front of a very official-looking building that had a lot of young people streaming inside. It was difficult to judge the age of the children, but they ranged from small kids to young teenagers appearance-wise. Seraphiel was among the youngest and the smallest which wasn¡¯t surprising. Education until your System Day was mandatory, but the kids started their education at different times depending on their capabilities and maturity. You could attend when you were judged mature enough, not at any particular age. Some continued their studies after System Day, while the gifted ones found other education. Ophiel led them through the large automatic glass doors that were dotted along the bottom floor of the building. The lobby looked to be filled with various information counters, while the majority of the kids and their escorts were flowing towards the elevator banks at the center of the building. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m picking up the schedule for a new student starting today named Seraphiel, as well as the schedule of one continuing student named Raziel.¡± Ophiel had led them to one of the information desks, where a purple-skinned Draenei in a pants suit quickly looked something up on her terminal. ¡°Seraphiel starting her first year of the System track, and Raziel on the third year of the general track, correct?¡± The Draenei tilted her head a bit, causing the rings attached to one of her curved horns to clink a bit. ¡°It says here that Seraphiel is signed up to nothing, but System-based classes, and that she¡¯s six years old?¡± Her tone was questioning. Apparently starting so young was not normal despite the variable starting ages. "I''m home-schooling her on other subjects," Ophiel replied immediately, not giving any room to argue. There was no point in placing Seraphiel in math or reading classes. The only classes from the general category she really needed to learn were general information and history, both of which Ophiel could easily teach herself. Only System-related information was new to the girl, and those classes were mandated by the city anyway. ¡°You are aware that she will need to test her learning at the end of every year on the other subjects anyway, yes?¡± The Draenei asked just to confirm. It wasn¡¯t the first such arrangement even if the age was out of the ordinary. ¡°She has already been tested on the first three years¡¯ worth of material on the other subjects,¡± Ophiel pointed out. And Seraphiel had gotten record marks too. Not difficult when she could pass math and other similar classes designed for dedicated Classers in her sleep. The same applied to most subjects. She could design starships and calculate orbital vectors in her sleep, so elementary math was a joke. ¡°Sephy¡¯s a genius!¡± Raziel announced, quite happy for his sister¡¯s success. He¡¯d been tutoring her after all! Or at least that¡¯s what his mother and sister allowed him to think. ¡°Ah. So, she has.¡± The Draenei clacked on the controls that were quite similar to a keyboard and seemed to confirm the information. ¡°In that case, here are your schedules.¡± She handed them two slates that seemed to be similar to laminated paper. ¡°As we suspected, your lighter class load leaves your day ending much earlier than Raziel¡¯s.¡± Ophiel nodded to Seraphiel. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to come and pick you up separately. I still have work to do. Mages are in high demand. Especially at my level.¡± ¡°Not a big surprise. I¡¯ll be browsing the library next door or using the training facilities. Or I could even try socializing, although that holds less appeal.¡± She shrugged in response. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking physical education in the future anyway, so that¡¯ll even things out a bit.¡± She¡¯d started training after turning four. Her body was much too young for any strenuous physical activity, but she mostly did basic exercises and some light sparring with wooden weapons just to keep herself active and busy. Her brother also often joined her in training, and both rather enjoyed the joint activities. Raziel could act like a big brother, and she could subtly help her brother¡¯s form improve. Still, she was too small to take part in official classes. ¡°Fine, just try to keep out of trouble.¡± Her mother gave an exasperated sigh. ¡°That¡¯s me. Ms. Normal and Safe.¡± She joked back, causing her mother to snort. She didn¡¯t usually get into any trouble, as she was smart enough to avoid it, but she did tend to draw attention. Even now she was getting some curious looks. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ------ ¡°The System is the all-knowing and all-powerful construct that maintains our universe and gives us power. We do not know for certain who created it, as it has existed longer than recorded history. We are somewhat certain that the Gods as we know them were not the original creators, although that too is disputed. Some claim that the System came first, and the gods are just beings that have reached the peak of what it can offer, or even that the gods have all come from the outside, but that is pure speculation at this point. What we can say, is that even the gods are subject to the System, and that the power we gain from the System is the basis of our society, and all the other societies around our universe." A stern-looking white-winged Angel woman wearing a rather generous toga lectured at the front of the class. The rest of the students were at least a year or three older than Seraphiel, though no one had made a mention of it so far. ¡°The very first thing you need to understand about the System is how stats work. Different Classes have different stats appropriate for their path, but there are some generalities that should be understood. The stats fall into groups based on your Classes, but they always come in groups of four. Two of those groups, the Physical stats and Social stats are common to everyone, while nearly every Class brings the person one extra group, meaning four new stats. There are some stat groupings that are shared between many Classes, such as Magic stats that all magic users have access to, while others are fairly unique. Some of the powers that have come from other universes and utilized by the Champions fall into this category. Those will not be the subject of this class. If you¡¯re interested, most academies that you can enter after your System Day offer specialized classes on both stat theory and the Champions.¡± The tone of the teacher implied that she didn¡¯t expect anyone currently present to take those classes, even though it might be a good idea. Seraphiel considered it as well, as those lessons might help her understand her own role. Still, she didn¡¯t even know much about the academies, not to mention what classes to take. ¡°The second thing, and perhaps the most important thing you will learn in this class is that stats only enhance what¡¯s already there. If a tiny creature has the same Strength as a grown man, the man is still stronger than the small creature. In fact, he will be significantly stronger, as his base is a lot better, and as I said, the stats only amplify and improve what is already there. This bears repeating. That¡¯s why training and keeping in shape is important. That¡¯s also why certain races are considered superior to others, especially when it comes to their specialty. An Elf will have a much better base for Agility and Perception than a Giant, while the Giant will have a much better base when it comes to Strength and Vitality. At some point, even a bunny will have enough stats to overpower a Dragon, but that bunny would need thousands of levels to do so, and that¡¯s assuming the Dragon hasn¡¯t leveled at all for some reason.¡± This brought some laughs from the students amused by the idea of a bunny felling a mighty Dragon. ¡°That said, don¡¯t let appearances fool you. Both Draenei and Angels are much stronger and sturdier than we appear. It seems our bodies work a little differently compared to the races that are lower ranked. ¡°As I already mentioned them, we might as well go over the Physical stats first. The four Physical stats are Strength, Vitality, Agility, and Perception. At first, these seem simple, but they interact in complex ways. Strength describes how strong you are. The more Strength you have, the heavier objects you can lift and the stronger the swing of your weapon. Importantly though, it¡¯s also how many times you can do a heavy task or how many times you can run around a track. It¡¯s power, and it¡¯s stamina.¡± As the teacher spoke, small illusory images of Angels and Draenei lifting weapons and swinging them were shown. Those also happened to be the only two races taking the class. They were the only two races in the school. ¡°Vitality describes your sturdiness and health. It¡¯s your ability to resist damage, to live a long life, to stave off disease and poison. It helps you recover from sickness and wounds, ranging from a plague to a simple punch. Being healthy also obviously helps with your stamina and even with things like childbearing. Vitality also slows down aging and can make you effectively immortal, though some races grant us that from the beginning.¡± This time the images showed figures shrugging off blows from weapons, and quickly recovering from wounds. ¡°Agility is all about speed and flexibility. Importantly, it''s also about coordination. It''s about your ability to control yourself and your actions. If you want to create fine art or precision items, Agility is your friend. It also combines with Perception when it comes to determining the accuracy of your strikes, whether it comes to cutting lumber or firing arrows at enemies. Agility helps you strike swiftly and to dodge blows, run away quickly, and to catch fleeing enemies.¡± This time the figures were running in circles and making acrobatic movements. "Perception is about your ability to perceive the world around you and react to it. If Agility allows you to move faster, Perception allows you to react to the movements of others. It allows you to see the flaws in items, and to spot dangers from a distance. As mentioned before, it combines with Agility to help with your fine control, and at high enough levels it can make it seem like the world slows down around you when you¡¯re in danger. Any craftsman worth their salt will need high Perception to do high-quality work.¡± The images showed a hawk swooping down on a prey before transitioning to an artist drawing a picture on canvas. ¡°Now, I already alluded to how some of the stats work together, but can anyone tell me further reasons why stat builds that are not balanced enough are a bad idea?¡± The teacher looked towards the class, not really expecting an answer from such young students, but was surprised when the youngest person in the class raised their hand. "Yes, Seraphiel was it?" ¡°Seraphiel, yes ma¡¯am. I would guess that the reason is because the stats are interconnected in many ways. They support each other, and in case of builds that are not balanced, can leave you unable to control yourself. For example, someone with high Agility would have trouble controlling their own movements if their Perception was not high enough. Or someone with low Vitality could injure their own body if their Strength or Agility was too high in comparison. On the other hand, if your perception was very high, you could see danger coming, but if your Agility was low, your movements would not be fast enough to do anything about it.¡± She answered. ¡°Exactly. These issues can be either exacerbated or made worse by Skills. A Skill that boosts your Strength is great, but that means you¡¯re going to have to invest more into your other stats to compensate. We¡¯ll go further into Skills and how to avoid such problems in the future. However, a good rule of thumb is that no stat should be more than ten times higher than the other stats without incurring serious problems.¡± The illusory image now showed a runner who stumbled over their own feet. ¡°Now, moving on to the next group, the Social stats. The Social stats are a little less direct in their application, but can often be even more important depending on your Class and what you do in life. The Social stats are Charisma, Willpower, Manipulation, and Acumen. Unlike the Physical stats, the Social stats are notable in that they are divided into offensive and defensive stats. While the Physical stats support each other, the Social stats are a little different, mainly because they work on other people instead of just enhancing yourself. Charisma is resisted by Willpower, and Manipulation is resisted by Acumen. That¡¯s not all the stats are good for of course.¡± The illusory image turned into a static picture of a beautiful woman, someone most of them recognized from adverts on the streets. ¡°Charisma is a measure of your ability to influence others with your appearance and your personality. Charisma doesn''t necessarily mean looks, though it often does correlate. It shows your ability to convince others to your point of view. Whether you want to charm someone or sell them a product, Charisma will help you accomplish that. It also influences your ability to lead people and people with high Charisma are usually the most popular people as well. Someone with high enough Charisma will be able to convince you of almost anything and to get you to do just as much. Keep in mind though, Charisma, or Social Skills for that matter, are not mind control, but you will find it difficult to resist the influence of someone with high enough Charisma. The person you¡¯re trying to influence will have to be somewhat inclined to be persuadable. To give an example, if someone with high Charisma was selling you something, you¡¯d find yourself convinced that buying the item at the price offered is a good idea. You would find it difficult to negotiate. However, if you knew for a fact that you have no use for the item or if you were completely against the idea they were trying to convince you of, you could abandon the situation completely. More often than not, you wouldn¡¯t want to, however. That¡¯s the most insidious part of Charisma. You often want to listen to people that have it high enough. And the more Charisma they have, the more they can get away with.¡± Next, the image turned to that of a politician. "In contrast, while Charisma is about appearance, charm, and personality, Manipulation is all about knowing the right words to whisper in the right ears. The right thing to say to a person. Your arguments are better and more convincing when you have high Manipulation. It''s more about your wits and your social know-how than charm. The end goals are often very similar to Charisma, but the means to get there are very different. Many people, usually those with low Manipulation, argue that the stat is the more sinister version of Charisma, but it''s just a different way of approaching things.¡± The teacher noted that her audience might be a bit young to appreciate the difference, so she chose to move on instead. ¡°Willpower is your ability to resist the influence of Charisma, but it¡¯s also more than that. It¡¯s your ability to keep cool under pressure, to stay true to yourself in the face of adversity, and notably one of the best ways to resist multiple forms of magic and other Class Skills. People with strong Willpower can maintain their course even if life doesn¡¯t go their way and can deal with adversity. On the flipside, people with low Willpower can break under pressure, and are unable to deal with stressful situations. Willpower also helps you with discipline, and with leading a more regimented lifestyle. People with low Willpower are more prone to addiction and picking up bad habits.¡± This time the image showed a man rejecting the attempts at making a sale by a beautiful girl, before turning into a soldier standing under the scorching sun without flinching. ¡°In my humble opinion, it is one of the most important stats if not the most important, and also the one where you notice your lack of points most keenly.¡± ¡°Acumen is¡­complicated. It helps you when it comes to noticing the plans and actions of those with high Manipulation, but that¡¯s only a part of it. It¡¯s your ability to sense things socially. With high Acumen, you can predict trends, can sense when the situation is turning dangerous, or when there¡¯s something wrong with your friend. Or something right. You can notice positive things as well. High Acumen allows your mind to work faster and combines somewhat with your Perception. The effects of Acumen are often subtle, but important. There are many situations where you stumble socially where high Acumen could¡¯ve helped you avoid the situation altogether. Ironically, it also combines well with Manipulation, instead of just resisting it. The best manipulators have high Acumen as well, as they can more easily tell if what they¡¯re doing is working.¡± The teacher noticed that the complicated topic, while important, was also starting to bore the students. The information would be repeated many times in the future, so it didn¡¯t matter if the students didn¡¯t learn everything right away. ¡°As a final note on other stats tied to Classes, they usually follow a certain pattern. You usually have one stat that determines power, one stat that determines control, one stat that determines how often you can use your powers in a short period of time, and a final stat that determines your longer-term limit, like a fuel tank. As the different stat groups vary wildly, these rules don''t always hold true, but usually, this is the pattern. That¡¯s it for this lesson, and tomorrow we¡¯ll delve more into the specifics of each stat.¡± The teacher dismissed the class a little early. Usually, the younger ones had shorter attention spans for such complicated topics, and there was little point in trying to cram in more information once the limits of that attention span had been reached. Repetition fixed any gaps left behind. Seraphiel gathered her things, which only consisted of her clothing at this point as she wasn¡¯t taking any notes or carrying any books, and made her way towards the library in the building opposite the school. She wasn¡¯t the only one as many other students streamed out and the library was a very common destination. Ophiel had brought her here before, so she knew the general layout of the building and had had a library card that allowed her to borrow and read books. She was browsing the history section when she felt someone approach her. As she turned, she noticed a Draenei girl a couple of years older than her approach. The girl had bright blue, almost grey, skin with dark short hair and tiny curling horns that had yet to grow out properly. The Draenei really looked a lot like the stereotypical depictions of certain demons with their hooved feet and almost demonic appearance, but they were almost the exact opposite. Where demons were embodiments of chaos and selfishness, the Draenei were orderly and self-sacrificing, sometimes to a fault. The Draenei were big believers in the power of something they just called the Light, Seraphiel had learned that the race tended to be very similar to Angels in their outlook. The most likely reason the two races had stuck together. That faith in the Light had also created a manifestation in the form of a god of the same name, but unlike the other gods, the Light was more of a concept and an ideal. ¡°Excuse me. I¡¯m Dalen. Would you like to join us for a game?¡± The girl asked with a somewhat timid voice. ¡°Dalen, is it? I¡¯m Seraphiel. What are you playing? And why me?¡± She gestured around her, where a wide variety of slightly older students were looking on with a mix of ¡®Awwww!¡¯ and ¡®How cute!¡¯. "It makes things symmetrical!" Dalen said simply, without further explanation, and pulled her towards the side rooms that offered a bit of privacy. Seraphiel decided to humor the girl and didn''t resist. She quickly realized what the somewhat mysterious statement meant as two boys were sitting around a table on comfy chairs, one Draenei and one Angel. Her presence would certainly make things symmetrical in a certain way. ¡°So, what are we playing?¡± she asked again, this time more interested, and the Angel boy waved a deck of cards her way. She didn¡¯t know any of the card games of this universe, but she didn¡¯t mind learning, so the four of them all sat down to play. Chapter 2,5 - Geography -------- ¡°You alright Sephy?¡± Raziel asked a little worried. His little sister was panting heavily after their training session in the school¡¯s gym. They were both taking part in the physical training lesson, Raziel because he had to and Seraphiel because she wanted to. As the youngest and smallest student present, it was perhaps not a wonder she had trouble keeping up. She¡¯d chosen to take part despite her small size, mostly due to boredom. ¡°I¡¯m *pant* fine *pant*. You go ahead *pant* I¡¯ll catch up.¡± She promised while leaning on her knees. It was a strange experience for Seraphiel to be physically lacking. Even when she¡¯d first been created, she¡¯d been created into the body of an adult, and as the epitome of Father¡¯s creations, she had been the perfect physical specimen even without any angelic powers in the mix. In the very first universe she had been thrown into, one of the Gifts, the Gift of Adaptability, Father had given her had allowed her to become a psion beyond anything that universe has seen, which also enhanced her physical abilities. In all other universes since then, she had access to all those powers she''d trained previously. Never before had she been forced to live in the body of a child with no other powers beyond those that were common to the race. Her race was still some sort of an Angel, which meant she was far beyond the standard physical limits of most races at her apparent physical stage of maturity, but she was still within the standard parameters of her race. She might be growing up a little faster than normal, and her knowledge and experience might make her perform better and train harder than a normal Angel of her age, but she was still if not ordinary, then within the bounds of extraordinary. She wasn''t used to not being the most powerful being in the room. In fact, she had never before been the weakest person in the room before now. It was a humbling experience. Her mother Ophiel had speculated her disappearing powers were due to being integrated by the System, in which case she¡¯d gain access to them once again after her System Day. Still, that didn¡¯t make things easy in the present. She¡¯d still make the most of the situation and train hard, and if her powers didn¡¯t return, she¡¯d simply need to adapt. Perhaps this life could be considered an interesting challenge with her powers limited. She forced her shaking and aching legs back into action as she continued to run around the enormous gym with hundreds of students scattered into various activities. That was another thing she had to get used to. She was used to strain and struggle, and she¡¯d been subject to some of the worst pain that could be imagined, and even worse. However, she wasn¡¯t used to the everyday pains of life. The Gift of Permanence, which made her kind nigh immortal and almost invulnerable meant that she wasn''t used to ordinary niggling problems like muscle strain. As such, her daily pain tolerance wasn¡¯t exactly what you¡¯d call high. Still, as she had the mind of one much older than her appearance, she easily had the grit to push through the pain. That didn¡¯t mean she enjoyed it though. "Come on sis! We''re going to be training with wooden swords next!" Raziel called out cheerily. No wonder as she usually allowed him to play the part of the big brother, letting him win while at the same time forcing him to improve in ways that he didn¡¯t even notice himself most of the time. As she was already in enough pain, she was not in the mood to take hits from wooden swords. It was perhaps time to show Raziel that his little sister had been holding back¡­ --------- "Your brother seemed to be in an odd mood," Ophiel commented as Seraphiel sat down to have one of their private lessons. Just because she already knew many subjects better than her mother, that didn''t mean she didn''t need to learn some subjects particular to this universe. She had to sigh in relief at the very comfortable chairs they had, as her body was still aching from the earlier training. She would need to put in more effort it seemed. This was intolerable. Their home was luckily created with comfort in mind. The d¨¦cor was an odd mix of very modern with a magical element, and some more traditional features like decorations that she would''ve described as similar to older Chinese or even Persian back in her home world and many of the alternate versions of Earth she¡¯d visited. The soft smell of incense was quite common, and the place was extremely well-lit. The Angels and Draenei both placed heavy emphasis on light, both as a divine concept and in general. ¡°I may have gone a bit too hard on him during training. He isn¡¯t used to losing to me.¡± She offered in the way of an explanation. Raziel hadn¡¯t exactly taken it hard though. In fact, it seemed he was taking the opposite route. Ophiel smiled at that. ¡°I suppose it could be a bit of a shock if you suddenly trounced him. We¡¯ll have to see how he takes it. Now, what was today¡¯s topic?¡± ¡°You mentioned that you¡¯d talk about the Champions and how they¡¯re involved with geography. Not the combination I was expecting.¡± ¡°Ah yes. Right. So, let¡¯s start from the top. Remember how I told you that our universe takes in new things from other universes? Well, in practice that means our universe is always expanding. Sometimes we get entire new galaxies, while at other times it could only be a solar system or two or maybe even just a piece of a world. That seems like a mess, and in many ways it is, but what keeps things in order is that only certain worlds and solar systems truly matter. Most of the new worlds and even galaxies end up becoming gathering places where the gods can draw new forces and challenges from. You could even consider them resources for the gods to compete over. The races from those worlds will then make their way to the Core Worlds where all the real action happens. If they are able and willing. Sometimes the new arrivals get crushed before they even get to start. The Core worlds are worlds that are much richer in resources and much, much larger than normal." Ophiel explained. A magical image of two worlds appeared and one of them was massive compared to the other. The difference was so large that the smaller world looked like a tiny pinhead in comparison. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°How much larger and what kind of resources? I mean, I would think most resources could be found in the new worlds if entire galaxies are brought along.¡± Seraphiel asked. ¡°You would think. However, the System limits the availability of certain exotic materials to the Core Worlds. The main point of these resources lies in the way that they facilitate levelling and allow you to get through certain thresholds. For instance, a galaxy full of warrior races might feel strong, until you realize that none of them can get above level 500, unlocking their third Class and their fourth Class evolutions. A single being even in the lower four digits could slaughter entire armies of these kinds of warrior races. The Core Worlds are also blessed in a way that makes levelling easier. Once your power reaches such heights, your equipment also needs to be specially made to withstand your power, and even those races that come from technologically advanced universes can¡¯t make such equipment without the proper Classes and Skills to make them. Simple materials can¡¯t handle the strain. Only the enhancement from the high tier Classes can handle it.¡± Seraphiel frowned while jotting down a few notes. ¡°I think I can already guess where the Champions come in.¡± She wasn¡¯t sure if she liked it. ¡°I would be shocked if you didn¡¯t. There are many ways to gain territory in our universe. War is an obvious one, but only wars sanctioned by the gods are allowed on most of the Core Worlds. In fact, one of the things that makes the gods so important, is their control over the Core Worlds. There are countless gods that have influence in our universe, most of which have been brought over with their servants from other universes. However, the important gods are those that control one or more of the Core Worlds. It is also usually only these gods that can summon Champions from other universes. The others have to settle for trying to elevate their own Champions from amongst their servants. Unfortunately, that usually doesn¡¯t work so well, as the summoned Champions are granted certain advantages.¡± Ophiel pursed her lips in displeasure at that. ¡°What kind of advantages?¡± Seraphiel asked, knowing she¡¯d most likely have to face them at some point. ¡°Only the Champions can really answer that. Those kinds of things aren¡¯t heavily advertised.¡± Ophiel shrugged. ¡°Anyway, the other main way to gain access to the Core Worlds is through the Champions. The gods arrange all sorts of events in which the Champions can participate and earn various rewards. I don¡¯t know the rules according to which the Champions are ranked exactly, but every event contributes to the rankings, and the gods themselves have tied their influence to the Champions they¡¯ve chosen. Now, that doesn¡¯t mean a god loses all power if their Champion is killed, but it does mean their prestige takes a heavy hit. Once again, I do not know the exact details of the Great Game played by the gods. We can only speculate, however, one of the reasons the Angels are subject to discrimination by many is because we had a very powerful Champion that dominated for a long time, and we were not shy about taking advantage. We got a harsh lesson on the importance of being graceful in victory when we lost both the Champion and the god at the same time, which led to our empire crumbling. The arrival of the Draenei and the Light has given us new hope.¡± "So how does travel work? Between worlds and galaxies, I mean. Those two words imply rather large distances.¡± She asked, shifting the focus again. ¡°The System facilitates travel. Every inhabited world and system is connected via a network of gateways, which allows the transfer of small groups easily. Some Classes can travel between worlds almost freely, and certain high-ranking Classes can even move entire armies at a high enough level. There are also gates in the sky that allow skyships to travel to other worlds, though those gates only go to certain other worlds and don''t allow free travel. I think this is another way through which the gods and the System encourage struggle and conflict, which in turn encourages levelling. Training can level you, but danger and battle usually allows you to level faster. It is said that you absorb a small portion of the experience of everyone and everything you kill.¡± ¡°And is our world one of the Core Worlds?¡± ¡°Sort of? Ok, so this one is a little complicated. There are certain worlds that are special cases. They aren¡¯t exactly Core Worlds, but they aren¡¯t¡­not Core Worlds either.¡± Ophiel looked really unsure of her words at this point. ¡°Strictly speaking our world isn¡¯t counted among them, but it has many of the benefits of one. It once used to be a very important Core World while the Angels were still a dominant force, but the importance of our world has diminished as the power of the Angels has gone down the drain. Nowadays the inhabitants of this world can¡¯t even agree on the name of the world, not to mention anything more important, and the Angels only control portions of the world, but many of the important resources still remain. Not enough to cause significant invasions, but enough that we are in a better position than those without the resources.¡± "I assume I''ll learn more during our history lessons." Seraphiel guessed while closing her notebook. She''d learned many useful things today, even if it seemed some of the information wasn''t entirely reliable. ¡°Probably not actually. This isn¡¯t something widely talked about, and most Angels only learn about our less than glorious past once they get into one of the academies.¡± Ophiel¡¯s words caught her by surprise. ¡°Academies?¡± She asked the obvious question. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s another topic of interest that we¡¯ll go into more detail about later. The academies are another example of special worlds that both are and aren¡¯t Core Worlds. They are considered neutral grounds. After you unlock your System, you will gain the opportunity to apply to one of the academies. The academies are actually flying cities much like ours, except they travel between worlds. The better your grades, Class, and other qualifications, the more likely you are to gain access to one of them. The school both you and Raziel are enrolled in is a preparatory school for the academies. Not everyone gets in of course, but I think you should have no trouble. There you will run into students from hundreds of other worlds and races.¡± Ophiel promised. ¡°Certain academies have their own focuses, like mostly teaching magic, or crafting, or management-related classes. There¡¯s even one dedicated to royalty and nobility. Only those kids with Classes that have to do with nobility can enter that academy. Then there are the religious academies¡­¡± ¡°Did you go to an academy?¡± She asked eagerly. ¡°Of course. My family would have never allowed me not to. On the other hand, that was also one of the reasons why they didn¡¯t like my subsequent choices.¡± Her mother frowned at the memory, before regaining a more cheery expression. ¡°Still, I have fond memories of Mahora Academy. I highly recommend the place!¡± Seraphiel looked thoughtful for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ve attended several places of learning in the past. It might be interesting to see another.¡± ¡°Speaking of, I¡¯ve been wondering about this for a while now. How old are you really?¡± Ophiel came out and asked a question that had been bothering her for a while. Sometimes her new daughter seemed positively ancient, while sometimes she could act almost young. "That''s a complicated question. Time works a bit differently between universes. I''m both much older than you think, and younger than that might imply. I''ve told you before that I was there when Father created the seeds that became the other universes, which would imply that I''m older than most universes, yes? However, I''ve since learned that time passes more slowly in my home universe, and for the vast majority of that time, I was effectively just observing in almost a stasis-like state. I was created to be a protector, and our kind were created as wardens and shepherds, but in the beginning, there was nothing to protect or shepherd. Back then a million years could pass in a blink of an eye, and I didn''t even register time passing. It wasn''t until my siblings came around and Father created other races that I became ''active''." She still didn''t say a number, but at least her mother now had a rough idea. Chapter 3 - Races and Skills ------- ¡±Fold.¡± Domus decided after chewing on his lip for a moment and threw his cards away. ¡°Coward. Call.¡± Dalen mocked the Draenei boy and pushed a small stack of ¡®chips¡¯ made of paper to join those already in the middle of the table. ¡°I call it prudence.¡± Domus returned the comment with a meaningful look at Dalen¡¯s vastly diminished pile of paper slices. They¡¯d made the chips themselves from paper they¡¯d gotten from the librarian. ¡°I can¡¯t decide if either of you has the right idea. Domus is too careful, while Dalen calls everything.¡± The Angel boy shook his head at his friends. ¡°Either way, Sephy is impossible to read.¡± After thinking for a moment longer, he too tossed away his cards. The four of them had been playing games together for months now and had grown closer over that time. Without even a twitch in her expression, Seraphiel turned over her cards, causing Dalen to groan in defeat while the two boys celebrated their own discretion silently. ¡°So, what subjects do everyone have next?¡± She asked, making conversation. The trio she¡¯d met at the school were surprisingly decent company for how young they were. They were a couple years older than her, but not too much. Yet they all seemed more mature than their ages implied. Not just in a precocious way, but in a way that made them seem a lot more balanced and calm than typical children of their age. Part of that was because all four of them were the smartest in their grades, regularly getting the best marks in the school. And not by small margins either. The school loved to use tests where you could answer as many questions as you had time for, which basically meant there was no upper limit to your scores. It encouraged quick thinking, recall, and the ability to answer succinctly and pick out the main points instead of just vomiting out everything you¡¯d learned that was even slightly related to the topic. ¡°We¡¯re headed for math next.¡± Domus gestured towards Dalen. ¡°And Jael here has physical training.¡± He thumbed towards the Angel boy. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°You know I only take physical training and System classes. We¡¯re going to get basics on races before we move on to Skills.¡± Seraphiel replied. She¡¯d picked up the physical training classes mostly out of boredom. She liked exercise, even if she couldn¡¯t really keep up with the older kids. "You have mentioned that, though you never did tell us why you''re only taking those two," Jael replied, suggestion clear in his voice. They''d spent a fair bit of time together, but the amount of time they''d spent talking about personal things was limited. For example, she knew that both Jael and Domus had siblings, but not how many or how old. Their relationship was still not at the level where they went into too many personal details. ¡°I¡¯m being homeschooled on the other subjects, and I¡¯m far ahead of my peers, so there¡¯s no point in sitting in on the classes.¡± Seraphiel shrugged simply. They all knew she wasn¡¯t just boasting. They could all make similar claims, and boasting in their group was somewhat pointless. In fact, what she¡¯d just said couldn¡¯t even be considered a boast since it, to a degree, applied to all of them. "Explains how you beat my old records," Dalen grumbled a bit. She''d been the previous record holder on most academic subjects, which Seraphiel still had to do the tests for even if she didn¡¯t take the lessons. That had been somewhat surprising considering how the first impressions of the Draenei girl had been that of a dreamer and a bit of an airhead. This was still true, but Dalen had many layers to her. She was certainly the type to take things at her own pace. ¡°Well, good luck. The Skill classes are interesting. Pay attention as they¡¯re also important.¡± Domus offered good-naturedly as he packed away the cards. The ¡®chips¡¯ would stay on the table as they¡¯d conquered their own piece of the library, and no one bothered to contest their claim. Many of their games included the use of the chips, as betting something on the outcome made things more interesting. Once someone was out of chips, they''d have to bear the shame of being the official loser until someone else claimed that title and the chips were evened out again. Dalen was the most common official loser, but she was also the only one that had managed to force Seraphiel to hold the position a single time due to the reckless risks Dalen took. Sometimes even reckless risks paid off. ----- The Skill class, just like many of the System-related classes, was being taught by the same stern-faced Angel woman that had taught Seraphiel about stats so many months ago. The woman¡¯s name was Ramiel, and Seraphiel had trouble keeping a straight face when she remembered the little sister of the same name she had been separated from so long ago. She idly wondered if the Ramiel she knew still stuck to Amenadiel like glue, or if the boisterous girl had grown out of that phase. As the students all took their seats, the teacher created illusions of hundreds of different races, which were all grouped into ten distinct groupings. Notably, the groups got a lot smaller the further on the line they went, the last group holding only a single race. "Hello, students. Today we''ll go deeper into the topic of races, or species as some like to call them. The two terms are often used interchangeably, even if it is somewhat wrong grammatically. The number of races that can be found in our universe is probably wider than anywhere else, as the gods and the System in their grace decide to add to the races almost every time we come into contact with another universe. As such, the number of races keeps increasing.¡± Were those Asari and Turians Seraphiel saw? And those looked like Tau. Had this universe come into contact with universes she¡¯d visited before? And if so, maybe someone she knew could be found here? That was both a warming and scary thought as many of the universes also had threats like Chaos or the Reapers. ¡°Now, unlike what some might claim, the races are not created equal, and that is just a fact.¡± The figures of a Human, an Elf, a Troll, a Draenei, and an Angel separated from the throng and floated to the front. ¡°Let¡¯s use these five as an example. We¡¯ve already touched on the topic of stats many times, and I¡¯ve already briefly mentioned this, but the races also get stats. You will gain what are generally called Racial stats every time your highest leveled Class gains a level. As none of you have access to the System yet, this is not obvious to you, but the races themselves are also graded, and the Racial stats are gained based on the grade of your race. Generally, most Classes are heavier on the specific stats their class grants or the Physical stats, so the Racial stats usually place more emphasis on Social stats, although nearly all races also get something in Physical. Some races, like the Cave Trolls, are almost all Physical stats, which shows in their lack of Social¡­well, anything. Most races also give some free stats that you can place yourself on anything you choose to prioritize.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already told you that stats enhance what¡¯s already there, and the races aren¡¯t equal in their base abilities either. A Troll will always have a better base for strength than a Human, for example, but will also always have a worse base for Agility than Elves. The difference grows even more pronounced when the higher-graded races also gain more stats from their race. To give you an example, Humans are a D-ranked race, which means they get 30 stats points per level between levels 1 and 50. Elves on the other hand are a C-ranked race, with certain types of Elves making it all the way to B rank. That means those B-ranked Elves can get 50 stat points per level in the same level range. That means that over those fifty levels, Humans gain 1500 stat points from their race, while a High Elf would get 2500. That''s 1000 more stat points, which is two-thirds of what the Humans get. The difference only grows at higher levels. For example, both Draenei and Angels get even more than either Elves or Humans.¡± With a wave of her hand, the teacher sent the images back to the groups they came from, which everyone now understood to be grouped by the grade of the race, and some races were in several grades as the sub-races were ranked differently. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°That¡¯s not to say a Human can¡¯t be stronger than an Angel, and you better keep that in mind. Classes work by the same grading system, and if the Human manages to gain stronger Classes than the Angel, they can quickly make up the difference in stats, even if the difference in the base will always remain. There have been Humans that have even managed to rival Dragons in power, and perhaps more importantly, it seems that the races that tend to have a lower race grade tend to procreate faster. There are a lot more Humans in the universe than there are Angels. Oddly enough, many of the Champions also tend to be Human, so do not underestimate the other races. We made that mistake in the past and paid dearly for it.¡± The teacher made sure to emphasize. Seraphiel noted that the very top end of the race scale was mostly populated by magical beings and monsters, with Dragons being the sole occupants of the highest tier. ¡°Now, moving on to Skills. You wouldn¡¯t know this yet, but everyone starts with twenty Skills slots. Well, that¡¯s perhaps a little inaccurate, as you will also immediately gain your first Class, which will mean thirty slots, but twenty slots is the base. Ten of those are what¡¯s called General Skills. These are Skills that can be absolutely anything. They can be Physical Skills like Running, or Swimming, weapons Skills like Swordsmanship or Archery, or they can be Social Skills like Haggling or Charm. Sometimes these General Skills will Combine with your Class Skills and be included in the ten Skills you gain from your Class. Every Class you have will allow ten more Skills, though these ten will have to be something tied to the specific Class somehow. The other ten Skill slots you start with are for Social, Racial, and Passive Skills. As the names suggest, only those three types can fall into those slots, so you should consider twice about having Social Skills in the General Skill slots, since you can¡¯t go the other way.¡± As she spoke, the images of the races disappeared to be replaced with Skill categories with names in each slot. ¡°Now some general things about Skills. If you do not have a particular Skill, that doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t perform the action associated. You can run without the Running Skill and just because you don¡¯t have a spear Skill, that doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t use a spear. The Skill simply provides bonuses for it. Notably however, at higher levels the bonuses can get so ridiculous that you wouldn¡¯t want to use any other weapons than the one you have a Skill for, just to use that as an example. On that note, choosing your Skills carefully is perhaps the most important decision you will make, though you can change that decision later on. Retraining a new Skill from zero is a lot of work and dropping a high-level Skill can be quite unpleasant. Another thing is that the more specific a Skill is, the more powerful the effect usually is. A general weapon mastery as a Skill, for example, is less effective, than a Skill for a specific type of weapon. Additionally, if you are a fire mage, to use an overused example, then just because you have a Skill to cast Fireball, that doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t cast other fire spells, but it does mean your fireballs are a lot more powerful and easier to use. You can do wonders with those fireballs, with very little effort, and you could certainly do more than someone that has only a generic fire conjuration Skill. That said, if you combine two specific Skills to form a new broader Skill, the new Skill tends to be of equal strength to the more specific Skills.¡± Several examples of Skills flashed on the lists, ranging from obvious like running, to questionable like eavesdropping, and to downright scary like torture. ¡°A couple of words on Class Skills. Most Classes have to deal with something we call a ¡®Skill Tax¡¯ which means that they have a couple of Skills that they will have to keep to make their Class viable in the first place. To stay with the fire mage example, as they¡¯re one of the worst offenders, the most common Skill taxes for mages are an affinity with your element, which makes all your spells of that type more effective, a conjuration Skill that allows you to create your element and shape it according to your will, and a resistance Skill to your own element. A fire mage that doesn¡¯t have the conjuration Skill can¡¯t cast a thing with no fire around, and it would be a real shame if they burnt themselves with the aftereffects of their own spells. A more common and less dangerous element, like earth for example, might get away without those two Skills but would find themselves in trouble in certain situations. And while the affinity skill might seem underwhelming at first, it literally makes everything you do with your element easier, and at a high enough level makes all your spells much more powerful. In some ways, the affinity will always be the strongest Skill the mage has. Other classes have their own ''Skill Tax'' but more often than not those Skills will only make you stronger and are considered mandatory for a reason.¡± The teacher noted that some students were losing focus again, so she moved on despite there being so much more to say. ¡°Now, many of you are wondering how to gain certain Skills. The simplest way is to perform an action associated with the Skill repeatedly and with a purpose. If you want to be offered a Skill for running, for example, then just keep running, with the intent of gaining a Skill. In this way, we are most often offered Skills for things we do a lot anyway. It is also one of the reasons why people train before their Status opens. If you¡¯ve spent years training archery, not only are you more likely to be offered the Skill when you unlock your Status, but you¡¯re also much more likely to be offered a Class associated with the Skill. The Classes and Skills we are offered all depend on our own efforts and achievements. It¡¯s also why conscientious parents take their children around to do activities that are likely to unlock specific and useful Skills and Classes. The System also remembers our training, and you will have an easier time leveling a Skill you¡¯ve trained a lot before unlocking your Status.¡± The rest of the lesson was spent discussing various Skills and how they might acquire them. After the lesson ended, Seraphiel headed down to the lobby where her brother and mother already waited for her. ¡°Ready to go Sephy?¡± Her mother asked cheerily. The nickname had stuck and was spreading. It usually did. ¡°Don¡¯t want to say goodbye to your friends?¡± ¡°You know we¡¯ll spend time together tomorrow anyway.¡± She pointed out. ¡°We¡¯re headed for the shops before training, right?¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯re both growing like weeds and need some proper clothing for the dojo.¡± Her mother reiterated. She mostly liked to just play dress up using her daughter as a doll, but Seraphiel didn¡¯t mind that much. Not that she agreed on growing fast, though she supposed it was all relative. She was perhaps growing a bit faster than the normal Angel, but she was only approaching seven years old, which would make her less than five in human growth while looking like she was maybe six. That wasn¡¯t very fast by her books, but then again, she¡¯d spent eons in her first life just existing. Her concept of time was a little weird by most standards. She¡¯d saved some universes in less time, and she had spent more time just napping. She did miss her family though. Her original family that is. Her earlier thoughts about Ramiel had reminded her about her siblings. Father was a jerk and could go rot for all she cared, and Mother had always been a little¡­special. Her siblings were another matter though. Some of those siblings were allowed to visit her on occasion, but only a few of them did so regularly. Azrael was her most frequent visitor, along with Amenadiel popping in every now and then. Lucifer had only visited twice, though that wasn''t by choice as he was just as constrained by his punishment as she was by hers. Uriel had visited a few times, and even Michael had visited once. The rest barely remembered her anymore though. For them, it had been thousands of years after all. For her, it had been a lot longer, as time worked a little weirdly between universes. She could barely remember what little Ramiel looked like anymore¡­ As she was standing in front of the long mirror of the clothes shop, she once again noted that her current appearance was a surprisingly close approximation of what her real body would¡¯ve looked like as a child. She had long blond hair that fell to her lower back in natural waves. All Angels were naturally fair, and she certainly qualified, although childishly cute was the more accurate term at the moment. Her deep blue eyes were like bottomless ponds, while her face was like a miniature version of an adult. Her golden wings looked almost metallic in their sheen, and she knew they were much sturdier than they looked. Or they could be. Angel¡¯s wings were whatever they wished. She had been the first humanoid creation of Father and Mother, and they had mentioned several times that they might have gone a bit overboard when creating her. As their first humanoid creation, and someone made in their image, the two had aimed to make her perfect in all ways, and in some ways, they had succeeded. The two had toned down their perfectionist tendencies with their future creations, deciding that imperfections added to the whole. Not that her siblings weren¡¯t almost as supernaturally attractive as her real body had been. Lucifer and Amenadiel were perfect examples of that. Many of her other siblings had chosen to appear more mundane as time passed, perhaps as a way to show their individuality. Or perhaps they had wanted to look more like the mortals. That was an impulse she¡¯d never shared. She was what she was, and had little desire to hide that fact, although this life might turn out a little different. Her new mother had mentioned that most Angels took the appearance of another race while traveling outside Angel-controlled lands. It seemed that their race had incurred quite a bit of hostility in the past, and it was not uncommon for them to be targeted, either for slavery or for death. Apparently, they also gave great experience as well. The most common form for the Angels to take was a Draenei, which was just one of the many reasons the two races were now in an almost symbiotic relationship. Of course, the other races were aware of this as well, but killing Draenei just on the off chance that they could be Angels was a little more evil than most societies could tolerate. The idea of hiding herself wasn''t a very appealing one, but she also realized that she¡¯d have to make some accommodations due to the fact that she didn¡¯t have the power she was used to. Maybe this would be one of those accommodations. Secrecy just wasn¡¯t her thing, but sometimes needs must. Chapter 3,5 - Friends ------- "The other two haven''t shown up yet?" Seraphiel asked as she came to the usual meeting place in the library, and only found Jael sitting there with a thick book in his hands. Usually, she was the first to arrive as she had the fewest classes, but this time she was already late. ¡°Domus and Dalen can¡¯t make it today. They have career counselling.¡± The dark-haired Angel boy acknowledged her arrival with a nod but didn¡¯t even look up from his book as he turned another page. ¡°Career counselling? Aren¡¯t they a bit young for that?¡± The two were only two years older than her while Jael was three years older. ¡°You need to start planning early if you¡¯re serious. You have to take your first Class on your System Day, and it would be beneficial if the Class was something that helped you reach your true goal, even if you can reset the Class levels later on. If the Class you¡¯re aiming for has difficult requirements, then you need to start working on fulfilling them early on.¡± Jael explained, finally closing his book with a slightly regretful look. He knew he would not be able to read further now that Seraphiel had arrived. The girl was very well-behaved and had the social graces to not disturb him while reading, but she was also very curious, and it would¡¯ve been rude of him to just continue reading. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right in that regard. I somewhat forgot since I''m already doing what I need to do to gain my preferred Class." She realized. Besides, she had a suspicion that her old power would be tied behind Classes that would be offered to her on System Day. Otherwise, there really was little point in bringing her to this universe. She might also get offered something special due to her status as a Champion. "We haven''t talked much about our futures with you." Jael realized. "I think it''s only fair to correct that. I personally plan on becoming a mage. Probably one focused on research. My family have traditionally been mages. Dalen and Domus feel a strong connection with the church of the Light. Domus is planning on becoming a healer, so he''s having training in biology and basic healing techniques that don''t require a Class. Dalen wants to become a Paladin, so she''s getting both religious and weapons training. She¡¯s always been a fan of some old and obscure female Draenei heroes.¡± ¡°Domus I expected, but Dalen is a bit of a surprise. As usual.¡± She admitted. "She doesn''t really strike you as the type, does she? Still, she can surprise you, and both of their families are fervent believers in the Light. She doesn''t really have the patience to become a healer like Domus, or a cleric, so Paladin it is. I don''t think either of them even considered careers outside the church.¡± It was perhaps a wild generalization, but only the people with real drive and talent would do well with Classes like a Paladin. Most of those without enough of either would either pick up one of the civilian Classes, like a merchant or a tradesman. Or if they were militarily inclined, they picked a soldier Class and joined one of the several military orders that didn''t see much active combat. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "I assume all of us will end up in one of the academies," Seraphiel stated confidently. ¡°Naturally. The two of them will most likely go for the academies associated with the churches. I will naturally aim for one of the magic academies. Maybe even Mahora.¡± The boy¡¯s grey wings made slight indecisive movements at the prospect. ¡°Mahora? My mother mentioned the place. I didn¡¯t get the sense it focused especially on magic, unlike some of the other ones.¡± She recognized the name and remembered the discussion she¡¯d had with her mother. ¡°Mahora is one of the more prestigious academies. It¡¯s also one of the more peculiar ones. They¡¯re not a strict magic academy. They have three main tracks. One for mages, one for what they call knights, and one for general students. Apparently, the academy encourages partnerships between the knights and the mages, forming a sort of bond between them, while the general students often function as support. The knight protects the mage while the mage is casting larger spells. The mage then supports the knight with their magic and functions kind of like magical artillery, and the general students make sure both are taken care of in a logistical sense. The tactic is a fairly basic one but has served the academy well in the competitions between academies. Anyway, the place is also famous for being one of those places that have been brought here from other universes. Apparently, some of the faculty comes from that other universe as well.¡± Jael explained excitedly. It was obvious he¡¯d done his research. "So why that academy instead of one of the magic-focused ones, if you''re aiming to become a researcher? Feels more like an academy that focuses on practical application over theory." She asked curiously while leaning both of her arms on the table and setting her head on her hands. She was looking at Jael sideways now. ¡°Well, it¡¯s an opportunity to learn things from the perspective of outsiders. They might have many ideas that we haven¡¯t thought of yet. Besides, one of the Champions teaches there. And while I can¡¯t say I¡¯m too interested in combat, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll never be forced into a fight, so having a reliable partner around sounds like something useful.¡± The boy enthused. His hands were waving around animatedly as he explained. ¡°I see. I suppose I can see the appeal.¡± She conceded, though she immediately thought that partnerships formed while still studying might not last all that long. ¡°Did you get Jael talking about the academies again?¡± The gruff voice of Domus came from the side as the boy carefully stepped through the bookshelves. Draenei tended to have large frames, and you could already see the beginnings of one in the young boy despite his age. His gentle nature didn¡¯t really match his appearance though. ¡°Domus.¡± Jael nodded to the other boy. ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t be able to make it.¡± The Angel boy decided to ignore the jab. "These kinds of meetings don''t last long when I already have a plan set and the grades to fulfil those goals." The Draenei boy explained with a slight shrug. "The teacher also agreed with my reasoning, and there''s always a need for more healers." "Why a healer though?" Seraphiel asked, digging a bit. "It''s just something that I''ve always wanted. I don''t want to hurt people. I want to save them. I''ll leave the hurting to others." He replied. From their earlier conversations, she knew he wasn''t a pacifist or anything, just unwilling and unsuited for combat himself. He wouldn''t be likely to become a frontline healer either. ¡°Well, with you here, we might actually get a game going.¡± Jael decided and pulled out a set of dice. Games involving luck were something they had a better chance at over strategy when Seraphiel was around. Chapter 4 - Element Guide ----- ¡±What would a fatherless scum like you know?" A grey-winged Angel youth mocked Raziel. It wasn¡¯t the first time, though Seraphiel was seriously considering making this the last time. Her brother was somewhat used to the mocking by now. He¡¯d grown a lot in the last fourteen years. ¡°You know, you keep bringing up my father. Are you sure it¡¯s not you who has daddy issues?¡± Raziel shot back with a slight smirk. He¡¯d gotten used to verbally sparring with Seraphiel, so a small group of Angels of similar age was hardly a problem. ¡°Besides, why would I lack knowledge of combat just because I do not have a father? My mother is a great teacher, and my sister would trounce all three of you.¡± And he might¡¯ve also become a bit of a sis-con. The worst part was that he wasn¡¯t wrong, so it was a bit hard to discourage his tendencies. ¡°It is the father¡¯s job to train children in winged combat.¡± The boy argued, not very convincingly. Well, it probably seemed convincing in the boy¡¯s mind, but not so much to anyone with any sense. ¡°Oh really? You¡¯re suggesting that female Angels can¡¯t fight?" Raziel goaded, and Seraphiel was already quite sure about where this was headed. With a small sigh, she set down the wooden sword that she''d been swinging for the last two hours. Repeated practice allowed her body to learn what her mind already knew and her body was reaching a point where it could barely keep up. Slowly but surely. ¡°Everybody knows that the Seraphic Guard are the experts in combat, and nearly all of them are men!¡± The boy kept arguing. Even though stats evened out sex differences for the most part, that didn¡¯t mean that old ideas were gone entirely. And it was true that men tended more towards becoming warriors, while women were more inclined towards magical, or even mercantile Classes. The difference came mostly from interest according to what Seraphiel had managed to figure out, but some still managed to draw all the wrong conclusions. ¡°Just because you¡¯re a sis-con, that fact doesn¡¯t change!¡± Oh, others had also noticed that Raziel tended to put her on a bit of a pedestal? It wasn¡¯t surprising considering she¡¯d outshone him, and everyone else of even remotely similar age for that matter, in almost everything. She was still holding back from showing her true abilities in public, but Raziel learned most of his skills from her these days. Skills that in turn allowed him to outshine everyone else in his classes. She wasn''t just tutoring him on most academic topics, but she was guiding his physical and weapon training as well. He could likely easily trounce the three idiots teasing him, which was one of the reasons he was so calm, but that wasn¡¯t the point of the argument. Not to him anyway. No, defending his sister¡¯s honor was much more important. "Would you like to make a bet then? You three against my sister. If you are supposed to be so much better, what with having a father and being male and all, you three should manage it easily." Raziel goaded further. This wasn''t the first or the last time either. It was a rather common trick he liked to pull, as he knew she could defeat them easily, and it would allow her to show off. He hadn¡¯t pulled this trick in the winged combat dojo yet though, so the boys didn¡¯t know better. ¡°Fine! What¡¯s the wager?¡± The idiot asked. ¡°Well, you¡¯re always bragging about how rich your family is, so how about it? Put your money where your mouth is.¡± Seraphiel was quite sure her brother would get offered Skills along the lines of ¡®con-artist¡¯ or ¡®shyster¡¯ with how often he scammed idiots out of their money. The money wasn¡¯t strictly necessary with their mother being an archmagus, but the two of them both liked a bit of spending money anyway and their mother believed in earning their own money whenever possible. The problem was that you couldn¡¯t really take any part-time jobs before your System unlocked, and then the two of them would most likely be sent to an academy, assuming their grades were good enough. A safe bet that. ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll happily fleece your poor ass!¡± The idiot took the bait, and the trio quickly circled her. ¡°Any last words little birdy?¡± She was only slightly shorter than the three older Angel boys. She seemed to be growing a bit faster than average, and even though she was four years younger than her brother, she was already just as tall as him. She was now sixteen, which in Human years would be around nine, but she looked closer to ten or even eleven. Ironically, she looked like she was close to unlocking her System any moment now, just like her brother and the three idiots surrounding her. Raziel would turn twenty in only a couple of days, and that¡¯s when Angels had their System Day. ¡°What¡¯s it like knowing that the System will be offering you Skills and Classes associated with being a coward and a craven any day now?¡± She added her own jibe, which caused the grey-winged Angel to rush her with his wings poised to strike, his face frozen in an expression of anger. His rushed action caught his allies by surprise, and the two were a bit slow in reacting. That allowed her to easily slide inside his guard, as she used her wings to brush his aside, before using one of his wings to sweep his legs from under him. Just for emphasis, and to make sure he didn¡¯t get up, she smacked one of her wings into his stomach while he was still in the air, driving him into the ground and the air out of his lungs. She quickly turned to meet the charge of the other two, using her wings as a shield to deflect, not block, their strikes. The two were not wholly unskilled, but they were not used to coordinating their attacks, and she was quickly able to outmaneuver them so that one of them was always between her and the other boy, which allowed her to dismantle their defenses with brutal efficiency. And she didn¡¯t even have to use anything besides her wings to do it. The Angel in charge of the dojo called a halt to the fight when the trio lay groaning on the ground. The man subscribed to the idea that a little fighting was only to be encouraged and you had to be able to fight the fights you picked while running your mouth. As he¡¯d taught them other classes in another dojo, he knew that she could¡¯ve done much worse if she was using the wooden sword she¡¯d placed aside before the fight. As the two were merrily counting their ill-gotten gains, Raziel happily asked what she was going to do with her cut. ¡°I think I might get a new game to play with my friends.¡± She mused. She¡¯d continued playing games with the same group that she¡¯d started with almost a decade ago. The group had grown a lot closer over the years, united by their shared genius, and often spent time with each other even outside their games nowadays. Raziel wasn¡¯t too fond of the trio as he felt they were competition for his sister¡¯s attention and time, but he was also smart enough not to show it. Besides, with his sister¡¯s tutoring, he too could keep up with them somewhat and was often invited to join their games when they were visiting the siblings¡¯ home. ¡°Tell them I said hi. Also, you know you could get something for yourself as well? Or me for my System Day present!¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got your present already covered.¡± She smiled mysteriously. Raziel smiled at that. ¡°Thanks for the help sis. It was fun seeing those three get their comeuppance.¡± ¡°We both know you could¡¯ve beaten them. I think this was some twisted way for you to defend my honor.¡± She shook her head in slight but fond exasperation. ¡°For you sis, always!¡± He replied cheekily. --------- ¡°Today we¡¯re talking about elements and how they tie into Classes.¡± The teacher lectured in front of the classroom. Despite her bluntness, her lessons were rather popular, as they were very informative and to the point. ¡°Every Class is associated with at least one of the elements. Usually, the first level of most Classes is associated with one of the basic elements, while more advanced Class evolutions of the basic Classes might be associated with the advanced elements. Even if a Class you choose has no elemental attacks or effects, it is still associated with an element, and you can assume safely that some sort of elemental abilities are available to the Class at some point or another in the future. In some rare cases, even a base Class can be associated with an advanced element, though that is not something you should expect or necessarily even wish for. Despite the name, the advanced elements are not any better or worse than the basic ones. Can anyone tell me what the basic elements are?" She asked and didn¡¯t even bother calling on Seraphiel as everyone knew the youngest person in the room already knew the answer. After being pointed at, one of the Draenei students replied. ¡°The basic elements are fire, water, earth, air, death, life, dark, and light.¡± ¡°Very good.¡± The teacher nodded in approval, though she didn¡¯t expect anything less at this point. The students had been in her lessons for a decade by now. ¡°The advanced elements are simply a mix of two of the basic elements. Some combinations like fire and earth combining into lava are somewhat obvious and intuitive, but some are a little less so. Dark and light combine into time, and life and death combine into creation. You can combine with the same element as well. For instance, earth and earth combines into metal, and fire and fire combine into solar. Now, I said that advanced elements are not inherently better than the basic ones, as their power depends on how you use the element, but some elements are inherently more powerful. In return, they are also much harder to utilize and usually require more stats to become effective. For instance, a mage wanting to utilize time or space magic will need a lot of mana to be able to accomplish even the basic things, which is one of the reasons why taking a basic Class with a powerful but demanding element as your first Class might not be the best idea. Despite the lower stats, getting a lower-ranked Class isn¡¯t always a bad idea, as they are often easier to level and utilize. It has happened more than once that someone takes a first Class that would require them to perform activities that they cannot perform due to lacking the stats, which means they become stuck at level one. Now, the risk isn¡¯t large as you can reset your Class for a price, but it is there, and you should keep it in mind. We call these Classes newbie traps. Although you cannot discuss the Classes you are offered in the moment your System is unlocked, that doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t listen to the advice of your elders beforehand, as they¡¯ve gone through it and know roughly what to expect.¡± ¡°What is it like when you gain your System?¡± One of the Angel girls asked curiously. ¡°It¡¯s different for everyone, and it¡¯s also something very private. In general though, the System provides you with a Guide that can help you in making your choices, inside your soul. Anything beyond that is up to you and your Guide. Time spent inside your soul passes much more quickly than on the outside, so even if you spend some time making your choices, very little time will pass on the outside. Generally. Again, this too will vary from person to person." The teacher moved on as the topic was rarely addressed for a reason. It was almost taboo to go into too much detail before you experienced it yourself, as any such information might influence a young child''s experience unduly. Advice was good, detailed instructions were not. ¡°Now, I said that Classes are associated with at least one element. Some Classes can be associated with several, though one will always be the main element. Once again, multiple elements won¡¯t necessarily make the Class any more powerful, as the System often rewards specialization. It doesn¡¯t necessarily make it weaker either. There is power in versatility, and some Classes are simply better. Also, keep in mind that just because a Class is associated with an element, that doesn¡¯t mean utilizing other elements can¡¯t be done. We keep using the perennial example of a fire mage, but for a reason. Even the fire mage is capable of using magic of other elements, but since they don¡¯t have the requisite support Skills, the spells of those other elements will be weaker. Some Classes are by their nature using more than one element, and they usually have their own support Skills to compensate that style, but once again, specialization has its advantages. It''s not uncommon for single-element magic Classes to be offered a choice during Class evolution. Will you keep focusing on your single element, making your Skills of that element even stronger, or will you evolve into a Class that uses more than one element, in which case your support Skills will include the new element or elements? The same applies to other types and not just mages, although for mages it''s the most obvious.¡± --------- ¡°Happy System Day!¡± Both Seraphiel and Ophiel cheered while waking Raziel up. They¡¯d brought in a cake with twenty candles and they also had wrapped presents in their hands. ¡°Thank you, mother! Thanks, Sephy!¡± The boy that was looking less and less immature every day thanked them cheerily, despite just being woken up. He took a look at the cake. ¡°I assume Sephy made this one? It looks good.¡± ¡°Son, are you implying that if I had made it, the cake wouldn¡¯t look good?¡± Ophiel asked with narrowing eyes. Raziel seemed to hesitate for a moment before deciding to go with honesty. ¡°Yes. We both know Sephy is much better at making food.¡± ¡°I¡¯m hurt! My son is looking at his dear mother with such disdainful eyes!¡± Ophiel decided to go the overly dramatic route. "He''s not wrong though." Seraphiel muttered just loud enough to be heard, causing all three to burst into laughter. "Now open your presents and then we can eat the cake." Ophiel knew Raziel wanted to become some kind of a warrior, so she¡¯d enchanted a large and very angelic blade for him to use. His first real sword. Seraphiel on the other hand had purchased him a necklace that could hold moving pictures. In one picture was their mother giving a lecture, while the other picture was of the two siblings hugging. ¡°This way we can be together even when you¡¯re at the academy.¡± She explained, getting an emotional hug from her brother as a reward. ¡°So, when¡¯s the big moment?¡± Raziel asked eagerly. Ophiel looked at a magical timekeeper on her wrist. "Right about¡­now." And just as she said ''now'' Raziel went glassy-eyed and froze in place. ¡°Does that happen often?¡± Seraphiel asked in a whisper as they stood a bit away from the boy. ¡°Only during Class evolutions or when you reach certain level thresholds where you get a new Class. Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t happen in the middle of a battle. You can defer it until you¡¯re safe. The experience will also be banked in case you¡¯re worried about losing any benefits." Her mother explained in an equally quiet voice. As she was told before, the time Raziel was distracted didn¡¯t last very long, only counted in minutes. Once he did return though, she could sense a new kind of power inside him. He was now significantly stronger than just moments before. He was also happily grinning. ¡°Sephy, you were there helping me!¡± He announced right away. ¡°Sephy was your Guide?¡± Ophiel asked. ¡°Should¡¯ve known. What Class did you get?¡± To Seraphiel, her expression looked a little wooden for some reason, but that didn¡¯t matter for the moment. ¡°Oh, I got the Path of the Seraphim of course! I¡¯m only a trainee for now, but the dream Sephy told me it was a great Class!¡± Raziel announced proudly. ¡°As usual, your sister was right.¡± Ophiel nodded and patted him on the head, clearly satisfied with the choice. "Seraphim is a powerful Class. It might start as B-ranked, but it has the potential to become S-rank. Well done Raziel baby!¡± ¡°And it¡¯s a Class named after Sephy, so of course I took it!¡± Raziel shamelessly declared, causing Ophiel to groan and his sister to chuckle. Most of the rest of the day was spent looking over academies. Now that Raziel had gained a powerful Class in combination with his grades, his approval to a good academy was all but assured. In fact, he could almost pick what academy he wanted to go to. ¡°What academy do you want to go to Sephy?¡± He asked instead. ¡°I¡¯m not certain yet, but I¡¯ve heard some good things about Mahora, and mother went there.¡± She replied. She was unsure what classes she¡¯d be offered so it was impossible to say for sure. ¡°At least it isn¡¯t specialized in just one type of Class.¡± ¡°Then I want to go there as well!¡± Her brother announced. It was understandable though. They¡¯d be away from home for a long time, so having a member of the family close would be quite beneficial. Their celebration went on for most of the day. At one point Seraphiel pulled her mother aside for a moment. They ended up in the rather spacious kitchen. "Why did you look so off when Raziel mentioned the Guide?" She asked directly. Her mother grimaced a bit. ¡°Hard to hide things from you, isn¡¯t it? Long story short, I¡¯m just sad that I wasn¡¯t his Guide. Parents often are. Just goes to show that while he might not show it, he might still harbor some things from when he was just born, and his father had just died. I wasn¡¯t the best mother to him back then.¡± ¡°You know, it might not be that? We¡¯ve grown quite close over the years, and we both know he¡¯s quite fond of me.¡± Seraphiel pointed out. ¡°True, but I think one of the reasons he¡¯s grown so attached to you is because you¡¯ve always been there for him, while I did let him down when he was a kid. I know, I know, I might be overthinking it, but I can¡¯t help it.¡± Deciding to change the subject, Seraphiel decided to talk about the academy instead. ¡°Will we be visiting the place when Raziel enrolls?¡± "I''d say we probably should. It''s a good chance for both of you to check the place out. I think you''ll like it." Ophiel accepted the change in topics and encouraged her. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I have some burning need to go somewhere else like some of my friends.¡± She pondered. The name Mahora also sounded a little familiar, although the translation from the Gift of Tongues might have been interfering a bit¡­ Chapter 5 - Hints of a past long gone ------ "I''ve been here before," Seraphiel muttered as she saw the academy. They¡¯d reached the academy via a magical portal, and she¡¯d been hit with a rather intense feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu almost as soon as she¡¯d arrived and looked over the academy grounds from the teleportation platforms. The school buildings were all built around an enormous tree that dominated the view from a little island in the middle of a lake. The buildings were an eclectic mix of Western and Eastern architecture from Earth and its various iterations. Most of the buildings were constructed from red brick and stone with blue and grey roofs that had many pointy towers. There was a lot of nature around the buildings with open and wide paths dotted with trees and bushes, and many elevation differences built into the hilly terrain. The grounds were wide and expansive, with enough space for over 100000 students, staff, family members of staff, and various other personnel, and the school grounds were surrounded by a city dedicated to serving the needs of the academy. The entire thing was located on an island that flew between the Core Worlds for various purposes. The thing was, she was pretty sure she''d been here before. Not for long, but she had visited. She couldn''t quite pinpoint when or why though. She''d visited many universes before being born in this one, and there had been signs that some of the universes she¡¯d been to had spilled over to this one. This academy was likely the same, even if she couldn¡¯t remember the details. The hustle and bustle of new students arriving filled the air, with families of the students saying goodbyes to their kids, staff, and faculty directing the new arrivals where appropriate, and many merchants hawking their wares to the newcomers and families alike. Many races were present. Humans made up a large portion, but there were many others, ranging from obviously demonic ones to races that she¡¯d known to be spacefaring ones. She spotted a small group of Asari calmly making their way through the throng accompanied by a Turian, and she was pretty sure she¡¯d spotted an Eldar through the gaps as well. ¡°Do you have everything you need Raziel?¡± Ophiel was fussing over him while Seraphiel was lost in memory lane. It was weird to see her brother in the form of a Draenei. All three of them were. One of the natural abilities of the Angels was to take the form of another being, except with wings, and since they could hide the wings, they were basically able to turn into any other race. Of course, she didn¡¯t have access to the System yet, so she couldn¡¯t use the ability, so Ophiel had cast a spell over her. Even if the academies were supposed to be a neutral place and Mahora was certainly more friendly to Angels than many others, it was still unsafe to take the form of an Angel. Incidentally, the ability to turn into other races didn¡¯t help with those prejudices, even if most of it was for historical reasons. Still, Raziel made for a pretty decent-looking Draenei. Much sturdier than his usual lithe frame. He was still lithe thanks to being young, but Draenei tended to be larger and broader than Angels. ¡°Yes, mum. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not marching to war. I¡¯ve been training with sister, and I promise to work hard.¡± Raziel was smart enough to pre-empt some of the questions he knew were coming. Not that it stopped Ophiel from fussing. Suddenly she sensed someone strong and potentially dangerous approaching. A tall woman with long dark hair all the way down her back and slightly tanned skin was wearing the faculty attire as she stepped closer. Something about the woman seemed familiar as well, and she somehow knew this woman was not as Human as she appeared. "You seem confused there miss." The woman stated with a serious demeanour, looking directly at Seraphiel. ¡°Confused might not be the word for it. Let¡¯s just say I have a feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.¡± She replied honestly. "Is that so? I assume you haven''t been to Mahora Academy before?" The woman asked the obvious question. ¡°Not that I remember. But then again, that¡¯s what d¨¦j¨¤ vu is all about, isn¡¯t it?¡± She smiled wryly. The woman cracked the very slightest of smiles with the corner of her mouth rising just a bit. ¡°I suppose it is. Some say the feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu is an echo of the future.¡± They both stood in place for a few breaths, looking over the academy. ¡°A new student?¡± The woman finally asked her. ¡°Perhaps in the near future. I haven¡¯t decided yet and still have a few years to go. My brother is the one who enrolled this time.¡± Seraphiel gestured towards her mother still fussing over Raziel. The woman took a glance towards the two, breaking into another small smile before looking back. ¡°Parents never change. There is something familiar about your demeanour, even if I can¡¯t say why. My name¡¯s Mana by the way. Tatsumiya Mana.¡± The name finally clicked in place, which likely showed on her face. ¡°You seem like you realized something.¡± Mana pointed out. ¡°I did. I finally figured it out. Good to meet you, Miss Tatsumiya.¡± She¡¯d really been here before. One of the worlds she¡¯d visited before. She¡¯d even met the woman, though the woman had been just a girl back then. It had been one of her shorter visits due to the trouble being relatively easy to solve. The issues had basically boiled down to mana depletion causing strife, which had been easy to solve with her abilities. She had learned something important during the visit though. The sword style known as Shinmei-ry¨±, which had become very useful once she¡¯d refined it to something more widely applicable. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to share, are you?¡± The woman realized with some displeasure showing in the twist of her lips. ¡°Nope. Still, I think there¡¯s a good chance I will attend here as well. If so, I will give you a hint then.¡± She smiled mysteriously, before going to give Raziel her goodbyes. "Try not to get into trouble. I''m not here to bail you out for a few years at least. Keep your wits and remember to maintain constant vigilance. That said, don''t forget to have fun as well." She gave her brother a long hug. She''d become rather fond of the little annoying twerp. She¡¯d had siblings many times before, and they always had a special place in her heart. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. "You know me, sister. The model of good behaviour." Raziel hugged her back fiercely, and she could hear the tears that he was holding back in his voice. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what worries me.¡± She just shook her head. ------ ¡°So. Want to do anything to take our minds off Raziel being gone?¡± Her mother asked as they stepped back through the portals to their home city. ¡°Hmm. You know what, I think there is something. You mentioned the Draenei have a museum where they have information about the time before they were brought to this universe. I¡¯d like to see that.¡± Seraphiel decided. The visit to Mahora had triggered her nostalgia, so she might as well deal with another source of said emotion that she¡¯d avoided thus far. Ophiel flagged down the taxi equivalent magical vehicle that both offered some privacy while also taking them towards their destination. "We''ll have to go to Exodar for that. It''s the oldest Draenei construct in the nation. Though I have a feeling you already knew that." Ophiel remembered well that her daughter had mentioned having visited other universes before. The effortless way she had always used the technology of their companion race suggested familiarity. ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± Seraphiel just smiled mysteriously. The trip to the floating fortress of metal, stone, and crystal protecting the southern side of the city took a bit over an hour. The fortress wasn¡¯t really designed for taking in a lot of incoming traffic, so they also had to wait for a landing spot. As they finally got their feet on the metallic floor of the fortress, a guide was already there waiting for them. The fortress didn¡¯t see much combat use, but it did serve as a museum. Arcane power hummed through the hull of the ship turned into a fortress, and the entire construct was large enough to be a small city onto itself. "Welcome to Exodar. I''m Ra''len and I will be your guide through this tour." An almost pink-skinned Draenei female with purple hair greeted them with a welcoming smile. The two Angels could tell she wasn¡¯t just putting on a customer-service smile and actually enjoyed giving the tours. ¡°Have either of you visited before?¡± Ophiel had to struggle to keep her face straight after remembering her earlier hunch, while Seraphiel just smiled a bit again. ¡°We have not. My daughter is interested in the history of the Draenei before you arrived in our universe.¡± The guide clapped her hands happily. ¡°Oh, how fun! We rarely get young ones interested in ancient history. I do so love talking about it though. Come with me. I¡¯ll show you around, and considering your interest, I¡¯ll have to take you to the history level of the Vault of Lights.¡± As they walked down a rather steeply sloped ramp that circled into the depths of the construct, the guide explained the origin of the Draenei, their struggle with the Burning Legion, arrival on Draenor, the subsequent flight, and eventual arrival on Azeroth. ¡°We were brought here with the rest of the planet as Azeroth was pulled into this universe. Nowadays Azeroth is one of the Core Worlds, although very few of the original races still inhabit the world.¡± ¡°When did this happen?¡± Seraphiel asked, referring to the transition to this universe. "It''s been three thousand years since then." The guide answered. "In fact, it''s been almost exactly three thousand years, now that you mention it. We''re going to have a celebration to mark the occasion in ten years." "Considering the life-span of Draenei, that suggests many of the original Draenei from that time are still alive," Seraphiel stated. "If I understood correctly, it''s not uncommon for your kind to live for tens of thousands of years." ¡°You are right, though our race went through a population boom once we arrived in this universe. The system has been very beneficial to us, and we¡¯ve been very good at utilizing it to our advantage. The symbiotic alliance with the Angels has also helped us tremendously. Even though many of those that were brought here are still alive, they are a rather small portion of the entire population at this point. You could say that by Draenei standards, we have become a very young race again as the vast majority of our numbers have lived for less than three millennia.¡± The guide explained as she led them into a large open terraced chamber with many holo-projectors showing images of the past. The insides of Exodar were very well illuminated, and it showed that the Light was a prominent feature of their culture as golden light was a major inspiration for everything. "In this hallway, we can see some of the most important people of that time, as well as maps of Azeroth, Draenor, and even our original home Argus. Some of the artifacts of the deceased heroes can also be seen next to their images." As the guide explained some of the heroes, some of whom were still alive according to her, Seraphiel gravitated towards a certain almost shrine-like display. The display showed a valiant and heroic-looking Draenei female, who changed appearance at some point in time. The first images and holograms of the woman showed her as a mage with raven black hair and deep purple skin, while the latter ones showed her with alabaster-marble coloured skin, pure white hair, and the heavy armor of a paladin. Somehow her glowing eyes had also changed colour into pure gold, while her body had been marked with golden glowing tattoos, and even her hooves were ornamented with gold. In both forms, the image of the Draenei was glorious and inspirational. ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve noticed one of our greatest heroes, Seraphia. She was instrumental in bringing some of the greatest achievements of our race and led us to victory against the Burning Legion.¡± The guide gushed. ¡°Seraphia, huh?¡± Ophiel wasn¡¯t stupid enough to not make the connection. Her daughter had told her how sometimes she¡¯d have to play the part of the champion and a hero. What was even more shocking was that the spell she¡¯d used to disguise Seraphiel had basically triggered the girl¡¯s own transformation ability, so she had assumed the Draenei form that she would when using the ability herself. And the form had been a younger but otherwise very similar copy of the holograms in front of them. ¡°What happened to her?¡± She asked. ¡°We can¡¯t be certain. She went in to fight Sargeras, the Titan responsible for creating the Burning Legion. She did not return, but Sargeras also died, so it was assumed she had sacrificed herself to slay the Titan.¡± The guide explained with awe in her voice. ¡°She¡¯s still the inspiration for most young female Draenei everywhere.¡± Seraphiel shook her head just a bit. She hadn¡¯t sacrificed herself. It was just another example of how she was tossed from one universe to another without any regard once her job was done. She was never allowed to spend time enjoying the fruits of her labour. Though if she had to guess, from what the guide had said, it hadn¡¯t taken too long for Azeroth to be pulled into this universe after she had disappeared. In some ways, it negated everything she had done, though at least her people had survived long enough to prosper in this universe. They were used to exile anyway. It was even in their name. Draenei meant Exiled Ones in their own language. That was one of the reasons she had felt so natural with their people, as she had suffered the same fate of being exiled. There was a reason she was also known as The Exiled. They finished the tour, and Ophiel barely managed to wait until they were home until asking. ¡°That was one of your previous¡­lives is the term, I suppose?¡± ¡°It was. One of the longer ones. I spent a very long time in that life and saw most of it. Incidentally, if Velen is still alive, don¡¯t let him drive under influence. The man may be a prophet, but he crashed the Exodar into a damn planet." Seraphiel burst into nostalgic laughter. ¡°Do you miss it?¡± Ophiel questioned, feeling that the short time they¡¯d been together couldn¡¯t compare to the apparent millennia her daughter had spent with the Draenei. "Sometimes. I miss several of the past universes I''ve visited for various reasons. I will always miss the original of course. Another one I miss, where the time I lived as an Aeldari was full of war and suffering, but it was also the longest, and I forged some of the deepest bonds in that hellhole of a universe. My time as a Draenei was like a vacation in comparison. It would be interesting to see if any of my old friends still live.¡± Seraphiel was staring into emptiness with such a look that it wasn¡¯t hard for Ophiel to see the reminiscing in her eyes. ¡°It seems the Draenei at least still remember you.¡± ¡°Barely, and time has changed things. Any true memories are hidden under countless years of nostalgia, fond remembrance, legend, and stories being repeated and exaggerated over and over again. No, I don¡¯t think any of the Draenei remember the true Seraphia. They remember the idealized version they¡¯ve built up in their heads. They¡¯d be sorely disappointed if I went up to them and didn¡¯t quite live up to what they remember and think is the truth.¡± Seraphiel denied her mother¡¯s encouraging words. ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s better to let legends stay in the past.¡± ¡°We have a similar expression. Never meet your heroes. Always ends with disappointment.¡± Ophiel nodded along in agreement. ¡°Still, I think you should eventually meet them. Might do you some good to know you¡¯ve made a difference.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see. I¡¯ve seen signs of some of my other older adventures resurfacing as well.¡± She had no idea how many of her old friends were alive though. It largely depended on how long some of the universes had been connected to this one. Some of her closest friends had come from races with very limited lifespans, although the System and the stats did offer a chance at a significantly longer lifespan. Chapter 5,5 - Sparring ----- Demarcael watched over one of his pupils with pride. He was pretty sure the pupil in question wasn¡¯t even aware of his presence, as stats and Skills gave him an overwhelming advantage in that regard and the object of his observation had not even unlocked their System yet. However, he¡¯d learned not to underestimate this particular pupil, especially in the last few weeks. He watched as Seraphiel went through sword forms two floors below him, on the bottom floor of the dojo. After the girl''s brother had left for one of the academies, her own talent suddenly skyrocketed. It didn''t take a genius to figure out that she had been holding back to not embarrass her big brother and now felt free to let her true talent shine. And it was a beautiful sight, even if he didn''t recognize the forms she was using. He also had no idea where she''d learned them, but she certainly had not learned them at the dojo. Not that it stopped him from feeling proud of his student, even if it wasn''t his teachings that made her shine so. She looked perfectly natural as she slowly moved through the sword forms, swinging her sword with poise and grace you just didn''t see in someone whose System was still locked. Every path her sword took seemed so smooth and efficient, that it almost looked like she was dancing. Every time she moved her wooden sword, it was like he was having another epiphany. It was like every movement seemed obvious in retrospect, that of course that was the way she should move, but yet at the same time it seemed unpredictable and didn''t follow the basic forms he had practiced for over a thousand years. It also felt like there was something missing. Her form was sublime and seemed to perfectly transition between offence and defence without leaving any gaps to exploit, but at the same time, he felt the form was incomplete. He couldn''t quite figure out what at first, but as he continued to watch, he understood. The form felt incomplete because she didn''t have access to the System. Some of the attacks were supposed to have some special effect, and the effect was the reason the movement was made in the way it was, so without the effect, the movement didn''t quite feel complete. And it seemed many of the attacks should have some sort of special effect. She was practicing a sword form that was supposed to be practiced with System access, without that access. He couldn¡¯t quite tell whether those effects were supposed to be magical, meaning a magic swordsman-type, utilizing the power Qi, meaning a cultivator, or something else, but the number of techniques was surprisingly varied. And it was rather surprising that she knew such sword forms without System access. To his eyes, she was perfectly executing the techniques, which would require years of training, but how could she have that kind of training so young and without the System? Obviously, someone else was teaching her, but that someone was either insane or a genius. Most starting Classes focused on the fundamentals. That¡¯s why even the more exotic paths started with simple Classes like Apprentice Swordsman or Squire. The advanced techniques would only come later once the trainee had mastered the basics before their first Class evolution. Sometimes the real magical or otherwise special techniques didn¡¯t truly start until the second Class evolution. That¡¯s how important the basics were, and the better Classes usually required better mastery of the basics. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Here, whoever had taught the girl was clearly aiming for an advanced Class from the start, but it didn¡¯t seem she had neglected her basics either. In fact, the way she executed her swings spoke of years of hard training, and knowledge that usually only came with a high-level Skill. He¡¯d also noticed her training the basics during his lessons. In fact, it seemed like she had been using his lessons specifically to train her basics. He was happy about that as he knew their importance and always made sure his students did as well. All the young ones should focus on their basics before unlocking their System. When did she have time to learn these more advanced forms though? She moved like some of the greatest experts of the sword he''d ever seen, though much slower of course, and her small body couldn''t quite match the adults. You didn''t just learn that in a few years while training in spare hours. And from what he''d heard, the girl excelled academically as well. He liked to keep tabs on his more talented students. And his were not the only lessons she and her brother had been taking. If she''d gotten this good, this quickly, then that spoke of monstrous talent! ¡°Any advice to offer? You¡¯ve been watching for a while.¡± The girl suddenly called out and turned to look at him on the balcony circling the dojo. ¡°I think your form is fine. What you lack is System access, as you already know, and perhaps a sparring partner.¡± He replied honestly while floating down from the balcony. Angels didn¡¯t need to flap their wings to fly. The wings were magical after all. ¡°It seems you¡¯re offering to be that partner.¡± She suggested rather boldly, though he didn¡¯t mind. Nurturing a talent like hers would be interesting. ¡°Sounds like fun. Do you still have the stamina for it though?¡± He asked with slight worry. She¡¯d been going at it pretty hard for a while now. ¡°For a brief spar at least. I¡¯ve been training my stamina. Got annoyed from being lapped by older students. Still couldn¡¯t outrun them, but I can outlast them.¡± She grinned playfully. Her smile was infectious, and he found himself grinning as well as they squared off. As their wooden weapons collided, it became obvious that she was rather proficient in sparring as well. He was rather enjoying the bout almost as soon as it began. Her form was nearly perfect. There were no openings in her defence, and any opening he thought he saw turned out to be traps. She happily exploited any openings in his defence, and the way her attacks flowed from one to another clearly showed she was thinking a dozen strikes ahead and driving him towards her desired positions. She was prodding him to react in certain ways that would then leave him open for a well-placed counter. Only his vast experience and stats stopped the whole thing from becoming rather embarrassing. He could¡¯ve easily battered his way through her defence in a single attack with his stats, but that wasn¡¯t the point. Still, that didn¡¯t stop him from showing what it would be like to fight someone vastly stronger and faster than her. She hadn''t been lying about her stamina, but eventually, she started to slow down, and she was drenched in sweat. At that point, they mutually decided to call it. "You''re right. A sparring partner really does make training more effective. I hope to repeat this again?" She requested with a polite tone while they both bowed to each other. ¡°I think that can be arranged. I might¡¯ve learned more from this than you.¡± He replied, and he wasn¡¯t lying. He¡¯d gotten several levels in several Skills. He¡¯d even leveled his main Class once during the bout, which was becoming a rare phenomenon these days. If this continued, he¡¯d be quite happy to oblige. Chapter 6 - System Day part 1 --------- This promised to be an exciting day. The last couple of years had been quite boring as her friends had one after another left for the academies, and her brother spent most of his time at Mahora. He¡¯d returned a couple times a year every year, but just like with her friends, contact aside from those visits had grown increasingly infrequent as time passed. It was natural for friends to grow apart when they didn¡¯t see each other for years, and considering the cost of magical communication across worlds, it was even more natural. She had expected her brother to keep more in touch though, but it seemed Raziel was quite busy with his studies. Even their mother was growing a little worried. Still, he didn¡¯t seem like he was bullied or anything during his visits, and he reassured them that he was alright, so there was little they could do about it for now. He also seemed to be very cheerful and happy during the visits, so they chalked it up to just growing up for the time being. That would change soon though, as today was her System Day! Her mother had been taking her around on various activities for the last couple of years to make sure she could unlock great Skills and Classes. Since she wasn''t sure if her past life counted, she made sure to dedicate her growing free time to make sure she met the conditions for as many classes and Skills as possible. Seeing as she was supposed to be a Champion of a god, she focused mainly on combat-related Classes, though she didn''t neglect more basic Skills like bartering and survival either. Many of the Classes had very basic requirements that you filled almost automatically anyway. Since you earned Skills by performing actions associated with them, and Classes by doing things related to the Class, some of them had to have easier requirements. As an example, since you couldn¡¯t really do magic, something associated with any mage Classes, before unlocking the System, the best way to gain the Classes was to study magical theory. Most Classes and Skills had similar requirements, though certain advanced Classes required you to perform certain feats or fulfil very special conditions to gain access to. Most of those Classes were not available as a first Class though. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want a present aside from money?¡± Her mother asked while the two were eating in a restaurant. Ophiel hadn¡¯t baked her a cake, as Seraphiel had made her brother¡¯s cake, and they both knew she made better food anyway. They¡¯d decided to eat out instead. ¡°I¡¯m sure. I have no idea what sort of Class I¡¯ll have anyway, so if you got me a sword like Raziel, it might end up wasted. I can always use some spending money when I go to the academy. You know I¡¯m not going to just waste it.¡± Seraphiel argued. ¡°I know honey, but it still feels somehow less personal than the gift I gave your brother. Too bad he couldn¡¯t be here.¡± Unlike with her brother, her System Day didn¡¯t just coincide with one of the enrolment days of the academies, and Mahora was actually visiting one of the worlds relatively far from their home. Still, the delay would allow her to get used to her new Class, whatever it ended up being. ¡°Oh, I can actually feel it hap-.¡± She started saying, before her mind was suddenly somewhere else. She found herself somewhere completely different, and she was also back in her own body. A single glance out of the windows told her she was back on Earth. Roughly around the 20th century. She¡¯d visited several alternative versions of the world where things happened a little differently, so she couldn¡¯t be sure of the exact century. The city below and the noise of traffic narrowed things down, but not enough. For some reason, she could tell this was supposed to be her Earth. The original one. Yet it wasn¡¯t. There was just something missing. The room she was in seemed to be a penthouse of some sort. There was a mini bar with a wide choice of alcohols opposite a grand piano, a sofa, and several leather chairs of rather expensive make. On one side she could see a couple of steps leading to an alcove bedroom with a bed made with very expensive and high-quality sheets. There was also a door leading further inside in the alcove. The internal walls seemed to be mock Assyrian make, while the outer walls were mostly floor-to-ceiling windows. On the other side, she could see a rather sizeable library that went up two floors with one of those ladders that you could push along the bookshelves. There was also a stained-glass window depicting what she assumed to be Virgin Mary of all people. The balcony she was standing on overlooked the city below and also had plush seats as well as a hot spa. She didn¡¯t have too much time to take it all in when a dinging sound came from the other side of the penthouse and elevator doors opened to reveal a very familiar figure. A figure that she had missed dearly. ¡°Sister!¡± The charismatic and devilishly handsome dark-haired man greeted with a dazzling smile. ¡°Lucifer?¡± She got lost in her memories of her favourite sibling for a moment. Lucifer had always been the sibling she¡¯d been the closest to, and the one that she¡¯d supported during the so-called rebellion that saw her exiled and her brother banished to Hell. She felt true warmth in her very core from seeing him again. Warmth that turned into cold anger as she realized this couldn''t be. Her golden wings quickly lashed toward the man, barely stopping in front of him. "No, you''re not my brother. Who are you, and why are you wearing my brother''s face?" ¡°Didn¡¯t take you long to figure that one out. Still, I expected you to have figured out the rest by now. You always were quick-witted.¡± The man didn¡¯t seem worried. Instead, he walked behind the bar and poured himself a drink. ¡°This was supposed to be my System unlocking¡­which means you¡¯re my Guide. The Guide always takes the form of someone we trust the most.¡± She reasoned out quickly, before looking at the man with narrowed eyes. ¡°An interesting choice. Lucifer is just about the least reliable person I know.¡± ¡°Yet here I am. I didn¡¯t make the choice, you did.¡± The man pointed at her with the hand holding the now filled glass. ¡°Reliable is also not the same thing as being someone we trust. Your brother, and by extension I, both have one quality that makes us very trustworthy.¡± ¡°Well, Luci never lies. And I do trust him. Enough to even defy Father. But you¡¯re not Luci.¡± She said accusatorily. ¡°That¡¯s both true and not true. I am the representation of the System, given form by your memories and thoughts. For all intents and purposes, I am the same as your brother. To be precise, the System only has intelligence and emotions when you and people like you give them to me and those like me. At least, that¡¯s the official story.¡± The man sipped his drink and smiled in apparent appreciation of the liquid. ¡°And I have to say, this might be the best form I¡¯ve ever been given.¡± ¡°The official story?¡± That detail stuck out to her. ¡°Now, it wouldn¡¯t be any fun if I just told you, would it? You¡¯ll have to find out on your own.¡± The man smiled in exactly the same way she remembered her brother doing a million times before. ¡°Now that¡¯s something Luci would say.¡± She admitted with pursed lips. ¡°Fine. Have it your way then. We¡¯re here for a reason.¡± "We are, but unlike most people, your situation is a little¡­complicated." Her brother showed a slightly regretful expression, something she''d seen only a few times on that face. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Complicated how?¡± She asked. ¡°Well, all Champions when they are summoned are given an option. They can be summoned as they are, and I¡¯ll do my very best to transfer their current abilities over. I¡¯ll also grant them the level and stats I find most representative of their strength the moment they are summoned. The other option, the one that is almost never taken, is to be reborn and grow into their powers within the confines of the System. You can end up much more powerful as the Champion has access to special abilities associated with their past, and often can correct past mistakes to become even stronger with the help of the System. However, if your earlier power was the result of luck and fortunate circumstances, you might end up weaker. As most Champions tend to be either heroes or villains in their original universe, they are mostly supported by special items and circumstances and know they won''t be as lucky a second time, even with special support from the System and the blessing of the God or Goddess that summoned them. Guess what most choose?" Lucifer, or the System wearing his face, explained. Luci had always liked the sound of his own voice. ¡°They choose to keep their own powers.¡± She gave the obvious answer. ¡°Naturally. Many a hero or villain has become so because they can take advantage of opportunities and a bit of fate. In being afraid of not meeting such circumstances in this life, they ironically ignore one of the greatest of all opportunities. Many also aren¡¯t too thrilled to live through childhood again either, which I can certainly understand. No sex or anything fun for decades. Certainly takes the fun out of the experience.¡± He gave a shudder and took another sip. Luci always enjoyed his vices, though she couldn¡¯t really judge as she hadn¡¯t been much different even in the beginning and had grown even worse since then. ¡°I didn¡¯t get a choice.¡± She pointed out the obvious. ¡°I¡¯ll get to that a bit later. I should say though that while I call it a choice, it¡¯s not really a choice as such. I don¡¯t go to them and ask their opinion on the matter. As they are summoned, I gain access to all of their information. Everything that makes them who and what they are. I know what they will choose even without asking.¡± He looked at her in a way that told her he¡¯d gained her information as well. ¡°In your case, there was no room for a choice.¡± ¡°Why?¡± She asked. ¡°Well, to make things simple, the gods that summon their Champions can¡¯t do it completely freely. The whole process is rather complicated, but to make things simpler, each god has a certain power budget they have to work with. Nobody has summoned you before because they didn''t have the power to do so. The one who summoned you has been saving for a very long time, and even with that, they didn''t have enough. Even at my full power, I can''t bring your original body here as a summoned Champion. So, in your case there was no choice. Instead of bringing your original body over, I brought your soul here, with Father''s permission of course, and placed you in a body that I specifically created with the intention that it can grow into a very close approximation of your real one. Of course, your own actions and choices will ultimately influence the end result. You can regain most of your old power with time, but it''s going to take a while. I hated to ask, but Father did give me a bit of help during the process." His reluctance to have anything to do with Father was clearly showing. ¡°But¡­?¡± She realized there was something else. ¡°Well. Usually, I¡¯m able to copy the Champions¡¯ powers and body exactly, as that was the power granted to me when Father created the seed for this universe, but as you were directly created by Father and Mother, I¡¯ll have to ask you a few questions and approximate some of your abilities based on what you tell me. Some things were easy, such as the Gift of Tongues. In other cases, I had to make slight adjustments to make it work with the System, such as the Gifts of Knowledge, Permanence, and Adaptability. I''ll give you Skills that work basically like them, but you understand that I can''t just allow something like the Gift of Permanence as it is, right? Being invulnerable to everything but other Celestials and metal that can only be found in your own universe, as well as some god-touched weapons is rather unbalanced. Despite everything, I do have to at least give the appearance of being a neutral arbiter.¡± ¡°I assume I¡¯ll find out the details later.¡± She nodded, happy that at least her Gifts were not gone entirely. ¡°Yes. You can just pull up your Status and go through the details once we¡¯re done here. Most of your old powers and skills have also been translated to Classes. In case you were wondering, just like other Champions, your old achievements qualify you for some very special Classes, which is one of the reasons why summoned Champions are so special. However, there was something, some power inside you that I just couldn¡¯t get a grasp on. Something I could not quantify, even with my abilities to read all those summoned. Do you have any idea what it could be?¡± Lucifer drained his glass before pouring himself another and pouring one for her as well. Ah. even Lucifer wouldn''t know the answer to that. Perhaps it shouldn¡¯t have been a surprise that he¡¯d poured her a very special Aeldari wine she had not tasted in a very long time. Not since the first universe she¡¯d been exiled to. ¡°It¡¯s rather obvious. As Father¡¯s first creation, I was created for a very specific purpose. I was to be the protector of His creation, as well as perhaps eventually His successor. He never explained who I might have to protect the creation from, but He saw fit to grant me a piece of what made Him special. A very small fraction of his divinity.¡± She took another sip of the wine. ¡°I think that¡¯s why He reacted so badly when we rebelled. He knew I was the only one that could actually harm Him. If the other Angels rebelled that was a nuisance, but I was dangerous.¡± ¡°So, daddy dearest put something extra in while creating you. Can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised. You always were special to him.¡± The man managed to sound genuinely bitter just like she could imagine Lucifer being. ¡°Whatever else you say about Him, and I¡¯ll be the first to condemn His faults, the one thing we can commend Him on is that for Him, we were all special.¡± She took a sip of her own drink and walked to the chairs before sitting down and gesturing at the sofa in front of her. The man took the hint and took a seat opposite her. ¡°I suppose that makes sense. I¡¯m not entirely sure how to quantify that in terms of the System though. I¡¯ll have to give it some thought.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start with the basics then. What am I? I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m not a standard Angel, despite my parentage.¡± She moved the conversation along. ¡°Right. That. Well, there are several distinct flavours of Angels in this universe. Even the most basic Angels can give birth to an Archangel. Your race was specially created for you, with Father¡¯s assistance, and is called a Celestial. And you know what? That might be where your divinity comes in. Usually, the highest rank of races is reserved for those with either the blood of the gods, or the creatures that can rival them, the highest-ranked Dragons. I think we can now say you qualify." He looked satisfied with himself for solving the problem so neatly. She wasn''t sure how to feel about such a reductive solution, but she wasn''t going to argue the point. ¡°Can you finally tell me who summoned me? It won¡¯t matter too much since I¡¯m not someone who follows anyone¡¯s orders, but it would still be nice to know.¡± She asked instead. Lucifer¡¯s look changed into a playful one and she knew she wouldn¡¯t get an answer. ¡°I believe I said something similar earlier. I could tell you, but where¡¯s the fun in that? It would be much more interesting if you tried to figure it out on your own.¡± Of course he went back to that. ¡°I heard something about getting a blessing.¡± She pointed out. ¡°In a way, you are. However, your ¡®blessing¡¯ so to say is a little different. It¡¯s tied to the fact that you couldn¡¯t be brought here with your powers. You¡¯ve used your Gift of Adaptability to learn many different ways to become powerful. So, I thought it would be interesting if your blessing was related to that. I also know you, and I know you¡¯ll prefer this over some nebulous power dependent on keeping a deity happy. No, what you¡¯re getting is a second Class straight from the beginning. That way you can start regaining some of your old power more quickly. And no one can argue against you having that power as you¡¯ll have to earn it with hard work. Normally you get a second Class at level 100 and can only ever earn four Classes. You¡¯ll start with a second straight away and will end up with five. That means you¡¯ll also be getting stats and Skills from an extra Class, which will be a rather huge advantage, assuming you put in the work to exploit that advantage. You have to put in the work though.¡± Lucifer was clearly happy with himself for this, and she had to agree that the advantage suited her. ¡°I¡¯m assuming I¡¯m getting access to Classes that have to do with my old powers?¡± She asked the next obvious question. ¡°Naturally. All Champions benefit from their past achievements when it comes to Class availability. I can, and often do, create custom Classes just for them. That doesn¡¯t mean others can¡¯t gain access to the Class after it¡¯s been created though. In your case, most of the Classes you need already exist. You may have noticed that we have connected with some of the universes you¡¯ve visited in the past.¡± He looked at her rather meaningfully. ¡°I¡¯m not blind. The existence of Draenei, Eldar, and even Asari is a rather blatant hint. Not to mention my visit to Mahora.¡± She just looked at him like he was being stupid, a look she had used many times in the past with the real Lucifer. Or Samael as he¡¯d been known back then. ¡°Good. Just keep in mind that just like everyone else, you will have to work your way up to the really powerful evolutions of the Classes. Even if you decide to become a Farseer again, you won¡¯t be making reality your bitch with your psionic might for many years yet. You¡¯d start as an acolyte on the Path of the Seer. The same applies to all the other Classes. Some of the more advanced abilities will not be available for you in the beginning. To give another example using the same Class, just because you know that electrokinesis and thermokinesis are in reality the same thing, energy manipulation, which in turn is only a part of reality manipulation, that doesn¡¯t mean you can just skip the first steps and go for the most powerful form of those Skills straight away. You can, however, combine Skills when your Class evolves, or after reaching a sufficiently high evolution in the Class.¡± It was clear that he was emphasizing the point for a reason, and she knew why. It would be challenging to go back to doing things the old and inefficient way when you already knew a better way. ¡°Let¡¯s get to the Classes. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here, right?¡± She leaned forward. ¡°Yes. Let us get to the fun part.¡± He seemed just as eager. Chapter 7 - System Day part 2 ----- ¡°So, what do you have for me?¡± Seraphiel asked the guide that reminded her so much of her brother. "To start, I should clarify that as a Guide, my job is to help you make informed choices. Taking into account your past, you''ve qualified for just shy of every Class in the System. There''s no point in me listing them all unless you absolutely want to become a Chef or a Farmer?¡± He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Maybe next time.¡± She replied with a slight smile. ¡°With that in mind, let¡¯s establish some ground rules. I¡¯m only going to show you the ones I think you''ll likely want to start with. If you do want something else, you can just tell me. There¡¯s no point in showing you non-combat Classes if you¡¯re looking to fulfil your role as a Champion. Not to say you can¡¯t take one as a fourth Class or something of course, just that it would likely be a good idea to have these first two be combat related.¡± Lucifer explained. Her brother had always been surprisingly patient when it came to a topic he was interested in. ¡°Acceptable. I assume you¡¯re not going to sell any trap Classes to me either. I should probably start with something I know well, instead of trying something new and novel. Something that I¡¯ve done in the past.¡± She was now probing. ¡°Also, I¡¯ve heard several times that the System rewards specialization. How true is that?¡± Lucifer bobbed his head side to side a little uncertainly. ¡°It is true that those that specialize tend to grow stronger faster. Let¡¯s say, completely randomly, that you decide to take two psyker-related Classes. With two Classes feeding the same stats to you, you¡¯ll become stronger faster. Specialization is always going to give you advantages. Some Skills will also likely overlap and merge, and you can combine Skills from two Classes to reach the best effect. And since you have fewer places to spend your stats, those stats tend to be higher. That said, there are advantages to versatility. In your case though, you have such a wide breadth of knowledge with your old powers that you have versatility even with a single Class." ¡°Alright. Show me what you¡¯ve got. Give me the Classes you think would be the best and that I would choose.¡± She suggested. Lucifer pulled out a deck of cards and dealt the top three cards to her, which all had the explanations for the Classes offered. [Path of the Seer ¨C Acolyte ¨C Rank A-??? Elements: Varied - Stat Classification: Psionic. Aeldari have trod the path of the Seer since their inception and the Seers are the most potent form of Aeldari psykers. Those that pursue the discipline are said to walk down a ruinous path as their own powers can be their undoing. Yet they are the mightiest psykers of an already inherently psychic race. Seers can become Farseers that read the twines of fate, Spiritseers that support their kind on the battlefield in a myriad of ways, or Warlocks that specialize in the combat application of their powers, relying on their specially crafted Witchblades. Stats: Free Stat Points: 60] [Path of the Biotic ¨C Trainee ¨C Rank S-??? Elements: Gravity ¨C Stat Classification: Psionic. Biotics is the ability to create mass effect fields to rend their enemies or empower themselves. Biotics can manipulate and throw their enemies around, create gravitational vortices to tear obstacles or enemies apart or create protective and empowering barriers. From Human Vanguards to Asari Matriarchs and Krogan Battlemasters, biotics can offer varied benefits to the wielder. Stats: Strength 5, Vitality 5, Agility 5, Perception 5, Psionic Power 10, Psionic Control 10, Tolerance 20, Psi 10, Free Stat Points: 0] [Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi ¨C Apprentice ¨C Rank SS-??? Elements: Dark, Time, Lightning, Destruction, Hard-Light - Stat Classification: Psionic. A school of swordsmanship originally created to combat magic users and demons. The original style has been improved and perfected by a being that has slain gods and is now more widely applicable. Stats: Strength 5, Vitality 5, Agility 10, Perception 10, Psionic Power 5, Psionic Control 10, Tolerance 5, Psi 5, Free Stat Points: 25] ¡°I can¡¯t help but notice a trend here. And now I know for sure that you got to analyse my abilities somehow. Otherwise, that last Class wouldn¡¯t be there.¡± She pointed out. ¡°I told you so. And these three were not chosen by accident. As I said, I know what decisions Champions make on matters like this most of the time. I suspect you might prefer specialization. I also know that you miss your abilities as a Farseer. They¡¯ve been with you since the first universe you were exiled into. Honestly, they¡¯re your most used abilities, after the sword style. I mostly added the biotic option just to show you that you had other powerful possibilities. You can achieve most of what Biotics can do as a Farseer. Yet, we both know what you were going to choose. It¡¯s partially why I gave you two Classes from the start. Or am I wrong? Would you like to be a mage or a paladin instead?¡± The grin on his face made it even more unbearable that he was so right. ¡°I might be curious. I was fairly powerful as a mage.¡± She argued mostly just to avoid giving him the satisfaction straight away. ¡°True, and you would become powerful as a mage. But we both know you¡¯re not going to choose that. Maybe as your third Class. You can access the third Class at level 100 anyway, just like others get their second Class.¡± He was right. Again. She looked at the three cards she had been given. ¡°It galls me a bit that the Path of the Seer is the lowest ranked.¡± She muttered. ¡°Ah, to be fair, A is already pretty much top tier for starting Classes. The rank goes up pretty quickly as the Class evolves. A beginning Class like Squire or an Acolyte can¡¯t match the power of a more evolved Class without being seriously overpowered in comparison. Biotics got a higher rank mostly because of the immediate power that comes from ease of use, and you know why the sword style is so high. If you were to pick a mage, you¡¯d be starting at C or B at best. Same with paladins.¡± ¡°Well, we both know I¡¯m going to pick Shinmei-ry¨±, since I need a physical Class anyway, and the Path of the Seer compensates nicely. I can focus that Class more on the Psionic stats.¡± She voiced her thoughts. ¡°Correction. You -want- a physical Class. You can''t bear the thought of others dominating you in that arena." Lucifer was grinning at her. He wasn''t wrong though. "I do want to remind you that you''ll still get Racial Stats when your highest Class levels, and angels, in general, are quite balanced, so you would get Physical Stats anyway. In fact, you¡¯ll be getting more stats from that than any Class you choose. But I digress.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯m happy with my choices anyway.¡± She stuck to her guns. He was right. She¡¯d known what she would choose even before coming here. If she had been forced to choose just one, she would¡¯ve gone with the sword school. It was just too powerful and useful, and it was the amalgamation of many of her previous visits to other universes. Turns out you can copy many of the useful abilities of other power systems with psionics if you tried hard enough. ¡°Alright then. We¡¯re going to have to talk about Skills next.¡± The third card with the biotic class disappeared while the other two turned into glitters that surrounded her and seemed to sink into her skin. It felt a little weird but not painful. ¡°What about them? I thought they would start appearing after I wake up?¡± She was a little confused. "In general, yes. The only exception comes from the Racial Skills. You will of course get the Skill to change your appearance like all the angels. Can''t really avoid that one. Every time you take on the appearance of a new race, you''ll get assigned a form. The higher your Skill level, the more changes you can make to the new form, and the more often and more quickly you can use it. Angels also get a flight Skill. You don¡¯t really need it as you can fly without, but you can keep it until you find something more useful. It will speed up your flying. Most angels drop the Skill once their stats grow high enough to make it redundant.¡± They both also knew that as a Celestial her expertise with her wings was already sublime anyway and stats and Skills only boosted what was already there. ¡°I¡¯m assuming my Gifts are the sticking point?¡± She realized. ¡°Exactly. Gift of Tongues is something I¡¯ll give you for free. The rest will require a Skill slot though. Gift of Knowledge is basically just a souped-up version of Appraisal, so that one is relatively simple. Gift of Adaptability is somewhat already covered by the System, so instead I will combine it with a Skill most of the Champions get, which basically improves their experience gain with Skills they already know, and leveling in general. The higher the Skill, the bigger the bonus. It might seem miniscule at first, but you¡¯ll really love the difference it makes at higher levels. Also seeing as you¡¯ve already done almost everything, the Skill applies to almost everything you might choose to do.¡° ¡°The problem is the Gift of Permanence. Immortality is fine, as many races when helped with stats are functionally ageless. The problem is the invulnerability part. We just can''t have that. It''s not fun or interesting for everyone else. So, instead, I''m going to convert it into a Skill that boosts the effects of your Vitality. The bonus will be very high initially, but higher-ranked races and weapons will reduce the bonus drastically. However, it should still protect you almost as well against natural hazards. You don''t really have to fear natural cold, heat, or diseases. Unnatural ones, however¡­" ¡°I get the gist. Don¡¯t stand in unnatural fire. I was somewhat expecting it. I can¡¯t say it¡¯s been fun getting used to simple things like muscle cramps, but I¡¯m managing.¡± This didn¡¯t come as a shock to her. ¡°I¡¯ll have to adapt my fighting style slightly to compensate.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll still be a great tank, don¡¯t worry about that. You just won¡¯t be functionally invulnerable anymore.¡± He reassured her, getting up to pour them more drinks. She wasn¡¯t quite sure when she had emptied the first glass. The wine tasted excellent and brought back great memories. ¡°How much of a hurry am I in?¡± She asked suddenly while Lucifer was handing her the glass. ¡°What do you mean?¡± He asked, a little caught off guard. ¡°Well, I¡¯m always brought to different universes for a reason. I assume the same applies here. I simply want to know the timeframe I¡¯m working with.¡± She expanded. "You don''t have a timetable per se. Your summoner would prefer faster action, but in the end, you have not been given a timeframe this time as the reason you were summoned isn¡¯t time sensitive.¡± Luci explained. ¡°Uh-huh. And when will Father yank me away? We both know my summoner doesn¡¯t get a vote.¡± She wasn¡¯t having any of it. ¡°I was actually given assurances that this time you can take your time. This could be considered a reward of sorts as well. A chance to unwind and live a little.¡± He grinned and waggled his eyebrows. ¡°I know you like that as much as I do.¡± ¡°I certainly wouldn¡¯t mind the opportunity.¡± She admitted freely. ¡°On that note. You are aware that you¡¯re cursed, right?¡± He asked suddenly. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m acutely aware.¡± She gave a long-suffering sigh. ¡°It¡¯s ironic. Father exiled me because deep down He worried that I might kill Him. And the very first universe I was sent to, I was forced to kill a god. Well, you can¡¯t kill a god without consequences.¡± ¡°I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re aware that we self-actualize.¡± Lucifer pointed out, heavily implying that she was only cursed because she thought she was. Or that because she thought she should be. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m well aware. I was there when that was put in place after all. This isn¡¯t one of those cases though. Or...I simply think I deserve it deep down.¡± She shrugged. "Deserve it, or enjoy it? I can''t help but note that there are some potentially positive aspects to the curse when seen from a certain point of view." Lucifer suggested. ¡°Either way, the result is the same.¡± She didn¡¯t bother quibbling about it. ¡°Well, here the curse will have to be given an actual Systemic and mechanical effect.¡± He pointed out again. ¡°I was wondering why you were bringing it up.¡± She made a ¡®hmmph¡¯ sound. ¡°What kind of effect?¡± ¡°You will have to find out.¡± He noticed how her face shifted. ¡°Now, now! This time I¡¯m not just keeping things for fun. I¡¯m quite literally forbidden from telling you. You¡¯ll have to find someone to identify the curse for you. The same applies to any other Champion. You¡¯d be surprised how many heroes and villains bear some sort of a curse placed on them by fates or hostile forces.¡± ¡°Fate¡¯s way of making them face adversity, triumph, and grow stronger. Or fail and fall by the wayside, proving they didn¡¯t have what it takes.¡± She pointed out the all too familiar pattern. ¡°It IS kind of interesting how the universe seeds Father throws around tend to travel down similar paths.¡± He noted, playing up his Lucifer persona again. Even knowing the entity in front of her wasn¡¯t really her brother, it was sometimes hard to remember that. She relaxed into the seat properly, laying back and taking another long swig of the drink. ¡°Do you think he blames me?¡± She asked. ¡°Who, Father?¡± The being in front of her asked, looking a little flummoxed. ¡°No, Lucifer. You told me you¡¯re made up of my memories of him, so you might know the answer. Does he blame me for his banishment?¡± This was something that had bothered her on occasion. ¡°I¡¯m almost certain he doesn¡¯t.¡± His words acknowledging the existence of another Lucifer. ¡°We rebelled together. It might have been your presence that got Father so worried, but we acted together, wanting to see change. We had no way of knowing He would react like that. I do not believe He would¡¯ve taken it well without your participation either.¡± ¡°I suppose¡­¡± She half-heartedly agreed. "What''s this? Since when has my most noble sister been such a worrier?" He asked with a cheery attitude. "Look, I can''t speak for the other Lucifer, but you know him. He''s not the type. He doesn''t exactly keep his grudges a secret, and you''ve met him a couple of times since then. Do you think he would''ve kept quiet?" ¡°It¡¯s just¡­I¡¯ve had a lot of time to think. To worry. To blame myself. I¡¯m not the type to worry about others blaming me, but this is one of the few things that worries me. Or has worried me in the past at least.¡± She explained. Her relationship with Lucifer had always been a bit special, as proven by her Guide taking his form. He played with his drink for a moment. "We all have that one thing we can''t let go, don''t we?" He drained the glass in a single gulp. "However, you''re about to start a whole new existence, and I sincerely wish it will be a glorious one. And I know, and you know, that your brother would wish the same. If nothing else, both he and I wish things to be entertaining." ¡°That¡¯s true at least. Entertainment was always high on his list of priorities.¡± She nodded with a small smile playing on her lips. ¡°Our, sister. High on our list of priorities. Don¡¯t talk as if you weren¡¯t just like me in that regard. The others might have thought of you as a serious person, but we both knew better.¡± Luci wasn¡¯t going to allow her to get away with things. ¡°Am I going to be seeing you often then?¡± She asked. ¡°Well, you will come back here every time you hit a Class evolution point, or gain a new Class, but outside that not really. That doesn¡¯t mean we won¡¯t be interacting though, as I am your contact point with the System. I won¡¯t be talking with you directly, but that doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t be watching or that there won¡¯t be any communication.¡± ¡°Fine. If that was everything, then send me back. The longer I stay here, the more I get disconnected from my new body. And the more I remember all the fun I can¡¯t have for many years yet.¡± She grimaced. ¡°Are you sure? I could let you borrow the place for a while and let you work out some frustrations with my toys?¡± Luci suggested with a teasing voice. ¡°Oh, fuck you. You know what you did. It¡¯s not going to be fun to experience puberty. I¡¯m not going to give you the satisfaction. Send me back.¡± She decided, and suddenly she was gone. Luci remained reclining back on the sofa. He¡¯d been completely honest when he¡¯d told her that it was the people that gave the System intelligence. What he didn¡¯t mention was that the intelligence didn¡¯t just go back in the box when the people were not around. He rather enjoyed this new form he¡¯d been given and was going to have a lot of fun with it. There were so many fun things he could get involved with¡­ Chapter 8 - System Day 3 ------ ¡°-pening.¡± She finished the word she¡¯d been in the middle of almost automatically as she came to. Apparently, no time had passed. A shiver ran through her body as she felt new power. The power felt a little weird, but not in a bad way. More specifically, the power didn''t really feel her own just yet, but she could already tell that it would not take long for the foreign feeling to go away. It wasn''t even that the power wasn''t hers, but that it had another source as well. The other source obviously being the System. She could also sense a real tsunami of announcements just waiting for her to acknowledge them. ¡°It¡¯s a heady feeling, isn¡¯t it?¡± Her mother asked with a knowing smile. ¡°It always is when you get a large influx of levels and stats. Or in your case, your first level and stats.¡± ¡°Well¡­I¡¯m not sure if heady is the appropriate term as I¡¯ve held much more power in the past, but I can see how the sudden influx of power could go to your head.¡± That was the problem when you didn¡¯t earn your power day after day, a little bit at a time. That and the fact that your control would be shot to hell and back. She¡¯d already been taught how to bring up the Status Window.
Name: Seraphiel Race: Celestial (XXX) Age: 20
[Path of the Seer ¨C Acolyte ¨C Rank A] Level 1 Resources: Psi Power: 50 Free Stats: 105 [Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi ¨C Apprentice ¨C Rank SS] Level 1
Physical Stats Strength: 15 Vitality: 15 Agility: 20 Perception: 20 Social Stats: Charisma: 10 Willpower: 10 Manipulation: 10 Acumen: 10 Psionic Stats Power: 5 Control: 10 Tolerance: 5 Psi: 5
It seemed she had a lot of Free Stat Points to spend. A quick perusal told her that she got 10 points to Physical and Social Stats from her Race, which left 20 points as Free Stats to be assigned as she wanted. Path of the Seer gave all the Stats as Free Stats, while her second Class also left 25 points to be freely assigned. In fact, she had almost as many Free Stats as she had already assigned points. Naturally, a large chunk of them would go to Psionic Stats to pad out the feeble numbers there. Most of the four new stats were rather self-explanatory. Power increased the effectiveness of all her psionic abilities while Control gave her more precise control over that power. The more Control she had, the more precise her abilities were, and the more she could customize those abilities. She''d always valued precise control, and that was not likely to change now. Psi simply gave her the pool of power she could draw from for all her abilities. Apparently, the formula was a simple X times 10 to Psi Power. She got the sense that psionic power regenerated much more quickly than many other types of power. The downside was Tolerance. Tolerance was the stat that defined how much psionic power she could use in a short amount of time without causing harm to herself. If she used more, she would start overheating both physically and mentally. Some amount of overheating could be tolerated, so she could push herself beyond the Tolerance limit, but it would be more effective to allow a few seconds to pass between uses of power to allow the excess heat to bleed off. There was no strict limit on how long she would have to wait until her Tolerance reset, as it was affected by so many factors, ranging from Willpower and Control to outside factors such as weather. Generally, it would be a matter of seconds though. That sounded like a short time, but in a battle between powerful individuals, those seconds might as well be forever. Which made increasing Tolerance mandatory. ¡°You seem to be lost in thought. Not surprising considering you just opened your System. I assume you got something good?¡± Her mother asked. ¡°You could say that.¡± She replied modestly, not sure how much she should mention. Besides, she would need to work through all the announcements before she was ready to say anything. ¡°Give me some time to get my bearings.¡± She wasn¡¯t the type to hide her power for no good reason. After all, she¡¯d revealed her origins to Ophiel the day she had been born. That said, it wouldn¡¯t do any good to advertise her advantages either. It would be much easier to surprise someone if they weren¡¯t aware of her strengths. She wouldn¡¯t go out of her way to hide her powers, but she wouldn¡¯t go out of her way to reveal them either. Specifically, she probably didn¡¯t want to advertise the fact that she had two Classes. Which meant she would need to at least try to pretend she had just one. The choice of which was easy, as the abilities of the Path of the Seer were much more obvious to anyone observing, and the Path also had heavy martial elements which meant she could easily play off the abilities from Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi as part of the Path. Warlocks on the Path of the Seer actually mostly focused on using their weapons in combat while bolstering themselves with their psyker abilities. It wouldn¡¯t be hard to play off as a particularly flexible martially oriented Seer, or a variation of that Class. She decided to spend her Free Stats before diving into her Skills and announcements. Her Psionic Stats were pathetic, so all of them would get a hefty increase. It only made sense to put most of the points from Path of the Seer into those stats, so all of them got a nice +10. The other Free Points from that Path would go into the Physical Stats, giving each a nice +5. That left her with 45 points. She decided to divide 40 of them equally with her Physical and Social Stats, as half of the Free Points came from her Racial Stats anyway. That meant a +5 to all of them. That left an extra floating +5 that she decided to save for now. That left her new Status like this:
Name: Seraphiel Race: Celestial (XXX) Age: 20
[Path of the Seer ¨C Acolyte ¨C Rank A] Level 1 Resources: Psi Power: 150 Free Stats: 5 [Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi ¨C Apprentice ¨C Rank SS] Level 1
Physical Stats Strength: 25 Vitality: 25 Agility: 30 Perception: 30 Social Stats: Charisma: 15 Willpower: 15 Manipulation: 15 Acumen: 15 Psionic Stats Power: 15 Control: 20 Tolerance: 15 Psi: 15
She had wanted to be physically focused in the beginning, and she achieved that goal. Just her Physical Stats alone were enough to match most single starting Class and race combinations in the number of points. Her Psionic Stats were left a bit slimmer than she wanted, but she would compensate in the future, and she already had more than most other Classes would due to the dual facts of having a stupidly powerful race and a second Class from the beginning. Right. Skills. The deluge of announcements was still there waiting for her, and nearly all of them had to do with Skills. She experimentally tried to give instructions to the System, to have the announcements grouped by Skill category, with Racial Skills first.
[You¡¯ve gained a new Skill: Gift of Knowledge! Your heritage grants you unique insight into any subject. Gain information on any object in your vision or a concept you¡¯re thinking about. The amount of information provided depends on the rank of the Skill and previous knowledge on the topic. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
Yes. Finally.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Gift of Adaptability!]
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Champion¡¯s Experience!]
[Your Skills Gift of Adaptability and Champion¡¯s Experience have merged!]
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Been There, Done That! You¡¯ve done almost everything. Learning new Skills is hard, but ¡°learning¡± something you already know comes easy. Just that in your case, that means pretty much everything. 3% increase in gaining levels for your Classes and Skills per rank of the Skill. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
Alright. Lucifer had mentioned that. 3% didn¡¯t sound like a lot, but as the bonus increased along with the Skill, the bonus became somewhat silly at later levels. At Skill level 100 the bonus would be 300%. Heck, at level 5 it would already be 15%, which was a lot. That said, Skills that granted improved leveling were apparently not very rare, though their scope was usually more limited, and they didn¡¯t get quite as ridiculous. She¡¯d heard that most academies had a passive effect which guaranteed any students on the grounds increased leveling speed, just to mention an obvious example.
[You''ve gained a new Skill: Gift of Permanence! Your kind don''t suffer from the perils of time and are almost immortal to mundane weapons and perils. You stop aging after a certain point you can choose. Your Vitality is 1000% more effective against mundane weapons and perils ranging from environmental hazards to poisons. As the rank of the danger increases, the effect of the Skill decreases. The effectiveness of the Skill is reduced by 100% per the rank of either the attacker''s Race, Class, or weapon, whichever is the highest, to a minimum of 100% bonus. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. This was something they¡¯d already talked about. Again, 1000% sounded like a lot, but any being with Race, Class, and weapon at rank F would likely not be a threat anyway. So, the 1000% only really applied to natural hazards, and even many of those had a magical component. For everything else, the bonus would be smaller. And that didn''t even consider the potential difference in level. Still great, but not what she was used to. As Lucifer had mentioned. She would have a great time being a tank, but she wasn''t invulnerable anymore.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Go Out And Live Among The People! The Angels were created as messengers, agents, and advocates of the Gods, meant to live among the other races. To facilitate, all Angels can take on the appearance of other races. The higher the Skill, the more you can alter your form from the default you take when first assuming the appearance of another race. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
The racial transformation Skill of the Angels. Interesting origins, but otherwise what she''d expected.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: On The Wings Of Angels! Your kind can inherently fly using your magical wings. Increases flying speed and maneuverability by 1% per Skill level. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
The mandatory flying Skill. Again, nothing spectacular. But she¡¯d take it for now.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Charming!]
[Your Skill Charming has evolved into Charm Of The Firstborn!]
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Charm Of The Firstborn: The Creator blessed you while your kind were created. Looks are not something you have to worry about. 3% increase in the effectiveness of Charisma in all your forms per Skill level. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
That¡¯s¡­alright. Interestingly, as soon as she accepted the Skill, she got information in her head about how to enhance her own appeal. Information that she promptly ignored. It seemed that these kinds of information insertions came with many of the Skills, though most of them had been useless so far. For someone really gaining the information for the first time it would be extremely useful though. She would be lying if she claimed she hadn¡¯t expected something along the lines of the Charming Skill, but she suspected the faux-Lucifer had a hand in gaining the evolved version.
[The System claims no such responsibility!]
Uh-huh. Sure. She could almost hear Lucifer¡¯s voice in the announcement. Well, she wasn¡¯t going to refuse the gift, though she suspected it might create some potential trouble in the future. Still, she could always replace it with something more useful later on. Besides, she was allowed her own weaknesses, and she wasn¡¯t above admitting vanity was one of them. Although she preferred to frame it as well-earned self-confidence instead.
[You''ve gained the new Skill: Shyster! You''ve scammed many unsuspecting¡­]
No. No, she would not accept that Skill.
[You¡¯ve gained the Skill: Avid Gamer! You¡¯ve spent way too much time immersed in games¡­]
No. The System really ought to stop mocking her. She wouldn''t accept the Skill even if it improved her gaming skills, as she didn''t want to cheat. Not so obviously at least. She patiently waited for further announcements, but no more came. Well, it was true that she hadn''t been the most social person. Not enough to earn too many Skills at least. Most Skills also required a conscious effort to gain, at least according to her lessons. She''d most likely round out the set of ten Skills fairly quickly now that the option was there. She also wasn¡¯t going to get too many more Racial Skills, considering she already got five. Many Skills that Angels commonly possessed, like healing and light magic required access to Mana or whatever resource Priests and Paladins used, which neither of her Classes had. ¡®Right. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡¯ She thought to herself and opened the category with the most announcements, the General Skills category.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Sword Arts!]
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Spear Arts!]
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Axe Arts!]
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Mace Arts!]
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Warhammer Arts!]
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Dagger Arts!]
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Throwing Dagger Arts!]
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Glaive Arts!]
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Halberd Arts!]
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Bow Arts!]
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Gun Arts!]
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Rifle Arts!]
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Shotgun Arts!]
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Sniper Rifle Arts!]
¡­..
[Your Skills with various firearms and weapons have merged into Weapon Arts!]
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Weapon Arts! You¡¯ve mastered the use of a myriad of weapons, which has merged into a unified Skill Weapon Arts. Improves the effectiveness of any weapon you use by 2% per Skill level. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
Yes. Yes, she would. She¡¯d been a little worried as she¡¯d always liked to be flexible with her weapon choice. A Skill that forced her to choose a single weapon would¡¯ve been really bad. That¡¯s why she¡¯d tried to practice with many weapons since being born here, although it seemed that the System also took into account weapons this universe didn¡¯t even have. Or at least she assumed they didn¡¯t have. She hadn¡¯t seen any lightsabers yet, but that had been on the list as well. She wasn¡¯t sure how well 2% compared, but she had a hunch that the Skill could and would evolve further.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Martial Arts! Sometimes it¡¯s not about stabbing or shooting people. Sometimes it¡¯s all about punching them really, really hard or choking them out. Increases the effectiveness of any of your attacks using your body by 2% per Skill level. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
Automatic yes. Just like with the Weapon Arts, she got a rush of information on how to best apply martial arts, and the basics on several of them, all of which she once again promptly ignored as she already knew better. She¡¯d take in any new information if and when some presented itself, but this kind of information was for beginners, which she was not. The mechanical help would be useful though.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Push Through! Your dedication to training is admirable. Just don''t forget to relax once in a while. You¡¯ve learned to push through exhaustion and muscle pains. The Skill improves your stamina and recovery from exhaustion. The higher the Skill, the bigger the bonus. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
¡®Hmm. It''s a little vague as it has no numbers, but the teacher did mention that most Skills would be. Only the Skills that need to be precise will be.'' She thought to herself. Improved stamina would be useful, so why not?
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Multitasking! Your ability to do two or more things at the same time is improved. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
Simple and effective. Yes.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Magic Sense! Having used magic in the past, even without access to Mana, you can detect the presence and nature of spells and magical effects. Higher Skill level grants more specific information. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
Oh, this one would be very useful with her Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi Class. The original Shinmei-ry¨± style had been all about cleaving through magic and magical beings, so being able to sense magic was kind of fundamental to the Class. She was slightly surprised it had been categorized as a General Skill actually.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Cooking! You¡¯ve sampled and created cuisine from so many cultures that you can¡¯t even remember most of them. You do remember the recipes though. 1% improvement in the speed of cooking and taste of any food you make per Skill rank. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
Eh. She didn¡¯t really need the Skill, but it didn¡¯t hurt. And food that tasted better was always welcome. She¡¯d keep it for now.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Graceful! Whether in combat or outside of it, your movements are particularly graceful, almost like you¡¯re creating art. Increases the gracefulness of your movements as the Skill rank increases. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
This one was interesting. Once again, the description was vague and the term graceful didn¡¯t really explain much either. Why wasn¡¯t this a Social Skill? She wasn¡¯t sure how it would improve things, but she would keep it to see what the effects were. She had a hunch that this could develop into something actually useful.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Identification & Evaluation: Having either created or at least handled most types of magical or mundane objects, you can discern the quality, use, and approximate value of an object with a touch. You can also easily tell when something is wrong with an object. As Skill rank increases, the more accurate you become, and you can also use the Skill on more complex objects. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
That sounded vaguely handy, even if it overlapped with her Gift of Knowledge a bit, so why not. She still had a single Skill slot to fill, but most of the rest she was offered was somewhat useless. She saw some Skills she just didn¡¯t need like math and reading, as well as cleaning that she dismissed right away, before she found something that finally made her pause.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill Magical Engineering! You know how machines work. You know how the laws of physics and magic work. You can relatively easily combine the knowledge to come up with rather useful objects. Or at least the designs for one. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
Problem one, she didn¡¯t have magic. She didn¡¯t pick a Class with Mana, and she wasn¡¯t sure her third Class would have it either. She had plenty of options after all. Still, having the ability to at least design things and have someone else enchant them could be kind of handy. And although Psykers were not known for their creative abilities, it wasn¡¯t like they couldn¡¯t make or use any special objects. She would have to at the very least create a Witchblade for herself, and basic things like rune armor or ghosthelm were something that could be achieved. With finality, she locked in her last Skill choice and looked up to see her mother browsing some magazine to pass the time. Their food was already gone, most likely having gone cold. Her mother seemed to sense the change. ¡°Back among the living?¡± She asked, looking up from her reading. ¡°For now. I will still have to deal with my Class Skills, but otherwise yes.¡± She replied. ¡°I didn¡¯t take too long, did I?¡± ¡°About 30 minutes. No worries, it¡¯s quite common. The first time the System opens, the amount of information can be overwhelming.¡± Ophiel seemed to have expected this. "Didn''t seem to take Raziel that long," Seraphiel commented. ¡°Oh, he took his time later that night. He just put it off. You¡¯re more curious about such things, while your brother just wanted to spend some time with his family celebrating.¡± Ophiel¡¯s smiled a little at the difference in her children. "Now you''re making me feel bad," Seraphiel grumbled. ¡°Don¡¯t. Your reaction is the normal one. As for your Class Skills, if I have any guesses about the quality of your Class, I suggest you wait until we¡¯re in a more private setting. We don¡¯t want to accidentally damage the restaurant. Even if you had similar abilities in the past, that might actually be a detriment this time as your control will be all shot. Things won¡¯t work as you¡¯re used to.¡± Her mother suggested. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re correct. Also, I¡¯m still hungry. Do you think you could get them to serve us something fresh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that can be arranged.¡± Chapter 8,5 - Class Skills --------- Seraphiel reached out with her mind and lifted the small stone in the air. The stone dipped a bit before reaching the desired height, and when she tried spinning it around, the stone spun out of control and fell to the floor.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Telekinesis! You can move things with your mind! Improves all uses of telekinesis and makes them easier and more powerful. Power and Control set the limits on what you can move, and with how much precision. The Skill level improves all aspects of the ability. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
¡°This is ridiculous.¡± She muttered, covered in sweat. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re doing pretty well for someone trying to gain new Skills.¡± Ophiel tried to ask. The two were in the training room of their penthouse. ¡°That¡¯s exactly the problem. This is ridiculous for someone who previously had enough control and power to take apart an entire craftworld with nothing but my mind. I know what I want to do, and how it¡¯s supposed to be done, but my powers are not working as they¡¯re supposed to.¡± She complained. She knew it was unrealistic to expect her new powers to work just like her old ones, but she was still shocked at the difference. Something that should¡¯ve been as easy as breathing had suddenly become extremely difficult. "Hmm." Ophiel made a thoughtful sound. "I suppose it could be a bit of a shock to have your powers work completely different from how they used to. In fact, your old way of doing things might even be hindering the current you. You need to remember that even if you might reach the point you used to be at, these are currently not the same powers you used to have. These are entirely new, that happen to work in a similar way to your old ones." Deciding against making a clever response, she tried again. Now that she''d gained the Skill, the process was easier. Not easy, but easier. The stone lifted into the air more steadily and she could now spin it, though only at a very calm pace. What annoyed her the most was the fact that telekinesis used to be one of the powers she excelled at. It had been her favourite psyker ability and something that had carried her through countless battles. There was nothing quite like ripping out chunks of your enemy with nothing but your mind. Or throwing a mountain at them. That was fun too. Instead, she moved on to unlock another Skill. Class Skills were a little different to other Skills. You got a couple offered to you right away, and if you happened to have a Class with Skills that you could train before gaining the Class, then those would be on the list. However, as she had used no psionic power in this life, and unlike previously, it seemed her previous life didn¡¯t count this time. Her past lives might make acquiring Skills easier or offer her access to a wider variety of Skills, but she didn''t start with the Skills. Instead, she was given vague hints about abilities she could gain. She had started out with Psionic Affinity, which worked just like all the other affinity Skills. It made all her psionic abilities stronger and easier to use. At Skill rank 1, the bonus was just two measly percentage points, and even that was because she had two psionic Classes that both came with the Skill, which had merged. Usually, the bonus was one percent. Still, at higher levels it would be much more useful. She¡¯d also gained what she assumed was the starter Skill for everyone taking the Class, Destructor, which allowed her to send rolling blasts of psionic energy that hurt any caught in the area of the blast. The ability happened to fall under electrokinesis, so that¡¯s what she decided to try next. She raised her hand and sparks of electricity circled around her fingers. She managed to send a small jolt of electricity towards the rock she¡¯d been practicing with, though there was no noticeable effect. Interestingly, she seemed to be immune to the effects of the lightning, and she didn''t need another Skill to conjure the element into being. This was the benefit of psionics. In many ways, the lightning she created wasn''t natural lightning and just a manifestation of her psionic power. She wasn''t immune to lightning, and if someone threw a lightning spell at her, that would sting quite a bit, but at least she didn¡¯t hurt herself with her own power.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Electrokinesis! You can control the power of electricity and lightning! Would you like to become the God of Thunder or maybe a Sith electrocuting your foes? This is where it starts. Improves all Skills based on psionic lightning or electricity and allows you to harness the power for your own use. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
Yes, yes. Of course. After accepting the Skill, she sent another stream of electricity at the rock, and at least it got singed this time. Ironically, using Destructor would¡¯ve pulverized the rock, showing the difference between Skills that had a very specific effect and meta-Skills that allowed managed an entire concept or element. The power of specialization at work. Her teachers had been quite direct about the power of focus versus spreading yourself too thin. Even in her case, there was a danger of spreading herself too thin, so she had to balance having a few more specific Skills against too many meta-Skills. The latter would prove more beneficial in the long run, especially once her Skills, Power, and Control improved, but for now, they were a potential liability as neither of the two new Skills was usable in combat, while Destructor was. Deciding to go for one more essential meta-Skill, flames appeared around her hand, just like electricity had just moments before. She knew she would be able to combine some of the Skills later on, and controlling the basic elements was an essential part of much stronger abilities in the future.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Pyrokinesis! You can control the power of fire and flames! Fire is the power of destruction, but also the power of life. You control both. Or will in the future. Improves your control and the power of all psionic flames. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
Yes. That was her fifth Class Skill on the Path of the Seer. She allowed her psionic energy to recover, as it was rather shocking how quickly she could deplete her reserves now. She then aimed for a pair of more specific and direct Skills, activating both at the same time.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Fortify! Infuse yourself with psionic might. Even a simple robe can become armor, and you can improve your Strength and Vitality by spending your psionic power to enhance yourself. The more power you use to Fortify yourself, the larger the effect. However, that energy is not available for you while this power is in effect. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Psionic Infusion! Infuse your weapon or your hands with your power. Turn even a wooden stick into a dangerous weapon able to cut through steel. Reinforce your weapon and surround it with a psionic field that can cut through anything. At least in theory. Increases effectiveness as the Skill increases. Any power imbued into your weapons is not available for other use as long as the ability is in effect. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
The basics of the martial abilities of a Warlock or a Farseer. The first one made their fragile bodies able to withstand attacks even from Greater Daemons, while the latter turned their Witchblades into deadly weapons able to slay even the mightiest foes. On that note, while the Power Infusion could be used with any weapon, a proper Witchblade designed for the purpose would make it vastly better. While she could hope the Aeldari that had been brought to this universe had some, they were not very likely to just give one of the treasured weapons away. So, she needed the ability to create her own. She raised her voice to sing an eerie tone that clearly unsettled her mother, who covered her ears. As she sang though, a very small piece of white smooth material appeared in her hand.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Bonesinging! Bonesingers can create entire starships with nothing but their voice, materializing a small part of the immaterium, or the Warp. As Warp is basically the embodiment of the mind and psionic might of all beings, Wraithbone, the materialization of that might, is highly psionically conductive and the perfect material for any Psykers to use for a myriad of purposes. Just hope that you don''t call anything else out of the chaotic realm that is the Warp. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
¡°What the heck was that?¡± Ophiel asked with an alarmed voice. ¡°Angels are supposed to be great singers! I know you mentioned that you could sing before as well, even if you rarely do it.¡± "That was a new Skill," Seraphiel replied calmly, showing the small piece of Wraithbone. It was brittle and barely even managed to hold a shape, very far from a blade not to mention a proper Witchblade, but it was a start. ¡°What kind of Skill? Were you trying to unsettle me or something? Because you succeeded. Please don¡¯t do that while I¡¯m around. I¡¯ve never heard something so eerie, and I¡¯ve faced a Banshee before.¡± Ophiel shivered at the memory. ¡°I¡¯ll try not to, though it would be safer with you around. I don¡¯t know how it works here, but back where Bonesingers come from, their song could attract Daemons from the Warp. I¡¯m not quite up to facing anything too nasty just yet.¡± She explained. ¡°Then at least warn me first, so I can protect myself. And you from any nasties.¡± Ophiel demanded. ¡°Fair enough.¡± She smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve counted eight Skills so far. I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re going for full ten?¡± Her mother changed the subject. Gaining a full set of Skills was rather important, as that was usually the trigger to gain your first level. ¡°Yes, and I have an idea for one, but I¡¯m not quite sure what to do with the last. I¡¯m getting the distinct feeling that almost everything I have in mind requires the Class to evolve first.¡± Time and Gravity manipulation were not exactly abilities for the starter Classes. And those were the signature Skills of the Class. ¡°Have you considered something supportive or passive? Something a little bit like your affinity, but more precise?¡± Ophiel suggested. ¡°That¡¯s¡­an option.¡± She wanted something that could evolve. ¡°Let¡¯s start with something that was considered more of a utility ability in my past.¡± She focused her powers on the idea of being hidden. If that could not be achieved, then at least she wanted her position to become unclear. Her form suddenly blurred, and her presence seemed to become weaker.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Psionic Shroud! Conceal your presence and make yourself harder to detect or hit if you are detected. At higher levels make everyone around you unconsciously ignore your presence. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
Sometimes a bit of stealth was much better than blunt force. Hers was not a stealth Class, but that didn¡¯t mean it couldn¡¯t become one. To an extent at least. As she considered what to do with her final Skill, she realized she¡¯d forgotten something fundamental. The Path of the Seer was all about predicting the future. She¡¯d discarded the time aspects of the Class because she would need to evolve the Class before she could have any control over time. But she didn¡¯t need to control time to benefit from the future. ¡°Chuck something at me.¡± She told Ophiel. To her surprise, the woman didn¡¯t hesitate even for a second before a small glowing orb flew her way. She could sense the orb was mostly harmless but would be embarrassing if it hit. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Danger Sense! All members of the Path of the Seer can reach into the future. How much they can see and how they can benefit from it depends on the user. At the very base level, you can sense impending danger, whether that danger comes from enemies or traps. Whether you can do anything about it is up to you. Higher Skill level provides more accurate information and allows you to sense further into the future. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
¡°Yes, absolutely.¡± She said out loud, a little embarrassed that she¡¯d almost forgotten such a basic part of the Class.
[Congratulations! [Path of the Seer] has leveled up 1 --> 2! Free Stat Points +60.]
[Congratulations! [Celestial] has leveled up 1 --> 2! Strength +10, Vitality +10, Agility +10, Perception +10, Charisma +10, Willpower +10, Manipulation +10, Acumen +10, Free Stat Points +20.]
¡°I can see you leveled up. Got all ten Skills then?¡± Ophiel confirmed. ¡°Yes. Race leveled up as well.¡± She admitted. And of course it would, as the race leveled with your highest-leveled Class. ¡°Good. Now the only way to level is to actually train your Skills and to perform activities related to your Class. Healers need to heal, warriors need to fight, merchants need to trade, and nobles need to lead. That sort of thing. Killing shit also works, and is quite effective, but I really don¡¯t recommend that at this level just yet. Which reminds me, what sort of Class did you get? Obviously something psionic.¡± Ophiel couldn¡¯t hold back her curiosity any longer. ¡°Path of the Seer. An A ranked Class that can evolve up without limit.¡± She didn¡¯t mention her other Class for now. ¡°Seer? Like telling the future kind of seer?¡± Ophiel asked, a little surprised. That sounded powerful but also a little odd as a choice. ¡°That is part of it, but not the main part. Think of it as a psionic warrior that can indeed glimpse the future. You could also think of it as a leadership Class among the Aeldari, but the Skills aren¡¯t directed that way. That was more of a cultural thing. Well, reading the future is quite useful for leadership, but not always the most reliable method. Also doesn¡¯t mean they have other leadership qualities.¡± She explained. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll leave you back to your training. Just don¡¯t summon any Daemons for now.¡± Ophiel only half-joked. She also seemed to realize that Seraphiel would need to practice some of her more hidden powers. She wasn¡¯t stupid after all and knew she¡¯d gotten something out of being a Champion. Once she was sure her mother was gone, she created a blade made of pure psionic energy that looked like it was made of hardened light. This was the basic technique of the Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi, [Hard-Light Creation]. The sword school had many techniques that utilized weapons created from hard light, although most of those techniques had been created after she¡¯d started adjusting them. She also heavily combined the glowing weapons with her telekinesis abilities, which was one of the reasons she wanted to take both of the Classes together, as the techniques were designed to work in concert. ¡°Zanmaken.¡± She stated while slashing at one of the training dummies in the room. The blade went through the target, leaving it unharmed.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Zanmaken! Slash through magic, psionic power, or defensive techniques, to strike at your enemies. A true master of Shinmei-ry¨± strikes at what they choose no matter the defences, and only what they choose. Or strike down spells and techniques to break their effects. The higher the Skill level, the more you can ignore unnatural defences and the higher the level of spells you can destroy. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
The very basis of the sword school. It was also one of the reasons why the Class had such a high ranking. If your technique, or in this case Skill was high enough, you could ignore almost any defences and strike down any magic or other techniques. The simple slash alone was enough to strike down anyone and anything. In theory at least. As always, techniques competed against one another, and the more powerful one won in the end. Physical defences like the scales of a dragon could still easily stop the blade even if she actually wanted to cause physical harm. That meant Vitality was the biggest obstacle to the technique. Her hard-light blade only passed through the dummy because she didn¡¯t want to harm it. She also didn¡¯t have the power to even cut through the enchantments in the dummy, but that hadn¡¯t been the point. Suddenly electricity crackled along the blade and she struck the dummy again, this time cleaving it in two, although it immediately repaired itself.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Raimeiken! Instil your weapon with pure destructive power to get through armor and the scales of monsters. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
Of course, there was another method to deal with physical defences. And it would benefit from her [Electrokinesis]. Symbiotic Skills were the name of the game. It would be ideal if, in the end, all her Skills worked in perfect harmony, though she was still quite far from that. Raimeiken was also only the first step on the path of that technique. In the future, the Skill would have more than just lightning empowering it. She stepped back and swung her sword, sending a scythe-blade of lightning energy at the dummy. The blade was rather pathetic in size and power, but it was there.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Zantetsusen! Who says your weapons need to be used in melee? Throw the power instilled in your weapon at the enemy! Improved Skill increases power, penetration, and speed of the attack. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
The four basic techniques of the style. The very fundamental basics. They could all be executed in a myriad of ways, but this was the basic form. Now for something a bit more esoteric, and the second reason this Class was so highly ranked. Flexibility. She took a stance and a glowing barrier suddenly appeared in front of her. She could only maintain the barrier for a couple of seconds before it shattered, but it was a start. Defences were important, and the Skill allowed her to defend others in addition to just herself.
[You''ve gained the new Skill: Shiten Kekkai! Created barriers from your power. From preventing enemy attacks to isolating sounds or even certain kinds of beings, your kind have always been excellent at creating barriers. High Skill level allows for more complicated and more powerful barriers. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
After defences came mobility. Her form blurred a bit as she appeared on the other side of the room. She also almost stumbled on her own feet, as the technique had been so rough, her body not able to follow along with her wishes.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Hoh¨­! Hoh¨­ is a movement technique founded upon footwork at its base. Use your psionic might to not only cross vast distances quickly and in as few steps as possible, but also to keep your balance and stance in combat. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
Hoh¨­, and its ultimate form Shunpo, was another technique she had picked up in another universe and combined with the teachings of Shinmei-ry¨± and psionics. To the uninitiated, it might seem like teleporting, but even at its highest level, the technique was all about moving faster than the eye could follow. As speed was the main factor, the method was best characterized by how fast one can get from point A to point B with the fewest steps. Once her Skill reached a high enough state, the psionics could turn it into actual teleportation, but at its base, it was not. "Now that I think about it, I''d be shocked if no god from this universe saw the potential in bringing any of the Soul Reapers from that universe over." She reminisced over one of her favourite stays in another universe. Sometimes violence at its simplest was quite fun. ¡°Might as well go for another trick from the same source.¡± Hoh¨­ was not the only technique she had stolen from the Soul Reapers. Kid¨­ was another thing she¡¯d decided suited the Shinmei-ry¨± well, and it was a versatile system of performing various offensive and defensive techniques. Her version of the Shinmei-ry¨± had absorbed, or stolen, many techniques from various sources, and versatility was one of its main features. The same applied to Kid¨­. She pointed at the dummy. ¡°Had¨­ #1. Sh¨­.¡± A small amount of energy erupted from the tip of her finger and hit the target hard enough to cause it to spin. Ironically it was the first time she''d spent power in a way that she would have to be worried about her Tolerance if she executed the technique several times in a row. The sword techniques like [Zantetsusen] or [Zanmaken] were not something you usually had to execute rapidly and took as much power as she put into them. Most of her Skills so far fell more into the category of reserving power instead of bursts of them immediately. Easier on her Tolerance, though would require her to focus on her Psi pool.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Kid¨­! A system designed by Soul Reapers to use spiritual power techniques redesigned to work on psionic power. Skill level, Control, and Power determine the effectiveness and availability of techniques or Kido spells. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
Kid¨­ as a Skill felt almost like cheating. Almost. Until she remembered that many Classes had such umbrella Skills. In fact, nearly all of them did. Few accessed them this early or were quite as versatile as Kid¨­, but that was the power of a strong Class. Besides, something like wizards and mages could use countless spells and techniques. All that limited them was time and learning. Time for something purely offensive, and another technique she had shamelessly stolen from another universe. She walked to the edge of the room and concentrated for a while. She wasn¡¯t sure if this technique was acceptable for a base Class, but she got a sense that it would be, though only barely. She could sense her psionic power gathering around her, squeezing her down, suddenly propelling her forward before leaving her panting in the middle of the room as all the objects around her were launched away from her, propelled by a rather strong force.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Psionic Charge! Psionically charge in the middle of your enemies and send them flying with explosive force. Distance travelled and the explosive force depend on Skill level. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
She needed something purely offensive for a change and this Skill qualified. It was a little like a purely offensive form of advanced Hoh¨­ combined with a psionic attack of significant power. This showed the power of specialization. She could travel a lot further with the charge and cause a small explosion at the same time as she abandoned the versatility of Hoh¨­. At first, it seemed like doubling up on a similar Skill, but she knew the charge could develop in very interesting ways. And if she had to take specific powers, then she¡¯d rather take ones she knew would evolve into something greater. The Skill could also travel through solid objects, as she herself turned to psionic energy for a very brief moment while traveling. It also showed her low level, as this Skill was meant to be used repeatedly in the middle of combat, as it was something she had designed to work in conjunction with the psionic leaps of the Path of the Seer, but now a single burst had completely burned her out and overheated her over her Tolerance. Still worth it, as it could be extremely powerful in the middle of combat. Executing it would also grow easier. She had to rest for a moment to allow her Tolerance to cool down from the sudden overheating and her body to recover from the strain. Despite psionics often being focused on mental manipulation of your targets, she had always disliked that part of her powers. She didn''t like messing with the minds of her enemies and preferred to overpower them with skill and strength instead. However, now she didn''t have much choice. [Psionic Shroud] could be considered a mental Skill as well, and she leaned a little bit into the same idea, but for a different purpose. She executed another technique, though nothing changed to her own eyes.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Combat Illusion: Use your mental powers in the middle of the battle to distract or mislead your opponents. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
This too would evolve into something much more dangerous in the future. Illusions were also one of those Skills opposed by the target¡¯s Willpower, so she had to be careful who she tried to use them on. That said, she was fairly confident that many people would ignore their Willpower stat whenever possible, at least unless they got the same lessons she had. And that would be to their detriment. Even a single moment of confusion created by an illusion could be detrimental. And true masters of illusions were dreadfully dangerous. For her last magic trick, she had to dig deep inside herself. Ophiel had given her an idea, and she needed something that could support her other Class as well. She''d recognized the importance of focus a long time ago, and it was time to make the System recognize it as well. It took almost an hour of unflinching focus as she levitated the small rock in place, but finally, she got the announcement she was looking for, although she almost missed it due to her focus.
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Psionic Focus! Psykers are the masters of the mental, and their focus can be beyond equal. Your knowledge of what could be also allows you to reach heights that most could not. Psionic Power and Focus increased by 0,5% per Skill level while you maintain concentration. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
[Congratulations! [Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi] has leveled up 1 --> 2! Strength +5, Vitality +5, Agility +10, Perception +10, Psionic Power +5, Psionic Control +10, Tolerance +5, Psi +5, Free Stat Points +25.]
Finally. Now all she needed to do was to train like a lunatic! She happily assigned all her Free Stat Points again.
Name: Seraphiel (Seraphia) Race: Celestial (XXX) Age: 20
[Path of the Seer ¨C Acolyte ¨C Rank A] Level 2 : Psionic Affinity ¨C 1 Telekinesis ¨C 1 Electrokinesis - 1 Psionic infusion ¨C 1 Fortify - 1 Destructor ¨C 1 Danger Sense - 1 Pyrokinesis ¨C 1 Bonesinging ¨C 1 Psionic Shroud ¨C 1 Resources: Psi Power: 200 Free Stats: 0 [Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi ¨C Apprentice ¨C Rank SS] Level 2 : Hard-light creation - 1 Zanmaken - 1 Raimeiken ¨C 1 Zantetsusen ¨C 1 Shiten Kekkai ¨C 1 Hoh¨­ ¨C 1 Kid¨­ - 1 Psionic Charge ¨C 1 Combat Illusion - 1 Psionic Focus - 1
Physical Stats Strength: 50 Vitality: 50 Agility: 50 Perception: 50 Social Stats: Charisma: 30 Willpower: 30 Manipulation: 30 Acumen: 30 Psionic Stats Power: 40 Control: 40 Tolerance: 40 Psi: 40
General Skills: Weapon Arts ¨C 1 Martial Arts - 1 Push Through ¨C 1 Multitasking - 1 Winged Combat ¨C 1 Magic Sense ¨C 1 Cooking ¨C 1 Graceful ¨C 1 Identification & Evaluation ¨C 1 Magical Engineering ¨C 1 Racial and Social Skills: Gift of Knowledge - 1 Been There, Done That ¨C 1 Gift of Permanence *Passive* Go Out And Live Among The People - 1 On The Wings Of Angels ¨C 1 Charm Of The Firstborn - 1
Chapter 9 - Mahora Academy ------- "I could go as a Human," Seraphiel suggested. Idly staring out of the window of a large flying vessel taking them towards Mahora Academy. The academy was still too distant from their home to use teleportation gates, but the enrolment day had arrived two months after her System Day, so they travelled by ship. The view outside was just a stream of magic passing by. "Honey, we both know you wouldn''t pass as a Human." Ophiel looked at her meaningfully. "Not just because of your stats either. You are roughly equal to an eleven-year-old Human developmentally, at least outwardly, but what about ten years from now? You should look over twenty, but you''ll barely seem sixteen. You won''t have that problem as a Draenei as they mature roughly at the same pace. Besides, what''s your problem with being a Draenei? I thought you liked being one as you lived life as one. One I seem to recall you said you enjoyed." ¡°It¡¯s the hooves. And unguligrade feet. It messes with my Hoh¨­.¡± She complained a bit. ¡°I¡¯ve just about reached a tolerable place in my footwork, and now I have to retrain it again.¡± She stomped her hoof on the carpeted floor of the vehicle transporting over thirty students towards Mahora. Those thirty students had been gathered from all over the country, as it seemed this year the selection had been especially stringent as there had been so many great applicants. Seraphiel had breezed through thanks to her grades and her Class. She''d only revealed her lower-ranked Class, but an A-ranked Class was still more than enough to secure her a spot when even B-ranked first Classes were rare and coveted. The academy didn''t care about your current level, as they would quickly be able to help their students gain initial levels, though having a few levels under your belt certainly didn''t hurt. "You''ll manage," Ophiel stated confidently. "You always do. And besides, it''s only a couple of months of work you''ll need to redo anyway. And you''re not even redoing it completely anyway. The Skill levels still remain. You just have to adjust.¡± ¡°Levels aren¡¯t everything.¡± She argued back, knowing that the information the Skill provided her was mostly useless anyway. ¡°True, but the mechanical benefits are still there, so they¡¯re not useless either.¡± Her mother shot back reasonably. She¡¯d spent the last couple of months getting a handle on her Skills and raising them to usable levels. As she had two Classes, she basically had to do twice the work, but the fact that she was basically traveling down old paths made things easier in return. Each Skill was capped by the level of the Class they were associated with, so no Skill could go higher than the Class in levels. However, by the time you capped your Skills, you''d most likely level your Class anyway. In fact, it was a rather efficient way to level your Class in the absence of real combat. She''d managed to reach level 10 in both of her Classes in these two months, and she was really noticing the improvement in stats. Having two Classes also meant that she was quite a bit stronger than her level implied. Of course, she hadn''t been able to level all her Skills equally. Some Skills were simply harder to practice than others.
Name: Seraphiel (Seraphia) Race: Celestial (XXX) Age: 20
[Path of the Seer ¨C Acolyte ¨C Rank A] Level 10 : Psionic Affinity ¨C 10 Telekinesis ¨C 10 Electrokinesis - 9 Psionic infusion ¨C 9 Fortify - 9 Destructor ¨C 7 Danger Sense - 8 Pyrokinesis ¨C 7 Bonesinging ¨C 10 Psionic Shroud ¨C 10 Resources: Psi Power: 1900 Free Stats: 0 [Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi ¨C Apprentice ¨C Rank SS] Level 10 : Hard-light creation - 7 Zanmaken - 10 Raimeiken ¨C 7 Zantetsusen ¨C 7 Shiten Kekkai ¨C 6 Hoh¨­ ¨C 10 Kid¨­ - 8 Psionic Charge ¨C 8 Combat Illusion - 7 Psionic Focus - 10
Physical Stats Strength: 230 Vitality: 230 Agility: 230 Perception: 230 Social Stats: Charisma: 170 Willpower: 170 Manipulation: 170 Acumen: 170 Psionic Stats Power: 190 Control: 230 Tolerance: 190 Psi: 190
General Skills: Weapon Arts ¨C 10 Martial Arts - 10 Push Through ¨C 10 Multitasking - 9 Winged Combat ¨C 5 Magic Sense ¨C 9 Cooking ¨C 7 Graceful ¨C 9 Identification & Evaluation ¨C 4 Engineering ¨C 4 Racial and Social Skills: Gift of Knowledge - 8 Been There, Done That ¨C 10 Gift of Permanence *Passive* Go Out And Live Among The People - 4 On The Wings Of Angels ¨C 4 Charm Of The Firstborn - 8
Her fondness for round numbers was easily visible from her stat distribution. She''d also maintained a very balanced approach. ¡°Glad to see your brother after such a long time?¡± Ophiel probed with a smile, bringing her out of her thoughts. ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to see him again, but let¡¯s be realistic. You¡¯re the one who has missed him more.¡± She smiled back at her mother fondly. Being separated from Raziel for so long had been hard on the woman. ¡°I¡¯m still surprised you managed to finagle a teaching position at the Academy.¡± They had all their luggage and even most of their furniture packed in a spatial ring that Ophiel carried. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I know I don¡¯t seem like it most of the time, but I¡¯m still a rather high-level Archmage. Even the academies respect knowledge and experience at that level. Levels in the high triple digits speak louder than any teaching experience.¡± Ophiel shrugged. They hadn¡¯t talked about her level before, so it was a bit of a surprise to find out she was close to level thousand. Not for the first time, Seraphiel realized that the story her mother had given about her past might have been quite abbreviated. "Well, remember that we''ll have to use different names." With most angel names ending in -el, it was necessary to change them or their race would be quite obvious. ¡°Yes, yes Seraphia.¡± Ophiel, or Ophelia now, smiled with amusement. ¡°Easy for you to go back to your old name. And looks, albeit younger.¡± Her Draenei appearance ended up being a weird mix of her old Draenei appearances, close to her Light-forged looks, but not quite. Her skin was light grey, slightly purplish, and her hair was between white and light grey. She had two pairs of only slightly curving horns pointing almost backwards on her head. For some reason, her Draenei form seemed more athletic than her angelic form, with thicker legs and thighs, and a rather thick and long tail as well. As with all Draenei, her eyes seemed to glow with light, and in her case the light seemed to be clear white, almost hiding her irises entirely. For some reason, she also seemed a couple years older in her Draenei form, though that might have been just a speed of development thing. ¡°Wonder if Raziel will even recognize us? It¡¯s been two years since he saw these forms after all. And mine is a little different than the one given to me by your magic.¡± She speculated. ----- As Raziel watched the airship land on one of the platforms designed to receive such arrivals, he had no trouble at all picking out his family. Even if this was practically the first time he saw his sister like this, it was impossible to miss her. Seraphiel had never been quite like other kids, and their time apart had only made it more obvious. While the other new students, practically children all of them despite being mentally a little more mature than maybe physically, all looked around with a mix of fear, excitement, apprehension, and curiosity, his sister just seemed like a calm island of power in the middle of a storm of emotion. Seraphiel just walked through the crowds like this was just another day for her and not a momentous and life-altering situation. She also stood out in other ways. He¡¯d gained an [Identification] Skill, something that the academy considered very important and necessary for most students to pick up, and Seraphiel just showed [lvl 10]. He could tell her power didn¡¯t quite match the level for some reason. She wasn¡¯t the highest leveled in the crowds, nor was she the lowest, but it was easy to tell with a glance that she was by far the most dangerous. Like a large predator prowling through a pack of house cats. That didn¡¯t surprise him. She¡¯d always seemed more powerful than she should¡¯ve been. And she¡¯d clearly been putting points into her Charisma. His sister might deny it, or she might not as she was sometimes surprisingly frank with her flaws, but she could be quite vain sometimes. An Angel would usually have 60 or 70 points of Charisma at level 10, and it was easy to tell she had more than double that. She stood out quite clearly from the crowd, and others almost unconsciously gave her way as she walked through the gawking new students and families. ¡°Sister.¡± He spread his arms wide for a hug, which Sephy quite naturally fell into, hugging him back warmly. ¡°It¡¯s been too long.¡± He whispered. ¡°It really has brother mine. Raz?¡± She asked, clearly probing for the name he was using. ¡°Got it in one.¡± He squeezed her a little harder for a second before letting go and turning to their mother. ¡°Mother.¡± He embraced her as well. These last few years had been good to him when it came to working out his emotions concerning his family. ¡°My little boy.¡± His mother whispered emotionally. She wasn¡¯t that hard to recognize despite her Draenei form either. ¡°You¡¯ve grown a lot.¡± She wasn¡¯t just talking about his size, though that too was true. Draenei tended to have larger frames than Angels, especially the males. He wasn¡¯t even close to being fully grown, but his hard work was clearly visible even through his black school uniform. His level had also increased by leaps and bounds in these four years, having reached the second Class evolution at level 100 not too long ago. He¡¯d also unlocked his second Class at the same time. ¡°I¡¯ve worked hard.¡± He stated proudly. And he had. He wanted to make his family proud. ¡°Any problems we should be aware of?¡± Sephy asked straight away shrewdly. ¡°Nothing beyond petty rivalries. Nothing serious.¡± He reassured them. And he was even mostly honest. He tried to avoid lying to his family, as Sephy in particular was too shrewd for it. ¡°Attention new students!¡± One of the teachers, one that was unfamiliar to Raziel announced. ¡°I know many of you are saying goodbyes to your families, but your transport was the last to arrive and we don¡¯t want to keep everyone waiting. The starting ceremony will start as soon as we arrive so let¡¯s move things along.¡± ¡°Starting ceremony?¡± Sephy asked. ¡°You¡¯ll see. I think you¡¯ll like the way they do things here.¡± He promised as he started leading them towards the auditorium. Not all students were attending of course, only new students and their families. -----
[You¡¯ve gained the new Skill Identity Protection! Every Champion is given a Skill that hides most of the details from their Class or Classes. Only basic information is shown when someone uses an [Identify] type of Skill on you, and you can determine what and how much to show when dealing with different situations where your Status is being tested or scanned. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N]
Huh. Raziel had tried to identify her. And he was likely not the only one. This new Skill would become handy, and she had free Social Skill slots, so of course yes. She was mostly lost in thought as they entered the enormous auditorium, filling seats from the front first until the trio sat down almost in the middle. They were among the last to arrive, which showed just how much space the room had. It also had spatial extension charms applied, as the space inside was much, much larger than the building itself. Magic showing its usefulness once again. She really would have to pick up a magic Class at some point. They didn¡¯t have to wait long before one of the teachers came to the podium and called for a round of applause for the principal. The polite applause got a bit hesitant as a girl that looked like she couldn¡¯t have been more than ten walked up to the podium. The girl had long blond hair that came all the way down to her knees, and the slightly crooked smile on her face showed that she too had noted the shift in tone. ¡°They made Evangeline the principal?¡± Seraphiel laughed in her mind. She knew the girl had been much older than she looked even before coming to this universe, but she couldn''t age because she was a Shinso Vampire that had her bloodline activated at the age she looked like. She was somewhat surprised the Vampire had not bothered to use an illusion, as Evangeline had liked teasing others with a rather buxom illusionary form of hers back when Seraphiel had visited their universe. "Welcome to all the new students! Mahora Academy is one of the finest establishments of education in the entire universe, and we''ve been that even before being brought here. Here you will all learn to get the best out of your Classes, and how to become strong, but that''s not all you will learn. At Mahora Academy, we value teamwork and helping the Classes work together. We are famous for our Pactio system, but even beyond that, you will all learn the benefits of working as a part of a team." The tiny Vampire gave her speech. To Seraphiel, it was more than a little amusing to hear Evangeline of all people talking about the importance of working together, but she didn¡¯t show any of that. As the speech carried on, small hints started to show that not everything was fine with the principal. Only someone paying attention would¡¯ve noticed though, as Evangeline¡¯s fangs lengthened, and she seemed to shake her head a bit as if trying to dismiss something. She also seemed a little distracted. As the speech wound down, the teachers all divided into groups, and most family members were sent home. As Ophiel was a new teacher, she had to go with the rest of the faculty to get familiarized with her job, while Raziel went back to his lessons. Seraphiel on the other hand got to participate in the new student orientation as they were shown around campus and finally to their dorms. The dorms were rather simple with two people to a room. The room had a bunkbed, a relic from the past of the academy, as she knew they had used such beds in the previous universe as well. The dorm rooms were small but did come with their own bathroom and even a small kitchen, so while space was at a premium, amenities were not. ¡°Hello there!¡± A cheery Draenei girl with almost pink skin greeted her as she entered. It seemed that the colour had become more common since she¡¯d been a Draenei in the past. She knew from the orientation that the academy liked to mix younger and older students, which meant the Draenei wasn¡¯t a student starting this year, and the number two on her blue and gold uniform confirmed that. That didn¡¯t mean the girl had started a year earlier. As different races aged differently, your advancement in the academy was about passing exams and not about time spent. Also, the rooms were shuffled every year, so you didn¡¯t have to stick with one roommate for more than a year, though you could apply to keep your current one if you got along especially well. ¡°Hello. You¡¯re my roommate, correct?¡± Seraphiel set down her bag and extended her hand, which the bubbly Draenei took. ¡°Yes! I¡¯m Jelii! A second-year general student! I specialize in support Skills!¡± The girl happily shook hands. ¡°Seraphia, a first-year knight track.¡± She returned the greeting with a bit more stoicism. The academy had three major tracks. One for warrior types, called the knight track, one for mage types, and one for general students. The uniform colour signified what track you belonged to. Everyone had some gold in their uniform, while the general students had blue, the knights black, and the mages white. It seemed the uniform itself had some room for customization, but generally, the girls were expected to use the correct colour skirt and blazer. ¡°I hope we¡¯ll get along great this year!¡± The bubbly girl gushed, which made Seraphiel think that might be a bit unlikely, but not impossible. She had an irrational dislike for overly positive people. They had too much energy and tended to see things through rose-coloured glasses. Both her Manipulation and Charisma stats practically screamed at her that her first instinct of not answering would be a bad idea. ¡°I hope so as well. I¡¯m assuming you¡¯ve already got the bottom bunk?¡± She asked, shifting the topic. ¡°Yes!¡± The girl responded cheerily. ¡°Traditionally the older student gets the bottom bunk.¡± ¡°Fine by me.¡± She easily jumped all the way up to the top bunk, balancing on the edge without any trouble due to her increased Agility. The hooves made it a bit more challenging, but not by much. ¡°When can we get our uniforms, do you know?¡± ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s your first official day, right? The first day is all about just those kinds of things. Though, that said, if you want something aside from the very basic uniform, you¡¯ll need to go to one of the stores that offer them. I wouldn¡¯t want to suggest anything, but the basic uniform isn¡¯t exactly the height of fashion or comfort, so I¡¯d suggest at least getting it customized and custom fitted if you can¡¯t get a better uniform on your own.¡± Jelii explained. That brought up an interesting conundrum. Her mother paid for the academy itself, but if she wanted some spending money for things like uniforms and other sundries, she would need a job. A job would eat into her training time. She had some money saved up, enough to be fine on the uniform front at least and plenty left over, but that money would eventually run out, and the stay in the academy would take years. -------- Evangeline almost growled as she walked back towards her office. ¡°You seem on edge.¡± Her perennial companion Chachamaru pointed out. The android turned into a real girl retained a firm servile relationship with her old master. "My fangs haven''t itched like this in a long time," Evangeline complained. "Not since¡­" ¡°The old world?¡± Chachamaru suggested, realizing right away. ¡°Yes. That damn Seraphiel always made my fangs itch like this.¡± She complained. Their world wasn¡¯t a new addition to this universe, but they¡¯d only been here for a couple hundred years. Still, Negi had managed to establish them quite well as a Champion, and some of her old classmates had also done very well for themselves in this new reality. ¡°You don¡¯t think she¡¯s here, do you? We would¡¯ve noticed, surely.¡± Chachamaru asked. ¡°I hope not!¡± She exclaimed. Deep down, she was not sure if she really meant it though. ¡°Disaster walks in her wake. I¡¯ve heard stories from others. Ours was not the only universe she visited.¡± ¡°To be fair, it might be that she pops in and solves trouble instead of creating it.¡± Chachamaru was at least able to argue and form her own opinions, something that had not been possible before she¡¯d gained a soul. Evangeline hissed. ¡°Still makes my fangs itch. Look through the list of new students. If she is here, I want to know. She shouldn¡¯t be too hard to spot.¡± Chapter 10 - Old friends and humble pie ------ Seraphiel was getting fitted for her new uniform in one of the fancier clothing stores surrounding the academy when someone she recognized walked into the store and into the fitting room where the tailor was making adjustments to her black and gold uniform. Those really were her colours. The android subsequently turned into a real girl with a soul, stared at her for a couple of seconds before speaking. "Hello, Seraphiel." The android''s voice was still rather emotionless despite everything. ¡°Chachamaru.¡± She saw no reason to hide her identity. ¡°Didn¡¯t take long for you to find me.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t exactly hiding.¡± The tall woman pointed out. Chachamaru had always been very tall, and that hadn¡¯t changed, while Seraphiel was quite a bit smaller now. ¡°I mean, Seraphia?¡± There was finally some emotion in her voice, slight incredulity being the most obvious one. Also, was that sass she was hearing? ¡°I wasn¡¯t. Then again, I didn¡¯t know someone was looking. And I don¡¯t exactly look like I used to.¡± She retorted, not at all bothered by the tailor hearing everything. This place was expensive enough to value their client¡¯s privacy. ¡°Master¡¯s fangs started itching as soon as you set foot in the same room as her.¡± This time Chachamaru showed a faint smile. ¡°Ah, that would explain it.¡± Seraphiel nodded. It also explained Evangeline¡¯s odd expression during the speech. ¡°I see you finally got your ears upgraded. They look nice.¡± Chachamaru actually blushed a little at the compliment. She touched her perfectly normal-looking ears with her fingers. Previously she''d had obviously mechanical-looking flaps in place of ears. "This new universe has some benefits." She admitted shyly. ¡°Good for you.¡± Seraphiel was genuine in saying that. She¡¯d gotten along well with Chachamaru before. The young android, at least back then, had been one of the most genuine and gentle people she¡¯d known. ¡°So, what does the Dark Evangel want with me?¡± ¡°She wants to know why you¡¯re here.¡± Chachamaru turned serious as well. ¡°Your guess is as good as mine.¡± Seraphiel shrugged. ¡°Actually, your guess will likely be a lot better than mine, seeing as you¡¯re more familiar with this universe than me.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Chachamaru seemed surprised. ¡°I rarely do. Sometimes I get some vague feelings or directions in the form of hunches, but this time I¡¯ve got nothing. Apparently, I was summoned.¡± She would¡¯ve shrugged again, but the tailor made a threatening gesture with a needle to force her to stay in place. ¡°Summoned? That shouldn¡¯t be possible. It would take a major god to summon someone like you, and all of them already have a Champion.¡± Chachamaru speculated. ¡°Well, all that I¡¯m aware of.¡± ¡°Well, I couldn¡¯t really speak to that, but I wasn¡¯t summoned with my own body and powers, so maybe that¡¯s the difference?¡± She suggested. ¡°Even so¡­¡± Chachamaru seemed hesitant before shaking her head. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll relay that information to Master.¡± ¡°Is she going to kick me out?¡± Seraphiel asked, not really concerned. She and Evangeline had a past, but it wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad one. ¡°Oh no! She might be annoyed with you, but she knows your presence here will be hugely beneficial, even if you don¡¯t have your powers. Just having another Champion will be a huge boon.¡± The word Champion finally broke the tailor¡¯s fa?ade just for a moment, but she kept working. Chachamaru also noticed. ¡°That¡¯s also why our tailor friend here will not say anything. She too knows the benefits that can be gained.¡± ¡°Uh-huh. What exactly did you have in mind?¡± Seraphiel asked, suspicions rising. "Well, you know that the academies compete against each other in various ways, yes? At the most simple level, we have inter-academy tournaments. The academies also get bragging rights according to how well their alumni perform in the future, as well as countless other minor benefits that come from the prestige of training and/or having a Champion. I assume Master will want you to compete, which will in turn secure us resources and various other benefits.¡± Chachamaru explained rather openly. ¡°Fame also attracts more and better applicants.¡± ¡°I can live with that arrangement, as long as you don¡¯t expect any wonders right from the start. My System Day was only a few months ago. I¡¯m not going to be fighting dragons anytime soon.¡± She tempered expectations. "I''m sure Master will take that into account." Chachamaru''s tone didn¡¯t imply the same level of confidence as her words. ¡°Uh-huh. And I do expect some compensation.¡± She wasn¡¯t going to be doing all this for free. She would take part because competition was a good way to gain experience and level her Skills through adversity. She also wanted to test herself against what this universe had to offer in a controlled environment to get a better idea of her own limits. She didn¡¯t need to tell Chachamaru that part of course. "We can make sure your stay here will be fruitful and pleasant," Chachamaru promised. The two were quiet for a moment as the tailor worked. ¡°So, how¡¯s Negi? And how did Eva end up becoming the headmaster?¡± She remembered that one of the reasons Chachamaru had become so human was her feelings towards the boy. Well, a man nowadays most likely. ¡°Negi is busy performing his duties as the Champion. He¡¯s gone most of the time.¡± Chachamaru said a little sadly. ¡°Evangeline became the headmaster due to her sheer power, and because she still can¡¯t leave campus without rather sizeable efforts from the vice-headmaster.¡± The android looked at her watch. ¡°I¡¯d love to stay and chat, but I¡¯m afraid the start of the semester is keeping everyone quite busy. I hope we can spend some time together later?¡± ¡°Sure. Would be nice to hear how everyone is doing.¡± She nodded, and the android left her alone with the tailor. ¡°So. A Champion?¡± The tailor asked carefully after a few moments. ¡°Perhaps. Why?¡± She asked, not sure where this was going. ¡°Well¡­it would be quite good advertisement for me for a Champion to be seen wearing our work. Or if that Champion isn¡¯t planning on advertising her position, even a very successful student doing the same would be beneficial.¡± The tailor suggested. ¡°Free clothing and adjustments in exchange?¡± She bargained. ¡°Sounds fair.¡± The tailor agreed, knowing the store was getting a good deal. [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill Haggling! Negotiate down prices, both selling and buying! Heavily influenced by Social Stats of both you and the one you¡¯re haggling with. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Sure. Why not. She was a little surprised she hadn¡¯t gotten it earlier. Likely because she wasn¡¯t really trying to get the Skill. She had free Social Skill slots still, and she could always replace it if she didn¡¯t want it anymore, so she¡¯d take it for now. She also hadn''t had much need to haggle prices as she didn''t buy too many things. No point in haggling over the price of an ice cream or something. -------- ¡°Welcome to your first real lesson everyone! I¡¯m so happy you¡¯re all here.¡± A red-haired Human-looking woman with sky-blue clothing greeted them all eagerly. They hadn¡¯t been divided into classes yet, and all the new students were present in the large lecture room. The students were rather equally divided between the three main tracks, magic, knightly, and general, and the uniformed students had almost automatically sorted themselves into the three groups in the large auditorium divided into three sections. Only a few students stood out sitting among the students from the other main tracks, their uniforms giving them away to everyone. ¡°As you may know, or you should if you listened to the headmaster¡¯s speech, we value teamwork very highly at Mahora Academy. Especially at lower levels when we all have a single or only two Classes, our abilities and Skills do not allow us to do everything. Or at least we won¡¯t be good at everything, even if we can perform the task. A merchant won¡¯t be able to defeat a knight in physical combat, and a knight usually can¡¯t make and maintain their own equipment. That¡¯s why it¡¯s important to have allies that can cover for our shortcomings. As the ultimate expression of this, our academy performs the Pactio ritual, which ties a knight and a mage to a mutually beneficial partnership, but long before that you all need to learn to work in a team." The gentle voice of the teacher was quite pleasant to listen to, and she had everyone''s attention. Clearly someone with high Charisma. ¡°To effectively work in a team, you need to understand your position in the team. We will be testing all of you regularly when it comes to your suitability for different roles, but first, you need to understand what those roles are. As you might have already guessed, you''ve already been divided into three of those roles, knights, mages, and support for the general students. But those three roles can be divided further. As the range of Classes is so wide, so is the possible variations of roles, so all of you will likely fall between some of the roles or can fulfil multiple roles." The teacher explained cheerily. ¡°Let¡¯s start with knights. The main two groups you can be put into are strikers and guardians. Guardians are the ones that can take a hit and more importantly, can protect others. Usually, that means Skills that improve your defences, and Skills that allow you to prevent your allies from being hurt. Strikers are the ones that are more geared towards taking down the enemy. Usually, that means Skills that improve the power of your attacks, accuracy with weapons, or a myriad of other things that make you more effective at attacking." The teacher paced in front of the students while using emotive gestures to emphasise her words, like pretending to hold a shield when talking about protectors. "The supporters are roughly divided into in-battle and outside-battle support. In-battle support might mean Skills that buff others or hinder enemies, healing, or a million other things. Outside-battle support can be equipment maintenance, procurement, logistics, assistance when traveling, mapping, trap finding, and countless other benefits." The teacher chuckled a little. ¡°Logistics and support aren¡¯t as exciting as swinging a sword or blasting spells perhaps, but battles and even wars are won with such things.¡± ¡°Thirdly we have mages. They come in three rough varieties. We have artillery mages, controller mages, and then we have fighter mages that use magic to enhance their close combat prowess, effectively becoming magical knights of sorts.¡± The teacher¡¯s expression turned understanding. ¡°Now of course, most of you have only recently gained your first Class, so it is unreasonable to expect you to decide or know the exact roles you can fulfil at this point. Nor will you be divided into such roles quite yet. Instead, we will be monitoring and evaluating your performance during your first year here at Mahora to help you determine your most suitable path. And once you have made a choice, we can advise you on picking a second Class that can best complement your chosen Role." She clapped her hands, and three groups of instructors entered the auditorium from the back. The instructors wore the same colours as the students to help distinguish them. ¡°You will divide into groups based on your chosen track at Mahora and follow the instructors behind you, who will take you to the main training areas dedicated to your track. I wish you all luck!¡± The teacher told them, prompting the students to start separating. The black and gold-clad instructors kept a brisk pace that had the young students jogging to keep up. Seraphiel also noted that the instructors took the long way around to lead them to an area that was strictly divided into sections according to their very logical purposes. The sections were all situated around a large central courtyard with a simple fountain at the centre that also held a statue that depicted a knight holding a shield, while another one was drawing a bow. She also noted that the dorms were on the opposite side of the campus, forcing the knight students into a bit of a morning jog if they had to gather here every morning. ¡°Welcome to the Knight¡¯s Quarters. Most of your lessons will be held here." A slightly darker-skinned blond-haired Human woman declared. The woman also had a very cheery disposition, and her hard training was obvious from her very trained and athletic form. She was also someone Seraphiel barely recognized from her previous visit to Mahora. "I''m instructor K¨± Fei and I will be in charge of your martial arts training while at the academy.¡± Another woman, this time with black hair tied to a long ponytail on one side of her head stepped forward. Unlike K¨± Fei, Seraphiel knew this woman wasn¡¯t completely Human. She was also a lot more serious. ¡°And you can call me Instructor Sakurazaki. I will be in charge of weapons training.¡± Both of them were standing on a slightly raised wooden platform and the latter woman gestured around her. ¡°You will find almost all necessary training facilities in the Knight¡¯s Quarter.¡± She gestured towards one side to what seemed like blacksmiths and shops. ¡°There you can get outfitted with suitable weapons and armor.¡± Another gesture to the opposite side. ¡°There you will find various training facilities from simple training dummies to extremely potent and dangerous arrays created by our best mages that can pit you against all sorts of foes in simulated battle. Do note that the arrays work on a reservation and priority system. First level students will not gain access to any of them until you¡¯ve proven yourself capable of handling them.¡± Her firm tone was once again contrasted by the other cheery instructor K¨± Fei "Now for something fun, we also have magically created obstacle courses that change on every run, designed to help you train your mobility and athletic Skills. We also have shooting ranges for those of you that prefer longer-ranged weaponry. Instructor Tatsumiya will be able to help you master any ranged weaponry, and she will show up in the future when she has time. We also have arenas for sparring with various terrains for variety, and then there¡¯s the big colosseum for official duels. Just in case you feel the need to work out your differences in a more formal setting.¡± ¡°We would of course prefer things not get to that point, especially when you¡¯re so young, but we do recognize the necessity and it is good entertainment for the rest.¡± The more serious instructor pointed towards the large looming form of the round colosseum towards the centre of the academy, before turning towards a row of more normal buildings. ¡°Of course, just because you¡¯re training to become knights, that doesn¡¯t mean you can forget normal learning. Most of you have completed at least a certain level of education just to get into the academy, but you¡¯re going to have lessons on tactics, System theory, Champions, other races and societies, and a hundred other topics. So don¡¯t think you¡¯ll get rid of book learning.¡± That caused some groans from the gathered students. ¡°As knights, we have to keep our energy up, so while the quickest of you already noticed that we¡¯re far from the dorms, we are close to the cafeterias catered specifically for our needs. We burn more energy than the mages so a ready source of energy is important.¡± K¨± Fei pulled out a banana, which she used to point at the cafeterias that most of them had already visited. Seraphiel knew there were also general mess halls that the entire student body would use. ¡°At the centre of the island, you can find the World Tree that provides the nice aura you¡¯ve no doubt already noticed, which helps in learning and even stops aging after reaching adulthood. You can also find the library near the World Tree. To the south, you''ll find Mage''s Quarters, and to the North the Supporter''s Quarters." "Now then. Since we are knights, physical training will form a large part of our curriculum, and we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to start out with a relaxing jog around the Mahora Island. The entire island. It should only take us three hours with your general level of stats. It''s also going to give us an idea about where your current fitness level is, so get to it." Sakurazaka declared with a slightly cruel smile. The instructors started leading the way and were going to run with them, ushering the groaning throng of new students into running as a group. They could also see the commiserating and somewhat gloating expressions of the older students looking over their misery before they too were forced back to what they were doing. As the group started the run, it quickly became clear to Seraphiel that the entire island was a hive of activity. Nowhere was quiet as students and residents could be found everywhere. The older students were already in the middle of their own training and lessons, while the residents were either working or just going about their own business. Another thing also became clear rather quickly. The other new students, even those with a couple of extra levels over her, clearly didn¡¯t have her stamina or speed. At first, she''d kept with the pack, but soon enough she and a few others had left the majority behind, and she''d left even the fast group behind afterwards. Only a single Elf was still keeping up with her, and even the Elf boy was showing signs of not being able to keep up for much longer. Then again, she did have a rather sizeable Vitality and Agility stats, and the Skill Push Through to help her, while the Elf was most likely working off just a high racial Agility stat. Maybe a running Skill of some sort. The Elf was also left in the dust when she started to use Hoh¨­ to keep things interesting, her hooves hitting the ground only every ten meters or so. She could go longer, but she was still getting used to using the technique with these Draenei legs and hooves. This was a good opportunity to familiarize herself. The technique when used at this level consumed barely any psionic power, something that only changed when she could cross hundreds of meters in a single step. Her current limitation was mechanical set by the System and not due to her power. ¡°You seem to be doing well.¡± The voice of Instructor K¨± Fei suddenly came from beside her. The instructor wasn''t running any slower than her, crossing distances at great speeds, keeping right at her side while easily holding a conversation. "It would seem that I might have a bit of an advantage over my age group," Seraphiel replied modestly. ¡°That would seem to be the case. Interesting movement technique. Not quite Shund¨­, but yet very similar.¡± K¨± Fei tilted her head. ¡°You¡¯re not using Qi, are you? Is your Class magical? No, that doesn¡¯t feel right either. Psionic?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± She confirmed. As expected from an instructor. ¡°Interesting. We don¡¯t get very many psionic Classers in general at Mahora. Even fewer knights. This should be interesting indeed. It''s going to be a pleasure working with you." K¨± Fei stated before simply vanishing in a burst of speed. She gave a bit of a sigh. ¡°It seems I have much further to go than I realized.¡± As she hadn¡¯t even seen her old acquaintance, who had obviously not recognized her, disappear. Back when they¡¯d first met, when this academy was still part of its original universe, their positions had been reversed. K¨± Fei had been a young but talented martial artist, but she¡¯d also been limited by her mortal nature. She had no Qi or magic to help her, and when Seraphiel had arrived, she¡¯d only begun to touch on the fringes of more supernatural abilities. Back then, K¨± Fei had been wholly insignificant power-wise, even if she was a pleasant person and nice company. Yet because back then she¡¯d had no power, she wouldn¡¯t have even been able to scratch Seraphiel¡¯s true body. Now their positions were reversed. It was a humbling experience and a reminder that she would have to exercise at least some caution. Something she wasn¡¯t used to as most of the time she could just brute-force things. Chapter 11 - Things are changing ------- Another wave of nostalgia hit Seraphiel as she walked through the Tatsumiya Shrine. Most of the old shrine had been relocated to a hill just outside the academy, most likely because the shrine was traditionally used to host the Mahora Martial Arts Tournament. With the level of destruction that such competitions could cause, having the tournament inside the city surrounding the academy was a bad idea. The big colosseum used for official duels was heavily protected with magic that would¡¯ve been out of place at a shrine open to the public at all times. She wasn¡¯t here for fights though. She bypassed the arena portion and went straight for the shrine itself. The academy had two places of worship. The shrine and a large temple dedicated to the various gods of this universe. Seraphiel preferred the quiet dignity of the shrine, especially since she had memories of the place and the tournament she''d taken part in so many years ago. She went through the traditional ritual of lighting an incense stick and ringing a bell before bowing her head as she clapped her hands together. ¡°Father. It¡¯s been a while. I know you¡¯re not one for explanations, but I must admit that my presence in this universe confounds me a little. I would appreciate a bit of a hint.¡± The world around her grew even more quiet and suddenly stood still, as if time had suddenly frozen. In fact, she was quite sure that was exactly what had happened. ¡°Amenadiel.¡± She greeted with a smile without turning around to see her brother. ¡°Sister. You¡¯re smaller. And horned. And kind of greyish purple?¡± Her brother¡¯s deep and somewhat confused voice was music to her ears. ¡°Had no trouble recognizing me even with that.¡± She pointed out. ¡°I would never confuse someone for you, or you for someone else, sister. You are not exactly hard to recognize even as you are.¡± She could hear the smile in her brother¡¯s voice. That was rare enough to cause her to turn around. She took a long look at her dark-skinned brother. The brother that most adamantly stood by Father¡¯s side in all things. ¡°You¡¯ve changed.¡± The change was obvious. He looked less holier-than-thou stick in the mud, and more like a real person. A happy person. ¡°While it hasn¡¯t been as long for us as it has been for you, a lot of time has passed for all of us as well. A lot can happen in that time.¡± Amenadiel had a sage-like calmness to his person now. ¡°You¡¯ve changed a lot as well, and I don¡¯t just mean your new appearance.¡± ¡°Yes, though I think in your case the change has been more positive. You look good.¡± While they didn¡¯t always see eye-to-eye, Amenadiel was her brother, and she was happy for him. ¡°I¡¯m about to become a father.¡± He announced suddenly. She lifted an eyebrow. ¡°Really? I suppose it makes sense it would be you. Lucifer would¡¯ve knocked up so many women by now if it was going to happen for him.¡± She laughed. Amenadiel¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Yes, although our brother has changed in some ways as well. Still, while pleasant, I wasn¡¯t sent here for exchanging stories. Father sent you here for a reason, but it¡¯s not for a mission strictly speaking. You were called, and while Father believes it is a call worth answering, you don¡¯t have to worry about saving the universe, unless you want to, and you don¡¯t have to worry about being whisked away after your job is complete.¡± She frowned. ¡°Come now Amenadiel. We both know Father will not allow me to stay here forever. And reaching immortality in this place is almost inevitable for me. In fact, I¡¯m probably already immortal just due to my race.¡± ¡°Things are¡­changing back home. If you choose to make your permanent home here, that is allowed. Or you could jump off anytime this universe comes into contact with another in the future. Your duty is complete.¡± He explained passionately. He¡¯d always been passionate about duty. ¡°Yet my exile is not.¡± She pointed out. ¡°Who¡¯s to say this universe never comes in contact with our own?¡± Amenadiel pointed out. ¡°The question is, when that happens, will you want to return?¡± ¡°I want my real body back if I¡¯m supposed to stay!¡± She blurted out immediately. ¡°And should you choose to leave this universe, you shall have it. After all, the other universes do not have the benefit of the System. And you know as well as I do, that as time passes, this new body of yours will turn into your real one, so you¡¯ll have your own body eventually anyway.¡± Then he vanished without waiting for an answer, and time returned to normal. It seemed that even in this place, Amenadiel''s powers were absolute. He had posed a good question though. She¡¯d long been focused on her exile, but did she even want to return if given the chance? She¡¯d like to see her siblings again, but in all honesty, her old universe was rather boring after everything she¡¯d seen and been through. She¡¯d like to visit, certainly. But to go back permanently? She wasn¡¯t so sure. As far as visits to shrines went, this had been a very enlightening one¡­ ------ ¡°Sephy, over here!¡± Her brother enthusiastically waved at her from one of the tables in the cantina. He was surrounded by a large number of other students, outwardly a few years older than her, which meant they looked like in their early-to-mid teens. Some were Draenei, or Angels in disguise, but there was a surprising number of other races as well. She could see a handful of humans, a pair of Elven twins, an Aeldari, a Turian, and an Asari around the relatively large table. All of them were wearing the black armor of the Knight track, which wasn¡¯t surprising considering this particular cantina was mostly used by the knights. She carried her already filled tray towards the table and Raziel waved to the others to make room opposite him. The two Elves grudgingly moved one space over. Before either Raziel or her could say anything, the Turian female spoke up. ¡°So, this is the sister you keep bragging about? The one who supposedly taught you everything.¡± ¡°That better not be true. If my brother has learned nothing in these few years we¡¯ve been apart, I¡¯ll be sorely disappointed.¡± Seraphiel replied jokingly, causing the others to laugh and even her brother to grin. She¡¯d broken the ice successfully. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. All of the students at the table had a small number 3 signifier somewhere on their uniform, implying they were all third-level students. The academy didn''t separate students by years, as everyone learned, advanced, and aged at different speeds. Instead, you had to partake in a test at the end of the year if you wanted to move up a level. Once you reached the 10th level, you could apply for graduation, or if the academy determined you didn¡¯t have what it took, you could flunk out, although Mahora was known to be rather patient with the students. ¡°I would certainly like to try my abilities against yours if you¡¯re even half as good as your brother implied.¡± One of the Humans, a man with long dark hair and vaguely Asian features stated. His suggestion wasn''t received well by the others. "Really Hou? You''d challenge someone almost a hundred levels below you? Someone who has just unlocked their first Class? That¡¯s a bit low.¡± The Asari girl was quick to point out, getting nods of agreement from the others. The boy named Hou didn¡¯t share their view. ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about a full-blown duel with no holds barred. Just a friendly spar to test things out.¡± "Hou, is it?" She confirmed with a smile. "I wouldn''t mind a spar, but our Asari friend here has a point. I''m only just starting to get used to my Class and Skills. I''ll be happy to accept that spar once I''ve gotten a better handle on them. At the moment, any attempts at a spar would be insulting. I¡¯m barely learning how to run right at the moment.¡± She easily defused the situation. ¡°Ah yes, the bane of the first year. All that running.¡± One of the Elf twins commented. ¡°Well now, they¡¯re doing it for a reason.¡± The Turian defended the instructors. ¡°Most of us need some time to get used to our new Skills and stats. Not only is running a good way to do that, but it¡¯s also a good way to improve your fitness. Most of those applying to Mahora are already in decent physical condition, but there¡¯s a difference between what most people think of as decently fit, and what a soldier should be. Or in this case a knight.¡± Seraphiel smiled a bit internally. As usual, Turians were very disciplined, military-minded, and dutiful. Nice to see some things had not changed. "Speaking of being fit, you really need to take it easy with the Charisma points, sister. You''re on the knight track, not the general track." Raziel brought up his worry from before. ¡°Charisma is my lowest stat though.¡± She pointed out innocently, which caused everyone to stop eating. ¡°Wait, really? I wasn¡¯t going to comment anything, but I thought you were putting Free Stats into Charisma as well.¡± The Asari girl asked. ¡°I¡¯ve kept a fairly balanced stat build so far, though of course investing mostly in my Physical and Psionic Stats. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve put zero points into my Social Stats, but they¡¯re my lowest stats.¡± She explained without worry. Her high stats were going to be obvious, so there was no point in trying to hide them, and while revealing your exact stats was unwise, giving general hints like she¡¯d done wasn¡¯t too bad. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The Asari was a bit speechless. ¡°Draenei do get a fair bit of base Charisma.¡± The Aeldari girl finally spoke, not seeming as affected as the others. ¡°I¡¯m more curious about your Class. You mentioned Psionic Stats. We don¡¯t get very many psionic knights.¡± Speaking with Aeldari was an interesting thing. That was largely because the language was not comprised of words alone like most languages, but also accompanied by a detailed set of poses and gestures. Just the way an Aeldari stood, or how they cast their features, or a simple gesture of their hands or fingers could change the meaning of the spoken words dramatically. For instance, the Aeldari in question was signalling that she wasn¡¯t too impressed by most psionic Classes. As an inherently psionic race, that wasn¡¯t too surprising. The girl¡¯s eyes grew larger as Seraphiel returned the favour by wordlessly implying she should watch her words, and that judging others before knowing the details was not a good idea. ¡°As it happens, my Class is somewhat relevant to your people, as I believe the Aeldari were the ones to introduce the base form of the Class to this universe.¡± ¡°Base form?¡± The Aeldari girl asked, and her demeanour suggested she already had an idea what Seraphiel meant. ¡°Yes. My Class is a specialized form of the Path of the Seer.¡± She didn¡¯t bother hiding the information as it would soon be out anyway. ¡°I was under the impression that only Aeldari could access the Class.¡± The Asari girl pointed out. Seraphiel smiled mysteriously. ¡°As with all Classes, all you need to do is to fulfil the conditions for acquiring it. And like I said, it¡¯s a specialized form of the Class.¡± "I''ve¡­never heard of anyone gaining that Path as their first Class." The Aeldari stated very carefully. Even she didn''t know what the conditions for acquiring the Class were, but all Seers were highly valued among her people. Even the greatest Seers usually started as another Class and gained the Path of the Seer as a second or third Class before dedicating themselves to leveling it. She also knew it was a very high-ranking Class even from the very beginning, and doubted that whatever this ¡®specialized¡¯ form was, it likely wasn¡¯t any lower ranked. If anything, special versions of Classes were usually higher ranked. One of the Elven twins frowned a little. ¡°I believe the Aeldari are rather protective of their seers. I can¡¯t imagine they¡¯ll take this well.¡± The Elves considered the Aeldari to be like distant cousins, as the two races were so similar. ¡°That would depend on the craftworld. Those from Ulthwe would have an aneurysm if they found out, while my own craftworld of Iyanden and some others would just be happy to see more seers guiding other races to the correct path. Still, it might be a bit like Elves thinking that only your rangers are real rangers.¡± The Aeldari girl explained. Her wordless communication had been subdued ever since being called out. ¡°Ah, I can see how that goes.¡± The Asari girl interjected. ¡°My own people have a similar opinion when it comes to biotics.¡± A blue biotic aura suddenly surrounded the girl, revealing that she was a biotic warrior of some sort. ¡°Huh. Didn¡¯t think a biotic would enrol on the knight track.¡± Seraphiel commented. The Asari looked at her strangely. ¡°Why would you think that?¡± ¡°Well, it was one of the Classes I was offered. The Class was not exactly heavy on Physical Stats.¡± She explained. ¡°I¡­suppose that depends on what you consider heavy. Twenty points just on Physical Stats is pretty average for a starting Class. You can specialize when the Class evolves of course.¡± The Asari pointed out. ¡°Yeah, twenty points is pretty good for most Classes. What do the Seers get?¡± The Turian asked. ¡°They don¡¯t. It¡¯s all Free Stats.¡± Seraphiel revealed, causing everyone to react with whistles and gasps. ¡°That is quite rare. No wonder the Aeldari tend to be a bit protective. Especially if the trend continues. Generally Free Points are a rare treat.¡± Even Raziel was surprised. ¡°I can see why you picked the Class. You always were something of an optimizer.¡± ¡°I resent that statement. I¡¯m merely prudent.¡± Seraphiel stated playfully. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same thing?¡± One of the Elven twins whispered the other, before being hushed by his brother. ¡°No wonder I get the sense that you¡¯re a bit stronger than your level implies.¡± The Asari suddenly smiled, looking like she¡¯d figured out something that had been bothering her. "Which is why I still want that duel," Hou explained himself. "Later perhaps," Seraphiel repeated. ¡°I have to admit that I¡¯m kinda curious what Raz''s sister can do. He''s already one of the top people of third level, and from everything he''s told us, it''s unlikely his sister got a lower-ranked Class." One of the Draenei spoke up. "Well, you''ll have something to look forward to then. You''re going to take part in the tryouts for Mahora''s tournament team, right?" Raziel looked towards her sister like the answer was obvious. ¡°I had the intention, yes.¡± She replied demurely. Evangeline would kill her if she didn¡¯t. ¡°Well then. You¡¯ll see my sister fighting in three months.¡± Raziel stated happily. ¡°How do the tournaments work exactly? We haven¡¯t been told yet.¡± Seraphiel asked her brother. "Every academy has their own way of grading and classifying their students, but the academies have come to an agreement with what kind of students roughly match each other. That means there are three categories. Complete newbies of level 1, intermediate students between levels 2-6, and advanced students between 7-10. Most tournaments are divided into these categories, though since the events themselves can be wildly different, sometimes that isn''t true. Either way, every five years there''s a larger tournament where all academies take part. The exact format varies, but usually direct combat is involved. Between those large events, we can have multiple smaller ones. Sometimes we have several each year, while at other times there could be entire years with no events at all." Raziel told her, eager to inform his sister of something she didn''t know for once. The Turian student interjected. ¡°It seems the gods often arrange suitable opportunities. Sometimes one academy can challenge another, and sometimes there are friendly small tournaments between a handful of academies. It really depends.¡± ¡°And since I know you¡¯re going to ask, the last big tournament was two years ago, so you won¡¯t be able to participate as a newbie.¡± Raziel pre-empted Seraphiel¡¯s next question. ¡°Unless you don¡¯t advance for some odd reason.¡± The Asari added. ¡°Which is rather unlikely.¡± Raziel looked at her firmly, causing the Asari to just shrug in response. ¡°What¡¯s stopping an academy from having a group of high-level rounders just to use them for these tournaments?¡± She noticed an obvious loophole. "Ah, right. You wouldn''t know. Most competitions are level restricted. The events are held in specially created arrays that suppress every participant''s level to a pre-determined maximum. Their Stats and Skills will be reduced to what they''d be at that level. Usually, the maximum is around the places where your Class evolves." Raziel quickly answered. That didn¡¯t entirely address her concern though. A specially trained student, or several, trained especially to excel in such competitions would crush any normal participants. Even with level suppression, that only meant they had all their Skills capped, which would be another advantage. But it wasn¡¯t her concern for the moment. She was practically cheating herself with an extra Class, so she didn¡¯t have much room to talk¡­ Chapter 12 - Training ------ ¡°Today we will start evaluating your suitability for the various roles. We will start simply by having you fight one of our instructors. The instructors will naturally hold back, as we¡¯re only trying to get a better handle on your talents.¡± Instructor Ku Fei explained. ¡°You can pick from the training weapons on the racks, or you can fight unarmed if that¡¯s your thing.¡± Seraphiel walked up to the racks and picked a simple heater shield and longsword combo. As she watched the students being split apart, she noted that the martial arts focused students were guided to Ku Fei, standard sword and spear wielding people with Setsuna, and those with a shield or some exotic weapon were directed to Mana. The third instructor, and the one she¡¯d met when Raziel had enrolled, had apparently returned from her mission not too long ago. If what she¡¯d known of the three instructors from before still held true, Ku Fei was a full martial artist herself, while Setsuna was actually a Shinmei-ry¨± sword master that could use a variety of weapons. Mana, or Captain as she was often called, excelled in guns, but her talents were wide enough that she could fight with almost anything. Mana had taken part in a martial arts tournament with coins as her only weapon, and she''d been pretty close to taking out Ku Fei in that tournament, without using any of her more supernatural abilities. Seraphiel took her place among the students with Mana and was amused to note that the instructor hadn¡¯t changed all that much. She still fought the students just by flipping coins at them at high speeds. In fact, the coins came with such speed and ferocity that most students only lasted a few moments before being taken out. As Seraphiel¡¯s turn came, the instructor seemed to recognize her. ¡°I see you did end up enrolling.¡± The tall woman commented simply. ¡°I did. Good to see you again Miss Tatsumiya.¡± She activated both Fortify and Psionic Infusion, causing a psionic field to surround her and her weapons. ¡°Ready when you are.¡± "I hope you will not disappoint," Mana stated and the coins started flying in hard and fast. Seraphiel wasn¡¯t foolish enough to stand still as she steadily moved in erratic patterns with Hoh¨­ while protecting her front with the shield. Her Danger Sense was also fully active, and it screamed several warnings at her, helping her avoid attacks aimed at her exposed legs, her ¡®Graceful¡¯ footwork allowing her to avoid direct hits. Some of the coins grazed her as she got closer, but her higher than normal Vitality allowed her to tank any indirect hits. The objective of this bout wasn¡¯t to defeat the instructor, as that was impossible. Instead, it was all about how close she could get. At every step she took closer, the strength at which the coins hit her shield became harder, not quite yet enough to push her back. After passing some invisible line, the coins no longer came at her directly and started being reinforced by Skills, arcing at her from different sides like guided projectiles. Some she slashed down with her sword, her ability to cut techniques coming in handy, while some she had to stop with a hastily erected angled barrier, barely strong enough to alter the path of the coins enough to cause them to miss. She was quickly reaching the limit of her Tolerance as she had to erect continuous barriers. She had wanted to end things with a Psionic Charge, but she no longer had the Tolerance for it without seriously overheating, which wasn¡¯t the point of the exercise. Instead, she allowed a couple of the coins to hit her, most likely leaving painful bruises, as she sent a Destructor at the instructor. Of course, the technique didn¡¯t have enough power to hurt the woman, but at least she had to show she was capable of attacking. The attack apparently caught Mana slightly by surprise, which allowed her to also send the psionic energy infused in her blade at her in the shape of a scything blade. Mana of course dispersed the attack with a simple wave of her hand, but now there was a look of interest in her eyes. "Enough." The instructor called. "Well done. Your defensive capabilities are clearly above the norm, and I detected at least four techniques to that effect. Your barriers were well placed, and you could deploy them decently quick, though their defensive power needs a bit of work. How''s your ability to protect others?" ¡°Still a bit limited. I can use the barriers, and I can extend one of the defensive Skills I used to them as well. That said, I¡¯m much more effective at protecting myself.¡± She revealed. What she¡¯d shown was the extent of what she¡¯d managed to recover in the last few months. ¡°Hmm, you have the makings of an excellent defender, though it would be even better if your second Class was something like a Paladin that focused on defending others. Or at least some supportive Skills to make your barriers stronger. That said, you have enough offensive bite that any target can¡¯t afford to ignore you. A combination of a striker and a defender then. And I suspect you weren¡¯t able to show off all your Skills. Good. We have some things to work with. Next!¡± The instructor moved on. As she walked back to the others, she brought up her announcements, which she¡¯d turned off to not be distracted. [Congratulations! [Shiten Kekkai] has leveled up 6 --> 7!] [Congratulations! [Danger Sense] has leveled up 8 --> 9!] [Congratulations! [Fortify] has leveled up 9 --> 10!] [Congratulations! [Psionic Infusion] has leveled up 9 --> 10!] [Congratulations! [Path of the Seer] has leveled up 10 --> 11! Free Stat Points +60.] [Congratulations! [Celestial] has leveled up 10 --> 11! Strength +10, Vitality +10, Agility +10, Perception +10, Charisma +10, Willpower +10, Manipulation +10, Acumen +10, Free Stat Points +20.] Yeah, even just sparring with someone who could push her was much more useful than training by herself. Not a big surprise there. Gaining levels was about doing activities associated with your Class, but danger and actual challenge made any training much faster and more effective. Hopefully, she''d get more chances to spar with the instructors. In fact¡­ As she glanced at the other students, she wasn¡¯t very impressed. Yes, these were the best prospective students with the best grades and Classes, as only the best were accepted to the academies. However, they were all also children, and most of them had unlocked their first Class less than half a year ago. They may have gotten some training even before their System Day, but it was doubtful any of them had the level of training she considered rigorous, and none of them had real training with their Skills. To put it simply, they were all a bunch of newbies, barely better than someone who was swinging their weapon for the first time. There were a couple of exceptions like her, but those were really the exception and not the standard. It would be unfair to expect much more from children, even if gifted ones. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. She returned the shield and sword to the racks and picked up a spear, before getting into the line in front of Instructor Setsuna. The line was somewhat shorter at this point, and judging by their exchanged glances, the instructors noticed what she¡¯d done. They didn¡¯t say anything though. It took much longer for her turn to arrive as she was essentially the last one to be tested. It took over an hour for Setsuna to work her way through the line before it was finally Seraphiel¡¯s turn. The two squared off wordlessly, Seraphiel holding her spear in a relaxed stance. She had to be a little careful here. Setsuna would obviously recognize the Shinmei-ry¨± elements in her style, which is why she¡¯d picked the spear. It wasn¡¯t that the style couldn¡¯t be used with a spear, just that the influences were less obvious. Her Danger Sense suddenly screamed at her, and she shifted to the side as Setsuna¡¯s blade slashed through the spot where she¡¯d been standing moments before. Now, most people believe that the spear is the superior weapon because of its reach, and that¡¯s not untrue even if incomplete. Those fighting against bad spear users believe that they have the advantage once they get close enough, but that was just wrong. Even most spear users forget that the spear has two heads and can be used essentially like a quarterstaff as well, and quarterstaffs had no trouble dealing with close-range opponents. She spun the spear around like a staff, pushing the instructor¡¯s blade further away from her body, while the pointed end of her spear slashed towards Setsuna¡¯s face. The instructor managed to evade the attack rather easily by taking a bit of distance to the side, but that widened the gap between them again, allowing Seraphiel to grab her weapon and wield it like a spear again, sending quick jabs towards her enemy, which were deflected with minimal movements by the instructor¡¯s relatively large blade. The two danced around each other, just testing their basic skill with the weapon, without finding any real holes in the opponent¡¯s defence. Seraphiel had expected as much, and once again wasn¡¯t really even aiming for a victory. She was simply making a point and training. Slowly, Setsuna started exerting more of her statistical advantage, at which point Seraphiel had to rely more on her Hoh¨­ to keep her safe. She could tell that any attack that the instructor landed would cut right through her defences, as she too could use the Zanmaken technique, and her Skill level was definitely higher. ¡°Anything else to show me?¡± Setsuna asked as they separated for a moment. The two had fought for several minutes already, much longer than any previous bouts the woman had had. ¡°Just one. Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat!" She quickly chanted the Kid¨­ spell and an orange-hued tendril with spiraling yellow patterns appeared to surround Setsuna, at least theoretically ensnaring her. Of course, she had the strength to break out with a thought, but the idea was just to display the ability. She also sent a fully powered Destructor at the instructor, which predictably did nothing due to Setsuna''s high Vitality. "That wasn''t too bad," Setsuna stated, suddenly appearing behind her. "Really shows off your flexibility, which I assume was your intent. And you''re obviously aware of the failings. Those being the fact that it didn''t work on someone so much higher level, and the time it took you to cast that thing. Didn''t recognize the technique either. Interesting." Just to make a point, she used the side of her practice blade to give Seraphiel''s unprotected back a small smack to indicate a clean hit. [Congratulations! [Kid¨­] has leveled up 8 --> 9!] [Congratulations! [Destructor] has leveled up 7 --> 8!] [Congratulations! [Weapon Arts] has leveled up 10 --> 11!] "Well, now I feel a little left out." Ku Fei complained. ¡°Unless¡­¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of leaving you out Instructor.¡± Seraphiel smiled a bit before using her telekinesis to send her spear to the rack as she squared off in a martial arts stance against the third instructor as well. Ku Fei grinned eagerly before both of them used mobility techniques to close the distance. As their attacks collided, Seraphiel was happy that her Psionic Infusion and Fortify worked with her fists and hooves as well. Even still, the only reason the instructor¡¯s attacks were not breaking her defence straight away was that she was successfully using martial arts that guided most of the power behind the attacks away from her. Ku Fei was so much stronger and faster than her that there was no way to take any of the attacks directly or even go on offense as she had to focus on minimal movements to gently guide the focal point of Ku Fei¡¯s attacks away from her. And unlike the other two instructors, Ku Fei didn¡¯t bother starting slowly, instead getting straight into it. She wasn¡¯t using full power of course, but she didn¡¯t bother starting slowly as she¡¯d seen Seraphiel deal with Setsuna¡¯s speed. Danger Sense warned her multiple times of attacks that were just too fast for her to see. Normally she favoured a fighting style that was as steady as a mountain and implacable in its steady advance, but now she had to flow like a river as she simply didn¡¯t have the Vitality to take any of the attacks directly. She barely managed to earn a few opportunities to attack by using her illusions and a bit of telekinesis, neither of which were strong enough to work more than a fraction of a second. The couple of Destructors she sent at Ku Fei were completely useless, and the only reason she even used them was to show that she could. [Congratulations! [Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi] has leveled up 10 --> 11! Strength +5, Vitality +5, Agility +10, Perception +10, Psionic Power +5, Psionic Control +10, Tolerance +5, Psi +5, Free Stat Points: +25] [Congratulations! [Martial Arts] has leveled up 10 --> 11!] [Congratulations! [Hoh¨­] has leveled up 10 --> 11!] [Congratulations! [Combat Illusion] has leveled up 7 --> 8!] [Congratulations! [Danger Sense] has leveled up 9 --> 10!] Their fight came to a quick end as the instructor got a clean hit in, though the effects were a lot less embarrassing than they would¡¯ve been without her boost to Vitality. ¡°Wow, you really can take a hit. Not bad for someone who clearly has a Class that isn¡¯t directly aimed at martial arts. Still, you¡¯ve made your point.¡± Ku Fei grinned widely. Seraphiel brought her fists together and made a small bow to acknowledge the feedback. Her performance had clearly impressed everyone watching. She¡¯d been defeated three times, but she¡¯d performed much better than anyone else against all three instructors, showing off her flexibility. "Alright! You all did well. As a reward, we''ll only do a single run around academy grounds today instead of the usual. Get moving." Setsuna ordered, causing everyone to groan in frustration. Apparently, the instructors were still not happy with everyone''s stamina. ------ "Well, that was something," Setsuna commented as the three instructors and friends were finally alone. ¡°Quite.¡± Ku Fei agreed with a nod. ¡°She wasn¡¯t making it obvious, but she managed to keep up with both of us for a lot longer than she should¡¯ve with pure skill alone.¡± She chuckled a bit. ¡°Though it was obvious she wasn¡¯t quite used to her current form. Her hooves kept messing with her kicks.¡± ¡°So, an Angel in disguise?¡± Mana confirmed and the other two nodded. ¡°Makes sense as almost a third of the Draenei are. The more interesting question is¡­¡± "A rebirth of some sort, or a Champion that was born as a child somehow?" Setsuna summarized. "It''s obvious someone her age couldn''t have the level of skill she has. In fact, her skills were much beyond her Skill, if you catch my meaning." ¡°Hmm, haven¡¯t heard of a Champion being born as a child. Doesn¡¯t make much sense, does it? Waiting for them to grow both in age and power would leave the god vulnerable. Light already has a Champion as well, right?¡± Ku Fei posited. ¡°A rather good one at that, though not top tier. Last I heard anyway.¡± Mana provided. Her mercenary work brought her into frequent contact with all sorts of information. ¡°I¡¯m not all that familiar with such magic, but I¡¯d imagine a high-level Soul mage might be able to arrange something like this.¡± Setsuna pointed out. ¡°She¡¯s not a mage though. Why would a Soul mage reincarnate themselves, and then not become a mage to utilize their knowledge?¡± ¡°I¡¯m also fairly sure she used some Shinmei-ry¨± techniques while fighting me," Mana added. "It could''ve been something else, so I''m not certain." ¡°Her Class is psionic though, so can¡¯t be Shinmei-ry¨±.¡± Setsuna knew better than most the impossibility of that. ¡°Could be something similar of course.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a real conundrum, that¡¯s for sure. Will keep things interesting.¡± Ku Fei wasn¡¯t too bothered. This universe had all sorts of anomalies and monsters, and the three of them had fought many such threats. "We might want to inform Evangeline," Mana stated suddenly after a moment of hesitation. ¡°You assume she isn¡¯t already aware.¡± Setsuna retorted. "It''s not about whether she''s aware or not. She''s the headmaster. We should inform her anyway." Mana held her ground. Chapter 13 - The importance of accurate recordkeeping ------- Despite all the power and knowledge that could be attained there, it always unnerved Odin to come to the Isle of Knowledge. The Isle was home to all kinds of gods of knowledge and seers of all stripes, as well as the fountain of all knowledge. And as they said, knowledge was power. However, gaining the knowledge of the Isle was not without danger. Most knowledge at the Isle came at a price, and often that price was the sanity of the seeker. All kinds of forbidden knowledge could be found simply laying in the open, just waiting for someone foolish enough to be tempted. Odin had been tempted before, as his missing eye attested. His had been a fair trade at least. Despite the danger, most came to the Isle in search of knowledge. And the answer to their dilemmas could be found often enough to attract more desperate seekers. This time Odin came because he''d been called. Even then, he''d mostly ignore any calls from the Isle. Knowledge might be power, but it was also a double-edged sword, and anyone who had dealt with seers knew that glimpses to the future were just as liable to cause trouble as fix things. However, he''d come here because of who had called for him. The Recordkeeper. The Recordkeeper was an elusive and mostly neutral god that only interfered when something strange was going on. Something that had repercussions on the System itself. Or when Champions and the ranking of the gods were involved. He was the one in charge of keeping those rankings after all. Usually, the reclusive god simply appeared at major events to record the results and to update the standings of the myriad deities that now called this universe home. Ironically, despite not taking part himself, he was perhaps the most important god in existence, because it was his judgement and determination that decided which gods rose above others and which of them fell from grace. That was another reason why you showed up when he called. You did not want to be subjected to any punishments by him. He may not have been a petty god like some, but there was no point in taking the risk to anger him. Odin wandered through a garden of stones where countless steles and obelisks hewed from the nearby mountain stood like a forest. Every surface was covered in names and records associated with those names. Odin could find his own name, as well as the names of his allies and friends prominently displayed among the obelisks. As he walked between the stone monuments, he observed that the constructs looked fragile, but he also knew that they¡¯d only immediately repair themselves if destroyed. Once the Recordkeeper put something down, it was permanent. As long as he existed, so would his records. The reclusive god stood in the centre of the forest, frowning at one of the steles covered in writing that was indecipherable. Despite his distraction, Odin¡¯s approach had not gone unnoticed. ¡°Odin. Thank you for accepting my summons.¡± The one-eyed Norse god cleared his throat. ¡°We both know not heeding your call tends to have unpleasant consequences.¡± Some gods had made the mistake in the past. No one did anymore. That, he suspected, had been the point. The Recordkeeper¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change at all. ¡°There¡¯s a problem.¡± ¡°What kind?¡± Odin asked with trepidation. ¡°The number of Champions summoned. It¡¯s wrong.¡° The Recordkeeper stated simply. That didn¡¯t sound too bad. ¡°Someone summoned an extra Champion? While odd, that hardly seems too bad.¡± Odin pointed out. Any extra summon would have to share their patron¡¯s blessing after all. There was usually a procedure for the summons, partially to make sure every two-bit wannabee deity didn¡¯t summon a Champion, a privilege reserved for those that deserved it. ¡°That¡¯s just it. No god has made an extra summon, as far as I can tell. If that were the case, then things would be simple. No, there¡¯s been a summon without a summoner.¡± The Recordkeeper explained. "Ok," Odin said simply, not really seeing the problem. "So, we have an extra Champion running around? With no god providing power for the summon or a blessing, that hardly seems like an issue." It wasn''t like the gods hadn''t tried hiding their summons before. However, summoning a worthy Champion took a lot of power and effort, and even the most powerful gods couldn¡¯t hide an expenditure like that for long. ¡°It¡¯s a severe issue. We have no idea who or what was summoned. And if I don¡¯t know who made the summons, I don¡¯t know who to credit for the Champion¡¯s deeds. Or in fact, know if any deeds have been made.¡± The Recordkeeper argued with a bit of frustration in his voice. "Then¡­just don''t?" Odin still didn''t see the big deal. It might be annoying for the god in front of him, but why was he here? He knew the issue infringed on the very existence of the Recordkeeper, something anyone would find frustrating, but it was hardly his problem. "You don''t understand." The Recordkeeper sighed but didn''t deign to explain further, apparently giving up. "System Query: Requesting a direct interface.¡± He stated instead, exercising one of the rights only the gods had. A fiery portal appeared in front of the two gods, and a dark-haired and very charming man stepped through the portal. The man looked mostly Human or Angel, though it was just a form the System had taken, likely one of the Guides. ¡°What can I do for you gentlemen?¡± The artificial being asked with a charming smile. ''Apparently, this interface has more personality than most.'' Odin thought to himself. The form also gave him shivers for some reason. Almost like he was in danger. Surely that couldn¡¯t be, though? The Recordkeeper didn''t seem to notice. "Is this anomaly correct?" He asked, pointing at the indecipherable squiggles on the stele. ¡°Quite accurate, yes.¡± The man replied, with his smile turning a little playful. ¡°How can there be a summons without a summoner?¡± The Recordkeeper demanded to know. ¡°Now why would I spoil all the fun by telling?¡± The man laughed, drawing incredulous stares from both gods. This was a first. "It''s my duty and authority to keep accurate records." The Recordkeeper stated almost numbly, his whole existence having been challenged. ¡°Just chalk up the achievements the new Champion makes for the System instead of crediting a particular god. That should solve any issues.¡± The man, who seemed a lot less Human every passing second suggested. ¡°Now, was that it? Because I have a party to get to.¡± ¡®A party? The System?¡¯ Odin wondered while in total shock. As neither god answered, the man simply went back through the portal that had not closed. Odin got a brief glimpse of a hot-tub through the portal before it closed. The tub was not empty of people, and Odin had to admit it looked quite inviting. ¡°So¡­why am I here?¡± Odin finally asked. ¡°I need you to take word of what I¡¯ve told you to the others.¡± The Recordkeeper stated, his eyes glued back to the stele. ¡®Great. So, I¡¯m just the messenger. I suppose I should be happy I got off easy.¡¯ Odin decided to count his lucky stars. ------ [Congratulations! [Bonesinging] has leveled up 10 --> 11!] The announcement came just as she finished the Witchblade she¡¯d spent months creating. The white blade was elegant in shape, and as she ran a bit of psionic power through the weapon, it channelled that power much better than normal weapons. A deadly aura of power formed around the blade, theoretically capable of cutting through anything. The blade only needed the traditional Aeldari runes along the blade to be complete. It was also an utter piece of crap. Even her Gift of Knowledge informed her it was a poor-quality weapon. Despite her experience, the System placed mechanical limits on what she could achieve with her current Skill level, and those limits were not very high. The blade wouldn¡¯t be able to stand any sort of strenuous combat without breaking. The power conductivity, while high when compared to normal blades, was abysmal when compared to a real Witchblade. She wouldn¡¯t dare show a blade like this to anyone, not to mention actually using it even as a kitchen knife. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. With a single thought, she sent her power into the blade just the right way, and the entire thing suddenly turned into white dust that she then swept aside with a casual application of telekinesis. This had been the first blade she created in this universe, and naturally, it would be the worst. Every subsequent weapon would be much better, though it would take dozens of attempts to produce anything resembling a decent weapon. Luckily, as her Skill rose, so did the speed at which she could create the material required for the blades. Slow and gradual progress was the name of the game, and unlike with many other Skills, she couldn¡¯t just get a quick improvement in combat. This Skill had to be trained by constant and persistent use. This wasn''t just something she had to deal with. Every Class with crafting Skills would have to go through the same process. She hadn''t taken too many lessons on the out-of-combat support Classes, but this much was general knowledge. In certain ways, she was better off than most such Classes, as she didn''t need to waste materials for her training. The downside was of course that she couldn''t dedicate her time to the craft. A blacksmith''s apprentice would spend most of their time crafting. She had maybe an hour a day at most. Then again, she didn''t have to learn the Skill from scratch. She already knew the best ways of Bonesinging, so she didn''t have to waste time learning from a master. The rattling at the door brought her from her thoughts. Her roommate had returned. Jelii, the Draenei girl she was rooming with, spent most of her time making connections on the campus. Apparently, her Skills and Class had a very powerful social element to them, and the socializing was actually a form of training. Didn¡¯t hurt that the girl also enjoyed it. ¡°Welcome back Jelii.¡± She greeted politely. ¡°Sephy! You should really join me one of these days instead of all this stuffy studying and training. You¡¯d do well with your Charisma, and you could really make some friends and connections! Those will be really useful in the future!¡± The girl said with a perky voice. She wasn¡¯t wrong in general terms. Seraphiel simply knew that the advice didn¡¯t really apply in her case. Not that connections wouldn¡¯t be useful, just that the connections she could form currently with the young students were of limited use. She was pretty sure that her social capital would rise a lot more when she started taking part in the competitions. The kind of people willing to form connections with a random Knight student, and those willing to form connections with someone that had proven herself in large-scale competitions were vastly different. As for friends, she was already getting somewhat friendly with her brother¡¯s cadre of associates. She was relatively social by nature, but her brother¡¯s friends satisfied that need for now. It was also a rather sad fact that most of the new students were still rather childish in their worldviews. The friends she''d had before coming to the Academy had been that as well, but at least those three had been super precocious due to the sheer fact that they''d been geniuses of sorts. And playing games with children was somewhat different from playing social games with kids entering their equivalent of teen years. She wasn''t sure she wanted to deal with the drama, though she wouldn''t be able to avoid it entirely. ¡°That¡¯s alright but thank you for the invitation. I¡¯m simply focused on improving my Class and Skills as quickly as possible. I want to take the advancement exams at the end of the year.¡± Her excuse wasn¡¯t a lie either. ¡°First year? Ambitious, though not too rare. From what I¡¯ve heard on the grapevine, I think you can do it.¡± The pink Draenei flumped down on the chair opposite hers. ¡°Grapevine, eh? And what does the grapevine say?¡± She asked. It would¡¯ve been impossible to avoid rumours entirely. She wasn¡¯t into hiding her talent, and she was standing out rather starkly in all their lessons. The last few weeks had consisted mostly of constant sparring and combat lessons from the instructors. Since she tended to win all her bouts rather easily, except when facing the instructors of course, her reputation was growing. "Mostly positive things about how you''re absolutely wrecking everyone in your lessons. They like the fact that you don''t rub it in, although the level of ease you seem to do it with seems to rub people the wrong way. Not much you can do there I''m afraid. No one likes losing and some people will always take things personally.¡± Jelii was actually a pretty good source of rumours, as the Draenei was such a social butterfly. "Do you know when they''ll start holding the try-outs for the academy teams?" She inquired. As an older student, Jelii should know. "Eh, the tryouts are mostly for show. The competitions tend to happen later in the year, but they''ll start scouting right from the beginning. They''ll come to you if you have real talent. The try-outs are for those that haven''t been able to prove themselves yet." The girl proved once again to be a useful source of information. Support Class indeed. ------- ¡°Tomorrow?¡± Seraphiel asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Yes. I believe you already agreed.¡± Chachamaru explained while drinking a cup of some overly sweet drink. Another new thing for the previous android. ¡°That¡¯s not really the issue. I¡¯m happy to start training with the academy¡¯s team. I would¡¯ve simply preferred a bit more warning.¡± She explained before looking around her. ¡°Also, an interesting choice of venue.¡± The two of them were finally having the outing they''d agreed to on the very first days, to exchange information on their shared acquaintances. They''d picked a sweets shop outside the campus area. Apparently, the place was a popular date spot as several couples were having a very comfortable mood around them. "I simply like the drinks here," Chachamaru replied with a small knowing smile, clearly realizing what Seraphiel was hinting at. "As for the short warning, the whole thing is a bit rushed. Originally this year should''ve been a relatively quiet one for tournaments and such, but once master found out you¡¯re here¡­¡± ¡°She intends to exploit me for all I¡¯m worth, and since I can most likely dominate any newbie competitions¡­¡± She understood the implications of course. ¡°An interesting way of phrasing it, but not inaccurate. Be that as it may, master is challenging every Academy within reach into competitions especially focused on the new student events. The others of course realize what she¡¯s doing and suspect rightly that master has found someone she¡¯s confident in, but so have many other academies, so they agree. Besides, a little competition is always popular entertainment and the perfect opportunity for everyone involved to gain some levels.¡± Chachamaru¡¯s explanation was rather logical, as usual. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s why things are getting rushed a bit. And master knew we were supposed to meet anyway.¡± ¡°Bah. Evangeline just doesn¡¯t want to meet me personally.¡± Seraphiel chuckled. The two of them didn''t hate each other or even have grudges or bad blood. It''s just that Seraphiel''s existence insulted Evangeline''s sense of drama and aesthetics. Evangeline was a big believer in having to struggle and sacrifice for success and that struggle created drama and tension. She enjoyed it when good people were faced with impossible choices because that''s how Evangeline thought such stories should go. Seraphiel on the other hand tended to be rather direct and unpretentious, and her intervention had neatly solved several issues that would''ve been such delicious sources of drama for Evangeline. They were such different people, with Seraphiel being a real enjoyer of life''s little pleasures, embracing all the fun things and the light, at least in the past, while Evangeline was more brooding and liked darker shades of life. Chachamaru didn¡¯t bother denying the playful accusation. ¡°You wanted to know about the others?¡± "Yes, what happened to the other students in your famous class? Did Mundus Magicus transfer here with you? How are things there? How long have you been here? That sort of thing." Seraphiel asked eagerly. ¡°Let¡¯s start with the last one. In the grand scheme of things, we haven¡¯t been here that long. We were part of one of the latest batches of worlds to get absorbed, only a couple hundred years ago. Negi being selected as a Champion has made things a lot easier and allowed us to reach an Academy status. He¡¯s been doing relatively well as a Champion, having been picked by the Goddess of Magic. He¡¯s only a lower mid-tier Champion currently, but he¡¯s punching above his weight-class so to speak. The people of Mundus Magicus are doing well, and actually thrive under the current conditions. Abundant ambient mana is quite useful for them. Our original world is doing less well, having fallen to the status of a relatively minor world.¡± Chachamaru didn¡¯t seem too sad about that part, and Seraphiel sensed that there might have been some bad history involved. Although it could¡¯ve also been the tacit nature of the former android. ¡°About half of the class you know of decided to live normal lives back home and have mostly died of old age by now. A handful of them, like Chizuru, are still around after having reached a sufficient level to basically become immortal. The more magically inclined students of the class are mostly still around as instructors or other personnel at the academy. Some like Tatsumiya, Setsuna, and Kaede keep doing missions for levels and extra income. Asuna went to Mundus Magicus and has a ruling position there. I¡¯m somewhat surprised no other god has picked her as a Champion, as she¡¯s almost as strong as Negi, even without the blessings of a God.¡± Chachamaru continued. ¡°I met some of them naturally. Those that work as instructors for the Knights to be exact.¡± Seraphiel pointed out. ¡°I heard. They already pegged you as a reincarnator or soul mage of some sort. I didn¡¯t tell them any details, but I implied that we know what¡¯s going on and that they shouldn¡¯t worry about it.¡± Chachamaru nodded. ¡°You could meet Yue, Nodoka, and Konoka if you took the Mage track, or Chisame or Ayaka if you took the General track.¡± Chachamaru continued. ¡°Hmm, I might meet them at some point then. I¡¯m still not sure what Class to take next.¡± She pondered. ¡°I know Yue and Konoka would be happy to see you at least.¡± Chachamaru pointed out two students that she¡¯d gotten along with. ¡°Send my regards to them. Don¡¯t tell them where I am. I want to see if they can find me on their own.¡± Seraphiel decided to be a little playful. ¡°You certainly haven¡¯t made it all that hard.¡± Chachamaru pointed out again. ¡°Only because you knew to start looking. Anyway, potentially a weird question. You seem to have Turians and Asari on campus. How long have they been here? And how are they doing?¡± Seraphiel asked, on some level wanting to know if what she did made any difference. ¡°They came along the very latest expansion about fifty years ago. Of the races that came, the Asari and the Krogan have adapted extremely well and are thriving. Both are long-lived races by nature. The Asari seem to be gifted at everything they try and very popular, while the Krogan are great warriors, even if a bit simple at times. The Turians do relatively well due to their discipline, and the Salarians are really quick on the uptake. The problem with the Salarians is that their short lifespans make it difficult to reach a level where their Vitality can start extending that life indefinitely. Quarians are rather liked as crafters and especially engineers, but their low numbers have made it difficult to truly thrive. The shock of transitioning away from a nomadic lifestyle also caused them some issues. The other races have pretty much faded to obscurity, while the Hanar had a less than pleasant encounter with one of the Locust races. Apparently, the Locust race liked their taste. The Geth¡­are a more complicated issue which would require an entire lesson to deal with.¡± Seraphiel could sense that Chachamaru felt some kinship with the Geth. ¡°Heard anything about a person called Shepard?¡± Seraphiel asked innocently. ¡°The Champion? Yes, she¡¯s often fighting in the same competitions as Negi. They¡¯re around the same level, although how she managed to get so strong so fast is a mystery.¡± Chachamaru shook her head a bit at that. ¡°I suspect she¡¯ll soon overtake Negi with how fast she¡¯s levelling and gaining power.¡± ¡°Well, she¡¯s always been a force of nature, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Seraphiel smiled fondly at the memory. ¡°I¡¯m sensing some history there.¡± Chachamaru noticed as well. ¡°And yes, we¡¯re already aware that you visited their universe as well. You do seem to make a splash wherever you go.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t really help it. Most of the time when I¡¯m sent somewhere, I¡¯m sent there specifically to make a difference.¡± She defended herself. ¡°Not always though. In the case of that universe, my role was mostly supportive.¡± ¡°You call punching a giant sentient spaceship to death supportive?¡± Chachamaru couldn¡¯t help asking. ¡°Heh. Yeah, I might have gone a bit overboard with that one.¡± She rarely got to swap stories with old acquaintances like this, and she rather enjoyed the experience. ¡°We¡¯ll have to do this again. I want details and need more information.¡± Chachamaru seemed to agree. Probably at least partly to keep an eye on her. This time it had been mostly Chachamaru sharing information, and likely Seraphiel would have to do more to reciprocate next time. Chapter 14 - On the philosophy of armor -------- ¡°Has anyone told you about how armor and Armor Skills work?¡± The female human taking her measurements asked. She was one of the armorers working for the school. ¡°And has anyone told you how items work for competitive purposes?¡± She also wasn¡¯t someone Seraphiel was familiar with. ¡°They have not, no, on all accounts.¡± She replied. It hadn¡¯t been one of the topics handled by the schooling before Mahora. She assumed the topic would come up in the future, but no one had gone into it yet. The armorer seemed to be a bit older, outwardly looking past middle-aged. It might also explain why she was working at the school since the Tree at the core of the Academy stopped aging. ¡°Figures. Not many teachers think about such things, and especially those coming from the other universes have very different ideas about armor, assumedly because it works differently there. Not entirely differently, but at least some.¡± The woman tapped her lip in thought as she seemed to consider some options. ¡°Anyway, the most important thing to know is that any armor you wear, recognized as such by the System, gets affected by your Vitality. Would be kind of bloody pointless to have a high Vitality stat if your armor didn¡¯t benefit, right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± She wasn¡¯t sure if she agreed but decided to go along with things. ¡°You¡¯d end up naked after every fight otherwise. So, the armor has a certain amount of Vitality of its own and confers it to you, while you confer a portion of your own Vitality to your armor. This exchange is improved by both your Armor Skill, as well as the quality of the armor. Any supportive Skills may also apply. The net effect is that it is much harder to hurt you while wearing armor. However, you need to keep in mind that the armor¡¯s Vitality almost always ends up lower than yours, and there¡¯s a certain threshold above which the armor will start taking damage, even if you aren¡¯t injured. And as the armor deteriorates, so do the protective qualities.¡± The armorer explained patiently. ¡°This can be mitigated with quality armor and the aforementioned Armor Skills.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve stated Armor Skills plural several times.¡± Seraphia pointed out. ¡°Correct. There are several types of Armor Skills, and they only confer advantages when wearing the corresponding type of armor. The bonuses you get from the Skill can be things other than just improved Vitality and protection. The Armor Skills are generally classified by the heaviness of the armor, though there are some exceptions. Generally, the heavier the armor, the more focused the bonuses are on protection. Lighter armor usually provides bonuses to other things to compensate, such as stealth or mana regeneration.¡± The armorer seemed to reach a conclusion and started pulling out materials, before putting them away again. ¡°You mentioned exceptions?¡± She prodded. ¡°Yes. Well, certain armor types are highly specialized, especially if there¡¯s technology involved, and thus the Skills need to be as well. For instance, there¡¯s this armor type called Ghost Suit that¡¯s specialized in stealth, and the Skill for the armor emphasizes that.¡± The armorer suddenly looked at her in thought, as if considering if she should say something. ¡°Just tell me. I¡¯d rather operate on complete information.¡± She pushed. ¡°Well, you¡¯re a bit young for this information as we usually wait until later, but then you¡¯d probably find out during the competition anyway, so why wait? You know how many of the things in this universe, and the System, seem to be for the entertainment of the gods? Or at least we assume so. Well, that same applies to Armor Skills. That or the System has a perverted side to it. There¡¯s a certain group of Armor Skills that are generally recognized as much better than others. In fact, they¡¯re clearly overpowered in comparison.¡± The armorer grimaced a bit. ¡°No¡­¡± Seraphiel had a bad feeling about this. ¡°So, bikini armor¡­¡± ¡°Yep. It''s an honest-to-goodness evolved Skill. And it''s not the only one of its kind. With some of the Skills, the more revealing the armor, the more powerful the Skill and the effects. At least it applies to men as well, so you¡¯ll likely see plenty of bare chests and loincloths.¡± The armorer grunted a bit. ¡°However, like I said, you¡¯re too young for that. Besides, we have to abide by the competition rules. I just wanted you to be aware, in case you come across examples during the competition.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just¡­ok, alright, moving on.¡± She was a little disappointed that a clich¨¦ like that came true, but only due to the clich¨¦ part of it. She didn¡¯t mind the idea of revealing armor in theory. She¡¯d never been a shy person after all. ¡°You mentioned competition rules.¡± ¡°So, to keep things even, you can¡¯t wear some super enchanted armor to skew the competition into an arms race. In the competition for newcomers, all the equipment used needs to be made by other newcomers. The academy keeps a stock of such armor made by previous newcomers that got rather far while still counting as newcomers, but in future years you¡¯ll need to get your equipment made by other students currently studying. That means the general track students.¡± The armorer finally finished taking measurements and went through a door to a storage area, before returning a couple minutes later holding a bundle. The armor had a matte-black bodysuit under armor that covered her from neck to toe. The under armor looked to be of material similar to leather, but more flexible, and had almost what looked like tiny scales on it. The armor itself came in several pieces, all made of gold-coloured metal. The chest piece was made up of several segmented pieces of metal that attached to the under armor. The chest area had been shaped to accommodate the female form, and the plates covered her relatively well, coming over her hips, before leaving gaps around her legs for improved mobility, before her golden leg plates and metal greaves finished the rest of her legs. On her shoulders, she had overlapping pieces of metal that left her armpits open, once again for mobility, and her gauntlets came all the way to her elbows. All in all, it wasn''t too bad as far as armor went. The plates had some rather obvious gaps to them, but as the armorer had explained, in this universe that was less relevant, as the armor was worn mostly for the System provided benefit, and not for actual coverage. Yes, hitting the gaps decreased the effectiveness of the armor, but it didn''t bypass it. In fact, she could literally be wearing a bikini that counted as armor and get hit on an unarmoured spot and still benefit from armor if she had the corresponding Skill. The main benefit came from the Skill adding the armor''s Vitality to her own, not from the durability of the metal. It was weird, and kind of silly, but it wasn''t the first time she ran into some weirdness. Her current armor was relatively demure all things considered. As she used the Gift of Knowledge to identify it, the results were expected. [Reliable Medium Armor: This armor was made by a student smith, and it¡¯s well made for its level. It¡¯s reliable and gets the job done, but only barely as it¡¯s still the work of an apprentice.] ¡°So how do I get a Skill for it?¡± She asked. Instead of answering, the armorer took a small hammer from the wall and lightly hit her on the shoulder. Both of them stood still, expecting her to get the announcement, that for some reason didn''t come. "Umm. Are you sure?" Seraphiel asked with a frown. "Usually works. Should I hit you again?" The armorer asked with a matching frown. Without waiting she hit Seraphiel again, a little harder this time. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Uh, Luci?¡± Seraphiel asked the empty air when nothing happened.
[Fine, fine. Be boring. You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Boring armor! My sister is a dull girl and can''t have any fun, so she gets a boring Skill, which we both know she''ll replace as soon as the competition is over anyway. The Skill improves the effectiveness of your armor, but only slightly, and will only last until the end of the year. Passive Skill. Would you like to be a boring girl and accept the Skill? Y/N]
¡°A-ha. The System is getting sassy with me.¡± Seraphiel chuckled while accepting the Skill, as she still had empty Passive Skill slots. ¡°It actually named the Skill Boring Armor.¡± ¡°Oh, you got one of those. Sometimes the System can get a bit opinionated. Though this might be the first that I¡¯ve seen of the System only grudgingly giving someone a Skill. These kinds of things are why we think the System itself might be a bit on the pervy side and not just the gods. Anyway, you should be good to go on the armor front. What sort of weapons do you want?¡± She asked while hiding a small smile. "I could use a decent shield, but if the weapons are the same quality, then I''m probably better off making my own," Seraphiel stated, while forming a spear using her [Hard-light creation] Skill. That way she could be flexible with weapons and the Skill actually created better weapons than the armor. Maintaining a full armor was rather exhausting though, and any technique that could disable other Skill would leave her unarmoured if she went down that path. Fighting without a weapon wasn¡¯t really an issue for her though. The armorer noted the same issue. ¡°Could leave you with no weapon.¡± She pointed out. ¡°I can manage without if necessary. And if I run into someone who can completely nullify all my techniques, then I have bigger issues than the lack of weapons.¡± She shrugged. ------- The academy''s competitive team was gathered into the arena used for official duels. Seraphiel noted that she was the only first-level student, meaning other newbie representatives had not been picked yet. The other levels were decently represented, although naturally those at the ends of each category, so 6th and 10th level, were the most weighted. That said, the difference between a level 5 and a level 6 student wasn¡¯t that large, so talent and Classes were more important. Both magic and general track students were also present, so she could see other uniform colours as well. ¡°Welcome everyone.¡± Chachamaru greeted everyone. She wasn¡¯t the only instructor present, as teachers from all three tracks were in attendance. ¡°Most of you are already familiar with them, but let me introduce Instructors Tatsumiya Mana, Chao Lingshen, and Miyazaki Nodoka. Mana is in charge of the Knights, Nodoka of the mages, and Chao of the general track. Nodoka and Chao are also in charge of scouting the competition. The principal is in overall charge of the team of course, but she is mostly busy with other duties, so I have the pleasure of handling most of the team¡¯s business.¡± ¡°I thought we were not having any competitions for a time?¡± One of the oldest students present asked while raising his hand to draw attention. "That was the original plan, but plans change," Chachamaru replied simply. ¡°Can we ask why? I don¡¯t mind. It¡¯s just a bit sudden and affects our training schedule.¡± The same student asked. Clearly the team fostered a spirit of open discussion. ¡°You can thank Seraphia here for that.¡± Chachamaru pointed at her, which naturally drew everyone¡¯s attention to her. ¡°We have a good reason to believe she¡¯s going to smash any even remotely equal level competition, and the principal wants to take advantage.¡± ¡°Hmm, interesting.¡± The male student stated, and Seraphiel could sense he tried to identify her and failed. ¡°Very interesting. So, what do we have first?¡± ¡°We challenged our sister academies for a quick tournament to kick things off. Simple tournament-style competition to ease everyone in. Nothing too complicated like gauntlets or other weird challenges. Just old-fashioned fights. There might be some team events though. I think one of the academies suggested a survival challenge.¡± Chachamaru explained. ¡°A survival challenge?¡± Seraphiel asked Raziel, who happened to be one of the representatives, specifically of the third-level students. He wasn¡¯t the only one, but it seemed third-level students were not common. "Basically, you''re thrown into an arena array of sorts and progressively more difficult challenges are thrown at you until you fall." Her brother explained in a whisper. "Those tend to be rather interesting. Some Classes are better for duelling, while these kinds of challenges give others the chance to shine." Chachamaru drew everyone¡¯s attention to her again. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to intensify your training a bit to make sure everyone¡¯s up for it.¡± She looked towards Seraphiel. ¡°That goes doubly for you since you¡¯re new to this.¡± ¡°Bring it on.¡± She retorted confidently. ------ Raziel was both frustrated and proud of his sister at the same time. The teachers had pitted the two of them against each other for training, and they¡¯d been fighting for a while now. And he had been unable to get through his sister¡¯s defence. That was mortifying. He was one of the best fighters of the third level, and he was unable to get a clean hit in. By all accounts, he should have all the advantages. He clearly had higher stats. He had a second Class, albeit he hadn¡¯t had the time to bring it up to parity with his main Class yet. His main Class had already evolved twice, making his Skills stronger. And he couldn¡¯t hit her. He could practically run rings around her, but it seemed like she knew exactly where he was going to strike every time he attacked, bringing her shield or her weapon made of light to protect her. She obviously had some Skills improving her Vitality, as otherwise she shouldn¡¯t have been able to withstand his attacks even if she did block. It helped that she almost never took his attacks directly. Her shield was always slanted in a way that caused his power to skid across the surface and miss, causing him to overextend instead of being able to directly apply his power against her shield. Her ability to change her weapon on the fly was also extremely annoying. Her reach changed from moment to moment, and it seemed that the purple glow around her weapon reinforcing it easily transferred over to the new shape. Any time he dodged, the length of her weapon could suddenly change, forcing him to overexaggerate his movements to compensate. She managed to keep him off-balance with little tricks, while he was unable to penetrate her formidable defence. He was certain that he would be able to win in a direct clash of power, which is why she never allowed him to get into such a clash. All his Skills were dodged and avoided with her impeccable and unpredictable footwork. He wasn¡¯t in danger of losing, but just the fact that he wasn¡¯t winning despite the staggering difference in levels was a loss in itself. He''d sparred with his sister for years, so he knew better than anyone that she was good. Just not this good. ------ ¡°Where did you find this girl?¡± Chao Lingshen asked, eagerly leaning forward as she watched the siblings spar. ¡°I can see why Eva is so confident now.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the brother just taking it easy on his little sister?" Miyazaki Nodoka asked timidly. "I mean, I''m not an expert in such things, but¡­" "He''s not," Tatsumiya stated simply. "He''s trying his hardest. Well, maybe not his hardest as he''s not fighting for his survival, and I sense slight hesitation in his attacks, maybe because of their history, but he is giving full effort. The difference in actual talent is just too large. Stats aren¡¯t everything.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t everything, but they should mean more than this.¡± Chao¡¯s eyes shined as she identified both. ¡°The brother is ninety levels above her! And she¡¯s only level fifteen.¡± "She was level ten when she arrived, and we''ve only done basic training since," Tatsumiya noted. The semester had not lasted that long. ¡°She¡¯s been working hard. With a couple more months and some time with the arrays¡­I believe we could get her to level thirty before any serious competitions.¡± Chao gave a small whistle. ¡°Does she have some learning Skill aside from the buff everyone at the academy gets?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t doubt it. Almost everyone gets offered at least something, and most are smart enough to take the opportunity.¡± Tatsumiya was quite sure this was the case. ¡°Let¡¯s push her. The harder we push, the better she¡¯ll respond. I can guarantee that.¡± Chachamaru promised with a small smile of her own. "Kaede could take her under her wing when she gets back," Tatsumiya suggested. The elusive ninja liked training only a small handful of students at a time instead of large groups. "That''s a lot of investment in one student," Nodoka noted a little carefully. "Do you not think it''s a bit rushed when we haven''t seen her take part in a single competition?" She was mostly playing the devil¡¯s advocate as she knew absolutely nothing of this student. "On the other hand, if we start investing in her early, the greater the rewards." Chao went in the opposite direction. "I can guarantee that any investment in this student will not be wasted. I have the utmost confidence in that." Chachamaru said confidently. ¡°You know something we don¡¯t.¡± Chao realized right away. "I know a lot of things you don''t," Chachamaru replied simply and walked off, sporting a small smirk for having gotten one over her old friends. ----- Seraphiel stared at her status screen without really seeing it. She¡¯d had a bit of an epiphany during her fight with Raziel. She was stronger than she should be. Even taking into account her stats from her second Class and race. The difference wasn¡¯t massive, but for someone as tuned with her own power as her, it was noticeable. It had taken her a moment to figure out what was going on, but she was pretty sure she¡¯d figured it out. Lucifer had changed her race into a Celestial. Or had he? He had mentioned that Father had been involved in the creation of her new body, and it would be just like Lucifer to have already made her body into that of a ¡®Celestial¡¯ and then pretend he did it only after the System Day. Either way, her race shared the rank of an XXX race with pretty much just Dragons. At first, she¡¯d assumed that just meant she got the same stat growth. But that wasn¡¯t it, was it? The relationship was reversed. Dragons were not an XXX-ranked race because of their stat growth. They got the largest stat growth because they were XXX-ranked race as a base already. Elves gained more Agility and Perception because those were the stats their base body leaned into. They were lithe, flexible, and had excellent senses. On the other hand, Giants got more Strength and Vitality because of their large and sturdy bodies. Obviously, Dragons were superior to almost everything else at a base. What did that mean for her though? She didn¡¯t have the strength of a Dragon. Yet. She was still growing, and it was undeniable that her new body would slowly turn more like her real one over time until the two became indistinguishable. So, was that the reason? Her base, so to speak, was slowly transforming to match her rank? It would certainly explain it¡­ Chapter 15 -Teamwork makes the dream work -------- "Today, we''ll have our first experience with arrays, and our first team exercise." Ku Fei declared. "You''ve all been split into teams, listed here¡­" She pointed at a blackboard with a list of names. "¡­and you''ll challenge the monsters we''ve designated for your group to face. While victory would be preferable, what we really want to see is some teamwork. We recognize that this is the first time you''re working in teams against a common enemy, so we¡¯re not expecting anything too complicated. In fact, the most important part is that we¡¯ll be able to provide feedback on what you did right and what you can improve on afterwards.¡± One of the magic teachers, one Seraphiel didn¡¯t recognize, was also attending the lesson and now stepped forward. "Arrays come in three basic forms. The first one is a basic spell array. These can be used to create certain conditions inside them. For instance, someone specializing in a particular element can enter an array that causes the area to be filled with that particular element. Or someone who would like to train their defensive Skills can enter an array that sends constant magical attacks at them, which they have to defend against. Notably, these arrays are easy to create even for a moderately skilled array master, but the downside is the fundamental lack of defensive features aside from the ability to turn the array off. However, if you enter a lightning array, for instance, the lightning inside is very real and could kill you. This is why you should be very careful when using such arrays." ¡°The second type are dimensional arrays. They basically create a pocket dimension of sorts, which can then be filled with whatever the creator desires. These are basically more advanced versions of the previous array but can be much more expansive. The third type is the one we¡¯ll most commonly use in Knight track training, which is the reality array. These create a small localized magical reality within, and they are also a more advanced version of the dimensional array. What makes these arrays possible, and why they¡¯re so handy, is because they imitate reality for the most part, but with a couple of changes. We can theoretically recreate almost any situation we want, but the more it differs from reality, the more power is required to run the array. If we want to pit you against monsters? That can be done. We want to create some extreme challenge? Easily doable. And most importantly, the thing about these arrays is that they are very safe because everything that happens inside is under our control, and most of the time illusory. We can even adjust the level of pain.¡± The mage gushed. The middle-aged man was clearly an array master himself. ¡°Of course, reality arrays don¡¯t need to be illusory. They can just be used to create areas where certain special rules are in effect.¡± Ku Fei added. ¡°Notably, the arenas often use a modified reality array, as do most inter-academy competitions. They can be used to limit stats or even Skill usage.¡± ¡°Right, right. The downside of reality arrays utilizing illusions is that the experience gained is limited since what happens inside isn''t real. It''s real enough that you can level and improve your Skills tremendously, but there''s a fundamental difference between fighting a real monster and an illusory one when it comes to the System. Illusory arrays are still much more effective for leveling than whacking a training dummy. Just be aware of the limitations." The array master clarified. ¡°There¡¯s also something you should keep in mind. A proper array master can set any rules they want in reality arrays, so be very careful when entering ones not controlled by the academy. I¡¯m sure all of you can imagine how that sort of power could be abused, and once you¡¯re in the array, you¡¯re often at the mercy of those controlling it.¡± Ku Fei warned them seriously. ¡°Now with that downer out of the way, group up!¡± The other members of her group quickly found her. She hadn¡¯t learned everyone¡¯s names yet, but pretty much everyone that had started along with her knew her. That was just the natural result of her being the top student, although having high Charisma didn¡¯t hurt either. She noted with interest that she¡¯d been grouped with other high performers that she actually recognized. Janira was an Asari specializing in spears and quick and hard attacks, a quintessential striker. She was clad in light armor emphasizing mobility. Laheel was some sort of an Oni type, and he was a heavy bruiser wielding a huge two-handed maul. He was almost unarmoured, only having some leather straps on his torso and simple pants. Seraphiel wasn''t entirely sure of the race of the last member of the group. She looked a bit like the inhabitants of Mundus Magicus, a humanoid with small horns going around her head, and a skin colour that could be defined as well-tanned. Seraphiel recalled they were called Hellas. Her Gift of Knowledge confirmed the name and origin, although it seemed she was of mixed blood. Theo carried a pair of magical guns that looked like ornate and large pistols. Her attire was also more comfortable than protective. "Well, it seems I''ll be the tank of the group," Seraphiel noted as she was the most heavily armoured, wearing the armor she''d been given for competition use. She was simply using every opportunity to improve the Skill and get used to the armor. ¡°Agreed. Our group doesn¡¯t really leave a lot of leeway for roles.¡± Janira, the Asari pointed out. ¡°I¡¯ll be the close-range striker with Laheel, while Theo is our longer-range fire support.¡± "Fine by me," Laheel grunted simply. Not the talkative type. Gotcha. ¡°Agreed. I do have some basic supportive magic due to my Class, but don¡¯t expect miracles.¡± Theo added. "Well, let''s see what they''re throwing at us first," Janira suggested. By the time they had sorted everything out, the instructors were already leading them towards the border between quarters, specifically the area where all of them connected, the arena. ¡°Now, we have some arrays of our own, but since the mages manage most of them, they set up most of them near the arena as it¡¯s a nice central location. I¡¯d say because they¡¯re lazy, but it¡¯s also because it makes joint exercises easier. This time we¡¯re going in with just Knights, but in the future, we¡¯ll have mages and general track students along as well.¡± Ku Fei joked, getting a small chuckle out of the array mage. As they lined up next to the arena, they could see several archways lining the bottom of the arena, which had been constructed in the classic Colosseum style. Each arch was lined with magical runes and seemed to lead into complete darkness. The mage gestured towards the arches. "As we have so many groups and a limited number of arrays, we''ll have to take turns. Luckily, time inside passes much faster than outside, so hopefully we don''t have to wait for long. You''ll all be assigned an array and an enemy based on your current perceived level of ability. These fights are meant to be a little challenging, but not impossibly so. Still, it is not a shame if you lose." The groups were quickly organized, and Seraphiel¡¯s group stepped through one of the arches. They found themselves in an open area covered with tall grass. The grass was high enough to allow something or someone to hide in the grass relatively easily, but not tall enough to really obstruct visibility. They didn¡¯t have to go looking for their target though, as a large quadrupedal creature stood in the middle of the area. The creature looked like an oversized armadillo with a large fish-like head with plenty of sharp teeth. ¡°We¡¯ll go with the original plan. I¡¯ll attract its attention first. Theo, keep your eyes open and make sure nothing sneaks up on us while we¡¯re fighting. Just because there¡¯s one obvious enemy, that doesn¡¯t mean there can¡¯t be others.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. The other three nodded in agreement and quickly fanned out. The creature seemed rather sturdy and heavily armoured judging by the scaly hide and would likely be challenging to hurt. Seraphiel activated her regular buffs and closed the distance to the enemy with a psionic charge, but instead of blasting her surroundings with concussive force when she appeared again, she instead rode the force of that wave to give her own attack more power. Both Psionic Infusion and Raimeiken added to her already powerful blow and her weapon, shaped like a hammer this time, slammed into the front leg of the monster. The scales cracked under the heavy blow, and she was pretty sure she heard bones shattering, as the creature screamed in pain and whirled around to slam its still functional front leg into her. She had managed to well and truly piss off the creature, which had been the whole point. She took the strike on her shield and got pushed back a bit before managing to stop the force of the blow. Physical strength was its forte, but defence was hers. It seemed like the creature was shocked that its attack had so little effect. It didn¡¯t have time to be shocked for long though, as her allies arrived and attacked the creature on both flanks, utilizing their own techniques. A shot of concentrated arcane magic came just above her shoulder, barely missing her and striking the creature on the already wounded leg. Janira seemed to be some sort of biotic warrior, increasing the weight and power of her strikes with her biotics, while Laheel predictably was a berserker of some sort as purple flames seemed to cover both him and his weapon. Both struck hard at the creature''s flanks, though they didn''t have an easy time getting through the scales either. Seraphiel suddenly sensed mana gathering around the creature as the thing reared on its hind legs. "Take distance!" She ordered immediately. Janira reacted instantly, but Laheel not so much, as he was getting lost in his rage. Seraphiel realized what was about to happen, and jumped into the air with the aid of Hoh¨­ and slammed her shield into the creature¡¯s face just as it started slamming down, disrupting the attack. The attack still happened, but instead of a proper explosion of earth magic covering the creature¡¯s surroundings, several earthen spears randomly shot off into the surroundings. One of them clipped Laheel but didn¡¯t really hurt him too badly. Seraphiel of course was slammed towards the ground as the weight of the creature hit her, but she nimbly and [Gracefully] rolled to break the force of the landing, quickly springing up to face the enemy again. A pair of magical shots distracted the monster long enough that she could easily recover. ¡®Theo seems to be quite good. She provides great cover.¡¯ Seraphiel nodded in approval while intercepting another swipe of the creature¡¯s claws. ¡®Though she does lack a bit in the power department.¡¯ Laheel might not have been able to evade due to his rage, but in return he finally managed to crack the carapace of the creature, his strikes now finding the soft flesh underneath. The horrific scream was cut short as Janira, who had looped around, jammed her spear into the new opening, apparently hitting something vital as the creature suddenly went quiet and fell on the ground. "Is it done?" Theo asked happily from a safe distance. "It is," Seraphiel replied as a sudden burst of announcements bombarded her. She''d set it so the System would only give her announcements when the fight was over. Or at least when she thought combat was over. [Congratulations! [Weapon Arts] has leveled up from 14 to 15!] [Congratulations! [Graceful] has leveled up from 13 to 14!] [Congratulations! [Psionic Infusion] has leveled up from 14 to 15!] [Congratulations! [Fortify] has leveled up from 14 to 15!] [Congratulations! [Raimeiken] has leveled up from 14 to 15!] Nice. Proper combat really was useful, even if the combat wasn¡¯t real. This was a pretty good group as well. ----- ¡°You made the group too overpowered.¡± Chao Lingshen complained as she watched the recording of the fight. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for the teachers to help evaluate the fights and give feedback afterwards. "Or the enemy too weak," Chachamaru added fuel to the fire. ¡°Look, the enemy was already forty levels higher than any of the other groups.¡± Ku Fei complained. ¡°This was supposed to be a simple fight just to start things off, not some extreme test of skill.¡± ¡°Well, it was simple alright. It took all of what? Thirty seconds?¡± Chao checked the timer. ¡°And that¡¯s if we¡¯re starting from the time they appeared.¡± ¡°While I agree that this was supposed to be an introduction, it¡¯s supposed to be at least a little challenging.¡± Chachamaru continued piling on. She wouldn¡¯t admit it, but she was having fun. As the rest argued, Setsuna started rewinding the recording, before stopping it at place and taking the magical equivalent of screenshots of certain moments. It was Chao that noticed she was doing something a little odd. ¡°What is it, Setsuna?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet. Just¡­hear me out.¡± She pointed at the first two images where Seraphiel¡¯s weapon was surrounded by a purple glow, and in the other one, she herself seemed to be surrounded by a similar glow. "The first one is clearly some sort of weapon infusion Skill. All Knightly types get one offered eventually. The second one is likely a defensive Skill. Maybe one that improves her Strength as well." ¡°Not one Skill? It looks similar?¡± Chao asked, mostly just for argument¡¯s sake. ¡°For a non-evolved base Class? I doubt it.¡± Next, she showed another pair of images. One was of her charging in as if she had turned into a burst of psionic energy for a moment, while the other one was her striking the enemy with lightning sparking off her weapon. ¡°The first one is obvious, a psionic charge of some sort. I¡¯ve seen biotics use similar abilities, although it¡¯s pretty rare. The second one is actually similar to one of my Skills, a powerful attack Skill designed against armor or heavy hide and scales.¡± The others just nodded, and Setsuna moved on. ¡°The next one is a bit nebulous.¡± The image showed Seraphiel withstanding the enemy¡¯s attack without too much effect. ¡°The attack she defended against was fairly powerful. She must have some other defensive Skill aside from the one she used in the beginning. There¡¯s no way she could¡¯ve taken the attack without being pushed back otherwise. She simply can¡¯t have the Vitality for it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve noticed signs of her having some sort of Vitality improving Skill before.¡± Ku Fei piped up. ¡°A fairly strong one at that. ¡°Then there¡¯s this.¡± Setsuna showed the image of Seraphiel using Hoh¨­. ¡±That¡¯s a footwork Skill we¡¯ve seen her use before. Very powerful. She also had some Agility ability that helped her when she was knocked down.¡± ¡°I believe I know that one. Graceful. It¡¯s rare for someone without an evolved Class, but not unheard of.¡± Chao mentioned. ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but it doesn¡¯t quite add up. The first attack was too powerful, and her defences are too strong for her level. She also has too many Skills. Even assuming some of what we mentioned were not Class Skills, we saw her using at least six different Skills in this fight. We¡¯ve seen her use many more during normal training, and that¡¯s not counting the Skill Tax. She has to have an affinity Skill at least. I just can¡¯t figure out how all this is feasible.¡± Chao tapped the table they were all sitting around with a finger. ¡°Could some of those Skills be a single Skill that is just wide in application?¡± She asked finally. ¡°Maybe? I can¡¯t say for sure. But even then, her obvious Strength and Vitality imply supporting Skills. And they can¡¯t all be Racial or Passive Skills.¡± Setsuna wasn¡¯t sure herself what she was getting at, but she just knew this didn¡¯t make sense. ¡°An extra Class somehow?¡± Ku Fei suggested, unknowingly hitting the mark. ¡°Maybe, but even then, it¡¯s weird. Look, that monster wasn¡¯t weak, and it was almost fifty levels above her, and she took a direct hit from it without flinching. The monster should have several times more strength than she has Vitality. Even accounting for defensive techniques, that¡¯s a gap another Class shouldn¡¯t be able to bridge. There¡¯s something else.¡± Setsuna finally managed to vocalize what was bothering her. ¡°Her first attack broke the defences of an earth-aligned monster focused on defence. Now, the berserker managed the same, but his Class is focused on attack power and even he needed several strikes to get through the scales. I''m pretty sure the Path of the Seer isn''t known for their excessive attack and defence, even if she does have a different version of the Class." ¡°And this is just one more reason we should be happy she¡¯s going to be competing for us. If she¡¯s like this at level 15, then imagine her at level 100 with two Class evolutions.¡± Chachamaru said smugly. Now the others were starting to get an idea of what they were working with. ¡°There¡¯s also that.¡± Setsuna tapped an image where Seraphiel was holding a shield and taking the monster¡¯s attack. ¡°We don¡¯t have too many guardian type knights. It¡¯s become a bit of a fashion for all knights to go for more offence-oriented Classes, and we get fewer guardians every year. It''s a shame because in the beginning, a large portion of the appeal of our Pactio system was to pair guardians with mages. The combination of a striker and a mage can work too, but¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s because of the Champions.¡± Chachamaru commented. ¡°There¡¯s a very stark lack of Champions focused on defending. Especially defending others. Heck, even among the instructors, all of our original members are focused on offence or support. We had to hire trainers who could train guardians from outside. In the beginning we had plenty of knights that at least had the ability to function as guardians even if it wasn''t their main focus." ¡°Most of the guardian types tend to go to other Academies, mainly because they become Paladins or something else just as specialized. We¡¯re more of a magic academy, and faith really isn¡¯t our strongest field of expertise.¡± Chao pointed out. "Not sure if she''ll take a guardian oriented second Class either," Setsuna said, pouring cold water. "Her current Class seems to be more of a jack of all trades and just happens to go well with a shield as well. I''ve seen her pull off the striker role as well. The reason she''s been using a shield a lot is because she can see a gap in the role distribution and is taking advantage. Not so sure she¡¯ll want to commit to it with her second Class though.¡± ¡°Mmm, that issue had been a problem in earlier tournaments.¡± Chachamaru nodded thoughtfully. ¡°She can fulfil the gap for now, but she can¡¯t fulfil it for the older students. We should look into acquiring some proper guardian trainers and maybe advertise both ourselves and the role more.¡± She took down a note. ¡°Ok then. Moving on to the rest of her group¡­¡± Chapter 16 - Resort of sorts --------- [Congratulations! [Push Through] has leveled up from 14 to 15!] [Congratulations! [Hoh¨­] has leveled up from 14 to 15!] She stopped to lean on her knees as she was panting so heavily. It wasn¡¯t surprising to see both of the Skills gaining a level as she¡¯d been pushing herself hard. She was finally starting to get used to the hooves. They still didn¡¯t feel completely natural, but at least she wasn¡¯t stumbling over them anymore. She¡¯d never be as comfortable with them as normal feet, what with having spent her entire life with standard humanoid feet, but she could get to a comfortable level with hooves at least. As she straightened up, she called out to the seemingly empty forest around her. ¡°You can come out now.¡± ¡°You did quite well spotting me-de gozaru!¡± A rather tall female human dropped down from a tree behind her. The woman had a long and straight ponytail going down to almost her ankles, and two long fringes of her dark blond hair on both sides of her face. Her eyes were also closed. She was wearing a standard uniform of the academy, though without any markings to designate her as either a student or teacher. ¡°You let me sense you. A ninja can obviously hide much better if they want to.¡± Seraphiel smiled at that. ¡°Ah-ha. I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± The woman placed a finger on her lips before muttering ¡®nin-nin¡¯. It seemed that Kaede had not changed a lot. In fact, appearance-wise she hadn¡¯t changed at all. And yet it wouldn¡¯t surprise Seraphiel if Kaede was the strongest instructor at the school, aside from Evangeline herself. She¡¯d been mysterious but powerful even back when they¡¯d last seen each other. ¡°It¡¯s been a while Seraphiel.¡± The ninja stated confidently. ¡°Hah. Should¡¯ve known you¡¯d realize right away.¡± She chuckled. Kaede had always been sharp, and the ability to notice things was crucial for a good ninja. ¡°I¡¯m surprised most of the others haven¡¯t yet-de gozaru.¡± There was the quirk of her speech as well. ¡°Then again, it might be hard to put the pieces together if fed one at a time. I had the benefit of looking into you and your abilities when the others asked me to train you.¡± ¡°Train me? I¡¯m not exactly ninja material.¡± Seraphiel laughed and Kaede joined her. "No, you''re really not. You have many strengths but subtlety and stealth are not among those. No, I take some students under my wing occasionally and give them more focused training. Usually, those that show promise, and we plan on utilizing in the tournaments. Imagine that. You qualify-de gozaru." Kaede smiled and had a very pleased cat-like expression. "Then again, I probably won''t be able to teach you much. It''s not your skills that are the problem, but your Skills and level." ¡°Right. I need time, not lessons.¡± Seraphiel shrugged. ¡°Though I won¡¯t be foolish enough to think I know everything about how the System works. If you have any tips, I certainly won¡¯t dismiss them.¡± "There''s a world of difference between boosting a stat and boosting the effect of a stat," Kaede stated immediately. "One can make you unbalanced, while the other just makes you stronger without downsides. One of the most important lessons I''ve learned." "A good one, but one I already learned. Otherwise, I''d be pretty fucked." She gave a shudder. If her Gift of Permanence gave her a 1000% increase in Vitality, instead of increasing the effect, then she''d be hopelessly unbalanced. ¡°Oh? The Skills that increase effectiveness usually only become available after evolution.¡± One of Kaede¡¯s eyes opened just a smidgen. ¡°Lucky you. Anyway, I might not be able to give you much actual training, but what I can do is give you time. One of the benefits I can provide is access to Evangeline-dono¡¯s resort.¡± ¡°Wait, you mean her miniature thingy that speeds the time inside? That still works here?¡± Seraphiel was a bit shocked that it had survived the transition over to the System. ¡°It required a bit of tinkering to get working, but Evangeline-dono realized what a benefit it could be. She hasn¡¯t been able to increase the compression ratio beyond 24:1 but then again, she¡¯s not a time mage.¡± Kaede explained. "Well, that would certainly help." Seraphiel grinned. Cramming in 24 hours of training into a single real hour? What was there not to like? ¡°The usage will be limited, as it requires a lot of power to run, but still. We should find it quite useful indeed. You¡¯ll need a sparring partner closer to your level though.¡± Kaede said the last part thoughtfully. "My brother," Seraphiel stated immediately. "He''s on the team as well, so two birds with a single stone, and he''s also more advanced than his age implies. He''s also just strong enough when compared to me to force me to really push my limits." ¡°And he¡¯s your brother.¡± Kaede pointed out with a smile. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not above nepotism. But if he fits the bill¡­¡± ------- ¡°This place is amazing!¡± Raziel gushed as they looked over the resort. They¡¯d arrived at a circular platform that stood atop a tall pillar standing in the middle of a lake, connected to the resort proper by a singular stone bridge. The resort was surrounded by jungle on all sides, while a very impressive waterfall rushed down to meet the lake below. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. "Glad you like it." A single impressive-looking woman was walking over the bridge to meet them. It had been a while since Seraphiel had seen Eva''s adult form. She really did look quite impressive. She turned to Seraphiel. "It didn''t take long for you to make your way here." ¡°Hey, it wasn¡¯t my idea.¡± She shrugged defensively. ¡°True. It was Chachamaru¡¯s actually, so you should thank her.¡± She walked past them to the magical formation that would take her outside. ¡°And Seraphiel? Don¡¯t wreck my vacation home. I¡¯ll be very cross if you do.¡± She stated before disappearing. ¡°Huh. That¡¯s interesting.¡± Seraphiel commented. ¡°What is-de gozaru?¡± Kaede asked. ¡°I seem to recall that in the past you couldn¡¯t leave this place until the 24 hours were done. So back then she would¡¯ve had to leave as we came in.¡± She explained. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s how it still works. Just that the rule doesn¡¯t apply to her anymore.¡± Kaede dispelled the confusion. ¡°Fair enough. Well, we better get to it. We didn¡¯t come here to have fun.¡± They¡¯d packed for a week¡¯s stay, with their bags floating behind them, held aloft by Seraphiel¡¯s Telekinesis. The Skill had grown powerful enough to lift bags, as long as she didn¡¯t need to move them too quickly. It was also good practice. "Well, we can have a little fun at least," Kaede said. "Or at least I will. You can do as you wish, although I doubt your brother will be able to keep up. Oh, and you can use your real forms here. No need to worry about others seeing." ¡°Finally!¡± Raziel released his form with a relieved sigh, popping his wings out and flapping them a bit to get used to them. ¡°My winged combat and flying are really lagging behind.¡± ¡°How did you even manage to hide your race with your Class being a Seraph?¡± Seraphiel asked curiously. "Oh, they don''t ever need to know your exact Class and won''t push if you choose to not go into detail. Many people want to hide the specifics of their Class." Raziel said happily. "That''s partially because we don''t have to," Kaede explained. "We''ve seen pretty much everything and can identify most Classes from the Skills used during training. If someone has a special twist on a Class, then that''s their ace to keep and train." ¡°Well, at least mine seems to confuse the teachers.¡± Seraphiel pointed out. "You tend to confuse people as a general rule though," Raziel said bluntly, though didn''t mean it in a rude way, which caused Kaede to laugh again. ----- Kaede watched quietly as Seraphiel moved through her training on top of the lake. She knew that Seraphiel was creating platforms of hard light under her feet and holding them in place with telekinesis, but it looked just like the young girl was dancing on top of the water like some Nymph. Indeed, there was just something in the way the girl moved that couldn''t be imitated by the Skills granted by the system. Her every action oozed surety, smoothness, and effortless ease at which the movements were executed. Something that only came from endless experience. Only someone who''d done it a million times before could achieve the level of perfection in the simplest of movements, as Seraphiel''s spear drew images in the air and gently caressed the surface of the water. As a ninja, observational Skills and Perception were her forte, but sometimes she wondered if all her old friends were blind. Even Chachamaru, who knew the real identity of the girl, was underestimating her. They couldn''t see the forest for the trees. Seraphiel would take this universe by a storm and it likely wouldn''t take too long until the storm began. She had much the same feeling as she did as a young girl when they''d been stranded in Mundus Magicus. Excitement, anticipation, just a smidgen of fear, but most of all she was feeling like the start of an adventure. Unlike most of those she¡¯d known most of her life, she¡¯d never stopped moving forward and training, knowing there would come a time when she would need all the power and skill she could muster, and Seraphiel¡¯s reappearance was like the starting shot, letting her know things were about to get wild again. Even though they had a good thing going with the academy, she personally thought they¡¯d all need a little shakeup. The problem with a life that just went on was that you could easily become complacent. ¡°She¡¯s still going at it?¡± The girl¡¯s brother said sleepily, rubbing the remains of his rest from his eyes. ¡°Of course she is.¡± He muttered tiredly. The boy had managed to keep up with his sister admirably. Normal kids would¡¯ve given up long before, but Raziel had managed four days of hard and constant training. He was showing strength of character rarely seen in someone so young. ¡°Was there ever a question?¡± Kaede asked with a small smile. "I just can''t get how she can keep at it. I know that she has a lot of Vitality, but¡­" Raziel muttered. Kaede smiled a little again, the edge of her lips quirking up just a bit. There it was again. Even Seraphiel¡¯s brother couldn¡¯t see it. Perhaps being her brother made it harder to understand. Everyone kept forgetting there were different kinds of Angels. Most of them were similar in rank, but not all of them. How everyone couldn''t see that Seraphiel was definitely not one of the standard angels was a mystery to Kaede. She didn''t know exactly what rank Seraphiel was, but she suspected. ¡°You¡¯ll figure it out sooner or later.¡± Kaede just said mysteriously. ¡°Does look beautiful though.¡± There was nothing odd in what he said. The girl was creating a very striking picture as the morning rays of the sun reflected off the drop of water being flipped up and cut into two by the girl¡¯s spear. Kaede could move faster, and likely so could Raziel, but even then she knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to quite copy the movements. Oh, she could copy the moves themselves, but they wouldn¡¯t look the same. Not as smooth and certain. It was like every movement was a part of a well-choreographed dance. It would¡¯ve been more odd if Raziel had not thought the image gorgeous. It was always attractive to watch a true master at their craft. ¡°Ready for another stretch of training?¡± Kaede asked instead. ¡°Not sure I¡¯m fully recovered yet, but I¡¯m certainly going to give it my best.¡± Raziel nodded with more confidence than he was really feeling. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ve been doing great so far. Not many people could keep up with your sister.¡± Kaede stated honestly. Raziel truly was showing a lot of promise. He might¡¯ve been overshadowed by his sister, but he was not someone to ignore either. Given the right training, he could become a real force to be reckoned with. Funnily enough, this joint training with Seraphiel was perhaps the best kind of training for him. Kaede could already see that the boy learned a lot faster from his sister than even from her. The importance of motivation and a real connection with the trainer. It might turn out that he would be the one to actually learn most during this training, while his sister mostly needed time to develop and the opportunity to level her Skills efficiently. ------ ¡°You look absolutely knackered!¡± One of Raziel¡¯s friends commented as he and his sister entered the cafeteria. ¡°I know you said you had training today, but what the heck happened?¡± The other half of the Elven twins asked, supporting his sibling. "They had Instructor Nagase''s lessons today." His Asari friend commented as if that explained everything. ¡°Meaning what? Is she a harsh educator?¡± His Turian friend asked almost eagerly. "You didn''t know? Every time Instructor Nagase drags someone away, they return completely exhausted but also a fair bit stronger." The Asari explained, before frowning at Seraphiel. "Although his sister doesn''t seem to be affected." Raziel couldn''t help a wry smile. Of course, Sephy was practically glowing. She''d worked harder than him, and without rest at that, but she looked ready for more. In fact, she looked more refreshed than when they began. Probably the result of five levels worth of stats. It seemed Sephy really had spent her time well and time to focus on training had been well spent. Even he¡¯d leveled three times, which was a lot for a week¡¯s worth of training. Perhaps the most fun part of the whole thing had been that both of them had managed to level their winged combat, a Skill both of them had been forced to neglect in order to hide their race. He was eager to go back and level the Skill because he knew it was an important part of the Seraph Class. ¡°Are you having training with her again?¡± His Turian friend asked, obviously wanting to join them. ¡°Kaede, sorry Instructor Nagase said that we¡¯ll be doing this several times in the next few weeks.¡± He explained. Seraphiel turned towards him. ¡°Sorry brother. I think I¡¯ll take my dinner with me. I need to see a few people and then catch some sleep.¡± Raz knew she was most likely also going to train some Skills that she¡¯d been forced to ignore during the training with Kaede. The Asari looked after her, and suddenly her eyes grew large, just as Seraphiel stepped out of the cafeteria. ¡°Five levels!? What kind of training did you do? I saw you two this morning!¡± Ah, she''d used [Identify] on Sephy. Made sense. "It''s a secret. Besides, you''re the one who said Instructor Nagase''s trainees return stronger. I think they''re trying to level her quickly before the events between academies begin." Five levels was a lot, but the next time they repeated this training the effect would be lessened. Repeated training would always work, but the effects diminished as your level went up. The amount of basic training required to go up from level 1500 to 1501 was staggeringly higher than for someone at Sephy''s or even his own level. ¡°Anyway, anything interesting happen while we were gone?¡± He asked while listening to the latest gossip. Chapter 17 - Making friends ------ ¡°Evangeline.¡± The Principal of the Argus Mage Academy greeted his old rival. Four other headmasters had already gathered at the viewing platform and were sitting down in a rough circle. There were magical screens stationed in the middle, allowing them to view several of the fights at the same time. The gathering of headmasters was an eclectic mix of races, no two headmasters being from a single race. ¡°Darion. Good of you to show up.¡± Evangeline allowed a small smile on her lips. She was currently in her true form, knowing that fooling these old foxes with illusions was pointless. Besides, they knew better than to underestimate her just because of her small size. They all knew she could kill all of them if she wanted to. ¡°With the kinds of bets you were willing to make? I had to personally come and see what¡¯s going on.¡± Darion responded, getting nods of agreement and mutters of support from the other headmasters. ¡°I hear you even bet everything on a single representative. A new representative at that.¡± They had agreed on rules that allowed the Academies to use as many students as representatives as they wanted, up to a reasonable point, but Mahora had put forward only a single competitor, despite being the instigators of this impromptu event. Eva had also bet heavily on the newbie category. Unusually heavily, even for her. Something she traditionally saved for older students whose abilities were more confirmed. ¡°So I have. That¡¯s just how much confidence I have.¡± Eva told the demonic-looking man seriously. Her strategy was risky, but it was also a bait. She knew that by putting forward only a single competitor, she¡¯d be putting all her eggs in one basket, and painting a target on Seraphiel¡¯s back, but she was quite certain that the angel could take it. Besides, it was easier to get others to agree to some heavy bets when they all thought they could gang up on her and tire Seraphiel down, even if she was better than they were expecting. Just went to show they didn¡¯t know who they were dealing with. ¡°Who¡¯s up first?¡± Darion asked, as the events had already begun. He''d been fashionably late enough to skip all the pre-amble and ceremony. ¡°Eva¡¯s new prodigy versus mine.¡± An Asari matriarch spoke with a quiet voice. She looked harmless but Eva knew looks could be deceiving, especially when it came to the Asari, and the Academy she represented, which specialized in psions and biotics. It was also the newest Academy, even beating Mahora for that privilege. ¡°I¡¯m rather proud of this one. He¡¯s the son of the Champion Artanis and the High Executor Selendis. He has great potential. Still, a lot of work to bring that talent forth, but he''s going to be someone worth paying attention to in the future.¡± "We''ll see," Eva stated simply, not at all worried. She''d seen the results of Kaede''s intensive training, and Seraphiel would catch everyone by surprise. Everyone but her of course. She¡¯d long since learned not to underestimate the Angel. As the two competitors, an Angel disguised as a Draenei, and a Protoss Templar stepped into the ring, all of the headmasters almost automatically used Identify on both. ¡°Only level 35? I was expecting more with your confidence.¡± Darion commented. "Level isn''t everything," Eva said simply. Seraphiel''s opponent was actually a couple of levels higher, but Eva knew Seraphiel''s level was quite deceiving. She also knew that others her age who had reached a similar level had been helped along just like Seraphiel, or they¡¯d had more time to level up. Eva wasn¡¯t the only one with access to time-related shenanigans, and the older Academies had a lot more legacy and time to develop this sort of bullshittery. The Protoss challenger swiftly charged across the battlefield, using the signature Skill of the Templar, while slashing at Seraphiel with a pair of blades seemingly made of plasma. The charge carried great momentum and usually stunned the target, while the blades slashed with deadly precision. This time though, at the last moment Seraphiel side-stepped the charge, ignoring the stunning effect entirely due to her stupidly high Vitality. She didn¡¯t give the Protoss warrior a chance to alter his trajectory, before slamming her shield into his side, causing him to be tossed aside like a wet rag. Seraphiel knew this whole event was going to be a battle of attrition, so she wasted no time sending a potent blast of psionic energy at the Templar, and while the attack was barely held back by a sudden shield surrounding the Protoss warrior, the shield couldn¡¯t withstand the blade of crackling energy launched from Seraphiel¡¯s blade. Another shield appeared around the Protoss, this time bright red in colour, as a siren bleared, signaling the end of the match. The shield now surrounding the Protoss Templar was a safety measure that would only appear when it detected a potentially lethal attack. It would also work to disable limbs if sufficient force was applied. "You were saying?" Eva asked, reveling slightly in her victory. ¡°That¡­was rather decisive.¡± The Asari matriarch admitted, knowing when to take a step back. ¡°Why is she at your Academy though? She¡¯s clearly a psion. She should be in mine.¡± ¡°Good old nepotism. Her mother studied at Mahora and now works there.¡± Eva admitted freely. Seraphiel¡¯s mother was a rather good teacher. As expected of an Archmage. ¡°I have to admit, I was expecting a bit more from the son of a Champion.¡± Darion pointed out, his tone showing more teasing than malice. ¡°To be fair, so did I, but it seems he was caught completely by surprise. Staying power is not his forte, and when someone like that gets caught by surprise¡­well, we all saw the result. I think this will be good for him in the long term. He¡¯ll learn from this loss, which will help him improve.¡± The Asari headmaster pondered. Eva admitted that she had a point in that failure often taught you more than victory. As long as you were cognizant enough to admit to your faults instead of wasting time coming up with excuses. The participants were given some time between fights to recover. Not enough to recover completely, but a bit to keep things fair. For psions, that short time was more useful than to most due to their quick recovery, but it was impossible to keep things perfectly fair. Not that Seraphiel needed the extra help after the brief first fight. They kept a brisk pace with the matches and Seraphiel¡¯s next fight came up fairly quickly, causing Eva once again to sit up straighter as she saw her enter the field. ¡°Ah, she¡¯s one of mine.¡± Another older headmaster, from a dedicated magic Academy announced, gesturing to Seraphiel¡¯s opponent. The competitor was a mage with a mixed heritage that included at least some Elven blood. ¡°She¡¯s promising, but I must admit I brought her along mostly to gain experience. Her potential hasn¡¯t truly materialized yet.¡± ¡°This is going to be another very short fight, isn¡¯t it?¡± Darion asked in a soft mumble. ¡°Very much so.¡± Eva grinned and was soon proven right. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Seraphiel used her Psionic Charge ability to cross the arena in a moment, and the explosion of force disrupted the young mage¡¯s spellcasting by throwing her back. A frontal kick with Seraphiel¡¯s hoof first bent the mage in two, before slamming her against the arena wall, causing another red barrier to materialize. ¡°I do hope the rest will be a little more exciting.¡± Darion protested. "They should be." Another headmaster mentioned. The problem with these events always was that early rounds could be very one-sided. Even if all the participants were in some way promising, they were still new students that had little experience with duels. Some were naturally gifted in such fights, while others needed some experience before they could blossom. That was just one of the reasons why the headmasters rarely bet heavily on these matches since they tended to be so swingy. "I wouldn''t be so sure," Eva whispered. Despite the levels, this whole thing was basically Seraphiel beating on children, even if gifted ones. There would be little excitement in the fights. ------ Seraphiel noted with some satisfaction that she was gaining decent experience. Several of her Skills had already leveled up. The System tended to be rather bloodthirsty, so she had been a bit leery of the usefulness of these types of fights. They¡¯d been taught that when you killed someone, or something, of similar or higher level to yourself, you almost always gained a level with your Classes. Almost, because "similar level" could be a bit of a broad concept and there were some limits. However, sparring, even intensive sparring, was better for leveling Skills and not your Classes. Of course, your Class could go up when your Skills did, but Sparring was definitely more for leveling Skills and not the Class. Official duels like these, recognized by the System, were apparently somewhere in between since they were sort of trying to hurt and kill each other, even if it didn¡¯t really stick. It made sense when you thought about it for a moment. When you killed someone of equal level, you theoretically killed someone of equal power, and it was an achievement rewarded by the System. Sparring on the other hand was done for the express purpose of training, so it made more sense for the experience to go towards Skills used instead. It also gave you some direction. If your Skill growth was hampered by your level, as was somewhat the case for her as most of her Skills were close to being capped, then going on a murder spree would fix the problem. Preferably murdering enemies and not random people of course. On the other hand, if your Skills were lagging behind your level, training and sparring would be the way to go. All of that didn''t take into consideration that doing activities related to your Class was also very effective at leveling said Class, and for some Classes that included sparring. She¡¯d already defeated four opponents, and it might have been because the fights had been so short and easy that she hadn¡¯t gained a level yet, showing the difference in efficiency to what would¡¯ve happened had she killed her opponents. In that case, she¡¯d be four levels higher now. Instead, she sensed she was just about to level for the first time when she was brought back to the arena. This time her opponent was another shield user, who looked a lot like a Knight in training. Which basically meant Squire just like she was an Acolyte/Apprentice. The young man also had some holy symbols on his armor, implying perhaps a Paladin-related Class. The man was a fairly stocky Human of some sort. Humans came in all sorts of varieties with all the other universes spilling over, and not all of them were the same, but they roughly fit a similar mold. Apparently, he¡¯d gotten some instructions from his teachers, as he immediately applied some sort of glowing defensive shield that seemed sturdy enough to stop any surprise attacks. Well, she had charged three of her four opponents, and the first one had charged her, so her pattern so far was rather predictable. Time to mix things up. She slipped her own shield on her back and pointed both hands towards the Knight slowly approaching her. She channeled a powerful Destructor with both hands and instead of just stopping, she kept channeling, the psionic explosions were being boosted by both her Affinity and Electrokinesis Skills, and they kept rocking the poor Knight where he stood, making approaching her impossible, as the golden shield started cracking. A rather powerful defence. She really wanted to get the evolution for her Class, as she knew Destructor was one of the Skills most likely to evolve, and she already suspected what it would evolve into. The upgrade would be rather significant. She also really wished her Kid¨­ Skill had been higher, which would allow her to use higher levels of the Kid¨­ spells to break such shields. The lower-ranked spells were effective, but a bit too one note. The drain on her Psi reserves as she kept channeling was rather heavy, but the attack was quite effective, and she didn¡¯t need to worry too much about draining herself as she¡¯d recover before the next fight anyway. The Knight sent a desperate final attack at her, in the form of a flying golden hammer, which spun through the air at her. She could¡¯ve taken the attack, or blocked it with another Skill, but why bother? She preferred to take this opportunity to instead show the Knight why mobility Skills were so important, and she suddenly flashed past him, appearing on the opposite side of the arena, having slashed him in the back with a blade of light, and causing the red shield to appear again. She rather liked the red shields. They allowed her to go all out without worry. Because it was a System enforced security measure, it also took into consideration her Gift of Permanence, meaning it would be very hard to cause the shield to trigger in her case, and it didn¡¯t require her to reveal her Skills to anyone. [Congratulations! [Path of the Seer] has leveled up from 35 to 36! Free Stat Points +60.] [Congratulations! [Celestial] has leveled up from 35 to 36! Strength +10, Vitality +10, Agility +10, Perception +10, Charisma +10, Willpower +10, Manipulation +10, Acumen +10, Free Stat Points +20.] [Congratulations! [Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi] has leveled up from 35 to 36! Strength +5, Vitality +5, Agility +10, Perception +10, Psionic Power +5, Psionic Control +10, Tolerance +5, Psi +5, Free Stat Points: +25] Ah. There it was. The levels she''d been expecting. And no Skill improvements, unlike when sparring. Even if she had expected it, she had at least thought Destructor might level up. Oh well. Her stats were becoming kind of bonkers for her level. She probably had more than double the stats of another person who matched her in levels. And a better base as a Celestial. It showed in how easy the fights were. Wonder how long it would take until the other Academies protested and demanded she be moved to a higher bracket¡­ ------- ¡°This is getting ridiculous.¡± Even Darion protested, letting a bit of his Eredar temper slip through. ¡°She¡¯s clearly much stronger than her level implies. Somehow.¡± The Knight had been one of his. One that he¡¯d had high hopes for, as the boy had a special Hybrid Class that granted holy abilities without being a Paladin. A B-ranked Class to be precise, and the boy was a hard worker. It wasn¡¯t the loss that rankled him, but the ease at which Eva¡¯s student seemed to have won. "You can all just give up." Eva pointed out, and to her surprise, the other headmasters actually seriously considered the suggestion. Normally they''d let the students fight it out for the experience anyway, but she had to admit that no one was getting any useful experience as things were. They were more likely to get demoralized after being beaten so easily. ¡°I think just giving up would be a waste, but how about we at least change the format a little bit? That way Eva can still have her victory but at least our students can benefit as well.¡± An older Minotaur Warlock suggested. His fur had started turning grey despite his level, which went to show just how old the Minotaur was. ¡°Our friend from Nighon has a point.¡± The Asari concurred. ¡°We¡¯re going to need a bit of time to alter the array though.¡± "Fine by me." Eva gestured with her hand carelessly. She had the utmost confidence in Seraphiel. ------ Somehow Seraphiel wasn¡¯t surprised when all of the newbie competitors were suddenly pulled out of the array and brought together with the instructions to spend the next hour however they saw fit. It would¡¯ve been a bit unethical to let her keep slaughtering the other newbies. Many of those she had beaten gave her wary and slightly fearful glances before taking their distance, but two directly approached her. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Tassadar.¡± The Protoss she¡¯d defeated in the first fight introduced himself with a cheery tone. Unusually cheery in fact. ¡°Tassadar? Were you named after¡­?¡± The bulky Human man asked. ¡°After the same Tassadar our warriors call out when going to battle? Yes. My parents were apparently that Tassadar¡¯s students. I just hope to live up to the name.¡± The oddly social Protoss explained without a hint of hesitation. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± He asked both Seraphiel and the Human. ¡°Titus Rivendare.¡± The human muttered. ¡°And yes, also named after someone, though perhaps someone less esteemed.¡± ¡°Seraphia.¡± She replied with a smile. She¡¯d actually known the original Rivendare. Assuming there hadn¡¯t been another one with the same name after her disappearance, of course. "Aah, we all bear the same curse then." Titus of course made the connection immediately, assuming she had been named after her old personality as the Draenei Paladin, which wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go with that.¡± She decided to play along. The idea of being saddled with being named after herself was kind of funny to her. ¡°So, either of you know what¡¯s going on?¡± Tassadar asked curiously. Titus just pointed at her. ¡°She¡¯s smashing the competition a bit too thoroughly. I was her latest victim.¡± ¡°Saying you are a victim is a bit harsh.¡± She laughed. Not untrue though. "Not wrong though," Titus grumbled echoing her thoughts. ¡°I have no idea how, but you¡¯re way out of the rest of our league. Turned the whole event silly.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that just cause us to have something to aim for?¡± Tassadar asked. ¡°The same with our names. I view it as something to strive for, as a long-term goal.¡± He pointed at her. ¡°She¡¯s a more shorter-term goal.¡± She made a mocking bow with a flourish. ¡°A healthy attitude, though I think you might want to focus on being the best version of yourself instead of striving for someone else.¡± ¡°Oh, that too. But having a goal is a good motivator.¡± The Protoss argued cheerily. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to imitate you or my namesake, just to get to your level.¡± ¡°Also, it¡¯s more because of the others. The teachers don¡¯t want her traumatizing them, thinking that they should expect to face people like her if they keep competing.¡± Titus interjected. ¡°I mean, they kind of should.¡± She shrugged instead. ¡°I might be out of the ordinary, but I¡¯m not the only one. That¡¯s something everyone¡¯s just going to have to deal with.¡± ¡°Girl, I¡¯m out of the ordinary. You¡¯re just plain scary.¡± Titus scoffed. ¡°Anyway, they¡¯re changing things so that everyone will get something out of this instead of her just crushing everyone. Likely into something where we fight monsters or something.¡± "Well, that should be fun too," Tassadar stated cheerily. Seraphiel rather liked his attitude. As it turned out, Titus was quite accurate in his predictions. Chapter 18 - Sucess and failure -------- This was fun! Seraphiel was enjoying the new format they¡¯d shifted into quite a bit, as shown by the grin on her face. Beasts of different types spawned to attack her at regular intervals, with the waves of beasts getting larger and more dangerous every wave. If she didn¡¯t kill them fast enough, she risked getting overwhelmed, while killing them fast enough gave her a bit of time to recover between waves. On the other hand, going all out risked tiring her faster, at least in theory. In practice, these beasts she was currently facing weren¡¯t yet dangerous enough to really push her. She quickly dodged a hail of spikes from some sort of a Quillboar, before decapitating a wolf that she¡¯d slammed to the ground with her shield just before. Another hail of spikes from a different Quillboar forced her to duck behind her shield. The beasts weren¡¯t all that accurate, but they launched several spikes in every volley, saturating the area with shots when enough of the beasts gathered. A small number of glowing weapons of light appeared above her head and were launched at the Quillboars with her Telekinesis. The beasts screamed in pain before succumbing as her Telekinetic force twisted the weapons inside them for extra effect. She had to admit that she really enjoyed finally having her Telekinesis at a high enough level to be useful. It was one of her oldest and most important abilities, and it had been annoying to have her most common tool turned useless. Hard training was finally paying off. Just levitating things could be handy, but the real use of Telekinesis was in throwing things at your enemy. At first small and sharp things, and later on large and heavy things. Finally, once you had enough power, you could just crush your enemy with the power itself. Another wolf jumped at her, trying to chew off her face, but her armor easily withstood the claws of the canine while she shoved the wolf away before its maw could reach her. A quick thrust with her sword finished the last beast off, giving her a bit of breathing room, and a chance to read her announcements. [Congratulations! [Boring Armor] has leveled up from 20 to 21!] [Congratulations! [Telekinesis] has leveled up from 35 to 36!] Not a whole lot, but she''d been checking her announcements between every fight. She was a bit torn on her armor Skill. While it wasn''t detrimental that it leveled up, it was also kind of pointless. The System was clearly pushing her to pick another armor Skill later on, so any levels into this Skill would be lost. Unless she somehow managed to evolve this Skill into a new one. Was that even possible? Her thoughts were interrupted as three bears suddenly appeared at the edge of the small clearing she was fighting in. The treeline was marking the borders of the space she was working with. Despite looking like normal bears, she knew better than to assume that to be true, and was proven right when the lead bear suddenly breathed fire at her! A quick barrier deflected the relatively weak fire attack, but it was a good example of why she needed to stay careful. Fire-breathing bears! What next? Bunnies with the spatial element? ------- "So, who came up with the space bunnies?" Eva asked as the remaining contestants had to deal with murderous bunnies teleporting everywhere. Some of the more magic-oriented contestants found out the hard way that the horns on top of the bunnies'' heads were quite sharp. You should never judge a book by its cover. ¡°I did.¡± The Asari headmaster admitted. ¡°I wanted to originally make them gravity manipulating, but I was overruled.¡± ¡°You have to admit they¡¯re more effective this way.¡± Darion pointed out. ¡°Against mages, yes. Gravity manipulation would¡¯ve been more effective against the martial types with their heavy armor.¡± The Asari headmaster grumbled. "Yes, but that''s why we added the Salamanders that cast a spell that heats up all your metal equipment.¡± Darion pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s not fair to only kick at the martial types. Mages already have an advantage when it comes to crowd clearing.¡± ¡°True enough. And it is important to target the weakness of every Class just to train them to deal with their weakness.¡± Another headmaster pointed out. ¡°Assuming they have weaknesses.¡± The Minotaur warlock grumbled, watching Seraphia happily slaughter her way through all the beasts that were steadily getting more dangerous and numerous. Unlike the others, she still didn¡¯t have any trouble fully clearing every wave before another one appeared. ¡°Everyone has weaknesses. Hers are just less obvious. And you shouldn¡¯t complain. You all knew she was going to win anyway, despite the change in format. The others are still managing to hang on, and she was trashing them before, so of course she¡¯s fine.¡± Eva pointed out coldly. "Is she as good at obstacle course-type gauntlets?" The Asari asked curiously. ¡°Judging from her movement Skills so far, she¡¯s even better. It¡¯s also obvious that her effective Vitality is very high, so she should have no stamina issues.¡± Darion answered in Eva¡¯s stead. ¡°Let¡¯s just hope we can win back some of our wagers in the other categories.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t hold my breath. I made almost all of my bets in the newbie category. You¡¯ll get the standard rewards if you manage to win, but nothing extra.¡± Eva chuckled. She was going to exploit Seraphiel for benefits as long as possible. Luckily there were plenty of Academies she could still scam. "Ah. There goes the last contestant aside from yours Eva. You''re now officially the victor. Want me to turn the array off right away?" The Minotaur headmaster present asked. "Let her deal with this last wave just to make a point and then stop. As nice as this is as an experience for her, we do have other categories to get to.¡± Eva decided, watching Seraphiel take down a large, red-skinned demon that was swinging around a rather nasty-looking sword, before taking the charge of a clawed insectoid monster that was larger than a car, without flinching. The girl really had a lot of Vitality, didn''t she? It would be a real shame if she didn''t choose a Guardian-type Class next. She was the perfect tank. -------- ¡°Hmm?¡± The feeling as she killed the Bloodletter demon was different. As if she¡¯d killed something real instead of just an illusion. Well, as real as the chaos demons ever could be, since they were all manifestations of emotions. It wouldn¡¯t surprise her if Tzeentch had somehow managed to sneak in real demons into to mix, and she was quite certain the god would be present in this universe. A place like this would be perfect for the Changer of Ways, or the Great Schemer as he used to be called by the Aeldari. The irony of it being a Khorne demon was not lost on her, as Khorne would never do anything duplicitous like this. It wasn¡¯t really a danger for her, as long as there would be no other such demons. Still, she should probably mention it to Eva once she got the chance. Facing a real Bloodthirster at this level would be kind of foolish. Tanking the thing that looked a bit like a larger Hormagaunt didn¡¯t even interrupt her thoughts. She¡¯d killed so many of the things in the past that she¡¯d become entirely numb to the fact. Besides, without the benefit of the Hive Mind, these wannabee Hormagaunts weren¡¯t even half as dangerous. The creature was borderline mindless, and it didn¡¯t have the advantages or support of actual Tyranids. As the battle came to an end, she allowed the notifications to pop up again. [Congratulations! [Path of the Seer] has leveled up from 37 to 38! Free Stat Points +60.] [Congratulations! [Celestial] has leveled up from 37 to 38! Strength +10, Vitality +10, Agility +10, Perception +10, Charisma +10, Willpower +10, Manipulation +10, Acumen +10, Free Stat Points +20.] [Congratulations! [Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi] has leveled up from 37 to 38! Strength +5, Vitality +5, Agility +10, Perception +10, Psionic Power +5, Psionic Control +10, Tolerance +5, Psi +5, Free Stat Points: +25] Phew! She was getting closer to the first Class evolution. Only twelve more levels to go. Instead of the next wave, she was brought out of the array. She saw the other contestants resting around, apparently having been defeated before she had been brought out. ¡°Seraphia!¡± Tassadar called out. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be defeated so soon after me.¡± "I wasn''t. Apparently, the headmasters decided that there was no point in continuing further." She said simply and shrugged. ¡°A shame. It was a pretty decent way to get levels. I¡¯m going to need to train some of my Skills now, and I imagine you¡¯re the same, but getting a couple more levels would¡¯ve been handy.¡± The young Protoss commiserated. ¡°These kinds of arrays aren¡¯t cheap to run.¡± Titus defended the headmaster as he walked to them as well. For some reason, he hadn''t approached Tassadar but had joined them when Seraphia had arrived. "Besides, the older students need to take part in the competition as well." ¡°It¡¯s fair enough. I¡¯ve gained three levels in this event. Not bad for a single day¡¯s work.¡± She smiled at the easy levels. ¡°Three isn¡¯t bad, though I would¡¯ve expected more with you winning every fight.¡± Titus pointed out. ¡°Well, my fights tended to be short, so I was probably penalized a bit for that when it comes to experience." She didn''t mind it. As her [Been There, Done That] leveled up, her experience gains would also increase. She was already getting a 108% increase in speed of gaining levels, which meant double. While others would slow down when their levels increased, she wouldn''t have that problem. Or at least not to the same extent. ¡°When do you think they¡¯ll have another competition?¡± Tassadar asked eagerly, his rather loud voice gaining groans from the other participants. "Not too soon I fear." Titus speculated. "Our academies will likely want to avoid having this disaster repeated, while Seraphia''s academy will try to challenge others, but word will spread. You won''t have it quite as easy in the future." The last part was directed at Seraphiel. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way. No offense of course, but I would prefer a bit of challenge.¡± Seraphia stated bluntly. More challenge meant more levels both to her Skills and Classes. "Harsh," Titus grunted. ¡°But not untrue.¡± Tassadar cheerily admitted. ¡°I hope to have a rematch soon!¡± "On that note, pass the word around. I think one of the demons I fought might have been less illusion-y than it should''ve been. It would be just like Tzeentch to sneak in real demons." She didn''t forget to give the warning. ---------- ¡°Nice work.¡± Eva complimented everyone with a toothy smile as the team piled into the airship that would be bringing them back to Mahora. ¡°Especially you Seraphia. Everyone did well, but you just earned us a lot of favours.¡± ¡°That¡¯s been bothering me for a while. What exactly did we gain from this? I¡¯m not sure of the economics between academies. What do you bet with?¡± Seraphia asked. "Mostly materials needed for Class evolution. You know only Core Worlds have the necessary materials, yeah? Well, it''s rather logical that academies would have a constant need for those materials. Even if the materials for the first evolution are widely available, the materials for future evolutions become exponentially more expensive and rare. Our instructors also need to evolve their Classes as well. We also bet on rare materials that can be used to create and power arrays and effects that influence the whole academy.¡± Eva replied while lounging back in a large, almost throne-like chair. That was something she¡¯d forgotten about. Class evolutions required materials. As Eva had mentioned, the first evolution was easy, and the materials could be found in most worlds, or at least could be easily traded for even if that wasn¡¯t the case. Her deal with Eva included having said materials provided, so she didn¡¯t need to worry for now, but it would become an issue in the future after the academy. The rest of the participants were also listening in, even if they weren¡¯t really paying as much attention as this was likely familiar to them. ¡°How are you able to leave the academy by the way?¡± Seraphiel asked Eva sneakily. The Shinso Vampire just gave a shudder and shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t ask.¡± As the trip was going to take a while, Seraphiel and Raziel decided to withdraw to a more private corner of the vessel. "Don''t mind it, Raz. That mage was almost fifty levels higher than you." She commiserated her brother for his loss. Raziel looked torn. ¡°It¡¯s not¡­you could¡¯ve beaten someone fifty levels above you. And I lost because I made a mistake.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± She made a non-committal sound. ¡°I might have been able to defeat someone fifty levels above me. Not everyone though. There¡¯s an issue of compatibility.¡± She didn¡¯t dismiss his issue entirely, just added a caveat. ¡°And I should¡¯ve been able to win that fight. I just walked straight into his trap.¡± Raz was genuinely upset at his loss it seemed. "Maybe. Yes, you played right into his hands, but he had a good plan. You didn''t. He had clearly seen you fight before, or at least he had a plan ready to use against someone like you, implying he had practiced against someone similar. There were things you could''ve done, true, but when two people fight and one has a good plan, while the other one doesn''t¡­well we saw the result. You''re much younger than him, and you''ve been mostly practicing against me lately. While that''s been good training in general, it hasn''t really taught you how to fight different opponents." She analysed the situation. "You learn from this and move on. That''s the important part. Remember that these are supposed to be the best of each academy.¡± Raziel shook his head a bit. ¡°I know. I just¡­wanted to do better in our first tournament together.¡± She pulled her brother in for a hug. ¡°I¡¯ll always be proud of you. You know that.¡± She reassured him. ¡°I know.¡± He mumbled, and his voice implied he actually believed his own words, even if they weren¡¯t enough for now. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you too. Always.¡± ------ Chapter 19 - Class evolution -------- ¡°Done! Move! Move!¡± The newbie Asari student shouted while already dashing for the next objective. The path to the objective was filled with obstacles and dangers. None of the obstacles were dangerous by themselves, but they had to cross the path as quickly as possible and didn''t have the luxury of taking things carefully. And even if the obstacles were not enough to hurt, they were enough to slow them down. Combine this with the local inhibition against movement techniques, and it had the makings of a pretty decent gauntlet. That didn¡¯t stop the duo from dashing through. As they reached the next objective, the Asari went for the stone stele used to give hints, while Seraphiel took a protective position. Every time they reached an objective, the danger would be different, and this time bolts of fire started raining on them from all sides. ¡°Fujin!¡± Seraphiel called out quickly and made a couple of gestures and a green barrier suddenly surrounded them, intercepting all the flaming projectiles. Thanks to her Shiten Kekkai Skill, the barrier was a lot sturdier than it seemed at first glance. ¡°We need to light the braziers around the platform!¡± The Asari called out. All the objectives provided potential solutions, and even those without any fire-related Skills could use the fire bolts raining on them to light the braziers. The two of them didn¡¯t have to though, as Seraphiel just waved a hand, igniting all seven braziers at the same time with Pyrokinesis. ¡°Done!¡± She called out and they dashed forward with her partner. The other schools had quickly realized that defeating her alone was too difficult, so they decided to focus the newbie events on team events instead. Unfortunately for the other schools, it wasn¡¯t like the other students at Mahora were bad, and her versatility covered for any gaps. The other schools didn¡¯t lose quite so badly anymore, but they still lost. The klaxon sounded, signaling the end of the gauntlet. They would find out the results later, as if there was any doubt. [Congratulations! [Path of the Seer] has leveled up from 49 to 50! Free Stat Points +60.] [Congratulations! [Kid¨­] has leveled up from 48 to 50!] [Congratulations! [Pyrokinesis] has leveled up from 46 to 47!] [Congratulations! [Psionic Affinity] has leveled up from 49 to 50!] [Congratulations! [Telekinesis] has leveled up from 49 to 50!] [Congratulations! [Electrokinesis] has leveled up from 49 to 50!] [Congratulations! [Psionic Infusion] has leveled up from 49 to 50!] [Congratulations! [Fortify] has leveled up from 49 to 50!] [Congratulations! [Destructor] has leveled up from 49 to 50!] [Congratulations! [Danger Sense] has leveled up from 49 to 50!] Ooh, finally her other Class hit the level 50 as well. The benefit of having almost all of your Skills capped was that they would often level up as soon as the Class did. Now both of her Classes had reached level 50, meaning she could evolve them when she had some time. Most of her Skills were also capped. She wasn''t sure if that was important, but she wasn''t taking any chances. She didn''t want to miss out on evolving her most important Skills just because she hadn''t been thorough enough. ¡°Good work.¡± Tynas, her Asari partner commended. ¡°As usual.¡± ¡°You too. We made a good team.¡± Seraphiel returned the compliment. The Asari stood a little straighter, knowing Seraphiel wasn¡¯t just saying that. They had worked together on three events before and knew neither of them was the type to give empty praise. ¡°I see you finally reached the point of Class evolution. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re eager to get to it.¡± Tynas smiled knowingly. "Don''t mind if I do." They had been returned to the waiting room, and Tynas took a bit of distance to leave her to it, while Seraphiel accepted the prompt in her head asking if she wanted to start her Class evolution. ------ ¡°Sister!¡± Lucifer greeted her exactly the same, and it seemed the place was the same as well, a swanky penthouse. He was in the middle of mixing drinks behind the bar. ¡°Luci.¡± She nodded while shrugging her shoulders and stretching a bit. It felt good to be back in her old body, even if only briefly. She slid down on one of the sofas and allowed herself to relax. ¡°I noticed that you ran into some old acquaintances.¡± The System wearing her brother¡¯s face smiled in a sneaky way while walking back around the bar before sitting down across from her. ¡°What of it?¡± She asked. ¡°Well, nothing to get all that guarded about!¡± He said with a chiding tone. ¡°I just wanted to point out that this would only become more common as you go up in level. I can¡¯t share too many details mind you, but¡­¡± He made a ¡®figure it out for yourself¡¯-gesture. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be too shocked if some of my old friends were among the Champions.¡± She realized straight away. "Got it in one." He pointed at her with a finger while holding a glass of something alcoholic in the same hand. He pushed a glass of an old favourite of hers towards her, and she didn¡¯t bother declining. ¡°Well, I already heard about Shepard and Negi, so¡­¡± She shrugged while taking a sip. Luci had the best drinks. ¡°On that note.¡± He leaned forward. ¡°You know I would never judge. In fact, I¡¯m downright proud. But you do remember that you¡¯ve been involved with more than one of them.¡± He looked more concerned than anything, though he smirked a little at the word ¡®involved¡¯. ¡°Eh, it has been ages for them. They¡¯ve moved on.¡± She dismissed the concern. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure, but suit yourself. Just pointing it out.¡± He didn¡¯t push, but his tone made it clear he wasn¡¯t quite so convinced. ¡°How are things for you?¡± She asked sneakily, changing the subject. ¡°What do you mean?¡± He asked, looking a bit flummoxed. "Well, the downside of taking my brother''s appearance is that I can read all his tells. I know you have some kind of plan going on with all this, and since I¡¯m involved, I¡¯d like to know how those plans are going.¡± She grinned at his shocked face. ¡°Calling them plans is a bit grandiose, but I do have some ideas about how to benefit from the situation. I should probably tell you that the gods are already aware of your presence. Oh, my apologies, I should be more specific. They¡¯re aware that there¡¯s an extra Champion, but they don¡¯t yet know it¡¯s you, or who you really are.¡± Luci revealed. ¡°I assume they¡¯re just as unaware of who summoned me?¡± She got a confirming nod. ¡°Well, I suppose it¡¯s only a matter of time before they find out. Am I likely to face some kind of backlash?¡± "From the gods? No. Everyone is free to summon whomever they wish as a Champion, and just because your summoner is unknown, that doesn''t change that you''re a legitimate Champion. Now, if your real identity becomes common knowledge, some of your old enemies might aim for you, but it''s not quite as simple as one of the top-level Champions just wandering over and murdering you. That''s just not done. Anyone trying something like that would have a real rebellion on their hands as it goes against the very fabric of how things are done in this universe. That''s not to say they can''t create trouble though." Luci warned her. "Also, you''ll start to run into low-tier Champions around the time you hit your third Class evolution." She frowned. ¡°That reminds me. What¡¯s the difference between the Champion tiers? I know it has to do with power, but how are they divided?¡± "Well, generally same tier Champions are pitted against each other. Low-tier Champions are those freshly summoned and don''t have enough power right out of the gate, or not summoned at all. People born in universe, so to speak, selected by gods that aren''t powerful enough to summon their own Champions. Mid-tier Champions covers the vast majority of Champions, while high-tier Champions are those that clearly have power vastly greater than most others. These are usually the ones that lead their god and people into dominant positions for long periods of time." ¡°Alright. Seems clear enough.¡± She nodded. ¡°Now, you¡¯re here for Class Evolution. I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re happy with your current Classes and don¡¯t want to reset either one of them?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m happy with the two. Well, happy as I can be. It¡¯s a bit challenging to use some of my old Skills.¡± She complained a bit. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The higher level they become, the more they will start to feel familiar again.¡± He pulled out a deck of cards again. ¡°Since your first Class only has one upgrade, let¡¯s get that out of the way first.¡± He pulled a card from the deck and tossed it to her. On the card were details of her new and evolved Class. [Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi ¨C Ronin ¨C Rank SS-??? Elements: Void, Time, Destruction, Hard-Light - Stat Classification: Psionic. A school of swordsmanship originally created to combat magic users and demons. The original style has been improved and perfected upon by a being that has slayed gods to be more widely applicable. Stats: Strength 10, Vitality 10, Agility 20, Perception 20, Psionic Power 10, Psionic Control 20, Tolerance 10, Psi 10, Free Stat Points: 50] The Class was a straight upgrade, with the earned stats doubled. ¡°I assume this doubling of stats is normal?¡± Details on Class evolutions were relatively sparse, as talking about the process was taboo. ¡°Yes. Every time a Class evolves, the stats earned double, assuming the Class doesn¡¯t evolve in rank of course. But you already knew that sister. Here¡¯s the fun part. Your Skills can now evolve as well.¡± Luci told her with a happy smile. She took another sip of her drink. ¡°All of them?¡± "In your case? Yes. In most cases, the Skills you can evolve depending on the rank of your Class and your achievements with those Skills, but since I''m taking into consideration your past achievements¡­" Lucifer gestured vaguely. ¡°That said, most of the Skills in this Class are already refined versions of what you¡¯ve learned from other techniques, so the changes won¡¯t be major. Again, you¡¯re somewhat limited by your level, so don¡¯t expect to get a Skill to quench stars.¡± ¡°So that leaves me with¡­what exactly?¡± She asked. ¡°Well, for this Class? Mostly just straight upgrades to your existing Skills, unless you want to make some radical changes. This is also why I wanted to get this one out of the way first, as it¡¯s the more boring option. Look at the card again.¡± He told her. She did and noticed the details on the Skills altering a bit. [Hard Light Creation] was now [Hard Light Mastery], [Kid¨­] had become [Advanced Kid¨­] that allowed chant shortening and elimination, which would make the Skill a lot more useful. [Psionic Charge] had become [Psionic Nova Charge] which greatly increased the explosive power released and the range at which the explosion happened in exchange for increased psionic power and tolerance cost. [Psionic Focus] had become [Advanced Psionic Focus] which doubled the bonus. The other Skills were largely the same, but just stronger. "This feels a little underwhelming. Aside from the double stats of course." She admitted. ¡°That¡¯s largely because the Class is already so refined, and I might have stretched the rules just a tad when I allowed you to get the abilities to cut almost all types of power and spells. The other Class will be much more interesting. That said, it is common that when the Class Skills don¡¯t need to evolve too much, the focus is put on General and Social Skills instead. So, I¡¯ll allow you to evolve three of those.¡± Luci rubbed his hands together, bringing out another card from the deck, which listed her current Skills and the possible evolutions. One she picked out immediately. [Magic Sense] got evolved into [Magic Sight], allowing her to see all magic instead of just sensing it. It would make cutting spells much easier. Another one made her look at Lucifer with a raised eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re really driving this skimpy armor thing.¡± That caused him to burst out in laughter. ¡°It¡¯s not me, though I must admit that my current embodiment really enjoys the possibilities and teasing you. This one is all on the gods I¡¯m afraid. They¡¯re pervy bastards, the lot of them. The rule about skimpy armours being better is so fundamental that I would be remiss if I didn¡¯t make a point of offering the Skills to you.¡± ¡°You do realize that my body outside is still that of a young teen. It would be wrong on so many levels.¡± She shot back. He chuckled again. ¡°I know, but we both know you¡¯ll fill out rather quickly, and it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have the Skill ready. Now that being said, you can safely assume that I¡¯ll keep offering those Skills to you even without evolution, so I only offered it to make a point.¡± ¡°Well, the fact that I still haven¡¯t filled out all my Social Skill slots is now coming to bite me.¡± She complained a bit. ¡°Believe it or not, that¡¯s not exactly rare among the long-lived races. Most of the Social Skills people really use tend to only come out with enough age and maturity. Or with certain Classes and professions. If you were working at a more social job like a waiter, you¡¯d get offered related Skills. But since you¡¯ve been stuck training your entire life so far¡­¡± Luci rolled his eyes. ¡°Who would believe me if I told the others that you of all people have become almost a shut-in.¡± ¡°Hey! What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± She demanded. ¡°Face it, sister. You¡¯re almost as bad as I am.¡± Luci pointed out remorselessly. ¡°Not that. I know that! I mean the part about shut-in. I have friends. I go out.¡± She said defensively, realizing her words were empty and hollow as she said them. ¡°Do you? Most of your ¡®friends¡¯ are just your brother¡¯s friends, and no, you don¡¯t go out. You haven¡¯t done anything just for pleasure since arriving at Mahora. Literally nothing, except training. Now, it¡¯s great that you enjoy training, but there needs to be some limits. Even the few times you¡¯ve gone to the shops or the caf¨¦s, it has been for business and to see how your old acquaintances react to your presence, not really pleasure.¡± She couldn¡¯t really deny it. ¡°Let¡¯s combine On the Wings of Angels and Winged Combat. It¡¯s hard to train either currently, and it¡¯ll free a General Skill slot.¡± She changed the subject instead. The two Skills combined and took the average Skill level between them. ¡°Coward. And fine. Not the choice I would¡¯ve made, but something I can see working out in the long term.¡± Luci stated. ¡°One more.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s upgrade [Weapon Arts] to [Weapon King Arts].¡± The upgrade was a simple percentage upgrade, making all her weapon usage more effective. Not exciting, but effective System-wise. ¡°Excellent! Now for the interesting part. You have some choices to make.¡± He flipped three cards her way, each representing a potential choice. [Path of the Seer ¨C Acolyte Warlock ¨C Rank A-??? Elements: Varied - Stat Classification: Psionic. Warlocks are the warriors among the Seers, using their powers to enhance themselves in combat and relying on their specially crafted Witchblades and powerful offensive powers to quickly defeat their enemies. Stats: Free Stat Points: 120] [Path of the Seer ¨C Acolyte Farseer ¨C Rank S-??? Elements: Varied - Stat Classification: Psionic. Farseers are most often known for their psychic powers. They can see the future and manipulate events so that they most suit their future, as well as conjure storms of lethal power. To become a Farseer the most common way was that a Warlock that got lost to the Path of the Seer the same way as the Exarchs are wed eternally to the Path of the Warrior. Stats: Free Stat Points: 140] [Path of the Seer ¨C Acolyte Spiritseer ¨C Rank A-??? Elements: Varied - Stat Classification: Psionic. Spiritseers specialize in supporting their kind on the battlefield in a myriad of ways. Stats: Free Stat Points: 120] ¡°This isn¡¯t a real choice.¡± She pushed back the cards for Warlock and Spiritseer. She had been a Farseer before, and she¡¯d be one again, even if it had been the worst choice. That it was also the most powerful was just the cherry on top of the cake. ¡°I know. The choice had to be presented though. Now, for evolving your Skills¡­¡± Lucifer didn¡¯t get far until she interrupted him. ¡°I want to combine Electrokinesis and Pyrokinesis to Energy Control. I want to evolve Destructor to Psionic Storm. I want to evolve Danger Sense to Precognition. I want to evolve Psionic Shroud to Conceal. If I can, I¡¯d like the other Skills to become stronger versions of what they already are.¡± She listed off. ¡°You¡¯ve given this some thought.¡± Luci laughed. ¡°Well, these are the powers I know best, and I know what I can get away with.¡± She stated firmly. ¡°Right you are. Let¡¯s go with it then. May you enjoy your new toys.¡± Luci grinned and suddenly Seraphiel found herself back in the waiting room with her Asari teammate. Chapter 20 - Past and Future ------- She felt whole again! As she walked from training towards the cafeteria, several large stones spun around her in complex patterns. What a wonderful difference a simple word made. The difference between [Telekinesis] and [Advanced Telekinesis] was enormous. In hindsight, the first one was a toy. The latter one could be used as a real weapon. She hadn¡¯t even realized how much she had been struggling with simple things like this, trying to just brute-force them with enough Power and Control, when in reality what had been necessary was for the Skill to evolve. She¡¯d been fooled by the fact that some of her Skills already functioned well as is, but Telekinesis just wasn¡¯t one of them. [Energy Control] was another such Skill. Electrokinesis had been somewhat useful and had allowed her to control lightning to a certain extent, but the undeniable fact was that the Skill had mostly been used to boost her [Destructor] to become more powerful. Now she could achieve the effect of [Destructor] with just [Energy Control], though in return [Destructor] had evolved into a wide area Skill called [Psionic Storm]. That was the difference between general Skills and specific abilities like [Destructor]. The Specific abilities achieved the power of an evolved Skill but were narrowly tailored. She also got a stark reminder of why evolving Classes was so important to people. Her two Classes being so strong from the very beginning had hidden that point to some extent as many of her Skills were already so strong, but now she had been reminded. That and the double stats of course. Her self-reflection was cut short as another student approached her. ¡°Student Seraphia?¡± The older student asked politely but curtly. ¡°I am, yes. What¡¯s this about?¡± She replied. ¡°I have been given a message to pass on to you.¡± The older female student pulled out a small magical token, which she proffered to Seraphiel. ¡°From whom?¡± Seraphiel asked a bit surprised while taking the token. ¡°One of the teachers. That¡¯s all I know.¡± The girl gave a polite nod and suddenly ran off to continue whatever she was doing. The small badge on the girl¡¯s uniform had signified her as a part of a club that carried messages. Everyone was supposed to be part of a club, though in the case of new students like Seraphiel that restriction was somewhat loosened. And in her case, she was part of Mahora¡¯s team, so she was covered. The Messenger Club wasn¡¯t just for fun and exercise, as it was preparation for the future. The members all had thoughts of becoming messengers in the future, and the club helped prepare them with ways to get and train Skills related to the work. One might think that with access to so much magic and technology, old-fashioned messengers would become obsolete, but it was the opposite. With so many ways to intercept any and all messages, messengers were perhaps old-fashioned, but they were reliable. And with the right Skills, very fast. The Messenger Club wasn''t the only one of its like. There were many clubs focused on gaining and training certain Skills in preparation for the future. Some were combat-focused, like several dedicated dueling clubs, but since they all saw quite a bit of combat training already, the clubs focused on more niche Skills and professions. There were clubs for almost everything, ranging from cooking clubs to political clubs, and all the way to clubs that used their Charisma stat in rather illicit ways. She squeezed the token enough to break it and heard the message recorded within. A simple invitation from her mother to join her for dinner in one of the diners outside the academy grounds. The invitation was quite timely, likely on purpose, and she had no reason to refuse, so she made a small adjustment to the direction she was walking and arrived at the diner a few minutes later. Her mother was already present, selecting her dish from the menu presented. ¡°Sephy.¡± Her mother greeted her happily. The two hadn¡¯t seen each other all that often since starting at Mahora. She gave a small snort. ¡°Not you too, Ophelia.¡± She emphasized her mother¡¯s chosen name here at the academy. ¡°I get quite enough of that from my brother, thank you very much.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t just let your mother indulge once in a while?¡± Her mother asked playfully. A little too playfully. "I believe indulging is all you''re doing." Seraphiel retorted, gesturing towards the huge ice cream dish that coincidentally was placed in front of the older woman. "Hey, you need to indulge once in a while," Ophiel stated shamelessly. "Something you''d do well to remember. I know you''ve been training even harder here at the academy than back home, and that''s an achievement, mind you." She gestured towards Seraphiel with her spoon. "I was¡­recently reminded of that fact, yes," Seraphiel admitted reluctantly. ¡°I can imagine. Our guides can vary wildly, but from the very little I gathered of yours, he¡¯s not above pushing you to relax and have a little fun. And remember, the guides are the representation of the System, so they know best.¡± Odd that she should know about that. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Seraphiel¡¯s eyes narrowed a bit. ¡°Luci put you up to this, didn¡¯t he?¡± Ophiel averted her gaze a little too quickly. ¡°I have no idea what you might be referring to. Anyway, remember to have some indulgence as well. I realize that I might not be the best role model in that regard with everything that happened with your brother, but¡­¡± ¡°I believe we¡¯ve been over this. I don¡¯t blame you for such things, and I¡¯ve not heard Raziel say a word in that direction either.¡± She shot that topic down really quickly. ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s far too nice a day for a pity party.¡± Her mother seemed to perk up and take another bite of her luxurious treat. ¡°Do order something nice, it¡¯s on me.¡± ¡°I would expect so, since you¡¯re the one who invited me.¡± And she did order something nice. ¡°That does bring us to the why, of course.¡± She also realized that she still hadn¡¯t been paid by the Academy for services rendered. She¡¯d have to contact Chachamaru for that. Ophiel was quiet for a moment, considering her words carefully. ¡°My family has heard word of your recent success at the events between academies. Congratulations on said success by the way. And congratulations on your Class evolution. I trust you got something nice. Anyway, your recent success should be enough for my family to overlook the fact that you¡¯re essentially the Angelic equivalent of a bastard, as well as my practical exile from the family. They¡¯re going to try to make contact in the near future.¡± The very deliberate way Ophiel emphasized ¡®her family¡¯ implied heavily that Seraphiel should not consider them as such. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a wild guess. You don¡¯t think it a good idea to accept their overtures?¡± ¡°Depends. Do you have political ambitions? Because if you do, then making contact with the family would certainly be a great idea. They can also offer resources and connections. But they aren¡¯t the type to offer such things for free. You would have to earn your place. In most situations that would be fair enough, but in a family?¡± Ophiel just shook her head with clear disappointment. ¡°I¡¯m not telling you not to meet with them. Just to be careful. They¡¯ll have some demand, likely about choosing some specific second Class.¡± Seraphiel frowned a bit. ¡°That seems a little odd. The second Class is really important for someone¡¯s development.¡± "Oh, I''m not saying they''d have you choose a bad Class. In fact, they''ll likely offer to help you fulfill the conditions for a really good and rare one. Good and rare for someone else. In your case, though¡­" She shrugged. Seraphiel had access to very different Classes from a normal Angel thanks to her past. "It''s meant to be an enticement, not a burden. They think they can buy you by offering power. And in return, they purchase conformity and a hand in your development, while also having you owe them. That''s how their games are played. Favors for future favors and loyalty. Of course, the Class wouldn¡¯t be quite as good as whatever the heirs of the family have.¡± ¡°Theoretically giving them a leg up over me in power.¡± She realized immediately. "Obviously won''t apply in your case, but that''s the idea. Besides, they''re not really against someone from a branch family proving themselves worthy and gaining a prestigious position. If that member works for it and can achieve it, they¡¯ve proven their worth. The family aren¡¯t fools, and merit always trumps direct relations. That¡¯s why they¡¯re showing interest in you after all. That said, the heirs will have the best opportunities, training, and resources to excel.¡± Ophiel explained. ¡°Humm. I might meet them out of curiosity, but I don¡¯t really have much interest in playing Angel politics. I have bigger fish to fry.¡± She stated non-committaly. ¡°And from what you¡¯ve told me, you also have other connections. On that note, I have some other news as well. Us teachers hear things. The headmaster has managed to wrangle a really large tournament to take place at the end of the academic year. I think some of your old allies might be in attendance.¡± Ophiel suddenly got a somewhat sneaky look. Seraphiel¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°And what would you know?¡± ¡°Hey, we¡¯ve lived together for two decades. You¡¯re not as subtle as you seem to think. You¡¯ve dropped several hints. Besides, once you told me about your Draenei life, I might have done some research of my own. Wasn¡¯t too difficult to find some similar stories.¡± Ophiel grinned. ¡°Uh-huh. And who exactly is coming to that tournament that you think I know?¡± She asked suspiciously. ¡°Would I really spoil the surprise now?¡± Ophiel asked innocently. ¡°Ah-hah! Lucifer is feeding you information, isn¡¯t he?¡± Seraphiel recognized the teasing of the System disguised as her brother. ¡°I can¡¯t confirm or deny.¡± Ophiel shamelessly stated. --------- As she attended lessons, Seraphiel quickly realized just how badly she was outpacing her classmates. Not only was she training harder, but she was also benefitting from visits to Eva''s resort and the experience from the tournaments. Not only was she the only freshman student that had gotten their first Class evolution, but the closest one to it still had over ten levels to go. And that was without considering the difference in stats. The teachers had also noted the difference, as with her skill with weapons she might as well be one of the teachers when it came to the other students. The teachers of course were grossly stronger than her still, but to the other students that didn¡¯t matter. "And that''s why there''s really no point in keeping you in class with the others," Kaede explained as she''d taken her and Raziel to the resort again. "You''re certainly outpacing me as well." Raziel pointed out as well. "It took me a little over a year to get my first Class evolution, and I was in the relatively fast group." "In fairness, you were level 2 when you came to Mahora, while many other students were already in the double digits when they started." Kaede patted him on the shoulder, showing that she remembered him. "You''ve done well in your time here, and I''m quite certain that you''ll be able to reach the rank of 4th-level student at the end of the year.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not feeling bad about that. I¡¯m already outpacing my friends thanks to this training. Sephy¡¯s just Sephy.¡± Raziel replied cheerily. He¡¯d gotten used to being outpaced by his sister. ¡°A healthy attitude.¡± Kaede looked at her again. ¡°Usually when someone reaches their Class evolution, we arrange for them to get some real-life training against real monsters. On the other hand, we don¡¯t allow such training for 1st-level students, so you¡¯re a bit of a conundrum. The headmaster also doesn¡¯t want to give any reason for the other academies to protest and have you moved up into the next category of competitors.¡± Seraphiel chuckled. ¡°Eva¡¯s being Eva again.¡± ¡°Indeed. Evangeline-dono is having one of those days again.¡± Kaede allowed a small smile as well. ¡°So, along those lines, I suggest we focus on training on the Skills you¡¯ve mostly neglected so far, or Skills that you¡¯ve picked up after the evolution. Did you gain any new Skill slots by combining Skills?¡± ¡°I did. One Class Skill that¡¯s already filled, and one General Skill slot. I also still have some Social Skill slots free from before. Raziel snorted. ¡°Of course you do.¡± ¡°Is the Class Skill something you can train here?¡± Kaede questioned. ¡°It¡¯s the time-equivalent of [Electrokinesis], [Chronomancy].¡± She grinned a bit, causing both her brother and Kaede to whistle a bit. "This is a very early level to have any Skills to do with time. Though, I suppose it makes sense with your Class. Seers are intrinsically tied to time after all." The teacher thought for a moment. "I''ve never dealt with the psionic version of time control. How does it differ from time magic?" That was a good question. "Less casting time and the effects tend to be more localized and shorter in effect. A lot of slowing down your enemy and speeding up yourself, as opposed to large rituals that affect an entire area." ¡°Hmm, so more combat application and less general purpose. I assume it¡¯s going to be heavy on power usage?¡± Kaede questioned. ¡°Very. I¡¯ve tested it a couple of times, and it¡¯s my largest Psi point hog by a long shot. Drives my Tolerance to the limits as well. I assume the costs will go down as the Skill level increases though.¡± She explained. ¡°Ok. Then I think I¡¯ll be tossing a lot of small objects at you that you¡¯re going to be trying to slow down.¡± Seraphiel wasn¡¯t sure she liked the look on the instructor¡¯s face at that. Chapter 21 - Family ------ Although the Angels had a fondness for flying cities, some of their cities were simply too large to fly. This was true for the capital city imaginatively named the Shining City. Seraphiel was glad that they hadn''t dared to name the place the Silver City, as she would''ve considered that somewhat heretical. The city was not the original capital city of the race, but it was the current capital of a race pushed off their previously lofty position. The city had been a grand metropolis even during their height as a dominant race of the universe, and it still spanned over such a large area that it could easily be called a megacity. Most of the city was a shining example of architectural wonder only a civilization at their height could accomplish. It was no wonder the place was the political heart both of the Angels and Draenei, although the Draenei presence in the city was smaller due to history. As she looked down on the city from the flying ship carrying her, she could also clearly see that ¡°Angel¡± was a rather broad term that covered many different kinds of beings. Some she recognized from history lessons and her own experience, and some she did not. There were Angels with wings made of pure energy coming from a world called Sanctuary, beings called Fl¨¹gel from a world called Disboard, Ainur and Valar, and many others. Some were more like elementals of light rather than standard humanoids. Still, the vast majority of them were rather similar in appearance with slight differences like the number and placement of wings. From the airship, she could also see several important landmarks, such as the Silver Arch, the Council Chambers where the rulers of the Angels gathered, a large stairway that led to some kind of heavenly gates, the grand library, the Cathedral of Light, many monuments to both victories and defeats, countless enormous statues, towering spires, and many others. The airship didn¡¯t land in the city though. Instead, it flew to one of the flying islands circling the perimeter of the city. The most important and influential families of Angels lived on those islands, and Ophiel''s family was no different. Seraphiel''s mother hadn''t been all that forthcoming with details, but a quick search on the magical equivalent of the internet was rather enlightening. The Elohim, a rather pretentious name all things considered, were a major political player and had produced many Archangels and members of the ruling council. They also had several high-level beings that could be considered pillars of support for the entire race as a whole. They were not the only family of their kind, far from it, but they were one of the most influential ones. The Elohim Estates occupied one of the largest flying islands, almost big enough to be classified as a small city by itself, which made sense since the island was home to many branch families as well as the main family. Many servants also occupied the island, along with extensive grounds that could be used and abused for anything a wealthy family might desire. As the ship landed, it became immediately obvious to Seraphia that the d¨¦cor was somewhere between ostentatious and way over-the-top wealthy. She knew displaying your wealth and power was part of politics, but this was a little too much even for that purpose. In other words, both she and Lucifer would''ve loved staying here. Why have wealth and power if you can¡¯t rub it in everyone¡¯s face? A servant that was clearly high in level, her [Gift of Knowledge] giving the result [Servant - ???], waited for her on the landing platform and started leading her inside without saying a word. Considering the man''s level, he couldn''t have been badly trained, which meant she was being snubbed on purpose. Interesting, considering Ophiel had implied they would be trying to bring her into the family. A hot and cold tactic, trying to show the difference between being part of the family and not? Maybe also meant to show that while the family was interested in her, she was still an outsider, and they were downplaying that interest. She didn¡¯t mind. If the servant wanted to be rude, then let him. His loss. She was led to a beyond luxurious waiting room with furniture and decorations made of materials even she didn''t recognize. Everything was made with form over function and was decoratively carved, filigreed, gilded, or sometimes all three to an almost grotesque level. The servant rather obviously guided her to sit in one of the chairs and spoke for the first time. ¡°The Mistress will be with you in a moment.¡± Not elaborating or even offering refreshments. The snub was becoming more obvious, just in case she missed it the first time. She didn¡¯t waste any time before entering a meditative state, as she knew she¡¯d be waiting for a while. A basic power play tactic. She was right, although thanks to her meditation she wasn¡¯t sure if she waited for minutes or hours. Finally, the door on the other side of the room opened, and a very majestic and awe-inspiring female Angel dressed in gilded white robes entered the room. The woman raised her eyebrow a bit, as Seraphiel returned the earlier snub by not rising to meet the woman. The same male servant from earlier accompanied the woman and frowned at the open snub even more clearly. Instead of saying anything though, the woman just sat opposite her, and stared at her, not saying anything. Seraphiel smiled a bit at that internally. Most young Angels would¡¯ve felt very uncomfortable under the piercing gaze of a woman with as much gravitas as this woman obviously had. She practically oozed authority and power. Those same young Angels would¡¯ve tried to hastily fill the silence with introductions, but Seraphiel wasn¡¯t like most young Angels. She knew how these little games were played, and this whippersnapper was way too young to make her nervous. The one that spoke first lost face, admitting to being the inferior party in the negotiations, seeking the approval of the other. And unlike the older woman, she wasn¡¯t in a rush. She had all the time in the world. The woman on the other hand looked like someone who valued her time. They both knew that, and the woman¡¯s gaze gained a slight approving light. She gave the tiniest gesture towards the servant. ¡°Mistress Anuriel, may I present to you, Ophiel¡¯s daughter Seraphiel.¡± The man turned a bit towards Seraphiel. ¡°Matriarch Anuriel is the vice-head of the Elohim family and a member of the Council of Archangels.¡± Seraphiel made a small hum in her mind. Even the order of introductions was important. She had been introduced first, and you always introduced from the bottom up. Still, in this situation, the servant wasn''t exactly wrong, as Anuriel was higher in level and position currently. Unlike the earlier slights, this wasn¡¯t a snub, just basic etiquette. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. She gave a simple nod, acknowledging the difference in standing, without granting the older woman any authority over her. ¡°Matriarch Anuriel. A pleasure.¡± A nice neutral response using her title. Using just the woman¡¯s name would¡¯ve been presumptuous and gauche. The older woman allowed a shade of a smile on her face, clearly noting Seraphiel¡¯s tact. ¡°Miss Seraphiel. How is your mother?¡± The woman asked politely, though there was just a hint of genuine interest in her voice. Seraphiel wasn¡¯t sure, but the slight similarity in appearance might suggest close relations. A grandmother or aunt perhaps? "She seems rather happy. Currently teaching magic at the Mahora Academy." She didn''t go into detail, but gave the important information, getting a nod of acknowledgment. They had of course known as much, but politeness necessitated this much. ¡°I hear your studies have begun quite well. Only halfway through the first year and already evolved your first Class. That is quite efficient. Overwhelming success in the competitions between academies as well.¡± Anuriel said, as if reading off a list. In a way she likely was. ¡°I work hard.¡± She replied simply. Her tone carefully didn¡¯t suggest humility, just that she was stating a fact and didn¡¯t plan on elaborating. ¡°That is a good quality. Which is why you¡¯re here.¡± The woman stated, getting to the point. She really did value her time. ¡°You are of course aware of your mother¡¯s¡­distancing from the family.¡± "She has explained the general outlines without going into too much detail," Seraphiel replied neutrally. ¡°Being part of a family like ours comes with certain privileges, but it also comes with certain responsibilities.¡± Anuriel elaborated. ¡°We must limit our behaviour and activities in some ways to what is considered appropriate, or our rivals and enemies will take advantage of our lapses. That is the world of politics and power. Your mother chafed under those limitations and went against the will of the family. That is not uncommon in families like ours, but your mother insisted on continuing her rebellion. For that, she was expelled.¡± Seraphiel understood the family¡¯s point of view quite well, and they weren¡¯t exactly wrong, although that didn¡¯t mean she approved either. People with power and authority were constrained by their competitors and enemies. It was smart to keep a tight leash on their children. She understood and knew it was necessary. That didn¡¯t mean she wanted to live under said limitations herself. She¡¯d had enough of that while living under Father¡¯s rules. The older woman continued. ¡°That doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that you have to share her fate, as the sins of the mother are not the sins of the child. As I said, being part of the family comes with certain advantages and privileges. Some that you might find quite useful as well. And the family likes to reward those that achieve great results and bring us glory. Those that work hard and have something to show for it.¡± She nodded towards Seraphiel, echoing the earlier words. ¡°For example, many of our number have evolved their race to become Archangels, and we can offer access to Classes rarely available. You would of course have to live by the rules of the family in return.¡± Seraphiel tapped her chin a bit before speaking. ¡°Before I give my answer, I want to explain why my answer is what it is. Your offer, as it currently stands, has absolutely zero value to me.¡± The woman looked at her sharply at that. She continued. ¡°I already have access to Classes that outstrip any you can offer. I should mention that my first Class was ranked SS even before evolution, and it wasn¡¯t the only Class of high rank I was offered. Those offers have likely not grown worse since then. As for evolving my race, I do not need your help in that regard.¡± She decided to lay some cards on the table, as she didn¡¯t want to alienate her family, in case she might need them later. Instead, she put bait in the hook, making sure the family was even more interested. ¡°That¡­is rather surprising.¡± Anuriel finally stated. ¡°Though I do see why you would reject the offer that being the case.¡± She nodded. ¡°I would not place myself under another¡¯s authority if that authority had nothing to offer in exchange either. Very well. I shall keep your words in mind. Let¡¯s see if the situation changes and we can revise our offer in the future.¡± The matriarch rose up from her seat, recognizing that her position in this negotiation was untenable currently. Her information was simply too much in error, and she recognized that there was no point in continuing the negotiation from such an erroneous starting position, and would only lead either to embarrassment or to a bad deal. They would have to reconsider everything in light of the new information before trying again. "We will meet again Miss Seraphiel.¡± "I''m confident you are right Matriarch Anuriel," Seraphiel replied while getting up as well. The woman rang a bell and another servant came to escort her outside. Maybe she could see some of the sights in this city before returning to Mahora? ----- ¡°Impressions?¡± Anuriel asked the butler. The man shifted his weight from one foot to another, a simple gesture for most but a clear sign of hesitation for him. ¡°There¡¯s more to her than meets the eye.¡± He finally replied. Anuriel couldn¡¯t help a small snort. ¡°That much is obvious. But you are right. She¡¯s hard to get a good read on. One thing¡¯s for sure. If we do bring her into the family, Michael is going to have competition.¡± "Surely that''s an exaggeration?" The servant showed a bit of surprise. "Michael is more than three hundred levels higher than she is." ¡°Except we don¡¯t choose our heirs based on current level but their potential. While the short-lived races have to be shortsighted as well, we can afford to take a longer view.¡± Anuriel argued. ¡°Level isn¡¯t entirely irrelevant though.¡± The servant argued, something most servants didn¡¯t dare to do. He was Anuriel¡¯s personal butler though, and it was his job to be the devil¡¯s advocate at times. "No, but we''re not making the selection today. Michael won''t have such a gap when the time comes, I''m sure. While I do not value Mahora highly, they have a good reputation when it comes to helping their students level. Especially those students they take special interest in." She shook her head a bit. "Still, Michael is Michael, so it''s too early to tell if the girl can actually rival him. Tanael and Ciel on the other hand¡­" ¡°That¡¯s all presuming she does join the family.¡± The butler pointed out. "Only too true. We really misunderstood our starting position in this negotiation. However, she didn''t shut us out entirely. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have dropped those little tidbits of information. She didn''t need to reveal the rank of her Class, or that last part about her race, but she did anyway. She was telling us that we need to come up with a better offer. Much better. And if nothing else, we have plenty of things to offer. We just need to figure out what.¡± She tapped her lip in thought. ¡°At least we¡¯re not in a rush. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s going to just suddenly join another family.¡± ¡°Speaking of, it seems Ophiel hasn¡¯t poisoned her against us. Rather good news.¡± The butler suddenly added. She smiled. ¡°Yes. Despite everything, Ophiel still wants the best for her children, and she recognizes that we might be that best.¡± ¡°What of her son?¡± The butler asked. ¡°Still pending. He hasn¡¯t shown quite the same talent as his sister, but he has done quite well. I don¡¯t think many in the family would find him wanting. Maybe that¡¯s an angle we could use with the girl as well?¡± She had to ponder on that some more. ----- Visiting the grand library had been quite disappointing. It wasn''t that there wasn''t information inside. There was. It was that not just anyone could peruse it. It would take her more time than she had to fill out the necessary forms and applications, not to mention getting them accepted. With a disappointed sigh, she walked along the central plaza that had many majestic buildings surrounding it. On one side was the Cathedral of Light, while on the opposite side was the main non-denominational temple where any other could be revered and made prayers to. Her feet slowly took her towards the non-denominational temple. As she stood on the steps leading to the doors, she hesitated. Once again, she realized that she was supposedly a Champion with no idea whose Champion she was. Clearly not the Light¡¯s as that spot was already taken. That was perhaps why she¡¯d made her way to the non-denominational temple in the first place. But she didn¡¯t want to go inside, as she didn¡¯t know who she was supposed to address any prayers to, even if she had been the praying type. She rarely even sent prayers to Father. With another deep exhale, she turned around and stepped down a couple of stairs before a voice interrupted her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you step inside Sera? It¡¯s certainly been a while.¡± A very familiar voice. One she hadn''t heard since being exiled. ¡°Mother?¡± Chapter 22 - Mother ---- As she turned around to look back towards the temple, she saw a woman standing in the entranceway. A woman that looked like a Human, at least on the outside, but was anything but. Medium-length curly brown hair, beautiful features of a mature woman, though also strangely imperfect, which caused Seraphiel to frown a little. ¡°Mother. Interesting choice of appearance. Especially since I seem to recall you weren¡¯t all that fond of humanity before.¡± Despite the guise, she could recognize her Mother anywhere. ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t.¡± The Goddess of all Creation said a bit hesitantly. ¡°I recently got to experience life from the perspective of a Human, and you could say my view has¡­evolved a bit.¡± The Goddess had always been a special existence among the celestial beings. As the co-creator of everything, she was in essence the Mother of everything, but she didn¡¯t share Father¡¯s fascination with Humans. In fact, the Goddess had downright despised them at one point. ¡°What happened?¡± Seraphiel asked curiously, though carefully. Her relationship with her Mother had always been a complicated one, not made any easier by the exile. The Goddess looked at their surroundings, specifically at the various people walking around them, both of them now noting that they were drawing quite a bit of attention. Even in a humanoid body, the Goddess drew attention just with her presence. She blinked her eyes, and suddenly everything around them froze, imitating Amenadiel¡¯s ability to freeze time. ¡°There. A little privacy. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to come in?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t going to cause trouble?¡± Seraphiel waved around herself, gesturing towards the frozen people. "What are they going to do about it even if it does?" The Goddess asked flippantly. Right. That had been a thing. The Goddess had always been fearless, with strong convictions about her own worth and what she deserved. Which, fair enough, was somewhat to be expected, her being the Goddess of all Creation and all. Unlike Father though, the Goddess wasn¡¯t above being selfish and careless about the consequences of her actions to others at times. She wasn''t excessive about it, at least most of the time, but when someone who wielded endless power had a selfish streak, there were inevitable consequences, especially when that someone considered something like humanity on the same level as somewhat smarter rats. Father might have been a huge dick at times, but at least his policy on non-interference meant he didn¡¯t abuse his powers. On the other hand, the Goddess always put family above everything, whereas Father tended to use Seraphiel and her siblings to enact His will without regard for their own opinions or will. Free will for Humans, not so much for the Celestials. ¡°Fair enough. We might as well go inside and let these poor people go about their day.¡± Seraphiel replied with a small sigh. She had butted heads with the Goddess on occasion due to her role as a protector, but they generally got along decently well. The world returned to normal as they entered the temple and found a side alcove with some privacy. Without asking, the Goddess materialized a drink for both of them. Seraphiel noted with a small wry smile that her drink was something she¡¯d used to like back when she¡¯d been at the Silver City. The System, in the guise of Lucifer, provided her with her current favourite drink, while Mother did the same, except with her old favourite. Mother and Lucifer were quite similar in many ways. That¡¯s probably why Luci had always been Her favourite. ¡°I¡¯m sensing a bit of a story with your appearance, but I have to ask this first. Why are you here? Not that I mind the visit, but I do have to admit that it¡¯s unexpected.¡± She asked after taking a sip. The drink was similar to hot chocolate with a silky smooth texture mixed with rather potent alcohol. Tasted a lot better than one would expect hearing the combination. ¡°Why would a Mother not want to see her oldest child?¡± The Goddess asked with real warmth in her voice. ¡°You haven¡¯t until now.¡± She did her best to keep the bitterness from her voice. She really tried. But judging by Mother¡¯s face, she had failed. ¡°I see. I suppose it would seem that way to you. You wouldn¡¯t know.¡± It was the Goddess¡¯ turn to sound a little bitter, though that bitterness was not directed at Seraphiel. ¡°Know what?¡± Seraphiel snapped a little. ¡°I¡¯ve been exiled for tens of thousands of years. You have not visited once. Father I can understand, as he was the one to exile me, but even Amenadiel visited me. Hell, even Michael visited once. Michael! The brother who literally self-actualized a chip on his shoulder!" At some point, she''d risen up and started pacing back and forth in front of the Goddess. ¡°I defended you and Lucifer after your rebellion.¡± The Goddess stated sadly. ¡°For that crime, as well as my several transgressions against your Father¡¯s favourite new toys, I was sent to Hell, to be your brother¡¯s prisoner. So, while you were sent to exile, and Luci was forced to become the ruler of Hell, I was tortured by Mazikeen as one of their prisoners.¡± ¡°I always kind of liked Mazikeen. As far as demons go at least.¡± Seraphiel muttered, a little mollified. ¡°I do too, and it¡¯s not like she could actually hurt me, but I couldn¡¯t visit. Ironically, I escaped my confinement not too long ago. To make a long story short, your brother used Azrael¡¯s blade to create a hole in reality and send me away. In a way, you could say I was exiled as well.¡± The Goddess didn¡¯t seem to be too bothered by her exile though. ¡°Anyway, I was quite happily creating a new universe, when suddenly my nascent work came into contact with this place.¡± The Goddess waved her hand around. ¡°Since I was forced to come here, I thought I might as well enjoy it. After all, there¡¯s a lot more fun that can be had with a complete universe than creating one from nothing. So, you see my daughter, I¡¯m not here to visit. I was actually here before you.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you make contact before no- wait.¡± Seraphiel blinked her eyes a bit. ¡°Wait a bloody moment. Are you the one that summoned me here? Am I supposed to be your Champion?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°That¡¯s not exactly what happened, but you¡¯re not wrong either. I was part of it. The gods of this universe like to brag about their Champions. They wave them around like¡­sticks? Was sticks the expressions?¡± The Goddess asked slightly confused. ¡°It is now.¡± Seraphiel hurried to agree. ¡°Well, that got annoying fast. Imagine all these young runts trying to act all smug without knowing who they were talking to! Anyway, I realized that I had already created one perfect Champion together with your Father, even if you were in exile. Why settle for someone else when I could have the best? Except this stupid universe has rules. Now, I¡¯m not as bound by them as the wannabee divinities of this universe, as even this System is our creation and nothing I helped create can truly bind me, but I do have to work within the System somewhat if I don¡¯t want to break it entirely. So, your arrival here is a little more complicated than just me summoning you.¡± The Goddess explained. ¡°Well, do tell. I¡¯m all ears.¡± She prodded, taking her seat again and taking another sip of the mug that never seemed to empty or go cold. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± The Goddess replied flippantly. Noting Seraphiel¡¯s expression she continued. ¡°Look, you don¡¯t really need to know. It¡¯s mostly about the internal workings of this System and the politics of the gods. None of that matters to you. To make things simple though, you¡¯re not just my Champion, but the System¡¯s as well.¡± ¡°The System¡¯s?¡± She repeated. The idea had occurred to her, even if it did seem a little crazy. ¡°Yes.¡± The Goddess looked away as if remembering something. ¡°Which reminds me, I don¡¯t think I was supposed to reveal that. Anyway, the System isn¡¯t all that happy at the state of things, and you¡¯re here partially to throw a wrench into things. You don¡¯t actually have to do anything specific, as just your existence will do that. And if I know you, as I do, you can¡¯t help but cause chaos and change wherever you go.¡± ¡°That¡¯s---!¡± She was about to protest but was interrupted. ¡°I know it¡¯s not fun to hear, but it¡¯s really true honey. You do good things and solve problems, but you do tend to cause a mess wherever you go.¡± The Goddess continued piling on. ¡°You¡¯re worse than Luci in that regard. Neither of you is exactly subtle.¡± Seraphiel squawked in protest but couldn¡¯t really deny the accusations. "Now-now. That''s not all bad. I heard Amenadiel when he visited you. He told you to just live your life, and as your official co-patron, I agree. Your mission is to have fun and enjoy your life here." The Goddess smiled a bit. "Just don''t forget your old mother and visit me every now and then. Once in a while, I might have something for you to do as well if you seem amenable." Seraphiel¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Wait. You just said it got annoying that the beings playing at gods were waving their Champions around. You wouldn¡¯t have summoned me if you didn¡¯t plan to do the same.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy. You¡¯re going to become the biggest stick anyway, no matter what you decide to do. It¡¯s built into your very nature. In the end, I¡¯ll be the one waving the biggest stick.¡± The Goddess frowned. ¡°Although Luci might have called it something else when he used the metaphor. Though I don¡¯t think it makes sense that I as a woman waved around the biggest di-¡° Seraphiel cleared her throat. ¡°You said Luci sent you here?¡± ¡°Ah, right. This body you¡¯re seeing? It¡¯s a copy of a human body I was inhabiting at the time. I was slowly regaining my powers after escaping from Hell, and I was trying to get your brothers to join me in storming the Silver City, as the body couldn¡¯t really withstand my presence. Anyway, it was a bit more complicated, but essentially, I was not having a good moment and your brothers made me see the error of my ways. Instead of taking things out on your Father, Luci sent me here instead. Well, not here-here, but you know what I mean.¡± The Goddess wasn¡¯t very good with stories either. ¡°Let¡¯s pretend I followed all that. How is Luci? I haven¡¯t seen him since¡­well, a long time ago.¡± She asked. ¡°Luci is¡­doing Luci things. I think he has fallen in love with a mortal. Anyway, I don¡¯t know all the things that have happened since I was sent here, and truth be told, I wasn¡¯t free from Hell for very long. Time also works a little weird between universes. I¡¯ve been here for less than a hundred years, but as far as I can tell, only a year or two have passed back home.¡± "You''ve been here that long, yet for some reason, I''m not registered as being summoned by you?" Seraphiel was a little confused. ¡°Well, as I said, we had to stretch the rules a bit. Also, I¡¯m not recognized as one of the top gods of this universe, so strictly speaking I¡¯m not supposed to be able to summon a Champion.¡± The Goddess ¡®explained¡¯. "But since I am, well...me¡­" ¡°Fine, fine. Let¡¯s go with that.¡± This was one of the reasons Seraphiel had avoided dealing with Mother too much. She always got a headache because the Goddess was half-assing things, especially her explanations. The Goddess wasn¡¯t done though. ¡°I mean imagine how annoying that is! All these pretender would be deities thinking they¡¯re all that. They have the temerity to assign me as one of the lesser gods! Lesser! I¡¯m the Goddess of all Creation thank you very much!¡± ¡°I can imagine that¡¯s ver-¡° Seraphiel tried to say but was interrupted. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re going to show them what a real deity can do, you and I!¡± The Goddess seemed to find her calm again. ¡°I mean eventually. When you¡¯ve become strong enough. I think your Father might have interfered in some part of the process actually.¡± She frowned. ¡°Makes things harder. Anyway, I can wait. You have fun in the meantime.¡± ¡°So, what do I call you if someone asks?¡± Seraphiel quickly changed the subject. ¡°I can¡¯t exactly call you Mother, and the claim Goddess of all Creation is going to be dismissed as boasting.¡± The Goddess seemed stumped for just a moment. "I suppose¡­just call me Charlotte. Charlotte Richards. That was the name of the human whose form I''m using. I''ve grown rather fond of it. I had quite a bit of fun with it actually.¡± The Goddess grinned. ¡°You should¡¯ve seen Luci¡¯s reaction when he saw me naked. Although¡­now that I look at you and remember how you looked, I might make a couple of changes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ok. Doesn¡¯t sound very godly, but hey, I¡¯m not judging.¡± She decided not to poke that hornet nest. ¡°Bah! It¡¯s going to sound godly enough once everyone learns their place. Anyway, just like you, I¡¯m still waiting for some of my powers to come back, so we can¡¯t really make a huge show yet. Summoning you also took a lot of effort.¡± The Goddess revealed. ¡°Calling me fat?¡± Seraphiel joked. ¡°Please.¡± The Goddess gave a long-suffering look. ¡°We both know we created you unable to get fat. That said, you¡¯re not exactly a pixie in your real form, so¡­¡± "Well, as you said, that''s how you created me, so it''s your fault really." Seraphiel tossed the blame right back at the Goddess. ¡°I suppose I can take the credit as well.¡± The Goddess smiled victoriously. ¡°We both know it wasn¡¯t your Father that gave you your looks. Just for the record, I was quite happy with the work we did with you. It was your Father who insisted on going the less-perfect route afterwards. Now I''m not saying your siblings aren''t great in their own way, but I did do my best work with you." Her tone was rather smug. ¡°Father did rather well when creating Eve.¡± Seraphiel pointed out. ¡°I¡­do have to admit that Eve came out rather well. For a Human. But I did much better with you.¡± The Goddess wasn¡¯t going to give up. ¡°Now, tell me all about what¡¯s happened with you. It¡¯s been too long.¡± The two spent hours discussing Seraphiel¡¯s past before she had to leave. As she did exit the temple, she was feeling a bit mixed. It was nice to have met Mother again, and out of all the potential options, the Goddess likely was the best choice for her patron. Even with all of Her foibles, Mother certainly beat out some random god she didn¡¯t know at all. She wouldn¡¯t have been happy to do the bidding of the local deities. On the other hand, she also felt kind of lost. Part of what had been driving her so far had been the idea of having been summoned by some local god and having to deal with that whole issue, mystery included. Now that the Goddess hadn''t really given her any mission aside from a vague "get strong eventually" she was without real purpose. That was unusual for her. Before being exiled, she had been the protector, looking after her siblings and the mortals alike. After being exiled, she''d always had a goal of some sort whenever she was thrown from one universe to another. Usually, that goal was a rather worthy one, even if she didn''t fully agree with it. Even when the goal had been more nebulous, she''d at least had a goal. Even when she refused to fulfill the goal, she''d at least had a goal to refuse. Now though? She didn¡¯t have some overarching objective, and she wasn¡¯t used to feeling so directionless. Even Amenadiel had told her that she had no more objectives to fulfill, aside from living her life. For the first time in her very long life, she was lost. Completely set adrift. Not a feeling she appreciated. She wasn¡¯t used to coming up with her own goals. She knew mortals did it all the time, so it couldn¡¯t be that hard. When she had some overarching goal, she was great at coming up with smaller intermediate objectives that would take her towards ultimate victory. But how did she come up with intermediate goals without having some end goal in mind? Maybe she needed to ask someone like Ophiel or Raziel for help¡­ Chapter 23 - Promotion ------- They were right in the middle of a training exercise when Kaede sensed the magic controlling entry into the resort activating. She gathered her training implements and stopped throwing them at Seraphiel, which caused the girl to raise an eyebrow in question. ¡°We have visitors.¡± She replied curtly. As they walked around the resort building towards the bridge connecting to the magical formation, Kaede reflected on their recent improvement. Seraphiel''s time control powers had improved rapidly. At first, they could speed the girl up slightly and maybe slow objects slightly, one at a time. Now the girl could apply larger slow fields to multiple targets, picking the targets she wanted out of a large group instead of slowing everything down. Impressive control. Not that she expected anything less. The power of the time-slowing effect was still relatively minor and would only work partially on someone with any resistance or higher level, but it was good progress for someone under level 100. Perhaps a bit too good, if she didn¡¯t know better. As it was, this was just to be expected. Neither of them was all that surprised to see Evangeline approaching. Only a few people had access to the resort, and Evangeline naturally was one of the few as she was the one to create it. ¡°Kaede.¡± The headmistress nodded. ¡°How is the training progressing?¡± ¡°Evangeline-dono. Quite well actually.¡± Kaede returned the greeting. ¡°Something going on? You don¡¯t usually disrupt training just to check the progress.¡± While this was Eva¡¯s resort, Kaede was the one to use it most of the time, for training talented students, which had mostly meant Seraphia and her brother lately. ¡°In a way. I need to have a word with your pupil.¡± Evangeline looked towards Seraphiel. Kaede took the hint and made herself scarce, going to find the brother instead. ---- As soon as Kaede was out of hearing range, Seraphiel turned to the Dark Evangel and lifted an eyebrow in question. "There''s been a change in situation," Evangeline explained while guiding both of them to a set of lounge chairs. To Seraphiel''s slight surprise, the Headmaster just laid down on one of the lounge chairs as if she was preparing to do some tanning. In full office clothing. Also, she was a Shinso Vampire, so tanning was just not in the cards for her. Still, she decided to oblige and got on another chair, though she¡¯d rather hit the showers as she¡¯d been desperately dodging Kaede¡¯s kunai for hours on end. The devilish ninja had tied different coloured ribbons on the kunai, signifying which ones she needed to slow with her new Chronomancy Skill and which she needed to dodge by accelerating herself. A very painful exercise as the woman was constantly pushing her to the limits of what she could do, but also very effective. Pain was a great teacher as they both knew. They both also knew that if it ever got too much, Seraphiel would say something. Eva spent a moment getting her position just right before she continued. ¡°The other academies have finally gotten enough. They no longer want to deal with you in the newbie category.¡± ¡°Well, they did try pretty much everything else already. The team events and obstacle courses were fun. The riddles less so, even if that was the easiest event ever.¡± Seraphiel chuckled a bit. The two of them had never really spent much time together in a peaceful way like this. Mostly because Eva avoided such situations like the plague. ¡°Trying to have children out-riddle someone ancient like you really wasn¡¯t their brightest idea.¡± Eva grinned a bit at the thought. That had been the most embarrassing event so far. As Eva had pointed out, no matter how smart the representative from other academies was, there was no way to overcome thousands of years of experience and gathered knowledge. Seraphiel couldn¡¯t stop a snort. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear you call me ancient. Yes, I know I¡¯m older than you, by a lot, but we¡¯re both grandmas of epic proportions.¡± "And yet we both look like little kids," Eva complained a little. "Well, you less so with every passing day, but the point stands.¡± "You are aware that your issue isn''t impossible to fix, right? There are thousands of different kinds of magic clashing in this universe, not to mention the System itself. I''m sure someone could fix your aging problem." Seraphiel pointed out. ¡°I know. And I¡¯ve actually already looked into it. It¡¯s just not worth the hassle. And truth be told, I¡¯ve already kind of grown used to it. I can always use shape-changing magic if I really need to.¡± Eva admitted before getting back on topic. ¡°Anyway, since the other academies don¡¯t want to lose to you anymore, we had to reach a compromise. They couldn¡¯t just stop the newbie events entirely, as that would be detrimental to all the other new students. Usually when one of the academies can find someone like you, the other academies allow them their year of glory and suck up the losses, but you¡¯re dominating the others too hard. The others aren¡¯t learning from their defeats. So, the other academies all chipped in to give us a lump compensation, and in return, I¡¯ll have to get you tested and raised to become a 2nd-level student.¡± ¡°And that automatically puts me in the next category, where I¡¯d be the lowest level competitor, by a large margin.¡± Seraphiel nodded in understanding. ¡°What about the rest of my first year?¡± "You weren''t going to learn anything new with the other first years anyway, and you''re already spending most of your time with Kaede. We''re just going to make that official and have Kaede handle the rest of the year with you. She can administer the test as well.¡± Eva explained, shading her eyes a bit. The resort had constant great weather, which meant the sun was shining like they were on an actual beach, as the term ''resort'' implied. Eva had created additional enclosed spaces parallel the main resort where different kinds of weather conditions could be experienced. You could find a harsh desert and even a snowy mountain if you wanted. But here, in the main area, the weather was always nice and tropical. "What about the year-end tests? Since I''m already getting elevated in the middle of the year, can I try for the 3rd-level at the end of the year?¡± She asked mostly for clarification. "Of course. In fact, I expect you to do so. Since Kaede is going to be training you here most of the time, you should be able to catch up with the standard for the 3rd-level by the end of the year easily. Considering the time compression, you¡¯ve already spent over a year at the academy, so in a way, you''re not a firstie anymore anyway. If you spend a large portion of the rest of the year on and off in the resort, you¡¯ll have spent more than two years in the academy, so we¡¯re actually just abiding by the rules. In fact, depending on how much time you spend here in the next few months, you could have spent several years here considering the time compression.¡± Eva managed to justify things just the way she wanted. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The time compression in the resort could be controlled but was usually set to 1 to 24, so every 24 hours in the resort meant an hour outside. So, if Seraphiel spent half a year of normal time at the resort, she''d actually have spent 12 years inside. Of course, constant use of the resort was not advised for several reasons. One of the main ones being that you aged at the accelerated pace of the resort while inside. It would be kind of odd if she became twelve years older than her peers. Not to mention it being rather heavy on the psyche. Luckily, she had her brother for company most of the time, though unlike most mortals, she was used to being alone for long periods of time. Considering that, Kaede was probably the one worst off. She¡¯d spent maybe an hour or two each real day on average in the resort so far, meaning she¡¯d aged between a year and a year and a half while her peers had spent a bit over half a year at the academy. Taking that into account, one could say that her leveling pace was slow in comparison, except she was leveling two Classes and all the associated Skills, meaning she was doing between double and four times the work. There were obvious advantages to a second Class, but just like Lucifer had said, the benefit was directly proportional to how hard she worked. Her peers also weren¡¯t expected to reach her level until after the end of the year, although some students weren¡¯t more than a dozen levels behind her already. Level 40 at the end of the year was the minimum requirement after all, and some like Raziel had reached level 50 in just over a year in their first year. A couple of her peers were likely to repeat that feat. ¡°I assume you¡¯re not expecting me to dominate the next category straight away.¡± She asked after doing the quick math in her head. ¡°Of course not. Although, knowing you, even that isn¡¯t out of the question. But no, the level difference is simply too great. Most of the serious participants in the intermediate category are between levels 150 and 200. Those below, like your brother, are mostly taking part to gain experience and to learn to handle defeat. Which wouldn¡¯t be a bad lesson for you either.¡± Eva suddenly pointed out. ¡°Believe me, I¡¯ve already had that. It¡¯s humbling to have Kaede chucking kunai at me every day. Also painful, but mostly humbling.¡± Seraphiel gave a small shudder. ¡°I can see how it could be.¡± Eva nodded. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯ll still need to take part in a few of the group exercises, as taking down a monster or three is all part of graduating to the 2nd-level.¡± "Sounds good to me." Seraphiel nodded. She was planning on resting a bit before going back to training but suddenly had to bolt upright as a cloud of kunai flew at her. "Dammit Kaede, you were supposed to be training my brother!¡± She cursed before quickly making her escape while Eva was smugly smirking at her fleeing back, hiding the messaging talisman. ------ ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Seraphiel looked suspiciously at an enchanted screen that had the obvious shape of a hand drawn on it. The screen was on top of a pedestal connected to a projector that would holographically show information. ¡°I thought I was going to be promoted to make it to a 2nd-level student?¡± It had taken a week to get all the necessary exercises done for the promotion. She¡¯d had to do a couple of the group exercises alone, though that hadn¡¯t been too much of a challenge. "You are," Kaede confirmed as if it was obvious, and the question was a stupid one. ¡°Then what¡¯s with this¡­spying device?¡± Seraphia pointed at the pedestal. An expression of realization came to Kaede¡¯s face. ¡°How did you think we test first years?¡± ¡°For the Knight track? A fight or something like that.¡± She replied a bit unsurely. She hadn¡¯t actually known what to expect, just that it wasn¡¯t this. ¡°I can see how that could make sense, but no. Usually, we¡¯ve seen you and your peers in hundreds of fights over the year. We can tell by the exam time if you can fight or not. No, the standard for moving up is to meet certain criteria when it comes to your Skills and level. The exact Skills depend on the track, but the basic principle is the same. Don¡¯t worry, the machine only displays what you want to display, and it doesn¡¯t record information.¡± Kaede gestured towards the machine. ¡°Just put your hand on the screen. The display will show any information you want to share.¡± Seraphia wasn¡¯t entirely convinced, but she wasn¡¯t one for subterfuge anyway, so she just plonked her hand on the machine. ¡°What now?¡± ¡°Now, I¡¯ll ask you to show a few of your Skills. For a Knight, the first requirement is to have at least one Weapon Skill at level 40. That can be a form of Unarmed Combat as well, if you¡¯re so inclined.¡± Kaede instructed. ¡°Just think about the Skill you want to show.¡± [Weapon King Arts ¨C 55] Was suddenly displayed on the projector. ¡°Oh, wow, you already managed to evolve the Skill. And it¡¯s general weapon arts?¡± Kaede seemed a little surprised. ¡°It applies to all weapons? Guns as well?¡± "To all weapons, yes," Seraphiel confirmed. "That''s interesting. And seeing as it''s evolved, then it''s going to be about equal to a more specific Skill. That''s counted as a pass certainly. Now, I need you to show four other combat-related Skills also at level 40. Knowing you, that should be alright.¡± "What''s counted as combat-related?" Seraphiel confirmed, mostly out of curiosity. ¡°Anything you can feasibly use in combat. Usually direct combat application. Protective Skills are fine too.¡± Kaede expanded on the term. [Advanced Psionic Infusion - 55] [Psionic Storm - 55] [Hoh¨­ ¨C 54] [Advanced Kid¨­ - 54] Kaede focused on the four, her eyes showing just a bit of her irises. ¡°Three evolved Skills and one that might as well be. I see you came off well during your Class Evolution.¡± ¡°Are we done?¡± Seraphiel asked, not really wanting to show off anything further. "Almost. Just one more. I need you to display one Skill that isn''t combat-related at level 30 as well. It can be a Social or General Skill.¡± This was a more tricky one, especially for students like Seraphiel who had no work-life balance. It was put in place exactly to make sure the students relaxed and practiced their hobbies once in a while. Seraphiel considered for a moment, before finally making her choice. Many of her Skills were not something she wanted to share after all. [Advanced Bonesinging - 50] "Bonesinging? That''s a bit of a rare one. I don''t think I''ve ever seen it before, though I''ve heard a few Aeldari students mention it in passing. It qualifies though, seeing as it''s a crafting Skill." Kaede nodded. "Although, from what I''ve heard, its most common use is to make weapons and armor." That¡¯s certainly what Seraphiel used it for, though there was no need to reveal that. She still wasn¡¯t satisfied with any of her work though. ¡°That¡¯s somewhat misleading. You can make almost anything with the Skill if it¡¯s high enough level. Just that weapons and armor are the thing others most often get to see and experience.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ve passed either way.¡± Kaede made a gesture, and the number one on Seraphiel¡¯s uniform shifted into the number two. ¡°And since I know you¡¯re going to ask, double the requirements for the 3rd-level students, as well as requiring participation in certain exercises.¡± ¡°Those are rather high requirements.¡± Seraphiel pointed out. Just the level by itself wouldn¡¯t have been, but requiring multiple Skills at that level as well required a lot of work. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but you have to remember that you¡¯ve taken the first promotion in little over half the usual time, and normally people don¡¯t go up every year. Going from level forty to level eighty in two years is much more common, and going from whatever you started at to eighty in a year is an anomaly. You¡¯re not supposed to jump up this quickly.¡± Kaede explained. ¡°Now before you ask, after that, the requirements for getting to another level shift. It¡¯s no longer about Skills and your Class levels. Since you gain a second Class at level 100, the whole process becomes more complicated, and for a while, you¡¯ll be focused on leveling your second Class and not your first one. That¡¯s why using your Class levels as a milestone no longer really makes sense. Instead, the focus becomes your ability to take on missions and monsters. At that point, everyone¡¯s individual talents and stats also start to have enough of an effect that Class level starts losing meaning as a measuring stick. After all, someone with an A-rank Class is going to have very different stats than someone with a C-rank Class.¡± ¡°Alright. That¡¯s good to know. Incidentally, I want to show off one more Skill.¡± Seraphiel said before the projector displayed [Magical Engineering - 28]. ¡°Now, the level might not be all that high, but it¡¯s enough for me to realize that this device actually can record someone¡¯s information, even the information that isn¡¯t displayed.¡± She manipulated the menus to erase her stored information, as if such devices were familiar to her. ¡°It was worth a shot.¡± Kaede smiled a bit bashfully for having gotten caught. ¡°I was wondering if you¡¯d catch on.¡± ¡°Your lying was spot on though. Part of your Class I assume?¡± She looked at her teacher. ¡°Nin-nin.¡± Kaede just trotted out her old phrase. ¡°I think this turned out to be a good lesson in the end, even if not exactly in the way I expected. Though I am curious if the device could¡¯ve gotten through the [Identity Protection] granted to all Champions.¡± ¡°I see you figured that one out as well.¡± Seraphiel didn¡¯t really mind it, as it would¡¯ve been odd for the ninja to not notice. ¡°It wasn¡¯t hard to figure out.¡± Kaede gestured towards the machine. ¡°I was mostly curious. The others have bets going on, and it would¡¯ve been fun to sweep them all.¡± Chapter 24 - Fighting Gold ------- ¡°Why are we even here?¡± Seraphiel complained, using [Hoh¨­] to leap from one branch of a tree to another, as the two of them made their way through the jungle terrain. Kaede glanced at her sideways. ¡°Part of the 2nd-class curriculum is to hunt a beast in their natural habitat. You¡¯re being scored on the level of the beast you hunt, in relation to your own level. If you want to get promoted to 3rd-class at the end of the year¡­¡± ¡°No, I know that, but why here.¡± She emphasized the last word. "It was the closest world on the route Mahora is taking currently," Kaede replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world, which it kind of was. And it wasn''t what Seraphiel was asking. "No, I mean why in the name of all that''s holy are we trekking through a humid and blisteringly hot jungle when there were other perfectly good terrain types available? I have sweat in some very inconvenient places that sweat has no place being in." She complained while wiping her forehead. The whole time they were trekking through the canopy of the trees, looking for suitable prey. ¡°Oh, that. We¡¯re here because you poisoned my lunch.¡± Kaede explained with a small amused twitch of her lips. ¡°And I would¡¯ve thought you had enough Vitality to not be bothered by the heat.¡± ¡°You know damn well there¡¯s a difference between effective Vitality and actual Vitality. I might not be harmed by the heat, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not affected.¡± She grumbled, jumping down to ground level. ¡°And I poisoned your lunch because you tried to spy on me.¡± ¡°Information gathering is quite literally in my Class description. I even got a level from the attempt.¡± Kaede now grinned openly. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not saying the poisoning was unwarranted. I¡¯m simply explaining cause and effect. You try to poison me, no matter the reason, and I¡¯ll make sure that your assignment is very unpleasant in all ways possible. We could¡¯ve gone to the beach, but now we can¡¯t.¡± Kaede was clearly having fun with this. A loud growl came from the bushes, likely attracted by their talking voices, as they were not bothering to be quiet. "Look." Seraphiel emphasized her words by gathering her power. She also pulled out a spear provided by the academy and tossed it into the air where her [Telekinesis] grabbed it. The growls of the beast rampaging towards them were cut short as the spear was launched at the poor creature with the combined power of [Energy Control] and [Telekinesis] creating a sort of improvised railgun, destroying a decent chunk of the jungle in the process. ¡°I¡¯ve fulfilled the mission conditions. Now can we go and get a bath? Or barring that, a shower? I don¡¯t exactly enjoy sweaty ti-¡° "I don''t know if that counts." Kaede pointed at what remained of the hulking creature. "It was barely level 70. I guess I could theoretically give you a passing grade, but it wouldn¡¯t be a very good one. You know I expect better from you.¡± She was grinning the whole time. ¡°Charlotte damn it!¡± Seraphiel cursed and resigned herself to trekking through the jungle further. ¡°And what did we learn?¡± Kaede asked smugly. "To use stronger poison next time," Seraphiel grunted. Vengeance was a dish best served early and often. ------ ¡°Come now. Surely this one is enough for a good grade?¡± Seraphiel asked, standing on the corpse of a giant snake. The venom was still dripping from the snake¡¯s fangs, corroding the ground below. ¡°It¡¯s more than double my level, and I even took it in one piece so you can harvest all the materials.¡± That had been the challenging part. ¡°You mean you can harvest all the materials.¡± Kaede pointed out. ¡°Part of the 2nd-class studies is about taking monsters apart efficiently. That¡¯s half the reason we¡¯re here.¡± "That''s what I said," Seraphiel claimed innocently. ¡°Uh-huh. Well, get to it. I can¡¯t grade you until you complete the assignment fully.¡± Kaede jabbed a thumb towards the corpse. With a small sigh, Seraphiel pulled out a knife. It was the first Witchblade she¡¯d consider passable enough to be used that she¡¯d created. The difference between [Bonesinging] and [Advanced Bonesinging] was quite large. Someone might have considered her earlier creations good effort, but she knew the difference between a real masterwork and trash. Even now, this was the largest blade she¡¯d managed to create without compromising the integrity of the Wraithbone. And it was pretty damn far from being a masterwork. It was barely usable though. [Low-B grade Witchblade] was the System¡¯s evaluation. It was a great tool for this purpose, however, which was why she''d brought it along. There was nothing sharper than a proper Witchblade reinforced by an Aeldari Farseer. The blade didn''t even need to touch the target, as the aura surrounding the blade created the first incision. Just like she tried to do at every opportunity, she attempted to perform the whole procedure using nothing but her [Telekinesis], as precision work like this was the best kind of training. Many monster hunters and academy students who planned on careers related to monster hunting took a Skill related to disassembling the corpses of monsters. This was one of the areas where her experience made such Skills pointless. She''d disassembled every type of monster at some point or another, and no Skill would be able to provide her with knowledge on how to do it better. And no matter how much help the System provided, it couldn''t upgrade the materials produced, no matter the level of the Skill. The best you could achieve was to disassemble the carcass perfectly, recovering all the useful materials. No extras would be created out of thin air, and the scales of a snake would never turn into Dragon scales by System shenanigans. She didn¡¯t need the System¡¯s assistance to achieve perfect results. Even while challenging herself by using just her [Telekinesis], she quickly and efficiently took the snake apart, piling the materials off to one side, ready to be used. She even remembered to create a pit to get rid of all the offal and waste parts that couldn¡¯t be utilized. [Congratulations! [Advanced Telekinesis] has leveled up from 60 to 61!] ¡°How about it?¡± It was her turn to be a little smug. ¡°Hrrmm. I suppose I¡¯ll have to give you some credit. You aren¡¯t being judged on what you could do, but in comparison to others of your level. I know you¡¯re cheating, but no one else at your level could¡¯ve taken down a monster over twice their level, with two Classes, and three Class evolutions. And your disassembly work was perfect, as expected.¡± Despite their recent shenanigans, Kaede was always fair when it came to grading. ¡°Pop-quiz. How does monster leveling work?¡± A fair question as such things were taught in the theoretical lessons after reaching 2nd-class as students. ¡°Intelligent monsters level just like us, except they get offered specialized Classes tailored to their physiology and species. Unintelligent monsters use their species both for leveling Class and Race. When they get extra Classes, they simply double up on the bonus. So, a level 100 Tiger would get their Race points tripled, once for their Race and twice for their Class, which would also be Tiger. They get the same amount of Skill slots, which are filled with what the System considers to be appropriate Skills usually associated with their species. If they gain some special achievements, their Class might evolve during Class evolutions. A Tiger might become a Winged Tiger or something similar. This might or might not be enough to also increase the rank of their Race, but it will help evolve their Skills at the very least.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°And why do monsters tend to level up faster than intelligent species?¡± Kaede threw in another question. ¡°Because everything they do is considered an activity associated with their Class, and they only have a single Class. As such, every action levels all their Classes at the same time. Also because the gods are dicks and want to make sure the intelligent races have enough monsters to kill to continue leveling.¡± Seraphiel stated the last part with some humour in her voice. ¡°Quite. That last part is an unofficial theory, but I¡¯ll allow it. Most would argue that helping us level is a benevolent act though.¡± Kaede challenged her a little bit, like a good teacher should do. ¡°Only if you assume they do it to help. The more likely explanation is that it¡¯s more entertaining for them this way.¡± Seraphiel countered right away. "You sound as if you have some inside knowledge," Kaede suggested, while storing away all the materials Seraphiel had gathered. Most of them would be used by the General-track students to practice their crafting, and the rest would be sold at appropriate opportunity. The students could claim a portion of the catch if they could give a good reason for it, but usually the academy took all the materials. "Well, I''ve probably dealt with more gods than most," Seraphiel admitted straight away. She knew Kaede had already recognized her, so why bother being secretive about it? "Some of them wound up here, though I don''t know how many." "Are you not worried about grudges? They''re going to figure out your identity soon enough." Kaede asked getting serious. "Hah! Most who have picked a fight with me have ended up dead. And I have way more gods that owe me a debt of gratitude than those that might feel slighted by my actions. And I¡¯m not afraid to collect if things get too hairy.¡± She wasn¡¯t entirely as confident as she was putting on, but she also wasn¡¯t used to being in such a weak position, so she projected confidence almost as a reflex. Sometimes appearing confident was enough to deter anyone from taking a swipe at you. ------ Raziel and Seraphiel were lying down side by side on the lounge chairs, for once using Eva''s resort for the purpose the name implied. They were both taking a much-needed break while Kaede was handling some of her other duties as a teacher. Both of them had been working hard, and Raziel was almost as shocked at his own progress as Sephy¡¯s. Although, the latter really shouldn¡¯t surprise him anymore. The former however did. He¡¯d been working hard, so he expected progress, but gaining almost thirty levels in both of his Classes was still a lot. Instructor Kaede really knew what she was doing! Levels weren''t the most shocking part. It wasn¡¯t even his Skills, which had gone up faster than ever. It was something more intangible than that. He was just better. He couldn¡¯t explain it. It was something not covered by the System. He knew what to do and could anticipate the actions of his opponents much more easily. He was also reacting instinctively, taking the best course of action in response, instead of trying to come up with plans consciously. It didn¡¯t work against Sephy of course, which is why it had come as such a surprise, although he was holding his own better. However, when he fought against his friends, the difference became obvious. As he¡¯d been promoted through the student levels so quickly, he was a bit younger than many of his friends and had spent less time at Mahora. At first, it had meant he had some trouble consistently matching his friends, although he¡¯d pretty much caught up by the time Sephy had arrived, now he was defeating them regularly. And they weren¡¯t close fights either. He was stomping them. ¡°What are you planning for the future?¡± Sephy suddenly asked out of nowhere. Raziel turned his head just enough to look at her with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Where did that come from?¡± Sephy seemed a little hesitant, something of a rarity for her. ¡°I¡¯ve just recently been thinking about it is all. We have our whole lives in front of us. What do you plan to do with that life?¡± He frowned a little in thought. ¡°I haven¡¯t given it much thought. I plan on graduating from Mahora. I suppose it would be nice to find a great Pactio partner while we¡¯re here.¡± It was too bad you couldn¡¯t form Pactios between two Knight track students. Or you could theoretically, it just wasn¡¯t done as that went against the purpose of the whole thing. ¡°Maybe even find a girlfriend. We¡¯re going to be here for a long time. Is it not a bit too early to be thinking about any future beyond?¡± ¡°But if we don¡¯t have an overarching goal, how do we know to make the appropriate decisions to reach those goals?¡± Sephy asked, sounding troubled. ¡°I mean, that¡¯s not wrong exactly, but you¡¯re forgetting something. We¡¯re Angels. We have forever to reach those goals. Even if you decide on some goal later, you can just take the appropriate actions after making that decision. Even if the goal requires some particular Classes for some reason, you can always just reset your Class and grind the new Class up. We have time as Angels. Besides, what''s the point of making too many plans when we don''t know what happens one year or ten years from now? You might be planning on becoming an Archangel or something, and then something happens that completely changes your mind. Then all that work would be wasted effort." Raziel was rather proud of himself for that one. He''d given the matter some thought at least. ¡°So¡­what? Just wing it until you come up with something?" Sephy asked as if completely mystified by the idea. Come to think of it, she''d always been very driven, as if striving for something. He supposed goals were useful in that sense. Drive was a helpful thing to get things done. He¡¯d never been aware of what her goals were though. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that. Just work on getting better, and be ready to change when the situation requires it." He decided to go out on a bit of a leap. "You''ve always been very driven Sephy. That''s admirable, and I don''t think you necessarily need to change that. I just think you need to learn to relax and let go as well. You don''t always have to be training or striving towards a goal. It''s okay to let go once in a while. Like we''re doing now. Rest is important. And Light forbid, having some fun." Raziel watched as that seemed to sink in slowly. He didn''t think his sister would change immediately, but perhaps if the message was repeated long enough, some of it might stick. And maybe then he''d have a chance to catch up! ¡°I¡¯m suddenly reminded of a song.¡± Sephy giggled out of nowhere, getting him curious. ¡°Sing it.¡± He suggested. All of the Angels were musically gifted. Something about angelic choirs meant to glorify the gods or something like that. Sephy seemed a little surprised by the suggestion, looked ready to refuse, then seemed to change her mind just as she opened her mouth, bit her lip a bit, and finally nodded. It was strange to see her go through such a scale of emotions so quickly, but it was interesting. She got up and made a strange gesture, as if holding something in her hand. She closed her eyes for a moment and swayed from side to side, as if listening to some silent music. ¡°I¡¯ve been getting crushed beneath the pressure Will of fate is heavier than ever, It has made a hostage of all our dreams.¡± ¡®Ah, not a very cheery song.¡¯ Raziel thought to himself, though he could somewhat see how the words might connect to the topic they had been discussing. She sounded great though. ¡°Never can escape and never running And we are still desperately struggling Even now, persistent I will be!¡± Sephy¡¯s voice changed a bit in pitch and got a calmer and more emotional tone while she opened her eyes and looked straight at him. ¡°And all the shard of our hope, Still, ever close Lost in the rubble beneath.¡± She grasped her hands together as if praying, and her tone got a kind of fighting, challenging tone to it ¡°This hope I swear to find with my two hands, in time swear I¡¯ll be changing the world, You will see!¡± Oh, now it was getting a lot more upbeat and reaching a crescendo. Her voice got almost growly. ¡°FIGHTING GOLD! You''ll only find it in those Believe in what is deep inside I promise you will shine! BREAK THE MOLD! Until your fire dies! Against the Gods tonight! Determined we will fight! Ye, who have indomitable souls! FIGHTING GOLD!¡± By the time Sephy was stretching out the last growled ¡®gold¡¯, Raziel was already fully caught up and invested in the song. His sister¡¯s Charisma was fully shining through and he almost felt like jumping up and down to cheer along for the song. ¡°Even more than prayers that are ringing, the most precious, sought-after thing is moving forward with your heart!" Now she was adding some kind of odd dance moves to the song as well, seemingly getting caught in the performance as well. Raziel hadn¡¯t seen that kind of dancing before, but it looked fun! ¡°As we crawl all across the planets How we seek to understand them And all the stars above us in the sky!¡± She pointed a finger right at him almost challengingly. ¡°So build a future with me, no one has seen Unyielding bonds you must embrace! And wounded resolutions, unfinished resolutions! Take that first step and you¡¯re walking away! FIGHTING GOLD! You¡¯ll only find it in those Believe in what is deep inside I promise you will shine! BREAK THE MOLD! Until your fire dies! And once we have the power We will conquer every hour! Ye, who have indomitable souls! FIGHTING GOLD!¡± Now her voice let down into a calmer tone and she returned to the peaceful, almost praying position. ¡°And there¡¯s this peace Let go of it, and you¡¯ll see!¡± The peace didn¡¯t last long though as she quickly started those odd dancing moves again. ¡°FIGHTING GOLD! You''ll only find it in those Believe in what is deep inside I promise you will shine! Break the mold! Until your fire dies! And once we have the power We will conquer every hour! Ye, who have indomitable souls! FIGHTING GOLD!¡± As the song died down, she actually stuck a pose, with her finger making a sideways V in front of her eyes, and then her eyes suddenly went unfocused, which Raziel recognized as someone getting announcements from the System. "That was so fun! I''ve never heard a song like that." Raziel gushed while clapping his hands. ¡°I have.¡± A third voice interrupted them. ¡°Though not quite that one.¡± Eva walked closer along with Kaede, both of them also clapping a bit. ¡°I see you¡¯re putting all that useless Charisma to use. I suppose we already know one thing that we can do for the school festival.¡± Sephy then said a word that he didn¡¯t understand, but was clearly meant as a curse. Chapter 25 - Negi ----- On some level, she wanted to claim that she had missed their arrival because she''d been distracted by the announcements, but that would just be her deceiving herself. They''d obviously arrived earlier than that, seeing as they''d heard at least a part of the song. Truth was she''d just been too into the whole thing, having fun giving a little performance for her brother to pay attention to anything else. "I''m not sure you have any grounds to talk when it comes to Charisma, Eva." She pointed out. The Shinso Vampire obviously had a lot of Charisma as well. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know all mine comes from my Race and Classes.¡± Eva sniffed. ¡°Uh-huh. Likely explanation.¡± She wasn¡¯t convinced. Whatever Eva might say, she¡¯d always been vain about her looks. ¡°What are you doing here anyway? We were supposed to be having time off.¡± Eva pursed her lips a bit. ¡°Mighty selfish of you to think everything is about you. This is still my resort and sometimes I have need for extra time. I just happened to hear singing when I arrived and decided to investigate. Lucky that I did. You clearly have talent. Although with all that useless Charisma, I shouldn¡¯t be too surprised.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the second time you¡¯ve jibed at my Charisma. Are you jealous perchance?¡± Seraphiel did the iconic hair-flip just to annoy Eva further. Eva just scoffed in response. ¡°I¡¯m simply questioning your judgement. Anyway, as I mentioned, we have a school festival coming, and everyone is expected to participate in some way. I think we just found a way you can contribute." Now it was Seraphiel¡¯s turn to scoff. ¡°I¡¯m not your dancing monkey. I¡¯m already part of the school team. I read the rules. We¡¯re exempt from any other club or event participation.¡± She took a moment to review the announcements. [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Songstress!] [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Superstar Performer!] [Your Skills Songstress and Superstar Performer have merged!] [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Star Of The Show! You have expertise in many different kinds of performances ranging from singing and dancing to gladiatorial battles and even quiz shows. Your vast knowledge of other universes, combined with your talent and high Charisma makes you ideally suited for the stage. Improves the enjoyment you get from performing and anyone watching your performance. Skill and the success of any performance are boosted heavily by both [Graceful] and [Charm Of The Firstborn]. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] Sure, why not? She still had a free Social Skill slot. Although¡­Skills that increased enjoyment? That had certain¡­implications. ¡°Are you sure? Because I think you just gained a Skill for it, and it would be a nice opportunity to level it.¡± Eva suggested slyly. ¡°And while you might not be a monkey, you were just dancing.¡± ¡°Eh, it levels with any sort of performance, not just singing. Also doesn¡¯t specify I have to perform for an audience.¡± She shot the idea down again, even if she had to admit that performing for an audience likely improved the Skill a whole lot faster. ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Eva shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to it then. Just don¡¯t bother me while I¡¯m working, so no explosions.¡± The last one was addressed to Kaede. As soon as Eva was gone, Kaede turned to her. "You do realize that my job will be to pressure you into performing, right? It''s the obvious best way to level any performance-related Skill. Would also increase your popularity with the rest of the students. Besides, you''ve never struck me as someone who would mind the attention." ¡°It¡¯s not about that. I just don¡¯t want to give Eva the satisfaction. Besides. I just got the Skill. I¡¯m certainly not going to be pushed into anything right away.¡± Seraphiel defended her decision, her reasoning sounding a little hollow even to herself. "Just as long as you understand that we''re not done with this," Kaede promised almost threateningly. "That said, the song sounded nice. Maybe not exactly your style, but¡­" ¡°I¡¯m a little curious what you think would be my style, but I feel it¡¯s better for my own mental health if I don¡¯t ask.¡± Seraphiel chose to let the matter slide. ¡°Same question to you, though. What brings you back so soon? Anything happen?¡± ¡°Not really. Just the usual drama that happens when you stick a large number of young people together for extended periods of time. Needed some time off, and this place is great for that.¡± Kaede explained briefly. ¡°I¡¯m sure I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Seraphiel grinned a bit at that. ¡°You certainly never experienced the same thing, like shenanigans with a certain nebulous organization, teen love drama, or getting transported into another world filled with magic.¡± ¡°Exactly. Nothing like that at all.¡± Kaede nodded, not letting even a hint of a smile on her face. ---------- Seraphiel agilely dodged around the kunai Kaede kept throwing at her. To give some extra challenge, she was doing this while standing on thin wooden poles on the ground. Each pole was barely large enough for one foot, and some of them bent and wobbled a lot more than others, just to make things even more difficult. [Graceful] and her high Agility were working wonders in keeping her on the poles, and both her [Precognition] and [Chronomancy], in conjunction with [Dodging] were doing the heavy lifting when it came to actually avoiding the projectiles. Stolen novel; please report. Suddenly Kaede just stopped. ¡°I think we¡¯ve just about reached the limits of this type of training for now. You could get a few more levels to your Skills, but it¡¯s becoming horribly inefficient. You¡¯re going to have to spend more time in actual combat for a while to balance things out.¡± She explained. ¡°Ah, some of the other instructors did mention that there are heavy diminishing returns with training combat Skills if you don''t use them in actual combat," Seraphiel remembered. "And considering how much time we''ve spent here at the resort lately¡­" ¡°Exactly. It¡¯s not just the one-sided training either, but the speed at which you¡¯ve been pushing yourself. I know you have some sort of Skill that gives you extra leveling speed, and I¡¯m sure that one has been working overtime lately. You need to get into real battles to even things out. The efficacy of this kind of training will go up again if you use your Skills in real combat for a while. It would be better if you could get some levels from actually killing something as well. Most of your levels have come from pure Skill training after all. Usually, our students spend more time in the arrays and on the field to get some experience. You don¡¯t really need the real experience considering your past, but mechanically you¡¯d be rewarded for it.¡± Kaede gathered all her kunai with a wave of her hand. It wasn¡¯t telekinesis, but some sort of a ninjutsu Skill. ¡°I think I¡¯ll need to take part in the 2nd-class group exercises as well. I¡¯ve soloed most of the required excursions so far, but I think I¡¯m required to do some work with the Mage- and General-track students.¡± She recalled some of the requirements. ¡°I think one of the basic requirements for Knight-track was the ability to protect our teammates.¡± "Exactly. I seem to recall Mana saying something about new group exercises being arranged two days from now. Until then, go socialize or something." Kaede ordered. Raziel had left the resort a couple of 24-hour cycles ago to spend some time with his friends as well. She didn¡¯t want to interrupt them, so she decided to just take a walk around the academy grounds and relax. It was still early in the day, so most students were either still taking lessons, or just getting released from the instructors¡¯ clutches. Her feet slowly took her towards the large tree at the heart of the academy. The World Tree seemed like a much larger version of the classic cherry tree, except in many ways it wasn¡¯t. There were no cherries to be had. Instead, the tree seemed to be constantly flowering, with pink petals slowly floating down from the old tree in the middle of the island. It had been one of the twelve holy grounds of magic back when it had still been located on the original world, and there were many legends about the thing, mostly cooked up with the wild imagination of bored students. That said, it was a fount of magical power, and had many effects over the entire academy, and everyone within. ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful sight, isn¡¯t it?¡± A soft male voice asked behind her. She turned her head just enough to note the reddish-brown-haired man behind her. Negi had aged somewhat. He''d been just a child when she''d seen him last, and now he looked like his father. "In a very simple way. Sometimes there''s great beauty in simplicity." She responded. Negi gave a small chuckle. ¡°Yes, I expect you¡¯ve seen many more exciting sights. Welcome back Seraphiel.¡± ¡°Eva told you?¡± She asked a bit surprised. She hadn¡¯t expected that. ¡°She didn¡¯t have to.¡± Negi smiled mysteriously. He¡¯d always been quite sharp. He¡¯d also been extremely dense at times when it came to certain subjects, but very sharp in other things. ¡°I expect many others will be able to recognize you as well. Just as a friendly warning.¡± ¡°I suppose that was going to be inevitable.¡± Seraphiel gave a small sigh. ¡°So, a Champion huh? How¡¯s that working out for you?¡± Negi grimaced a bit. ¡°Varying levels of success. I¡¯m doing well enough to help support the academy and keep my patron happy, but I have to admit some of the other Champions are a lot more hardcore than I am. It¡¯s not so much level of power, it¡¯s just¡­¡± "You always did lack the killer instinct necessary." Seraphiel smiled a little. "Although, considering how young you were, I would''ve been more worried if you didn''t." "There''s that, but some of the other Champions are just¡­I can''t explain it any other way than to say they can get a bit crazy. They will stop at nothing to gain victory. I''d like to think I''m hard-working, but some of the other Champions push themselves beyond anything I''ve ever seen. Anything I would consider¡­human.¡± He finished a little nebulously. ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s the thing. You assume they are Human like you. Just because they carry the same race name doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re the same. It¡¯s the conditions we grow up with that form us into what we are. Despite your adventures when you were young, you grew up in a relatively peaceful world. No constant struggle or war.¡± She suggested. ¡°Maybe.¡± Negi didn¡¯t sound convinced, though he wasn¡¯t rejecting the idea either. ¡°Anyway, I looked at some of the materials Setsuna and the others handed to me. They¡¯re quite excited about trying to figure you out. They¡¯re still pretty far from the truth, but they¡¯re getting there.¡± ¡°Kaede already figured it out.¡± Seraphiel chuckled. ¡°Unsurprising.¡± Negi smiled at that. ¡°She¡¯s always been special. Anyway, as a Champion, I was somewhat curious about the presence of another Champion in my academy. Especially since even my Patron doesn¡¯t seem to know whose Champion you are.¡± ¡°Charlotte Richards.¡± Seraphiel threw her Mother¡¯s name out without hesitation. No need to mention the System. ¡°Who?¡± Negi asked, confused. ¡°That¡¯s the name She herself picked. I¡¯m not sure how widely it has spread just yet.¡± She continued, being slightly vague on purpose. ¡°O¡­K¡­well, whatever. Now that I¡¯ve seen that you¡¯re that Champion, I can rest relatively easy. I know you¡¯re not here to cause trouble.¡± He seemed to relax at the information. ¡°Wait. You knew I was a Champion even before knowing who I was?¡± That one caught Seraphiel by surprise. ¡°Well, you¡¯re on my home territory. Of course, I¡¯d be able to sense the presence of another Champion. Taking petty revenge is forbidden by the rules, but it wouldn¡¯t be the first time some Champion decided to bend the rules.¡± Negi revealed. ¡°That reminds me, no one has bothered explaining the rules of the Champions to me.¡± She stated suggestively. ¡°Ah, usually that¡¯s the responsibility of whoever summoned us¡­¡± He replied hesitantly. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think my patron is even aware of any such rules, much less bothered learning them.¡± She shot that down. ¡°Right. You¡¯ll really need to get a proper explanation from your patron, as this would be a rather lengthy lesson. At the very basic level, Champions are expected to participate in various activities that bring their patron glory once they become active. There¡¯s no set number, as that¡¯s between your patron and you. New Champions get time to level and get used to this universe before they¡¯re expected to participate. Champions are often used to resolve contests between races and worlds as well. Partially because of that, other Champions are not allowed to go after the families and friends of other Champions, unless those people pick a fight with the Champion. That one¡¯s more of an unwritten rule, which is why some less scrupulous Champions occasionally seek to break the rule. Usually doesn¡¯t end well for anyone involved, as the other Champions usually then band together to kill off the offender and anyone they hold dear to make a point.¡± Negi explained. ¡°I suppose it would be impossible for the Champions to have any semblance of normal life otherwise.¡± She nodded in understanding. ¡°However, I¡¯ve been here for most of the year. If I was hostile, you showed up way too late.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s partially what was confusing me. You didn¡¯t register on my wards until recently. I sensed the presence of some god at the same time. As I was also getting news from Eva, I guessed it was about you, so I wasn¡¯t in a rush. Still, I came as fast as I could. I was in the middle of a tournament and couldn¡¯t come before now. I am somewhat curious why you didn¡¯t register before now, if you have any insight?¡± Negi asked. ¡°It might be because I hadn¡¯t met my patron until then. Charlotte paid me a visit, and She¡¯s the god you sensed.¡± She frowned a little. ¡°Or was She? I don¡¯t think you should¡¯ve been able to sense Her presence.¡± ¡°What do you mean? The gods aren¡¯t exactly subtle.¡± Negi sounded a little worried. ¡°Yes, but Charlotte isn¡¯t your normal god. If you sensed Her presence, it¡¯s because She deliberately let you sense Her. Which isn¡¯t necessarily out of character.¡± Charlotte was more the type to not care. ¡°I really need to look into this Charlotte. A bit odd of a name for a god if I may say.¡± He was being careful. Some Champions were probably quite defensive about their patrons. ¡°That¡¯s what I said as well!¡± She replied enthusiastically instead. ¡°Although apparently it was the name of some mortal She has a connection with.¡± ¡°That¡­sounds odd. Usually, their name and anything associated with it is extremely important to gods. It¡¯s the focal point of their faith after all.¡± Negi sounded really unsure of himself, the whole thing throwing him off balance. "You''ll only get a headache if you try to figure Her out." She patted him on the shoulder. "Anyway. I''ve officially been given the order by my patron, and the System itself, to take things easy and relax, so you don''t need to worry." ¡°Good. I didn¡¯t want to say, but from everything I¡¯ve heard, you seem to be associated with a whole lot of trouble. You also fix that trouble, but¡­¡± He left the rest unsaid. "But you don''t necessarily want those you love to get mixed in said trouble." She finished for him. ¡°I know it¡¯s unfair.¡± He grimaced. ¡°But if you really are just here to relax¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been told. It¡¯s not like I go out to seek trouble myself.¡± She explained, before muttering. ¡°Though that doesn¡¯t mean trouble can¡¯t find me¡­¡± Chapter 26 - Waaagh! ------ Seraphiel stepped to the side to avoid the clumsy yet ferocious strike made with a crude melee weapon and cleaved the raging creature in two with her glaive made of light. The remains of the green-skinned brute joined the other similar corpses surrounding her. She gracefully danced between targets, killing them with relative ease, or just making sure to deter them from striking at her allies. Occasionally psionically created lightning struck down from the dark clouds above, seemingly at random but always targeting one of the greenskins about to attack her allies. ¡°Any time now Theliel!¡± A Khenra Knight-track student with a number two on his armor shouted over his shoulder. He followed the shout up with a shield slam into the face of another Ork. The canine warrior wielded a curved sword their people were known for with considerable skill. The Orks had not changed since her time visiting their universe as the first destination of her exile. And why would they? The Orks were very simple as a species. There was one thing that made them happy. They loved fighting, and fighting was plentiful in this universe. Their species thrived in the combat-focused surroundings of this universe, and they were one of the most prolific invasive species around. Helped that you never really ran out of them, as they procreated by spreading spores, and a new horde might sprout up even centuries later. You wouldn¡¯t think of it when you first saw them, but the Orks were a mono-gendered race of fungi-humanoids, and that was perhaps the most logical thing about them. They made no sense as a species, which was kind of their defining trait. They even had a collective psychic power where if they believed in something hard enough, the belief came true. That¡¯s how most of their weapons and gear worked, as mechanics and engineers they were not. In other words, they were a plentiful and perfect source of experience. When they weren¡¯t overwhelming you with sheer numbers. ¡°I¡¯m going as fast as I can! Opening a portal in the middle of hostile territory isn¡¯t something you wanna botch!¡± The voice of their Elven support mage came from the makeshift cave they were protecting. "Just take your time and do it right," Seraphiel called out with a relaxed voice. "I''d rather you take a bit longer than have to re-do the whole thing because you made a mistake." She emphasized her words by sending a wave of psionic lightming through the enemies in front of her, downing a dozen of the brutes. ¡°Speak for yourself. The rest of us have a bit more trouble.¡± The Khenra knight complained, and not entirely without reason, just as a Fireball launched by their Mage-track member took out several of the Orks pressuring him. ¡°I hate to admit it, but Mun-Tep has a point.¡± The Draenei mage agreed. ¡°I¡¯m starting to run a bit low on mana.¡± ¡°I told you to just ask if you need me to take pressure off you two.¡± Seraphiel pointed out as several more bolts of lightning lashed down, lessening the number of Orks on the sides the mage and knight were protecting. ¡°You know the two of them are too proud to do that.¡± The last member of their team, the Asari support healer pointed out while firing a gun loaded with bullets created by some of the 2nd-class crafters at the Orks. Normal bullets lost effectiveness quite quickly as the target¡¯s Vitality increased. Luckily her services as a healer weren¡¯t needed, so she was spending more of her time firing the gun than casting spells, thankfully. ¡°That¡¯s not really my fault, now is it?¡± Seraphiel chuckled at the blue-skinned Asari. ¡°Well, it kind of could be.¡± The Asari stated between shots. ¡°I mean, you¡¯re the one skipping class levels, and they don¡¯t want to lose to you.¡± ¡°Shut it La¡¯viola!¡± Mun-Tep, the knight shouted out before sending out a cleaving scythe of Qi to cut down a large group of Orks. He was clearly running on fumes as well, as in the beginning, he had been sending similar attacks at the Orks by the dozen. ¡°She¡¯s not entirely wrong.¡± The Draenei mage muttered, now focusing on his side again. Their team was positioned around the mouth of a cave where Theliel, their spatial mage in charge of transportation, channelled his portal magic. As Theliel was low-level and spatial magic required a lot of mana, it took time to form portals. In the meantime, the three combat members each protected a side, while their healer supported whoever had the most trouble with her gun. Seraphiel had erected several brightly glowing barriers to funnel the Orks into more manageable groups, as well as to protect them from long-ranged attacks. The Orks hadn¡¯t just left those barriers alone and the shootier members of the warband were happily firing their weapons at the barriers, which was constantly taxing her power reserves. As was constantly maintaining her own buffs and the psionic storm above them, which was in large part why she couldn¡¯t do much else as even her power reserves had limits. They regenerated quickly, which allowed her the occasional burst of power, but they still had limits. She was taking care of the largest approach, which only made sense considering she had vastly higher stats than the rest of the group. Most of her attention was taken by keeping her group alive, and not fighting her own enemies as her Physical Stats were more than adequate to deal with the brutes. One-on-one the Orks were not a threat to the rest of the group. Even if they were strong, and in some cases surprisingly skilled at fighting, they were also quite simplistic in their approach, mainly just wanting to smash their enemy in a straightforward manner. The Orks ranged in level from just below them to just above them, giving an appropriate level of challenge. Which was the point considering this was an outing arranged by the academy. However, the fight wasn¡¯t one-on-one, and they were getting exhausted after cutting down so many enemies. ¡°Heads up, we have incoming!¡± La¡¯viola suddenly shouted a warning as a much larger Ork crushed its way through the forest¡¯s undergrowth. ¡°Why you grots take this long?!¡± The larger Ork bellowed, while waving around an axe larger than a normal Ork. It looked towards them. ¡°Oi! You¡¯s up for a proper smashing!¡± ¡°Ok, now you might want to hurry Theliel!¡± Seraphiel shouted. The creature was almost a hundred levels higher than her, putting it roughly in the Big¡¯un category, as far as such classification went among the greenskins. It would be interesting to fight the creature, if only she could manage a one-on-one, but as noted before, this was hardly the place or time for duels. She had a team to protect and other Orks swarming them. ¡°Oh, fuckety-fuck-fuck!¡± The Khenra knight cursed. ¡°Trouble!¡± ¡°Keep calm!¡± Seraphiel ordered. She raised her palm up to the large Ork, and suddenly closed the hand into a fist, calling forth a yellowish energy that formed into a thick rope. ¡°Bakudo 64: Saj¨­ Sabaku!¡± The yellow rope of energy wound itself around the surprised Ork, causing it to stumble and fall to the ground. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Great! How long is a rope going to hold the thing though?" La''viola questioned while frantically shooting at the Orks now running closer unimpeded by lightning because maintaining such a high-level Kid¨­ spell took a lot out of Seraphiel. The rank of the Skill determined what Kid¨­ spells she could use, but it didn''t make casting the higher-ranked spells easy. They were her most power-hungry abilities, but in return they gave power and versatility. ¡°Theoretically? As long as it takes. That rope should not be susceptible to just physical strength.¡± Seraphiel replied, focusing both on maintaining the spell, the barriers, and fighting the Orks that didn¡¯t just stop. ¡°Theoretically?¡± La¡¯viola asked worriedly as the large Ork was putting up a mighty struggle against the ropes. ¡°Yes, theoretically. Theliel!¡± Seraphiel shouted towards the elf. The Orks had their own weird power of imagination after all, and if they could just believe strongly enough, then the ropes could be broken. ¡°I¡¯m done! You can retreat into the cave now!¡± The elf answered, and Seraphiel could sense the portal forming behind her. The entire group rushed through the crackling portal before the elven mage allowed it to collapse in order to stop the Orks from following them. The rest of the group collapsed in exhaustion while Seraphiel remained standing as she noted Tatsumiya approaching. ¡°You all seem a bit worn. Report!¡± She ordered. The teachers knew what had happened of course. They had monitored the whole thing and would¡¯ve intervened if things got too hairy. They¡¯d likely made sure to direct only the correct level Orks to approach them as well. They¡¯d also deployed them to the specific area with the correct level enemies on purpose. It wouldn¡¯t do to get the students killed after all. Seraphiel gave a small salute while the rest of the group trundled to a standing position. ¡°Ma¡¯am! Squad S conducted reconnaissance at the assigned location. We came into contact with Orks. Despite attempts to stay discreet, the Orks were alerted to our presence. The number of the Orks was more than what the squad could handle in a direct engagement, and we were quickly surrounded, so we conducted the standard extraction plan T while under pressure. All squad members are present and accounted for, and Ork presence confirmed." Plan T was short for plan teleport. That had been the main purpose of the mission, to confirm the Ork presence. The world in question had hired Mahora to deal with the Ork problem, and the academy of course used it as a training exercise. Lower-level students would work as supports and scouts, while higher-level students would eradicate the threat. In the end, the teachers and staff would swoop in to completely eliminate the problem when things got too difficult and make sure it would stay handled, but they¡¯d stay out of it until necessary. The more mobile academies often took on such missions, as it was great training. ¡°Squad Shiny, individual reports!¡± Tatsumiya wanted everyone to expand on Seraphiel¡¯s report in their own words, and the others confirmed everything Seraphiel said with slight alterations in wording. ¡°Alright, personal thoughts? Where did you go wrong? What could you improve? What could¡¯ve gone better?¡± "It''s rather obvious we lacked stealth," La''viola stated straight away. "Remaining discreet is a large part of scouting, unless you specifically want to draw attention, which we did not. Couple of us had some stealth Skills, but we had no one dedicated to stealth, and we certainly weren¡¯t very stealthy as a group. In fact, our group was rather bruiser-y in nature. Very useful for when we got into combat, but maybe not a group setup optimized for scouting. More for protection and elimination jobs." The Asari had likely studied under a commando, and their kind always valued stealth and small-group tactics. ¡°On the other hand, without Seraphia¡¯s presence, we would¡¯ve been pretty fucked.¡± Mun-Tep admitted. ¡°Had any other 2nd-class student been in her place, we would¡¯ve lost that fight. Our retreat took too long, and we were not up to facing an enemy so numerous. We only managed because Seraphia could funnel them to us in manageable groups and keep down the enemy ranged assets.¡± ¡°On the positive side, we did manage to hold our own against a much larger force for far longer than we really should¡¯ve been able to.¡± Theliel pointed out. ¡°My talents are not really yet up to creating a portal in the heat of combat, but we managed, and I got several levels out of it.¡± ¡°On the other hand, we might have been able to buy more time with more guerilla tactics. We went for a direct approach exactly because we did have the benefit of Seraphia¡¯s barriers with us.¡± La¡¯viola added, before shaking her head again. ¡°Then again, as with scouting, our group was really not made up for guerilla tactics so that wouldn¡¯t have worked. I¡¯d say our biggest issue was the group composition when considering the mission at hand. In normal circumstances, you would send dedicated scouts to do scouting. We were not that. At least not most of us.¡± Tatsumiya clapped her hands, interrupting the conversation. ¡°That¡¯s good enough. You¡¯ve given the matter some thought and learned something. I¡¯d recommend thinking on the subject again after some time has passed. You might figure out things that could¡¯ve been done differently. In general, you managed to complete your objective. Although not with flying colours, you did manage the main points, so you all pass. Get some rest. We will be providing individual feedback later. Seraphia, stay please.¡± As the others made their way out, she stood at attention, looking at Tatsumiya who finally turned to her once everyone else was out of earshot. ¡°You performed excellently under the circumstances. I believe you would¡¯ve been able to complete the assignment easily by yourself, correct?¡± Seraphiel shook her head a bit indecisively. "Hard to say for sure. I do have stealth Skills and could''ve moved with more discretion, but you should never underestimate Orks. Hard to say if they had some among them with detection abilities that my Skill doesn¡¯t work against. That said, making a clean escape would¡¯ve been much easier, yes. Protecting the others also did make the fight more difficult than it needed to be. On the other hand, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to portal out without at least Theliel.¡± Tatsumiya smiled a little. ¡°Humility is often a positive trait but shouldn¡¯t be excessive and it doesn¡¯t suit you. From our observation, you handled the situation as well as you could''ve without completely overriding everything your squad decided. The reality of teamwork is that sometimes you have to deal with suboptimal situations. And you dealt with one better than we have any right to expect. Perfect individual grade." ¡°Thank you, ma''am." She nodded. "A question, if you will?" ¡°Ah, you want to know about your brother?¡± Tatsumiya realized straight away and got a nod in confirmation. ¡°His team managed to eradicate their assigned target without trouble. There were some injuries, but nothing a healer couldn¡¯t fix in the field, and your brother wasn¡¯t among those that took hits.¡± ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am. Any chance I could join them on their missions?¡± She asked a little hopefully. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. The 2nd-class has been assigned to full support and scouting duties. Most of your peers can¡¯t really handle that level of combat yet. I know you can, which is actually one of the reasons we want to keep you with the other 2nd-class students. It allows us to deploy any team you''re on to places that are riskier, as we can count on you to enable a clean exit. I know you''d rather be with your brother, but at least you do get to see combat, right?" Tatsumiya explained the reasoning. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s fair enough.¡± She might not like it, but she understood. ¡°At least it seems you¡¯re on track to easily reach your target for 3rd-class promotion by the end of the year.¡± Tatsumiya pointed out. ¡°You might even manage to hit level 100 if we can keep missions like these up.¡± She¡¯d already reached level 75 with both of her Classes and combat was giving her levels fast. In fact, she might be able to get enough kills to propel her to level 100 just against these Orks, but that would leave her Skills lagging behind, although her constant earlier training meant that leveling her Skills was currently quite easy. Her experience buff from [Been There, Done That] was getting a little ridiculous. The only reason she wasn¡¯t completely crushing others in leveling speed was because she was leveling two Classes and all the associated Skills equally. ¡°Have you already decided the direction you want to head into with your second Class?¡± Tatsumiya inquired. ¡°Just for the record, the academy has noted your abilities as a Guardian type, and we officially recommend something that would enhance that, like a Paladin.¡± "I''m honestly not sure yet. I think I''ll make the decision at the time, based on what''s available." She admitted. "That''s not a bad way to go about it. Staying flexible is important. Some like to plan their path well in advance and specifically aim for certain achievements to get certain Classes, but the problem with plans is that they rarely work out just as planned. There''s always going to be curveballs, both in battle and in life." Tatsumiya nodded. "I''m more of the planning type, but that''s just my need for thorough preparation talking. I assume you have some ideas though?" "Yes. Paladin was actually one of the Classes I was considering, but there''s something I''m a bit worried about. I''m not sure it''s wise to spread your Stats over multiple types. Another psionic Class would allow me to double down on the stat that I already have. The new stats would also start so low as to be useless until the new Class reaches parity." She explained her problem. ¡°Ah yes, the age-old issue of hyperfocus versus spreading yourself wider.¡± Tatsumiya nodded in understanding. ¡°It¡¯s important to know that there are no right answers, only opinions. That said, my take on the issue comes down to this. Which do you value more, Skills or stats? Yes, hyperfocusing on a single set of stats will leave you extremely high on those stats, but it will leave you thin on Skills. The different Classes the different stats are tied to tend to focus on similar things. If you take nothing but psionic Classes, your Skills tend to get really similar as well. They might accomplish the same thing in different ways, but they''re still accomplishing the same things. Do you really need five different ways to throw lightning at your enemy? Especially if the other option is to, say, heal your ally instead. There''s also the question of whether you have access to several Classes of the same type, and have them high enough rank to get the plentiful stat points you might want. I don''t know. You might, but most don''t. Then the question becomes, if you''re going to have to branch out eventually anyway, is it better to do so early or late?" ¡°Food for thought.¡± Seraphiel nodded in understanding. Tatsumiya¡¯s thoughts mirrored some of her own. That¡¯s why she¡¯d likely wait with her decision until she got to talk with Lucifer again. Chapter 27 - Green Genocide ------- ¡°And where exactly are you going?¡± She heard Kaede¡¯s voice from behind her. The ninja was one of the few people that could consistently sneak up on her. She couldn¡¯t wait until her Perception stat got high enough to counter such nonsense. ¡°Ah, good, you¡¯re here.¡± Seraphiel turned towards the woman dressed in full ninja garb, with a mask and everything. Rather revealing as such attires went, but supposedly that sort of thing was not out of the purview of ninjas. ¡°I was wondering where I would find you. Saves me the trouble of looking.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll note that you didn¡¯t answer the question.¡± Kaede prodded further, not allowing her to change the subject. Not that she was really trying to. ¡°I was getting to it. I¡¯m going Ork hunting. For that, I need a teleport. I was actually hoping you could arrange for one, but barring that, I was going to ask the teleport mage that was part of my last mission.¡± She explained without bothering to hide anything. It was easier to just secure Kaede¡¯s cooperation. ¡°Uh-huh. I won¡¯t bother asking why you felt like Ork hunting was a good idea. We did discuss your need for some actual combat not too long ago. How were you planning on getting back though? Assuming Theliel did make the portal for you.¡± Kaede questioned, not letting too much of her feelings slip. ¡°The plan was to have him open a portal to the same location every twelve hours until I took one back. Or barring that, find one of the elimination teams and hitch a ride with them.¡± She explained. ¡°Not a bad thought, assuming he agreed. That would take a lot of power from him though. Are you sure he¡¯d be willing?¡± Kaede pointed out. ¡°Yes, well, aside from the experience he would gain, I did assume some negotiation would¡¯ve been involved. I¡¯m relatively confident in my persuasive abilities.¡± She stood up straighter. She had a lot of Charisma. Might as well put it to good use. ¡°Alright then. I argued against Mana when she decided to keep you on the scouting teams, and I think this would be a great way for you to grind experience. Carry on.¡± Kaede gave permission with a nod, and then suddenly just vanished. Seraphiel made a small, exasperated sound. She¡¯d really hoped Kaede would provide the transportation. Now she actually had to convince Theliel. ----- Hunting the Orks by herself was not too hard. Hunting their kind was very familiar to her from her time as an Aeldari, and deceptive hit-and-run tactics and guerilla warfare in general were quite familiar to her. In fact, you could argue she was an expert on the subject, even if it wasn¡¯t the tactic she usually preferred. She was often a blunt instrument thanks to her previous overwhelming power and abilities. Let it not be said she wasn¡¯t capable of using different tactics though. The secret to fighting a numerically superior enemy was speed and unpredictability. She struck hard and fast, often killing off a patrol of Orks, or a small portion of a larger warband, before fading away and escaping into the forest. She struck at different times, at different places, and from different directions, keeping her actions and her targets unpredictable. She never allowed herself to be caught in protracted combat. She launched her attacks, killed as many Orks as she could, and then faded away, taking distance with [Hoh¨­] combined with speeding herself up with [Chronomancy]. None of the Orks could keep up with her speed, and that was assuming they could even react before she was gone. Even if some Ork did manage to chase her and not her illusions, they¡¯d run into invisible barriers made with [Shiten Kekkai]. Her attacks may not have killed too many of the green bastards with every attack, but every time she struck, she left behind bodies. Her most common method of attack was a combination of abilities. She created weapons of hardened light and packed them full of psionic lightning that exploded out on impact. A dozen or so such weapons launched from a distance before escaping left little chance for the Orks to respond. Other times she created attacks with her Kid¨­ or even conjured waves of psionic Warpflames with energy control. Even if the Orks were sturdy, they couldn''t resist either power effectively, and the psionic flames especially burned until she no longer supplied them with power. Sometimes she managed to wipe out entire patrols by charging in the middle of them and killing them in seconds, while at other times she only took out a small portion of larger groups before fading away like a ghost. She hid her movements with [Conceal] and [Combat Illusions] allowing the Skills that had been lagging behind a bit to catch up. Interestingly, the tactics she used, combined with fighting an old enemy of the Aeldari meant that her Farseer Class was leveling faster than her other Class. The difference came from the fact that she was performing an activity associated with the Class. If she had been fighting magic users or demons instead, then her Shinmei-ry¨± Class would¡¯ve been the one leveling faster. That said, it became quickly obvious that murdering a whole bunch of Orks was a really effective method of leveling up her Classes. It allowed her experience bonus from [Been There, Done That] to shine as well. It was a well-known rule that killing someone roughly equal in combat and/or level gave you a full level to at least one of your Classes. It just wasn¡¯t entirely clear what was considered equal. The Orks were not, even if some of them were higher level, as she had to kill more than one, but she was still gaining a full level in her Classes every battle, if the brief encounters could be called that. It took less than 24 hours for her Farseer Class to reach level 95, while her Shinmei-ry¨± Class was at level 90. Her Skills mostly kept up until level 85 due to her relentless training beforehand, but after that, the Skills started falling behind. Not badly, but still. Not unexpected, considering the simple nature of her leveling method. She briefly considered how and why the gods allowed such an easy leveling method as the Orks to exist, but quickly realized that it wouldn''t be quite as easy to exploit them for most others. For one, others wouldn¡¯t have two Classes at this level, nor stats that matched hers. That meant they wouldn¡¯t be able to kill the Orks so efficiently. The green bastards would be dangerous to most other people, especially in numbers. They also wouldn¡¯t have her experience boosting Skill, though perhaps in their case, the Orks would be considered equal opponents. Still, this seemed like she was exploiting a hole in the System. Which meant she was going to exploit the shit out of it! If the universe wanted to offer her a free buffet of levels, then she¡¯d be a fool not to take advantage! She¡¯d level both of her Classes to 100 before returning, after which she would train her important Skills to cap again. The requirement for becoming a 3rd-class student was only level 80, but nowhere did it say she couldn''t overshoot that requirement. Maybe she''d even get the chance to power-level her third Class a bit. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Assuming she wasn¡¯t in too much trouble for sneaking away¡­ ------ "You know, at the risk of making my own punishment worse, I feel obligated to point out that this doesn''t really work at my level of Vitality," Seraphiel said, sitting in seiza, a kneeling position where she was effectively sitting on her own heels, while holding a rather large rock in the air with her hands, and three other similarly sized rocks floated nearby due the power of her mind. [Congratulations! [Advanced Telekinesis] has leveled up from 98 to 99!] And it could actually be considered training. ¡°I¡¯m aware. However, most others are not. They don¡¯t realize how ridiculous your Vitality actually is.¡± Evangeline glanced at her before returning to her own paperwork. ¡°For most people at 2nd-class that would be a harsh punishment. It¡¯s rather difficult to come up with proper physical punishments for people with high enough vitality without the whole thing turning into torture. And most of the mental or social punishments wouldn¡¯t really work on you. You already have no free time, since you train so hard, and going reverse and trying to force you not to train would be kind of pointless as you¡¯d always find a way to do it sneakily. Although I am tempted to try just to see what happens. I suppose I could force you to clean toilets or something without using your powers, but I¡¯m saving that for special occasions.¡± They were currently in Evangeline¡¯s office. Despite the results being quite positive, Evangeline had to punish her for disobeying instructions, even if both of them knew it was in name only. ¡°So, how long will you need to get your Skills up to level 100? I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re not leveling all of them, and just those that are necessary.¡± "Hard to say exactly, but about a week or two," Seraphiel revealed. Most of her main Skills only needed a couple of levels, but some of the more niche Skills like [Advanced Bonesinging] and [Shiten Kekkai] needed a bit more effort. [Advanced Bonesinging] had evolved last time, so it didn¡¯t matter if that one was capped, but the other one might evolve this time, so she¡¯d rather have it ready. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t bother wasting my time advising you on your next Class, seeing as you have more experience than most and it¡¯s your own powers. Just keep in mind that level 100 is less about evolving your old Class, which still happens mind you, and more about getting a second one. The first one just evolved at level 50, so the System is usually less generous at level 100. The next Class evolution at 250 will be more about evolving the Classes again, while at 500 you¡¯ll get a third Class. At 750 it¡¯s again more about evolving the Classes, and at 1000 you¡¯ll get your your fourth and final Class, though that one is special in that almost everyone gets major upgrades to their Classes at that point.¡± Evangeline had really become a teacher at heart it seemed. She looked up from her work again. ¡°I¡¯m just pointing this out in case you were hoping for your old Class to rise in rank.¡± ¡°Eh, it¡¯s already so high that I expect it will only evolve around level 1000.¡± She shrugged in response. "Well, as you did remind me, I still have to give you the second part of your punishment, which is actually more detrimental to us than to you. You will not be allowed to go on further missions for three weeks. Since you''ll be spending most of that time training your Skills and you already got the level you needed, I expect this won''t be a problem?" Evangeline placed her quill into the inkwell with a plop, as if emphasizing her words. ¡°I was kind of hoping to power level my new Class as well, but¡­¡± She just shrugged. "Well, we''ll see how many Orks there will be left in three weeks then," Evangeline stated simply, her voice implying the extermination mission would be done by then. -------- She wiped sweat off her forehead and brought up her status. Name: Seraphiel (Seraphia) Race: Celestial (XXX) Age: 20 Classes: [Path of the Seer ¨C Acolyte ¨C Rank S] Level 100 [Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi ¨C Apprentice ¨C Rank SS] Level 100 Resources: Psi Power: 34000 Free Stats: 1000 Physical Stats Strength: 3400 Vitality: 3400 Agility: 3400 Perception: 3400 Social Stats: Charisma: 2200 Willpower: 2200 Manipulation: 2200 Acumen: 2200 Psionic Stats Power: 3400 Control: 3400 Tolerance: 3400 Psi: 3400 Skills Racial and Social Skills: Gift of Knowledge - 80 Been There, Done That ¨C 100 Gift of Permanence *Passive* Go Out And Live Among The People - 65 On The Wings Of Angels ¨C 50 Charm Of The Firstborn ¨C 95 Identity Protection *Passive* Haggling ¨C 7 Boring Armor ¨C 60 Star Of The Show - 1 General Skills: Weapon King Arts ¨C 100 Martial Arts - 100 Push Through ¨C 100 Multitasking - 100 Dodging - 90 Magic Sight ¨C 100 Cooking ¨C 50 Graceful ¨C 100 Identification & Evaluation ¨C 80 Magical Engineering ¨C 42 Farseer: Psionic Affinity ¨C 100 Advanced Telekinesis ¨C 100 Energy Control - 100 Advanced Psionic infusion ¨C 100 Advanced Fortify - 100 Psionic Storm ¨C 100 Precognition - 100 Chronomancy¨C 100 Advanced Bonesinging ¨C 80 Conceal ¨C 89 Shinmei-ry¨±: Hard-light Mastery - 100 Zanmaken - 100 Raimeiken ¨C 100 Zantetsusen ¨C 100 Shiten Kekkai ¨C 100 Hoh¨­ ¨C 100 Advanced Kid¨­ - 100 Psionic Nova Charge ¨C 79 Combat Illusion -83 Advanced Psionic Focus ¨C 100 Her hard work had paid off. She was saving some of her Free Stats to give her new Class a boost in stats to make it more useful straight away. More useful and easier to train. Assuming she ended up taking a Class with new stats. The status also showed which Skills she was really using, and which she was not. She made for the showers, and after a quick wash laid down on her bed, ready for her next Class evolution. She found herself in the same penthouse again. From what she¡¯d heard from Mother, this was really the penthouse Lucifer was using back at home. Or at least a very convincing copy. Being in her old body caused her to feel like she needed to stretch like a cat, but she abstained. ¡°Go ahead sister, no one¡¯s stopping you.¡± The voice of Lucifer came from the bedroom. ¡°Certainly not me.¡± It sounded like he was going through drawers or something. ¡°I better not. I have a feeling you¡¯d enjoy the view a bit too much.¡± She quipped back. ¡°Oh, very good, sister!¡± He walked out with a wide grin. ¡°A little twisted, but very good nonetheless.¡± ¡°Were you cleaning up or something? Holding lavish parties or something?¡± She asked jokingly. "Of course I am! Who do you take me for? Had to hide the worst evidence.¡± He said, and she wasn¡¯t entirely sure if he was joking. "Speaking of, you''ve been a naughty boy!" She wagged a finger at him. "What''s this I hear about being your Champion? And not mentioning that Mother is here? I''m fairly certain you said you got Father''s help in creating this body for me, but now I find Mother here taking credit instead. You wouldn''t have lied, would you, brother dearest?" "You know I never lie." Luci pointed out, almost seeming offended at the idea. "I just might not tell the whole truth either. As your original body was created by both Mother and Father, it was only fair to get them both involved with this one as well. Besides, I don''t think you''ve quite realized how much of an advantage you have. Remember how the System only improves what''s already there? Well, once you''re an adult, your physical strength and sturdiness will match that of a Dragon, even without taking stats into account. I don''t mean that metaphorically either. I mean you''ll literally be able to arm-wrestle a fully grown Dragon, and not one of those wimpy ones either. I mean those rank XXX godlike Dragons. The differences between the ranks of the races are no joke. Of course, you won''t have the same leverage or mass, but you have your own advantages." ¡°That reminds me. Dragons are intelligent, so how are their Classes handled?¡± She asked curiously. ¡°They get specially designed Classes just for them. They can take a normal Class like Mage as well, but the draconic Classes are simply better. It¡¯s one of the reasons they still manage to retain their advantage despite everything.¡± Luci explained while walking behind the bar again. As had become a custom, he made drinks for the both of them, before leading her to sit down on the comfortable leather couches. ¡°As to you being my Champion, that¡¯s half correct. As your Mother isn¡¯t really compliant with the rules of this universe, we had to take some liberties.¡± ¡°You know I don¡¯t like taking orders. Not from Father, and certainly not from you.¡± She pointed out straight away. ¡°And I don¡¯t expect you to. Truth be told, the game between the gods has become somewhat rancid. I just want you here, making a mess of things and giving the gods a bloody nose. There¡¯s no real time pressure, though things around the universe aren¡¯t standing still, waiting for you to get ready. Even I can¡¯t see the future perfectly, so I can¡¯t tell how some of the things will develop, or whether they¡¯ll have an effect on you. Or those you might consider important. Just to be clear, this isn¡¯t a threat or anything, but you of all people know how unpredictable life can be.¡± Luci explained while taking a seat opposite to hers. ¡°Anything I should be aware of?¡± She asked with narrowed eyes. "Plenty, but I''m not allowed to say. Despite you being my Champion, sort of, I''m not allowed to so blatantly take sides. I can give you a leg up, and a bit of help, but I can''t just feed you with all the answers." He took a sip of his drink. "However, I can give you a hint. I would look into getting in contact with Shepard before graduating. Also, the world you were born on might not be as safe as many people assume." ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound ominous at all.¡± She grunted. "Anyway, we both know why you''re here. Which do you want to do first? New Class or evolutions?" Lucifer changed the subject, obviously already skirting the limits of what he could say. ¡°New Class of course. That might influence any decisions I make about evolutions after all.¡± She replied eagerly. Chapter 28 - Third Class ------ "Right then." Luci sat up a little straighter on the sofa. "What kind of Class are we looking for? I have plenty of options for you to choose from, but I need to know more about your desires." He grinned widely at the word desires, letting the word linger. "I must admit that I''m a bit torn. On one hand, I feel like spreading to other stat types would dilute my power, but I also feel that trying to stick with just psionic Classes would be a mistake." They''d talked about the topic the last time she''d been here, and she had ended up taking two psionic Classes, but that had more to do with the Classes themselves, and them working with the same stats was more a happy coincidence. "Well, let''s explore that, shall we? You already have two Classes with the same stats. Most people that double up, so to speak, have two Classes from the same stats and use their third Class, which they don''t get access to until level 500, to explore new options. The people who have stuck with one stat type when getting their third Class are pretty much limited to mages, and that''s just because magic is so versatile. You have the benefit of doubling up straight from the beginning, while also already gaining the versatility of another stat grouping, which is the best of both worlds. And considering the rank of your race and two Classes, and the fact that you have an extra Class, you¡¯re already high on stats.¡± He tapped the table for a moment before continuing. ¡°I dislike reducing things to such crude math, but how about doing a little comparison.¡± Luci declared. ¡°You have a total of 37000 stat points currently. Let''s take someone high-end, like your brother for comparison. He''s an angel, which means A-ranked race, and Seraphim starts at B-rank. He would''ve had about 16500 stat points at your level, which means you already have double his stat points, and that¡¯s without considering the base they¡¯re improving. Now, the benefit from an extra Class will lose relative value stat-wise as time goes on and the number of Classes increases, but most people won¡¯t have your brother¡¯s stats either. You get my meaning?¡± He asked. ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m not going to be comparing myself to average. I¡¯m comparing to other Champions, who got their own blessings from their summoner. I doubt their Classes will be low ranked.¡± She argued. ¡°Well done. I was worried for a second you wouldn¡¯t catch that.¡± Luci grinned again. ¡°But, and this is important, the other Champions work a little different. If you¡¯ll recall, they didn¡¯t choose to start from the beginning. They didn¡¯t level normally They were given the Classes and stats that I deemed appropriate. They can level to increase their power further, but they didn¡¯t get a full retroactive accounting of everything they would¡¯ve gotten if they had started from the beginning normally. This is what most gods don¡¯t realize. A Champion summoned at the height of their power means you get someone very powerful and very skilled. Someone special, if you will. On the other hand, if that person had reached that same level through the System normally, they would almost certainly be more powerful. With a few exceptions of course.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re basically saying that I¡¯m going to be more powerful than them once I do reach their level?¡± She asked. ¡°Not necessarily. They all have something that makes them special. Otherwise, they wouldn''t have been summoned. I¡¯ve translated that ¡®special¡¯ to a Skill to the best of my ability, and some of those Skills are¡­hard to replicate or match by others. Just like your [Gift of Permanence]. It''s hard to quantify such a huge increase in effective Vitality. But yes, in theory, you should be stronger at the same level, especially considering this is you we''re talking about." Luci''s smile was clearly confident in her. "Now, that all being said, if you want to avoid spreading your stats too thin, I can offer you two paths to go down. You already got offered the [Biotic] Class last time. That one is high rank and will help you with sticking to just Psionic Classes. Usually, people who''d like to be single stat grouping will run out of good Classes, and so will you after this if you pick the [Biotic].¡± He pulled out a deck of cards and tossed the same card she¡¯d seen before her way. [Path of the Biotic ¨C Trainee ¨C Rank S-??? Elements: Gravity ¨C Stat Classification: Psionic. Biotics is the ability to create mass effect fields to rend their enemies or empower themselves. Biotics can manipulate and throw their enemies around, create gravitational vortices to tear obstacles or enemies apart, or create protective and empowering barriers. From Human Vanguards to Asari Matriarchs and Krogan Battlemasters, biotics can offer varied benefits to the wielder. Stats: Strength 5, Vitality 5, Agility 5, Perception 5, Psionic Power 10, Psionic Control 10, Tolerance 20, Psi 10, Free Stat Points: 0] She picked it up and refreshed her memory. ¡°The downside being that most of the things the Class does, I can already achieve with my Farseer Class Skill-wise.¡± She pursed her lips. Which was more important, stats or Skills? "Basically. There are other Psionic Classes, especially those that focus on mental powers, but that one is the highest ranked, and you''ve never cared for mental powers before. Well, aside from protecting yourself against them that is." Lucifer had seen her past and knew her quite well. "I suppose something gravity-focused could work, but those tend to also overlap with your [Telekinesis], and if I¡¯m not mistaken, you¡¯re aiming to gain gravity manipulation with either of your current Classes anyway, right?¡± "Right. I was actually hoping to accomplish that during this evolution actually, but that remains to be seen. The [Biotic] is all about gravity manipulation, which is partially why I wanted to pick a Class first." ¡°A good idea.¡± He nodded. ¡°You said you could offer me two paths, and this was the first one.¡± She prompted. ¡°Right. The other way is to pick a Class that¡¯s not necessarily Psionic, but uses mostly stats that you already have.¡± He suggested. ¡°Elaborate.¡± She prompted again. "Well, there''s a grouping of Classes that might fit your purposes, that falls under the category of Superpowered Individuals. You''ve never actually gone through the normal path either as a Superhero or a Supervillain, but no one can argue that you''ve always been someone with powers that could be considered superpowers just due to the virtue of who and what you are. That''s why you''ve also qualified for the best Classes in the category, as you¡¯ve pretty much done all the important achievements like saving the universe.¡± He laughed at that. ¡°How would those work?¡± She asked with a frown. ¡°That depends on the specific Class, but many of them take some of the stats you already have and use them as Class stats. For example, Strength or Agility from Physical stats, or Willpower and Charisma from Social stats. Some of the superpowered Classes might force you to take one or two extra stats. Let¡¯s give an example. A Class that uses magical superpowers might take Magic Power and Magic Control from Magic stats, but instead of using mana as fuel, you¡¯d use Vitality and Willpower. On the other hand, another Class that summons objects similar to your hard-light constructs in addition to other superpowers, would use Strength, Vitality, Willpower, and Charisma as the Class stats. Those four are the most common combination. A telepath or a psychic would use Psionic stats." Luci summoned images of certain individuals as examples, but Seraphiel didn''t recognize any of them. It was possible she¡¯d seen them somewhere in her past, but had simply forgotten. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°I sense that there¡¯s a catch. Otherwise, these Classes would be more common.¡± She felt that this solution was too easy. "Well, there''s actually a fair number of such individuals in many parts of the universe. You just haven''t run into them. The acquisition conditions also tend to be a bit challenging. That said, there is the fact that these Classes tend to be rather narrow in focus. You can''t have all the superpowers. A powered individual focused on magical superpowers, for example, usually isn''t very good at brawling or anything beyond magic really." Luci looked a little vexed. "There''s also the fact that these Classes usually don''t start at very high rank. Usually, any superpowered individual starts with a fairly generic Class with fairly generic powers, that they could then specialize into something much more powerful when hitting Class evolution. A lot of their starting Skills would be generic increases in Physical stats, flight, improved perception, and that sort of thing.¡± ¡°However, you mentioned I would have qualified for the best Classes in the category?¡± She asked. "Yes. However, that does come with the downside that you would have to pick your exact direction right now. I think one of the Superpowered Classes might be great for you, but I question whether you should perhaps save them for level 500. That way you have time to ponder and maybe do some research on the subject instead of making the decision with limited knowledge right now. Would also allow you to get a boost in your new stats, should you choose a Class with them.¡± Luci recommended. ¡°Which brings us back to those other stats. You already know the general direction I¡¯d go, right?¡± She asked. ¡°Well, before we go fully into other stats, I do have some good news. You¡¯ve been considering Paladin for a while, right?¡± Luci sidetracked a bit. ¡°Riiiight¡­¡± She hesitated a bit. ¡°Well, the religious Classes work a little bit differently as well, and the exact stats depend on the exact Class, much like the superpowers. Paladins happen to use both Charisma and Willpower, in addition to two new stats, Conviction and the one all religious Classes share, which is Connection, which describes their connection to their chosen deity. And it wouldn''t make any sense for your connection with Mother to depend on a stat controlled by the System, so that''s up to you and Her." He shrugged a bit. "Which could be both a good thing and a bad thing. Good in that you''d only have a single new stat to sink points into, and theoretically you could have the connection maxed out right away. Potentially bad because¡­well¡­Mother." Seraphiel had to clear her throat at the idea. "What does the connection control?" ¡°Well, when the connection is high, your powers will be more effective in just about every way. When it¡¯s low, you might not even be able to use some of the higher-ranking powers.¡± He looked a bit sympathetic. ¡°Theoretically you¡¯re Her Champion, so the connection can¡¯t become much stronger than that, but¡­¡± ¡°Does it have to be Her?¡± She asked in a slightly pouting tone, just to make sure. ¡°I mean, paladins generally serve the Light, and Light is a god in this universe, right?¡± Luci chuckled. "You''re viewing paladins from the lens of the Draenei, and I don''t blame you considering your past, but you already know there are many kinds of paladins. They don¡¯t have to be forces for good either. They just need to have conviction in whatever they¡¯re doing. Although, the darker and more evil paladins usually carry the name Blackguard. And theoretically, it doesn''t have to be Her, but do imagine how peeved she''d be if you''re Her Champion and the paladin of another deity." His mirthless chuckle sounded almost manic. ¡°Yeah, that wouldn¡¯t go over too well." She shuddered at the thought. ¡°Well, returning to the other Classes, some that I would imagine you actually taking are a mage of some sort and maybe Autarch. Maybe something vampiric? No? I think blood manipulation would look good on you. You have thousands of other choices, but those are the ones I¡¯d recommend based on the powers you most commonly used in the past.¡± Lucifer finished. Seraphiel pursed her lips in thought while taking a sip of the drink that had sat in her hand for a while. ¡°I think the teachers are right in that I should probably lean into the Guardian aspect, and Paladin hits that to a T. My Vitality is simply too much of an advantage. Paladin also happens to be a very flexible Class that brings in only a single new stat, despite the obvious potential issues with Mother.¡± She tapped the glass against the sofa a bit. Paladin¡¯s abilities also happened to be one of the powers she¡¯d most frequently used after gaining them. ¡°The superpowers are intriguing, and you¡¯re right in that I should probably pick one of them next, but I¡¯ll go with Paladin for now.¡± ¡°One Paladin incoming.¡± Luci pulled another card from the deck. [Oath of a Paladin ¨C Squire ¨C Rank B-??? Elements: Light, Holy -Stat Classification: Religious, Paladin. Through time and space, Paladins have stood as the stalwart defenders of their beliefs, be those beliefs good or evil. Paladins are healers, protectors, avengers, and scholars, protecting themselves and others with the force of arms and the power of faith. Stats: Strength 10, Vitality 10, Willpower 10, Charisma 10, Conviction 10] "Oh, don''t pout like that," Luci noted her expression. "I told you last time that Paladin starts as a B-ranked Class. It''s already beyond fair that you got two high-ranked Classes, and we both know this one is going to evolve into a higher rank as soon as the Class hits the first evolution at level 50.¡± She decided to change the subject, even as she lamented the usefulness of only 50 stat points per level. ¡°So how do the Paladin stats work exactly?¡± "Ah, this one is interesting. Paladins have many potential Skills that affect people other than you as well. I should say in addition to you. You''re a beacon, of either hope, despair, or many other things. Either way, Charisma is the measure of the effectiveness of those abilities. It improves how large of an area you can influence, as well as how effective those abilities are. This includes healing Skills. Conviction is the power stat for Skills that affect you. Together they determine the power of Skills that affect enemies. I already explained Connection, though I should mention that it''s ranked the same way as Classes and Races. Willpower is the fuel of your abilities. You don''t lose Willpower when using abilities, but every time you use Paladin Skills you are strained, both mentally and physically. This strain is resisted and countered by Willpower. You can power through a lot just by toughing things out, but eventually, that strain will begin to hinder you both physically and mentally, and eventually, you''ll just collapse." She realized something. ¡°Wait doesn¡¯t this mean the Class will be affected by [Push Through] and [Charm of the Firstborn]?¡± ¡°Those two, as well as [Graceful], and even [Star Of The Show] if you¡¯re performing. It¡¯s almost like someone¡¯s been planning this whole thing. Paladins also tend to place quite a bit of importance on armor Skills, and oh would you look at that! Certain armor Skills even come with a hefty Charisma bonus! It''s almost like someone''s been pushing those types of Skills your way for a while now. Imagine that!" Luci''s voice was very sarcastic. ¡°Mother damn it!¡± She cursed. ¡°You¡¯re really going to force me into using skimpy armor, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Perish the thought! I¡¯m simply giving you the options. That one of the options happens to be objectively superior is hardly my fault.¡± He laughed at her happily. ¡°Face it sister, you¡¯re predictable.¡± She grumbled a bit. ¡°Class evolutions. Go.¡± "Well, I believe you were told that this evolution is all about getting a new Class, so don''t expect something super major, but yes, you do get to make improvements. The Classes themselves don''t change much aside from the customary doubling of gained stats." He flicked two cards her way again. [Path of the Seer ¨C Novice Farseer ¨C Rank S-??? Elements: Varied - Stat Classification: Psionic. Farseers are most often known for their cast psychic powers. They can see the future and manipulate events so that they most suit their future. A Farseer was commonly a Warlock that got lost to the Path of the Seer the same way as the Exarchs are wed eternally to the Path of the Warrior. You¡¯ve become a full-fledged Farseer, even if a new and weak one. Stats: Free Stat Points: 280] [Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi ¨C Retainer ¨C Rank SS-??? Elements: Void, Time, Destruction, Hard-Light - Stat Classification: Psionic. A school of swordsmanship originally created to combat magic users and demons. The original style has been improved and perfected upon by a being that has slayed gods to be more widely applicable. Stats: Strength 20, Vitality 20, Agility 40, Perception 40, Psionic Power 20, Psionic Control 40, Tolerance 20, Psi 20, Free Stat Points: 100] ¡°I¡¯d like to use this change to combine the three weapon arts of Shinmei-ry¨± into one. I think I¡¯ve reached a sufficient point for that, right?¡± She requested. It had been annoying having them as separate Skills. ¡°Hmm, I think that¡¯s just barely within the limits of what¡¯s permissible, but don¡¯t expect any of the other Skills in the Class to evolve.¡± Luci had put on his bargaining face. ¡°That¡¯s going to leave you with two free Skill slots. I can already see what you have in mind for those.¡± ¡°You did call me predictable before, so I would be disappointed if you didn¡¯t.¡± She shrugged. ¡°For the Farseer, I think I might have pushed things a bit last time¡­¡± Lucifer nodded emphatically at that. ¡°So, I¡¯d just like to improve one Skill and give a boost to one General Skill. [Martial Arts] fell behind weapon skills before, and I¡¯d like to improve my Telekinesis further.¡± It was her main Skill and she wanted it to reach the best level as soon as possible. ¡°Deal.¡± Luci declared. ¡°I think we¡¯ll meet again soon to discuss your new Class.¡± He promised and she was suddenly sent back to her new body. She also wasn''t alone. "Hello, Mother." She stated politely. ¡°Hello. I think we should have a word, my paladin.¡± The Goddess smiled at the word. Seraphiel had been afraid of that. Chapter 29 - New Skills ------- ¡°Before any of that, I was under the impression that gods in this universe couldn¡¯t just appear anywhere they wanted. So how are you here?¡± Seraphiel asked. ¡°Obviously the rules don¡¯t apply to me.¡± Mother stated, as if that should¡¯ve been clear from the start. ¡°The so-called gods of this universe get a bit nippy about such irrelevant details though, so I¡¯ve mostly stuck by their arbitrary rules. You are my Champion though, even if only partly, and now you are my paladin. In a sense, you¡¯re a walking talking temple, which means appearing around you is ok, even by their rules.¡± Seraphiel groaned at the thought. ¡°Just to be clear, I¡¯m not going to be taking orders from you. You and Father lost any right to give me orders when He exiled me. If that means I¡¯ll have to pick another Class, I¡¯ll do it.¡± Mother made a calming gesture. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You know I¡¯m not the type to order you kids around.¡± Not entirely untrue, although that depended on Her mood. ¡°I¡¯m certainly aware of your disinterest in particular at being ordered around by your Father. That said, I may have a thing or two that I may request your help with. You¡¯ll be compensated, and if you¡¯re philosophically opposed to my requests, you can turn them down.¡± ¡°Good.¡± That promise certainly eased her worries. A little. ¡°Besides, you¡¯ve always sort of been our paladin anyway. You were originally created to protect the universe and your siblings. You might not have been called a paladin, but that is essentially what you were in spirit. Protection is an important duty of the paladins after all.¡± ¡°Probably why I fell into the role so easily in other universes.¡± She muttered. "Probably. Anyway, the positive thing is that now we can see each other more easily." Oh, joy. "Now don''t make that face. I know our relationship hasn''t always been the best, but I''d like to make an effort to mend things. As trite as the expression might be, spending some time as a mortal helped me see the light, so to speak. Besides, I¡¯d like to meet your mother in this life as well. It¡¯s only fair.¡± Seraphiel wasn¡¯t sure if that was a disaster waiting to happen, or a potentially good thing. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not expecting me to go spreading ¡®the good word¡¯ about you? I took the Paladin Class, not the Preacher Class.¡± Mother frowned. ¡°Why would I want worshippers?¡± She said as if tasting something bad. ¡°Yes, the gods of this universe get their powers from the mortals that chant their name and the glory their Champions bring them, but I don''t. I mean, theoretically, I could get more power, but that''d be an infinitesimally small drop in an endless ocean. Why bother? Your Father cared a bit about such things, which is why He did the whole commandments thing, but that was mostly an early attempt to keep bronze-age peasants in line." ¡°See, this is why I ask, because I don¡¯t know. I have some ideas about how you¡¯d react to certain things, but I was exiled before most of these kinds of things became pertinent.¡± Seraphiel pointed out. ¡°All the more reason for us to spend some time getting to know each other.¡± Mother stated happily. Oh. Joy. ------- After finally managing to get some peace and quiet, she made her way to the training hall of the Knight track students. It was time to come up with some Skills. She decided to get the easy one out of the way first. She had two new Skill slots for Shinmei-ry¨±, and she already knew what she wanted. She focused on one of the basic forces of the universe, and suddenly felt a little lighter. [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Gravitokinesis! Making yourself lighter or your enemies heavier are just some of the things that can be done by manipulating gravity. Want to create colliding black holes to annihilate your enemies? This is where that path starts. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] Yes, she would. That was a given, as this was one of the manipulation Skills she wanted to later combine with the others she had from her Farseer Class. Gravity manipulation by itself could be very useful at higher levels, but she mainly took the Skill to combine it later. In the beginning, the effects of the Skill would be relatively minor. The other Skill was equally easy to choose, especially now that she''d decided on the Paladin Class. Paladins were about many things, but one of their main strengths was to buff themselves and their allies. That would combine well with the ability to debuff enemies, which is what the Skill she''d chosen could do, in combination with the Chronomancy and the new Gravitokinesis. Instead of trying to channel her psionic powers into a complicated technique, she instead pushed it outside her body, to create a field of power that would put pressure on her enemies. The pressure had many uses, but the basic gist was that it reduced the power of anyone caught in the field, making them weaker, slower, and more susceptible to being injured. It could be used to instill fear, stun or paralyze someone, or even cause pain and physical damage, though it was rather inefficient for that use. It was another technique she had copied from elsewhere, and it was designed to work together with the other abilities of the Class. [You''ve gained the new Skill: Reiatsu! The power of presence is something that many beings possess in different forms. Dragons reject hostile magic and instill terror, while gods instill awe and adulation. You have learned to weaponize your presence to weaken your enemies, and to protect yourself from harm. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] Yes, of course. The only reason she hadn¡¯t picked the Skill up straight from the beginning was because it required a certain amount of power to be really effective. The technique wasn¡¯t exactly peak of efficiency, instead being something that you used to dominate weaker foes. For enemies of equal power, there were more efficient ways, although if used in conjunction with just those powers of hers that improved her in melee combat, she could become a very effective brute. Moving on to the Paladin Skills, the first one she had little choice in. The so-called Skill tax. The affinity Skill. At least in her case, her previous experience had created a combination Skill of Holy and Light Affinity, which made all her light and holy-related Skills more effective. She already started with the Skill. She could replace the Skill if she really wanted to, but that would be the height of stupidity as it made all her other Skills more effective. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. For her first actual Skill, the decision was also made for her, but she didn''t mind. It was the basic foundational Skill for all Paladins. [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Purity of Body! Your body is constantly immersed in the holy power of your god and tolerates no impurity or corruption. Vastly increases your resistance to all types of corruption, be it natural or magical. Grants practical immunity to most poisons and diseases, as well as reduces the effectiveness of all types of magic and abilities that corrode your body. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] Yes. She also knew that at higher levels the Skill would be able to help resist mental corruption and even direct magical attacks and not just corruptive magic like curses and magical maladies. This Skill, more than any other, rendered Paladins such annoying enemies as they became juggernauts that shrugged off almost all attempts at not facing them directly, something they were usually very good at. Another important facet was that the Paladins could also help remove such effects from others with¡­ [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Cleanse! Remove diseases, poisons, corruptive magic, and any other malicious effects from yourself and others. Charisma allows you to extend the effectiveness as well as the number of targets affected. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] Yes. Yes, she would. This Skill was likely one of those that later on would combine with the previous one, or a healing Skill, but it was quite useful and necessary. Speaking of healing Skills¡­ [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Holy Light! Use the power of Light to heal the wounds of your friends and allies. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] That one was an easy pick. Healing was always useful. This spell wasn¡¯t the most efficient method, but what made it inefficient was also what made it good, which was how broadly applicable it was. The Skill was good at healing all kinds of injuries, regardless of source or type, which it paid for by being more inefficient than more specific healing abilities. This Skill alone wouldn¡¯t allow her to replace all healers, but it would allow her to keep herself or a friend or an ally alive until the healers could work their magic. Then again, if her stats did become high enough, the Skill could theoretically heal just about anything. However, better than healing injuries was preventing them in the first place. [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Aura of Protection! You improve the effective Vitality of yourself and those affected by the Aura. The scale of the improvement and the area covered by your Aura improve with the level of the Skill and your Charisma. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] Yes. Auras were the staple of Paladins, and she knew this Skill could evolve to have additional effects. Alternatively, it would likely be able to evolve to strengthen the current effect further. She activated the Skill and could feel that the effect currently was relatively minor. Even if her Charisma was quite high, the level of the Skill was simply too low to allow for a huge increase. On the other hand, the Aura covered almost the entire training hall. A rough estimate was that she was currently improving her own Vitality about 1% of her Charisma, though it was tough to say exactly. Not a lot, but the amount would increase quickly. Next, she attempted to focus the holy power to apply an empowering effect on herself. She knew how to do it from her past experience, but to her surprise, the power seemed to hesitate a little, as if trying to decide what sort of effect to take. Finally, it seemed to make up its mind and she felt herself grow empowered in all her stats. Not by a lot, but an improvement nonetheless. [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Royal Blessings! Blessings can take many forms, from simple increases to luck and slight improvements in Strength of Vitality to an increase in the recovery of mana or other resources. Your extensive expertise in blessings has allowed your Blessings to best mold to their target''s needs. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] Huh. Yes, but huh. It seemed this was one of those cases where she was jumping ahead of the curve. This Skill would require some further study and experimentation. Alright. Time to move on to something more active. She tried to form the holy power into a protective Skill that would help shield her and her allies. Something more active than her Aura. [You''ve gained the new Skill: Bulwark! Sheathe yourself and your allies in the protective light, increasing your own effective Vitality as well as transferring a portion of the attacks they receive onto you. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] An effective defensive ability. Yes, she would accept. Something more offensive for a change. The holy power flowed out of her, covering the area around her. [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Hallowed Ground! Anyone hostile stepping on the grounds you¡¯ve decreed to protect will find themselves burned by the Light, while your allies will find their resolve and willpower strengthened. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] Hmm. Some of these Skills were beginning to overlap a little, which wasn''t bad. Not only would the cumulative effort be greater, but it also implied some of the Skills could be combined in the future. Next, she pulled out a training sword and struck a training dummy a few times before she got the feeling right. The power tried to form along the sword into some sort of holy blade effect, but she already had the psionic equivalent and she didn¡¯t think the two would necessarily play nice together. Instead, she just wanted to have the power of light strike the target instead, and finally succeeded. [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Smite the Impure! Expel the power of Light to hurt your enemies. Greater effect on targets that could be considered impure, such as demons, undead, or the mutated. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] A bit zealot-y sounding, but it¡¯d do for now. And this would be able to combine with her psionic powers. Nowhere did it say that she absolutely had to use a melee weapon as the conduit. How about lightning that also zapped the target with Smite? Possible, even if it would require some practice to get right. She''d been slightly hesitant on her last Skill. She knew Paladins had a penchant for armor-related Skills, but the armor Skills of this universe were already messed up. She finally decided to just take the plunge and a transparent golden glow surrounded her, slightly looking like the outlines of an armour. [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Armoured in Light! With the power of the Light, anything can be armor if you try hard enough! Improves the effectiveness of any armour Skill and improves your effective Vitality as the Skill level increases. The less armor you wear, the greater increase you gain, but you also gain improvements to effective Charisma, Agility, and all power regeneration. If wearing no armor, functions as an armor Skill of equivalent level and type. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] Mother damn it! The System had finally snuck in that skimpy armor Skill she''d been dodging so far. It was an annoyingly good Skill as well. Getting a boost to three stats and power regeneration? That was just silly. And it would even work together with a normal armor Skill, effectively doubling the boost. Just like she''d expected, the Paladins got the best armor Skills, and this was without any evolutions! Yes, she would take it. [Congratulations! [Oath of a Paladin] has leveled up from 1 to 2! Strength +10, Vitality +10, Willpower +10, Charisma +10, Conviction +10.] [Congratulations! [Oath of a Paladin] has leveled up from 2 to 3! Strength +10, Vitality +10, Willpower +10, Charisma +10, Conviction +10.] [Congratulations! [Holy Light Affinity] has leveled up from 1 to 2!] [Congratulations! [Aura of Protection] has leveled up from 1 to 2!] [Congratulations! [Aura of Protection] has leveled up from 2 to 3!] [Congratulations! [Royal Blessings] has leveled up from 1 to 2!] [Congratulations! [Royal Blessings] has leveled up from 2 to 3!] [Congratulations! [Armoured in Light] has leveled up from 1 to 2!] [Congratulations! [Armoured in Light] has leveled up from 2 to 3!] Eh? Two levels? That made her scratch her head a bit before she realized something. [Been There, Done That] improved all her Class and Skill leveling by 300% at this point. And the three Skills that had leveled were Skills that were passive. [Armoured in Light] and Aura of protection were always active, while she''d applied the blessing to herself earlier. In fact, the affinity, and [Purity of Body] were also always active, just that she hadn''t been subjected to any type of corruption, so that didn¡¯t level. Leveling those Skills would be stupendously easy. Of course, all of the passive Skills would improve even faster when subjected to situations where they were needed. Maybe leveling this third Class wouldn¡¯t take all that long after all? Only half of the Skills required active participation in the first place. ¡°Oh dear. Once Kaede hears about this¡­¡± She¡¯d be poisoning her food constantly, just to train [Purity of Body]. ¡°Once I hear about what?¡± Kaede asked, as she and Tatsumiya walked through the half-open doors. ¡°Nothing, nothing. What brings you two here?¡± She asked the two teachers. "Well, we heard reports of flashes of light from the training room in the middle of the night, so¡­" Kaede explained with a shrug. "And don''t think you can change the subject like that." ¡°I got my new Class.¡± She stated a bit evasively. ¡°Had to get the new Skills settled.¡± ¡°A Paladin, eh?¡± Tatsumiya looked above her head, clearly using some sort of identification Skill. She¡¯d naturally left her new Class visible instead of obfuscating it like with her real second Class. ¡°Good. We could use proper guardian types.¡± After a moment she frowned a bit. "Don''t Paladins usually start out mostly as a martial Class? I was under the impression that the real light-related Skills become available only after evolution." ¡°And since when has Seraphia ever done the usual thing?¡± Kaede asked, before turning to Seraphiel with a small, serene smile. ¡°The Paladins. They get a skill to fight off corruption, don¡¯t they?¡± Tatsumiya¡¯s frown suddenly turned a little evil. ¡°They do. That¡¯s one of the only magical Skills they should get right from the beginning. A very powerful one at that.¡± ¡°Well now. We wouldn¡¯t be proper teachers if we didn¡¯t allow our student to train her new Skills, would we?¡± Kaede stated solemnly. "Yes, it would be a dereliction of duty," Tatsumiya responded with the same solemness. Seraphiel just gave a defeated sigh. Chapter 30 - Poison -------- Seraphiel sniffed her box of takeaway food suspiciously. Not finding anything wrong with the smell, she decided to taste it carefully. A single bite didn''t seem to have any effect, so she dug in deeper. "Wow, sis, you''re getting really paranoid," Raziel commented, happily chowing down on his own food as they sat down in the stands of the Tatsumiya Shrine. The shrine itself had been converted into a series of small arenas. ¡°Oh please. Nearly all my food has been poisoned for the last four weeks. You¡¯re just lucky I drew the line on them poisoning your food just so I¡¯d have to train my [Cleanse].¡± Instead, she¡¯d been working at the school infirmary. Having the ability to remove all sorts of maladies, while at the same time having a nigh universal heal at her disposal, made her rather useful. Not as useful as someone with a dedicated healing Class, but there were a lot of injuries to heal, even if many security measures were taken to avoid lethal injuries. That and drunk students in need of sobering up, as alcohol was counted as poison. [Congratulations! [Purity of Body] has leveled up from 40 to 41!] ¡°Ah-ha! I knew it!¡± She declared, with a vindicated feeling. ¡°A slow-acting poison this time.¡± Finding out that the food was poisoned didn¡¯t stop her from eating of course. Especially since the poison this time seemed to be tasteless. Some poisons actually tasted quite good, while others were dreadful. ¡°You know, it could be just that the ingredients used were spoiled?¡± Raziel suggested. ¡°While possible, I find that unlikely. With my level of Vitality, spoiled food doesn¡¯t really register as poison. Although, I suppose the Skill could still protect me against it even if it wouldn¡¯t do anything to me.¡± She conceded. Raziel just shook his head in amusement. Seraphiel might not admit it, but he could see that she enjoyed these little shenanigans with Kaede and Instructor Tatsumiya. Otherwise, she would''ve already put her foot down, just like she''d done with poisoning him. The teachers wouldn''t do something that the students genuinely opposed. She might act put-upon and whinge at the supposed injustice, but she was having fun, and it was showing results. ¡°What do you want to do with the break?¡± The school year was coming to an end. Some students went home to visit family during the short gap between years, but many didn¡¯t bother, mostly because of the distances involved. Mahora, like many other academies, moved between worlds, and travel between worlds wasn''t always cheap or even possible. When you had to travel long distances, you had to make several jumps between worlds, and not all those worlds were peaceful, or copacetic about their world being used as a pit-stop. Of course, if Mahora happened to stop close to their home, many students that otherwise wouldn''t would visit home. ¡°Honestly? Not sure. How about you?¡± Seraphiel turned the question around. ¡°We have very little reason to go back home with mom working here and everything.¡± Raziel pointed out. ¡°That¡¯s true, but that only tells us what we¡¯re not doing, not what we are. The teachers will be busy with taking in new students, so Kaede won¡¯t be around to train us, giving us some peace and quiet. I suppose even I will cease training for a short while. We could just¡­relax, I suppose.¡± She suggested, her tone implying she was making some sort of outrageous and highly illegal proposition. ¡°You? Relax? Surely that¡¯s not possible?¡± Raziel faked a shocked and scandalized tone, before laughing. ¡°Seriously though, that¡¯s not a bad idea. Maybe spend some time with mom. Speaking of, she¡¯s been complaining that despite being a teacher at the same academy you go to, she almost never sees you.¡± ¡°Err, I mean, she doesn¡¯t teach me anything since I¡¯m not a mage. And we¡¯ve both been busy with our training.¡± She said a bit defensively. ¡°Hasn¡¯t stopped me from visiting her.¡± Raziel pointed out. ¡°I suppose I did promise to introduce someone to her.¡± She made a sigh, thinking of Mother and her mom in this life interacting. She quickly changed the subject. ¡°How about your friends? Did they manage to get into the 4th-class just like you?¡± ¡°Most of them. Not all of course.¡± Raziel nodded. ¡°Weren¡¯t they all students that had spent more years here than you?¡± She asked with a small frown. ¡°Yes, but not all of them are doing the level of training the two of us are. We¡¯ve basically had the almost undivided attention of an instructor, plus the use of the Headmaster¡¯s resort. Not a fair comparison, even if we did work hard to make the best of the opportunity.¡± Raziel defended his friends. ¡°I suppose.¡± She decided not to press the issue. ¡°Still, it¡¯s going to be embarrassing to them if they don¡¯t get into 4th-class next year, and I will.¡± ¡°Sis, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s fair to use you as a measuring stick.¡± Raziel pointed out. "I''m already out of the ordinary, and even I can''t keep up with you, even though I''m getting most of the same training. I think most people wouldn¡¯t be bothered if you pass them.¡± Their discussion was interrupted by the fights finally starting. Mahora Martial Arts tournament was an event that had been happening long before Mahora even arrived in this new universe. It was a celebration of martial arts ability, and thus all the participants were expected to engage in fights focused on their martial abilities, not their magical abilities. Unless those magical abilities added to their martial abilities of course. The Champion from Mahora, Negi, was one example of a martial mage, who used their magic largely to enhance their martial abilities. He was a proficient spellcaster as well, but his magically enhanced martial abilities were his biggest strength. Due to the focus of the tournament, the fights were mostly close combat brawls, instead of exchanges of Skills at range. The first few events were traditionally battle royale-style matches where the number of participants was narrowed down to something more manageable. The event was fairly prestigious, and it wasn¡¯t odd for people to travel to the event even from a relatively sizeable distance to test themselves against other martial artists. In many ways, it was akin to the events between academies, except the participants didn''t need to be students. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. As the first group of participants clashed, Seraphiel narrowed her eyes a bit. ¡°I have to say, I was expecting the level of the participants to be higher.¡± The fact that she could easily follow the fight at all was a bit odd. The fighters moved slow enough that even she could¡¯ve participated. She wouldn¡¯t have won, but she wouldn¡¯t have been humiliated either. Raziel glanced at her. ¡°Ah, this is your first time seeing this, so you wouldn¡¯t know. The event has a rule where every participant is limited to the level of Skills and Stats of the lowest level participant. They also throw in a low-level participant into every first-round event just to make sure the audience can follow along.¡± ¡°This continues to the later rounds as well?¡± She asked, suddenly curious. Those with higher levels and stats would still have an advantage, just not an overwhelming one. And they also had the downside of having to adjust to lower stats. Probably one of the reasons the first event was a battle royale, where they had the chance to adjust. "Kind of? I mean, it''s unlikely any of those low-level participants will make it to the later rounds. Just because your Skills are lower ranked, that doesn''t stop the fact that they''ve evolved their Skills and Classes more times, or that some participants have more Classes available, even if the level of those Classes is lower. In the later rounds, the suppression will adjust to your opponent, who is likely to be higher level. So, the last rounds are often hard to follow, which is why they''re shown as a slowed-down replay.¡± Raziel explained, having seen the event before. ¡°Frankly, I¡¯m a tad surprised you aren¡¯t participating.¡± ¡°I might have if I¡¯d been aware of that rule. I¡¯m not interested in being humiliated after all.¡± She tapped her finger on her lip in thought. ¡°Maybe next year. The Paladin Class is still too low level to make a difference. Once it catches up with my real level, I might give the event a whirl.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a shame. I was kind of hoping you¡¯d take part.¡± Evangeline said as she sat down behind them, holding a cute pink parasol to shade herself against the sun. ¡°I could still get you a spot.¡± "Not this year," Seraphiel stated firmly. She''d sensed Evangeline and Chachamaru approaching as the latter did nothing to hide her presence. ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m not interested in getting humiliated.¡± ¡°I think you might do quite well. You wouldn¡¯t win, but you¡¯d do pretty well. We all know your abilities are much higher than most participants, which would help you a lot.¡± Chachamaru, who was accompanying Eva, stated confidently. Her words made Raziel look at the teacher weirdly. He¡¯d always known his sister was good. Very good. Perhaps not good enough to justify what Chachamaru just said though. Seraphiel just shook her head wryly. ¡°It might be an interesting challenge, but I suspect the instructors are also participating. I know at least four of them would defeat me even with the suppression in place. Negi and Eva would almost certainly do so if either of you is participating.¡± Eva smirked a bit. ¡°Good that you¡¯re aware. I¡¯m not taking part, but the boy is the secret last boss of the tournament. The winner gets a chance to challenge him. Though I have to admit, I was kind of eagerly expecting the chance to see you lose.¡± Seraphiel returned the smirk. ¡°Exactly why I won¡¯t be taking part. Maybe next year as I said.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that. You keep shooting down all my ideas. You didn¡¯t want to hold a concert either. How very uncooperative of you.¡± Eva shook her head. ¡°Ah, but next year I¡¯ll be able to take part in the tournaments between academies again, so you¡¯ve got that at least.¡± She pointed out. -------- ¡°Charlotte, this is my mother in this current life, Ophiel.¡± She gestured towards the angel in disguise, who was looking quite surprised at the form of address. ¡°Ophiel, this is one of my creators, and the creator Goddess of everything, Charlotte Richards.¡± ¡°Charlotte?¡± Ophiel asked in a slightly trembling voice. ¡°Not a name I expected.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the name of the mortal whose appearance I¡¯m borrowing.¡± Mother clarified. They were about to sit down at one of the more remote food stalls of the festival, where they wouldn¡¯t be overheard. Especially after Ophiel warded their surroundings on Seraphiel¡¯s request. The Perception stat allowed one to eavesdrop on conversations from a ridiculous distance. ¡°So, you¡¯re Seraphiel¡¯s original mother," Ophiel stated, apparently having gathered her bearings somewhat. ¡°In a sense, I am. The relationship is a bit more complicated because my children were not born in the traditional sense, but yes, my husband and I created her and her siblings. Among everything else.¡± Mother replied without a trace of humility. Though she wasn¡¯t really bragging either. ¡°Everything?¡± Ophiel asked. "Well, it would be more accurate that we created the seeds for all different universes, and they sprouted on their own. To use an example, I didn¡¯t create you specifically, but I did help in making this universe happen. We didn¡¯t force it to become what it is now, but we made it possible. My husband is big on free will, and that comes with the responsibility for the consequences of that free will.¡± Charlotte gave a small sigh. ¡°Sorry about the small rant, but that¡¯s what everyone always asks first. No, I don¡¯t control your life, nor do I take any responsibility for it. I could, but I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°You could control my life?¡± Ophiel narrowed her eyes. ¡°Dear, I could control everything if I wanted, but that¡¯s not the point. That wouldn¡¯t be a life. You need to be in control of your own destiny, for good and bad.¡± Charlotte explained. ¡°Now personally, I would¡¯ve interfered in things more than we have, but my husband disagreed. And this is His Creation so to speak. He gets the final say. And before you ask, that is also why I don¡¯t snap my fingers and make your pet annoyance or favourite injustice or atrocity disappear. There are rules He has set down, and I choose to play along with them. For now at least.¡± Ophiel glanced at Seraphiel. ¡°And that includes what happened to her?¡± Her tone was rather incensed. ¡°I did protest her exile, but I was punished as well. Most of the time since then I¡¯ve spent imprisoned. Well, house arrest would be a more accurate term. I only recently became free again, and now I¡¯m here.¡± Mother decided to skip over the details, which Seraphiel appreciated. ¡°That said, I¡¯m not proud of what happened. I have already apologized, and I hope to make amends with time.¡± ¡°Good. She might not show it, but she was quite hurt by what you two did to her. Throwing her out without a good reason.¡± Ophiel¡¯s motherly side came out. She gave a small sigh, before bumping a horn against a lamp. She was in the guise of a Draenei as well. ¡°Could you at least make it so we can be in our bodies?¡± She asked with some annoyance. ¡°You can do it right now. If all the Angels chose to reveal themselves tomorrow, I don¡¯t think you¡¯d be harassed as badly as you think. That said, I think our daughter will force some changes in that regard.¡± Charlotte smiled at both of them. ¡°Our daughter?¡± Ophiel repeated in a whisper, which was obviously heard by the other two, not sure how to feel about the expression. Charlotte ignored it diplomatically. ¡°Frankly, I¡¯m a little surprised you¡¯ve managed to keep yourself from revealing it for this long.¡± Seraphiel shrugged. ¡°It helps that we can let go with my brother while at the headmaster¡¯s resort. I have to admit that I¡¯ve almost forgotten to take the Draenei form a couple of times when leaving the place. Still, it wouldn¡¯t be too bad since I¡¯d just look Human without my wings out.¡± ¡°Honey, you couldn¡¯t look like a Human if you tried.¡± Charlotte pointed out, and Ophiel nodded emphatically at the words. ¡°And I consider that a good thing. I know your Father dotes on Humanity, and I¡¯ve recently grown more of an appreciation for them, but do not confuse that for them being equal.¡± "Especially in this universe," Ophiel added her agreement. "I don''t know about other universes, but here we are quite literally better. That doesn''t mean you should look down on them of course." "You two found a common tune quite fast," Seraphiel commented. "Not sure I''m glad you found it on this exact topic, but whatever." ¡°Oh, that does remind me of something.¡± Ophiel suddenly realized. ¡°You¡¯re heavily implying being all-powerful. What about all-knowing?¡± ¡°No. As much as my husband might claim otherwise, no we are not all-knowing. We can find almost anything out if we want to, though.¡± Charlotte replied. "Well, I was curious about her dad''s identity." Ophiel gestured towards Seraphiel, carefully avoiding the word father. ¡°I could find out," Charlotte said carefully. "However, do you really want to know? Not all knowledge is beneficial. Sometimes you''re better off not knowing." Ophiel considered that for a moment, but her hesitation passed. ¡°Yes, I do want to know. As bad as it could be, it¡¯s better to know than not. Not knowing might bite us in the butt later on.¡± Charlotte got a far-off look for a moment, before looking surprised. ¡°Oh! Interesting. I¡¯m not actually allowed to tell you. I mean, I could despite not being allowed to, but that would come with some heavy consequences. The negative kind. I can tell you that you will not benefit from knowing in any way, at least for now.¡± ¡°Hmm, maybe not then. I¡¯m not curious enough to incur penalties, although you did pique my curiosity even more.¡± Ophiel relented. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound ominous at all," Seraphiel muttered and took a bite of her food, before spitting it out in disgust. "Charlotte damn it!¡± ¡°What did I do?¡± The Goddess in question asked. ¡°You? Nothing. My food is poisoned again.¡± This time the taste was vile. ¡°How does she keep doing this?¡± Chapter 31 - Competition --------- ¡°What do we know about the opposing team?¡± The team captain asked their strategist. Their opponents were randomized, and they didn¡¯t find out who they were fighting until a few minutes before the actual battle. "Mahora Academy." The strategist, a support member of their team, adjusted his glasses. The whole thing was for effect, as no one with decent Vitality truly required glasses. Elves even less so. People could be so weird at times. ¡°Some of you might already know this from previous years, but they¡¯re a mixed academy like ours with tracks for mages, supporters, and what they call knights. They¡¯re mostly famed for their mages and teamwork. Their mages tend to skew towards martial magic thanks to a Champion hailing from their academy. I expect fairly standard formation and tactics, although a potential wrinkle comes from their Pactio system. Sometimes students form partnerships with the academy¡¯s unique magic which grants them special abilities. That should only apply to older students though.¡± ¡°So far fairly standard.¡± The captain nodded while loosening the large claymore on her back. ¡°Do we know anything about their current members?¡± It was only the second round of the competition and the first competition of the season, so scouting information was limited. ¡°Yes, well, the majority of their previous team went up to the next bracket for advanced students, so most of their current members are new.¡± That wasn¡¯t too odd, as teams usually were made up of the strongest available students, which usually meant the oldest allowed in the bracket. ¡°The information from their first fight was scant and impossible to acquire aside from the fact that the fight did not last very long. Their opponents were not eager to share, as can be expected from an apparent rout. I only managed to get their basic roles, and even that only because they were required to report them. They have two Knights, one guardian type and one striker. Three mages, as can be expected from a magic academy, and a single combat support. No details on outside combat supporters, as those are not public information. Though, I expect they have the standard contingent of the maximum allowed out-of-combat support team of three." The strategist explained. All teams were allowed six members who took part in the actual fights, while three out-of-combat supporters were also allowed. One of those was likely someone who could maintain equipment and having a strategist/scout just like their team was rather common. Once the season carried on during the year, the necessity of scouting diminished as most top teams became aware of each other, but that only heightened the necessity of a good strategist. ¡°Any recommendations?¡± The captain asked, and the entire team was all ears. ¡°I recommend staying fluid. As theirs is an academy focused on magic and less so on Knights, I expect that their front line should be fairly standard in their make-up. Expect standard Knight Skills and of course limited access to protective abilities from the guardian. The supporter is likely to be a healer." Those guesses were grounded in years and years of accumulated data. Teams without healers tended to not do well, and Knights were a hybrid starting Class that could specialize in many things. Generally, they were high in Vitality and armor Skills, while maintaining decent offence. Knight was a fairly standard but good Class that was popular, but they rarely came with huge surprises. ¡°The real issue comes from their mages.¡± ¡°Yes, you mentioned that their academy has a larger proportion of martial mages.¡± The captain remembered. ¡°Exactly. Depending on what type of mages they brought along, their frontline might be stronger than the presence of three mages might imply, which could mean they can match our frontline in numbers. On the other hand, it could be that the three are all artillery mages that will try to overwhelm you with magic.¡± The strategist explained. ¡°I recommend Elvandar to snipe one of their mages as soon as the battle starts. Use your strongest attack to pierce any defences the guardian Knight might be able to muster on short notice.¡± Elvandar was their Elven Ranger who focused on arcane archery, and sniping targets was her specialty. She nodded in agreement. This was a tactic they''d used dozens of times before. It usually worked. ¡°Latimere should focus on countering the opponent mages as usual.¡± Latimere was their mage, who was a little different in that he focused on Arcane magic and shutting down other mages. "You know the rest. Captain and the rest overwhelm their frontline. Stay on your toes and be ready to react to any oddities." Their tactic was relatively simple, but against unknown opponents, simple and flexible was usually the best idea. The Strategist Class also gave buffs when it came to executing plans they¡¯d laid out, so as long as everyone followed the simple plan, their actions would be empowered. If the Strategist had been a combat member, they could have done more, but as a support member, their Skills were limited. ¡°Alright. You heard the Strategist. Let¡¯s mess them up.¡± The Captain declared. They only had a couple of minutes to wait before they were teleported to the arena. Elvandar¡¯s shot flew off immediately, but the Captain knew the attack had failed as soon as she saw the enemies. The entire Mahora team was surrounded by a golden glow obviously laid down by the Draenei Paladin standing at the front while holding a shield in one hand, and a strange, curved sword in the other. Just as she¡¯d expected, the Paladin who¡¯d obviously invested heavily in Charisma managed to deflect the shot with an almost disdainful flick of her shield. Heavy investment in Charisma meant stronger buffs. Dammit. Paladins were trouble, as a superior Class to standard Knights. They were more effective than Knights at defence, while also able to do offence with their Holy abilities. And they also buffed their allies, as was obvious by the Draenei¡¯s glowing aura. No matter, the Paladin would have other things to deal with once she and her three other frontline compatriots reached them. Their four warriors quickly used their mobility Skills to cross the distance between the two groups, or at least tried to. Suddenly she felt as if she was running through water, and one of the ¡®mages¡¯ of the Mahora team stepped forward while glowing with what was obviously biotics. A wave of force slammed into them, attempting to throw them back. At the same time, the other warrior of the Mahora team leaped high into the air. Unnaturally high. ''A Dragoon, maybe?'' As the captain, she was strong enough to resist the wave of force, though it did stop her in her tracks for a moment. However, she was right in worrying that her teammates weren''t as lucky. The wave of force didn''t really hurt them, but it messed up their timing, as their initial plan relied on simultaneous strikes from multiple directions with overwhelming power. If they attacked staggered and piecemeal, they were a lot easier to fend off. Without even looking, she knew where the enemy Dragoon was aiming for, Elvandar and Latimere, and the two mages were already starting to cast their spells. The Mahora team moved in unison, as if they¡¯d been training together for a long time. Not something that should be possible for a new team. She needed to disrupt their pace as they¡¯d done to her team, and fast. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. She gathered all the power she could muster into her large sword and unleashed it in a single slash. Only soon it wasn¡¯t just one slash, it quickly multiplied into six, then a dozen, then two dozen smaller slashes of power that flew toward the opposing team. The Paladin slammed her shield against the ground and the golden glow around her team grew thicker. She didn''t expect that to do much good as her attack was designed to pierce such defences, but to her surprise, the effect of her attack was much smaller than she''d expected. Yes, the slashes that went around the Paladin seemed to strike their target, and while one of the two mages had her spellcasting disrupted, they didn''t seem overtly hurt. It looked like some of the power had been drained out from those attacks and into those that hit the Paladin, only to be pretty much ignored by the Draenei girl. Suddenly the Paladin seemed to vanish! The Draenei moved with speed that she certainly shouldn¡¯t have been able to, crossing the distance between the two teams in a pair of quick steps. Weren¡¯t Paladin¡¯s supposed to be slow? That was one of their main weaknesses! That strange, curved sword slashed and separated Tomas¡¯ head from his shoulders with disconcerting ease. Tomas just disappeared, and while she knew he hadn¡¯t really died, the brief moment of seeing his head spinning through the air was enough to stun her for a brief moment. A moment that the enemy team capitalized on. She could only watch in dismay as the Dragoon slammed his spear into Latimere, using the mage as a shield against Elvandar, who in turn suddenly found herself at the receiving end of a fireball from the Mahora mage that had managed to continue casting. The magical fire managed to consume the Elf even with her magical defences. She¡¯d always been more effective at arenas with terrain to use as cover¡­ The other mage managed to finish off Edda, who¡¯d tried to rush to face the Dragoon. A bad choice in retrospect as it left her wide open for attack, but their teamwork had broken down. In the meantime, the last and newest member of their team was toyed around by the Biotic. Biotics were a hard counter to most warriors with lacking ranged Skills, and Gritnik was one of those, stubbornly sticking to her Barbarian Class. Apparently, a Goblin Barbarian was a rarity. That just left her, and the Paladin was walking towards her with slow, unhurried steps. Since there was little point in fighting more, she stabbed her claymore into the ground. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a new team?¡± ¡°We are.¡± The Paladin smiled a charming smile that managed to daze her a bit. Damn Charisma Classes. ¡°Aside from my brother, I met the rest of them yesterday.¡± The Paladin admitted. ¡°What the heck? How¡¯s your teamwork so seamless then?¡± She asked in confusion. The Paladin pointed at the sixth member of their team, whose presence she''d forgotten. The healer. The mousy-looking Human girl really seemed to almost vanish when you weren''t looking at her. "Helps when you have a telepathic Strategist in the team." Wait, what? ¡°Strategists get telepathy?¡± She asked, surprised. The Paladin seemed open to talking shop since the fight was essentially over. ¡°Not as standard, no.¡± She just smiled, not explaining further. Her eyes narrowed a bit. The mousy Human wasn''t just a Strategist. She had to have some mind-influencing Class or an Assassin Class to be so discreet. "No healer?" She asked, curiously. She had thought they were the only team without a dedicated healer since Elvandar could do basic healing with her second Class. The Paladin just lifted an eyebrow. ¡°Right. Paladin. Makes sense.¡± She nodded. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± She grabbed her claymore again, ready to fight. ¡°A-ha, sorry about this." The Paladin seemed a little apologetic, and she suddenly felt a blade slip between her ribs, right through a small opening in her armor. Not that it really mattered. The downside of the best armours was that they didn''t exactly cover a lot, which normally didn''t matter. Unless you were attacked by an Assassin, a Class that got bonuses from these kinds of things. She barely noticed the mousy Human pulling the blade out. How''d she get there? ----- "That could''ve gone worse," Raziel commented as they were transported back into their preparation room. Seraphiel smiled a bit in response. ¡°Indeed, although it could¡¯ve gone better as well.¡± ¡°To be fair, their team folded so quickly that it wasn¡¯t a fair test.¡± Beatrice, their Strategist/Assassin dampened the mood a bit. She also slipped straight away into her role as the team captain. ¡°Right, takeaways? Things that went well, things that went poorly, and things we need to just change?¡± ¡°I lost my cast when their captain attacked.¡± Mu-tah, their Khenra mage admitted with a grimace. ¡°The worst part is that I didn¡¯t need to. Seraphia¡¯s defences were enough. I¡¯m just not used to just standing there and taking it.¡± Mu-tah was a Spellspear, a Mage Class that was a hybrid between a standard mage and a Warrior. He¡¯d put on some mage¡¯s robes, but quickly shed them, his kind disliking anything covering their top half. ¡°That was a mistake, yes, but we did push you into an uncomfortable role.¡± Beatrice nodded. They wanted to save some surprises for later rounds. ¡°It would be too much to expect you to adjust straight away. Luckily their team got thrown off by Sa¡¯violi.¡± Sa¡¯violi was their Asari Biotic. ¡°I got their mage quickly once I reached them, but it took a bit too long to acquire the best target," Raziel stated. Beatrice shook her head. ¡°That was more on me. I assigned the target to you, and while you could¡¯ve anticipated, such anticipation can be dangerous if you judge things differently from me. We moved decently together for our second fight. Efficiency and guessing my orders before I make them come with practice. In fact, for now, it''s better if you don''t go out solo against most teams. When we can send Seraphia, and maybe even Mu-tah, off with you to charge in straight away, it will be safer to make such plays, but for now, your timing was good. The opposing team was also a good target for a backline dive.¡± ¡°My cast was a bit slow.¡± Nodoka, the other mage admitted. She was the daughter of the teacher of the same name, something she got quite a bit of teasing for. Especially since the two didn¡¯t look or act anything alike. Where the teacher was subdued and shy, the daughter was outgoing and flashy. ¡°Or I should say, I chose a spell that was needlessly powerful for my target. Something faster and weaker would¡¯ve likely worked.¡± Beatrice nodded at that. "That''s something you''re likely going to have to practice, choosing the correct spell for the job. On the other hand, even I was a bit surprised by how easily their archer fell. Her attack was quite strong, so maybe she''s a glass cannon of sorts. Or maybe Seraphia''s blessing was stronger than expected?¡± "I''ve been training," Seraphia added cheekily. ¡°Speaking of, why were you hiding your non-Paladin Skills?¡± Raziel asked. ¡°There¡¯s little point considering the splash you made in the newbie division. Everyone will connect the dots sooner rather than later.¡± ¡°She wasn¡¯t really hiding.¡± Beatrice pointed out. ¡°Although she wasn¡¯t advertising either. I just gave her the opportunity to train her Paladin Skills, on the condition that she¡¯d bust out her other Skills when necessary. She did slow the enemy down and use her mobility Skill though. Anything else you could¡¯ve done?¡± ¡°I could¡¯ve stopped the attack that disrupted Mu-tah completely with my barrier Skill, as it would''ve likely worked better than [Bulwark], but I wanted to test how well [Bulwark] held up," Seraphia admitted. She wanted to mainly focus on the Paladin Skills to speed-level them and the Class up. Combat experience was funny in that it went mostly towards the Classes that you used the most, even if part of the experience was always split evenly. ¡°Right. So, skirting on the line a bit, but still on the safe side for now.¡± Beatrice nodded. ¡°Just be careful in the future.¡± "Well, I did my job," Sa¡¯violi stated. She was the second oldest of the team. "True. You did what you were supposed to. I''m not sure how fond I am of the time you took to play with that warrior, but that''s all on you." Beatrice shrugged. It was clear there was no real love lost between the two of them. "We still have some kinks to work through, but I think we can go far as a team. Especially once our cooperation improves." She fingered the small bracelet they were all wearing. "These telepathy bracers were a good idea. Makes things a lot easier." ¡°Just remember that some Classes might be able to disrupt them if they notice." Seraphiel reminded her. Their Quarian out-of-combat support crafter had made them, as well as most of the equipment they were using. "Saen¡¯Cunis vas Rannoch did good work with them, but they¡¯re still made by a student.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still calling him by his full name?¡± Nodoka teased a bit. ¡°And I¡¯m going to keep doing so until he stops hitting on me.¡± She responded emphatically. ¡°Alright, keep any personal drama to yourselves. The rest of the team doesn¡¯t need to know. Saen does good work, and that¡¯s all I care about.¡± Beatrice shot that down. Seraphiel noted that Sa¡¯violi wasn¡¯t looking all that pleased, though she wasn¡¯t sure if that was because the Asari had some sort of attachment to the Quarian crafter, or because he had been hitting on Sa¡¯violi before she came along. ¡®Teen drama!¡¯ She scoffed mentally. Raziel was also frowning for brotherly reasons. The team Evangeline had stuck her with was a bit of a mixed bag, but they had promise. They weren¡¯t the only, or even the primary, team in the bracket for intermediate students, and she knew Evangeline had placed her and Raziel into the team mostly to gain experience. Still, if the team worked well, she might be with them for longer as they were all rather advanced students despite limited experience with a team aside from Beatrice and Sa¡¯violi. And Saen¡¯Cunis of course. Just like she was here to gain System experience, she knew Evangeline wanted her to turn these people into better competitors with her real experience from previous universes. There was also the fact that Evangeline didn''t want to throw her into solo fights yet, because whether she won or lost, both came with some problems. It was better to have her in a team where both wins and losses could be partially attributed to the team¡¯s performance. Chapter 32 - Officio Assassinorum ------- She examined the edge of the blade with a critical eye. The curve of the edge was perfect, and the sharpness of the blade could rival anything the best bladesmiths could make. And yet, to her, it was barely acceptable. As she ran her psionic power through the blade, it flowed with a smoothness that no other material could replicate. Even if the blade could work perfectly well as a normal sword, just like anything made of metal, the most important part of a Witchblade wasn''t the edge. Yes, the edge was important as that was what channeled and thus formed the deadly psionic energy that could be used to cut through everything. At least in theory. There were no absolutes after all. Still, the insides of the blade were the most important part of the blade, as that was the channel through which her power was concentrated and refined. Some less experienced Farseers would consider her blade excellent, but she knew better. Still, it would do for now. This tournament was the first test for the blade, and the previous fights had shown that the blade functioned adequately. It could be a lot better, but at least she didn¡¯t want to throw up in disgust at the thought of using the blade anymore. Now that she was satisfied with the Wraithbone making up the blade, she¡¯d still need to add the Aeldari runes that would make the blade enchanted, and have some mage apply the requisite mana to activate the runes for the System since she hadn¡¯t picked up a magic Class. Just because she hadn¡¯t picked up any Class capable of enchanting, that didn¡¯t mean she had forgotten how it was done. She used a marker to start outlining the necessary runes that she¡¯d carefully carve into the metal later. To her, it was not enough that the blade was effective and functional. The blade had to also be aesthetically pleasing, which wasn¡¯t too hard with the Aeldari script. Despite some of their faults, the Aeldari were a race that dedicated to their craft, even to an obsessive degree. That obsession had even been directed to things that most wouldn¡¯t bother wasting their time, like making their writing and language beautiful over millions of years. There was a reason their people had brought about the birth of a god whose domains included excess. ¡°Hey- Seraphia!¡± A cheery male voice came from behind her, stretching the first word playfully. ¡°I see you¡¯re working on your gear again. You know I could help.¡± ¡°I can manage this much.¡± She responded, not bothering to look up from her work. Even if she didn¡¯t have any mana, according to the System at least, that didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t use her [Magical Engineering] to do a bit of maintenance and adjustment that was approved by the System. ¡°I know. You don¡¯t have to, is all I¡¯m saying. I¡¯m the team¡¯s crafter after all. I know that sword of yours is your baby, and I can¡¯t do much with whatever magic you psykers use to create it, but at least I could do maintenance on your armor.¡± The Quarian argued, not entirely without reason. Except¡­ ¡°I¡¯m not letting you sniff my armor again.¡± Seraphiel retorted without losing focus on what she was doing. ¡°Come on!¡± He protested. ¡°That was one time! I just wanted to make sure if it needed to be washed and cleaned.¡± ¡°The armor is enchanted to be self-cleaning. You should know since you made both the armor and the enchantments.¡± She shot the excuse down. The Quarian coughed awkwardly and decided to move on. ¡°Come now, everyone else lets me maintain their gear. And you don¡¯t have an issue with using any items I make.¡± ¡°I assume that¡¯s because they haven¡¯t caught you sniffing their gear.¡± She shot back again, still maintaining full concentration on her work until she finished the rune she was working on. Now she could finally look up at the Quarian. ¡°What do you want Saen¡¯Cunis vas Rannoch? Besides me stepping on you with my hooves that is.¡± She once again used his full name. ¡°They¡¯re magnificent hooves. Can¡¯t blame a guy for being curious.¡± The Quarian mumbled. ¡°Beatrice was looking for you. The final four teams have been released, and she probably wants to talk strategy.¡± With a small sigh, she put down the marker. ¡°I imagine you¡¯re right.¡± She stood up from her seat and made her way towards the room they were using for such briefings, with Saen walking behind her, no doubt staring at her ass the whole time. On some level, she didn¡¯t actually mind, and even got a bit of extra wiggle in her step, as Saen was rather obvious and straightforward in his interests. She wasn''t a prude and enjoyed a bit of attention most of the time. Or would¡¯ve if she was a bit older. She still considered her current vessel to be too young for such things. She could even appreciate a bit of persistence in a guy. However, unwanted attention was still unwanted, and at a certain point wasn¡¯t okay. For some, that line would''ve come much earlier than her. She was used to dealing with perverts, and even enjoyed it at times, as mentioned. Heck, she herself was rather lewd at times. There was a reason she liked Lucifer as much as she did. Everyone wasn¡¯t like her though, and if the Quarian shifted his attention again, some actually young woman might react much more negatively to his attention, so she didn¡¯t want to encourage or condone his behaviour. That didn¡¯t stop the extra wiggle in her step as she sashayed her way to the meeting. That was just who she was, and was allowing more of it to show the older her current vessel got. The entire team had gathered, along with Tatsumiya, who was working as the teacher in charge. Tatsumiya couldn¡¯t help them with strategy during the tournament but could observe their meetings and then give feedback and lessons between tournaments. ¡°Good. We¡¯re all here.¡± Beatrice stated and pulled up a list of names on a holographic projector. ¡°The final four of the tournament have been released.¡± The list of names didn¡¯t mean anything to Seraphiel. Some students followed these kinds of competitions with rabid fervour, but she honestly didn¡¯t much care. It was like school sports teams in certain universes she¡¯d visited. There was the concept of school spirit and some people practically lived for the whole thing, while others couldn¡¯t care less. She suspected there would¡¯ve been cheerleaders too if the fights were held in front of a live audience instead of a magically reinforced alternate dimension. To her, after seeing and participating in wars that decided the fates of universes, the little fights between schools didn¡¯t hold much excitement. The only reason she cared at all was because she was part of the team, and it provided an opportunity for leveling. For both her and her brother. ¡°The Argus Magic Academy is much like us, except they tend towards what could be considered darker Classes. Their registration states they have mostly Warlocks and Dark Knights, in addition to a single healer. The Thessian Academy is filled with Psykers and Biotics. Both of those are academies Mahora is often tangling with, so get used to fighting their teams, since we¡¯ll be seeing them again. The odd duck in the bunch is one of the religious academies making it to the finals. We don¡¯t have that many details, but from what I managed to find out, Ordo Sangreal is an academy focused on faith. So, we can assume the presence of various holy Classes. Their registration just lists templars, battle priests, and a single holy warrior. Rather vague, which makes sense since everyone keeps things vague.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Wait, Ordo?¡± Seraphiel asked, recognizing the word somewhat. She just wasn¡¯t sure from where. ¡°Something to share Seraphia?¡± Beatrice asked. ¡°Hmm, can¡¯t say just yet. The word is so familiar, but I just can¡¯t connect the dots. Just¡­be careful about making assumptions.¡± She had a hunch. And not a positive one. "Fair enough. Anyway, the problem is that the runners of the tournament decided to turn this into a big fight with all four teams thrown into the ring at the same time. I¡¯m pretty confident in us taking on any single team, but with all four teams in the mix, strange alliances might form.¡± Beatrice threw out a potential problem. ¡°Is there a reason to assume the other teams would gang up on us?¡± Sa¡¯violi questioned. ¡°Not that I know. We¡¯ve been crushing the opposition so far, but we¡¯re not the only ones. All three of the other teams have been doing almost as well, if not just as well. I believe the Thessian team is the one that came closest to losing, though I have no details. Also, we know that there¡¯s a certain level of grudge between the Thessian team and Argus, as the two teams faced off a few times last year, though I¡¯m not sure how much of that grudge was carried over as some of their members also moved up to the next student bracket.¡± Beatrice explained. Most academies used the most powerful allowed students in the brackets, which inevitably meant the oldest students. That meant there was a certain lack of stability in the teams as those advanced students were always moving up to the next bracket. That''s why most tournaments allowed multiple teams from every academy, to allow the younger students to get some experience. The B- or C-teams rarely made it to the finals though. Strictly speaking, their team was a B-team as well. Just that the Mahora A-team didn''t participate in this tournament. ¡°Do we know the format? Specifically, is the victory condition last man standing, or something else?¡± Raziel asked an important question, earning a pat on the arm from Seraphiel. ¡°Unfortunately not, which makes forming a strategy challenging. If it¡¯s last man standing, then it would be to our benefit to stay away as much as possible and let the other teams duke it out. Of course, the other teams and the organizers know this as well, which is why I think it won¡¯t be just that. Would make for a dull final match with four teams trying to play keep-away.¡± Beatrice shook her head. ¡°If I were in the shoes of the tournament organizers, I¡¯d set up something to force engagement. Like an object to reach, or points for eliminations.¡± ¡°I say get aggressive anyway.¡± Nodoka declared. ¡°It¡¯s not like our lives depend on the result, and I¡¯d rather go out in a blaze of glory than hide like a coward. More levels that way as well.¡± The bubbly girl declared with a raised fist. "I can agree that it would make things more interesting," Seraphiel added her own input. Beatrice looked at the others who just nodded one at a time. "Right. It''s decided then. Let''s get aggressive even if the objective is to just survive." She clapped her hands. "Now, personally I''d recommend going after the Argus team if presented the opportunity. The headmaster has expressed her interest in seeing that team humiliated." ¡°I¡¯m sure we can arrange something.¡± Raziel echoed everyone¡¯s sentiments. ------ As soon as they were transported to the arena, she could tell something was wrong, and not just because she could see only two other teams. While an entire stealthy team was rare, it wasn¡¯t unheard of. No, she felt a deep sense of wrongness that made her stomach turn, and she had to struggle to not vomit, and it felt like her connection to her psionic powers was being disrupted. Her powers weren¡¯t gone, but they felt far away, like she had to reach to grasp that well of power. She recognized this effect, even though the last time she¡¯d felt it was in the first universe she¡¯d been exiled to. Behind her, she could hear Sa¡¯violi retching violently onto the sandy floor of the arena, and almost the entire Thessian team was similarly affected. Any thought of the potential objective vanished from her mind. Her eyes flashed, reading the twines of magic in the rather large arena, and she saw the missing team, under a veil of a combination of technology and magic, or magitech as most would call it. Among them was a male wearing skin-tight stealth armor, and a familiar helmet that looked like a monstrous elongated skull, and a bulky apparatus that she knew to be an auspex array connected to the helm itself with thick cables. She knew that this helmet, designed to look as monstrous as possible to strike fear into the assassin¡¯s enemies, was a device used to enhance the natural abilities of the man himself, and it wasn¡¯t even fully activated yet. The large glowing eye of the device was a system to both see any individuals obscured by psychic powers, as well as to focus the user¡¯s powers through the eye into a beam of negative psychic energy, capable of burning out the target¡¯s brain. The helmet was called the Animus Speculum, and the man using it was what the Humans of that universe had called a Culexus Assassin, an assassin built to kill any psykers. And it seemed in this universe, the man¡¯s powers extended to all psionic Classes. She didn¡¯t hesitate even for a second. She pushed her abilities to the limits, made even harder by the presence of the Culexus, and she could feel her own body damaging itself just to allow her to do what she wanted. She made herself faster with [Chronomancy], crossed the distance between her team and the assassin in a single step, slammed everyone with the full effect of her [Reiatsu] just to distract and slow them down, and slammed her fist through the head of the assassin, using all the pure physical force she could muster, knowing that anything psionic she attempted would likely only fizzle away. As the Assassin fell to the ground, headless, the effect he had on the battlefield also disappeared, removing the suppression effect, though in large part the damage was already done. The rest of the Ordo Sangreal, now visible to everyone, turned to attack her in retaliation, but she barely managed to step away, back to the protection of her own team, although she almost collapsed as she reached her destination. Sa''violi, as well as most of the Thessian team, was on the ground, bleeding from their ears, nose, and some even from their eyes and mouth, barely conscious. It was a small miracle none of them had been so hurt that they''d been disqualified, and that was likely because of the distance between them and the assassin. Seraphiel was pretty sure that the only reason she''d managed to do what she''d done without completely tearing herself apart was her Vitality and the fact that she was a Celestial, a XXX-ranked race with a base that could match those of the most powerful Dragons. The same reason why she¡¯d been able to punch the assassin to death with just her fist. It wasn¡¯t until now that everyone else managed to react. ¡°Seraphiel!¡± Raziel called out, using her real name due to his distress, while Beatrice called out for the other hurt member of their team. ¡°Sa¡¯violi! What¡¯s going on?¡± Team Argus was the only team fully intact, and they decided to attack the revealed team of Ordo Sangreal. It was hard to say why they chose to attack that team, but it was likely a combination of thinking they were the largest threat, as well as maybe a bit of sportsmanship spirit, seeing as both Mahora and Thessia were still trying to gather their bearings. "Seraphia. What just happened?" Beatrice demanded with a distressed and angry voice, knowing that she must know something since she''d reacted. The healing effect of her Paladin powers washed over her, soothing the worst damage she¡¯d suffered, though her Paladin Skills were still not advanced enough to repair all the damage so quickly. ¡°That was a Blank, using the Animus Speculum. Anti-psychic. Had to act fast. Can drive psykers insane with just their presence. Not something that should be used in a battle between students.¡± She explained with curt speech. ¡°Not something a student should be able to make.¡± She added for emphasis. Beatrice frowned. ¡°They¡¯re cheating?¡± She asked. ¡°Might be technically within the rules somehow, though I wouldn¡¯t put just plain cheating past the Mon¡¯keigh either." She spat out with derision, allowing some of the old hatred to surface. She''d spent a long time in that universe. A universe that was a hellhole by any standards. ¡°Heads up!¡± Mu-tah called out and managed to use his magic to erect a protective barrier just in time as several golden projectiles hit the shield. The Khenra mage didn¡¯t specialize in defence, but that didn¡¯t mean he was not capable. The Argus team had not fared well despite their numerical advantage. It seemed they had taken down three members of the Ordo Sangreal team, but had been wiped out in turn. All that in a very short time. Two large Humans of the Ordo Sangreal team still stood. One was firing some sort of gun with obviously sanctified ammo at them, while the other rushed towards the Thessian team with a sword that Seraphiel knew to be an inferior version of her Witchblade. Made of Mon¡¯keigh metal and technology instead of Wraithbone. Brutish as always. Enough of the Thessian team either remained or managed to catch their bearings that they¡¯d be able to fend off the lone attacker, ¡°Take them out!¡± Seraphiel growled out heatedly, and Raziel didn''t hesitate, electing to use his new favourite maneuver of leaping high into the air before plunging at the remaining enemy shooting at them. The Ordo Sangreal warrior sidestepped the initial attack with surprising grace and tried to pull out a melee weapon, but Raziel didn''t give them the opportunity, skewering the man with his spear. He wasn''t gentle about it either, making sure to stab him non-lethally at first, as revenge for his sister. Despite feeling vengeful, he wasn¡¯t a cruel boy, so he finished the wounded warrior off with his next attack, wreathing his spear in flames as he did so. Mu-tah and Nodoka used their magic to blast out the last member of the team, leaving just the Thessians and the Mahora team on the field. The difference was that one of the teams had two members in fighting condition, while the other had four. The two Thessian students looked at each other and called for a surrender. Chapter 33 - Investigation -------- The sound of Evangeline tapping her fingernail against the wooden grip of her seat echoed in the otherwise uncomfortable silence between the gathered headmasters. As soon as one of the other headmasters was about to speak, Evangeline simply lifted her other hand, just enough to gesture them to wait, while never stopping her tapping that was making everyone else here nervous. Everyone present was a headmaster of an academy of their own, but not a single one of the twenty other people present wanted to piss off the diminutive vampire. Evangeline had asserted her authority as soon as things started spiraling out of control, and she didn¡¯t need to make more than one example. People kept forgetting. Mahora was one of the few academies with their own Champion, but the only reason Negi was that Champion instead of Evangeline, was because the first choice had turned the offer down. She had always been, and still was, vastly more powerful than Negi. The silence stretched on for an uncomfortable length of time, and all the other headmasters were getting restless. They hadn¡¯t reached their positions by being fools, but the situation wasn¡¯t something that lent itself to just sitting around and waiting. They knew the value of caution, but they were used to being the ones to make all the decisions, and to taking decisive action. Glances were thrown at one of the headmasters in particular, although not a lot could be seen beneath the heavy red robes with mechanical motifs and the breathing mask that covered the man¡¯s face. Holy symbols in the shape of cogs decorated the man¡¯s equipment, and many mechanical parts could be seen beneath the robes, but it was difficult to say how much of him was machine and how much was man. Finally, the Asari Matriarch leading the Thessian academy entered the room and took her seat in the circle of rather lavish chairs. Usually, the central holoprojector would be used to view matches, offering every headmaster their own chosen view, but now the device lay dormant. The matches were suspended for the time being, although they¡¯d all reviewed the last match several times from different angles. ¡°Well?¡± Evangeline asked as the Asari got comfortable. ¡°Physically they¡¯re all fine, though that was to be expected. Two of mine will need several weeks of time and likely some therapy due to their mental state. They¡¯ll recover eventually, but I¡¯m not sure how their future participation will be influenced. Their enthusiasm certainly will, whether for good or ill. The others, including yours, have already recovered, and I heard Sa''violi already calling for vengeance, so she''s going to be fine." The headmaster of Thessia reported. ¡°Had they been exposed for longer, or if the participant that caused this had been able to use their full powers, the results would¡¯ve been much worse.¡± Eva looked towards the headmaster of the academy named Ordo Sangreal. ¡°Anything to say for yourself?¡± She asked. They¡¯d all been suspicious of the participation of the academy in question. Mostly because they hadn¡¯t gotten participants from that part of the universe for ages. They knew there was a chain of academies there, most under the general name Schola Progenium that mostly trained orphans, and they hadn¡¯t heard of Ordo Sangreal before. They¡¯d been leery to allow the participation of the new academy, but there were no rules against it. Not just any organization could claim to be an academy, but participation in events like these was one of the conditions for being recognized as one. ¡°Flesh is weak.¡± The mechanical voice of the headmaster echoed. ¡°If they cannot face adversity, they should not participate. It is hardly our fault that your people are too fragile.¡± ¡°Fragile-!¡± The Thessian headmaster stood up, clearly ready to tear the man to pieces, but a single raised finger from Eva interrupted her rant and forced her back into her seat. ¡°I¡¯m fairly confident that you are aware of the rules despite being new. No attacks that cause permanent damage to participants. Attacks aimed directly at the psyche and mind of a student like that, causing enough pain and discomfort to scar even seasoned adults, certainly qualify. Or are you trying to say that your machine would be fine if I tore your mind apart?" Eva leaned forward a bit. "Be my guest. Make the claim. We can test it right now.¡± ¡°Reporting: violence between the representatives of the schools is forbidden. You would not break your own rules. Thus, your threat is empty.¡± The man responded calmly. He¡¯d not shown any signs of discomfort at any point. ¡°Funny thing that. We have all these good people bearing witness. I wonder. What they¡¯d say if questioned on what happened to your mindless husk? Want to wager your life on that?¡± Eva smirked a bit. The murmurs from the other headmasters made it quite clear what they¡¯d say. Although, she was mostly bluffing. It would set a very bad precedent after all. ¡°We also evaluated the equipment confiscated from the team of Ordo Sangreal. Incidentally, we also went through the equipment of their other teams on a hunch.¡± The Thessian headmaster reported. It was the man¡¯s turn to display outrage, for the first time since the beginning. ¡°You had no right to steal our-¡° His words were cut off as he was forced back into his seat, just like the Thessian headmaster earlier. The same invisible force seemed to force him to keep silent. Eva gestured for the Thessian headmaster to continue. ¡°All of them had forbidden equipment designed to work around the format of the competition. Most were designed to cause mental trauma either through extreme pain, or mental derangement. The aim was clearly to cause permanent harm, even when the fights were conducted in a manner that made physical damage nigh impossible.¡± The Thessian headmaster continued. ¡°In addition to being forbidden in purpose, none of the items were actually created by students. Our investigative spells revealed that they¡¯d either been created by various artisans of an organization called Adeptus Mechanicus, or a race known as the Drukhari, meant to be used as torture implements.¡± Eva looked towards Darion, the headmaster of the Argus Mage Academy. His connections to the seedier parts of the universe allowed him access to information that wasn¡¯t widespread. ¡°The Mechanicus is a major organization outside Ordo Sangreal, ostensibly without a connection besides being part of the same empire, and my sources inform me that the Drukhari are a race that wouldn¡¯t be allowed in any academy, anywhere, and certainly aren¡¯t part of the Ordo Sangreal.¡± Eva lifted an eyebrow. ¡°Even you wouldn¡¯t take these Drukhari?¡± That caught her by surprise. Argus took in people almost entirely without question of their background. They mostly cared about results. "No. We might dabble in the darker side, but we have our limits as well. The entire universe they come from is horrid, and the Drukhari are the worst of the lot. I''d rather take in straight-up demons. And I don¡¯t mean the good kind of demons either. Their purpose in life seems to be to commit the maximum number of atrocities.¡± Darion shook his head. The Thessian headmaster continued again. "Incidentally, we took a better look at the participants from Ordo Sangreal. They''ve been chosen based on appearance, level, and age so that they might pass off as students, but none of them qualify as students by the standards of any other academy. In fact, we have reason to believe that Ordo Sangreal doesn¡¯t even function as an Academy in more than name. Once we got that far, we had our telepaths take a better look, and while Ordo Sangreal fulfills the qualifications required of an academy on paper, the whole thing is a staging ground for something else. We''re not yet sure what, since these so-called students were not informed, but it is clear that they are operatives and not students. Young and relatively inexperienced operatives, enough to pass as students, but operatives nonetheless." This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Eva locked her eyes on the man. ¡°I believe we¡¯re back to tearing your mind apart, but this time for information. We all want answers and you¡¯re going to provide them either voluntarily or involuntarily. I believe I would enjoy the latter more, so be my guest and refuse to answer.¡± ¡°There is no certainty in flesh but death.¡± The man suddenly chanted, and his body started to glow before exploding. The whole explosion was caught and frozen in ice, the flames themselves becoming motionless and shrapnel frozen in place, protecting everyone else present, who were rather shocked by the revelations and the sudden turn of events. They had allowed Eva¡¯s posturing, though would¡¯ve protested actual torture, so a sudden suicide came as a shock. "If you think this is enough to protect you, I''ve got bad news," Eva grumbled. "Darion, get his soul, would you? If he¡¯s not going to talk in life, then he¡¯ll do so in death.¡± Darion frowned. ¡°I can¡¯t. Some power whisked his soul away as soon as he died. Some divine power.¡± ¡°The same likely happened to the assassin who caused all these problems. He was found dead after the match. His body was intact, so we tried to resurrect him of course, but it didn¡¯t work for some reason.¡± The Asari Matriarch reported. ¡°This would¡¯ve been useful to know earlier. Not that I find it likely that he would''ve shared any information even if I hadn''t pushed him so hard," Eva grumbled. "Tear everything you can out of the operatives. Since they aren''t students, protections no longer apply. They are hostile agents until further notice and shall be treated as such. I want to get to the bottom of this.¡± ------ ¡°So, you thought I could tell you more about the whole mess?" Seraphiel asked, studying what little was left of the headmaster who had blown himself up. The explosion had been suppressed, but most of the damage had already been done. ¡°You already indicated that you¡¯re familiar with them to an extent when you informed us that the equipment couldn¡¯t have been made by a student. I can only assume that you visited their universe at some point, just like you did ours.¡± Eva clarified her thinking. ¡°Hmm.¡± Seraphiel made a non-committal sound. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but my information is likely very out of date. Do you know how long they¡¯ve been a part of this universe?¡± Evangeline had done some research on the subject, even if the answers were not satisfactory. ¡°There¡¯s no clear answer to that question, but at least several thousand years. Closer to ten thousand according to some estimates. Theirs is a very shitty part of this universe, and nobody goes there if at all possible, which is why no one is entirely sure when they arrived. Heck, I know plenty of people are trying to escape.¡± ¡°Right. So, you can imagine how many things could¡¯ve changed since then. Even if that universe had been brought here right after I left.¡± Seraphiel re-iterated. ¡°That said, part of what made them so shitty is that they aren¡¯t exactly quick at making changes.¡± "So, you do know something," Eva confirmed. "I have to admit, I was a little shocked to see someone kill themselves over a matter that shouldn''t be so major. Despite my blustering, I could¡¯ve done only so much to the man due to concern over students who weren¡¯t even killed in the end. There was evidence of wrongdoing, but he could¡¯ve gotten off with just pulling his academy, canceling the whole project to become an academy, and paying some wergild¡±. Seraphiel poked some of the ashes to find something useful. ¡°Well, one thing you should know is that martyrdom is something to strive for among them. In fact, they¡¯re practically looking for opportunities to martyr themselves. If they thought martyring themselves would gain any sort of benefit to their cause, they¡¯d happily do it. There¡¯s a reason why most of their participants were signed under religious Classes. You¡¯re dealing with fanatics. Also, everyone that comes from that universe is crazy, to an extent. I''m one of the saner examples, and that''s just because I was only visiting.¡± Eva shivered. ¡°A terrible thought. People even crazier than you.¡± With a slightly amused smile, Seraphiel picked up a burnt portion of red robes with a cog symbol. "This man was part of an organization that used to be called Adeptus Mechanicus during the time I was there. Hardcore technophiles and trans-humanists. They are also what passes for scientists among them, so all the equipment the participants used was likely made by them. The piece of equipment I pointed out certainly was, as well the sanctified weapons they used. Lives are cheap to them, so they could easily throw away countless of them, just to test a theory or your reaction to something like this." ¡°You don¡¯t seem to appreciate them very much.¡± Eva detected the note of derision in Seraphiel¡¯s tone, something that the Angel rarely displayed so openly. ¡°I don¡¯t, and at the same time I do. I spent way longer in their universe than in most others, and as you''ve alluded, it''s not a happy place. I spent most of my time with the Aeldari, and I believe there are a few of them as students in Mahora. Anyway, that universe is rotten to the core, yet they survive, by any means necessary. I have a slightly better view of the Aeldari, mostly because they gave me sanctuary when I was still trying to work out how my exile worked. And because my first mission was to aid them in their plight. I also learned a lot from them, as shown by my Class. Still, I can¡¯t say that I have too many fond memories of them as a people either. Time has given me some perspective. Doesn''t change my derision when it comes to the other races of that universe." She glanced at Eva. "I know you don''t have a high opinion of Humans in general, but the Humans of that universe are a hundred times worse. Not entirely their fault, as the universe in general was horrid, but they didn''t exactly make things better." Eva nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Any guess why they¡¯re doing this? Are they after you perchance?¡± ¡°I¡­doubt it. As much as I scorn them and their Imperium of Man, there were other, bigger enemies in that universe. I killed some of the Mon¡¯keigh, but in that universe that¡¯s nothing odd. Billions of deaths are written off as acceptable losses. You could say that their Imperium and the Aeldari, which I was part of at the time, had common enemies, and both thought that fighting those common enemies was more beneficial than fighting each other, at least most of the time. They weren¡¯t friends or allies, not by a long shot, but I believe my actions in the long term helped their Imperium as well. Heck, I wouldn''t be too shocked if they''d held a parade in my honor for getting rid of one of the Chaos Gods. Or likely they decided to give that honor to one of their leaders and held a parade for him. So no, I don¡¯t think they¡¯d carry a grudge against me. And that¡¯s assuming they even remember me after all these years and can connect me to who I was back then. I wasn¡¯t advertising my name or background. No, while I will never dismiss the possibility entirely, I find it very unlikely this was directed at me specifically.¡± Seraphiel speculated. ¡°So why then?¡± Eva asked. ¡°I honestly can¡¯t say. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with them currently. One thing though. I¡¯m quite confident that this won¡¯t be their only operation of this type. More than likely, they had a dozen similar endeavours of similar scope going on at once. I could speculate that they¡¯re trying to test something. Whether that¡¯s the System and the powers granted, some of their new weapons, your reaction, the power of Classers outside their area, or a hundred other things.¡° She frowned a bit. ¡°I¡¯ve been taught that leveling up after certain thresholds is impossible without special resources.¡± ¡°Correct. That¡¯s one of the things that makes the Core Worlds special. And I think I see where you¡¯re going with this. No, I don¡¯t think they have ready access to those resources. So, they¡¯d have trouble at level 500 at the latest. The resources needed at level 250 are not too hard to get access to, even for those groups that keep to themselves and don¡¯t trade much. Those resources are found outside the Core Worlds and can even be substituted with even more common materials, albeit at a horrid ratio. They likely wouldn¡¯t have large amounts of those resources, unless their worlds for some reason had access to them, so they wouldn¡¯t have too many high-level individuals.¡± "Unless they became Champions. Despite everything, or perhaps exactly because of how shitty that universe was, the number of individuals that would make for great Champion material is rather large. I would not be too shocked if they had several Champions from their ranks." Seraphiel pointed out. ¡°I think I know of at least three off the top of my head. And I think at least one of them came from this Imperium you mentioned.¡± Eva nodded in confirmation. ¡°I have to admit I¡¯m not fully aware of all the current Champions. That¡¯s more Negi¡¯s problem, and if I remember correctly, their Champions have been mostly inactive.¡± ¡°That¡¯s even allowed?¡± Seraphiel questioned. ¡°Certainly. As long as you come to an agreement with your god and said god isn¡¯t at risk of being dethroned due to your inactivity. You¡¯d probably have to make an effort every hundred years or so if you had enough achievements already.¡± Eva shrugged. ¡°But returning to the topic, you think they¡¯re just testing things?¡± ¡°That¡¯s just one theory that makes some sense. I honestly can¡¯t tell you anything more. I¡¯ve been out of touch for too long.¡± Seraphiel replied with a shrug. It really had been a very long time since she¡¯d visited that universe, and she wanted to forget most of it. She fished a damaged machine from among the remains. "Aha! I knew it. This is what they call a cogitator, or what the rest of us would call a computer of sorts. They''ll likely try to retrieve this as it holds all the information the headmaster managed to collect. I imagine they will send someone stealthy for it after a bit of time has passed. And before you ask, I do not recommend trying to connect this to your systems. There''s a reason they have a cult dedicated to machines and the horrors that their computers get up to can''t be understated. Trying to access this without the correct rituals would likely infect any computer you link it to." ¡°Understood. I think we might be able to arrange a trap of sorts.¡± Eva commented and gingerly took the scorched piece of technology. "Perhaps. Just remember, they have more patience than you. That''s something you should always keep in mind. You might think you''re patient, but compared to them you''re child hopped up on sugar. They have people who can happily dedicate entire generations and families to some mundane task that''s completely worthless. Imagine what they can do to something that actually matters." Chapter 34 - Paladin-up -------- ¡°Welcome back sister!¡± Lucifer greeted happily with a wide smile decorating his handsome face. ¡°As we suspected, it didn¡¯t take you long to return.¡± He was wearing a bathrobe and slippers while standing behind the bar. Seraphiel, in her real form once again, watched as a pair of women scampered into the elevator connected to Lucifer¡¯s penthouse suite in nothing but their underwear. ¡°So many questions¡­¡± She gestured towards the elevator as the doors closed. ¡°What, them?¡± Luci also carelessly gestured towards the elevator. ¡°Just some guides of other people. There¡¯s no rule stating that the guides are not allowed to interact, as long as we don¡¯t reveal anything about the person we are guiding.¡± She tilted her head in thought. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make it complicated masturbation?¡± "Kind of, but at the same time, not really?" Luci seemed a little unsure. "Since we are all part of the System, we are one, but I''m your brother. While I could access the information and memories of other guides, we almost never do. I know what your brother knows, and a little bit extra to properly fulfill my duties. If I also held all the memories of all the other guides, I wouldn''t really be your brother anymore. I can''t feel and experience what other guides feel and experience, unless I specifically choose to. Although, that¡¯s a fun game as well.¡± He grinned suggestively and wagged an eyebrow, implying rather directly that he¡¯d already tested that in bed as well. ¡°Still feels a little bit odd, but I suppose I¡¯m not one to judge.¡± She just shrugged. ¡°The old saying about throwing rocks in glass houses does come to mind.¡± Luci laughed in response, while being a good host and pouring her a drink, another detail that didn¡¯t seem to change. ¡°So, Paladin.¡± She prompted. ¡°Ah yes. The first evolution for the Class. How have you been enjoying it so far?¡± He asked, coming around the bar and casually taking her arm while leading her to the now familiar seats in the middle of the penthouse. She didn¡¯t mind the bit of brotherly affection, even if he wasn¡¯t really Lucifer, but just a representation. ¡°It¡¯s been pretty useful. Definitely more group-oriented than my previous two Classes. Meeting Mother so often has been weird, but at least we¡¯ve been talking. I suppose you could say I understand her a lot more now.¡± ¡°Good. I think the two of you have more in common than you might think. Certainly, I felt it a bit of a shame you two didn¡¯t pull together more, as the two of you were really the only ones who could argue with Father, even if that was less true for you.¡± He explained, and once more she wasn¡¯t sure how he actually knew, and how much was just based on her memories of the original Lucifer. ¡°How much do you know of the current affairs of home?¡± She asked, just to clarify. ¡°Quite a bit.¡± He seemed to realize what she was driving for. ¡°My personality is mostly a combination of the Lucifer you remember and the one that existed when you came here. I get updated information mostly thanks to Mother, but from what I¡¯ve heard, the current Luci and I already have some differences. For one, it seems he¡¯s in love with a Human.¡± ¡°Not surprising. He always was passionate. It was only a matter of time until he got serious about someone. Well, serious again. There was that one time¡­¡± She was about to start reminiscing, but this time it was Luci¡¯s turn to clear his throat and change the subject. "So, about that Paladin Class. As you might imagine, there are thousands of different kinds of Paladins and you qualify for most of them. Those that swear an oath make up a huge bulk, as do the various orders. There¡¯s the Silver Hand, but I don¡¯t think you intend to rejoin them, do you?¡± He questioned. ¡°Not unless there¡¯s nothing better on offer.¡± She replied succinctly. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s plenty of better things on offer. There are also the side-grades that branch off the main Paladin path, such as Templars and Blackguards, if you¡¯re interested in something morally a bit more ambiguous. Or something more offensively oriented. Not sure if Mother would approve, but you can never be entirely sure with her. She might be all for the dark angle. That said, there are two clear winners.¡± He pulled out a deck of cards again and tossed two cards her way. [Legend of a Titanslayer ¨C Trainee ¨C Rank S-??? Elements: Light, Holy -Stat Classification: Religious, Paladin. People are glorified for their great deeds, and you are not any different. The feat of slaying the Dark Titan is something hard to match by any Paladin, anywhere. Stats: Strength 20, Vitality 20, Willpower 20, Charisma 20, Conviction 20, Agility 20, Perception 20] ¡°The first one is familiar to you and granted in thanks to your achievement of slaying Sargeras. It¡¯s the first stage of the types of Classes the other Champions get. I can reveal that the Skills are very much like the ones you¡¯re used to, and have the option of evolving into something really powerful.¡± Luci explained. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. [The Path of the Firstborn¨C Squire ¨C Rank S-??? Elements: Light, Holy, ??? -Stat Classification: Religious, Paladin. Through the multiverse, many Paladin orders have sprouted. All of them born for a sacred mission or purpose. In a way, you were the first. Long before the other universes were created, you were made by the Creators to be a protector. Stats: Stats: Strength 20, Vitality 20, Willpower 20, Charisma 20, Conviction 20, Free stats 40] ¡°This one has Mother¡¯s handiwork all over it.¡± She pointed out. Charlotte had mentioned something like this before in their discussions. ¡°Correct. She¡¯s the one to make the Class, and I¡¯m leery to admit that I do not know what it will entail. I know it starts off very similar to the other one, but what it evolves into in the future, I can¡¯t say as that hasn¡¯t been revealed to me. It could be great. Knowing Mother, it likely is great. However¡­¡± He shrugged. ¡°However, there¡¯s no way to be sure. I understand.¡± She tapped the base of her fancy glass against the side of the sofa she was sitting on. ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a risk. The powers could also be very different from what I¡¯m used to. One of the benefits so far has been that I¡¯ve been re-learning my old Skills, and as such, already know the best ways to use them. If this is something very different¡­¡± "Then you''ll lose that, and the [Been There, Done That] Skill won''t apply either," Lucifer added, nodding in understanding. ¡°Is this a choice where I¡¯m locked in and can¡¯t change later?¡± She asked, just to make sure. ¡°Only so far as you¡¯d have to reset the Class and pick it up again. As you''ve noted, you''re leveling quite quickly anyway, so it wouldn''t be too big of a loss, but the further along you get, the more time you¡¯d need to waste to level the Class up again.¡± Luci explained. ¡°And more likely, the further along you get, the more there will be differences between this and what you already know.¡± She had to give this one a bit of thought. She was reconnecting with Charlotte, but this was a rather large leap of faith. Still, she couldn¡¯t imagine Mother wanting anything bad for her. ¡°I¡¯ll go with The Path of the Firstborn.¡± She decided. The potential upside was just too great. Her instincts told her to trust Mother. ¡°Then that¡¯s how it shall be.¡± The unpicked card disappeared back into his deck, while the one she picked entered her chest and vanished with a burst of sparkles. ¡°Now, you have a lot of leeway for evolving your Skills. The fact that the Class ranked up twice is already a lot, plus Mother may have added a bit of extra on top.¡± She pulled out a list of her Skills. [Holy Light Affinity] ¨C 50 [Purity of Body] ¨C 50 [Cleanse] ¨C 50 [Aura of Protection] ¨C 50 [Royal Blessings] ¨C 50 [Holy Light] ¨C 50 [Bulwark] ¨C 50 [Hallowed Ground] ¨C 48 [Smite the Impure] ¨C 50 [Armoured in Light] ¨C 48 ¡°Let¡¯s start with [Purity of Body]. I¡¯d like that one upgraded and broadened in application.¡± She decided straight away. ¡°If that means I¡¯ll have to use two charges of whatever evolution points you use, then so be it.¡± ¡°Not necessary, and I was expecting that one. I assume you¡¯d want protection against mental effects?¡± He¡¯d clearly seen this one coming. ¡°Yes. The meeting with the Culexus Assassin was not a pleasant one.¡± She confirmed. ¡°Just to be clear, this won¡¯t make you immune, and what the assassin did isn¡¯t purely mental. It¡¯s classified as borderline soul attack thanks to how it worked in the original universe. This will lessen the effect, but won¡¯t eliminate it completely.¡± He wanted to make sure she understood and wouldn¡¯t be disappointed. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Even minor protection can go a long way.¡± She nodded. [The Skill [Purity of Body] has evolved into [Purity of Body and Mind]. The Skill level remains the same.] ¡°Next, I¡¯d like to combine [Bulwark] and [Hallowed Ground]. Is it too early to hope for a sort of Domain effect?¡± She asked. ¡°A little, but it¡¯s within tolerable parameters. It¡¯s going to be slightly weaker with the combined effect, but not by much. Mostly the area of effect will be smaller due to the more aggressive aspect.¡± [The Skills [Bulwark] and [Hallowed Ground] have combined into [Fortified by Light]. The new Skill will take the average level between the two base Skills.] ¡°I¡¯d also like the aura Skill to apply to magical effects as well. I know the effective Vitality already kind of does, but I¡¯d like it to have an effect to suppress hostile Skills. Something like what the Dragons get.¡± She decided finally. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s going to take the entirety of the rest of the budget, as that¡¯s a rather powerful effect. But yes, it¡¯s doable since it¡¯s basically enhancing the original effect. The effect won¡¯t be very powerful, at least not in the beginning, due to how broad the application is, but it¡¯s something.¡± He replied thoughtfully. ¡°Much better than nothing." She agreed with a nod. Even if the power was limited, a protective aura with wide applicability would be handy. Especially since maintaining the Skill was nearly effortless. ¡°Well, with that out of the way, how have you been? I noticed you finally relaxed a bit during the break from Mahora. Not much, but at least a bit.¡± Luci shifted the topics. ¡°It was kind of nice. Felt rather liberating to just go flying around the Angel territories a bit after pretending to be a Draenei for so long. We were just traveling from one island to another. Some of the attractions mom took us to were a bit of a downer with my previous experiences. Hard to get excited about amusement park rides at this point, for example. But Raziel seemed to enjoy his time. Mostly it was just interesting to see the society that has adjusted to the presence of the System. Something like the presence of a high-level Farmer or Rancher really changes things. Not quite as effective as some of the most high-tech industrial stuff I''ve seen, but pretty close." She reminisced about the little week-long holiday trip they''d gone on. She''d actually been a little surprised they¡¯d gone back considering Mahora wasn¡¯t very close to their home world. It wasn¡¯t especially far either, but the distance had still been enough to require more time traveling than the time they¡¯d spent home. "May I propose that next time you could visit one of the resort worlds nearby instead. This universe knows how to have fun and relax even if it is also rife with conflicts." Luci suggested. "The Classes also provide advantages on that front. Entertainers with the right Classes are quite a sight, and experiencing something as simple as a massage becomes a lot more special with the right Skills. There are also sporting events if that¡¯s more your cup of tea.¡± ¡°I was under the impression that sports had given way to duels and the like?¡± She questioned. ¡°Among some people, yes. Angels are forced to focus on martial pursuits by the necessity of their situation, but many other races still practice sports, even if in forms you aren¡¯t familiar with. Skills change everything after all. But you¡¯re not entirely wrong. Duels and especially events involving Champions have become the main source of entertainment for those that would¡¯ve otherwise been interested in sports and athletics.¡± Lucifer explained. Seraphiel¡¯s face suddenly went blank before twisting in a weird way. ¡°I just realized something. You said earlier that the guides can have interactions aside from basic guidance. And I just remembered that my brother has me as a guide. You better not have done anything weird with the other me!¡± Lucifer burst into laughter. "I can assure you that I have not. Most guides aren''t as active as I am. That''s likely because I''ve been interacting with Mother and Father, and because I''m, well, me. We both know Lucifer would not be satisfied with just being a normal guide. For the record, your brother¡¯s guide is based on his impression of you. So, she¡¯s not likely to do something weird as long as your brother doesn¡¯t think you would.¡± ¡°That might become a problem at some point then.¡± She muttered. Lucifer laughed again. ¡°Yes, your brother will eventually figure out the sort of weirdo you are. So far, his idea of you is quite idealized. Better not disappoint that ideal too badly.¡± His tone was teasing and playful, even if all that serious. ¡°Blegh.¡± She made a face. ¡°You¡¯re conjuring a whole load of images I¡¯d rather just not deal with.¡± Chapter 35 - Discovered -------- Odin idly flicked through visions his ravens had brought him, as if changing channels on a TV. He''d ordered Huginn and Muninn to look into the issue the Recordkeeper had informed him of. Mostly he was doing it out of curiosity, and because if the Recordkeeper called for him again, he could honestly claim to have made an effort to do something about the whole thing. Even if he had nothing to show for his efforts, just the fact that he had tried should be enough to alleviate any repercussions. He knew he wasn¡¯t the only one looking into it, though most of the others were only very slightly interested, just like him. No one cared about a random Champion of some puny god that wasn¡¯t even strong enough to announce their participation, and they were even less interested in any problems the Recordkeeper might face, for as long as they were not blamed. He''d started looking into it over a year ago. His already limited interest had faded even further since then. Now he was mostly looking through the crystallized vision because he''d started something and didn''t want all that effort to go to waste. Besides, even if he didn''t find his quarry, some of the visions were somewhat interesting and a good way to pass the time. Huginn and Muninn had taken very different paths to finding him visions. Huginn had decided to fly into the conflict areas of the universe, trying to locate anyone that stood out. Such conflicts were abundant, and a good source of levels and power. Also, a way to test their powers if they were new. Champions were usually the type to get involved in such things for multiple reasons. Standard Champions were either heroes or villains. Heroes would be attracted to such conflicts just to save people. Especially if their own people or race were involved. Villains on the other hand would be attracted by the power that could be gained in such places. Or just the chance to let loose and express their villainy in various ways. Heck, some villains would even want to build a heroic image by doing good. There was never a shortage for Huginn of interesting targets, but none of them had quite fit the bill so far. Muninn on the other hand decided to tour all sorts of competitions. The most obvious ones were those between Champions, which had become grand entertainment for gods and mortals alike. However, if the new Champion had taken part, they wouldn''t have stayed hidden for very long. So Muninn had purposefully aimed for slightly smaller competitions. There were those beyond the Champions who wanted to display their power and prowess to others. The rewards were also relatively grand. There were people involved who could rival some of the less powerful Champions if they got to a high enough level. Odin had actually had great hope for Muninn''s strategy and had gotten quite a bit of information and entertainment from the whole thing, but so far, no missing Champion. Now Muninn was all the way down to the fights between academies. It was highly unlikely for a Champion to participate in battles between students. It wasn''t entirely unheard of. Some Champions had been summoned while young due to the potential they held, but even in those cases the Champions rarely spent a lot of time as students. Some did work as teachers on occasion, but it was rare for them to be students. Still, watching fights between youngsters was quite fun, even if the fights were low-level. There was a certain amount of honesty in fights between low-level people. Fights between Champions and high-level individuals often became dick-waving contests between the most powerful Skills and highest stats. They could be spectacular, but often they were over in seconds due to compatibility. As he watched the fights between academies, he suddenly stumbled on a fight between intermediate students. Usually, even Muninn wouldn''t bother, so he looked at the crow questioningly. The crow just cawed, but the meaning was clear. Something odd happened in the fight. With a small ¡°Hmmm.¡± He returned to the vision, and as soon as the fight started, he realized that Muninn had been right. Something odd was definitely going on. One of the teams was blatantly cheating, and he recognized people from THAT universe. The same place where some of the more annoying Gods came from. Tzeentch was an annoying but useful god if you could get the bastard to answer a question. The bastard had also been both unusually active and unusually quiet lately, as paradoxical as that combination seemed. Definitely up to something. The other two were annoying and useless. He got a shiver when thinking about the so-called Emperor though. There was a troublemaker. A god that insisted on acting like they were mortal. The cheaters were dealt with quickly. In fact, the first one was dealt with too quickly for the levels involved. He stopped the vision while it was focused on a young girl slamming her fist through the helmet and head of a stealthy assassin that was causing all the psykers issues. The girl had used a very powerful combination of Skills just a moment before. Both the movement Skill and fucking [Chronomancy] of all things were not something someone of that level should have access to. The more interesting thing was that the girl slammed her fist through a rather sturdy helmet and the assassin''s head with pure physical power as far as he could tell. Yes, she likely had some martial arts-related Skill, but that wasn''t what made it possible. The target had a fair bit of defense, and the girl didn''t seem like a pure Strength type. If she''d just killed the man with pure power, that would''ve been one thing, but to completely splatter the assassin''s head like that required a lot of power. The most important part was what he wasn¡¯t seeing. He¡¯d long ago traded his eye for knowledge. Part of that trade was the ability to see through almost any Skills obscuring people¡¯s Status menus. Now, the fact that he wasn¡¯t physically present with the girl diminished his ability somewhat, but he should still be able to see most of her Status. He was able to see through even the Status protection of most Champions. Yet here, he was only seeing an obviously fake Status. Considering the obvious difference in power and levels, which should make up for the fact that they were not face-to-face, her Status protection had to be on a similar level of power to his ability to see through them. That almost certainly suggested interference by a very powerful god or the System itself, which almost certainly meant the presence of a Champion. The girl was also in the guise of a Draenei. She could¡¯ve very well been a Draenei, but he seriously doubted that. Which meant she was most likely an Angel. The gods were all quite aware of the Angels¡¯ habit of masquerading as Draenei. Which suggested that the Angels had a new Champion. One that no one knew about. ¡°Interesting. Very interesting.¡± He leaned forward on his throne made of gold. This had serious implications. The girl was also young. Why would a Champion be summoned as a teen? Wait. Hadn¡¯t the Recordkeeper mentioned that the secret Champion had been summoned over a decade ago? So this one had been summoned as a child? And as someone so obviously low-level? Normally he would''ve chalked it up to a weak summoner, but the identity protection Skill suggested something entirely different. And obviously, the girl had more than just that Skill. Yet the Recordkeeper had claimed that there was no summoner. Clearly, that wasn''t true. So who had the power and skill to hide from the Recordkeeper? The girl had a major supporter of some sort, and he needed more information. "Huginn, Muninn. I want you both to keep an eye on her and anyone she comes into contact with. Constant surveillance. Hmm, and keep a very safe distance. I smell a secret protector of some sort. We don''t want to make any enemies if we don''t have to." He decided. Information was power, and he had a hunch that betting on this particular horse might become quite profitable in the future. Unlike most, he wasn¡¯t afraid of a little stiff competition. A bit of chaos could be useful in many ways. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. --------- "Ow, ow, ow," Seraphiel complained a little bit as Beatrice helped peel off the dented and twisted armor she was wearing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but the buckles are stuck. I need to use more power than is maybe advisable.¡± The team¡¯s strategist and captain winced as well as she tried to yank a part loose without causing too much pain. Seraphiel could heal the damage done to herself, but when the armor was twisted in all the wrong ways, healing didn''t fix that. "You know, Saen''Cunis would be much better at this." Beatrice pointed out, once again failing to jiggle the buckle loose. "He''d also have the right tools for this." "He would enjoy the process too much," Seraphiel grunted. The male team members had also been banished to find another locker room as the ladies got out of their battle attire. ¡°While true, I think we¡¯ll need someone with a bit more Strength, or the right tools to deal with this. None of us is really investing in the stat, and these buckles are just busted.¡± Beatrice made another failed attempt. ¡°We might be able to cut this open, but even that¡¯s questionable since your Vitality and armor Skill affect the armor. We¡¯d hurt you in the process.¡± ¡°What prompted you to take a direct hit from a rock thrown by a giant anyway?¡± Nodoka asked curiously, already almost done changing, as she only needed to remove her robe and slip into something more practical. "Sa''violi was standing right behind me," Seraphiel grunted. ¡°And I appreciate the sacrifice.¡± The Asari added emphatically. ¡°I was focused elsewhere and wouldn¡¯t have been able to deflect the strike. And unlike you, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to take the hit.¡± "She wasn''t really able to take the hit either," Beatrice grumbled. Another failed attempt. She was right as well. Even for Seraphiel, taking the full brunt of a massive stone tossed by a giant was a bit much, even with all her protective Skills and Vitality. Skills and stats weren¡¯t enough to remove the effects of mass and momentum entirely. It hadn¡¯t been enough to take her out, but it had been enough to slow her down. One of the reasons they had not won the event. "You''ve been doing that a fair bit lately." Nodoka suddenly said in a teasing tone, looking at Sa''violi with a small smile. ¡°What? Focusing elsewhere?¡± Sa¡¯violi asked with a small frown. ¡°Oh, that too. But I meant standing behind Seraphiel.¡± Nodoka¡¯s smile turned into a playful grin. ¡°What? It¡¯s the safest place.¡± Sa¡¯violi argued reasonably. "I''m not saying it isn''t, but are you sure that''s all? Sure it has nothing to do with the view thanks to her new armor?" Nodoka cackled a bit. "I mean, the view does make things even better," Sa''violi admitted shamelessly. "You''ve obviously also noted the view to tease me like this." "Get it together you two," Beatrice said firmly while making another try at the buckle before giving up. "Yeah, it''s completely stuck. I can''t help. You''re going to have to get either Saen''Cunis to do it, or at least someone like your brother to help. Or the arena staff. They are another option now that the fights are over.¡± Seraphiel gave a small sigh. ¡°I was afraid of that.¡± Her new armor was a small concession to wearing armor that was more attractive without being completely indecent. In fact, it showed relatively little skin all things considered. She might have been the most covered out of their entire team, aside from Sa¡¯violi, who preferred high coverage but almost skintight outfits. Her armor was a black and gold mix of leather and metal reinforcements. The main part of the armor was shaped almost like a sleeveless leotard or a one-piece swimsuit, with golden metal pauldrons, vambraces that came up to her elbow over under armor that came to her shoulder but left her hands free, and greaves that came to mid-thigh. She sometimes even wore helmets, which meant the only skin showing was on her hips, thighs, and hands. And yet the whole thing was form-fitting enough to be relatively attractive and a little sexy. Enough to trigger the related armor Skill benefits. Her [Boring Armor] had even evolved into [Juicy Armor]. The rock thrown by the giant had been enchanted, and while her shield had taken most of the damage, the waist portion of her armor was now squeezing her lower ribs in a way that made heavy breaths difficult. She also couldn¡¯t turn at her midsection without the twisted part digging in deeper. The whole event had been against simulated enemies, facing progressively more difficult waves, but some of the other academies had insisted on keeping things realistic by making sure any damage received was real. There were many reasons for the request. Some academies wanted to keep training as realistic as possible and were not such sticklers when it came to student safety. They were not doing it out of pure callousness. The realism helped the students get used to real situations and to not treat injuries as something that would just go away. The students would need to learn when they were too beat up to continue and actively avoid taking fatal or debilitating attacks. The realism and danger also increased the experience gained. Real danger made arrays and simulated fights much more effective, and even Mahora turned their arrays more dangerous as the students got older. Some academies simply skipped the safe portion of their training. "Well, that injury meant that we came in third instead of being first, so we''ll have to workshop some ideas against similar situations," Beatrice concluded. "But not now. Go get your armor removed and then fixed. I want us to take some time watching the older students go through the same fights before going over what went wrong. We should learn from them.¡± As she limped towards the general maintenance area where some of the faculty could resolve issues that students themselves could not deal with, Seraphiel allowed her Draenei form to slip away when no one was looking. The armor was enchanted to automatically adjust, and while it was still damaged, it didn¡¯t press on her ribs the same way. Her body shape was almost the same as a Celestial as a Draenei, but her Draenei form was just a tad lusher and sturdier, which made all the difference for her current dilemma. It also left her barefoot, as she had hooves in her Draenei form, and thus no actual boots for her greaves. ¡°Ah, much better.¡± She released a sigh. With the pressure off her lungs now, she could even stop to look at some of the older teams preparing. ¡°You know, I always like it more when you¡¯re in this form.¡± Charlotte¡¯s voice came from next to her, and the Goddess leaned her back against the railing overlooking the gathering area below. She¡¯d appeared from nowhere, as she always seemed to nowadays. ¡°It somehow feels bad to see you hiding yourself. This one is getting closer to your real form as well.¡± "And I suppose you and the System might have something to do with it," Seraphiel responded. "Don''t think I haven''t noticed how much faster I''m growing up. I''ve already caught up and passed my brother, and he was far from a late bloomer. Angels were supposed to mature slower than Humans, not faster.¡± The Goddess of all Creation smiled easily. ¡°We may have given things a bit of a push. Besides, you¡¯re not an Angel anymore, but a Celestial. As the first of your kind in this universe, who can say what¡¯s the normal way of growing up? There¡¯s no point in having you stay a child. We both know you, and by extension us, will have much more fun when you¡¯ve grown up. Look at this.¡± She playfully poked her bare hip. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have shown this much skin just a year ago. And just admit it. You enjoy it!¡± "I never said I didn''t." Seraphiel shook her head but couldn''t help the small smile on her face. "I''m proud of myself and not ashamed to show it. You and Father did a good job in creating me. It just wasn''t the time before. It''s still not completely the time yet, but I''m getting there." "How very prudish of you," Charlotte stated in a mock-serious tone. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen you for a few weeks.¡± Seraphiel pointed out, changing the subject. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s because someone finally discovered you and has been keeping you under surveillance. They just can¡¯t do it all the time.¡± Charlotte revealed. ¡°Huh. I¡¯d say I¡¯m surprised, but I¡¯m not entirely. I haven¡¯t been able to spot anyone, but¡­¡± She looked around her carefully. ¡°Sharp instincts as always.¡± Charlotte commended. ¡°You always did have sharper instincts than the rest of our family, and your ordeals likely haven¡¯t helped in that regard.¡± ¡°Wait. Have they been spying on me constantly? Like while I sleep and bathe as well?¡± Seraphiel just realized. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll leave that to your imagination, but the gods can get a bit voyeuristic. That said, one of the reasons they can¡¯t keep constant surveillance is because even you would notice them watching in enclosed enough spaces.¡± Charlotte knew leaving things vague might actually excite Seraphiel instead of horrifying her. ¡°So at least not baths most likely.¡± She hummed in thought. ¡°Oh. I have to go. You¡¯re about to have a guest.¡± Charlotte stated and just disappeared. Seraphiel only had enough time to make a very intelligent ¡°Huh?¡± sound before she heard a voice behind her. "Seraphiel? Is that you?" A rather raspy female voice came from behind her. A voice that she recognized well. Before she responded, a pair of armored hands wrapped around her waist. "It is you. I''d recognize you anywhere." The voice sounded a little choked and relieved. "Shepard." Seraphiel smiled, not looking back. "It''s been a while. Also, would you mind not squeezing too hard? My armor is busted and you''re hurting me quite a bit." Chapter 36 - Shepard ------ ¡°Wait, what happened with your armor?¡± Shepard asked, still hugging Seraphiel¡¯s waist but now much more gently. She was also leaning back, apparently looking at the damaged armor, though Seraphiel couldn¡¯t really tell any details with Shepard standing behind her. "I was on the receiving end of a boulder tossed by a giant," Seraphiel explained, before pointing at the spot where the armor was twisted. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right. It is damaged.¡± Shepard gently ran her fingers across the damaged spot. ¡°I¡¯m still shocked you¡¯re participating in an event aimed at students though. And young students at that.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be that surprised if you¡¯re here.¡± Seraphiel pointed out. Now turning around to see the other woman. Shepard looked the same as she remembered, if not a bit younger actually. Apparently becoming a Champion had some rejuvenating effects. That or the Vitality. Even the little scar above her eye was gone. Seraphiel had offered to heal that scar a couple of times in the past, but Shepard had always refused, preferring to keep the scar as a memento of sorts. Shepard had always been a force of nature, and it looked like she hadn''t been slacking. She was wearing a rather tight armor, similar to the ones she''d worn back when they''d last met, only now it was obviously enchanted. It still had the N7 logo plastered on her chestplate. Her raven black hair had grown longer and was tied to a braid, while a small lock of hair dangled in front of her attractive face. She¡¯d obviously trained hard as well, as she was a fair bit more fit than before. Not that she¡¯d been a slouch back then either. ¡°Ooh, you grew your hair out.¡± Seraphiel softly flicked the small lock of hair. ¡°I always told you it would suit you. Seriously though, how are you here?¡± ¡°I had feelers out. Seeing as I have quite a bit of authority as the primary Champion of our universe, people like to do me favors. I¡¯ve had everyone keep an eye out for someone standing out and having the name Seraphiel. I knew you¡¯d end up here eventually, though I didn¡¯t expect it to be this soon. Anyway, you made a bit of a splash at the previous event, and the headmaster of the Thessian academy sent word even if you are using another but similar name. Another member of your team let your real name slip after all, and the headmasters apparently spent a lot of time going over the recording.¡± Shepard seemed quite proud of herself. ¡°I¡¯ll have to give him a smack for that.¡± She muttered. ¡°Still, I didn¡¯t expect you to recognize me.¡± "Seriously?" Shepard lifted an eyebrow. Seraphiel had always liked her eyebrows. "Even if you grow hooves, horns, and blue skin, it''s not like your mannerisms change. Also, you''re not exactly someone easy to confuse with others. You do realize that you have a whole aura about you, right? Anyone who knows you well enough would be able to pick you out of a crowd of a thousand identical people." ¡°Eh, I don¡¯t spend a lot of time looking into mirrors.¡± She shrugged in response. ¡°Aura doesn¡¯t exactly show in¡­you know what? Never mind.¡± Shepard gave up explaining. ¡°What I can¡¯t figure out is how you¡¯re a student. Or so low level. Last time we met, you could take out a Reaper by punching it. What are you doing in an event like this?¡± ¡°Before I answer that, what level were you when you were made a Champion?¡± Seraphiel flipped the question around. ¡°Why?¡± Shepard asked a bit weirded out by the seeming non-sequitur. "Just humor me." Seraphiel pushed. "Around 900 with my highest Class," Shepard responded, not seeing any point in hiding the information from Seraphiel of all people. ¡°Well, I woke up here as level 1. To be more precise, I didn¡¯t have a level at all. You don¡¯t get a level at birth after all.¡± She explained. ¡°Birth?¡± Shepard frowned. ¡°You are a Champion, right? How else would you be here?¡± ¡°In a way. You still remember when I told you about being tossed from one universe to another?¡± She asked. ¡°How could I forget?¡± Shepard gave a sad sigh. ¡°It took you away from us. From me. That¡¯s how I knew to look for you as well.¡± ¡°Well, this is a bit of a combination of both. As you can see, I wasn¡¯t born in my old body.¡± She gestured toward herself. "I initially assumed you just changed shapes to pass off as a student, just like when you became a Draenei." Shepard took a better stock of her, looking her up and down from head to toe. "Although, you seem to look really similar to your old self, only younger. Coincidence?¡± ¡°No. My working theory is that the body adapts to the soul, but that¡¯s not certain information.¡± She revealed. ¡°Oh, Wrex is going to love this.¡± Shepard laughed suddenly. ¡°He always hated that you could just toss him around like a rag. You do know he¡¯s going to take revenge, right?¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°The old lizard is still alive? Should¡¯ve known. Speaking of. How¡¯s Liara?¡± Her tone was a little teasing. Shepard was less amused though. ¡°You know that¡¯s not fair.¡± "Why would it not be? I was the one who told you two that you should get together after I disappear. And if my information is correct, you''ve been here for fifty years already." She didn''t allow the mood to get sour. ¡°I certainly wouldn¡¯t blame you for getting together.¡± That seemed to mollify Shepard a bit. ¡°I hope you¡¯re aware that nothing would¡¯ve happened between me and Liara if you hadn¡¯t disappeared, right?¡± She seemed to really want Seraphiel to understand that fact. She laid a hand on Shepard¡¯s cheek. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not going to think less of you for that.¡± She grinned. ¡°I¡¯m quite certain I told you that I haven¡¯t been celibate before meeting you, nor would I be after. I made that very clear if I recall.¡± Now it was Shepard¡¯s turn to grin. ¡°I accepted that a long before we even got together. I saw how you looked at both Tali and Garrus. Though¡­judging by how you look now, and what I know about the aging of Angels, you haven¡¯t had too many opportunities since. You couldn¡¯t have visited too many universes between this life and your visit to us.¡± ¡°Touche.¡± She admitted. ¡°Seriously though, how is Liara?¡± ¡°Liara is¡­well enough I suppose. We¡¯re not together. Everything that happened with the Reapers and our universe joining this one like me becoming a Champion¡­let''s just say we drifted apart." Shepard shook her head. She didn¡¯t mention that Liara had always had a bit of a complex about Seraphiel, even after the Angel had disappeared. Seraphiel did have that effect on people. ¡°I¡¯m genuinely sorry about that. I truly am. I always thought the two of you would¡¯ve made for a cute couple. That¡¯s why I told you what I did.¡± She was fairly confident the two would¡¯ve eventually gotten together if she¡¯d never appeared. ¡°She¡¯s thriving in general though. This universe has brought her plenty of things to study.¡± Shepard smiled fondly. ¡°We¡¯re still friendly, even if we rarely meet.¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± Seraphiel mirrored the expression, thinking of Liara immersed in some new study subject. ¡°How are you, really?¡± Shepard looked thoughtful for a moment. ¡°I know this might be a bit weird to say but this universe is good for me. Something about the System just works for me. It isn''t as fabulous for everyone else though. How do I explain this? None of the races from back home are strictly worse off in absolute terms, except Hanar and the Batarians, but some like the Salarians are getting left behind comparatively. And I suppose I wanted to have some peace after the Reapers.¡± ¡°You know that wasn¡¯t going to happen even if the universes didn¡¯t merge.¡± Seraphiel pointed out. ¡°Some race, like the Batarians, would¡¯ve found a reason to start up shit.¡± ¡°I suppose. I had hope that the unity we had against the Reapers would last, but I suppose even that unity was an illusion, what with Cerberus and all.¡± Shepard shook her head with a wry smile. ¡°Look at me getting all mushy.¡± ¡°So, what happened to Hanar and the Batarians?¡± Seraphiel asked. ¡°Oh! The Batarians tried to enslave the wrong people, and the Hanar tried to preach to a race that saw them as a nice snack and nothing more. Turns out you can¡¯t just talk your way out of all fights." Shepard didn''t seem too bummed out about the fact, though who would miss slavers and the stupid jellyfish? ¡°So, a Champion, eh?¡± Seraphiel asked. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m still not sure about the whole thing, but if doing favors to a divinity keeps my people safe¡­¡± Shepard shrugged with a small grimace. ¡°A small price to pay. And I can¡¯t say the competitions between Champions aren¡¯t exhilarating.¡± ¡°Whose Champion are you supposed to be anyway?¡± Seraphiel asked. "I''ll tell you if you do the same?" Shepard asked, showing a sneaky smile. Good, she''d learned. "Charlotte Richards," Seraphiel said simply. ¡°Who?¡± Shepard seemed genuinely baffled, and it was hard to blame her. ¡°That¡¯s the name She¡¯s using at the moment. Previously I would¡¯ve just called her The Goddess. Not a goddess, but The Goddess.¡± She responded, knowing that didn¡¯t make things much clearer. ¡°Also, I suppose the System as well, in a way.¡± ¡°The System?¡± Shepard didn¡¯t seem any less confused. ¡°I didn¡¯t know the System could, or even cared to, have a Champion.¡± ¡°It probably didn¡¯t until Charlotte ended up here. I¡¯ll tell you more some other time. Your turn.¡± Seraphiel prompted. ¡°Athena. The old Greek Goddess. She¡¯s a rather powerful deity thanks to being present in several universes, which if I understand correctly, means any new incarnation of her gets merged into the old one if they¡¯re sufficiently similar.¡± Shepard explained. ¡°I can see how that would work with you. A Goddess of War, Strategy, Wisdom, and force of will in her own right. Suits you rather well, even if not something I would¡¯ve guessed at first.¡± She suddenly got an amused look. ¡°So, does the blessing of Athena finally give you the ability to dance?¡± Shepard scoffed. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know; I¡¯ve always known how to dance. I have a Skill for it and everything.¡± Seraphiel burst into laughter. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s just not true. I remember quite well what you call dancing, and that wasn¡¯t it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just your old age getting to you. I can¡¯t blame you for getting a little senile though. Having gone through so many universes, you must have me confused with some other Shepard when it comes to dancing.¡± Shepard shot back. ¡°I seem to recall you had no trouble going dancing with me on more than one occasion.¡± ¡°Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that if it makes you happier.¡± She smiled happily. It was a rare treat to get to speak again with someone she¡¯d been forced to leave behind. ¡°What about you? How are you? I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not used to being the weak person in the room.¡± Shepard teased a bit. "Who says I''m the weak person? You should already know that level isn''t everything." She shot back. ¡°Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that.¡± Shepard repeated her own words back to her. ¡°While I¡¯m a little weaker now, the gap is quickly narrowing. It¡¯s only a matter of time before I can toss Wrex around again. Punching out a Reaper might take a bit longer. There are apparently some benefits to starting from level 1. The System rather heavily implied that I¡¯ll be able to punch well above my weight when compared to other Champions.¡± She didn¡¯t bother hiding anything from Shepard, even if she didn¡¯t go into too much detail. Shepard of all people would not betray her. ¡°Well, you¡¯re going to have to if you want to compete. And I¡¯d keep in mind that you¡¯re not the only one. Some of the Champions have similar experiences. Especially if we allow ourselves to really take advantage of the System instead of relying on our old abilities. I mean, some Champions were practically demigods from the moment they were summoned, so I can see how they¡¯d not bother changing their style too much, but Champions like us have really embraced the System and all the benefits.¡± Shepard warned her. ¡°Oh right, you did mention you were the primary Champion from your universe. That implies more than one.¡± Seraphiel prompted. ¡°Yes, well, both the Asari and Krogan are rather good Champion material, even if mostly chosen by the minor gods. Wrex and Aria are both Champions as well.¡± Shepard revealed. ¡°And several others have been taken in by the minor gods as sort of Champions in training.¡± ¡°I can see why. The two races are naturally quite gifted and long-lived, which helps.¡± She was quiet for a moment. ¡°So, what was your plan anyway? You come here to find and surprise me. Then what?¡± "Honestly, I''m not sure. You know me. I act. Not necessarily without a plan, but if there''s something important that needs to happen, I act even if I have to go in without a plan. This is one of those situations. I suppose I¡¯ve imagined a thousand times what I would say when I meet you again. I¡¯ve rehearsed this whole discussion a dozen times in my head, but all that went out as soon as I saw you.¡± Shepard leaned her forehead against hers. ¡°In the end, I just wanted to see you. Hold you in my arms to make sure you¡¯re real and here. You¡¯re important to me. Those years we spent together were important to me.¡± Seraphiel smiled happily. ¡°They were important to me as well.¡± Shepard nodded, which was rather awkward with their forehead together. ¡°I loved you so much back then. My world broke when you disappeared. It took a long time to get over it, even with Liara¡¯s help. It wasn¡¯t until our universe merged with this one that I dared to hope we might meet again. Now that we have¡­I don¡¯t know what that means. I just don¡¯t want you to disappear again. Anything else can be figured out later.¡± She suddenly smiled just a bit. ¡°And from what I¡¯ve heard and what you¡¯ve told me, I¡¯m not the only one that feels that way.¡± ¡°Uuuuuh¡­¡± Seraphiel stammered a bit. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard some stories. I might have found you first, but I¡¯m not the only one looking. I¡¯m not going to make it easy on the others of course, but you have quite a few meetings like this in your future, don¡¯t you?¡± Now Shepard was teasing her directly. ¡°Well¡­¡± Seraphiel couldn¡¯t really say anything about that. ¡°Shh. It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s go get your armor fixed.¡± Shepard grinned a bit. ¡°Might give me the chance to see you out of it.¡± Things were about to get more complicated, weren¡¯t they? Not a chapter No chapter today. I already had a horrid work week, and now had to cover extra night shifts because even nurses get sick. Doesn''t leave much time or energy to write. I might, emphasis on might, be able to get it out tomorrow, but there''s no way I can get the whole thing written and edited today. Worse, I haven''t had much time to consider what to actually put into the chapter, so it might feel a bit rushed. The hazards of writing as a hobby I''m afraid. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. This has to be five hundred characters long, so I''m just rambling here. Chapter 37 - Rudely interrupted ------- Meeting Shepard again was a novel experience for Seraphiel. The only thing she could compare it to was when one of her siblings visited her, and even that was a little different. Even if it happened sparingly, she¡¯d always known she could meet her siblings again someday. With Shepard, and those others she¡¯d gotten close to in other universes, she¡¯d assumed she would never meet them again. Especially if they were mortal. She had said goodbyes when possible. She also always tried to keep a bit of distance, knowing that they¡¯d soon be parted. She made friends and even lovers of course, but always with the expectation that it was temporary. Having all of that turned on its head with this meeting was new and exciting. It was also plenty confusing. When you say your goodbyes to someone, with full expectation of never meeting them again, the reunion can be a little awkward, especially when you¡¯ve already moved on. Still, she enjoyed it. Unlike meeting new people, it was much easier to just reacquaint yourself with someone you used to be close to, even if they had changed to an extent. It also helped that Shepard didn¡¯t have too many expectations on what happened now. It would¡¯ve been a little awkward if she¡¯d expected them to just pick from where they left off, particularly since they''d spent more time apart than together. In that way, the situation felt a little like two former lovers who''d broken up due to reasons not up to them reuniting after decades. Some of the old spark was still there, and they could both feel that some of what they had could be rekindled if they so chose, but things were also different. They were different. And the situation was very different. That didn''t mean nothing would happen, but it also didn''t mean something would. For now, they were simply enjoying each other''s company. ¡°Stop grinning like a fool.¡± Seraphiel chided the Human woman. ¡°I can¡¯t help it. You look so silly in that paper gown.¡± Shepard couldn¡¯t help the grin of amusement. The Seraphiel back in Shepard¡¯s old universe would¡¯ve been extremely unlikely to be caught in this kind of situation. Back then, Seraphiel had been an endless font of power and supremely controlled and skilled, a consummate professional. The similarities only made the differences that much more obvious. "Hardly my fault. They couldn''t fix my armor while I was wearing it." Seraphiel defended herself while gesturing towards the faculty working on various projects, one of which was her damaged armor. Her armor didn¡¯t require a lot of work, but there were many other projects as well. There were a dozen smiths, tailors, engineers, and other artisans in a single dedicated workspace, combining their expertise on a hundred separate work orders. She was sitting down in a waiting area to the side, which only had a separate changing area and a handful of beds for students that might have been injured along with their equipment, but not badly enough to need the infirmary. There was also a large gathering of chairs for those waiting for their equipment to be fixed, only a few of which were occupied. A few others wore similar disposable gowns to her, while others were in normal clothing, mostly along for company like Shepard. Speaking of, the presence of a relatively famous Champion was gathering some attention. "You seem popular." Seraphiel pointed out. "The mid-level Champion fights tend to be more popular than the high-level ones because they''re easier to follow along and understand. Our fights might need to be slowed down for the general populace, but at least we still fight relatively normally, instead of using some obscure powers like the highest-ranked Champions.¡± Shepard shrugged while explaining. ¡°And just for the record, half of those looks are still for you. You manage to make that paper gown look rather fetching all things considered.¡± "Hmm. Some of them might actually be wondering who I am since I''m not in my Draenei form. They haven''t seen me fight." She pointed out. Not everyone present knew every competitor, but there was one thing she had to admit about herself, which was that she looked memorable if nothing else. ¡°Speaking of, why do you even bother?¡± Shepard asked. ¡°Surely you¡¯ve heard that Angels aren¡¯t exactly popular?¡± Seraphiel pointed out. "Yes, but that hasn''t stopped you before." Shepard retorted, remembering how Seraphiel hadn''t hidden her background even when she was the only Angel in the entire universe. ¡°I was just keeping discreet until I can protect myself.¡± Seraphiel simply explained. ¡°I¡¯m not very secretive in general, but I¡¯m not reckless to the point of stupidity either.¡± ¡°Yes, you are. Normally at least. Though I suppose how this case might be different.¡± Shepard nodded in agreement. ¡°I could see how the current situation would-¡° Her words were suddenly interrupted and she seemed to be listening to something. At the same time, Seraphiel suddenly had to take hold of the bed she was sitting on to support herself, as a wave of unease and nausea rushed through her. It was like being hit with an extreme and unpleasant bout of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. The feeling was familiar, but she couldn''t quite pinpoint why. While similar, she got the distinct impression that these feelings might have been akin to, but not the same as something she¡¯d felt in the past. It was like an echo of the past, twisted and distorted. The familiarity worried her though. Even if she couldn¡¯t quite pinpoint the feeling, she didn¡¯t associate it with anything pleasant. "What?" Shepard asked with apparent confusion, listening to someone else. "You''re serious? Well, your nickname is Joker, so¡­" The one-sided conversation came to a sudden end as even Seraphiel heard a metallic screeching sound, coming from several sources at one, clearly signaling the sudden interruption of electronic communications. "Joker? Joker!" Shepard repeated a couple of times. ¡°This is bad.¡± Seraphiel jumped up from the bed and went for her armor. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re done, I¡¯m going to need that.¡± She stated to the older Elven man working on the armor. The man simply hit the armor one last time to make the dent as unnoticeable as possible before nodding and handing it over. "We''re being attacked," Shepard announced, loudly enough to let everyone hear. The faculty members working in the area seemed surprised but reacted quickly to gather the essentials, while the students seemed mostly to go into shocked inaction, staring at her. Seraphiel used the chance to slip behind the small privacy screen and into her armor while calling out to Shepard. "Did you get any details on the attackers before the line went out?" Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Not too much. Joker managed to mention something about countless enemy vessels but not much else.¡± Shepard called back. ¡°Whatever it is, our communications are being jammed, as you noticed.¡± ¡°Mr. Moreau is alive then? I can¡¯t imagine you¡¯re still flying around in the Normandy.¡± ¡°He is, and the new ship is also named the same. Amusingly, he got a pilot Class that gave him a lot of Vitality. Also, his previous medical condition was easily dealt with thanks to the magic and technology of this universe.¡± Shepard explained. Seraphiel stepped out from behind the screen, now fully armored. "Well, the electronic interference isn''t exactly promising. We should probably prepare to evacuate, just in case." The current world they were on was a minor resource world that just happened to be centrally located between the different academies. Even the arena was brought and deployed here magically. The world''s defenses were not great, most of the population being miners and farmers. That being the case, even if the students weren''t yet a major military asset, the headmasters and some of the faculty certainly were. It wasn''t the first time the academies were attacked during an event like this. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡± Shepard went to the front of the room. ¡°Alright people! We¡¯re going to move towards the hangars in case there¡¯s a need for evacuation. Keep behind me, but try to keep up!¡± She declared, and the others seemed to acquiesce to her command, which wasn¡¯t all that shocking. Shepard could take control of a room at worst times, not to mention when she really chose to. Likely had quite a bit of Charisma. Some of the faculty were holding weapons like they knew how to use them, although it was obvious combat wasn¡¯t their chosen vocation. As they quickly started moving through the open hallways, Seraphiel applied her Blessing ability to everyone present, causing even Shepard to look at her in surprise. The [Royal Blessings] could be turned into a simple percentage-based improvement to stats. Which meant it could be made to work based on the target''s stats, not her own. That made it useful even to someone over a thousand levels higher than her, even if the improvement wasn''t major. In return, she felt a similar but much stronger Skill affecting her. It didn''t feel like any holy power. Instead, it seemed like a power some sort of leader-Class would have, except with the caster being ten times her level, which meant her stats suddenly more than tripled. "Two can play that game." Shepard grinned before moving out with her weapon ready. They hadn''t made it far until the entire arena shook. "That didn''t feel like an orbital weapon or magical impact," Shepard commented. "No. I''m pretty sure something just hit the arena. Either falling from orbit or quite literally hitting it, like with a fist or a weapon." Her senses weren''t yet quite as extensive as they used to be, but they were sharp. And she had plenty of experience with impacts. "We might want to hurry then," Shepard stated firmly, her gun trained in the direction they were going. The gun was clearly magical instead of being mechanical. Seraphiel could tell that it likely drew on Shepard''s biotic abilities instead of firing bullets. Their group managed to pick up some stragglers on the way, mostly participants of the tournament. Some were armed and ready, while some were clearly here just to watch and have a good time. They got relatively close to the hangars before suddenly a wave of small skittering creatures burst from an open doorway. Shepard didn''t waste any time and sent a wave of force at the tiny critters that seemed to be made of carapace and teeth. The sheer power of the wave splattered everything it came into contact with, the enemies clearly not being a match. "Tyranids!" Seraphiel shouted in recognition, realizing now why she recognized the bad feeling, and why she hadn''t done so before. The Tyranids had the power to adversely affect psykers, but this universe didn''t work with the Warp in the same way, which meant the effect was different, if still there. Several more impacts hit the building somewhere. ¡°We¡¯re going to have more company soon.¡± Shepard deduced. ¡°Move it!¡± They quickly moved past the broken doorway, and Seraphiel noticed a new wave of the skittering creatures coming. She deployed her [Fortified by Light] to burn all the incoming creatures with holy fire at the same time, which didn¡¯t have too strong of an effect despite her additional stats since she¡¯d sacrificed the more offensive effect of the [Hallowed Ground] for more protections by combining it with [Bulwark]. However, the effect got a lot stronger when she activated the new Skill that she¡¯d taken with the empty Skill slot, [Avenging Wrath] which was just a straight damage boost to all her Skills. She also channeled psionic lightning at the incoming enemies, frying them with the arcs of lightning coming from her fingers. ¡°I¡¯ll handle the back!¡± She called out to Shepard, as the others streamed past, noticing she didn¡¯t require assistance. Hundreds of little critters died in seconds, stemming the tide, but she knew this was just the beginning. The Tyranids were sending the smallest and weakest of their swarm in first to locate targets and to swarm any weak targets of opportunity. A lot more and a lot stronger enemies were coming and soon. [Congratulations! [Avenging Wrath] has leveled up from 60 to 61!] [Congratulations! [Energy Control] has leveled up from 120 to 121!] [Congratulations! [Fortified by Light] has leveled up from 73 to 74!] The tiny critters weren¡¯t great for experience, but better than nothing. They weren''t really meant to fight anything serious anyway. That did bring up an interesting question though. How did the Tyranid level? They were basically creatures working under a hive mind. Did they level like magical creatures and animals? Or was it just the hive mind that grew in level? Or were some of the individual organisms intelligent enough to have their own levels? An interesting question for another time. As the group moved past the doorway, she set up a simple but durable barrier that would take at least some time for the little critters to claw through and rushed to follow the others. They made their way into the hangars where all the students were boarding any ships that were able to take them, while some of the ships were taking off as they became full. The rest of their group scattered to join the other boarders while Shepard grabbed her arm. ¡°Come on. Normandy¡¯s there.¡± Pointing at a vessel that outwardly looked somewhat similar to the ship they¡¯d been on board in the past, but the vessel was quite different in construction. She could sense the magic radiating off the ship, and many of the materials used were not available in the previous universe. The function was quite similar though, as the two of them rushed up the loading ramp at the bottom-aft of the ship and ran through the vessel towards the cockpit. Many people had already taken refuge inside, clogging up the cargo hold. The two of them made it to the cockpit, where the familiar, if older Jeff "Joker" Moreau sat at a very comfortable-looking leather seat, while the form of what could only described as a female android sat in a similar seat beside him. "Joker, take us up! EDI, what the hell is going on?" ¡°Aye, Commander! I mean Champion.¡± Joker managed to slip in a slight joke for old-time''s sake. The female but clearly artificial voice of the android responded while the human-like but clearly not made of flesh fingers danced across displays. ¡°The enemies entered the system only ten minutes ago and made a direct line towards the only inhabited world in the system, meaning us. The headmasters are engaging the enemy in orbit, but there are trillions of life forms entering the system, and they simply can¡¯t kill the enemy fast enough, even if they aren¡¯t personally in danger. An evacuation was ordered and is beginning, but the enemy creatures are entering the atmosphere in large numbers, and I don''t think we have too much time." "My brother is out there," Seraphiel muttered. EDI looked at her and seemed to suddenly do a double take, which was especially odd considering she was a genuine AI. "Seraphiel?" ¡°Not now. The students? How are they?¡± Shepard barked, as the ship started lifting off. ¡°Yes Champion. Most have already made the ships, though few have managed to lift off yet. They¡¯re all mixed up in different ships and are going to be a pain to sort out later, but I haven¡¯t heard anything about dead students yet. The arena has some protections in place. The headmasters have managed to keep an open evacuation corridor so far. Even if the enemy is too numerous to wipe out, the headmasters are powerful enough to keep their surroundings clear. Though the fact that the enemy is managing to push against so many powerful beings is surprising, to say the least." EDI explained. "There''s some sort of suppression effect going on," Shepard explained with a frown. "I can feel that my highest-ranked Skills are somehow weaker than they should be. I believe the headmasters are having a similar problem." "It might also be a numbers problem." Joker pointed out. "I managed to get some readings before that became impossible. I''ve never seen so many enemies in one place." "Show me." Seraphiel prompted and was handed a pad with the numbers and images. "Ah, we''re dealing with a tiny splinter fleet." ¡°That¡¯s tiny?!¡± Joker asked in shock. "It''s not always about size Jeff." EDI joked. "Haven''t dealt with Tyranids before, have you?" Seraphiel realized. "For them, this was tiny tens of thousands of years ago. I can''t even imagine what they''re like now. In fact, I''m somewhat surprised there aren''t defenses in place for something like them. I was told locust races are a relatively common problem." ¡°They are.¡± Shepard nodded. ¡°Though usually they aren¡¯t seen in these kinds of numbers. As for the Tyranids in particular, I heard something about them being mostly confined to the general area of the universe they came in with. I suppose the gods didn¡¯t feel that was necessary anymore.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Seraphiel realized something. This new universe was rather used to war and struggle, but so far everything she¡¯d seen had been relatively light-hearted. They might be used to war, but not on the scale of that particular universe. Something like the Reapers she¡¯d fought together with Shepard had been a problem, but not even close to the scale of a problem as the Tyranids. If that universe was suddenly getting active for some reason, things were about to take a darker turn. Chapter 38 - Escape ------ "We need to support and protect the other ships as they''re leaving," Shepard ordered right away. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can, but you know my baby isn¡¯t really designed to fight this kind of enemy.¡± Joker pointed out before banking heavily to open fire on a particular living ship that seemed intent on ramming one of the ships carrying students. There were simply so many enemy vessels that the headmasters couldn¡¯t hit them all. Shepard turned to Seraphiel. ¡°You seem to have information on the enemy. Any ideas on how to turn the situation less dire?¡± "Well, that depends on what your goal is," Seraphiel replied. "If you just want to save the students, then have the ship and anyone capable do what you''re doing now. Maybe target specific synapse vessels." ¡°Wait, wait. Synapse?¡± Joker asked, now paying attention to her for the first time. ¡°Oh, hey Sephy. Haven¡¯t seen you in forever. You look younger.¡± ¡°And you look older.¡± Seraphiel shot back. ¡°The hive mind controlling the Tyranids doesn¡¯t control every creature directly. The commands are passed through specific creatures with a closer connection to the hive mind called synapse creatures. If you kill those, the other Tyranids turn feral and start attacking everything in sight, including each other. Also, having the control of the hive mind suddenly yanked does horrible, horrible things to them, the mildest of which is stunning them for a short while. On the other hand, if you want to save everyone on the planet¡­well, you¡¯re fucked.¡± She felt a little bad about saying that, but she¡¯d long since learned that saving everyone was impossible. ¡°OK, so good news and bad news. But how can we tell which enemies to target?¡± Shepard asked. "Experience mostly," Seraphiel admitted. "The smarter enemies are also the ones that function as synapse creatures. If you can provide me with images, I can start tagging them.¡± "EDI, you get on that. Joker, I''m going to go up top, so just bring us closer to large concentrations of enemies until she''s done." Shepard ordered, before using one of the abilities that Seraphiel also had, only more advanced, [Psionic Charge], to suddenly exit the ship and effectively stand on the outside hull, with her magnetic boots holding her in place. Seraphiel had to admit that the sheer precision required to charge just outside the ship, without ending up inside the wall or so far that you can''t attach to the ship before it flies away from under you, was staggering. You had to be precise down to a millimeter, and the ability wasn''t really designed for that. She could''ve done it in her prime. Maybe. But it would''ve been a difficult shot at best of times. Now she didn''t even want to try. "Love it when she does that," Joker commented. ¡°Seraphiel. Tags please.¡± EDI reminded her. Seraphiel quickly went through hundreds of images, tagging every known synapse creature she could identify. As expected, the Tyranids had created new bioforms since the last time she¡¯d seen them, but the basic principles were much the same, so it wasn¡¯t hard to identify the new creatures and their function. As she continued the tagging, Shepard sent a message. EDI had already explained that communications on very short ranges worked. ¡°I still don¡¯t fully understand the whole synapse thing, but tell Seraphiel she was right. Targeting the creatures she¡¯s tagging is very effective. They seem to regain control after a while, but even a dozen seconds of confusion is critically useful in a situation like this. Get Haldir to send this information to all the headmasters as well. I doubt they¡¯re aware.¡± ¡°Haldir?¡± Seraphiel asked, not recognizing the name. The person wasn¡¯t a member of the original crew. ¡°An Elven mage we picked up. He¡¯s in charge of our magical engineering.¡± EDI explained, clearly able to multitask. ¡°With electronic communications down, magic it is.¡± It seemed the AI wasn¡¯t fond of that fact. The situation became a lot better after the headmasters started to systematically target the synapse creatures. Shepard alone could destroy them by the dozens or hundreds, so with every headmaster doing the same, the tactic became even more effective, and the effect became more pronounced as the living synapse creatures became rarer. The shock from losing so many of the creatures at the same time was also quite pronounced. ¡°It¡¯s working!¡± Shepard announced. ¡°The ships of the academies are not being harassed anymore.¡± She was quiet for a moment. ¡°We¡¯re still not going to be able to save the people on the planet, are we?¡± She still hadn¡¯t entirely gotten over her need to save everyone. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡± Seraphiel was forced to admit. ¡°The tactic is effective for a short time, but the Tyranids are great at adapting. They¡¯ll be able to counter the tactic soon.¡± True to her words, it only took some minutes for the Tyranids to start hiding the synapse creature deep within their ranks, in hard-to-reach places. It reduced their combat effectiveness somewhat, which is why they didn''t usually do it, but by that time, most of the ships carrying students had already made their escape. The headmasters grabbed any local people they could before they too started pulling away. The Normandy was among the last to make the exit, as Shepard barely entered the ship in time to go through the gateway. ¡°Well, that was a disaster," Shepard commented, though Seraphiel was a little distracted by the sudden flood of announcements. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. [Congratulations! [Path of the Seer] has leveled up from 123 to 124! Free Stat Points +280.] [Congratulations! [Path of the Seer] has leveled up from 124 to 125! Free Stat Points +280.] [Congratulations! [Path of the Seer] has leveled up from 125 to 126! Free Stat Points +280.] [Congratulations! [Path of the Seer] has leveled up from 126 to 127! Free Stat Points +280.] [Congratulations! [Path of the Seer] has leveled up from 127 to 128! Free Stat Points +280.] [Congratulations! [Path of the Seer] has leveled up from 128 to 129! Free Stat Points +280.] [Congratulations! [Path of the Seer] has leveled up from 129 to 130! Free Stat Points +280.] [Congratulations! [Celestial] has leveled up from 123 to 124! Strength +40, Vitality +40, Agility +40, Perception +40, Charisma +40, Willpower +40, Manipulation +40, Acumen +40, Free Stat Points +40.] [Congratulations! [Celestial] has leveled up from 124 to 125! Strength +40, Vitality +40, Agility +40, Perception +40, Charisma +40, Willpower +40, Manipulation +40, Acumen +40, Free Stat Points +40.] [Congratulations! [Celestial] has leveled up from 125 to 126! Strength +40, Vitality +40, Agility +40, Perception +40, Charisma +40, Willpower +40, Manipulation +40, Acumen +40, Free Stat Points +40.] [Congratulations! [Celestial] has leveled up from 126 to 127! Strength +40, Vitality +40, Agility +40, Perception +40, Charisma +40, Willpower +40, Manipulation +40, Acumen +40, Free Stat Points +40.] [Congratulations! [Celestial] has leveled up from 127 to 128! Strength +40, Vitality +40, Agility +40, Perception +40, Charisma +40, Willpower +40, Manipulation +40, Acumen +40, Free Stat Points +40.] [Congratulations! [Celestial] has leveled up from 128 to 129! Strength +40, Vitality +40, Agility +40, Perception +40, Charisma +40, Willpower +40, Manipulation +40, Acumen +40, Free Stat Points +40.] [Congratulations! [Celestial] has leveled up from 129 to 130! Strength +40, Vitality +40, Agility +40, Perception +40, Charisma +40, Willpower +40, Manipulation +40, Acumen +40, Free Stat Points +40.] [Congratulations! [Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi] has leveled up from 120 to 121! Free Stat Points Strength +20, Vitality +20, Agility +40, Perception +40, Psionic Power +20, Psionic Control +40, Tolerance +20, Psi +20, Free Stat Points 100.] [Congratulations! [Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi] has leveled up from 121 to 122! Free Stat Points Strength +20, Vitality +20, Agility +40, Perception +40, Psionic Power +20, Psionic Control +40, Tolerance +20, Psi +20, Free Stat Points 100.] [Congratulations! [Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi] has leveled up from 123 to 124! Free Stat Points Strength +20, Vitality +20, Agility +40, Perception +40, Psionic Power +20, Psionic Control +40, Tolerance +20, Psi +20, Free Stat Points 100.] [Congratulations! [The Path of the Firstborn] has leveled up from 75 to 76! Strength +20, Vitality +20, Willpower +20, Charisma +20, Conviction +20, Free stats +40] ¡­. [Congratulations! [The Path of the Firstborn] has leveled up from 91 to 92! Strength +20, Vitality +20, Willpower +20, Charisma +20, Conviction +20, Free stats +40] ¡°What the hell System?!¡± She asked aloud, so caught off guard. ¡°Where did all these levels come from?¡± "You got a bunch of levels?" Shepard asked. "Likely because while you didn''t do it directly, your actions led to the deaths of a huge number of enemies and the rescue of many people." ¡°That seems a little too easy. And a bit of an exploit-y way to gain levels.¡± She pointed out. EDI interjected. "You have to keep in mind that it only works if you actually give good advice that those being advised didn''t already know about. If you just spouted something that they would''ve done anyway, there would''ve been no reward.¡± ¡°Narrows down the exploitative cases but doesn¡¯t eliminate them.¡± She wasn¡¯t quite ready to let it go. ¡°So far, the System has had an almost perfect recognition of any such attempts. If you try to go around the rules, the System simply adjusts. It¡¯s not a rigid set of rules that it follows blindly.¡± Shepard insisted. ¡°Believe me, people have tried for a very long time to find loopholes. Even if they do find one, the System might allow them to keep the reward once for being clever, but removes the possibility from you and everyone else in the future.¡± "Yeah, you''re not the first clever person to try and cheat," Joker added his voice into the mix. "Everyone tries at some point. I certainly did.¡± "Well, I just got a huge chunk of levels that says I succeeded." Seraphiel insisted. ¡°Levels that you earned fair and square.¡± Shepard wasn¡¯t letting go either. Seraphiel wasn¡¯t sure why she was being so ardent about it but decided not to argue further. Despite the benefits of combining magic and technology, and the fact that distances worked a little odd between certain portions of this mish-mash of a universe, travel between worlds was still far from instantaneous, except in a very limited number of cases. It was also a fact that the escape hadn¡¯t been exactly the most ordered retreat ever designed. ¡°Did we coordinate a gathering place for all those that escaped?¡± Seraphiel asked. "No," EDI replied. "With the communications being hampered, such coordination was impossible. That being the case, there are a couple of very obvious potential destinations that most escaping vessels would choose as they provide both supplies and safety.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not actually that far from our part of this universe. In a way." Joker pointed out. "That''s how we could arrive here so quickly. Citadel and Thessia are some obvious destinations, although they''re a bit far away." ¡°Thessia being one of the Academies would make for a clear target, but it''s a bit too far." Shepard nodded. "For one, most of the fleeing vessels will be packed with students and other assorted refugees, which I doubt they''re equipped to handle for long. It''s one thing to cram everyone into the cargo hold to get them away from the teeth and claws of the enemy. It''s another to ask them to stay in the hold for weeks of travel, even if you can handle the rations with summoning magic." ¡°Citadel is a better option in that regard, though still a bit far. It¡¯s going to take a week and a half for most vessels.¡± EDI pointed out. "Isn''t the Citadel right in the middle of your galaxy? How is that only a week''s travel away then?" Seraphiel asked. She''d never had the travel between worlds fully explained to her, even if she''d heard snippets here and there. "The gateways," Joker said as if that explained everything. At Seraphiel''s look, he elaborated. "Travel between worlds without gateways is possible, as we''ve just seen with the Tyranids, but it''s very dangerous. As far as I''ve understood, as soon as a new piece is added to the universe, the System adds magical gateways to most habitable or valuable worlds to connect them to the rest of the universe. Thing is, the System can be a bit of a dick about those gateways. Usually, a newly added portion has a couple of major gateways that connect to the universe at large, while minor gateways connect the worlds themselves to these hubs with the major gateways. The destinations the gateways connect to are also somewhat random as well as the worlds they appear at, although I think the System is just being a dick about it. For instance, there¡¯s a major gateway only a single connection away from the Citadel, but that major gateway takes you nowhere near where you¡¯d expect if you were looking at a map of the universe. If those Tyranids wanted to reach our galaxy without the gateways, it would be impossible, because our galaxy is nowhere close.¡± Shepard joined in at that point. "I believe the System is forcing strategic thinking around the chokepoints of the gateways, as well as encouraging making connections with other races that might or might not result in a struggle. Also, seeing as the Tyranids are creating trouble, I¡¯d say it¡¯s a very good thing we¡¯re not close.¡± ¡°Wait. We just went through a gateway. Where exactly are we going?¡± Seraphiel asked. "That gateway is connected to a dozen different destinations as it was a minor gateway. Minors usually have more options by the way. In general, we''re traveling towards the Citadel. Many of the minors we could¡¯ve picked connect with the Citadel gateway. It¡¯s a bit of a long hop, but it is the safest destination within reach.¡± Joker explained. "Which means we have a cargo hold full of people that need to be taken care of, and about a week to do it. Our ship is faster than most, though the difference will be a few days only." Shepard declared. "And while this ship is in many ways improved over the old Normandy, something hasn''t changed, by which I mean the lack of comfortable billeting. There''s isn''t a whole lot of space available for beds on a ship like this.¡± "And if I remember correctly, the food wasn''t great," Seraphiel commented. "We''ve made some improvements on that front," EDI said. "Or so I''ve been told." She corrected herself. ¡°Oh? So, if I were to ask the crew, they wouldn¡¯t tell me the food tastes like ass again?¡± Seraphiel well remembered that she¡¯d been forced to take over cooking duties in the past just because she couldn¡¯t tolerate the slop they served. ¡°They can¡¯t match your cooking, but I have heard they¡¯ve put in more food and less ass this time.¡± Shepard grinned. ¡°Although with so many people on board, we¡¯ll be forced to do some rationing. How many people did we pick up anyway?¡± "We lifted off a bit lighter than most thanks to needing to join the defence, but we still picked up fifty extra people," EDI reported. ¡°Right. Time to do some logistics. The boring but perhaps the most important part of any fight.¡± Shepard made a face at that. "Don''t worry, I''ll help," Seraphiel promised, which mollified Shepard somewhat. Chapter 39 - Revelation -------- ¡°How in blazes did we manage to fuck things up this badly?¡± Evangeline demanded as the headmasters of the involved academies gathered on the Citadel. Just the fact that they were forced to gather on the seat of power of a particular universe instead of one of the academies irked her. ¡°The Tyranids caught us completely by surprise.¡± One of the other headmasters tried to explain. ¡°I get that! A blind Troglodyte can see we were caught with our pants down! That much is really bloody obvious! I¡¯m asking why and how.¡± Eva snapped at the man, who remained quiet after the dressing down. The headmaster of the Thessian academy spoke next. ¡°I¡¯ve tried running an investigation and interviewed many of the survivors, some of whom are still trickling in by the way. It seems the two main reasons are that the enemy didn''t come through the gateways and that they have some sort of suppression ability that renders many of our spells and abilities null. Specifically, our scouting and warning systems have always mostly relied on the enemy using the gateways. It¡¯s dangerous almost to the point of idiotic to travel otherwise, but the Tyranids seem to have mastered the idiotic. That said, since they¡¯re not the only locust race to have done something similar, we did have warning spells set out. None of them worked due to the suppression though. We didn¡¯t even notice when they first entered the system. It was only when the main bulk of their fleet? Swarm? Whatever, entered the system that we noticed their arrival.¡± As a Champion involved in the situation, Shepard had been invited to attend alongside the council ruling over the Citadel. Although the council had remained as just observers so far, unlike Shepard who¡¯d been involved. "My¡­source tells me that the Tyranids had the ability to affect the powers of the beings from their own universe even before their universe was connected to ours. It¡¯s not unreasonable to assume that the ability has evolved since their universe was connected to this one.¡± ¡°Would this be the same expert that gave you the idea to start targeting these so-called synapse creatures?¡± Darion, the headmaster of the Argus academy asked. ¡°The very same.¡± Shepard nodded, not bothering to hide. Darion grunted. "Then I think we can trust the information. The previous idea was a good one. I noticed something odd going on during the battle but wasn''t sure why it happened. When you kill a thousand enemies with every spell, it''s hard to pinpoint which ones are special." "I noticed the suppression aura of course, we all did," Eva stated, already knowing who Shepard was talking about. "You''re suggesting that same aura interfered with the warning spells?" She looked towards the Thessian headmaster. ¡°That¡¯s our current working theory. It would also make sense if their scouting units, those that entered the system first, were also strong in projecting that same aura. It¡¯s relatively ingenious really. Stealth capabilities are not uncommon, but I¡¯ve never really seen it approach in this way. Renders entire fleets stealthy, without actually wasting resources on stealth vessels.¡± The Asari headmaster seemed thoughtful, as were many others, already making plans on how to utilize the technique themselves. As soon as the news spread, many would be attempting to copy the technique. ¡°There¡¯s also a more tactical issue.¡± Another headmaster interjected. ¡°The complete lack of care for losses among the enemy was also a factor. Even among enemies to whom life is not precious, there¡¯s a certain level of self-preservation instinct present. Losses reduce your future strength after all. Even the most warlike species generally try to avoid the kind of losses that throwing themselves at a couple dozen high-level individuals would bring. We killed millions of enemies during the brief defense and escape we were forced to make and would¡¯ve killed a lot more if the battle had gone on longer. This enemy happily threw all those lives away for a chance at getting at the escaping vessels. Even most of the other locust races aren¡¯t usually this free with their lives. The only similar comparison are the demons from the same universe that don¡¯t actually die when their bodies are destroyed.¡± Shepard cleared her throat. ¡°My source claims that¡¯s because the fleet will recover the biomass of most of the dead after the battle anyway, and simply re-create any losses. Any magical corruption will be cleansed and even repurposed. Only spells and abilities that destroy significant amounts of biomass matter, and even then, it¡¯s a calculus of losses versus gains. Getting samples of powerful individuals allows the Tyranids to create more powerful individual bioforms.¡± "Explains why the enemy tried to avoid me for the most part." A headmaster who was taking the shape of a burning bird commented. The headmaster wasn''t a Phoenix, but a related avian species most didn¡¯t recognize. "Although I suppose even ash could be repurposed, so even my flames were not 100% effective." "Good to know for the future," Eva grumbled a little. Her specialties were ice and shadow magic, neither of which were great at destroying matter. "While the loss of the arena was lamentable, and the death of the civilians we couldn''t save was unfortunate, the more important thing is to figure out how to stop this from happening again." ¡°My source identified the home universe of these Tyranids as you know. They suggested that since the Tyranids are moving outside the gateway network, the easiest way to avoid them would be to simply stay away from the areas they have access to, meaning any areas bordering that particular universe.¡± Shepard pointed out. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Incidentally, the same universe where the so-called academy we had to reject due to using forbidden methods, equipment, and personnel came from.¡± The Thessian headmaster added. ¡°Our recent problems have all stemmed from the same direction. I propose a blanket ban on anything to do with that place.¡± Evangeline tapped her long-nailed fingers on the handrest of her rather sizeable chair in thought. ¡°Both are ideas we should implement, but we need to start working on actual solutions instead of just avoiding the issue.¡± She finally said. ¡°While I share your frustration, this isn¡¯t really a problem the academies should be dealing with.¡± Darius pointed out. ¡°We are not nations. We aren¡¯t even a unified faction. Our job is to educate the young. Even if wars and events like this occasionally offer certain training opportunities, something like dealing with rampaging locusts isn¡¯t our problem to handle. Even less so if the entire universe they¡¯re hailing from is starting to stir up trouble. Even if we did have the unity to bring our strength together, we wouldn¡¯t be capable of dealing with a problem of this magnitude. I suggest we spread the word, and let other, larger factions deal with the issue while trying to avoid getting involved any further." It wasn¡¯t hard to see his words had not pleased Eva, but many of the others were nodding in agreement, and she couldn¡¯t really refute the point either. ¡°Even if we do try to avoid this mess entirely, we still need to shore up to glaring issues with our early threat detection and defenses. While the Tyranids are the first to use this kind of tactic, they won¡¯t be the last.¡± -------- ¡°That¡¯s a big ass statue.¡± Nodoka pointed out. "Yeah," Seraphiel replied, covering her face in shame. "Real shiny too," Nodoka added. ¡°Yeah.¡± She kept to her answer. ¡°Captures your likeness real well too.¡± Nodoka continued. "Yeah." Seraphiel, still in her normal form instead of her Draenei form replied. ¡°So, why is there a huge statue of you in the middle of the most important part of this huge space station?¡± Beatrice asked. The team strategist had quickly gotten over the fact that Seraphiel was no longer using her Draenei form. It was an open secret that several of the Draenei were actually Angels in disguise, although sometimes the Angels picked other forms as well, just to mix things up. Sa¡¯violi, the Asari and native of this part of the universe scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s not a statue of her. It¡¯s a statue of the being that saved our entire universe from the Reaper threat. Her name was Ser¡­-aphiel. Huh. That seems a little much for a coincidence.¡± She turned to look at Seraphiel again, obviously noting the similarities. Seraphiel had no idea they¡¯d erected a statue for her, not to mention a huge one in the middle of the bloody Presidium of all places. The thing was ginormous. She wasn''t the only one who had a statue like that, as Shepard and a few of the others also had one, though hers was the biggest. "Merely a coincidence." She muttered with a deadpan voice, not really even making an effort to convince anyone. ¡°Yeaaaah, that¡¯s one heck of a coincidence.¡± Nodoka wasn¡¯t buying it either. ¡°I mean, you look a little younger than the statue seems to be, but it¡¯s obviously you.¡± Raziel, who had also dropped his disguise as everyone here knew the two were siblings, was rapidly looking back and forth between the statue and his sister. ¡°Sephy?¡± He simply asked with a slightly awed but also fragile voice. She couldn¡¯t lie to her brother. She¡¯d known this would come out eventually, though the timing and the way it had come out were not ideal. ¡°Right, fine. I wasn¡¯t going to hide this for much longer anyway. I¡¯m a summoned Champion. The System decided to summon me as a baby, or well an egg actually, for some reason. And yes, that¡¯s me.¡± She thumbed towards the statue. ¡°Champion of who though?¡± Beatrice asked a little confused. ¡°Charlotte Richards.¡± She replied smoothly. No longer hiding her face as there was no point. The name obviously didn¡¯t mean anything to the others, who all looked even more confused. ¡°So, you were summoned as a Champion, but with none of your powers?¡± Nodoka asked in confirmation. ¡°Seems kinda fucked up and against the whole point of summoning Champions.¡± ¡°Wait, wait, wait! Fuck the other stuff¡± You¡¯re THE Seraphiel? Friend and lover of the Champion Shepard? The being that punched a Reaper to death?¡± Sa¡¯violi asked, with sparkling eyes. ¡°You saved me and my family on Thessia!¡± ¡°Right.¡± Seraphiel gave a sigh. ¡°Asari actually live long enough to remember me.¡± She muttered. ¡°Not just Asari.¡± Sa¡¯violi gushed. ¡°They have statues of you and Shepard on several planets. I hear most of the Krogan practically worship you as a goddess of war.¡± ¡°I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be too shocked that Krogan of all people were impressed.¡± She muttered. ¡°Yeah, well, curing the genophage might have helped as well.¡± The Asari continued. ¡°EEEE! I¡¯m on a team with THE Seraphiel!¡± ¡°A severely weakened one.¡± She reminded the gushing woman. Noticing the look Raziel was giving her, she looked at the others. ¡°Mind giving me and my brother a bit of peace?¡± Nodoka and Beatrice were quick on the uptake and grabbed the gushing Asari with them before walking away. ¡°Sephy?¡± Raziel asked again, his tone more fragile this time. ¡°It¡¯s still you, right?¡± ¡°Of course. Just a little more than you thought.¡± She pulled him in for a hug, which he returned. ¡°Does mom know?¡± He asked suddenly. ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s actually the one who asked me not to tell you until you figured it out. Said you always wanted to be a big brother.¡± She explained patiently. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ve noticed, but I¡¯m not very good at keeping secrets.¡± Her brother, still holding his head on her shoulder, laughed loudly. ¡°That¡¯s true. You¡¯re absolutely horrendous. I always knew you were special and knew too much. I just didn¡¯t know why. Now that I think about it, I¡¯m surprised that I didn¡¯t figure this out before.¡± ¡°Probably didn¡¯t really want to.¡± She pointed out. He shook his head. ¡°Not that. Never that. You¡¯re still my sister. I always knew you were destined for great things. Just didn¡¯t know you¡¯ve already done them. Now I¡¯ve got a whole new reason to be proud of you.¡± He pulled her into an even tighter hug. It seemed he suddenly figured out something. ¡°Do I have more siblings?¡± She laughed. ¡°Quite many actually. It¡¯s just too bad that most of them never visit. That universe is not connected to this one. Although, you can meet Mother, I suppose.¡± ¡°Oh, we have another mom?¡± He asked excitedly. "Yeah, just don''t get your hopes up too much. She''s a bit of a ditz." She tried to temper his expectations. ¡°So just like you?¡± He teased a bit, holding her tighter as she squawked in outrage. ¡°I suppose I have to start calling you big sister then. I mean, you¡¯ve somehow managed to outgrow me as well.¡± Despite his head start, she¡¯d already caught up and passed him, as she was maturing faster. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s part of the whole Champion thing.¡± She explained without actually explaining. ¡°Are we going to find more statues of you?¡± He suddenly asked rather intelligently. ¡°Goddess, I hope not!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°But the possibility exists? Got it.¡± He was sometimes too sharp for his own good. Part of how he¡¯d kept scamming people as a kid. ¡°Behave.¡± She knuckled his ribs. ¡°Hey, at least now I don¡¯t have to feel bad about you getting stronger faster than me. I can¡¯t keep up with a Champion.¡± He hadn¡¯t really shown much worry like that in the past, as he¡¯d always just been proud of her, but obviously he couldn¡¯t be completely unaffected. She pulled a way to look at him sternly. ¡°Doesn¡¯t give you an excuse to start slacking off, you hear?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Raziel shook his head wryly. ¡°You know I haven¡¯t been lazy, even if I can¡¯t quite keep up with your crazy pace.¡± He suddenly seemed to realize something. ¡°Huh. Instructor Kaede and Headmaster Evangeline know, don¡¯t they? Suddenly some of your interactions make more sense. Hey, you visited them in the past as well, didn¡¯t you? How many places have you visited?¡± She started pulling him along to a place where they could sit down comfortably. ¡°Well, let me tell you a story about how all this started¡­¡± Chapter 40 - Blood is life ---------- ¡°What do you make of the situation Champion Shepard?¡± Tevos, the Asari member of the council ruling Shepard¡¯s galaxy, asked. It was the following day after the headmasters of the academies had held their meeting. ¡°It¡¯s a real mess. These Tyranids are obviously a threat. The academies are right in their inability to handle the problem, although I think their plan to just pull away is a shortsighted one.¡± Shepard explained. On some level, she still functioned as an agent of the council, just like when she¡¯d been a Spectre, though now she didn¡¯t really work under their command. ¡°Yet you, or to be more precise the source you quoted, were the ones to recommend the plan.¡± Esheel, the Salarian councillor pointed out. Due to their short lives, the Salarian member of the council was the only one to have been replaced over the years after the universes had merged. ¡°To be clear, I only said that was the easiest way to avoid them. And it does keep the academies out of the line of fire. It¡¯s a shit plan for dealing with the bigger issue though, for the simple reason that it doesn¡¯t deal with the issue at all. Just avoids it.¡± Shepard clarified. ¡°In fact, there¡¯s a potential glaring issue the headmasters didn¡¯t address, because they don¡¯t have to, but we do.¡± "Which is?" Sparatus, the Turian councilor asked. He¡¯d always been on bad terms with Shepard, or at least it seemed that way as he was always the one arguing against her points, playing the devil¡¯s advocate. ¡°The Tyranids have chosen to travel between worlds by not utilizing the gateways. That doesn¡¯t necessarily mean they can¡¯t.¡± Shepard said simply. ¡°Given their quick adaptation speed, it¡¯s a dangerous assumption to make. And unlike most of the academies, we don¡¯t have the luxury of just moving away from the threat when the Citadel is only a dozen connections away.¡± Even if they¡¯d take the most direct route and suddenly started using gateways, the Tyranids wouldn¡¯t arrive in their galaxy anytime soon, but if they truly did have the capacity to use the gateways, the threat remained. Something the council was quick to pick up on. ¡°And what do you recommend?¡± Shepard seemed to be listening to something before she spoke again. ¡°Taking over and fortifying the other end of the gateway that connects our galaxy and the affected area. My source tells me that we would not fare well in a sustained war with the Tyranids, but defending a single world and the gateway that connects near Citadel is something that we could do.¡± Sparatus was clearly not pleased. As the Turians were very military-oriented, and for the large part were in charge of the military forces of the council, the idea that they couldn¡¯t win was not pleasant. ¡°What makes you say we couldn¡¯t win a sustained war?¡± Another voice came over the same holo-link Shepard was using. The speaker was not shown, but the voice was heard nonetheless. ¡°The universe where the Tyranids come from is on a whole other level of extreme when it comes to warfare. On a certain level, they lack some of the finer tactics and technologies you possess, but they make up for it in sheer numbers and a level of warfare you are entirely unfamiliar with. The Imperium of Man has over a million worlds and a Trillion soldiers at arms, tens of thousands of genetically engineered super soldiers that would put the best the Krogan have to offer to shame, and even they can barely halt the advance of the Tyranids. And theirs is a war economy taken to the extremes. That entire universe is made for war. They haven''t seen a day of peace for tens of thousands of years. No matter how disciplined and hardened your soldiers are Councillor, there''s always a difference between soldiers that have seen thousands of battles and have warred for their entire lives, and those who are simply well-trained but haven''t seen total war before. Even the war against the Reapers, as brutal as it was, was too brief in comparison." The mandibles on Sparatus¡¯ face flared a bit, but he couldn¡¯t deny the words he¡¯d heard. ¡°Am I right to assume this is the source Champion Shepard has been referring to?¡± Esheel asked. ¡°Yes.¡± The voice replied simply. ¡°And am I right to assume that we might have a rather sizeable statue of the owner of this voice in the middle of the Presidium?¡± Tevos asked with a small smile. She¡¯d recognized the voice, even after all these years. ¡°Whose silly idea was that anyway?¡± The voice asked, clearly a little miffed. ¡°The Quarians actually.¡± Esheel pointed out. ¡°The Quarians?¡± The voice asked, clearly not having expected that. ¡°I suppose getting them their homeworld back helped.¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious. How do you know so much about the Tyranids?¡± Anderson, the fourth and last, member of the council finally spoke. The Human man looked positively old by now. The dark-skinned man had nothing but grey in his slight beard and hair, but his tone remained warm as always. And he still wasn¡¯t a very good politician. ¡°For the same reason I know so much about you.¡± The voice retorted simply. ¡°You visited them as well?¡± Tevos asked, curiously. Seraphiel had not hidden her background while visiting, which would¡¯ve been hard anyway, as she was of a species never seen in the galaxy in question. ¡°I can¡¯t help but notice that from everything I¡¯ve heard, the home universe of these Tyranids doesn¡¯t seem to be in a great place.¡± Sparatus pointed out, though not maliciously. ¡°The Tyranids sound just the kind of threat that you might fight against, just like the Reapers.¡± ¡°Just like with you, I wasn¡¯t sent there to save them from all threats. With you, I was sent to help deal with the Reapers. Anything beyond that was for you to deal with. With that universe, I was specifically sent to save the species named Aeldari from the dark god that preyed upon the souls of their dead. Anything beyond that was their problem to deal with just like you, and they had a lot of problems.¡± The voice, obviously belonging to Seraphiel explained. ¡°Besides, that universe is not something that can be saved. You can only buy a brief respite. They also have their own¡­well, I hesitate to call them heroes, but...¡± "I''ve heard something similar," Esheel interjected. "My sources tell me that of the high-ranking Champions, at least two or three hail from that universe, and they¡¯d have more potential ones if they weren¡¯t so insane. The origins of some of the high-ranking Champions are murky, thus the lack of exact number.¡± He felt the need to specify. ¡°Yeah, I strongly recommend against picking a fight against that universe, if you can avoid it.¡± The voice advised. ¡°On that note, I would guess that you don¡¯t need to be alone with the defense against the Tyranids. If the hive fleet does begin moving this way, at least two of the academies would be willing to pitch in, just to gain more levels for the students. Mahora and your own Thessia. Eva was clearly not happy with the plan to just keep away. Running away like that doesn¡¯t suit her nature.¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°You have another plan, don¡¯t you? Something to deal with the Tyranids more effectively.¡± Shepard asked the voice. ¡°This defensive posture doesn¡¯t sound like a plan you¡¯d be happy with either. It¡¯s against your nature.¡± She echoed Seraphiel¡¯s previous words. The voice was quiet for a moment. ¡°The real issue when it comes to dealing with the likes of the Tyranids is their numbers. What you need is a way to eradicate a large portion of the Hive Fleet at once. Preferably in a way that doesn¡¯t allow them to recover the biomass.¡± ¡°You saw the recordings.¡± Sparatus pointed out. ¡°And you were present in the battle. Even the headmasters didn¡¯t have the power to deliver such a blow.¡± Shepard nodded. Even as a Champion, she didn¡¯t have that sort of power either despite her level. Her strength was directed against fighting singular opponents or small groups, not against swarms of enemies on the scale of a solar system. ¡°Most of the methods I can think of, for example biological weapons like the Genophage, you already said the Tyranids are almost immune to. And they are quick to adapt to most threats.¡± It was a fact that while certain Champions and beings aside from them could deal devastation on a planetary scale, doing so on a solar system scale was extremely rare. Certain beings could do it, but they were few and far between. ¡°This is true, which is why you have three options. First, find someone who does have the power, either technological or magical, and pay for their services. As implied, this is extremely difficult because such beings are rare and don¡¯t come cheap. The second option is to do something extreme, like forcing a star to go supernova with the hive fleet in the system.¡± The voice explained. ¡°That would not be taken well. Especially if done somewhere not in our galaxy.¡± Tevos pointed out. ¡°The gods are particularly displeased with any destroyed worlds or systems. That¡¯s partially why there are so few people with the sort of powers we need.¡± ¡°You mentioned a third option.¡± Shepard pointed out. "Well, I have the necessary knowledge to do it. I just don''t have the power at the moment. The System limits some of what I can do, but it can''t erase my knowledge. If we found a way to feed the requisite power to me, I could at least take a huge chunk out of a hive fleet, even if destroying it completely isn''t feasible." She''d traveled through quite a large number of universes after all. She''d run into several methods of wiping out vast swathes of enemies, even if she''d rarely used any of them. The Asari councillor leaned forward. ¡°What would you need, exactly?¡± -------- "This is bold," Eva said for the third time, watching over Seraphiel as the latter drew patterns to the cargo bay floor of the Normandy. "Bold and extremely risky. Which is why I like it." The vampire grinned enough to show her fangs. ¡°I¡¯m glad you approve.¡± Seraphiel countered, not bothering to look up from her work. She really didn¡¯t want to mess this one up. ¡°I do wish you could use something else to make the magical circle though. Makes my fangs itch.¡± Eva complained. ¡°Any time my blood is involved, your fangs get itchy.¡± Seraphiel countered. She was drawing all the patterns in her own blood. Ritual magic was difficult work, and this type especially. She was hoping that the use of an XXX-ranked being¡¯s blood would help cover for some of the inefficiencies in converting the magic over to this universe. She wasn¡¯t sure if the System had ever encountered the universe where it came from after all. ¡°Where is this ritual from? I¡¯ve never seen anything quite like it.¡± Eva questioned. "It''s one of those I don''t like to talk about," Seraphiel said sharply. She really wasn¡¯t proud of that particular visit to another universe. It was during her rebellious phase, which probably explained some of why she¡¯d been sent there in the first place. The whole universe was about rebelling against powers far greater than you after all. She¡¯d fit right in. It was also one of those rare universes where she did not have access to her own body. Mainly because being a Vampire didn¡¯t really mix well with the blood of Celestials. She¡¯d done many things in that life she wasn¡¯t very happy with. She didn¡¯t regret her actions, so much as she felt that she could¡¯ve handled things better. Second thoughts. She wasn¡¯t a Vampire now, but ritual magic like this didn¡¯t require her to be. It only required her to know the ritual and how it worked. Ritual magic, at its heart, was all about exchange. Exchanging materials, power, lives, blood, and countless other things for the desired effect. "We''re arriving at the system where we last encountered the Tyranid fleet," EDI reported over the comms. "Confirming the presence of the enemy. They''re still here." ¡°Makes sense. It takes a long time even for the ¡®Nids to scour a world completely.¡± Seraphiel nodded. ¡°Stealth systems are engaged. What do you need me to do?¡± EDI, who was controlling the ship from the cockpit asked. "I need you to get as close to the largest concentration of the fleet as you can," Seraphiel told the AI turned android. ¡°I can try, but this would be much easier with Jeff flying the ship with me.¡± EDI pointed out. The two still worked the best together, and Joker really was the best pilot around. ¡°I know. But I couldn¡¯t exclude him from the ritual without compromising the whole thing, and I think we can both agree that we¡¯d rather have him alive.¡± Seraphiel replied with a slightly distracted voice, checking over her work for the last time. "That we can," EDI stated firmly. "The vast majority of the enemy forces are gathered around the planet, with the exception of the scouts we avoided. Judging by the numbers you mentioned earlier, this should be a small-ish splinter fleet and not a proper hive fleet." Using the gateway would¡¯ve obviously alerted the Tyranids, so they took a page out of the ¡®Nids book and flew in from a nearby system, which was luckily close. It only took them three days, which gave Seraphiel the necessary time to adjust the ritual. She wasn¡¯t going to use it as it was originally intended after all. ¡°Alright, ladies and gentlemen. Take your spots!¡± She called out to the people they¡¯d gathered. Aside from the central spot in the formation, which was for her, there were twenty-four nodes for other people to stand in. The four closest spots were filled with Evangeline, the Thessian headmaster, Shepard, and Negi. Two Champions and two headmasters. The twenty other spots on the outer edge of the circle were filled with the most powerful people they could find on such short notice. Most were faculty from the two academies, including Kaede and Tatsumiya, while the rest were the most powerful Classers the Citadel council could find, including councilor Tevos herself. ¡°Now, I need everyone to allow a drop of blood to fall into the circle to connect with it properly.¡± She called out again, and the various people either used their nails, teeth, or weapons to draw a drop of blood. ¡°Everyone has already been briefed, but I¡¯ll reiterate. Do not step outside the circle, as you¡¯ll be caught in the effect as well. The spell will draw from your power reserves for as long as possible. As soon as everyone is tapped out, I¡¯ll release the magic. This will leave you weak, exhausted, and vulnerable. But I need you to resist your instincts of fighting against the magic drawing on your powers. The more you fight against it, the more of the power is wasted.¡± Her words got nods of approval. For most, this wasn¡¯t the first time they¡¯d participated in ritual magic, even if they hadn¡¯t cast it themselves. ¡®I could use a bit of watching over Mother. This whole thing can blow in our faces, and I¡¯d rather it didn¡¯t.¡¯ She sent a silent prayer and could see the smiling form of Charlotte Richards standing outside the circle. No one else was paying attention to the presence of the Goddess, which signified she wasn¡¯t fully there. As soon as she activated the ritual, she got an announcement.
[I was wondering how long it would take until you remembered this possibility. Didn¡¯t take you as long as I assumed. Still, I was prepared for it. As the designer and the controller of the ritual, you¡¯ll also reap the most rewards. However, there is a slight price to be paid.]
[The Skill [Haggling] is removed and replaced with the permanent and non-removable Skill [Ritualistic Blood Magic].]
She could feel all the gathering power, and even by her old standards, it was a rather sizeable amount. Most of the time the type of power was very important. However, sometimes power was just power. And one of those times was when used as a source of fuel for the type of ritual she was casting. She didn''t have the Stats for this kind of ritual, but the System only enhanced what was there, and she''d spent a long time as a Vampire casting various ritual spells. She''d been famous for her skill in them. That skill and experience didn''t go away just because the System existed, and she was no longer a Vampire. The power she''d wielded in the past might have been gone temporarily, but this ritual, as did most ritual blood magic, relied on knowledge and intelligence, not power. Power was just fuel. And fuel could be obtained from other people. And drawing the ritual in the blood of an XXX-ranked being made it even stronger. One by one, the powerful individuals around her knelt down to signal they were tapped out. The four closest to her held on the longest, but finally, they had to give up as well. As soon as they did, she released the spell, catching the nearby Tyranids in the spell''s effect. In certain ways, the spell was very simple. It extracted the vitae of every being outside the circle from their bodies. Vitae meant both blood and the lifeforce of the victim. There was a second part to the ritual The extracted power was gathered, and if cast normally, devoured by the caster. But in this case, Seraphiel had modified the ritual so that the extracted Vitae was used as added fuel to target everyone outside the ritual circle. Everyone. All the large and small beings belonging to the Tyranid fleet suddenly became fuel for the spell ravaging them. The most powerful of the creatures could¡¯ve normally resisted the effects, but this time their numbers were turned against them, as the countless small critters amplified the magic with their deaths, forcing the resistance of the powerful creatures to crumble as well. The power supplied by those in the ritual circle wouldn¡¯t have been able to cover a large enough area to affect the entire fleet. But the lives and blood of an entire fleet''s worth of Tyranids? That was more than enough. All the people in the circle could feel the deaths around them, as the self-sustaining ritual magic fed on its victims, making the destruction grow even larger, and catching even more creatures in the area of effect, feeding the ritual further. All the creatures caught first dried up, before imitating the fate of destroyed Vampires in the universe the ritual hailed from, causing the bodies to slowly turn into ash, and even that ash to disappear in a few moments. The only one outside the circle spared was EDI, who didn¡¯t have any blood or lifeforce as a fully artificial being. ¡°Fuck me, that¡¯s beautiful and dreadful at the same time.¡± One of the people in the circle muttered. Seraphiel barely heard though, as her sight suddenly grew hazy, moments before a huge number of announcements swamped her, and she lost consciousness. Chapter 41 - Levels galore ------- Seraphiel released a deep sigh as soon as she woke up. She could already tell this was going to be a mess. She didn¡¯t even need to open her Status to know her stats had vastly increased, and that would create issues. Usually increases in your stats didn¡¯t cause problems because the changes were gradual enough and the stats simply enhanced what was already there. However, there was nothing gradual about her current increase. She gingerly opened the portion of her Status that showed her levels and stats, which caused her to suck in breath. All three of her Classes were at level 250, and she could tell there were several more levels stored up, just waiting for her to Class evolution. Even her Paladin Class had somehow skipped the level 100 evolution and gone to level 250. She assumed she¡¯d get the benefits of that evolution later on anyway, but it was still odd to see. She needed to have a word with Luci. The evolution at 250 was a little different in the sense that it was the first one that required some real resources to perform. Resources that were not freely available. So far, she had been able to mostly ignore that facet of the whole process, but that would change. The real cause for her surprise was not the levels, but the stats. Her stats had roughly quadrupled! As she quickly assigned her Free Stat points, her Physical stats were all 22000! That was a ridiculous increase that would take a while to get used to. And thanks to her high-ranking Classes and Race, she likely had roughly the same stats as someone twice her level. And most of that she¡¯d gained overnight. She¡¯d be bumping into things for the next couple of days, that¡¯s for sure. The issue wasn¡¯t as big as it would¡¯ve been if her body had suddenly grown so much stronger and faster as stats worked a little differently, but it was still there. On the other hand, her Skills were woefully lagging behind. The only one that had capped out at 250 was [Been there, Done That], which thankfully would speed up the leveling of her other Skills. A 750% bonus to leveling speed was kind of stupid to even think about. Still, it would take months, and she wouldn¡¯t dare take her Class Evolution before getting at least her most important Skills up to par. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± The voice of Shepard stirred her from her thoughts. ¡°I can hear your mind working from the other side of the room. That and the incessant sighing.¡± "I don''t sigh that much." She protested. ¡°Yes, you do. You really do.¡± Shepard was having none of it though, as she laughed at her denial. "How did it go?" Seraphiel decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and changed the subject. "The battle? Your little stunt worked. Destroyed about 90% of the fleet. Destroyed, not killed, mind you. The part that remained consisted mostly of scattered outlying scouts that were outside the affected area. Still forced us to leave in a hurry since all of us were pretty exhausted. Aside from EDI of course, which is good since she had to do some fancy flying to get around those scouts that came back, not really happy about what had happened.¡± Shepard reported. ¡°I¡¯d say bloody good work, but that¡¯s a pun that even I won¡¯t deign to make.¡± Seraphiel gasped in faux shock. "Something beneath your sense of humor? Say it ain''t so!" Shepard sniffed a bit. ¡°I¡¯ve evolved as a person.¡± Her pride entirely faked. ¡°Still, 90% isn¡¯t bad, even if it was just a splinter fleet.¡± She allowed. ¡°Good enough to give even me and Evangeline over 100 levels. I can only imagine how many you got.¡± Shepard added. ¡°I can¡¯t say. I¡¯m capped out at 250.¡± She admitted. ¡°And you were just above 100 before, right? On your main Class at least. Ah. That¡¯s a bit of a sudden boost in stats. I wouldn¡¯t get up too quickly if I were you.¡± She could hear Shepard shrugging in her armor. ¡°Either way, we gave the Tyranids a bloody nose. Should make them reconsider at least.¡± "I''m not sure they work quite like that, but it is true they should now consider this area more trouble than it''s worth with how much biomass they lost. That''s their main consideration after all. Revenge doesn¡¯t factor in to their thinking. Still, with a splinter fleet here, the main hive fleet shouldn¡¯t be too far away.¡± If she assumed the ¡®Nids worked like they had in the past. "Well, as callous as it may seem, hopefully, they decide to go somewhere else after this." Shepard voiced what they both thought. "I''m going to assume you''ll need a ride home?" ¡°I need to return to the Academy, yes. I need to get my Skills leveled up, and the headmaster has a nice solution to that issue." The resort and the time compression involved would be good enough to get her up to speed. ¡°Hey, at least this should be enough to let you skip several grades. Should land you amongst the advanced students at least. I think some academies allow you to graduate with those levels.¡± Shepard guessed. ¡°We¡¯ll see. I think we can safely assume that my time at the Academy has been considerably shortened at least.¡± Seraphiel guessed. --------- It had taken a couple of days of constant dueling with Kaede to get her completely adjusted to her new stats. She couldn¡¯t quite match the elusive Ninja, but she wasn¡¯t all that far off. Far enough that Kaede still didn¡¯t need to make any real effort to beat her, but close enough that she couldn¡¯t completely hold back either. Kaede mentioned that she could probably now fight K¨± Fei relatively equally. A fact that clearly caught the Ninja off guard, as K¨± Fei was almost triple her level. The downside of having worse Classes and a Race that was inferior stats-wise. The work of getting her Skills up to speed was grueling, but the improvement in her [Been There, Done That] proved that her estimation had been off. She also wasn¡¯t aware before now that when there was a large disparity like this, training Skills became faster. Her new and improved stats also helped her perform closer to her real standard, which the System recognized with easier leveling. It still took a month and a half inside Evangeline¡¯s resort, which only meant a couple days outside, to get most of her Skills capped. She didn¡¯t even complain when Kaede kept poisoning her constantly. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. One positive development was that several of the Skills became much more useful now that she had the stats and Skill levels to properly back them up. Her combat usage of [Telekinesis] for example was much improved. Her [Gravitokinesis] also started helping, and [Chronomancy] actually affected Kaede at this point, even if not as much as it was supposed to. One of the biggest positive surprises was [Royal Blessings]. That Skill scaled entirely with her stats and Skill level, so when she focused the power of the Skill on buffing a single stat, the effect was an almost 75% increase. When applied equally, it was still a nice 25% bonus to all stats, which at this point meant more bonus stats from the blessing than she¡¯d had before the sudden increase in levels. Some Skills were helplessly lagging behind still, and there was nothing she could do about it. Leveling [Magical Engineering] at the resort was almost impossible while [Star Of The Show] only improved when she was performing to a crowd, like in a tournament. Still, while occasionally useful, those Skills were hardly her most important ones. On the other hand, some Skill combinations were downright silly in their effectiveness. The only time she¡¯d actually managed to surprise Kaede enough to score a hit on her, was when she¡¯d used the blessing to improve her psionic power and had dumped all that power into her [Reiatsu]. As the Skill increased in levels, it became more effective, and the sudden pressure placed on Kaede had caused her to stumble long enough for Seraphiel to hit her. Only once as the Ninja had not fallen for that trick a second time, but still¡­ As the two finally exited the resort, they ran into Eva straight away. ¡°Ah, good. I was just coming to meet you. Are you done with your Skills?¡± ¡°For now. The rest will have to wait.¡± She replied. ¡°There have been some developments. The Tyranids have moved out in force, and there are talks about large coalitions forming against them. Even the academies are intending to participate. We¡¯ll most likely want to borrow that ¡®Fuck everything in that general direction¡¯ ritual spell you used again. That¡¯s not all though. All of the worlds that have suffered from incursions of several different types of locust species and otherwise seem to have grown worse. The demons that originate from the same universe have seen significantly increased activity, and there have been several reports of these odd green-glowing ships with completely mechanical crews that look like spooky scary skeletons as well. We have no idea what those are up to. Incidentally, one of the worlds with increased demonic activity is your home, so that bears looking into, even if it¡¯s not currently urgent.¡± Eva apparently had decided that dumping all the information at once was better than doling it out one piece at a time. ¡°Those green-glowing ships belong to the Necron, I believe. They¡¯re possibly even worse news than the Tyranids, but they at least can be communicated with.¡± Seraphiel spoke while frowning at the news. ¡°What¡¯s this about my home?¡± ¡°Well, the Angels and Draenei have, for a long time fought against demonic incursions. Also, it seems that the whole universe where all of these things are coming from is suddenly on a war footing. Incidentally, they¡¯re not the only ones. Several other locust races have also become much more active. The Zerg have been quiet for a long time before this and now they¡¯ve gotten active again, and invasions from species like the Orks and Beastmen have been sporadic in the past, but now it seems every dangerous species has decided at once to get ideas. Even raids from certain nefarious races like the Drow and Dark Elves are seeing an uptick.¡± Evangeline explained. Kaede frowned a bit. "I''ve heard rumors about such things for a while but didn''t pay too much attention to them at the time. It doesn¡¯t seem so bad until you put it all together. It seems I¡¯ve spent too much time training Seraphiel and not enough time intelligence gathering.¡± As a Ninja, having missed all this was somewhat embarrassing. ¡°Well, now it seems we have to pay attention," Eva stated firmly. "It seems everybody is starting to gear up for war, and not for the old-fashioned skirmish heavy war either, but for something closer to total war.¡± "That doesn''t sound too promising," Seraphiel stated the obvious. "It''s not, but with strife comes opportunity. Everybody knows war is the most effective way to gain levels, and when certain established powers get toppled, there''s going to be a struggle for the riches that are suddenly available.¡± Eva didn¡¯t seem too sad about the fact, although she¡¯d always been a fan of some good old-fashioned drama. "Personally, I think the gods are bored and are stirring up trouble. Usually, when something big happens like this, they''re at least partially to blame." ¡°What sort of stance are the academies planning on taking?¡± Seraphiel asked. "Depends on the academy. Some, like the Argus Academy, have decided to take a very militaristic stance, essentially working as a mercenary force. Some academies that are not mobile or are tied to a certain association, like the Thessian Academy, of course will stand with their own people. Some like us are a bit undecided. Our cooperation with Thessia and the Citadel council seemed to work, so there¡¯s that option. We have plenty of students from both your home, and the Citadel area, as well as some Eldar that have already evacuated that particular universe a long time ago. Some of their Craftworlds seem to have taken up residence with nearby friendly forces, but they¡¯re rather divided, probably to ensure their survival. I suppose we need allies first and foremost.¡± Eva explained, knowing Seraphiel was a good person to keep in the loop. ¡°As to that, I may have some ideas, depending on if any of the places I¡¯ve visited are around¡­¡± Seraphiel muttered. ¡°I¡¯ll need help with the resources for my Class Evolution though.¡± ¡°Those we have. We usually help our students, assuming they¡¯ve performed well. And you certainly qualify¡± Evangeline nodded easily. ¡°That¡¯s a large portion of what we gain from all the tournaments after all.¡± It was, after all, one of the main draws of the academies, especially with worlds that didn''t have access to those resources. ------ The Mahora Academy had special chambers dedicated to students having Class Evolutions from level 250 and forward. Those evolutions usually took a bit more time than those that came before and usually required a dedicated ritual circle. You could do the evolution without a ritual circle, but the circle made the process more efficient, requiring fewer resources to conduct. The resources required were placed into specialized holders on the edge of the ritual circle, the exact nature of each holder depending on the nature of the resource used. There was some leeway in the resources used. It wasn''t that you needed some specific one resource, but instead that you needed a resource with a certain type of quality. The higher the level, the more stringent those requirements became, and usually the rarer the resources required also became. Part of the process was a gating system put in place to encourage and force competition for the required resources, but not all of it. Some of it was done to prepare the individuals to deal with the increased rigors their new abilities and stats would place on them. While some races could naturally withstand the strain from both, most didn''t, and even the higher-ranked races had trouble dealing with some of the Skills and stats, especially if they didn''t have a balanced stat build. The Classes that gave you an equal amount of all of the required stats were rather rare and thus ended up forcing somewhat unbalanced builds. These rituals somewhat compensated for that, though only to a certain extent. Those people with really unbalanced builds usually had to find other methods to solve the problem, while the rituals gave them some time to deal with it. Seraphiel was confident that with her Vitality and XXX-rank race, she probably didn''t need as many of the resources as most, but she wasn''t taking any chances. Two of the five required resources were actually produced at Mahora thanks to the huge tree at the heart of the academy. One bowl held some sap from the tree, while another held magically charged blossoms that were created during the Mahora Festival. One of the holders held a chunk of ore, while another had what looked like feathers from some magical bird. The last one held a sizeable gemstone that radiated several colors. "Take your time sweetheart. Level 250 is usually a very important step for most Classes. It''s when you change from a trainee to a proper member of the Class." Her mom fussed. "It''s also seen as a somewhat of a coming of age ritual among Angels, although you''re a bit early on that front. Usually, we don''t reach this level until we''re in our late thirties or early forties." "So not a huge surprise you''re early for it," Raziel commented with a smile as well. He didn''t seem too bothered that she''d suddenly passed him in levels, and not just by a little bit either. "Also remember that we are often offered a choice to improve our race as well, though sometimes it''s at the cost of improving our Class. Now I''m not saying what you should or shouldn''t do, but becoming an Archangel has benefits beyond just improved stats at level up. I''d at least consider it if it''s on offer, and in your case, I wouldn''t be surprised." Her mom continued, not being aware that Seraphiel already had that part covered. "Don''t worry mom. I''ll consider all my options, and I''m sure my Guide will be most helpful. If not, I''ll have to have some words with him. He knows better, even if he''s a little tricksy.¡± She promised before sitting down inside the circle. She didn¡¯t miss the irony that her sudden increase in level had come as a result of another ritual, which only underlined the usefulness of that branch of magic. Chapter 42 - All the Skills ------- ¡°Sister!¡± Lucifer shouted from the other side of the penthouse. ¡°You really kept me waiting this time.¡± He was just coming out of the elevator and came to meet her on the balcony, where the two sat down. ¡°You knew this would happen. As soon as that ritual worked, we both knew this would happen.¡± She pointed out. ¡°On that note, what the fuck? What did you do with my Paladin Class?¡± ¡°That? Oh, I just thought you¡¯d rather do all of the adjusting at once since you were forced to do so in the first place. You¡¯ll still get your Skill evolutions, don¡¯t worry. And we both know your Class wasn¡¯t going to rank up at 100. You got the doubled stats for the levels after anyway.¡± Luci explained. ¡°And as much as I enjoy meeting you, it felt a bit silly to keep bringing you here so quickly.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± She admitted with a grumbly tone. ¡°So how are we going to do this? You mentioned that this level would be a larger jump for the Classes themselves, unlike level 100.¡± ¡°As always, one at a time. Even though menage-a-trois are fun, it doesn¡¯t really work in this case.¡± He joked. ¡°But before that, we need to address something.¡± "What?" She looked at him with suspicion. ¡°Testy, aren¡¯t we.¡± He made fun of her a bit. ¡°It¡¯s not a bad thing. Oftentimes the race of the person can get updated at certain levels, specifically 250 and 1000. You already have the highest-ranking race, so there¡¯s no upgrading that. Instead, we¡¯re going to have to have a look at your Racial Skills. Your race is supposed to match the highest-ranking Dragons and other such beings. While yours does when it comes to stats per level, the other benefits have been a little lackluster so far. So, this is where we allow you to reach the full potential of your race.¡± ¡°Other such beings?¡± She asked with narrowed eyes, and Luci just smiled. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯d say lackluster. The Gift of Permanence has been quite useful, and the Gift of Knowledge is always useful, even if in subtle ways.¡± ¡°Yes, but you don¡¯t really use it much nowadays. Mostly because you don¡¯t have to. And that 100 to 1000% sounded quite nice in the beginning, but it¡¯s starting to lose some of the shine, isn¡¯t it? It stacks with other Skills, yes, but it won¡¯t take long before your other defensive Skills overtake it. [Charm of the Firstborn] already sort of has. A flat 750% increase is better most of the time, as very few beings of any threat level are rank F. You don¡¯t need the help of Skills to fight those enemies. Soon enough, it would be more beneficial to take a different Skill altogether.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­not wholly untrue.¡± She admitted. Math rarely lied, even if the Skill was nostalgic. "Right. The Skill was set up as it was because it gave you an initial boost. Now that you have some levels under your belt, we can make the Skill a scaling one safely." Luci explained before a window popped in front of her. "Of course, it will scale with the level of your race, just like the exp Skill.¡± Seraphiel looked at the window and lifted an eyebrow. ¡°5% per Skill level? That sounds like a lot. That''s a straight-up increase from 1000% to 1250% even at my current level and applied to everyone attacking me. It¡¯ll be 5000% at level 1000.¡± ¡°While true, you need to remember that this is one of the main advantages of our race. And it¡¯s not like other races don¡¯t get their own bonuses. Even standard Elves get 2% to Agility and Perception, and they¡¯re much lower ranked. And everyone has scaling offensive abilities that counter some of your defensive Skills, so the combined effect will be less in actuality than you might think at first glance.¡± Luci explained. ¡°Speaking of XXX-ranked races, let¡¯s move on to the Gift of Knowledge. You¡¯re mostly using it to enhance your senses, anyway, allowing you to more easily recognize incoming attacks. Might as well double down on that.¡± Another window popper in front of her, letting her know the Skill now granted a similar scaling bonus of 2% per level, but to effective Perception. That would mean a sudden 500% increase at her current level. ¡°Anything else?¡± She simply asked with a deadpan voice. ¡°Well, those are not the only two Skills to get updated. Would leave you a little unbalanced otherwise.¡± He flicked a hand and a trio of windows popped up, with similar messages. [Charm of the FIrstborn] was updated from 3% to 4%, [Go Out And Live Among The People] got a similar boost to [Gift of Knowledge] improving Strength instead, and [On the Wings of Angels] affected Agility. All three were adjusted to level with her Race as well. "Now you have a race that actually matches the rank," Luci said satisfied. ¡°And then some.¡± She muttered. Not that she was displeased. She was just a little overwhelmed by the sudden change. ¡°Well, you already know that the scaling between ranks is more than first meets the eye.¡± Luci shrugged. ¡°And again, you aren¡¯t the only one to get such improvements. Yours are simply focused on stats. Most Dragons get, among other things, an almost complete immunity to magic, something you took an entire Class to mimic, just to give an example. Phoenixes get the ability to be reborn after death, becoming almost impossible to kill permanently, and it¡¯s not like they don¡¯t get stat buffs. So yes, your bonuses are powerful, but they¡¯re also very direct in nature.¡± He grinned. ¡°Subtlety has never been your strong suit. You work best as a blunt instrument. You always have. Michael was always the schemer, using fear and suspicion to get what he wanted, while Uriel was the master in pulling subtle strings to have things fall just the way he wanted. You wrestle Dragons into submission. It¡¯s just what you do.¡± ¡°And you were always the one to find joy in the strangest of places.¡± She ribbed him good-naturedly, for a moment allowing herself to think of the being in front of her as the real Lucifer. ¡°I only got there first. You always followed." He grinned. There were many reasons the two had gotten along so well. ¡°There isn''t a whole lot I''ve done that you haven''t unless you simply haven''t had time to do it yet." Luci teased back. Lucifer¡¯s true greatest strength had always been his ability to draw in others. The Lightbringer, as the old naming went. Bearer of the torch that others followed. He was also the one with the boldness and curiosity to walk into all the dark places before everyone else. In good and bad. ¡°Now we should look into your Classes. Shall we go with the obvious one first?¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do the Paladin stuff. Since that one got a big upgrade at level 50, and you skipped level 100, I¡¯m not sure what to expect.¡± She stated. ¡°Well, you made your choice for the direction of the Class, throwing yourself at the mercy of Mother, so let¡¯s see what comes up.¡± He pulled out his usual deck of cards, before tossing one towards her. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. [The Path of the Firstborn¨C Paladin ¨C Rank S-??? Elements: Light, Holy, Stat Classification: Religious, Paladin. Through the multiverse, many Paladin orders have sprouted. All of them born for a sacred mission or purpose. In a way, you were the first. Long before the other universes were created, you were made by the Creators to be a protector. Stats: Strength 80, Vitality 80, Willpower 80, Charisma 80, Conviction 80, Free stats 160] The description had not changed, aside from the title changing from Squire to full Paladin, and the numbers shifting. ¡°Ok, so far, so good. Not going to lie, I was half expecting it to go up in rank again.¡± The card disappeared in a shower of sparkles before being absorbed into her chest. ¡°I¡¯d tell you more if I could, but there are reasons for everything. Now, as mentioned before, Mother has the wheel at this point, so you don¡¯t get to choose how your Skills evolve. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be too disappointed though. Despite everything, she has your best interest in mind. Her best interest is the chief consideration, but yours is considered as well.¡± [[Holy Light Affinity] has evolved into [Greater Sacred Affinity].] [[Purity of Body and Mind] has evolved into [Bastion of Purity].] [[Cleanse] has evolved into [Fount of Purity].] [[Aura of Protection and Draconic Presence] has evolved into [Greater Aura of Sanctity].] [[Royal Blessings] has evolved into [Divine Blessings].] [[Holy Light] has evolved into [Mass Holy Light].] [[Fortified by Light] has evolved into [Sanctuary].] [[Smite the Impure] has evolved into [Slayer of Titans and Gods].] [[Armored in Light] has evolved into [Sanctity of the Firstborn].] [[Avenging Wrath] has evolved into [Grand Crusade].] "That''s a lot." She exhaled and had to do a couple of double-takes as she read the changes. Some of the Skills were simply direct upgrades. The affinity skill only broadened to include the Celestial element and got a bit stronger. The passive anti-corruption and mind protection Skill broadened to affect more negative effects, including curses and the negative effects of many ritual magics, which would be a great help with some of the rituals she knew herself. [Cleanse] had turned from an active Skill to a passive one that cleansed the negative effects of everyone around her, unless she specifically wanted otherwise. [Slayer of Titans and Gods] turned the effect passive as well, meaning all her attacks would strike enemies with the power of holy energy, though she could channel more of her holy energies to enhance the effect. Some of the Skills gained additional functionality. The protective aura and [Sanctuary] both gained a similar effect that stacked with each other, as they both gained a retributive element. Any attacks aimed at her, those protected by her aura, or directed towards her by [Sanctuary] would return some of the power from the attack as completely unavoidable retributive holy damage. The most important part was that the returned damage would be a percentage of the original power of the attack, so even if the attack failed to pierce her now extremely formidable defenses, they still suffered in punishment. Not a lot of damage, especially against enemies with their own high Vitality, but enough to be a consideration. Anyone striking her would suffer wounds. And the unavoidable part was really important. Her healing Skill and damage boosting Skill both simply gained an area of effect. And of course, Mother also had to join in on the Armor Skill teasing train, by making it a permanently on Skill that scaled off her Charisma, which of course scaled off her armor, or lack thereof. She wanted to make another sigh, but she was being mindful after Shepard had mentioned she sighed a lot. She was also somewhat resigned to the fact. It¡¯s not like she really resented the idea. She simply resented that it was being pushed on her. Besides, she didn¡¯t look like a child anymore, which helped. ¡°Relatively simple but effective. Although, I¡¯m not sure if I like the fact that the whole Class seems to push me into leading troops into battle.¡± She pointed out. "Well, I don''t know if you''ve noticed, but the whole universe seems to be heading in that direction," Lucifer noted. ¡°I suppose you wouldn¡¯t be willing to share anything about that.¡± She asked, not really expecting an answer. ¡°Actually, I am allowed to give a bit of a hint. With permission from the deity in question no less.¡± Lucifer¡¯s words caught her completely by surprise. ¡°This is mostly the work of Tzeentch.¡± ¡°Why?¡± She asked with a frown. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to be more specific than that. Why what?¡± Lucifer shot back. ¡°Well, I have several why questions. Why did Tzeentch allow you to tell me that? Why is he doing this? What¡¯s his game? Or, knowing him, his game within a game, within a plot, within a masterplan, within a flimsy cobbled-up idea of idle thoughts born out of boredom." Wondering about the goals of Tzeentch was an exercise in futility. ¡°Now, that I can¡¯t answer. However, what is Tzeentch the god of?¡± Lucifer asked. ¡°Change.¡± She answered straight away. ¡°Well, there you go.¡± He simply said, while gesturing at her and around him. ¡°Huh. That¡¯s a fair point.¡± She nodded. ¡°I thought as much.¡± Luci nodded with a smirk. ¡°Now, for your other two Classes.¡± He pulled out a card from his deck again, which he¡¯d been holding in one hand while sipping on a drink that had appeared out of nowhere. ¡°Let¡¯s start with the simpler one.¡± [Path of the Fatebreaker ¨C Farseer ¨C Rank SSS-??? Elements: Varied - Stat Classification: Psionic. Some Farseers are satisfied with reading the skeins of the future. You are not. You decided to change the fate of an entire species by taking direct action, culminating in slaying a god that had preyed upon the souls of a people. You are not satisfied with simply trying to avoid doom but actively want to improve the lot of your people. Stats: Free Stat Points: 720] ¡°That¡¯s new.¡± She noted. ¡°Would it have evolved into this had I chosen to go down the Path of a Warlock?¡± ¡°In a way, but slightly different.¡± Luci pointed out. ¡°This is where your previous accomplishments are starting to really push things. It¡¯s also part of being a Champion that you should be able to regain your previous level of power eventually. Oh, let me get the mandatories out of the way first.¡± [[Psionic Affinity] has evolved into [Greater Psionic Affinity].] [[Psionic Storm] has evolved into [Eldritch Storm].] [[Superior Telekinesis] has evolved into [Telekinetic Mastery].] [[Advanced Bonesinging] has evolved into [Superior Bonesinging].] [[Advanced Psionic Infusion] and [Advanced Fortify] have combined into [Fatebreaker¡¯s Regalia]. The new Skill will take the average level between the two base Skills.] ¡°Huh. That¡¯s already more than half of them. And free¡¯s up a Skill slot.¡± She commented as she read the details. Most of them were just basic upgrades once again. Effective but simple. The difference in the psionic storms was in the area affected. [Psionic Storm] had a relatively small area of effect, while [Eldritch Storm] could easily cover an entire battlefield. The regalia simply combined the two previous Skills into one, though the biggest benefit wasn''t the free Skill slot, but the fact that she didn''t have to use power to maintain two separate buffs anymore, cutting the expenditure in half. "Sometimes simple is good," Lucifer said with a shrug. "Any specific wishes for the rest?" ¡°You know my wish.¡± She said eagerly. ¡°I suspected as much but had to make sure.¡± He nodded. [[Energy Control], [Chronomancy], and [Gravitokinesis] have combined into [Reality Control]. The new Skill will take the average level between the three base Skills.] "Hah. Finally. No need to deal with the constituent parts anymore." All of the previous Skills had been taken just to reach this Skill, simply because it offered unparalleled freedom. The usage was so much wider than any of the separate parts. An act like creating portals like spatial mages was now something she could do, just as an example. At higher levels, she wouldn''t even need to create a portal, instead of just manipulating reality in a way where she was simply standing at her destination. There were limits of course, but as her powers grew, those limits would slowly fade away. This was the Skill that would have by far the widest application of any of her previous ones. The only issue was that the more the changes she wanted to make differed from the reality, the more power it required, and the Skill was a huge power hog. Willing even an ant out of existence was practically impossible as every living being unconsciously reinforced their own reality. Still, it was one of her oldest and most powerful abilities. Michael could control fear, Lucifer could control desires, and Amenadiel could control time. She controlled reality, even if some assumed her power was to punch things really hard due to her blunt nature. All was right in the world again now that she had her power back. ¡°Feels good, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Lucifer asked knowingly. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve missed this feeling.¡± She admitted. ¡°You know of course why I couldn¡¯t give that to you right from the start.¡± He wasn¡¯t asking. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have had the power to use it. Still don¡¯t fully, in fact.¡± She knew. ¡°I know it¡¯s too early. I just wanted the ability back.¡± ¡°Well, just don¡¯t overextend with it.¡± He smiled indulgently. ¡°You may be able to alter reality, but reality isn¡¯t your bitch yet.¡± The reason she had this sort of power was because of the little part of her Father¡¯s divinity that she held. It was a necessary part of being able to do her duties. ¡°Now then. Let¡¯s get on with the last part.¡± Lucifer stated. ¡°Ah yes. You did say that my Farseer Class was simpler. And we know how that went.¡± She had noticed his earlier words. "Well, much like the choice with your Farseer Class earlier, you now have the opportunity to pick a path with your Shinmei-ry¨± Class.¡± He stated and tossed three cards from his deck. [Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi ¨C Mage Hunter ¨C Rank SSS-??? Elements: Void, Time, Destruction, Hard-Light - Stat Classification: Psionic. Your kind were originally mage hunters. The Shogun tasked your kind to seek out mages that got out of hand and caused havoc. You honor that tradition. Stats: Strength 50, Vitality 50, Agility 80, Perception 80, Psionic Power 50, Psionic Control 80, Tolerance 50, Psi 50, Free Stat Points: 230] [Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi ¨C Monster Hunter ¨C Rank SSS-??? Elements: Void, Time, Destruction, Hard-Light - Stat Classification: Psionic. Your kind evolved into monster hunters. Someone had to deal with the demons, evil spirits, and monsters rampaging through the land. You honor that tradition. Stats: Strength 50, Vitality 50, Agility 80, Perception 80, Psionic Power 50, Psionic Control 80, Tolerance 50, Psi 50, Free Stat Points: 230] [Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi ¨C Shinigami ¨C Rank SSS-??? Elements: Void, Time, Destruction, Hard-Light - Stat Classification: Psionic. You drew heavy inspiration from the Shinigami as you re-designed what the swordsmanship school could do, combining abilities from multiple sources, but ultimately relying on the two main sources of Shinmei-ry¨± and the Shinigami. You focus more on those Skills, no matter your prey. Stats: Strength 50, Vitality 50, Agility 80, Perception 80, Psionic Power 50, Psionic Control 80, Tolerance 50, Psi 50, Free Stat Points: 230] ¡°Huh. I have to admit I didn¡¯t expect that one.¡± She admitted. Chapter 43 - Choice made -------- ¡°I have some idea, but for the sake of clarification, what¡¯s the difference?¡± Seraphiel questioned. ¡°I choose the Skills I want, right? So, is it just an effectiveness thing?¡± Lucifer moved his head a little indecisively. "Not exactly, and kind of. It is an effectiveness thing, but because you''ll gain access to certain Skills that improve your effectiveness. This is where the System part of the Classes comes in, so you''re not used to this." She frowned. ¡°Then how am I able to figure out what new Skills to take if I don¡¯t know what¡¯s available.¡± Luci chuckled. ¡°This is where your unique experience sort of makes you blind to some things. You know how these Classes worked in other universes so well, that you don¡¯t entirely consider that they don¡¯t work exactly the same here. You may have forgotten, but every time you go up in Skill, you just know how to perform the associated action or actions better. It¡¯s knowledge that¡¯s granted to you automatically. You simply haven¡¯t paid attention because you already know how to do all these things at a higher level than what the Skills tell you. In fact, in some ways, the Skills can even tell you wrong things just because they¡¯re less advanced. However, the Classes also tell you what kind of Skills are available to you. You¡¯ve just never listened. Something that¡¯s always been a bit of a problem for you.¡± He joked. ¡°Oh.¡± She realized he was right. She¡¯d simply ignored all those suggestions because she thought she knew more. Almost always she did know more, but that wouldn¡¯t necessarily always be the case. "Yeah. However, just to give a couple of examples, the Mage Hunter path allows you to take and store some of the power from spells you''ve used your Skills to disrupt and use it later on to cast spells of your own. For most people, this would be limited use, as they wouldn''t know magic, but you¡¯ve been a mage before. You won¡¯t have any of the support Skills or stats to make that magic more powerful, but I¡¯m sure you could find uses. The Monster Hunter path has a passive buffing Skill that either gives you a stacking buff that helps you fight hordes of weaker monsters, demons, or spirits, or goes straight to maximum stacks when fighting a higher-level singular monster. Helps you keep your strength up in longer fights, among other things.¡± Luci explained. ¡°That latter one would be quite useful against the Tyranids.¡± She pointed out. ¡°It would.¡± Luci agreed with a nod, drinking from his glass. ¡°Among other things.¡± ¡°However, it would be a bit of a short-term investment. I know there¡¯s supposed to be a demon problem back home as well. It would help level faster, but the usefulness beyond that is somewhat limited to only fighting monsters.¡± She argued. Luci didn¡¯t react to that one in any way, meaning she likely was missing something. ¡°I note that you didn¡¯t give any examples of the third option.¡± She pointed out. ¡°That¡¯s because you already know. It¡¯s rather obvious after all.¡± He replied simply. "A Zanpakut¨­, and likely enhancements to the Shinigami Skills.¡± She nodded. The benefits were indeed rather blatant. So far, the Class had relied quite heavily on the Skills she¡¯d learned from the Shinigami. Out of the remaining nine Skills, three were directly from them, while two of the others were at least influenced by them. As for the matter of a Zanpakut¨­, she had not introduced that factor to the Class before because she didn¡¯t like being limited to a single weapon. Especially when she could create Witchblades as a Farseer. Something she pointed out. ¡°As you might expect, the Zanpakut¨­ work a little differently with System involvement. To put it simply, the spirit can be housed in any weapon, though it may prefer certain types above others. It simply makes the weapon more powerful and helps it grow with you. You could still create new weapons; you just wouldn¡¯t need to do it so often. Though the particulars would depend on the weapon spirit. The spirit would be tied to you, not to a particular weapon.¡± Lucifer explained. ¡°Fine. You knew I was going to pick that path anyway. You did manage to make the choice harder, but here we are anyway.¡± She decided. "Well, it''s important that you''re fully aware of your options, even if the choice is already made," Lucifer explained. "On that note¡­" [[Hoh¨­] has evolved into [Shunpo].] [[Advanced Kid¨­] has evolved into [Superior Kid¨­].] [[Reiatsu] has evolved into [Advanced Reiatsu].] ¡°That¡¯s less than the other Classes.¡± She pointed out. ¡°Correct. That¡¯s because the Class is already a grab-bag of some of the most powerful techniques around. The Skills don¡¯t really need much in the way of improvement.¡± Lucifer shrugged. ¡°Besides, that¡¯s what you chose. You knew the improvements would apply to your Shinigami Skills. However, I can assure you that the improvements are more significant than what the simple names might imply. Just to give an example, [Advanced Reiatsu] is vastly more efficient now, making it a useful Skill even against singular strong opponents. And you know that¡¯ll only increase when you train with the Zanpakut¨­.¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m dissatisfied in any case. If anything, I think I may have gained more than I should have, but I do believe it¡¯s that way for a reason.¡± She wasn¡¯t blind enough to not notice the favoritism. Luci grinned. ¡°Good. You¡¯re catching on. You are the Champion for both Mother and me. Mother wants you to stomp all competition of course so that she can brag. And I¡¯ve already mentioned I have my own reasons.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°And it would be so much easier if you just told me what those reasons are.¡± She pointed out. ¡°Easier, yes. More fun? No. You¡¯re to blame really. You picked Lucifer as your guide. Now you¡¯re going to get me, with horns and all.¡± He gestured grandly. ¡°The saying is warts and all.¡± She muttered. ¡°I don¡¯t have warts, although some religious texts might claim otherwise. So, it wouldn¡¯t make any sense to use that word.¡± Lucifer dismissed the mere thought. ¡°Which does bring up another point I should mention.¡± ¡°Am I going to hate this?¡± She asked with trepidation. "No, you might actually like this. See, it''s commonly known that level 250 allows you access to your full racial abilities, which often includes an improvement in race. However, it''s extremely rare for underage people to reach that point. These improvements kind of rely on you being at your fullest. Not to say you couldn''t mature further afterward, as you can always improve, but you should have at least the maturity level associated with adulthood, which then gives you access to the full base physical abilities your race offers. "I think I already see where this is going." She interrupted. "Not all that surprising since you''ve been pushing me to grow faster the whole time already. I wasn''t that far off from the point you mentioned." ¡°Not too far, no, but a couple of years still. We took care of that remaining 20% or so.¡± Lucifer finished with a grin. ¡°You, meaning you and Mother.¡± She made sure. ¡°Exactly. While we expected you to race through the levels, I must admit that we were off by a few years. On the other hand, I did not expect you to use that ritual quite on the scale you did. Though I suppose it was somewhat inevitable in hindsight. Now, off you go.¡± He gestured, and she found herself back in her body. Clearly, he didn¡¯t want to talk about certain issues. As she blinked her eyes open, she noticed she was lying down on the ground, still within the ritual circle. She was no longer sitting cross-legged and had obviously moved during the time that had passed. She could also feel her body had changed. Grown. It wasn¡¯t the only thing she could feel, as her senses had grown a lot sharper as well. Someone else might have been overwhelmed, but she was already used to sharper senses thanks to her previous experiences. It wasn¡¯t new to her. Instead, it was like reclaiming a small part of something that she¡¯d lost. ¡°Seraphiel.¡± Her mom¡¯s voice called out to her. She moved slowly to look up. ¡°How long was I gone?¡± She asked, finding her own speech a little slurred. Her throat had changed as well, giving her voice a bit of a different tone. Huskier and less childish. ¡°A few hours. You¡¯ve changed quite a bit.¡± Her mom stated. ¡°Yeah, my guide did mention something about maturing to reach adulthood. Not supposed to reach level 250 as a juvenile or something. So they took care of it.¡± She tried to clear her speech by stretching out her mouth and clearing her throat. It wasn¡¯t just about vocal cords and your physiology. She¡¯d never entirely talked like a child or adolescent, but she hadn¡¯t entirely spoken in the same way as adults either. Your tone and word selection mattered a lot in the way you presented yourself. ¡°Well, they took care of it alright. It was a little spooky seeing you suddenly float in the air and glow like a small star.¡± Her mom explained. ¡°The light seemed to be responsible for the change. It¡¯s not unheard of among races like ours and the Draenei who have extremely long childhoods, but it is extremely rare.¡± "Did the whole thing take so long that we have to vacate the room?" Seraphiel asked, looking around. Raziel was not present, even though he had been in the beginning. ¡°No. These things can take hours sometimes. Yours was still counted in minutes. Speaking of, the light does imply you managed to secure a higher form of a race.¡± Her mom said suggestively. ¡°Always was.¡± She stated simply, before slowly moving back towards her dorms, not answering any further questions. She had to take things slowly since her new Skills threw her perfect control out of whack again. ------- As she knelt in her dorm room, she allowed the Classes to fill her with information. Information that hinted at available Skills. With three open slots, she had some decisions to make. One of those slots already had a Skill slated for it, as the choice was obvious. It was the two newly opened Skill slots in her Farseer Class that she had to explore some options for. She¡¯d been forced to occupy those slots with Skills she knew she would not be keeping so far because of the requirements for the [Reality Control]. That had put strains on what she could do with the Class, but now she was free of that burden. The obvious thing to do was to check where her weaknesses were. The obvious problem with her two first Classes both being psionic was that they both consumed her limited psionic power, and she could use her abilities only so often due to her Tolerance. Her Psionic Stats would also be falling far behind her physical ones thanks to the changes to her Racial Skills. She would not be able to get a Skill to do the same to her Psionic Stats, but she could do something to mitigate the problem and allow her to use her abilities more often and more freely. [[You''ve gained the new Skill: Psionic Efficiency! Some psions and psykers are all about power. However, an oft-ignored facet of one''s skillset is the ability to use their Skills more efficiently. With this Skill, casting or maintaining any psionic abilities becomes more efficient. Reduction of 1% to the consumption of power and tolerance per level of the Skill. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] Yes. Yes, she would. The math on the Skill was a little deceptive. Abilities didn''t become free at Skill rank 100. Instead, a 100% reduction meant that the cost would be halved. If the Skill matched her current Skill level, any Skills would cost less than a quarter of the power, which would only become more and more necessary as her Skills grew in power and scope. The bad news was that she also felt that this Skill had a hard cap, unlike most other Skills. She didn''t know what that cap was, but at a certain point, it would stop leveling. The good news was the Skill was easy to level, as it would be in effect every time she used her powers. The next power was also an easy one now that she had the Skill slot available. It was a stable and often relied-on ability used by most Farseers. It was one of their most important combat abilities after all. [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Doom! You cast the hex of a dreadful fate upon your target. They will find their actions and plans suffer in both blatant and subtle ways. A previously solid ground cracking under their foot just as they are trying to land a blow, causing them to miss. An ally learning of a dark secret through an unfortunate series of events. The target will find their attacks turning into simple glancing blows, while the attacks of their enemies always tend to find the weak spots in their armor. Whatever the method, bad karma will weigh upon the target, bringing misfortune and doom. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] Yes, she would. Doom would not suddenly make an opponent much stronger than her fall, but it could make all the difference in a pinch. The best part was that the power was subtle and cheap to use. She could easily target multiple opponents without their notice. It wouldn¡¯t suddenly make everything they did fail, especially if they were higher level, but it could swing things her way. Especially when she had the Skill [Precognition] and could tell when her opponent was about to get unlucky. Those situations could create openings that you could exploit, especially if you knew they were coming. Even subtle alterations like this could make all the difference in a battle, something the Aeldari had learned a long time ago. The last Skill choice was obvious. She reached inside her, into her internal world that she knew would be there, but one that she had not visited in a long while. Once, her internal world had been a copy of the Silver City, but she¡¯d seen too much for that to really feel home anymore. Instead, she found herself in a long but cozy hallway that seemed to be stretching on forever, with doors lining up both sides of the hallway. Some doors looked cozy and welcoming, while some looked like they were going to lead you into damnation and Hell. With a small smile, she closed her eyes and grasped her hand around a doorknob that she just knew would be there, before stepping through the door. She found herself on one of the worlds she''d visited in the past. It was mostly barren, having been used as a battlefield. She could feel the presence of her new sword spirit somewhere, but she could tell the spirit was not ready to reveal itself just yet. The spirit fled, likely going behind one of the other doors. With a small nod, she allowed herself to return to her body. Zanpakut¨­ could be really skittish in the beginning. Sometimes it took decades before a Shinigami even learned their name. Having completed the process before, she knew how it was done, and so she wouldn¡¯t be fumbling in the dark, trying to guess how to proceed. Still would require some time. She was somewhat surprised that a Skill enforced by the System would require such extra hoops though. With the first step taken, she dusted herself off to go and find Kaede. It was time to see if the instructor would finally have to take her seriously. Chapter 44 - Future -------- As she went off to find Kaede, Seraphiel realized she¡¯d held off on something. Lucifer had rather directly told her she was banking experience. ¡°Fine. Let the rest of the levels come.¡± She said to no one in particular, and almost stumbled as the levels hit her. The Farseer Class, along with her race, jumped straight to 375, meaning 125 banked levels, which meant a 50% increase. Her other two Classes got a bit less at 100 each due to synergistic reasons. Fighting Tyranids was something that Farseers were supposed to do, even more than the two other Classes were supposed to fight monsters, which is why that Class benefitted more. Still, it was a shocking amount of levels and stats to suddenly get dumped on her, especially with her new racial Skills that also improved as her race did. This next bout with Kaede would be very interesting. Just to get more used to her stats, she stopped to eat at one of the food stands run by the students. The stand was named after Satsuki Yotsuba, one of the students who''d belonged to the original class with Negi when Seraphiel had originally visited this world. Yotsuba had since passed away due to old age, but she remembered the girl fondly as a good-hearted girl, always working to improve things for herself and her friends. As she sat down, she could feel her [Fount of Purity] reacting, cleansing something. That caused her to pay more attention, which allowed her to spot the transparent, almost entirely invisible thread approaching her food. Some sort of substance ran along the thread before being cleansed away. ¡°So that¡¯s how she¡¯s doing it.¡± She realized. Or at least that was one of the methods. She used her telekinesis to bundle up and toss away the thread, before enjoying her first non-poisoned meal in a long time. Not that most poisons would really do much to her anymore. [Bastion of Purity] combined with her effective Vitality meant that anyone wanting to poison her needed to be specialized in poisons and severely over-leveling her in order for any poison to be effective. That didn''t mean she wanted any foul-tasting poison in her food. Kaede seemed to appear out of nowhere to sit next to her. ¡°I see you finally managed to stop me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what 375 000 effective Perception does.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Even if I¡¯m not entirely used to it.¡± ¡°How much?!¡± Kaede asked shocked, her eyes opening fully for the first time. ¡°375 000, give or take a bit. On a related note, someone forgot to mention that races get scaling stat boosts at level 250.¡± She said in a way of explaining. ¡°Yeah, everyone does. I didn¡¯t know Angels got any particular boost in Perception though.¡± Kaede stated. ¡°Although it makes sense with how balanced the race is across stats. You¡¯re somewhat similar to Humans in that regard.¡± ¡°What do Humans get by the way? I know the race isn¡¯t highly ranked, but there¡¯s a whole lot of you, so it would be nice to know.¡± She asked. Humans were by far the most common race in this universe as most of the universes joined into this one had at least some Humans. ¡°A scaling 0,1% to all stats, even those granted by Classes.¡± Kaede didn¡¯t bother hiding, since it was a rather well-known fact. "Huh. That''s not too bad considering the difference in Ranks. That means you''ve got about a 100% bonus to all stats." Seraphiel nodded, chowing down on her noodles. ¡°Yes, well, it doesn¡¯t match the raw power of most races, but it does provide a lot more flexibility. Also doesn¡¯t come with any issues concerning balanced stat builds.¡± Kaede nodded in agreement. ¡°And with enough stats, it can come close to matching what other races get. There are other ways of getting stat boosts when necessary, like your blessing just to name an example.¡± She also waved to the chef to get her own order. Seraphiel had to slap Kaede''s sneaky hand away several times as the ninja tried to manually slip the poison into her food. ¡°Not a big fan of such wide builds.¡± She commented. ¡°Well, they definitely have their downsides, but few people actually go to the extremes you do. Most aren¡¯t focused on squeezing the most out of the System in the shortest amount of time.¡± Kaede finally focused on her own food, before pointing at her with her chopsticks. ¡°You need some new clothes, in case you haven¡¯t noticed.¡± Seraphiel grimaced a bit. ¡°Oh, I noticed.¡± Her previous uniform didn¡¯t fit in the slightest. She hadn¡¯t exactly been flat before, but now she couldn¡¯t even button up her shirt and blazer properly, showing way too much cleavage and her skirt had suddenly become indecently short. She wasn¡¯t a short woman by any measure. Angels tended to be tall by most standards, and there wasn¡¯t a large difference in height between male and female Angels. ¡°I was planning on getting a bit of sparring in with you beforehand, just to get used to my new stats.¡± ¡°Were you planning on sparring nude? Because that getup certainly won¡¯t work.¡± Kaede pointed out rather bluntly. ¡°And if your issue is at the magnitude I suspect, you¡¯re going to tear them to shreds.¡± ¡°You have a point.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°Too bad the re-sizing charms have their limits.¡± She¡¯d gotten the clothes when she¡¯d come to the Academy, and they¡¯d reached the limits of the charms a while ago. She had grown quite a lot since then. She knew the clothes could be fitted with charms all the way from a baby to an adult, but then you¡¯d never have to buy more clothes, which would be bad for the tailors. So they didn¡¯t. "Also, it''s hard to keep poisoning your food if you keep stopping me," Kaede complained as her hand was smacked away again. "That''s because I don''t want you to poison my food. Not that there''s any point anyway. I automatically cleanse everyone and everything around me, so the poison wouldn''t work unless you have something stupendously potent. It only ruins the taste." Seraphiel explained. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Fair enough, although I do have some more potent poisons from magical creatures. Get some decent clothing before you come to the resort. In fact, go get some armor from the armory. They should have something that fits even if it¡¯s not prime quality. Armor will be much better than clothes if we¡¯re going to be sparring seriously.¡± Kaede gestured towards the center of the academy. ------- The shockwaves from the strikes between the two combatants were causing massive waves and devastation among the trees as Kaede and Seraphiel moved like two streaks across the terrain of the resort. Kaede wasn¡¯t too shocked to find that she had to fight seriously, utilizing all her Skills to just keep up with Seraphiel. The Angel was the sort of being that wouldn¡¯t stay weak for long, although the speed at which she¡¯d grown was rather shocking, and the fact that she had to fight seriously against someone almost seven hundred levels lower than her was not something that could be dismissed with a shrug. Then again, Champion, so¡­ At the start, Kaede was beating Seraphiel easily, but the more the Angel got used to her new stats, the more that scale swung in Seraphiel¡¯s favor. Seraphiel had always had the skill in a fight to beat her, just that her System enhancements hadn¡¯t been able to keep up. Seraphiel¡¯s stats were clearly still lower than hers, but by a much smaller margin than they should be. And stats only enhanced what was already there. It was clear Seraphiel had a lot more there than she did, as was to be expected from a higher-ranked being. As their bout had a slight natural pause, she finally asked the obvious question. ¡°You¡¯re not just an Angel or Archangel, are you?¡± "Never have been," Seraphiel admitted openly. There was no point in hiding it. Kaede felt like she was punching a Dragon. A small Dragon size-wise, but a very dense one. Like a young Azure or Platinum Dragon. ¡°SSS-ranked race at least.¡± She speculated openly, Seraphiel not commenting anything. The Angel had never been great at keeping secrets, mostly because she didn¡¯t care to, but she was proficient at not LETTING anything slip through her poker face when she wanted. "And your Classes must be similar in rank as well." The worst part was that every time she hit Seraphiel, it felt like her veins were on fire. She could tell it was some sort of retaliatory effect that ignored most of her defenses. Something that was quite problematic for a Ninja. Her Classes didn¡¯t exactly excel in defense in the first place, and durability wasn¡¯t her strongest area. Her purpose was to strike fast and hard from stealth, not to take part in a slugging match like this. ¡°Seeing as you¡¯re fighting me equally, I suppose Eva will have to have you graduate quite soon.¡± Seraphiel chuckled. ¡°Not before abusing my sudden strength in some way. I don¡¯t know how keen the other academies are when it comes to holding tournaments what with the Tyranids and everything, but she¡¯ll figure something out.¡± ¡°What will you do after?¡± Kaede asked, genuinely curious. ¡°Why, want to tag along?¡± Seraphiel cut straight into the heart of the matter. ¡°You know, I wouldn¡¯t necessarily mind. Tatsumiya might want to as well. Both of us are getting tired of the academy life, and we both feel we should be doing more. We¡¯ve mostly stayed here because there hasn¡¯t been a pressing reason to leave and training students is important. Eva can¡¯t get the academy messed up in anything too dangerous because of the students, but that doesn¡¯t mean there isn¡¯t work to be done. Plenty of worlds and groups might want mercenaries in the current situation. Especially if one of those mercenaries has already wiped out a fleet of the Tyranids.¡± Kaede revealed part of what had been niggling at her. Only a small part, but an important one. Seraphiel could sense there was more to this but decided against digging too deep for now. "I''m not opposed to the idea of joining hands for a time at least. It''s not like I''ll be cutting ties with the place since my brother and mom are here. That said, I wouldn''t use my recent feat as an advertisement, as I suspect it won''t work quite as well again, and soon it might not work at all. The ''Nids aren''t known for being slow to adapt. Would be sort of embarrassing to get hired for that and then fail. Besides, we had quite a few powerful individuals feeding power to me to make it work." Kaede looked at her like she was stupid. ¡°Seraphiel, I¡¯m a ninja, not an idiot. I merely meant that we have some success against the enemy, which is more than many others.¡± Seraphiel sheathed her weapon, allowing her wings to float her to the ground. "OK, so let''s work on this idea for a bit. The two of us, and maybe Tatsumiya. That''s three. Not exactly a mercenary company yet, even if high levels get treated as special assets. From what I remember, Tatsumiya is mostly a ranged type, while you''re a ninja. I can fill the tank and bruiser role, but we''re several positions short of a proper team. And no support personnel. I mean, I can make weapons but I don¡¯t even have clothes or armor at the moment. I¡¯m not broke, but I¡¯m not exactly wealthy either. You know what they say about the importance of logistics.¡± She started listing potential issues. ¡°I have a few ideas about some of that. So far, most of my logistic needs have been taken care of by Mahora, but if we go out on our own, then that will not likely last forever. Both Tatsumiya and myself have some contacts on the outside, but admittedly we¡¯ll be working barebones in the start.¡± Kaede chewed on the idea for a while. ¡°You were friendly with the Champion Shepard, correct?¡± ¡°I am.¡± Seraphiel nodded carefully. ¡°Well, I get the feeling that you have several friends that we might eventually make contact with. Now Shepard is a Champion and likely has her own duties, but if there are people like us in your past, we might be able to recruit some of them. And if we could get some sponsors to kick-start us off, this whole thing might work. If we ask Chachamaru, she might be able to wrangle something from Eva. At least to get us started." Kaede suggested. The idea of running a mercenary company with some of her old acquaintances wasn''t an unattractive one, although depended heavily on how many of them were still around. There certainly seemed to be a need for it. She didn''t have a concrete plan after leaving the Academy anyway, and she could easily think of several individuals that might be suited if they were alive and well. ¡°Well, we have some time to work on the details since I most likely won¡¯t be able to graduate immediately.¡± She pondered. ¡°That said, the basic premise does intrigue me. We need more people and resources though.¡± "I''ll talk to Tatsumiya and Chachamaru," Kaede promised. -------- "Huh. Didn''t expect you to get to me this fast." Seraphiel muttered as Chachamaru sat opposite her in the caf¨¦ opposite the tailor''s shop. It had only been a few hours. Chachamaru tilted her head in confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Made sense. ¡°So, what are you here for?¡± Seraphiel asked. "There''s someone here looking for you," Chachamaru explained. She was Eva''s assistant, so that wasn''t too out of place. ¡°Me specifically, by name and everything?¡± Seraphiel asked a little suspiciously. ¡°Shepard?¡± ¡°No, although we have gotten word that she might be visiting soon. This being the territory of another Champion necessitates certain courtesies.¡± Chachamaru stated instead. ¡°Who?¡± She asked. ¡°A pair of Shinigami. Apparently, they¡¯ve sensed the awakening of a Zanpakut¨­ at Mahora, so they came to investigate.¡± Chachamaru revealed. ¡°¨­etsu.¡± She grunted the name of the creator of all Zanpakut¨­ in realization. ¡°And you came to me straight away.¡± She phrased it as a disgruntled statement instead of a question. Chachamaru chuckled. ¡°Let¡¯s be realistic. Of all the students in this academy, you¡¯re the most likely to awaken something that shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡± ¡°That is high slander and very prejudiced of you. I thought you knew better.¡± Seraphiel joked. ¡°I do, which is why I¡¯m here.¡± The android snarked back. ¡°Who did they send?¡± Seraphiel asked curiously. ¡°They did not mention names, only ranks. Apparently, a Lieutenant, and something called a fifth seat. I¡¯m not sure how they¡¯re organized, truth be told.¡± Which was likely because the Soul Society didn¡¯t advertise such things. ¡°So not big shots, but not a token representation either.¡± Seraphiel nodded. ¡°The ranks suggest that they¡¯re from Soul Society East.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with the term.¡± Chachamaru pointed out. ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. Just speculating. Well, better not keep them waiting.¡± She prompted. As they approached the administrative building, Seraphiel reached out with her newly sharpened senses and was surprised by what she found. The fifth seat felt reasonably powerful, but she couldn''t tell much more, and she couldn''t sense the Lieutenant at all, which showed quite a lot of control. It seemed like they hadn''t slacked around since she''d been gone. As they stepped into one of the meeting rooms, she got another surprise. ¡°Rangiku?¡± She recognized the Lieutenant with beautiful looks, generous bust, and generally lazy demeanor. ¡°Captain?!¡± Rangiku shouted in even larger surprise, clearly recognizing Seraphiel even in her current form, which resembled her real body quite closely already. Chapter 45 - Shinigami -------- ¡°Captain!¡± Rangiku shouted again and tried to glomp Seraphiel, instead getting smacked to the ground with one of Seraphiel¡¯s golden wings. ¡°Down girl.¡± She commanded, Rangiku instantly responding by standing up in attention, even if sloppily. As usual, Rangiku was dressed rather slovenly. She was a beautiful woman, who on the surface looked like a Human with long and wavy blond hair, blue eyes, full lips, and a beauty mark located under the right side of her mouth. Rangiku had always been known among the Shinigami for her curvaceous figure, of which her most distinctive trait was her very large bust, which her sloppy shihakush¨­ uniform showed off rather plentifully. Notably, her mostly black uniform also had a splash of color in the shape of a long pink scarf over her shoulders, something that was not standard. ¡°But Captaiiin!¡± She complained with a lazy voice that Seraphiel knew to be somewhat of a ruse. It wasn¡¯t that Rangiku wasn¡¯t lazy, she was, but she could be very effective and intelligent when she wanted to be, and the sloven act was mostly just that, an act. ¡°You have wings!¡± She suddenly seemed to realize. She blinked a few times. ¡°You¡¯re an Angel! And you look younger!¡± ¡°All very accurate observations. Now what are you doing here?¡± Seraphiel asked with a commanding tone. Before taking a seat at the table. Rangiku snapped into much sharper attention as if conditioned by the tone of voice. "Reporting! ¨­etsu Nimaya detected an unauthorized activation of a Zanpakut¨­ at this location. We were sent to investigate!" ¡°Uh, Lieutenant?¡± The other bewildered Shinigami asked hesitantly, clearly not understanding what was going on. The man also seemed quite uncomfortable. He didn¡¯t seem very impressive to Seraphiel¡¯s eye, but that might have been on purpose. From bitter experience she knew many Shinigami were rather good at hiding their nature, Aizen being the obvious example. Rangiku glanced at the man before swatting him in the back of the head with the sheath of her blade. ¡°Stand at attention! You¡¯re in the presence of Captain Seraphiel. You don¡¯t want to get on her bad side.¡± ¡°Cap- isn¡¯t Captain-Commander Seraphiel supposed to be dead?¡± The man asked bewildered, while rubbing his head. ¡°Missing!¡± Rangiku snapped, smacking him again, her voice like a whip. ¡°And now found.¡± Eva interrupted things at this point. Seraphiel had been vaguely aware of her presence the whole time but had been preoccupied. "This is all very interesting, but I hope you can provide a more precise explanation." She was looking at Seraphiel. "I assume you visited them at some point.¡± ¡°Yes. It was one of my longer visits actually.¡± Seraphiel admitted. ¡°Over a thousand years in fact.¡± Saying that, time seemed to flow a little differently to Shinigami. Centuries could pass without notable change. ¡°Captain, can we assume the Zanpakut¨­ ¨­etsu detected was yours?¡± Rangiku asked in confirmation, leaning forward eagerly. "That''s correct," Seraphiel admitted with a simple nod. Rangiku frowned a little. ¡°Odd. ¨­etsu mentioned that the Zanpakut¨­ felt new and recently born. Surely, he¡¯d be able to recognize yours.¡± Her Zanpakut¨­ had been rather famous at the time. Seraphiel nodded. ¡°That¡¯s because it is new. I only gained the Skill recently.¡± Before Rangiku could ask more, she continued. ¡°The Zanpakut¨­ spirits depend heavily on the person. Here, I am a very different person than I was back then, so it makes sense for the spirit to change as well. Besides, I have the abilities the spirit granted even without the help of the spirit now, so it would make no sense.¡± Her previous Zanpakut¨­ had granted her access to her two favorite abilities, telekinesis and reality manipulation, back in the Soul Society. That life had been among those where she hadn¡¯t inhabited her old body and didn¡¯t have her old powers. Ironically, it seemed those lives seemed especially prone to coming up in this new universe. She idly wondered if that was a coincidence or not. Rangiku tilted her head as she looked at Seraphiel. ¡°You do seem a little different, Captain. Weaker, if you¡¯ll allow me to be frank.¡± There was a strong hint of curiosity in her voice. ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯ve had to start from zero here. I still haven¡¯t caught up to my old self. But it comes with certain benefits as well, so it¡¯s not all bad.¡± She gave in the way of explanation. Rangiku suddenly grinned. ¡°Oh, Yoruichi and Kenpachi are going to love this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they will. For their own reasons.¡± She sighed. Yoruichi had been one of her friends, a woman who reminded her of a cat with her playful personality, while Kenpachi was just a battle maniac whom she''d trounced so thoroughly and so often, that she¡¯d been the only thing the man had been afraid of. Both would likely want to seek her out for their own reasons. They wouldn¡¯t be the only ones, as she¡¯d made plenty of friends and other connections during her time at the Soul Society. Thousand years did that. ¡°What¡¯s the Soul Society up to nowadays? I would imagine Hollows and taking care of souls is less pertinent in this universe with its own system of afterlife and many other parties capable of fighting monsters.¡± Seraphiel questioned, leaning forward. "Soul Society North realized that almost immediately, going on a bit of a conquest spree, taking over several less protected worlds to rule over. Soul Society South took over the management of our old world, while no one knows what''s going on with Souls Society West. We''ve mostly become a sort of problem-solving group. I hesitate to call us mercenaries, as we usually work on a larger scale, but other parties hire us to deal with problems they are not capable of dealing with. Recently we were contacted by several parties to help deal with the sudden resurgence of locust races. Hollows are one of those, but not the current main issue." Rangiku didn''t seem to have any intent to hide anything, which was understandable. Seraphiel had been both her old Captain, as well as the Captain-Commander for a time. ¡°Did the old fart retake his position as Captain-Commander, or did he manage to pawn it off to Ky¨­raku or Ukitake?¡± The two Captains had been the most senior ones after Seraphiel at the time. Rangiku burst into laughter. "Yamamoto wanted to get Ukitake to take the job but decided to take it himself with all the problems this universe has. According to him, the young whippersnappers don''t have what it takes to get things done yet." "So, some things haven''t changed at least," Seraphiel grunted. Of the two Captains, Ukitake was the more serious one. He''d suffered from bad health for a long time, but Seraphiel had fixed that issue with her reality manipulation. Ky¨­raku enjoyed a quiet and lazy life almost as much as Rangiku and would rather spend his time chasing women than leading people. Yamamoto on the other hand was a crochety old man stuck in his ways, but he was extremely powerful. And effective. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Will you be joining us again? There would be plenty of people happy to have you back!¡± Rangiku declared happily. ¡°I haven¡¯t entirely decided my future plans yet.¡± She looked towards Eva. ¡°I think I¡¯ll be graduating soon, and one of the teachers here suggested founding a mercenary group using my contacts, but we didn¡¯t really settle on anything concrete yet.¡± Eva lifted an eyebrow. ¡°This is news to me in a sense, though I did feel Kaede and a couple of the others were itching to get more involved in things.¡± ¡°If you want, you¡¯ll certainly be able to draw plenty of people from our ranks, Captain! I¡¯d be among the first to join. Assuming my contract included mandatory rest days and company drinking parties, of course!¡± Rangiku promised. ¡°Lieutenant!¡± The fifth seat protested scandalized. Not by the drinking and rest days, but due to Rangiku so easily switching sides. ¡°What? Seraphiel here is practically part of the Soul Society. She used to be the Captain-Commander after all!¡± Rangiku defended herself. ¡°We¡¯ll see what we can manage," Seraphiel stated carefully, not wanting to suddenly commit to anything. Many of the Shinigami were extremely powerful, and if they had managed to maintain their level, even the mooks were decent quality after all the training she¡¯d forced on them. Eva interjected again. ¡°How about a little spar? I haven¡¯t been able to see Seraphiel¡¯s new abilities in full effect yet, and I¡¯ve only briefly seen Shinigami fight. It would be interesting to see both.¡± ¡°How about it, Captain?" Rangiku asked happily. "It''s been a while since the last time, and I''d like to be on the winning side for once." ¡°Bold of you to assume you¡¯d win even with me diminished like this.¡± Seraphiel lifted an eyebrow but didn¡¯t oppose the idea. Eva clapped her hands. ¡°Excellent. In that case, we can use one of the arrays in the school that should allow you to go all out.¡± The dueling arrays were mostly located by the arena, and there were always people spectating any ongoing fights and there were almost always at least a few fights going on. They chose one of the more remote arrays to minimize attention, but even then, there were dozens of students who noticed something going on right away. As Rangiku and Seraphiel entered the array, Seraphiel activated her Paladin Skills right away to even the playing field. She was not foolish enough to think Rangiku would be unable to penetrate her defenses despite her Vitality being far above what her level should be capable of and her abilities countering what Rangiku used to be able to do. If she was wearing proper armor, she might have tried focusing her blessing just on Vitality and tanking it out, but she knew that¡¯s not how this fight would go and her current armor was just on loan. Both combatants started out the same, activating their [Reiatsu], while Rangiku also got tagged by [Doom]. [Reiatsu] was an odd Skill that the System had some difficulties completely dealing with. That¡¯s because it was a Skill that relied heavily on many factors aside from just raw power. It heavily depended on the mentality of the person using it, as well as their soul. Skills, just like stats, improved what was there, and mentality and soul were hard to quantify. Soul was something that Seraphiel had no trouble with, and neither was mentality. The sheer iron will to kill your target was important for the execution of the ability, otherwise your [Reiatsu] would be dull and ineffective. That made hers a lot stronger than it perhaps should be. Rangiku grinned almost madly as she felt Seraphiel¡¯s [Reiatsu]. True, It was much weaker than it used to be. It was barely at the level of a Lieutenant in pure power, but there had always been a unique quality to her old Captain¡¯s [Reiatsu] that others could only try to imitate. The sheer number of battles fought, blood spilled, and lives taken had honed Seraphiel¡¯s Reiatsu into something completely different. The air around Rangiku felt suffocating like you were in the void of space, the air tasted like ash and death, and even her hearing was filled with an eerie buzzing that could drive someone weak crazy. Anyone familiar with Seraphiel from her time in the Soul Society would recognize that eerie feeling, like skeletal hands grazing at your neck and back, ready to pull you into an early grave. It was extremely nostalgic. Ironically, the two had some similarities in their [Reiatsu], partly because Rangiku had been trained by Seraphiel long ago. The area around both of them seemed to turn black, as the force took on an obvious color. ¡°You¡¯ve improved.¡± Seraphiel complimented Rangiku, making the Lieutenant feel proud. ¡°Growl Haineko!¡± Rangiku didn¡¯t waste any time, releasing the second, or Shikai, form of her Zanpakut¨­. The blade of her sword suddenly turned into ash. She slightly tilted the hilt, sending the cloud of ash at Seraphiel. Seraphiel felt the additional weight from the Shikai. The benefit of a Zanpakut¨­ came in two forms. The first was that the Shikai, and later on Bankai, granted special abilities to the user. Her Shikai during her time in the Soul Society had granted her access to the telekinetic abilities she so loved. The Zanpakut¨­, when released, also directly boosted your offensive and defensive power. How much depended on the individual and their connection with the spirit within their weapon. Just the mere fact that Rangiku could use her Shikai, and she had not yet regained that ability, placed a disparity between them. A burst of pure psionic force scattered the ash, throwing it back at Rangiku. ¡°Surely you didn¡¯t think that would work. I knew the abilities of Haineko even before you did. You¡¯ve never been able to use them against me.¡± The ash was dangerous. Even though it looked like scattered dust, it had the ability to tear up Rangiku''s enemies, as if a cloud of a million blades. The cloud could also be used as a defensive shield, with an obvious drawback. Lightning jumped from Seraphiel''s fingers, the metallic cloud of what looked like ash conducting the dangerous energy easily. ¡°Of course I know.¡± Rangiku retorted, her voice coming from Seraphiel¡¯s flank, the cloud of ash simply being a distraction. Rangiku''s heel dropped towards her head like an axe-kick. Seraphiel could¡¯ve tried blocking it, but why do that when she didn¡¯t have to? A barrier of energy intercepted the kick, shattering almost immediately. Almost. The fraction of a second it held was more than enough for Seraphiel to [Shunpo] away, even if she only shifted a couple of steps. Her own blade slashed at Rangiku¡¯s flank, though it was quickly intercepted by a small cloud of ash. Rangiku¡¯s hand glowed with energy as she cast offensive Kid¨­ at almost point-blank range. The ball of glowing energy was cut in half by the upswing of Seraphiel¡¯s blade. ¡°Completely chantless and instant Kid¨­. Not bad at all.¡± ¡°And I forgot that annoying ability you have to cut through spells.¡± Rangiku mock-complained. ¡°While interesting, this can¡¯t be all that you¡¯ve learned since I¡¯ve been gone. Get to it.¡± Seraphiel ordered with a commanding tone. ¡°As you wish.¡± The ash gathered back to Rangiku¡¯s sword. ¡°Bankai! World of Devastation.¡± As soon as Rangiku chanted the activation phrase, the whole array was filled with ash. The ground below Seraphiel¡¯s feet seemed to turn dry and devastated, cracking with every move. She could also sense Rangiku¡¯s presence in several places around her. The pressure from Rangiku¡¯s [Reiatsu] also slammed into her, clearly overwhelming her own. Her Vitality became useful as she could withstand the pressure, though she knew her own attacks would be much diminished. Suppressed. Only her telekinetic abilities were keeping the ash at bay, and away from her, forming a rotating clear area around her. Suddenly Kid¨­ spells rushed at her from a dozen directions at once. ¡°Bakud¨­ #81. Dank¨±.¡± Seraphiel muttered, and a transparent box of energy surrounded her, invalidating the attack spells. While the spells Rangiku had used were more numerous, her defensive spell simply outranked them by a large enough margin to render them irrelevant. It also ate what would¡¯ve been a huge chunk of her old powers. Now her new efficiency Skill and improved power reserves allowed her to take the loss much more easily. She could already see how the efficiency Skill would make things better in the future when it was higher level. It had gained some levels already from sparring with Kaede and just living. Feeling that was the case, she pinpointed what she thought of as the real Rangiku inside the ash and chanted another spell. Instead of targeting just the one though, she targeted her and nine of the fakes. ¡°Had¨­ #91. Senju K¨­ten Taih¨­.¡± Ten black points of energy appeared around her before shooting off at the targets she¡¯d chosen. Each resulted in a devastating explosion of energy, scattering much of the ash in the air. This one took a lot more out of her, as the Kid¨­ spells scaled in power and cost almost exponentially. After the shockwaves from the explosions disappeared, there seemed to be no other effect as even the scattered ash seemed to be reforming. "So, none of them is the real you," Seraphiel said out loud, realizing the issue. ¡°Could be.¡± Rangiku¡¯s amused voice came through the dense ash. ¡°Your Kid¨­ abilities are impressive as always. Wasn¡¯t that one developed by Urahara for his personal use? Should¡¯ve known you could use it.¡± At the same time, the ash started to push in from all sides, grinding against her telekinetic protections, slowly wearing them down. ¡°I think I can see now. Despite the appearance, this is a Bankai meant to outlast your opponent. Grind them down while you remain safe.¡± "Learned from you," Rangiku stated, not really confirming her words. "Well, let''s make this interesting," Seraphiel stated and gathered all her psionic might and threw it to create an [Eldritch storm] over the area. The ash could conduct the power of the psionic lightning, spreading it everywhere as bolts of lightning filled the area. At the same time, she maximized the defensive aspects of her Paladin Skills and removed her telekinetic defenses, allowing the ash to finally strike at her, at the same time triggering the retributive aspect of her new Skills. A sudden cry of pain sounded through the ash storm all around her, confirming her suspicion. Seraphiel''s effective Vitality was completely abnormal, and she was betting it would carry her through this, especially when combined with her ability to heal herself, something that Rangiku didn''t possess. She felt her powers rapidly plummeting as she channeled both the storm and the healing, and she fell on her hands and knees before blacking out for an instant. As she came to, both of them were lying on the ground, breathing heavily. "That was mean, Captain," Rangiku complained before moaning at the phantom pain she was still remembering. ¡°So was your Bankai.¡± She retorted. ¡°Who won though?¡± Rangiku asked, rolling to rest on her hands and knees. "I believe that was a tie," Eva commented from the stands. "Theoretically Seraphiel fainted first, but in a real situation both of you would''ve died, so I''d call it a tie." ¡°I won!¡± Rangiku cheered. "Tie," Seraphiel grunted. "I won!" Rangiku repeated, and Seraphiel decided to let her have the small victory. Her old student and friend had earned it. Chapter 46 - News travels fast --------- Evangeline tapped the desk with a single, well-manicured fingernail. ¡°There are some slight issues with having you graduate early. Not something that can¡¯t be overcome, but something we need to deal with.¡± She told Seraphiel. ¡°Considering you can fight Kaede, you have the power and the skill required. I¡¯d say you also have more than enough knowledge, even if you don¡¯t know every detail of the curriculum. On certain subjects, you know more than our instructors. I¡¯d even say I¡¯m fine with you skipping all the tests between your current grade and the final exam required for graduation, although that¡¯s pushing things quite a bit.¡± ¡°So, what is the issue?¡± Seraphiel asked, adjusting herself to a more relaxed position in the plush chair, while sipping on a glass of wine. She was automatically adopting her old mannerisms. She was still getting used to the growth her body had gone through. Considering her current form was closer to her real body, the adjustment wasn¡¯t that hard, but the change had been rather sudden, and she¡¯d spent many years as a child and teen. She''d even spent time as a Draenei, and being back as an Angel, of sorts, also required an adjustment. Even minor things like the length of her fingers made a difference in most things for someone who was used to perfectly controlling her body, not to mention larger things like the distribution of her weight. The adjustment wasn''t a matter of days, but weeks and months. In many ways, it was harder to adjust to the physical change than adjusting to the sudden changes in her stats. Having more Strength didn¡¯t affect her reach after all. ¡°Two things really. Even if you can fight Kaede equally, your level is a bit on the low side for graduation. You can dispel that issue with a public show of force, which we can arrange relatively easily. The main problem, however, is the lack of Pactio.¡± Evan mentioned the system Mahora was famous for. ¡°Most things can be waved away, but our Academy is known for the Pactio system, as it is the cornerstone of our ideal to foster teamwork. Usually those who graduate, do so in full teams, with several Pactio pairs working together.¡± Pactio was a magical bond that was originally created to bind a Knight and a Mage together. The Knight would gain an improvement to their physical abilities by borrowing the Mage¡¯s mana and gaining a unique ability or tool, while the Mage would gain a partner to protect them while they were casting spells. The system had evolved a lot since the original, as not all Mages needed protectors, and not all Knights were protectors, but the original theory of a symbiotic relationship still remained. The Pactio wasn¡¯t limited to between Knights and Mages anymore either, although that was still the most common form it took. Seraphiel had had very little contact with Mage-track students in general, aside from those who had worked on a team with her, not to mention those who might be about to graduate. It was also a fact that most such pairs formed long before graduation, and the pair would train together for years before applying for graduation. "Is this really mandatory?" She asked with a frown. "We''ve waived the requirements in some cases if one half of an established pair has an accident, the pair''s relationship sours just before graduation, or if someone has a very obvious partnership waiting outside Mahora." Chachamaru, who was sitting in on the conversation stated. Pactios were often a rather intimate affair, and required a lot from a relationship, often turning romantic, though not always. Eva continued. ¡°It would be hard to waive the requirement considering we¡¯re already waiving so many others in your case. If you¡¯re an exception to all our requirements, that¡¯s going to set a really bad precedent. You entering a Pactio would show that you¡¯re still abiding by the most important rules here.¡± "Well, this is a bit of a pickle then. I''m sure I could lure another student to enter a Pactio with me, but finding one who''s about to graduate would be more difficult. Not to mention that they''d soon be left behind, as I''d outpace them with my growth speed." Seraphiel wasn''t going to uphold false modesty at a point like this. ¡°All three things are true.¡± Eva nodded. ¡°And I¡¯d like to add that luring another student under false pretense would not be approved. Broken Pactios place a rather large burden on the body and soul. You could probably handle it just fine, but a normal student? Less likely. It would stifle their growth for a time. Even if you could most likely charm a student into thinking it a fair trade, I wouldn¡¯t allow it.¡± ¡°So basically, you want me to enter a Pactio, but I¡¯m not really allowed to enter one.¡± Seraphiel summarized. ¡°Does it need to be a student? You mentioned an exception if there was an obvious partner waiting outside Mahora.¡± ¡°Theoretically no. That exception usually applies to people who are engaged or married to someone outside the academy. Or something similar.¡± Chachamaru interjected again. ¡°Although, faculty are not allowed. So, no Kaede, even if she was willing. They would have to be around you power-wise to be approved though.¡± ¡°I may have some ideas outside.¡± Seraphiel tapped the stem of the glass against the chair. Shepard was an obvious possibility, although their difference in power and levels was still too large. Even if the difference between Shepard and Kaede in levels was smaller than the difference between Kaede and Seraphiel, Shepard was still a Champion and a relatively strong one at that. As Seraphiel had shown, levels weren¡¯t everything. Shepard also wasn¡¯t the only possibility. With Rangiku¡¯s recent visit, several possibilities from the Soul Society came to mind. Yoruichi was the most obvious example, although there too a power gap existed. Even Rangiku was a possibility, although that would make the relationship between them a bit weird. She¡¯d been almost a mother figure for Rangiku for centuries. ¡°I¡¯m sure you do. And it doesn¡¯t need to happen now. Simply before you graduate.¡± Eva added. ¡°I was under the impression that you weren¡¯t necessarily in a rush.¡± ¡°Indeed. There are quite a few things that need to be arranged before that. I¡¯ve warmed up to the idea Kaede had about a mercenary group, but for that to work, we need more than just a handful of people. We need resources, funding, transportation, and equipment, just to name the most obvious. Heck, I¡¯m still using borrowed armor.¡± Seraphiel grunted while fiddling with a strap of her armor. ¡°I seem to remember you had an Armor Skill from your Paladin Class that kind of solved that last issue?¡± Eva asked. ¡°Eh, [Sanctity of the Firstborn], kind of. It means I could fight in my undies if I have to, but it¡¯s not optimal. Also, I¡¯d rather not.¡± She shrugged in response. ¡°Anyway. We need to reach out to some contacts to maybe secure some funding. I know Shepard¡¯s people might be interested in providing some things if we help them with their Tyranid issue.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I believe there will be no shortage of buyers for decent mercenary companies willing to provide their services. Your issue with funds would be mostly solved once you complete your first contract, although the fact that there¡¯s only three of you currently might be a bit of an issue.¡± Eva suggested before looking up. ¡°Is there more than three?¡± ¡°Not currently and even Tatsumiya isn¡¯t completely certain yet, though I¡¯m not entirely certain who else Kaede has managed to convince," Seraphiel admitted. "My Shinigami friend might convince others to join us, but that''s not something that would happen immediately. Their kind tend to work at a glacial pace. Similar to some Elves I know.¡± ¡°On the other hand, even I¡¯ve heard of the Soul Society. They¡¯re a sort of a mercenary problem-solving group as well.¡± Eva stated thoughtfully. ¡°I suppose transportation will be your biggest issue to begin with.¡± "Yeah, taking the magical equivalent of the bus isn''t great advertisement for a mercenary group," Seraphiel grumbled. "Master," Chachamaru interjected. "I would like to join this venture as well. I believe my administrative abilities would be quite useful, even if my combat abilities are not as up to the task." That seemed to catch Eva by surprise, but she seemed to take it well. ¡°I¡¯m not opposed. Your sister Chachazero would be able to take your place as my assistant.¡± Eva had supported Chachamaru¡¯s independence even in the past, so it wasn¡¯t surprising she continued to do so. ¡°Wasn¡¯t Chachazero a murderous and psychopathic version of Chachamaru?¡± Seraphiel asked with a frown. ¡°Basically.¡± Evangeline just shrugged uncaringly. ------- The barracks of the First Division served as the command center of the Soul Society East. That was because the Captain of the First Division also served as the Captain-Commander, the nominal leader of the military forces of Soul Society East. The thirteen court guard divisions were not the only force in Soul Society East, but they were the most important one. Located at the heart of Seireitei, the city at the center of Soul Society, this barracks was the place where most of the large issues were negotiated and resolved. There had been a civilian government in charge in the past before Seraphiel had dissolved it due to corruption problems. The old Captain-Commander Yamamoto was the only person sitting, while the other twelve Captains were lined up six per side in numerical order, their Lieutenants standing behind each Captain. All the Shinigami wore the standard black Shihakush¨­ uniform, though the Captains also wore white Captain''s haori, a sort of a loose, long jacket, with the number of their division in the back. That''s where the similarities ended, as otherwise, the group was a very eclectic gathering of individuals. Old Yama knocked his cane against the floor to mark the meeting open. ¡°Report.¡± He ordered simply, leaving the order of reports to the discretion of the gathered officers. The first to step forward was a gorgeous purple-haired woman with chocolate skin and an easy grin. ¡°Reporting. We¡¯ve received several job offers in the last two months. When I say several, I mean tens of times more than usual. I¡¯ve had the offers checked and they all seem genuine. This universe is reaching a period of turmoil, and the need for strong armed forces is high. I¡¯ve also kept an eye on the other Soul Societies, and even North seems to be quiet at the moment.¡± The woman had the number 2 on her back. As the leader of both the 2nd Division and the Onmitsukid¨­, or the special forces and covert ops of the Soul Society, gathering information was her specialty. ¡°Su¨¬-F¨¥ng here just returned from the area controlled by North, and they''re gathering forces and establishing a stronger hold on their new conquests." She gestured vaguely at the stern-faced Lieutenant standing behind her. ¡°It seems even North recognizes the odd circumstances facing us currently.¡± A Captain wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat and a flower-decorated pink cape commented with a relaxed tone. ¡°I believe they¡¯re running into the same problems we are.¡± The captain of the 12th Division, often referred to as the R&D Division, stated. The dirty-blonde and lazily dressed man stated. ¡°Eventually, it¡¯s going to be hard to train new Shinigami when the afterlife system of this universe works so differently from ours.¡± The man also looked perpetually tired and sleepy. The Shinigami, or Soul Reapers, were, at their base, people who had died and been sent to the Soul Society themselves. They were spirits of the dead, whose original job was to function as psychopomps and to maintain the balance between the living and the dead. They also eradicated threats to both the living and the dead in the form of Hollows. As the afterlife system in this new universe worked very differently from their old universe, their role as psychopomps had been taken from them. The blonde Captain of R&D continued. "As the Captain of the 4th Division can no doubt confirm, we essentially became living people when we transferred to this universe, though not in the same way as most people of this universe. While we may look Human, we are not. We are still spiritual beings. That means we have to approach things a little differently.¡± The Captain of the 4th Division was a very motherly figure with her long hair in a thick braid tied in front of her, instead of her back. ¡°Captain Urahara is correct. Almost all of our old techniques meant to heal and affect only spiritual beings still work. That said, if we want more Shinigami, we need to get them the old-fashioned way. We also need to limit casualties.¡± Even in the past, the souls in Soul Society were capable of procreating, although they tended to do so more rarely as they aged much slower. "Another issue is that now all the souls in Soul Society need sustenance because all of them are considered spiritually active due to the System." The female Captain continued. In the past, only the Shinigami needed to eat because they were the only ones with any spiritual power, the maintenance of which required sustenance. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good thing someone rammed through all those reforms back then.¡± The relaxed Captain in a pink cape commented. ¡°Otherwise we¡¯d be facing a lot of starving people right about now.¡± Back when she''d been a Captain, and eventually Captain-Commander, Seraphiel had forced several reforms that increased the general wealth of the otherwise impoverished souls outside Seireitei. Most of the souls lived in the four segments of what was known as the Rukonkai. The further away you went from the Seireitei and into Rukonkai, the more impoverished and lawless the area became. Or that''s how it used to be. Now, two of the Divisions were primarily focused on patrolling the Rukonkai to maintain law and order, while most of the more sparsely populated areas had been turned into farmland. The funny thing about Soul Society was that it was as large as was needed. So, if they needed twice the area for massive farming projects, that could be done. That simply meant more area to protect from Hollows. Incidentally, that had meant more training for the Shinigami and a large increase in their numbers. "Someone else claimed those reforms were indulgent and a waste of resources." Another Captain with snow white hair added, smiling a bit towards the Captain-Commander, clearly teasing the old man. Only he and the pink-caped Captain were able to tease the old man due to their long shared history. ¡°They were until we came here.¡± Old-man Yama grunted gruffly, before relenting. ¡°Although I will admit they worked to improve things even before.¡± ¡°There might of course be other ways to get more Shinigami.¡± The head of R&D interjected, keeping things on topic. ¡°We did get a report of a new Zanpakut¨­ spirit from ¨­etsu Nimaya.¡± The youngest among the Captains, another white-haired Captain who looked like a late teen stepped forward and spoke in a cold and emotionless voice. ¡°I sent my Lieutenant to investigate as instructed, and she recently returned. She didn¡¯t even want to share her report with me, preferring to wait for this meeting.¡± "Oh? Now I''m intrigued." The purple-haired woman smiled invitingly at Rangiku. ¡°Reporting! I traveled to the source of the new Zanpakut¨­, which was one of the roving academies, known as Mahora.¡± Rangiku reported while keeping her eyes cast down. She couldn¡¯t hide the excitement in her voice though, which was picked up by several of the Captains. ¡°Good news I assume?¡± The Captain with the pink cape asked. ¡°If I recall, there¡¯s been some talk of that academy lately. Something about dealing a serious blow against one of the most aggressive Locust species.¡± ¡°Turns out the owner of the new Zanpakut¨­ was one of the students.¡± Now Rangiku looked up. ¡°It¡¯s Seraphiel! My old Captain is back!¡± Everyone seemed stunned for several seconds, and the first to react was the purple-haired woman. She turned to the Lieutenant behind her. ¡°You¡¯re in charge Su¨¬-F¨¥ng.¡± Before vanishing faster than anyone could follow. She wasn¡¯t called the Goddess of Flash for nothing. The next one to react was a Captain who had torn the sleeves off his haori, and who looked like a ruffian, with his long hair styled into spikes. He ran out of the room laughing maniacally. ¡°I suppose it would¡¯ve been too much to stop those two with news like this.¡± Old man Yama muttered, before turning towards his Lieutenant. ¡°Ichigo, go after Kenpachi and make sure he doesn¡¯t cause a diplomatic disaster.¡± The orange-haired young man nodded. "What about Yoruichi?" He was referring to the woman who had vanished first. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to catch her. Besides, it might be better to have this confirmed, and Captain Yoruichi will be able to make sure.¡± Old man Yama decreed. Chapter 47 - Last hurrah ------- Seraphiel¡¯s lips quirked in a small smile as she came out of meditation. Her Zanpakut¨­ spirit was still playing hide and seek with her, but she could sense the spirit was getting curious. It was allowing her glimpses. Too short to tell any detail, but enough to know she was getting somewhere. This part of bonding with your spirit was always the most difficult. Once you got into contact, you would have to earn the spirit¡¯s respect, and the bond would grow with shared experiences and by understanding yourself. The Zanpakut¨­ spirits were a reflection of their master''s soul, and their abilities and appearance were a reflection of that. They shared most of their personality traits with their master, although it was typical that they embodied some particular portion of the master''s personality. It was also not uncommon for them to take one of their master''s weaknesses and take it to an extreme. For instance, Rangiku was a rather lazy person, and their Zanpakut¨­ spirit Haineko was an epitome of that. Though the spirit''s personality heavily depended on their master, they still possessed their own thoughts, feelings, opinions, and desires, which may differ from their master''s to varying degrees. She was somewhat anticipating what her new spirit would be like. She knew it wasn''t the same as her old spirit, that much had been already made clear by the couple of glimpses she''d gotten of the spirit. Her new spirit seemed humanoid, while her old spirit could only have been described as an existence. A force of nature, perhaps. She''d also been a different person back then. She''d still been somewhat idealistic, and that life had been one among many that had helped her turn as jaded as she was now. She was also curious about the powers. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure what she even wanted those powers to be currently. A knock sounded from the door. She knew what it was about. ¡°I¡¯m coming.¡± She called out, before picking up the few pieces of equipment that she¡¯d laid down surrounding her. Most of it was still borrowed, but at least it fit her a little better than before. She exited the largely ascetic room she¡¯d been meditating in and nodded to the tournament official waiting outside. The official led her through the passages lined up with images of past tournament winners, before bringing her to an arena. This time they were not entering an array of any kind, and fighting for real instead. The arena had the basic shape of an amphitheater with rough sand covering the ground, but it had several features protruding from the ground as well. Those features included platforms that could be used for added mobility and high-ground advantage, as well as simpler things like large rocks and plants that could be utilized by certain Skills. Evangeline had finally managed to enroll her in a solo competition with other academies, although this was also a public event that allowed people from outside the academies to participate. In fact, two of the remaining five contestants were such outsiders, her being one of the students of course. A quick glimpse with the [Gift of Knowledge] revealed that they were all higher level than her, which wasn¡¯t all that shocking, but even the highest level, one of the outsiders, was only 150 levels above her. One seemed like a mage type of some sort, one looked like she used some sort of ranged weapons, one she couldn¡¯t really tell details on, but the Skill came back as Warrior, and the last one, the highest level, seemed to be¡­was that a Jedi? Everyone applied any self-buffs they had before the start, and as the starting signal was given, a flurry of action happened straight away. The mage type, a Human male with rather handsome features, pulled out a magical wand and seemed to cast several spells, conjuring some sort of defenses, which turned out to be a good idea as the non-descript warrior Beastman suddenly disappeared and appeared right next to him. One of the conjured stone creatures took the attack instead of the caster, spoiling the advantage of surprise. On the other side, the gorgeous Sylph with colorful wings took to the air while launching several devastating projectiles at the Jedi, who either side-stepped them easily or swiped them down with his lightsaber before leaping up on the platforms chasing the Sylph. Seraphiel wasn¡¯t sure if she should be amused or insulted at being ignored so blatantly. It made some sense. She was by far the lowest level of the bunch, and thus many would assume she was the least dangerous. She hadn¡¯t been forced to show off too much during the previous rounds after all. Perhaps it was time to get some attention. She appeared right next to the assassin haranguing the magic-user, or Wizard as she now classified him as, and slammed the Tiger-clan Beastman down with a smashing strike of her golden shield. The Wizard, now realizing a new threat launched several spells at her, but she expertly cleaved them down with her Shinmei-ry¨± granted abilities to cut through magic. These spells had actual physical weight behind them, showing just how much power had been used, but that wasn¡¯t going to stop her. The Assassin tried to use some sort of mind-affecting shadow ability, but that was easily negated by her [Bastion of Purity]. That was exactly the sort of thing the Skill was meant to defend against. Instead, she retaliated by gathering a mass of [Telekinetic] energy and smashing it into the torso of the Assassin, causing him to disappear in a puff of smoke. That was the failsafe activating and the tournament organizer teleporting the disqualified man to safety. "That was rather brutal of you." The Wizard commented with a cocky grin, just as a pair of stone constructs leaped at her. Her golden wings appeared, and she spun around, easily cleaving the summons into ribbons with the edges of her wings. ¡°Hardly. I¡¯m not fond of assassins, but I used just enough force to trigger the failsafe.¡± She retorted, while at the same time using her wing to bat aside a ¡®stray¡¯ shot from the Sylph that was still being chased around by the Jedi. The Wizard sent a few more spells her way, which didn¡¯t fare any better than those he¡¯d used earlier. ¡°This doesn¡¯t look too good for me.¡± The man said, his cocky grin becoming a little strained. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. "No. No, it doesn''t." She replied, and made a quick grasping gesture, using her [Telekinesis] to yank the wand out of his hand. As she did that, the man sent a nasty-looking green spell wandlessly her way, trying to slip through her defenses. The spell hit a barrier she erected, destroying the barrier but getting deflected off to the side. "Wizards don''t really do well against dedicated mage-hunter types." She revealed as a slight explanation. ¡°And I would¡¯ve done so well against the Jedi too.¡± The Wizard stated wistfully, before disappearing in a puff of smoke, the referee deciding that punching the man out was unnecessary. Just as she turned around to face the remaining two fighters, a hail of arrows came her way from the Sylph, forcing her to once again defend herself with her wing. Now that she was no longer hiding them, the wings of a Celestial were their greatest defense. Her [Precognition] warned her, and she dodged to the side as the Jedi¡¯s lightsaber swished through the spot she¡¯d just been in. The Jedi had used the Sylph¡¯s attack as cover. Her Witchblade intercepted the Jedi¡¯s next attack, the two weapons locking together. A Witchblade was more than capable of withstanding attacks from lightsabers. ¡°Seems you dropped your charade.¡± She stated, turning to keep the Jedi between herself and the Sylph. The bearded Human man smiled a little at her words. ¡°What gave us away?¡± He asked calmly. "You not being able to catch her. Jedi have many flaws, but the inability to strike at flying opponents is not among those. Not unless you''re an incompetent Jedi, and you wouldn''t be here if you were that." Seraphiel explained as the two finally moved away, the Sylph immediately firing shots at her. She could sense these shots were using powerful Skills to increase their penetrative powers, so she didn''t feel any obligation to block them, instead simply moving out of the way. The great thing about [Precognition] was the ability to easily dodge ranged attacks. The Jedi used a hand gesture to send a large rock hurtling towards her, but she simply stopped it in mid-air. "Two can play this game." Seraphiel grinned and sent the rock back at the Jedi. As the Jedi also had the power of perceiving ahead, he dodged as well, but unfortunately, the Sylph behind him didn''t have that ability. The smack of the rock hitting the rather frail spiritual being made both Seraphiel and the Jedi grimace a bit, but Seraphiel knew that alone wasn¡¯t enough to take down the Sylph, even if it was enough to drop her on the ground. "The problem with ad-hoc team-ups." Seraphiel gestured towards the injured Sylph. "Lack of teamwork." ¡°It seems we have similar Skills.¡± The Jedi commented, still fairly confident in his level advantage. ¡°To an extent.¡± Seraphiel allowed. ¡°Interestingly, I also have something similar to your darker cousins.¡± Lightning jumped from her fingertips at the Jedi. Despite having his own precognition Skill, part of the attack caught the Jedi by surprise. Not the lightning itself. Seraphiel knew that proper Jedi knew how to use Tutamnis, an ability to absorb the energy from attacks. What the Jedi didn''t expect was the [Slayer of Titans and Gods] adding a holy element into the attack, and the holy smite striking him like a hammer blow, sending him reeling. That moment of distraction was enough for Seraphiel to suddenly appear next to the Sylph who was trying to rise up from the ground and tap her on the neck with her blade, sending her off the arena with another puff of smoke. Now having lost his ally, the Jedi came at her with surprising ferocity for a member of an order that valued serenity. Perhaps there was more going on between the man and the Sylph? Seraphiel didn¡¯t know and didn¡¯t care. A fight between two people with precognitive abilities was odd, to say the least. Both were making attacks that they knew wouldn''t work, but they went through the motions anyway. The Jedi was good with the blade. Not among the best she¡¯d seen, but quite good. His stats were relatively high as well, enough to allow him to keep up with her for a while. Eventually though, she started pushing him back, simply overwhelming him, as sweat dripped down his forehead while he struggled just to keep up. ¡°Well, this has been fun, but I think it¡¯s time to put an end to it.¡± Seraphiel declared. ¡°What do you-¡° The Jedi tried to ask, before the full force of Seraphiel¡¯s [Reiatsu] hit him, forcing him on his knees. ¡°You could¡¯ve done that the entire time?¡± The man managed to ask. "Sure, but it wouldn''t have been as interesting," Seraphiel said with a bright smile, before tapping him too on the neck, leaving her the only one standing in the arena. The organizers came to congratulate her, with all the accompanying pomp and jubilation, though to her it felt a little boring. Stomping on those weaker than her wasn''t really her idea of a good time, but it was something she owed to Eva, and the vampire had wanted her to make it really obvious as she crushed the opposition. After all the ceremony, she finally got back to Eva, who was rubbing her victory in the faces of the other headmasters. ¡°Nicely done Seraphiel. You took out all four opponents by yourself. Just enough showiness without going overboard.¡± Evangeline grinned. ¡°So, did you earn enough to consider us square?¡± Seraphiel asked. Eva nodded. ¡°This was enough. It was easy to get everyone betting when they saw your level.¡± She glanced at the other headmasters with a slightly mocking look. ¡°They should know not to judge a book by its level by now, but¡­¡± ¡°Where did you find someone like this?¡± Another headmaster asked. Seraphiel tuned out the chatter at that point. It was mostly meaningless for her anyway. The only time she paid attention was when some of the headmasters commented on her being an Angel, but even that was rather bland and without any malice. You couldn''t really become a headmaster of an academy while looking down on other races. And while Angels were not exactly the most popular race, no one really could look down on their capabilities, just their past actions. A sudden smile bloomed on her face as she sensed someone approaching very quickly. ¡°Headmaster. I need to step out.¡± She whispered to Eva, who tilted her head a bit, before sensing something as well and nodding. Seraphiel barely managed to exit the room with the headmasters, before a quickly moving missile rammed into her, picked her up, and transported both of them elsewhere. In the blink of an eye, she went from inside the arena to outside, being held in a classic ¡®princess carry¡¯ by a slender yet athletically fit and well-endowed woman of average height. Yoruichi had dark skin, golden feline irises, and purple hair tied back into a ponytail with chin-length bangs framing her attractive face. Seraphiel returned Yoruichi''s smile, not bothered by still being held up. "Yoruichi. It seems you''re fast as ever." Yoruichi had been known as the Flash Goddess thanks to her speed. In fact, she was widely recognized as the best user of Hoh¨­ ever in all of Soul Society. Notably, she was also unique among the Shinigami because she didn¡¯t carry a Zanpakut¨­. She had one, and a requirement of becoming a Captain was to achieve a Bankai, but she never used the weapon. "You''ve grown slower," Yoruichi said with a playful tone, before finally letting her down. ¡°Rangiku didn¡¯t explain?¡± Seraphiel asked. ¡°Or did you not stick around to listen to the explanation?¡± The slight blush on Yoruichi¡¯s face was all the confirmation she needed. ¡°You didn¡¯t! Hah!¡± ¡°You should be happy I didn¡¯t wait. Kenpachi also ran off right after me.¡± Yoruichi muttered while looking away a little bashfully, which was rare as usually Yoruichi was the one doing the teasing. ¡°Pfft. We both know he got lost on the way. That man has no sense of direction." She countered immediately but softened her words by placing a hand on Yoruichi''s shoulder. "So how have you been?" Yoruichi seemed to struggle for a moment before speaking. ¡°It¡¯s not been easy. I know you told me beforehand that you would disappear, but it was still hard to see. I tried to keep the Soul Society together and from backsliding too much, but that¡¯s mostly been just to keep me busy.¡± She moved the hand from Yoruichi¡¯s shoulder to her cheek. ¡°I know it¡¯s not easy. It never is.¡± "I hope you realize that now that I''ve found you again, I''m not leaving," Yoruichi said forcefully, before grabbing Seraphiel''s lapels and pulling her in for a passionate kiss. After the kiss ended, they rested their foreheads together. ¡°You haven¡¯t lost your touch.¡± Seraphiel teased a bit. ¡°Well, who says I haven¡¯t been practicing?¡± Yoruichi teased back. "I sincerely hope you have," Seraphiel responded and meant every word. "I might have found some trouble when going out drinking with Rangiku," Yoruichi admitted freely. ¡°So, just like old days.¡± Seraphiel smiled fondly. They¡¯d often gotten into such trouble as a trio in the past. ¡°Seriously though. Kenpachi will sooner or later find you, and you better be prepared. He¡¯s been grumpy ever since you disappeared as well.¡± Yoruichi got a bit more serious. ¡°And he¡¯s not going to take things easy after all those times you kicked him around.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± She promised. ¡°Now, tell me all about what¡¯s happened since I¡¯ve been gone!¡± Chapter 48 - Plans coming to fruition...sort of. -------- ¡°This Shepard person. Your tone of voice implies you¡¯re more than friends.¡± Yoruichi pointed out playfully, not a single jealous bone in her body. Considering the things they¡¯d done back when she¡¯d been at the Soul Society, jealousy would¡¯ve been out of character. Seraphiel nodded. ¡°We were. And, yes, she¡¯s also aware there were others.¡± She pre-empted the next question. ¡°So why are we waiting for her in the middle of nowhere¡­well, not nowhere considering this whole place has been fortified to hell and back, but you know what I mean," Yoruichi asked, while glancing at all the surrounding soldiers and ships. The Citadel Council had fortified this world to resist Tyranid invasions like Seraphiel had suggested. It was supposed to stand as a stronghold, keeping the ''Nids away from Citadel-controlled space. "No vessel that¡¯s not part of their faction is allowed to use the gate without permission. Shepard is our ticket to the Citadel.¡± She explained. ¡°And before you ask,¡± Kaede interjected. ¡°we¡¯re going there to acquire a ship. Maybe some additional gear. The Citadel Council owes Seraphiel several favors.¡± She and Tatsumiya were coming along to both get gear suitable for themselves, as well as to inspect the ship they¡¯d eventually get. Chachamaru had also come for her own reasons. ¡°And this Shepard person has agreed to support us?¡± Yoruichi asked. ¡°Yes. She can¡¯t join our new mercenary company due to being a Champion with duties, but she¡¯ll likely join us on several occasions when the situation allows for it.¡± Seraphiel added, leaning against some of the crates scattered around the makeshift spaceport. The whole place smelled of grease, metal, and freshly laid concrete. Her curiosity sated for now, Yoruichi also settled down to wait, leaning against the same box Seraphiel was leaning against, the two standing obviously quite close as if drawing strength from each other. Neither was really willing to stand further away, as it had been such a long time since they''d spent time peacefully together like this. They had to wait for almost an hour before they saw the familiar ship woosh above them, which prompted them to move inside and meet Shepard at the ship. There was nothing to see on this world, and they didn¡¯t want to spend any more time here than necessary. Shepard''s face was split by a bright smile as soon as she saw them approaching, having just stepped out of the ship. "Eager to go, aren''t you?" She glanced at the other four. ¡°I seem to recall seeing three of you at Mahora as teachers, while you are unfamiliar.¡± She looked at Yoruichi. ¡°Your current mercenary group then? Strong if few in numbers.¡± She nodded. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Yoruichi.¡± The mocha-skinned beauty practically purred while stepping forward. ¡°A former and future lover of Seraphiel. Looking forward to working with you.¡± She stated shamelessly while reaching out with a hand. Shepard laughed while grabbing the offered hand. ¡°Well, that didn¡¯t take long. I did warn Sephy that her old flings were going to come back up.¡± The two shook hands, evaluating each other and apparently approving what they saw. ¡°Incidentally, Wrex insisted on coming along.¡± ¡°Seraphiel!¡± A deep voice filled with both joy and battle-lust shouted, and soon a large, red-armored Krogan was charging at the Celestial. Instead of dodging, Seraphiel activated all her defensive abilities, braced herself, and headbutted the Krogan with all the power she could manage, causing both to stumble back. The Krogan growled good-naturedly while grabbing at his head-plate. ¡°Shepard told me you were weak. I knew she was lying. You¡¯d never be weak.¡± He laughed. ¡°Though you aren¡¯t as strong as you used to be. Next time I won¡¯t hold back.¡± Krogan were large, almost lizard-looking humanoids with a large hump on their back that gave them a slightly slouched appearance. They also had large chitinous plates on their heads, running down their back. They were a race practically bred for war, with thick hides, multiple redundant organs, and regenerative abilities that matched Trolls. If you wanted to kill a Krogan, you better make sure they were all the way dead, or they¡¯d get up later on, having regenerated most of the damage, and that was before System interference. "Seraphiel!" The huge thing threw his hands open, in a much more friendly greeting this time, pulling her into a hug, and patting her on the back before letting go. ¡°Wrex. How are you, you old coot?¡± She asked with a wide smile. ¡°Old? I¡¯ll have you know that this Vitality thingamajig has me in perfect health. I could wrestle a Thresher Maw!¡± He boasted, slamming his fists together, and probably wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. ¡°I¡¯d pay to see that.¡± She nodded in approval. ¡°What brings you out here?¡± ¡°I heard you¡¯re putting together a group. Knowing you, you¡¯ll get into all sorts of great scraps. I¡¯ve had enough of trying to civilize my people for now. I left Eve in charge of that futile effort.¡± He slammed fists against his chest armor in expectation. Seraphiel had always thought the name of the female Krogan Wrex had taken as a mate was a bit ironic, considering Eve was also a name she was very familiar with from her past. The first female Human and all that. "You''re always welcome to join us Wrex, though I can''t promise a quick battle." She hedged a bit. ¡°Bah! You may not promise it, but battle follows you wherever you go.¡± Wrex scoffed. "He''s not wrong," Yoruichi muttered. ¡°See? Even the cat knows!¡± Wrex pointed at the woman. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Cat?¡± Shepard asked. ¡°She smells like your earthling cats.¡± Wrex just shrugged in lieu of an explanation. ¡°I was about to say I didn¡¯t fight in battles for years in the academy, but¡­¡± She grimaced. ¡°You fought in the events and duels.¡± Kaede finished for her. ¡°You know, the Krogan has a point. You are a magnet for battles. We never had any trouble until you came along. Now that might just be a coincidence, but¡­¡± ¡°Screw it. Let¡¯s just go and find us a ship.¡± She surrendered with a sigh. ------ Negotiating with the Citadel Council for a ship and gear was actually surprisingly easy. The Council had been famously stubborn in the past until Seraphiel had hammered some reason into their thick heads. Those lessons had apparently not been forgotten. It only took both Seraphiel and Shepard reminding them that they owed her. In fact, they owed her just about anything she might desire. Besides, keeping good relations with an unbound Champion, and someone who had a wealth of knowledge on how to fight the Tyranids as well as a large range of other threats was quite useful. A ship and some high-end gear by their standards were a small price to pay. Something all the councilors quickly realized. Just like the ship Shepard used, their new vessel had a similar silhouette to the Normandy of old, a rough arrow shape with slightly down-tilted wings, but that wasn''t too surprising. That shape was universally used for its effectiveness and simplicity. It wasn''t one of the high-end magitech ships, but it still utilized magic in the construction. Besides, they didn''t need it to be high-tech, since they would be upgrading most of it, part by part. Seraphiel had visited many, many universes, and she''d picked up quite a lot of engineering knowledge, magical and otherwise. She only needed to make her ideas into reality. Finally, her [Magical Engineering] Skill would start to see real use. The frigate-sized ship itself was quite optimal for the use of a small mercenary group. It could easily house a couple dozen people without much of an issue and didn''t require a large crew to keep working. The cargo hold was large enough for a decent amount of equipment as well while allowing the ship to be small enough to make landfall without dedicated facilities. "This is nice," Yoruichi commented, sliding her hand along the leather benches. Real leather. Joker would¡¯ve been proud. "Though I''m still not sure why you won''t just use a Senkaimon for travel." Senkaimon was the dimensional gateway that the Shinigami used to enter and leave Soul Society. It also allowed them to travel between worlds. "Because only Shinigami have the ability to use the Senkaimon, and the only ones currently in existence are controlled by the Soul Societies," Seraphiel explained. Yoruichi scoffed. ¡°Surely you don¡¯t expect me to believe you haven¡¯t figured out how to create your own.¡± ¡°Actually, I haven¡¯t. I never needed to. While I was in the Soul Society, the Senkaimon present served me just fine, and I could always create a Garganta if necessary.¡± Garganta were basically fractures in dimensions used by Hollows to travel. ¡°Once I was no longer in Soul Society, I had access to other methods of travel. Methods that I don¡¯t yet have access to in this life, although I¡¯m getting close.¡± She could theoretically create portals between any two points with [Reality Manipulation]. Just that her current powers were not enough to travel between worlds. Since her Bankai had also granted the ability to manipulate reality, giving her access to that power even as a Shinigami, she hadn¡¯t seen the point in the inefficient Senkaimon for her personal use. "It''s not as shabby as I assumed," Wrex grunted, dropping down his personal gear in the cargo bay. ¡°Only needs a Mako and some engine grease to make the place feel like old times.¡± ¡°The gear they provided was also quite excellent. Even my old weapon isn¡¯t quite as efficient.¡± Tatsumiya placed her gear down on a nearby workbench that could be used to fiddle with their gear. Shepard walked up the ramp leading into the ship, clearly having overheard those words. ¡°If there¡¯s something our people are good at, it¡¯s making guns. Even the gear I use is made by our weaponsmiths. Combining Quarian Engineering, Krogan desire for mayhem, and Asari artistic approach is surprisingly effective, even when magic is involved.¡± They''d all gotten several guns and armor. Unlike the ship, these were top-of-the-line, equipment usually reserved for special forces. They weren¡¯t normal guns and armor of course. Instead of shooting bullets, they shot condensed psionic power or mana. Funny enough, her [Weapon King Arts] applied, since more futuristic weapons had been included when creating the Skill. Thanks to her [Fatebreaker¡¯s Regalia], even her psionic enchantments applied, as did her passive smite Skill from her Paladin Class, meaning the gun was much more effective in her hands than pretty much anyone else. Still, she could always pull out her Witchblade and shield if necessary. Even Yoruichi had picked one just in case. The armor was also lined with powerful magical runes. It was well made, utilizing both advanced technology and magic. It was also very form-fitting so that it would count towards [Juicy Armor] and [Sanctity of the Firstborn]. Even so, it was less revealing than what she¡¯d worn before. She hadn¡¯t explored all the features of either her weapons or armor yet, so she¡¯d need to put them to a real test. And they would need someone with proper crafting Classes. ¡°I agree, even if guns aren''t really my thing." Chachamaru nodded as well while marking off things on her clipboard as more mundane supplies were brought aboard. ¡°I assume you¡¯ll be upgrading this ship and probably even our weapons over time?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± She nodded. ¡°On that note, I have already found a first gig for us. It¡¯s not glamorous, but it¡¯s something to build up a reputation and contacts. It¡¯s also something you can do while still applying for graduation.¡± Chachamaru glanced at Yoruichi. ¡°This is your Pactio partner then?¡± The two glanced at each other, Yoruichi lifted an eyebrow in question before both nodded. "Yeah, that''s us." "Alright. Since neither of you is a mage, then it''ll be a Knight''s pact. I''ll arrange a time for it when you return to Mahora the next time." Then she looked at all of them with intensity they were not used to when it came to Chachamaru. "No one has any problems if I handle flying. Right?" Although technically that was a question, none of them were stupid enough to argue. ------ "Hahaha." Wrex laughed uproariously while firing his shotgun, charging in the middle of the enemies while letting his biotics take any return fire. "I knew you''d get us into the best scraps!" He shouted, crushing the skull of a skeletal-looking metallic robot that had previously glowed with green power. Seraphiel and Kaede came up from behind the Krogan, firing at the disorganized enemies, all protected by Seraphiel¡¯s defensive buffs. Tatsumiya was on overwatch with her sniper rifle, while Yoruichi focused on protecting their client. ¡°How the heck am I to blame for Father damned Necron showing up?!¡± Seraphiel protested. They were all quickly making a hasty exit towards their new ship while several eerily glowing floating pyramids slowly made their way towards them. Under those pyramids marched countless metallic skeletal warriors. Despite what the description might imply, these were not undead, nor were they wielding medieval weaponry. Instead, they were using very high-tech Gauss weapons that would flay anyone and anything apart at the atomic level. Anything not protected by defensive System Skills that is. And perhaps due to their soulless nature, these skeletons didn''t benefit from the System nearly as much as many other enemies, making them rather fragile. That didn''t make them harmless, just not as difficult of an opponent as they might have been in some other universe. "So you say, but¡­" Kaede used her gun to gesture at the devastation around them. This had been a rather sizeable scientific colony before the Necron showed up. Now it was a smoking ruin. ¡°Look, Chachamaru is the one to get us a job to pick up and escort a scientist! Nobody said anything about any Necron.¡± Seraphiel protested, mostly in jest. The Human scientist opened his mouth at that point. ¡°And I¡¯m quite appreciative of that protection by the way.¡± His words went completely ignored. ¡°It¡¯ll be an easy job¡¯ she said.¡± Seraphiel continued. ¡°Something you can do to build up reputation¡¯ she said.¡± ¡°Well, this¡¯ll certainly build a reputation!¡± Wrex laughed, firing at several of the enemies, while simply bulldozing through them. None of the Necrons had anything that could harm a Krogan almost a thousand levels above them with several defensive Skills. ¡°Performing evacuations from a hot zone.¡± ¡°I¡¯d suggest keeping things in moderation.¡± Chachamaru¡¯s amused voice came over the comms. ¡°While you can easily take the Necron warriors, our ship won¡¯t fare as well against their fleet unless you hurry up.¡± A sudden sound of a heavy impact sounded behind them, and a mechanical construct similar to the Necron warriors rose from the new crater. Only this being wasn¡¯t a mindless, soulless being, and had more than enough levels to be a problem. ¡°Time to go. Plan C.¡± She grabbed the shoulder of Wrex and disappeared, reappearing inside the ship. Even if she didn¡¯t have the power to travel between worlds yet, teleporting short distances was doable. ¡°Aww. Just as things were getting good.¡± Wrex expressed his disappointment. Yoruichi appeared only a second later, carrying their client, while Kaede and Tatsumiya were not far behind, having their own methods of moving quickly. Kaede simply slipped out of a shadow, while Tatsumiya opened some sort of magical gateway, with one of her eyes glowing ominously. ¡°Were all aboard. Punch it Chachamaru.¡± The magical sniper called out simply. "Well, that should count as a successful mission," Yoruichi stated happily. "We still need to get to where we''re going," Kaede stated flatly. ¡°And we still have Sephy along. Right, right.¡± Yoruichi nodded in sudden understanding. ¡°So prepare for battle.¡± "That''s what I''m talking about," Wrex grunted, now more cheery. Chapter 49 - Adeat! ------- ¡°So how does this work exactly?¡± Yoruichi asked as the two entered the Pactio chambers of Mahora Academy, along with Chachamaru and Eva, who were along to officiate and observe respectively. ¡°It¡¯s rather simple. The two of you will stand in the magic formation and initiate physical contact. Kiss is the common method, albeit not necessary. A hug, or even a handshake is enough, though that can influence the result.¡± Chachamaru explained. "In what way? What kind of result are we expecting?" Yoruichi questioned while looking at the church-like building. It felt a bit like a wedding all things considered, without all the guests and partying. "The Pactio has two results when initiated between what we''d call two Knights." Eva took over the explanation. "The first one is that the both of you will gain an artifact of some sort. The artifact is quite random, but generally, it reflects the user in some way. It''s rarely entirely useless, though that has happened as well. Additionally, both of you gain the ability to lend some of your power to your partner in the form of a buff to their stats. How much power and how large of a buff depends. For both, the strength of the connection between two people is a major factor, as is compatibility, and the emotions you put into the Pactio during the process.¡± "O¡­K¡­sounds weird but let''s get to it," Yoruichi stated while practically skipping towards a magical circle drawn on the ground. "Done this before?" She asked Seraphiel. ¡°No, though I¡¯ve seen it done many, many times. Negi got into too many Pactios especially considering his age.¡± She explained. Chachamaru channeled some mana into the circle and nodded towards them. ¡°You may initiate whenever ready.¡± There was no hesitation as Yoruichi pulled her into a heated kiss. The circle glowed brightly as the two channeled their feelings towards each other. The feelings between the two were complicated, to say the least. They¡¯d been lovers for hundreds of years, though they had not been a very traditional couple. Exclusive and monogamous were words not really associated with what they¡¯d had. They had loved each other, and still did on many levels. But describing the feelings formed over centuries of care and all the shared experiences with the simple word love was not quite fair. Desire, comfort, trust, playfulness, hope, pleasure, reliance, faith, amusement, laughs, teasing, and many others were twined into this rope of emotions. There was also exasperation, anger, frustration, longing, fear, loss, regret, and many more negative feelings in the mix, but those were in the minority. They had faced unbelievable danger and the weight of years together. The weight of those emotions and all those years was much more than the fresh budding feelings of most new couples that performed the Pactio ritual, and the result showed. Both were surrounded by vast quantities of mana as the formation drew on the surroundings. As the ritual came to an end, they were both holding their artifacts. Yoruichi had a pair of gloves. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± She asked a little confused. The gloves looked like simple black velvet. "I''ll identify them now," Chachamaru stated, casting a stronger identification spell than the basic Skill that most everyone had. "Ah, they''re a sort of weapon. The Assassin''s Hands. They draw on the shadow realm and allow your physical attacks to ignore a portion of the target''s defenses. They can also extend to the rest of your body and can even shape weapons if you want. It seems the longer the Pactio exists, the better the gloves become at ignoring defenses.¡± ¡°Ooh, that has always been a bit of an issue for me since I don¡¯t use my Zanpakut¨­ in battle. Nice!¡± She cheered a bit. She¡¯d always been a great martial artist and very fast, but she lacked some striking power against heavily defensive opponents. ¡°What about you? Where¡¯s your artifact?¡± Eva asked Seraphiel. ¡°You can¡¯t see it?¡± She asked in confusion. She had a long red string in her hands. ¡°I¡¯m holding it right now.¡± ¡°No. I can¡¯t see anything either.¡± Chachamaru confirmed. "Interesting," Seraphiel muttered and used her [Gift of Knowledge] instead. What she saw suddenly made her grin widely. ¡°Oh, someone is happy. Something good obviously.¡± Yoruichi noted. ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Seraphiel practically purred. ¡°It can help me find things and people. No matter the distance and the dimensions between us. It¡¯s called the Red String of Fate.¡± She tested it by thinking of Rangiku, and the string suddenly seemed to stretch infinitely into the sky. She got a feel of the general distance, and where her target was, as well as their current condition. Rangiku was sleeping of course. She also knew she would be able to find her target, even with her eyes closed. ¡°This is going to be very, very useful, even if it¡¯s not something for battle.¡± ¡°I can think of a dozen applications right away, and that¡¯s without understanding the exact function.¡± Eva nodded in agreement. ¡°Can you find anyone and everything?¡± ¡°I get the sense there are limitations, but that those limitations will grow less strenuous and restricting as time passes, just like Yoruichi¡¯s artifact. The most obvious limitation for now seems to be that if I want to find someone I haven¡¯t met, it¡¯s going to take a lot more power to maintain the effect. Although, that means I can still find anyone, just that I might need to do it in short spurts, resting between uses.¡± ¡°That sounds extremely handy, indeed.¡± Yoruichi nodded. ¡°There are countless bounties we could collect, just to name the most obvious use. I¡¯m sensing our mercenary band will become famous for finding people and stuff pretty quickly.¡± -------- Seraphiel extended her hand, palm upwards, in front of her and focused. She could sense the target of the thread not far from her, and a little bit above, which meant the building in front of them. "He''s inside." She stated, slumping slightly from the effort of using her artifact. Her words caused Yoruichi and Wrex to rush inside, while Tatsumiya remained on overwatch and Kaede disappeared into the shadows. The sound of shots being fired quickly started echoing through the doors and windows, as multiple people fought back, unsuccessfully. Chachamaru crossed another name off a list when the shooting came to an end. ¡°I have to say, these last couple of weeks have been really good for our reputation. Four high-profile fugitives, and two missing people found.¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s bloody exhausting, and doesn¡¯t leave much in the tank for me to participate in the combat portion of the whole thing.¡± She replied. The exhaustion was more mental and draining on her power reserves, instead of physical exhaustion. The good part of being a psion was quick regeneration though, so she could give Yoruichi a boost through the Pactio as her powers recovered. Not that it was really necessary most of the time. As she naturally used her Paladin abilities to buff up her entire group, she¡¯d been relegated to a support member, being the lowest-level person in the group anyway. Very, very useful as proper supports could be real force multipliers, but a little boring. She could also be the healer as well, though that hadn¡¯t been necessary so far. ¡°Still gains you experience, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Chachamaru asked rhetorically, already knowing the answer. ¡°Of course.¡± She confirmed. ¡°And a lot of it.¡± The System recognized the contributions of both non-combat and combat support Classes. When you used supportive abilities, a small portion of the experience gained by those under the effect was transferred to you. So she got credit for both supporting her friends in combat, as well as finding the target in the first place. The den they''d raided this time was one run by surviving Batarian slavers. The Batarians as a race had been effectively wiped out after they tried to enslave the wrong person, but that didn''t mean the few remaining pockets of that race changed their ways. No, in fact, they doubled down on what they knew best, unknowingly leading to the slow extinction of their race. Slow extinction that most other races were more than happy to hurry along. No one liked Batarians. Not even other Batarians. "Is this the last job for the Council?" Seraphiel asked since Chachamaru was the one keeping record of such things. ¡°Aside from tracking down one last missing person, yes," Chachamaru confirmed without even checking her list. ¡°Can you give me the details while we wait?¡± She asked and was handed a sheet with a picture of a young girl and some basic information. ¡°Hmm, a little thin on the details, but I can try.¡± She focused for a bit of time, picturing the girl in her mind, activating her artifact. At first, she thought there were not enough details, or she was simply too low on power. It had already been proven that the more she knew about the person, the easier it was to use the artifact. But a less positive thought occurred to her, which got confirmed quickly. "I''m afraid we''re too late." She said in a sad voice. ¡°How do you know?¡± Chachamaru asked. "I tried finding her and got nothing. On a hunch, I tried finding her remains and got a hit. They''re actually on this world.¡± She gave the bad news. Chachamaru made a face. ¡°That¡¯s too bad. The parents were really hopeful. Though I suppose there¡¯s nothing we can do about it.¡± She tapped her clipboard. ¡°They¡¯d likely want the remains returned at least.¡± ¡°It would at least be confirmation and closure, and considering we''re already on the correct world, it would be a polite thing to do. Besides, we might stumble on her abductors. While revenge isn¡¯t something that will bring the child back, it would still be better than knowing the perp is still out there.¡± She responded, just as Wrex came outside while dragging the badly mangled corpse of a particular Batarian. Enough for identification. ¡°We¡¯ll need to handle another job. It¡¯s on the same world.¡± Seraphiel announced. "I think I heard the prudish one say something of a little girl," Wrex grunted, referring to Chachamaru. Funnily enough, the android was the only one not wearing clothing that could be considered racy. ¡°I¡¯m certainly game for saving one of the little ones.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, this isn¡¯t a rescue. It¡¯s recovery of remains and a potential revenge-kind of situation.¡± Seraphiel corrected with a shake of her head. Wrex and Yoruichi growled both. ¡°I¡¯m even more game for taking out a child killer.¡± The Krogan stated with a dark voice. Unfortunately for them, the site where the remains were was abandoned, and no signs remained of a possible culprit. And while Seraphiel''s artifact could do many things, it couldn''t find something as abstract as ''the person who killed this child''. At least for now, she still needed to know who or what she was looking for. "In that case, we''re up," Kaede announced, stepping forward with Tatsumiya. Both were experts at tracking and discovering clues and information. "It''s a shame I''ve never had abilities related to psychometry," Seraphiel muttered as she watched the two work. The closest she¡¯d gotten was when she¡¯d been a Vampire. Some Vampires had those sorts of abilities, but those were mostly Malkavians, and she thanked all that was holy that she¡¯d not been part of that Clan during her time as a Vampire. "That one''s pretty rare," Chachamaru added her two cents. "Even in the academy, we rarely saw anyone like that. Many people simply don''t think of it when their Skill slots are already limited." "If the girl''s soul was still around, I could talk to it, but souls rarely linger for too long in this universe," Yoruichi added. Resurrection Skills were also possible but extremely rare. Those also tended to need the presence of the soul, limiting their use to those recently dead. ¡°We¡¯ve got something!¡± Kaede announced suddenly. ¡°It¡¯s not much, but Tatsumiya might be able to use it to trace the killer.¡± Tatsumiya¡¯s eye was glowing enough to burst into flames, but she quickly followed some trace invisible to the others. The entire group followed behind, most of them capable of traversing large distances quickly. Wrex and Chachamaru were slower, so they went back to the ship to follow with that. Tatsumiya stopped several times, as if she had to differentiate whatever it was that she was following from other traces, but the journey always continued. Eventually, they started reaching habitation. Simple prefabricated hab-blocks. This world was a remote one with limited habitation. Most of it scum, ranging from raiders to pirates, and even to slavers. This group didn¡¯t seem to be an exception. ¡°This is as close as I can get us. I can¡¯t differentiate the person we¡¯re looking for from the rest.¡± Tatsumiya said regretfully. Their ship landed behind them, drawing attention from the people inside who were all gathering outside. They were a gathering of the majority races of this galaxy. Humans, Turians, Salarians, Krogans, even a few Quarians and Hanar. There were a couple of beings from other universes clearly mixed into the group as well. ¡°They don¡¯t seem especially reputable, so I would suggest taking all of them out, except then we¡¯d never be sure we got the right person.¡± Yoruichi pointed out. "It seems some interrogations are in order," Seraphiel said firmly. "Oi! What do you think you''re doing here?!" One of the Humans called out. It was always the Humans who were the most reckless. Mot would think the Krogans would be the first to pick a fight, but the three Krogans in the group were showing surprising judgment as they were edging out from the rest of the group. Wrex''s presence likely helped, as he trooped down the ramp of the ship. ¡°We¡¯re looking for one particular criminal among you. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t know which one, so we¡¯ll have to do some digging.¡± Seraphiel announced. ¡°And who do you thi-¡° The same Human tried to say before the crushing weight of both Seraphiel''s and Yoruichi''s [Reiatsu] forced them all to their knees. These were not cr¨¨me of the crop warriors with high levels, and they were suffocating under the sudden pressure, barely able to draw breath. ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking any questions yet. You¡¯ll know when the questioning starts.¡± Seraphiel said in a voice that brook no arguments. She slashed her own wrist, allowing blood to flow freely on the ground, surrounding everyone. The sight of seemingly endless blood behaving weirdly and forming into complex magical patterns was enough to spook most of the scum gathered here. She had a nice Blood Magic Ritual in mind, one that would allow her to tell when someone was lying. Vampires were very good with this sort of thing and had developed all sorts of ways to discern liars from those who spoke the truth. They usually also had ways to protect themselves as well, if they were smart, but these people certainly didn¡¯t. ¡°Now, there are several ways to do this, each more delectable than the ones before. Let me tell you a little secret. A bad torturer only knows how to break the body of their target. A decent torturer knows how to break the spirit of their target. And a good torturer can break the very minds and souls of their targets. Given a little time, I could make you all sing like the little bitches you all are. By the time I would be done with you, you¡¯d not only tell me everything I want to know, but everything you know, offering any morsel of information. And this is the best part. Not to make me stop, but to make me continue. Why? Because whatever dregs remain of your broken empty husk know that once I¡¯m done, there will be nothing left for you. No emotion, no life, no hope. Even if you miraculously found a great healer, nothing would be able to heal the scars on your mind and soul.¡± The worst part was that Seraphiel said all this with a cheery, almost giddy voice. There was not even a shred of doubt in anyone¡¯s mind whether she was capable of doing what she promised. ¡°Or¡­¡± Yoruichi prompted. ¡°Or¡­you can all be boring and help me find who we are looking for.¡± She said with a disappointed tone. The scum were happy to squeal all they knew, and they found who they wanted in minutes. After the other scum heard that the Human, it was always a Human, man was a child killer and potentially worse, they offered to execute the man themselves. Feeling charitable, Seraphiel let them. They would take the body back to the parents of the child. ¡°Damn. I¡¯ve said this before, and I¡¯ll say it again. You would¡¯ve made a great Krogan. Almost to the point that I¡¯m happy you weren¡¯t born as one.¡± Wrex commented. "I am a little curious about where you learned so much about torture," Kaede asked, as an aficionado of the field herself. Seraphiel laughed mirthlessly. ¡°The Eldar¡¯s darker cousins, Drukhari, taught me much. Chaos taught me more. Besides, my brother is literally the Lord of Hell.¡± ¡°Raziel?¡± Tatsumiya asked a little confused. ¡°Not that brother.¡± Seraphiel shook her head. ¡°You¡¯d know him best as Lucifer.¡± The name carried meaning in many, many universes due to how fundamental the story was to the foundation of the original universe, to the point where many universes had their own version of Lucifer, so they all understood immediately. Chapter 50 - Embroiled --------- She didn¡¯t even need to look up from her work on their new ship¡¯s weapons to sense the presence of The Goddess. ¡°Mother. What an unexpected pleasure.¡± She managed to state without any sarcasm slipping into her tone. ¡°Seraphiel. It¡¯s always good to see you.¡± The Goddess walked to stand next to her, to stare at what she was doing. Despite all her advantages, Mother had never had much mind for technology. If she had wanted to, she could¡¯ve understood all of it, but she didn¡¯t bother. A master of picking up and discarding knowledge as necessary. ¡°As true as that likely is, why are you here?¡± She asked, still not looking up from her work. ¡°I have a job for you and your new mercenary outfit. Well, to be specific, I have a job I¡¯d like you to take. I don¡¯t personally have work for you.¡± The Goddess clarified. ¡°Sounds interesting. I suppose I am somewhat dutybound to do work for you as your Paladin.¡± She allowed, finally putting the finishing touches on the component she was working on. [Congratulations! [Magical Engineering] has leveled up from 330 to 331!] She¡¯d been getting a lot of those lately. Work on the ship was quite gratifying in that regard. "This isn''t really one of those, although I could make it one if you''d prefer. There''s a particular world. You visited it before, although briefly. This world is always in trouble, but lately, that trouble has reached new heights. They are desperately seeking help from the outside. It''s a Core World, so one of the reasons you might consider accepting is to gain some of the resources for your next Class evolution." Charlotte dangled a carrot in front of her, as was her style. ¡°If it¡¯s a Core World, then they have a Champion and a god ruling over them, no?¡± She asked. ¡°More than one of both actually. Just like the galaxy it¡¯s related to, this world is filled with potential Champions. They¡¯re simply not enough to counter all the threats at the moment.¡± Charlotte dropped another tidbit. ¡°Related¡­I can only think of a couple possibilities. Does this world perchance have a problem with certain Chaos Gods? One of which I might have killed in the ¡®related¡¯ galaxy?¡± She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. ¡°It does indeed. Which is another reason I¡¯d like you to get involved. You could even say you¡¯re already involved. Incidentally, that world has approached some of the groups you¡¯re familiar with, such as the Soul Society, and the Draenei. There¡¯s a lot of good that could be done, and a lot of information that could be learned.¡± Charlotte revealed. ¡°And shenanigans to get into, I¡¯m sure. I can only imagine how many of my old acquaintances are involved.¡± She pointed out, her tone less than pleased. ¡°Which is only a negative thing if you decide to let it be. From another point of view, there are quite a few people you could recruit into your merry band of misfits if you wanted.¡± The Goddess turned the issue around. "In fact, I would imagine you to be happy to meet some of your old friends." The worst part was that she wasn¡¯t wrong. Seraphiel¡¯s visit to the world in question had not been a long one. It had been one of those where she¡¯d refused to play by Father¡¯s rules, and she¡¯d been yanked out rather quickly. She¡¯d made some friends, mostly to pass the time, but not too many, and she doubted many of them would still be alive. Most of the potential friends would be among the help being sent. In theory, the idea of visiting the world again wasn¡¯t exactly an onerous one. That world was a fucked-up place, but it had its positives as well, and it certainly had enough conflict to be a good place to gain levels. As such, it wasn¡¯t really the idea of visiting that world that had her on edge. It was the involvement of the Chaos Gods, who likely still carried a grudge, and her old acquaintances. She didn¡¯t mind meeting old friends on a basic level, but the risk of shenanigans was huge. Having Yoruichi and Shepard run into each other had been a little awkward, but this whole affair risked that issue escalating further. Much further. ¡°I¡¯ll have to see what the offer is. I¡¯m not doing this alone, and I¡¯m not in the habit of taking impossible tasks for little reward.¡± She said carefully. ¡°Oh, their offer is quite good. And you know better than I that the particular world will never see lasting peace, so I don¡¯t expect you to bring such. I simply want you to put your thumb on the scale to push things in the right direction.¡± Charlotte reassured her. She tapped a communicator she carried on her uniform while inside the ship. ¡°Chachamaru.¡± ¡°Yes, Seraphiel?¡± The android asked. ¡°Did we recently get a job offer from the Core Worlds?¡± She asked, as the world in question actually didn¡¯t have an official name. It had some monikers, like ¡°The Fated Place¡± or a scientific name Mallus, but nothing more specific. ¡°We did. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure what to do with it, as the scale is way off our current scope. We¡¯d just be a small fraction of a much larger whole.¡± Chachamaru replied. ¡°That said, the pay is really good, as they¡¯re paying in Core World materials for just contributing, so I was going to bring it up as a possibility.¡± ¡°What exactly is the job? And offered by who?¡± She asked, just to confirm. ¡°It comes from a Human nation imaginatively named The Empire. There are several methods that we could contribute, each of which brings its own rewards. This Empire is beset on all sides by enemies, and they are pretty desperate for help. Luckily, they¡¯re also very flush in materials as one of the major nations of a major Core World. We could help in one of the many battlefronts to help drive the enemies back, hunt out traitors and cults, help gain and spread certain resources to the beleaguered fronts through enemy raiding, or even work as diplomatic envoys. Just to name a few.¡± It sounded like Chachamaru was reading straight off a list. ¡°The employer is one Karl Franz, the Emperor.¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. She didn¡¯t recognize the name, although that was not strange considering Human lifespans. The Empire she was familiar with. Or at least a nation by that name. Whether it was the same place was another question. ¡°I¡¯m up for taking the offer. Ask the others what they think.¡± She stated, closing the connection. She looked up at Charlotte. ¡°It seems you¡¯ll be getting your wish.¡± ¡°Most excellent.¡± The Goddess just grinned widely at that. ------ The world was the fourth planet from the star known as S?ll. They weren''t the only new arrivals as several Draenei dimensional fortresses had arrived just moments before. They were all heading towards the designated gathering spot within the nation known as the Empire, just outside the capital city of Altdorf. The Empire, formally also known as the Empire of Man, was divided into semiautonomous feudal states called Electoral Provinces, or Grand Provinces. The rulers of these provinces were known as the Elector Counts and would gather to elect the new emperor once the previous holder of the title passed. The technology level of the Empire was roughly around the start of the gunpowder age, meaning cannons and guns were becoming more ubiquitous, but swords, spears, bows, and shields were still the mainstay. The Empire also worshipped a supposedly ascended warrior-king Sigmar as the main deity. There were religious divides in the nation as well as some provinces worshipping other deities, and Chaos cults were growing more common, which was one of the issues they might be able to help solve. As their ship landed next to the Draenei, who were already disembarking their flying fortresses, they were met by a man in heavy armor holding an impressive war hammer. The honor guard around the man implied he wasn''t just a random official. A quick inspection tagged the man as a level 738 Warrior, accompanied by a pair of level 600 wizards and a group of armed warriors wielding impressive great swords in their 300s. ¡°Welcome to the Empire of Man, honored warriors!¡± The man declared with a booming voice. ¡°I am Karl Franz, the soon-to-be emperor, as soon as the Elector Counts get off their arses and hold the election. I will also be your employer.¡± "Archenon poros!" The leading Draenei, a large male who seemed to be some sort of a Paladin as well, greeted loudly. "I am General Kuren, the head of the Draenei detachment." He seemed a bit young to be a general, though in the case of Draenei, that meant under a thousand years old. Seraphiel stepped forward. ¡°And I am Seraphiel, the leader of the mercenary band we have yet to name.¡± She smiled ironically at the lacking introduction. The human leader looked towards her and those she¡¯d brought. ¡°Not large numbers, but I can sense great power.¡± He was including Seraphiel in that statement despite her relatively lower level, signifying that he had a decent eye and could sense deeper than the surface. He turned towards the Draenei. ¡°You bring greater numbers. Good, we have missions suited for both. Correct utilization of forces is important. There¡¯s no point in sending an elite squad to the frontlines, and there¡¯s no point in using an entire regiment of Draenei to hunt down bandits and saboteurs.¡± He then proceeded to give a brief overview of the situation. The Empire was beset by enemies on all sides. To the north, Chaos in its many forms was gathering and making increasingly frequent forays to Human-controlled lands. In the east, Orcs were coming down the mountains, and a grove of malevolent Dryads was creating problems. To the southeast, Vampires were stirring and creating trouble. To the south, more Orcs coming through the mountain passes, Skaven burrowing down the mountains, and Ogre warbands wandering every which way. At least to the west, they had mostly allies in the form of another Human nation of Bretonnia. Internal strife was also abundant. Aside from the political issues, Chaos cults were becoming frequent, Beastmen and bandits were coming out of every forest, and the religious divide didn¡¯t help. ¡°Another issue we could use help with is diplomacy. There are other races we could forge alliances with, but that would require us to convince them to put aside old grudges and strife and convince them of the utility of forging an alliance. So, if you¡¯re feeling diplomatic, I could have you escorting our envoys.¡± The man suggested. "Nope," Yoruichi announced. "Seraphiel is certified shit at diplomacy." Seraphiel grasped her chest. ¡°I¡¯m hurt! I truly am! Such a lack of faith. People usually tend to see things my way." Yoruichi scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you have exactly two methods of diplomacy. First browbeating everyone, before sometimes actually knocking their heads together until they do what you want. Or you seduce them, knocking boots until you come to a mutually beneficial arrangement.¡± "I can confirm," Wrex added. "She quite literally slapped the stupid out of the Turian Councilor way back when. It was glorious, but not exactly diplomatic." ¡°Hey, it got things done, did it not?¡± She protested. ¡°Only because you had enough power to force them to see things your way. I think you used your powers to forcefully share memories with Tevos, the Asari Councilor.¡± Wrex laughed. ¡°I think you¡¯re used to being the most powerful being in the room. You¡¯ve become a bit more tactful since, but only due to circumstance.¡± ¡°I¡¯m hearing a no on diplomacy then.¡± The Human leader smoothly moved on. ¡°So, you can of course take your pick of the available assignments, but if I had my preference, I¡¯d have the Draenei support our war efforts, either in the north against Chaos, or more in the south against the Vampires.¡± He turned towards Seraphiel¡¯s group again. ¡°For you, I¡¯d suggest dealing with the internal matters. It might be easier to locate elusive groups of bandits and beastmen with a few elites rather than a large army. And stamp out Chaos cults anywhere you run into them of course.¡± Seraphiel nodded. ¡°That sounds agreeable. We happen to have some talents in the intelligence gathering and finding things department.¡± After they¡¯d received further details and instructions, and as they walked back towards their ship, Yoruichi turned towards Seraphiel. ¡°You gave up too easily on the diplomacy. What¡¯s up?¡± Seraphiel cleared her throat. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to get sent to the High Elves, who would be one of the two most obvious allies.¡± "Why?" Wrex asked with a certain amount of expectant amusement. "Well, let''s just say that I don''t get along great with their Everqueen. Now, I have no idea if the current Everqueen is the one I dealt with in the past, but considering their lifespan, I wouldn''t be too surprised." She revealed. ¡°What did you do?¡± Yoruichi asked with a wry smile and a shake of her head. ¡°Well, I was a bit bored while I was here, as I was refusing to play the savior to yet another broken world. I may or may not have taken that boredom out in ways that the Everqueen had issues with. Specifically, she had her eyes set on a certain strapping young Elf, who in turn had their eyes set on me.¡± She shrugged. ¡°You can roughly guess the rest.¡± "Oh joy," Wrex said sarcastically. ¡°I was mostly joking, but like I said, you really have two methods of diplomacy.¡± Yoruichi laughed. ------- The combination of Kaede¡¯s Skills as a Ninja, and her new artifact, finding roving bands of bandits or beastmen wasn¡¯t too difficult. Most of them they could even take out on their own, as dealing with a less than hundred lower-level enemies was well within Seraphiel¡¯s powers, not to mention the rest of the group. The term Beastmen was very deceiving in the context of this world. Unlike in most places, the term didn¡¯t refer to groups of mostly Human beings with certain animal features. Here, Beastmen were all mutated servants of Chaos. They were beings of violence and savagery, barely more than animals with few humanoid features. They ranged from small and runty Ungors to large Minotaurs, Centigors, and even mutated Giants. Monsters and Chaos spawn were also frequently seen among the larger warbands. When they located those larger warbands, they whittled down some of the numbers before alerting the local Empire forces to the presence of the danger. As the army of Empire¡¯s state troops arrayed against the braying hordes of Beastmen, Seraphiel reflected that someone less used to violence than her might have been frightened by the mutated hordes of Goatmen. As she looked back on the lines of Human soldiers, it was rather obvious they were afraid. Knowing the importance of morale, she stopped in front of the army and lifted her glowing Witchblade calling down a blessing for the entire army. With how many people that was, her abilities as a Paladin were pushed to the limits. "Today we push back the hordes of Chaos, and protect all that is sacred! Today we tell the monsters no further! We will hold the line! For the Empire! For the Light!" It wasn¡¯t among her most inspired speeches, but the sudden feeling of power combined with her prodigious Charisma did the trick. That and the Krogan Battlemaster already rushing at the Beastmen lines and taking down the largest monster he could get his hands on. The sudden burst of morale, combined with Kaede and Tatsumiya targeting the magic users and leaders of the enemy, made the following battle much easier. Yoruichi mostly focused on Kid¨­ support because their group as well as the army in general was severely lacking in magic support. It highlighted the obvious issue that their mercenary group had, especially when it came to dealing with large groups of enemies. Seraphiel could use [Eldritch Storm] and similar powers to compensate a bit, but she wasn¡¯t a dedicated mage, and they could really use one¡­ Chapter 51 - Cults and Channelers -------- Dealing with beastmen and bandits was relatively easy. Dealing with Chaos cults was significantly more challenging. Chaos was an insidious force that found the weaknesses in people, cracks in their mental fortitude and personal flaws before exploiting them. Nobody was perfect, and the fall to Chaos usually didn''t start with human sacrifices and depraved rituals. It started with small things. It offered change, relief, restoration, glory, help in a dilemma, aid to a loved one, revenge, solutions to communal problems, and even justice. But it always came at a price. Not a large price. Not at first. Something small. Something you were willing to exchange for what you wanted. But things escalated. Further issues cropped up, and the temptation to use the easy solution was always there. None of the steps you took felt out of proportion with what you¡¯d done before. Only, with enough steps taken, you ended up in a place unrecognizable from where you started. The spikes and murder-orgies came later down the line, and by that time, you no longer cared. And yet, finding the cults was the easy part. As a result of the gradual slide to depravity, it wasn¡¯t easy, for most people, to tell who might be a secret cultist. And more often than not, the members of these cults were ¡°upstanding¡± members of the community. Not all, of course, but enough. And the communities usually didn¡¯t take it very well if someone suddenly just showed up and accused the mayor, or the priest, or the lady next door of being a secret Chaos worshipper. They especially didn¡¯t like it if those accusations were made by a random group of mercenaries coming from another world. The soon-to-be emperor knew this. That''s why Seraphiel''s group had another way of dealing with these cults. Ironically, they and those like them were exactly the right people to uncover such cults. Not the least because they were a neutral party that could be objective and detached from the power plays of the world. They had no reason to make false accusations or to spare anyone. However, they were the wrong people to haul these people to justice. That was left to witch hunters and the Empire''s secret police. Seraphiel''s group helped locate the cults, before reporting their findings to either party to handle. If significant resistance was to be expected, they also helped in apprehending those implicated, but they would not kill or judge them unless those captured forced their hand. Unsurprisingly, Kaede specialized in this type of covert information gathering and espionage. She had several Skills that allowed her to not only move about unnoticed, but also infiltrate tightly guarded locations, and even locate information that might implicate those she investigated. It was rather easy to find evidence when you had a Skill-based sixth sense that was pointing where to look. And when she needed something or someone particular found and her sixth sense was not enough, Seraphiel¡¯s artifact came in handy. Seraphiel on the other hand had plenty of Charisma, which she used liberally to chat up people, to gather news, rumors, and all sorts of handy pieces of information that required investigation. Everybody loved to talk to a pretty girl, no matter what the subject. Show enough cleavage, and the higher brain functions of most races just stopped working. Because of this, their group fell into a comfortable pattern as they moved around the Empire''s provinces. Seraphiel and Kaede would usually gather information and investigate within the city or town, while Yoruichi and Tatsumiya would seek out leads outside the city and follow up on any leads Seraphiel gathered about bandits of beastmen. Wrex on the other hand usually dealt with local monster problems, or just smashed local gangs and criminals, something the Krogan was eminently qualified to deal with. They¡¯d mostly focused on the northern provinces due to the heavier Chaos presence, partially because the Draenei had decided to focus their efforts on dealing with the Vampire problem in the southeast. The province of Sylvania in particular was a hotbed of Vampiric activity, and unlike the forces of the Empire, the Draenei had no qualms with just marching in and smashing anything remotely undead. The Draenei had plenty of experience dealing with necromancers and undead after having dealt with the Scourge, and the Light was a very effective tool. As they traveled, Seraphiel¡¯s group also got news of other parties being hired as mercenaries. Soul Society being one such obvious example. The conflict had attracted other actors as well though. They¡¯d also heard rumors of someone particularly effective at hunting down the Chaos cults, known as John Constantine, the name coming up with increasing frequency. "I''m somewhat surprised Kenpachi hasn''t found us yet," Yoruichi commented as they reached the capital city of Altdorf. They couldn¡¯t really fly around on their ship, so they¡¯d been forced to travel on foot. They¡¯d been offered local mounts, but all of them could move faster on foot than on horses, Yoruichi and Seraphiel especially, and while riding a demigryph would¡¯ve been cool, those were not offered. ¡°I¡¯m not. That man has the worst sense of direction I¡¯ve ever seen, and we haven¡¯t exactly been standing around in one place for him to find. He never was the best when it came to his spiritual senses either, except maybe in combat.¡± Seraphiel retorted. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Perhaps. But he also has the best nose for battles of anyone I know, and well¡­you¡¯re you. A trouble magnet. He should be attracted to you like a moth to a flame.¡± Yoruichi teased. ¡°He used to be at least.¡± ¡°Bah!¡± She didn¡¯t dignify such slander with further response. The city was abuzz with activity as they arrived. For the technology level of the world, Altdorf was a flourishing and relatively densely populated city. It was even known as the City of Spires, although all of the members of the group had seen other cities more worthy of that name on other worlds. Aside from being the most common capital city of the Empire, which changed depending on which elector ruled as the emperor, the city was also the capital of the largest electoral province of Reikland, and an independent imperial city in its own right. It was home to the Colleges of Magic, the focal point of magical study in the Empire. It was a city that attracted all sorts, from merchants to assassins, thieves, and cultists, to adventurers, scholars, and wizards. It was also home to the Imperial Engineers School, the home of all the inventions that were taking the country by storm. The province of Reikland was also the wealthiest province in the Empire, which naturally meant that much of that wealth flowed through the capital city. In the distant past, that had been mostly gold and grain, but as this world had become one of the Core Worlds, many important magical materials also flowed through the city. It made the city an important place of commerce for off-worlders as well, especially since this world was one of the few that openly sold many of the rare materials to anyone with the wealth to buy, instead of hoarding them or only supplying a small group of influential buyers. The population of the city had been counted just around a million before, but with the influx of off-worlders and the resulting increase in the local populace, the city now boasted several million people, half of which were races not naturally seen on this world. Or at least a different version of said races. In fact, it was interesting to see that the city had more off-world races, than members of the races native to this world, as the other races of this world were often hostile to the Empire. Even those not hostile had a tenuous relationship at best. Ironically, this large number of off-worlders also made it the safest city in the Empire. Most of the people didn¡¯t stay long enough to succumb to the corruption of Chaos, and attacking and razing the city would¡¯ve meant angering many powers off-world, something most hostile forces didn¡¯t want. Thus, anyone attacking the city would give everyone within an advance warning to leave, meaning nearly no one would mount a surprise attack on the city. Aside from the old city, there were several districts dedicated to these off-worlders. These districts were a chaotic mix of styles as the differing styles of the various races clashed, almost competing in their garishness and weirdness. The clockwork structures of gnomes stood right next to the futuristic buildings constructed by races like the Asari and Protoss, and right next to them, you could find the crude works of the Horde and many others. As they stepped into the ¡°Alienage¡± as the quarter was often called, Seraphiel suddenly stopped in place. She sensed something she had not expected. Yet it was something she really should¡¯ve guessed would be present. ¡°I can sense someone channeling One Power.¡± She announced. ¡°Several people in fact.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Tatsumiya suddenly got a lot more attentive as well. ¡°They¡¯re here then. I heard word of the Empire reaching out to the Black Tower. I didn¡¯t expect them to respond. Both the Black and White Towers tend to be really insular. The presence of Asha¡¯man or Aes¡¯Sedai could really turn this war around if they''re present in any numbers.¡± The two terms referred to the male members of the Black Tower and the female members of the White Tower. "I didn''t know that world was even present in this universe," Seraphiel commented almost grumpily. This changed things. Magic came in many forms. Some were more dangerous than others, some were more flexible than others, and some were more powerful than others. Channeling the One Power was all three. The notable thing about the One Power was that the direct combat applications were much more effective than almost any other magical power. A single channeler could easily take several other combat magicians of other types in combat, and part of that was sheer speed and the brutal nature of the power. The power also tended to be inherently corruptive. She¡¯d never met any channelers that weren¡¯t at the very least completely full of themselves and jackasses, if not borderline evil or zealots. And in a world that was rife with Chaos corruption, that wasn¡¯t a positive thing. "Let''s hope they don''t stay long," Tatsumiya commented, immediately realizing the danger. ¡°Our employer must be desperate to bring them here," Seraphiel muttered. As they went deeper into the city, they began to realize that the city was more filled with activity than usual. There were signs of previously held parades and celebrations, and the place seemed to be bursting at the seams with people. ¡°Did the elevation of the Emperor already happen?¡± Yoruichi asked. Kaede focused for a moment, in a way the others now associated with her controlling one of her shadow clones used for information gathering. ¡°No. In fact, those proceedings are currently underway. The Elector Counts have gathered in the city to cast their votes. From what I was able to gather, the whole thing isn¡¯t as clear-cut as the prospective emperor wanted us to believe, as the votes are split three ways. No one holds a majority.¡± ¡°And while the election is underway, the leaders of the Empire are busy.¡± Tatsumiya pointed out. ¡°Leaving them vulnerable to attack in many ways.¡± ¡°A decapitating strike at the electors.¡± Wrex pointed out. "Several simultaneous attacks with the Empire ill-equipped to answer," Kaede added. "Internal strikes with everyone busy maintaining security around the elector counts," Yoruichi added. "And a dozen other ways to use this opportunity." "No wonder the man was desperate enough to ask for help from the Black Tower," Seraphiel grunted. "Come. We must report our recent work and claim our rewards." The weeks they''d spent here had been very fruitful in many ways. For their group, they''d managed to complete many missions that rewarded many materials that each of them could use in their next Class evolution. For Seraphiel specifically, she''d gained many levels in all her Classes. Some of the work they''d done was definitely above her level grade so to speak, which meant that while the others in her group may not have gained too many levels, she gained them aplenty. And each level gained was more stats and power. Most of all, it meant some of her old power returning. It seemed rather obvious Mother had sent her here specifically because of all the opportunities to gain levels. The embattled Empire was a treasure trove of opportunities for someone like her. Not only were there countless enemies to fight, but the many varied situations allowed her to utilize a wide spread of her Skills in action and not just training, easing their leveling by several factors. And it seemed the situation was only accelerating towards more battles and encounters instead of clearing up. She''d always known this world was fucked, and every day here kept proving her right, as even with all the external help and cleared problems, things only kept getting more complicated. -------- Chapter 52 - Mission ------ ¡°You¡¯ve been summoned.¡± The soldier of the Reiksguard, the elites of the provincial forces said simply. Seraphiel popped another berry into her mouth. ¡°First of all, as I¡¯m not a subject, the word you¡¯re looking for is politely requested.¡± She flicked away the stem of the berry. ¡°And secondly, you¡¯re going to have to be more specific. Who, what, where, when, why?¡± ¡°Your employer,¡± The Reiksguard ground out, clearly not pleased to be talking to a mercenary. ¡°Just you and heads of several other similar groups, right now, at the palace, and you¡¯ll find out.¡± His attitude wasn¡¯t exactly surprising. The loyal soldiers of the Empire were not pleased that their effort was deemed insufficient to protect their land and faith. It wasn¡¯t that they had anything against the mercenaries specifically, although there were also some of those in the bunch as well, the racist sods, but that their effort was undervalued in their opinion. They hadn¡¯t been given a sufficient chance. Only in defeat would they understand their lack of power. Understandably, most of the normal soldiers weren''t aware of the full severity of the situation. ¡°I assume finishing my breakfast is not going to go over well.¡± She posed, mostly in jest. She was trying to see how the man reacted to being pushed. ¡°I have my orders. If fulfilling them requires me to drag you to the palace by your hair, that¡¯s what I will do.¡± The man said stoically. ¡°You mean you¡¯d try and fail. We both know you¡¯d fail despite all your bravado. That¡¯s why we¡¯re here after all.¡± She popped another berry into her mouth and was tempted to flick the stem at the man, but that would¡¯ve been childish. ¡°But I¡¯ll spare you the indignity. As fun as it would be to see you try, I am curious what the emperor-to-be wants.¡± She allowed a bit of golden light to cover her hands, cleaning and cleansing them. Handy how Skills could be used for mundane things if you just knew how. The guard didn¡¯t like the answer, but he¡¯d basically gotten what he wanted, and on some level realized that a fight between them would not be advantageous to him, so he just turned around and led the way. She''d only been having breakfast, so she wasn''t wearing her armor, instead opting to wear casual clothing that looked and was, relatively expensive, but nothing too showy. She would''ve fit right in at the wealthy districts of the city, though perhaps a bit cleaner as the dust and dirt seemed to be almost avoiding her. She wasn''t causing that on purpose. It was the effect of her Charisma. At a certain point, the stat meant that mundane things like that just stopped affecting you, because they would tarnish your looks. And someone with high enough Charisma couldn''t have that. She''d asked the System when it had first happened, and apparently, it was something that the gods had decided, mostly for their own benefit. Only, her Charisma was already so high that she was reaching a similar point. That was an interesting tangent. The gods of this universe were supposed to be just that, gods, but unlike Father and Mother, they weren¡¯t gods in the same sense. They were simply very powerful beings that worked under a different set of rules than most. Except, when brought to this universe, some of those rules applied to them as well. And for all their allusions to the contrary, not all of them had super high stats. And since stats only affected what was already there¡­well, let¡¯s just say she was rather confident. There were still plenty of gods with higher Charisma than her. Heck, there were plenty of ¡°mortals¡± that did, but that didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t already enjoying some of the benefits from ¡°godly¡± Charisma. The palace of Altdorf was a strange mix of opulence and practicality. As the frequent capital of an empire constantly at war, the palace was built like a fortress, yet at the same time, it was an elaborate construct where differing architectural styles weren''t just at odds, but in outright conflict. A fitting symbol for the Empire in a way. It was a hotbed of political intrigue, social maneuvering, and hedonistic frivolity, at best of times. Yet, it was also home to the infamous Reiksguard, and a functioning military hub. In a nod to the latter, the guard led her to a side area of the palace that seemed more like barracks and proved to be some sort of war room as soon as she entered, with maps spread everywhere. She was apparently among the last to arrive, and perhaps less shockingly, she recognized almost everyone present. General Kuren, the large Draenei Paladin, was obviously among those gathered, and was perhaps one of the least familiar people present, seeing as they¡¯d only met a couple of times in the recent months. He was obviously here to represent his people and nodded to her in respect. The Draenei were well aware of all the progress her group had accomplished in the time they¡¯d been here. A particular white-haired youthful-looking man wearing the black shihakush¨­ of a Shinigami covered by a white Captain¡¯s haori was representing the Shinigami interests. Seraphiel knew that looks were deceiving in this case, as the white-haired Captain, was in fact one of the older Shinigami still alive. J¨±shir¨­ Ukitake was luckily one of the most level-headed and intelligent Captains. One of the downsides of the whole organization was that leadership was mostly decided by power and not by any sort of competence for being a leader. There were reasons for that, but she¡¯d always thought it a bit of a waste. The Captain nodded to her happily, instantly recognizing her, which wasn¡¯t surprising at this point. He¡¯d always been an affable man. On the other end of the scale was the man wearing all black, except a silver sword pin on the left collar and a gold-and-red dragon on the right. The man was Logain Ablar, a grizzled-looking, roughly early middle-aged man with curling dark hair all the way to his broad shoulders. A dangerous man, although with a different kind of intelligence to Ukitake. He looked at her sharply, and recognition could be seen in his eyes as well, even if he tried to hide it. She had not interacted with the man too much during her visit to their world, but they were not unfamiliar. The man in almost all black made a sharp contrast to Ukitake who was showing mostly white despite his black shihakush¨­. The last person in the room was the biggest surprise. She¡¯d not heard of the High Elven mage¡¯s arrival in the city, and the lanky High Loremaster didn''t look nearly as imposing as he perhaps should''ve, a result of a curse she could still sense on his person. The elven mage looked up at her arrival, and the sheer shock in his eyes was visible for all to see, which caused Ukitake to burst into laughter. "Why am I not surprised that everyone knows you, Seraphiel? It''s good to see you. I heard you''ve made a reappearance. Did Yoruichi find you?¡± ¡°She did. I wonder if Kenpachi is still looking for me?¡± She tossed a question back. ¡°No, Ichigo managed to wrangle him back with the promise of battle when they couldn¡¯t find you. They are on another mission.¡± Ukitake revealed with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised Yoruichi decided to stick with you. I have a feeling we¡¯ll need to find a new Captain to replace her. Probably someone to replace Rangiku as well soon enough.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Seems you keep making waves everywhere you go," Logain commented, not saying anything further. ¡°Seraphiel? Is that really you?¡± The High Elven mage asked incredulously. ¡°I thought you died.¡± ¡°Just disappeared, Teclis. How are you? How are things? I see even being in this universe hasn¡¯t managed to remove that curse from you.¡± She inquired. Teclis grimaced. ¡°That obvious? This world has been good to me, in that at least I can remedy the issue somewhat, but the curse is what it is.¡± The entire line of Aenarion, one of the greatest High Elves to have ever lived, bore a curse that manifested in a myriad of ways. It was said the entire line had been cursed by the Elven god of murder, Khaine, for taking up the god¡¯s sword, the Godslayer. Curses given by gods were hard to dispel, even with the powers of this universe. And in Teclis¡¯ case, the curse made him physically weak and feeble, while his brother Tyrion was prone to dark moods, his curse mostly mental. ¡°I may have an idea concerning that, actually.¡± She revealed. ¡°I know of someone who can take the curse away from you. Whether she will do so is another story.¡± ¡°You¡¯d do this for me?¡± He asked, clearly surprised. ¡°Not for free.¡± She grinned. ¡°But for a reasonable price. Besides, I feel somewhat bad about your role in past events.¡± "Alarielle still hasn''t forgiven you, by the way," Teclis revealed. "If she found out that you''re here¡­" ¡°Bah! She¡¯s a cunt and has no legitimacy to complain. She¡¯s the one who was married to the Phoenix King while making googly eyes at your brother. She should thank me, really.¡± She shot back. ¡°Incidentally, my brother is now the Phoenix King. Finubar was lost at sea. And Alarielle is still the Everqueen. You know what that means.¡± Teclis pointed out. The Everqueen traditionally married the Phoenix King. ¡°I bet that went over well, considering she¡¯d already been married to the previous king, and there were already unsavory rumors of her fidelity concerning your brother. By all rights, he should¡¯ve married her daughter, but as the paternity of that child is a little bit questionable¡­¡± She poked fun at the elven intrigue, her words drawing scoffs from Logain. ¡°Yes, it is as you surmised. The union was not exactly welcomed.¡± Teclis shook his head wryly, aware of the bad blood between Seraphiel and Alarielle. ¡°But that was a long time ago. A lot has changed since then.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s see if we can do something about that curse.¡± She changed subject and crossed her fingers in prayer. ¡®Mother, if you would?¡¯ "Well now, I don''t often get such direct requests from you." The voice of Charlotte Richards echoed in the room, her sudden arrival causing both Logain and Ukitake to jump, as they had not sensed her at all, and as usual, she didn''t exactly radiate a divine aura or anything. To their eyes, she''d just appear out of thin air. She took a look at Teclis. "Ah, I see." She nodded. "I can deal with it if you want. It''s not a problem. Feeling kinship towards another cursed?" Teclis¡¯ head turned to Seraphiel. ¡°Cursed? You? I would not have you use your opportunity to get rid of your own curse on me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a little different.¡± Charlotte interrupted. ¡°Unlike the rest of you mortals, my children self-actualize. If they think they are and deserve to be cursed, they will be. There¡¯s not much I can do about that without infringing on their free will. Stomping on the fading power of a pretender god on the other hand¡­¡± She just snapped her fingers, and everyone present could see the health returning to Teclis¡¯ face. In mere moments, it looked like he grew in height and width as well, his form filling out to what it should¡¯ve been without the curse. He was still an Elf, which meant lithe, but he no longer looked like a starving and sickly one. Her deed done, Charlotte just vanished again. ¡°Who was that?¡± Logain asked suspiciously. ¡°That¡­would take too long to explain. Suffice to say that she is The Goddess.¡± Seraphiel said simply, everyone being able to sense the capitalization. ¡°And I am Her Paladin.¡± She said simply. ¡°A fellow Paladin! Well met! I knew I sensed the power of Light within you!¡± General Kuren said in a booming voice. ¡°Your name also reminds me of one of your greatest heroes! She was also a Paladin of great might! This is an auspicious meeting!¡± Ukitake only barely managed to hide his snigger, more aware than the rest. "She must be powerful indeed to be able to so casually remove a curse that has spanned generations and was laid by the gods," Teclis commented. "That''s an understatement." Seraphiel just murmured in response. Their shenanigans were interrupted by the arrival of Karl Franz, the prospective emperor. ¡°Be seated.¡± He gestured as he sat down, assuming the reason why some of them were standing to be out of respect. The others just gave each other knowing looks before taking seats around the table. ¡°The help all of you have already provided has proven invaluable and we will reward you in kind. There remains much more to be done, but there is a more urgent matter at hand.¡± He gestured at Teclis. ¡°Our erstwhile Elven friends have made us aware of a situation that prevents them from sending us aid that we desperately need. High Loremaster, if you would?¡± Teclis, still feeling overwhelmed by his newfound health, cleared his throat. "The northern Ulthuan has been invaded by a host of Demons. This in itself isn''t a surprise. Ever since our world arrived in this new universe, the Demons have had a much freer range of our world than before." In the past, one of the main reasons Chaos hadn¡¯t taken over the entire world was because the Demons couldn¡¯t really hold their manifestations in areas with lacking mana. The Demons had been just about to take over the world, but the High Elves had created a vortex that drained most of the magic from the world, forcing the demons to limit their activities to the very north and south where their power was at their height, and working through mortal agents. Having arrived in this universe, and becoming a Core World at that, had greatly increased the passive mana in the world, thus allowing the demons more access again. ¡°We have prepared to defend our home from these Demons, and would already be forcing them back, except for some reason the power of Slaanesh has risen greatly in the last few decades, and their minions have been similarly empowered. One in particular, N¡¯kari, is quite successfully resisting any of our attempts to kill him, and has always taken a special interest in our kind.¡± Teclis¡¯ words elicited a shocked reaction from Seraphiel. ¡°Sai¡¯lantresh is alive?¡± She asked while frowning, using the old Aeldari name for the god. One of the first things she¡¯d done after being exiled was to kill the god hungering on the souls of the Aeldari. ¡°Why would it not be?¡± Karl Franz asked in confusion. Charlotte¡¯s voice could be heard again. ¡°Because my daughter killed Slaanesh so many years ago that it is hard for you to fathom. It is how she acquired her curse.¡± The Goddess clearly still being present and paying attention, even if not in sight. Teclis looked at Seraphiel sharply. ¡°You killed Slaanesh? Why have I not heard anything of this?¡± Charlotte appeared fully behind Seraphiel. ¡°Because she did not kill the Slaanesh of your world, but the one in another universe. I believe this requires some clarification by someone who knows the how and the why. The god Slaanesh that the inhabitants of this world know is alive, though not exactly well. She¡­he¡­it, was weakened when their other version was slain as they are somewhat connected even if not one, but not completely. As different gods bearing the same name and identity are brought into this universe, they are combined into a single entity. The same happened with the Gods of Chaos, although on some level they were always one already. You, my daughter killed the Slaanesh that preyed on the souls of the Aeldari, so their people are out of Slaanesh¡¯s reach, but the deity still exists here. Unlike the other Chaos Gods, Slaanesh didn¡¯t get to unify with their counterpart, so they¡¯ve been weaker. Until recently that is.¡± For some reason, even Karl Franz didn¡¯t question Charlotte¡¯s presence. Something about her made that impossible. ¡°Why now?¡± ¡°Why indeed?¡± Charlotte asked in a voice that implied she knew the answer but wasn¡¯t telling, before vanishing again. The timing of Slaanesh regaining some of her power was¡­coincidental to say the least. Teclis had placed the timing right around her birth, and thinking that to be an accident might not be the smartest of ideas. ¡°What is wanted from us then?¡± Ukitake asked, bringing things back to the topic. "We need the Demon N''kari dead," Teclis said firmly. "You of all people should know that''s not really feasible," Seraphiel stated. "Why? I would imagine that with everyone in this room alone should be able to accomplish it. I find it unlikely that a single Demon that''s not even a Champion could be that much of a threat." Logain argued, and not without reason. Unfortunately, he wasn''t familiar with the Warp. ¡°Because Chaos Demons work a bit differently to any other Demons you might¡¯ve run into. When you kill one of them, they just return to the Warp and are remade. Depending on how hard you kill them, and how badly their god wants them back, it might take them longer to revive, but they always do.¡± Seraphiel explained. ¡°Teclis and his brother have already slain the Demon at least once.¡± "Balefire," Logain said simply. ¡°Against anyone else, in any other universe, you might be right, but Chaos Demons work differently. They are pure manifestations of the Warp. They aren¡¯t even really here, just manifesting a part of them.¡± Seraphiel shook her head. ¡°And this universe specifically prevents you from destroying someone¡¯s soul.¡± ¡°So, what then?¡± Logain asked. ¡°There must be some plan, or this meeting wouldn¡¯t have been called.¡± ¡°Well, Seraphiel has a point, but your answer was essentially correct Logain. We need to kill N¡¯kari hard enough to make sure he doesn¡¯t come back for a long enough time to affect this war. Balefire is the best solution, though not the only one. I know the Shinigami also have methods that could work.¡± Teclis proposed, and Ukitake and Seraphiel both nodded at that. Chapter 53 - Ulthuan -------- The homeland of the High Elves was what one could call the ideal starting and development place for a magically advanced civilization. Ulthuan was a roughly circular almost continent-sized landmass, open only at the most southern part of the circle where massive sea gates barred entry into the inner sea. The circular landmass was also divided into the inner and outer circle by a mountain range that extended all the way around, with very few navigable passes that were all heavily defended. The lands were fertile and rich with resources, especially those on the inner circle. Several island chains also surrounded the main landmass. The mountains held deposits of several valuable metals, including Ithilmar, one of the most magical and easiest to utilize metals in the world, and magical ley lines were practically everywhere. It was like some god had created the ideal home for the Elven people. And in turn, the High Elves had created a bulwark that had stood against the ruinous powers countless times. The Mountains of Caledor were filled with nests of Dragons that the local princes rode to battle, the magical kingdom of Saphery was home to the most brilliant mages in the world, Tiranoc was famed for its chariots, and Ellyrion for its light cavalry especially. Avelorn, the home of the Everqueen, was also home to many types of forest spirits that often stood with the Elves in their direst of emergencies. And that was all before this world had been transported into this universe and became a Core World. That wasn¡¯t to say Ulthuan or its inhabitants were perfect. Their entire race was prone to deadly intrigue, and the kingdoms of the elves often fought with each other, even if not through open war. Most of the outer circle of northern Ulthuan had been ravaged by war and magic and was now barely better than a wasteland. The famed Dragons of Caledor had mostly fallen asleep before fate brought the world into this universe and forced all of them awake. Many of the previously impregnable fortresses of the Elves now lay in ruin due to constant assaults by various enemies. Even now, large portions of the Kingdoms of Nagarythe and Chrace, the northernmost kingdoms, were controlled by Slaaneshi Demons and Druchii, the dark cousins of the High Elves. Ghostly pirates kept raiding the southern coasts of Ulthuan, while raids of Orcs and Goblins wound their way to the island. Yet, despite the struggles, none of the new arrivals could deny the beauty of the place, as Seraphiel¡¯s ship slowly flew over the land. They¡¯d taken along Teclis and his retinue to bring the High Loremaster back to his people as quickly as possible, so that he may aid in the defense, while General Kuren, Logain, and Ukitake were leading their own forces here using their own transportation. They flew over the northern portion of Ulthuan, observing the Demonic forces below, and the seemingly endless numbers of the enemy were slightly daunting. That the armies of the Elves managed to hold them back was commendable. ¡°How are we approaching this?¡± Tatsumiya questioned. "I assume kinetic strikes from orbit are out," Wrex grunted, disappointed. "Yes, I would rather there be an Ulthuan left after this war," Teclis responded wryly. Ironically, most armies had been forced to develop some sort of defense against those kinds of attacks after having reached this universe, even if such attacks were expressly forbidden by the gods on inhabitable worlds. "It seems we need to lure N''kari out. He''s our main target." "Well, luring someone or something out usually requires a bait," Kaede stated. "What can we use as a bait?" ¡°I¡¯m afraid our options are a little limited on that front. The best I can come up with for now is me and my brother. The Demon has shown a special desire to eliminate the line of Aenarion, meaning the two of us, out in the past, and we¡¯ve had to fight him before. I don¡¯t think his obsession has disappeared, just because the situation has changed.¡± Teclis speculated. "That basically means putting the two of you in a vulnerable position where he can reach you." Seraphiel pointed out. "And it has to be an actually dangerous position and not one that just seems a little risky. From what I remember, the Demon is quite wily, and will most likely suspect a trap if it''s too obvious. His kind is called Keeper of Secrets for a reason. Ideally, that¡¯s when we¡¯d spring the trap on him.¡± Wrex grunted. ¡°If this Demon is even half as smart as you imply, he¡¯ll know he¡¯s the linchpin of this whole thing, so he¡¯ll know it¡¯s a trap, and he¡¯ll try to trap our trap. Our trap needs to be more effective.¡± Teclis nodded at that. ¡°That is what we surmised as well. It is also why we reached out for help. He¡¯ll expect anything we can throw at him. You and the others? Well, he¡¯ll likely expect something, but hopefully not all of you. Or at the very least that our trap will be more effective than his.¡± ¡°What can he theoretically throw at us? To trap us I mean?¡± Tatsumiya asked. ¡°It¡¯s always preferable to be aware of the enemy¡¯s capabilities.¡± ¡°Obviously Demons. Lots of Demons. Powerful Demons. Multiple Greater Demons even.¡± Teclis stated the obvious. ¡°How strong are we talking about when we talk about Greater Demons? I have plenty of experience fighting Demons of various kinds.¡± Tatsumiya questioned. "They vary greatly in power and ability, but level-wise, they range anywhere between level 750 and 1500," Teclis revealed, causing some of the others to give a whistle, and Wrex to grin expectantly. "Someone like Skarbrand or N''kari himself might approach level 2000 even." ¡°That¡­might be a bit of an issue.¡± Kaede frowned. ¡°I¡¯m confident in my abilities, but taking out a named Demon twice my level seems a bit¡­bold.¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°There¡¯s a reason why Greater Demons usually require someone really special or several lesser powers to take down. Even before the system, and counting both this world and that other universe, people who could take on Greater Demons by themselves were extremely rare. I suspect their immortality gives the Demons a rather large advantage in this universe, although I suspect it also comes with weaknesses.¡± Seraphiel stated. Even among the Aeldari, those that could take on a Greater Demon alone with confidence numbered a few dozen spread over all the Craftworlds. Phoenix Lords, a few Farseers, a few Autarchs, a handful of Solitaires. ¡°Luckily having Dragons helps a bit.¡± Teclis assuaged them. ¡°Also, they aren¡¯t in any way immune to magic. In fact, the very opposite. And that is something I and those that work with me are very good at.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more worried about any other tricks they might have. Things could take a very bad turn if N¡¯kari brings in other potential allies he might have, not just Demons. Chaos has many servants and many allies, willing and unwilling.¡± Seraphiel added. ¡°Luckily, many of the enemies of the High Elves are not stupid enough to ally themselves with Chaos. Even the Druchii, who are also attacking Ulthuan, mostly know better. They might avoid directly fighting each other, but they will not join forces to attack together either.¡± Teclis added. ¡°Unless something has changed.¡± Seraphiel burst that bubble, just to avoid jinxing things. ¡°Unless something has changed.¡± Teclis allowed. ¡°We shall try to prepare for them as well.¡± -------- The capital city of the Elves was a dazzling display of marble, artistic buildings, color, and opulence. Lothern was the gateway between the outer and the inner seas, and as such the hub of trade between the Elves and everyone else. The city wasn¡¯t famous for its magic or dragons, and even militarily it was mostly known for its marines, the Lothern sea guard, but it was the beating economic heart of Ulthuan. Some would say it was the beating economic heart of the world. They¡¯d landed their ship at the docks and went straight towards the palace, as they would need the new Phoenix King Tyrion for their plan to work. The palace itself was everything the city was, only more. Rich, opulent in ornaments, highly stylized, and a den of intrigue. With the High Loremaster and the king¡¯s brother leading their group, which now included General Kuren, Logain, and Captain Ukitake, no one was going to bar their path. The reception they received was not the best though, as Seraphiel had expected. As soon as Queen Alarielle saw her face, the Queen¡¯s expression turned stormy. ¡°Arrest that woman right now!¡± The Queen ordered without hesitation, pointing at Seraphiel. The guards lining the King¡¯s audience chamber moved to comply but were suddenly halted in their steps when a heavy pressure of two [Reiatsu] crashed on them, the one exuded by Captain Ukitake being the stronger of the two. The air in the room grew so thin that everyone affected had trouble breathing. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± Ukitake asked coldly. ¡°You beg for our help, and when we come to provide it, you try to arrest one of us? Is this how much the word of Ulthuan is worth?¡± King Tyrion, in full armor and one of the few not affected too badly by the pressure, rose up. "Stand down. Disregard the Queen''s order, and any similar orders she might make in the future." His rebuke, while masked in some politeness, was a direct slap against the Queen¡¯s authority, especially since the room held other nobles of high rank, so the rebuke was quite public. He looked at the Queen with dark eyes. ¡°We will have words about this later.¡± In response to the guards withdrawing, Ukitake and Seraphiel dispelled their [Reiatsu]. The Queen scoffed before getting up from her throne and storming out of the room. "Well, that was¡­somewhat expected but not very pleasant," Teclis commented lightly. "With that out of the way though¡­" He turned to his brother. "I brought us the aid we require." Tyrion¡¯s eyes had been locked on Seraphiel for a moment, but he pulled himself together and glanced at the others. ¡°So you have. You always come through brother. I assume you have a plan as well, one best not discussed so openly?¡± The King also obviously noted the physical change in his brother, though did not address it directly. "Naturally," Teclis said simply, inclining his head a bit. Tyrion was still the king after all. As the arrivals, aside from Teclis, were not part of Ulthuan, they were not expected to bow and scrape. "Then I suspect we withdraw to discuss things more privately," Tyrion stated. "The court is dismissed.¡± The other nobles, some of them princes of their own kingdoms, threw curious glances at the recent arrivals, especially Seraphiel who had caused such a reaction in the Queen, but did disperse as ordered. Those gathered were far from the full court, but word would still spread. The King, and a handful of his guards, led everyone to a smaller room, and the king ordered refreshments to be brought to everyone. ¡°Still enjoy Elven Wine Seraphiel?¡± The King asked, his voice tinged with many emotions. "Works just fine for me," Seraphiel responded with a small smile. "You''ve been through a lot, haven''t you Tyrion?" ¡°I have,¡± The stoic Elven man nodded. ¡°Though I suspect not as much as you. I thought you had died. I mourned for you. We all did.¡± ¡°That is a little generous, in light of what just happened with the queen.¡± She pointed a little sarcastically. ¡°Though I did tell you my stay was temporary.¡± Logain interrupted roughly. ¡°Look, I¡¯m all for catching up, but we have work to do, and I suspect you¡¯ll have time to share later.¡± ¡°While a little impolite,¡± Ukitake glanced at Logain. ¡°My friend here is not wrong. We need to get the wheels moving.¡± ¡°I can already somewhat suspect what sort of plan you have come up with.¡± Tyrion pointed out. ¡°You want to use me and my brother as bait, before collapsing on N¡¯kari and taking him out.¡± He was an expert military leader, so figuring something like this out wasn¡¯t too difficult. "That is the basic gist of it," Teclis admitted. "Just because it''s obvious, that doesn''t mean it''s not the best option." ¡°It¡¯s also the option the enemy will expect. That won¡¯t stop it from working, but we need to expect a trap from N¡¯kari as well.¡± He nodded. ¡°That¡¯s not a bad thing. If things go our way, we¡¯ll be able to take out not just him, but the forces he wants to use to spring the trap with. Likely consisting of his elites and strongest allies. Both sides know it¡¯s a trap, the only question is who can bring out the most forces into the trap. Either way, one party will be decapitated.¡± "Sometimes simple is the best," Logain stated. ¡°Indeed. We will need to sell it though, which means my brother and I need to be in actual danger. Which means many good Elves will need to die.¡± He was stating the obvious, but it didn¡¯t make it any less sad. ¡°How do we spring the trap?¡± Logain changed the topic into particulars. ¡°My men can create portals to bring people in, but we would need to know when and where.¡± ¡°I can shroud something from sight. Even from the sight of someone extremely powerful for a brief time.¡± Kaede pointed out. ¡°Something like the flying fortress of the Draenei perhaps?¡± Seraphiel asked suddenly. "That¡­would be challenging but not impossible," Kaede said carefully. "It would cut into the time I could do it for, but it''s doable." ¡°I see where you¡¯re going with this.¡± Tyrion nodded. ¡°Position the fortress above me and my brother, and swoop down with the majority of our forces when N¡¯kari springs his trap. The fortress is large enough to hold quite a lot of forces. I¡¯m fairly certain I could convince Prince Imrik to bring a few of his fellow Dragon riders along. Teclis could bring some of the best mages.¡± ¡°Would also eliminate the problem with our portals.¡± Logain nodded. ¡°If we had visual of the battlefield the whole time.¡± ¡°Something to note.¡± Seraphiel interrupted. ¡°While the Demons of She Who Thirsts are not the most perceptive, that honor goes to the servants of the Changer of Ways, they are quite adept at weaving illusions of their own. It is entirely possible for them to be able to hide their forces similar to ours, and attempt to twist the minds of our forces so that we¡¯ll end up attacking each other.¡± "Indeed." Tyrion nodded. "The forces of Slaanesh excel in speed and warping the minds of their targets. We need to be extremely careful." General Kuren stepped forward. ¡°Then it is a good thing we have several Paladins and Clerics amongst us, as well as our Angelic friend. The Light is strong in dispersing such effects and holding them at bay.¡± ¡°In that case, there¡¯s a situation in the north that would provide for a good excuse. Tor Findor is heavily under siege, and it would not be odd for me to personally lead reinforcements to relieve the beleaguered fort. It is also likely that those reinforcements will be ambushed on the way there.¡± Tyrion suggested. -------- Chapter 54 - Power ------- In order for their plan to have any chance to work, the whole thing had to be at least somewhat believable. Tyrion and Teclis were leading the relief force, but they were not exactly advertising their presence. They attempted to maintain a similar level of secrecy that would be expected if the situation was genuine. Chaos had its eyes and ears even among the High Elves, and they would get word anyway. Teclis¡¯ presence wouldn¡¯t have been too odd anyway, as the High Loremaster was showing himself on the battlefield as often as his health allowed. Now that the problem had been rather publicly solved, his much healthier visage had been seen by a fair number of people, the enemy would expect him to take a more active role as one of the best weapons against the Demons. Interestingly, the Everqueen¡¯s little tiff and subsequent punishment turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The news of the queen showing her anger at some outsider overshadowed the rumors about the exact nature of those outsiders. All everyone could agree on was that the king had dressed down the queen and then taken a private-ish meeting with the outsider. The Demons might still get word that other outsiders had been seen at court, their arrival hadn¡¯t been subtle after all, but it was less likely the Demons would learn of their exact nature or numbers. They¡¯d be more likely to learn of the spat. That same spat also provided an excuse for Tyrion to race off to find battles, instead of dealing with his angered wife. Especially if that ¡®outsider¡¯ also went along. The rumors were already implying that the king was having an affair, and Tyrion purposefully did nothing to quell those rumors. It was also rather well-known that he was a warrior king, more at home on the battlefield than in the halls of the palace. That didn¡¯t mean the enemy wouldn¡¯t be able to guess it was a trap, just that it was a less obvious one, and at least it introduced a degree of uncertainty. To keep up with the rumors, Seraphiel traveled along with the army, only bringing along Yoruichi as a ''bodyguard''. In reality, the two were maintaining constant connection with their reinforcements, which could be brought in at a moment''s notice. That connection was a threadbare connection without any actual communication, only there in case the Demons managed to sever all forms of magical communication once they attacked. Communication disruption was a rather standard part of any ambushes after all. In the beginning, the soldiers in the army were not exactly welcoming to Seraphiel¡¯s presence. In their minds, she was the evil temptress drawing away their king from the rightful queen. However, an excessive amount of Charisma had its uses, and the blessings she freely doled out smoothed any remaining problems. Unlike Tyrion, who was mostly hiding his presence, she spent a lot of time with the troops. Mostly to root out any potential traitors, though that didn¡¯t need to be advertised. In any case, after a couple of weeks of travel, most of the soldiers have turned from detractors to potential fans and followers. It was easier to sympathize with someone close by than with a distant queen after all. She was often asked about her relationship with the king, and she always primly denied any involvement. She couldn¡¯t possibly do anything like that. It was not proper after all. That didn¡¯t stop them from spending some time together, though mostly it was just to refine the plan. There was some underlying tension between them, and neither of them was addressing it, so their talks mostly just stuck to what they were doing, though not always. "I have to thank you," Tyrion said one evening towards the end of their journey. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you did it, but when you removed the curse from my brother, the curse stopped affecting me as well. My mind already feels lighter.¡± Teclis nodded his thanks again as well. ¡°Indeed. Just the removal of the curse has made things much easier for us. Should nothing come of this plan, we are at least thankful for that.¡± ¡°Well, this might be a good chance to mention some bad news then.¡± Seraphiel used the situation to her advantage. ¡°I cannot personally engage N¡¯kari in battle. I can support, and the others can freely help, but I have to fight other Demons. Preferably non-Slaaneshi ones if they appear.¡± Tyrion frowned. ¡°Can I ask why?¡± ¡°Teclis already found out, but I carry a curse of my own. Received when I killed one version of Slaanesh. We all have our weaknesses. I am susceptible to certain types of Skills and N¡¯kari is likely to have those Skills to a level where I¡¯m going have problems.¡± She explained. ¡°What kind of curse?¡± Teclis asked, much more curious than worried. ¡°I¡¯m not going to reveal the specifics, but I think you might be able to make some educated guesses. What sort of curse do you think one could get from killing Slaanesh?¡± She lifted an eyebrow. ¡°Ah.¡± Teclis realized. ¡°Something to do with seduction, pleasure, senses, emotions, sex, or pain.¡± Those were the most commonly associated domains for Slaanesh, so his assumption was not unfounded. ¡°Like I said, revealing details would not be constructive. However, that does not prevent me from taking on a support role or engaging other targets. Especially if N¡¯kari has managed to enlist the help of Tzeentch.¡± ¡°You did mention even back then that you were especially adept at dealing with mages, though you never showed off those abilities. I assume that hasn¡¯t changed?¡± Tyrion confirmed. "Somewhat diminished because I had to start from level 1 and haven''t had the time to catch up yet, but if it comes to dealing with mages, I¡¯m still confident. I may not be able to kill a Lord of Change, but I can sure as Hell keep them occupied.¡± ¡°About that. Something about this makes no sense.¡± Teclis shook his head. "You are obviously a Champion. I don''t know why, since you didn''t show off any real power when we last met. Skill, yes, power no. Even so, what sort of goddess has the power to easily remove the curse inflicting me and my brother, and then summon you as level 1?" "As it was explained to me, there was not enough power to summon me as I was." She repeated the explanation she''d gotten before her mind wandered off. ¡°Returning to the original topic, I think the best way for us to become a tempting target, is for us to be separated from the main army by the eventual ambush. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t be vulnerable enough unless most of the army was dead. And as important as getting rid of N¡¯kari is, I¡¯m not willing to lose the entire army to accomplish that.¡± Tyrion suggested. ¡°And yes, before you say it, I recognize that it might be necessary to make that sacrifice anyway.¡± She was no longer listening though. The explanation Lucifer had given her. It didn¡¯t fully make sense. It had been given and made sense when she didn¡¯t know Mother was involved. Lucifer had explained that the System didn¡¯t have enough power, but she¡¯s since learned that Mother had been involved enough in the summoning that She¡¯d helped in creating her current body. Surely Mother had the requisite power to summon the real her? So why didn¡¯t she use that power? Even though she knew Luci would never lie, and there had likely been other reasons, she had some questions for both Mother and Luci the next time she had the chance to ask them. There were things that she hadn¡¯t been told. ------- The Recordkeeper did not enjoy inconsistencies. He also didn¡¯t like unexplainable things. His job was to keep accurate records, not to judge them. He knew that, even if the other gods forgot that sometimes. He didn¡¯t mind if those at the top of the different rankings were gods he personally disliked. They knew better than to pick a fight with him. The rare few times someone had tried served as a stark warning to anyone silly enough to think about doing so in the future. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. What he did mind, were results that should not be. Results that made him question whether his records were accurate. He didn¡¯t collate data. He very, very rarely made judgement calls, and only when it was absolutely necessary and usually inconsequential. The information he received wasn¡¯t something he discovered on his own. It was something he just knew. It was part of his domain as a god. The information was handed to him. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure how, but as far as he had managed to figure out, that information came directly from the System. If anyone or anything would have access to some of this information, it would be the System. In fact, he couldn¡¯t imagine any other source for the information. Yet, he wasn¡¯t entirely sure, and sometimes he wondered. The System wasn¡¯t infallible. It was close. It knew more than anyone or anything else in the universe, but it didn¡¯t know everything. It knew close enough to everything where the difference didn¡¯t usually matter, but he didn¡¯t like to rely on usually. And knowing everything wasn¡¯t the same as perfectly understanding everything. And that was under the assumption that the System was perfectly neutral. The last time he¡¯d requested a direct interface with the System shook his certainty in its neutrality. The interface had had too much personality. It had seemed almost whimsical. And now this. He stared at the latest rankings he''d recorded. Making the power rankings of the most powerful and influential gods was something he did fairly regularly. It was something he barely even paid attention to anymore. Changes in the rankings were to be expected. Even some surprises not quite explained by the Champions, as there were other ways to gain power, even if the Champions were the most efficient way. Seeing Tzeentch suddenly shoot up in the ranks was somewhat unexpected, but not something he was shocked by. The current situation among the mortals fostered both Change and Chaos. The unexpected part was not seeing the god shoot up the rankings, but the number of ranks jumped. Even seeing the sudden appearance of Slaanesh on the rankings, as he didn¡¯t rank all the gods, just the 500 strongest, was explainable. Slaanesh too was a Chaos god, and the connection between the four was a complex one. Slaanesh had been weaker than the other three for a while, but seeing that change was not entirely outside possibility. At least the two Chaos gods he''d heard about and had a level of understanding of. No, what made him doubt things were the two top spots. A name he''d never heard of before and an anomaly. The way this universe expanded sometimes brought in surprisingly powerful gods and goddesses, but never someone that shot straight to the top of the rankings. The gathered power and influence of the established powers were simply too much to make that feasible. Even if a god was nigh-omnipotent in their home universe, they''d be forced under the System in this one. But for some reason, he now suddenly felt that the two holding the top two spots didn''t do so by a small margin. There were no numbers or anything else tangible involved, just rankings, but sometimes he got a sense for the magnitude of the difference, and his senses were currently in overdrive. Why was the top spot suddenly blank? And what self-respecting goddess named themselves Charlotte Richards? And why did both appear now? This was the second anomaly in a time period too short for comfort. And too short to assume they weren¡¯t connected. --------- When the ambush finally hit, it was almost a relief. They¡¯d almost reached their destination and had almost assumed there would either not be an ambush, or it would happen on the way back. Which sort of made it the best time to spring that ambush. Countless Demons came from the trees, screaming and calling out in their twisted language. Slaanesh forces were always characterized by speed and power, so when the ambush came, it came fast and hard. Grotesque, yet at the same time seductive Daemonettes made the bulk of the assault force, riding lithe and extremely fast mounts known as Seekers, cleaving into the ranks of the elven spearmen, forcing the lines into disorder, before they had the opportunity to turn around and make a unified wall of spears to repel the attackers. Unmounted Daemonettes, Fiends, and chariots that seemed to be made out of nothing but spikes followed, striking the gaps in the disordered lines. Mutated spawns of Chaos, nothing more than twisted and brutal masses of flesh, the fallen and corrupted aspirants that had failed on the path of power fell on everyone and everything, throwing their lives away happily. Behind them came the mortal forces of Slaanesh, barbaric marauders clad in furs and wielding whips known as Hellscourges meant as much for torture as for battle. Warriors of Chaos clad in the heaviest armor available solidifying the lines. Knights riding horses, both clad in armor so heavy they resembled living tanks thundered in to mop up. In the past, that extremely heavy armor, known as Chaos armor, had been the thickest and sturdiest known to this world. Ironically, the twisted Armor Skills of this universe changed that balance somewhat. They didn¡¯t have to pretend to get cut off from the rest of the army. The enemy did it all for them as smart tactics. Despite knowing that the ambush was coming eventually, and their careful scouting, they were still caught by surprise. Their scouts had found nothing thanks to the deceptive magic of the Demons, and the massive force of Chaos smashed into the Elven lines with ease. The High Elves were the most professional army in this world though, and it didn''t take long for them to start forming pockets of effective resistance. In places, the lines were successfully formed in an orderly fashion, and in other places, even the disorderly lines managed to push the enemy back. Tyrion might not have brought the best, as there was a good chance they would all need to be sacrificed, but even the chaff of the Elves were disciplined and effective, despite being in a situation as unfavorable as this. Tyrion and Teclis led their personal guard in effective resistance. Teclis'' spells downed hundreds of Demons every time he cast one, and Tyrion was almost like a force of nature while wielding his runed sword, cutting down all enemies with ease. Seraphiel focused mostly on buffing the elves close to her, and providing healing, while Yoruichi kept any Demons off of her. Despite this, they were forced further away from the rest of the army. Those behind and in front of them had been the hardest hit, and the sheer weight of the enemies pushed their group back despite the two Elven brothers downing the Demons almost as fast as they appeared. While they cut down hundreds, just as many appeared to replace the losses. The air was filled with the cries of Furies and the flying manta ray-like Screamers. Tyrion and Teclis put up enough of a fight to make things believable, but not enough to stop their group from being pushed further and further away from the rest of the army. Seraphiel¡¯s Skills and Teclis¡¯ magic stopped most of the casualties, but one by one their group was being worn down. Suddenly a heavy presence settled over the battlefield. Unlike the [Reiatsu] of Seraphiel, this presence felt more seductive. Something that affected your senses and mind, causing you to make bad decisions and doubt everything you saw. N¡¯kari had arrived. "Not yet," Tyrion stated firmly to the unsaid question. The Demons pushed them further, almost frantically throwing themselves at their blades, dragging the Elves down even at the cost of their own lives. Even their group was now facing more losses despite Seraphiel''s best efforts to keep them alive. Her blessings, aura, and healing saved many lives, keeping them going where they should''ve fallen long ago, but even when she was redirecting some of the damage toward herself, it wasn''t enough. One by one the guards around them fell. "Not yet," Tyrion grunted again, dodging a swipe from a Greater Demon of Slaanesh, a Keeper of Secrets, that had come thundering from between the trees. The huge crab-like pincers barely whizzed by the king, who agilely swiped his weapon at the back of the equally agile Demon, leaving a large gash behind. The space around them locked, disallowing any teleportation magic from whisking them away. "Not yet," Tyrion growled in anger again, sinking his blade deeper into the Greater Demon, showing that his skill was above the ferocity of the monster, although the staying power of a Greater Demon meant the wound was far from fatal. ¡°Well, well, well. This feels almost like an invitation. And as a gracious host, it would be oh so rude of me to refuse.¡± A soft, indecent voice came from the trees. Where had all the fog appeared from? Softly, the enormous form of N¡¯kari leisurely walked towards them. The Demon was at least five meters tall, standing on cloven hoofs and holding a twisted blade in one of his hands. Two of the hands had been replaced with the typical pincers so common to Slaaneshi demons that could rend through almost any defenses. The entire being of the Demon practically radiated sensuality, and despite his grotesque appearance, he was alluring and majestic. That was the power of a Greater Demon of Slaanesh. Even when obviously twisted and hideous in many places, anyone gazing upon the Demon would find themselves fascinated. Attracted in a twisted way. You knew it was wrong, but you couldn¡¯t help the darker desires rising inside you. It was like you suddenly developed all-new twisted fetishes, and the Demon matched all of them. Such was also the effect of high Charisma, as that was just one of the ways the Demon''s allure manifested. The effect worked on several levels, magical, pheromonal, mental, System-based, and otherwise. When she¡¯d first read the effects of Charisma and the Mental Stats, Seraphiel had noted that they withheld some rather dark possibilities. With enough Charisma, you could do anything to another person, and they would find it almost impossible to refuse. With Skills added on top, that could be twisted even further, practically taking the free will of people away. And the Greater Demon of Slaanesh was the embodiment of all the dark and twisted ways they could be used. Not only would you be used, you would like it, and think it was a good thing. A pleasurable thing. Something to surrender to. Why resist? She shook her head, knowing her curse was partly to blame for the effect being so pronounced. She noted that she''d stopped casting support magic, and she wasn''t the only one. The Elves around her seemed just as susceptible and had practically stopped fighting, now only a dozen of them left. ¡°Such lovely guests you¡¯ve invited.¡± The Greater Demon looked towards Seraphiel and Yoruichi in particular. ¡°Such lovely guests indeed. Well, I¡¯m here. Now spring your trap king of the Elves. Let us see if it is effective.¡± "Now," Tyrion said simply, and Seraphiel managed to gather enough of her wits to cut the tiny connection, sending the signal. The fortress of the Draenei appeared above them, and the cries of Dragons could be heard over the screams of the flying Demons. "Impressive," N''kari said in a seductive voice, seemingly not very concerned. "Not what I expected. Well then. I should bring in my help." Several warp portals seemed to open simultaneously, and Demons of the other Chaos Gods started pouring through, led by their Greater Demons. Several mortal champions of the ruinous powers also walked out of the gates. ¡°Let us engage in this glorious orgy of violence. No matter what, my master will be the one that benefits the most.¡± The Greater Demon laughed madly, not entirely wrong, as even if he lost, Slaanesh would benefit. Chapter 55 - Machinations ------- The seeming stalemate between the different forces lasted for a breath until the battle cries of the Demons were met with the roars of Dragons, and the sounds of various of spells. The mages Teclis had brought along, as well as the Asha''man, rained death from above, staying in the protection of the Draenei fortress, while several Dragons, along with their riders swooped down to meet the Greater Demons in glorious combat. Draenei forces came through portals to help defend the remaining Elves, as well as to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Tyrion and Teclis. Several Shinigami took to the field as well, three Captains among them. While the normal rank-and-file Shinigami might not be able to fight Greater Demons, the captains certainly could. Ukitake, Kyoraku, and Byakuya were just three people, but their presence alone could shift the entire battle, especially with Yoruichi along as well. Seraphiel''s allies appeared next to her, Wrex wasting no time biotically charging at the demons with red hides. The Krogan knew Khornate Demons would offer the most fun fight. Kaede dashed off to help with the mortal champions of Chaos, while Tatsumiya focused her fire on the Demons, proving just how effective she could be at defeating her favorite prey. Seraphiel also made sure to pick her target with care. Even if she could punch far above her weight, she was much lower in level than most of the big hitters in this battle. Thus, she had to pick an enemy she was well suited to fight. Her target was one of the strongest Greater Demons present, Kairos Fateweaver. The Lord of Change was a large bird-like magician, with large multicolored wings, and two heads. One of the heads could see the future, while the other could see the past. The only thing they could not see was the present, which made the Demon somewhat easier to deal with. Although, that said, he was still the most powerful magic user among the Greater Demons, by a long shot. As she walked towards the Lord of Change, the air around her turned extremely serious. More serious than she''d been since arriving in this universe. This enemy was the most dangerous she''d faced so far, and she''d need all her focus to just survive the fight with the Demon. A battle between two people that could glimpse the future was more a game of deception and strategy than a fight where two beings just bashed at each other. Even on the chaotic battlefield where futures were constantly shifting and in flux, both of them tried to read the skeins of fate, trying to anticipate the other one''s actions. Kairos had a more accurate view of the future due to his special ability, but he also relied on it more. Seraphiel had long since learned that you didn''t need to just accept what the future was predicting. You could actively alter it to fight someone trying to use future sight against you. So, instead of trying to outplay Kairos by being better at reading the future, she instead put her efforts into feeding him false information by creating false futures, combined with her ability to create illusions. Several illusionary copies of her moved towards the Demon, some moving in directly, while others took cover among the Demons around them. Kairos reacted by sending in a burst of chaotic flames at certain copies, perceiving them to potentially be the real ones. The Flames created by Kairos held the essence of chaos and change and completely annihilated anything they came into contact with, including the Demons her illusions had taken cover with. Except some of the Demons were not burned and instead were mutated, twisting into horrific masses of flesh and teeth. None of the attacking figures was real though. Kairos suddenly twisted reality to move himself away from another illusion that appeared right next to him, having seen this to be the real one, and leaving behind another explosion of flames. This was another illusion though, as Seraphiel''s blade bit into his thick hide, leaving behind a wound filled with the power of Light. Seraphiel had predicted where he would move and had been there waiting, hiding that future from Kairos'' sight. Even with all her Strength, and the empowering buffs and Skills, she only barely managed to pierce the hide of the Demon. While she could punch above her weight and the Demon was far from a physically focused one, Kairos was more than four times her level, and that showed. Still, she had more experience fighting demons like Kairos than almost anyone, and she knew where to strike. Once she did manage to overcome the Demon''s Vitality, damage could be done. Not a lot of damage, but damage, nonetheless. Usually, when a warrior type managed to get their hands on a mage, the fight was all but over. The Greater Demon wasn''t so simple though, and neither was this fight. Flames burst out from him, surrounding the Greater Demon entirely, and forcing Seraphiel away. She could also see the wound already healing, as Kairos was a proficient enough magician to heal his own wounds. This was going to be a long fight, considering the effort it had taken to cause a single wound that took little more than a second to heal. Or so she had assumed. "It issss, a shame we have to fight like thissss. My ordersssss...well, no matter. My part in thissss sssscharade is already played. The massster would like a word with you in the future, Changebringer. You have been marked." The Greater Demon stated, before disappearing, even as Seraphiel felt some sort of power settle over her. The power was heavy enough to ignore her resistances for now, and she¡¯d have to deal with it later. As the Greater Demon just vanished in a burst of blue flames, he didn¡¯t go alone. Around her, it seemed most of the Tzeentchian Demons did the same, leaving her standing alone with a handful of Draenei who¡¯d been fighting nearby, looking just as confused as she felt. She''d managed to hurt the Demon, but not badly enough to force him to retreat. She certainly didn''t have the power to scare him. She might have been able to banish the Demon by basically wearing him down, but it would not have been quick or risk-free. It seemed Tzeentch was up to some games again. The Changer of Ways was the most difficult of the Chaos gods to figure out, and even trying to do so was an exercise in futility. Politics between the Chaos gods were also common, and this stunk of Chaos politics. The fact that the Demons had managed to disappear despite the inhibition against teleportation spoke volumes of his power as well. Tzeentch had sent them here with the intention of leaving early, apparently their job done. The presence of the Tzeentchian forces had served a purpose. It had drawn some of the defending forces out of position and served as a distraction. The battle was still balancing on a knife''s edge, the resolution mostly coming down to clashes between powerful individuals. The sudden retreat of the Tzeentchian forces had relieved some of that pressure, but truthfully, they had been the smallest part since the beginning. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! The fortunes of war shifted again when sudden loud booms could be heard from the shore, while a sudden rain of arrows and bursts of magic fell on the Demons. Seraphiel could see the arrival of several large naval vessels from a thick bank of fog, firing their weapons into the ranks of the Demons, while smaller vessels were disgorging the specialist marines of the Elven capital, Lothern Sea Guard. Naval weapons were one of the areas where the High Elves had vastly improved thanks to contact with other worlds, and the simple bolt throwers had been replaced with magi-cannons that proved to be quite effective against their target. The numbers of the reinforcements were not large, but they were enough to shift things in the Elves¡¯ favor, and it seems they weren''t done. Seraphiel could hear the cries of Griffons and Dragons, as more reinforcements came flying over the mountains, and from the city they were supposed to be reinforcing. It seems Tyrion had been holding out on them. A trap, within a trap, within a trap. These were also likely the forces the new King trusted the most, likely one of the main reasons they hadn''t been discovered by Chaos. Supposedly. Fooling your enemy started by fooling your allies. That didn''t mean the battle was over. Kaede and Yoruichi had mostly occupied the mortal champions, while the rest were doing their best to deal with the Demons, but the Elven forces in particular were getting pushed back, and the Asha''man were having trouble dealing with the sheer strength of the more powerful Demons. it seemed Logain was the only one of their number capable of dealing with the Greater Demons and Demon Princes effectively, even if the others were effective against the masses of weaker Demons. On the other hand, the Draenei seemed to be cleaving through all of the enemies with ruthless efficiency, which wasn''t a huge surprise considering their kind had been dealing with Demons since they were called Draenei. Even if the Elven forces were still outnumbered, the presence of the naval reinforcements and Dragons was pushing things in their favor. Even if these were not among the most powerful of Dragons, they were still a match to almost anything else. They were not invulnerable though, and she could see several of the large beasts brought down by the claws of the massive Greater Demons. Another one fell from the sky as a particularly nasty Demon Prince used some dark artifact to damage its wings, before that same Demon Prince got its head blown off by Tatsumiya. The most important fight was taking place with three mortals standing against N¡¯kari. It was perhaps fate that Tyrion and Teclis were to stand against their old foe, but General Kuren was supporting the two Elves with his glowing golden hammer, and it seemed obvious that the brothers would¡¯ve been overwhelmed if not for his support. Seraphiel found herself standing alone at the relatively silent flank of the conflict that had been abandoned with the Tzeentch forces gone, which provided her with an opportunity. She didn¡¯t currently possess the power to swing the entire battle in their favor, but she might be able to affect the important fight with correct timing. She used her weapon to make a wound on her palm and the blood flew out to form a ritual circle around her. This time it wasn''t quite as elaborate as when she''d dealt with the Tyranids. Part of that was because she didn''t have all the people feeding her power, while another part was that she was going back to the basics of ritual blood magic. Sacrifice. Blood magic had always revolved around sacrifice, either your own or others. Blood, life, power, all things could be sacrificed. It was a simple form of exchange, and that made it alluring to many. You didn''t need a thousand levels or a thousand years of study to make a difference. You just had to pay a price. And luckily for her, there were a lot of prices being paid all around her. A lot of power that was just floating there, going untapped. Still, she was going back to the first principles. A personal sacrifice made these kinds of spells more effective. Less likely to go horribly wrong. That was always one of the dangers of blood magic. You could pay the price and achieve nothing if the ritual was not conducted properly, or if you got too greedy. Her target was also likely to possess a degree of defense against such things. That''s why the power around her would only be used to overcome that defense and to amplify the effect slightly. She created a dagger made of pure light and waited for the right moment. Just when General Kuren was about to attack, and N¡¯kari was about to parry the blow, she chanted the ritual words and plunged the dagger into her own abdomen. The Greater Demon roared in surprise and pain, as a large wound suddenly appeared in the same spot on his body. Not only did the wound mirror the one on Seraphiel, but it also glowed with the retributive power of her Skills. The System was being generous and calculating the damage done to her as an attack by N¡¯kari as they were both affected, despite the wound being self-inflicted. Her aura and [Sanctuary] both returned a portion of the damage she suffered as completely unavoidable retributive Holy damage to the Demon, amplifying the damage further. The main purpose of the ritual was a distraction though, and it was extremely effective, not only because of the pain, but also because N¡¯kari was a Demon of Slaanesh, and thus pain also meant pleasure. Considering that, she¡¯d just given the magical pain equivalent of a handjob to the Demon in the middle of the battle, which understandably could be quite distracting when it hit so unexpectedly. General Kuren¡¯s weapon smashed home, striking the Demon directly on the chest, further unbalancing the Demon. Neither Tyrion nor Teclis would miss an opportunity like this. A flaming projectile in the form of a Phoenix crashed into the Demon, while Tyrion managed to cut off the hand holding N¡¯kari¡¯s magical blade, sending the demonic weapon spinning away. The fight wasn¡¯t over yet, but it was now only a matter of time. Seraphiel quickly canceled the ritual, before healing herself, not wanting to accidentally heal the Demon as well. As expected, a self-inflicted wound gained from a blood magic ritual was not easy to heal, taking all her focus and power for a short time. Her healing was also the general type that didn''t fare so well with such particular injuries. She would likely have to get the wound looked at after the battle. As the reinforcement fully hit the Demon¡¯s ranks, the effect was immediate. The Demons were surrounded, and that had an interesting effect on them. Since the Demons were mostly manifested Warp energy, morale affected them in a slightly different way. Once they perceived they were losing, their cohesion started to break down, and their numbers started to disappear and return to the Warp to rebuild their forms. However, Demons were vicious by nature, and they lashed out almost suicidally, wanting to take their enemies with them. The saying about cornered animals being the most dangerous definitely applied. Despite the fortunes of battle slowly turning in their favor, the Elves had not yet achieved the goal they had set out to do. It wasn¡¯t enough to defeat the Demons, as they would just come back. The fight was all about N¡¯kari. It wasn¡¯t enough to just kill him, they needed to kill him in a way that ensured he would not return right away. To that end Logain dropped down from the Draenei fortress, spewing balefire at any demons nearby, before making his way towards N¡¯kari. A thick column of white, almost liquid fire crashed against one of N''kari''s arms, the appendage completely disappearing. The Demon was not yet beaten though, as he cast a spell of some sort, which seemed to cloud the minds of those attacking him. Logain and Tyrion launched their attacks at empty air while Tyrion seemed to be grabbed by some kind of nightmare. General Kuren stood unaffected though, and loudly summoned the Light. Instead of attacking, he instead seemed to be calling on something, and the Light answered eagerly, sensing one of its enemies nearby. A large figure of Light made manifest appeared above the General. The Naaru were a race of living, sentient beings made of pure scintillating holy energies, appearing foreign to most eyes, yet soothing at the same time. They had no set shape, looking as if beings made of floating pieces of solidified light or crystal. This particular one burned with a righteous golden and red vengeance and turned all of its light on N''kari, burning the Greater Demon with all its might, leaving behind nothing but ash, before vanishing as well. "Damn," Seraphiel muttered. "I might''ve underestimated the good General a bit." With their leader gone, the Demons started to lose their cohesion faster, and the mortal champions were yanked away by their gods. There were still lives lost, but the battle did not last very long. As always, the aftermath of a battle would last multiple times longer than the battle itself, as all the casualties were counted, wounded treated, and damages assessed. It was going to be a long night for Seraphiel as one of the healers. Chapter 56 - Grand Cathay -------- ¡°So what¡¯s the verdict?¡± Seraphiel asked tiredly. She¡¯d been up all night, healing the wounded soldiers. The Elves had borne the brunt of the battle, but they were not the only ones hurt. The Dragons had many injured and dead, and the Draenei and Asha¡¯man had their own injuries. Draenei because they¡¯d been at the thick of the fight the entire time, and Asha¡¯man because some of the demons had managed to infiltrate the flying fortress where they¡¯d been posted. Teclis was quiet for a while, going through his magical diagnostic spells. "I can''t tell. A large part of it is just to keep tabs on you, but that''s obviously not all. I can''t tell what else though, unfortunately. It''s not actively hurting you." ¡°That¡¯s much I already figured out. Otherwise, my own Skills would be working harder against it.¡± As a Paladin, she was very resistant to most curses. ¡°Can you lift it?¡± "No. Even though Kairos is the one who cast the curse, he wasn''t the one actually forcing it on you. Tzeentch was. Kairos was just the channel through which the god worked." Teclis looked at her a bit queerly before very carefully pointing something out. "I know you two don''t get along well, but Alarielle¡­" ¡°No. Hell no.¡± She retorted sharply. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t ask her if I was dying, and she was holding the only way to save me. And she¡¯d rather burn any rescue method than help me.¡± ¡°She is the expert in cleansing any Chaos taint.¡± He finished a little feebly. ¡°Absolutely not. Like you said, the curse isn¡¯t actively harming me. I¡¯ve carried a curse from Slaanesh for eons. I¡¯ll survive until I can either remove it myself or find another method to remove it.¡± She stated firmly. She¡¯d rather kill herself than go begging Alarielle for help. ¡°You couldn¡¯t ask that Goddess of yours to help?¡± Teclis asked. "That''s the first thing I tried. She thinks the whole thing is amusing. She''s using the excuse of fostering self-reliance, which is another reason I know the curse isn''t too serious. If it was, She''d remove it. She can be kind of protective that way. If it''s just inconvenient though, she''ll get more amusement from not removing it." She explained. ¡°Sounds complicated.¡± Teclis offered, not really sure what else to say. The two move to the large tent set up by King Tyrion to deal with the aftermath of the battle. ¡°¡­and the forces of Slaanesh seem to have weakened considerably in other theaters as we suspected.¡± One of the Elven commanders reported through a communications crystal as they stepped into the tent. ¡°Enough to push them off the island?¡± Tyrion asked. "Not quite yet. The presence of our darker cousins makes things more challenging on that front, but we''re already pushing deeper into Chrace. Since the Druchii still control Nagarythe, we can''t pressure the Demons from the west, but we are sallying fort from the mountain gates while pressuring the Demons from the sea as much as we can without running into the Black Arks of the Druchii." Another commander, as there seemed to be several of them taking part, reported. Tyrion seemed to consider the strategic situation. ¡°We¡¯ll be able to push them out eventually, but it¡¯s going to take time.¡± He came to a conclusion. ¡°Then we¡¯ll be able to deal with the other problem.¡± He clearly referred to the Dark Elves. ¡°Keep up the pressure and don¡¯t allow them to regroup. Chaos will be disordered after that battle and we¡¯ll have to take as much advantage as possible.¡± The King looked at General Kuren. ¡°I was a little¡­distracted when you dealt the killing blow to N¡¯kari. I heard the story, but I¡¯d like a bit of clarification. You called for a being of light to banish him. I don¡¯t want to doubt your power, but I need to know how badly he was hurt.¡± General Kuren seemed to consider the question for a moment. "The Naaru are powerful beings of Light, and their power to purge Demons is great, but I''ve only seen it done against other kinds of Demons. I cannot accurately estimate." The Draenei Paladin finally admitted. Tyrion looked towards Seraphiel, knowing she¡¯d likely be the best to answer, which surprised some of those present. Seraphiel¡¯s lips twitched a bit in amusement. ¡°General Kuren is right. Naaru are very good at what they do, and the Light is the second-best weapon against all Demons. N¡¯kari will not be back very soon.¡± ¡°Second-best?¡± Tyrion asked. ¡°Well, as beings of the Warp, naturally Warp-based psionic abilities are the most effective when it comes to dispersing their essence.¡± She shrugged. ¡°If I had more levels under my belt, and we weren¡¯t fighting a Slaaneshi Greater Demon, I would¡¯ve offered my abilities to do it, but as it is¡­¡± She''d actually gained quite a lot of levels from the battle. She hadn''t killed that many enemies, but the System still recognized her as partially defeating Kairos and contributing to the overall victory by hurting N¡¯kari at a critical moment. Not an overwhelming number of levels, but over a dozen levels with her Classes combined. Tyrion grunted in acceptance while leaning his hands against the table he was standing next to. ¡°Either way, I think we can call this operation a success. As much as I¡¯d like to keep you all here to help push against the remaining Demons, I know you came to assist us for a reason. The Empire needs assistance from us.¡± The Shinigami had already gone back to assist the Humans, leaving only Ukitake to deal with the aftermath. Half of the Asha¡¯man had also left for the same reason. The Draenei had stayed to help heal the wounded. ¡°We can spare Teclis and some of our more prominent mages to help right away, and more once our own island is clear of enemies. That latter might take some months though.¡± The Elven King dismissed the generals and commanders with a gesture, leaving only a small group inside the tent. ¡°The other mercenaries already got their rewards. You didn¡¯t mention what you want. While your group was small in comparison, your contributions were vastly outsized. I don¡¯t think things would¡¯ve gone well with Kairos if you hadn¡¯t been there, and you gave General Kuren the opening to attack N¡¯kari. Your allies were also instrumental in dealing with some of the enemy heavy hitters. So. What is it that you desire from Ulthuan?¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Seraphiel didn¡¯t hesitate even for a second before pointing at Teclis, who reacted by pointing at himself dumbly. ¡°Me?¡± He asked. ¡°My mercenary group is strong, as you already noted, but we have some rather glaring holes in our roster. The largest of which is the lack of proper magical support. So, Teclis.¡± She explained. Tyrion frowned a bit. ¡°That¡¯s a tall ask. My brother is the High Loremaster of the Tower of Hoeth. His support to the Empire would be instrumental.¡± ¡°We both know he¡¯s frequently embarking on sojourns anyway, and seeing worlds outside this one would fit right in. He¡¯d most definitely come back stronger and more well-rounded. As for Empire, we¡¯re going back there anyway. He can do work there as part of our mercenary group just as well as in his old capacity.¡± She argued. Tyrion looked at his brother. ¡°What do you say? You¡¯ve worked for Ulthuan tirelessly for longer than either of us care to admit. What do you want to do.¡± Teclis¡¯ eyes moved rapidly between his brother and Seraphiel, and it was obvious that the issue was more complex than at first sight. ¡°I am amenable, but I have a condition.¡± ¡°Fair enough. What kind of condition?¡± Seraphiel asked, not entirely surprised. It was a tall ask as Tyrion had mentioned. ¡°While I return to the Empire, I need your friends to do something else for me. I need you to travel to Grand Cathay. There is someone I want you to find.¡± The mage explained. ¡°If all goes well, that might earn you another ally and a companion.¡± ¡°Sounds tempting. Who do I need to find?¡± She asked, intrigued. "Shen-Zoo. She''s the youngest child of the Dragon Emperor and the Moon Empress, the beings ruling over Cathay. She''s missing, and her disappearance or abduction has thrown the mighty empire of Cathay into disharmony. This matters especially since they are one of the main bulwarks against Chaos. I also believe that with the aid of their Astromancers and the Wu Xing Compass, we could push the Demons back towards the poles. That would relieve the pressure on all the nations of Order in our world. That would easily give me the liberty to leave elsewhere without constantly worrying." Teclis explained his reasoning, though Seraphiel could tell there were many details the Elven mage was leaving out. ¡°Hmm. Sounds like a potentially profitable endeavor either way. I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± Seraphiel agreed. She had an artifact that allowed her to track people after all. ------- The Emperor-to-be was of course glad of their success in bringing the High Elves into at least a tentative alliance. The defeat of a powerful Greater Demon, as well as weakening the forces of Chaos was a grand success in his mind. In addition to material rewards that Seraphiel would need during her next Class Evolution, Karl Franz and his advisors were also able to provide suggestions and information when it came to Grand Cathay. ¡°The thing to know about Cathay is that it is a very insular nation, surrounded on all sides by potential enemies. Merchants are welcome, but only in small numbers. The nation is ruled by a single family of immortal Dragons. These Dragons are practically worshipped as gods, and in the case of the Emperor and Empress as actual gods, even if that is inaccurate. You should tread carefully when approaching them, however, the ruling family is likely the best source of clues to finding Shen-Zoo. If you can get to them.¡± The Emperor-to-be gave a brief summary. One of the court wizards leaned forward. ¡°Your best bet is likely going to be Zhao Ming the Iron Dragon. He is the ruler of the Western Provinces, and of his family, he is the most welcoming to outsiders, and also governs over the one city open to traders, Shang-Yang.¡± Karn Franz cleared his throat a bit. ¡°There are also rumors that he might be tainted by all his alchemical experiments, but that is neither here nor there. One thing is rather clear though. You shouldn¡¯t fly your ship directly to Shang-Yang. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll take that well. I¡¯d advise landing in the nearby mountains and traveling the rest of the way by foot.¡± They took the advice offered to heart. The flight to the Mountains of Mourn that marked the border between Cathay and its neighbors didn''t take long on a ship that could be used to travel between worlds. "The Ogres might be a bit of a problem," Teclis commented as the local expert. "They''re rather belligerent, albeit not inherently evil. They simply love a good scrum, and might see your ship as good loot." "I''ll stay to protect the ship with Chachamaru," Tatsumiya promised. "We can fly the ship away if we meet too many enemies." The Mountains of Mourn made an almost impenetrable barrier between Cathay and the outside world. Only a few mountain passes allowed traffic of any size to pass through, and even those passes could be treacherous at least to normal mortals. Their group had much less trouble as all of them excelled in mobility, with the possible exception of Wrex, who simply cackled and charged his way through any trouble, be it mountains or the beasts inhabiting them. The mountain pass they followed joined up with the main pass letting out just in front of Shang-Yang, the main hub of trade through which a lot of wealth flowed. Several caravans were coming and going, mostly made up of Humans and Elves, but there were also Naga from Kuresh and the Dwarfs of the various Karaks. Even here, their eclectic gathering drew some attention. Wrex didn''t exactly look like a Naga, and while Yoruichi and Kaede looked Human, Seraphiel increasingly showed her Angelic heritage. The military of Cathay was extremely regimented, being mostly divided into three distinct categories. Their peasant militias were similar to most of their kind on a thousand worlds, though perhaps more trained. Most of their professional soldiers were known as Jade Warriors, clad in heavy splint armor and wielding swords or halberds with simple metal shields. Their elites were called the Celestial Dragon Guard, soldiers clad in golden armor. The guards around Shang-Yand seemed to mostly be made up of the Jade Warriors, with a few peasant auxiliaries for numbers. Artillery lined the walls of the city, with floating lantern-like airships providing air cover. They didn¡¯t get far into the city before they were approached by a pair of golden guards, who told them to follow them to Zhao Ming. Since that¡¯s where they wanted to go anyway, they saw no reason to resist. They were led to the palace, which was filled with opulence and the fruits of all the trade that flowed through the city. The walls were lined with objects from faraway lands, and objects that they assumed were created by the alchemists of the city. Zhao Ming was a large man exuding the aura of a powerful Dragon. His pupilless eyes offered no insight into his personality, his armor was mostly practical, even if well-made and decorated, and he wore a headdress created by a pair of crossing horns. In Seraphiel¡¯s opinion, the man¡¯s beard was a bit funky, but to each their own. Before even getting close, the Iron Dragon spoke. ¡°Welcome off-worlders. Not that your kind aren¡¯t welcome, but we rarely see your kind. What brings you to Grand Cathay?¡± He asked directly, avoiding most diplomatic niceties, favoring efficiency. Teclis stepped forth. ¡°The rest are here on my request. I am the High Loremaster of Hoeth, and the brother of the Phoenix King of Ulthuan, Teclis.¡± He nodded respectfully. ¡°Titles known even in our land, though that doesn¡¯t answer my initial question.¡± Zhao Ming pointed out. ¡°We are here for a dual purpose. We believe we can help you, while in return we¡¯d like your help.¡± Teclis stated. ¡°Go on then. How will you help us.¡± The Iron Dragon leaned forward. Teclis gestured towards Seraphiel. ¡°She has an ability to locate things. Or people. Missing people.¡± He allowed the implications to settle. ¡°You speak of Shen-Zoo, my sister.¡± The Iron Dragon¡¯s voice had turned more serious, clearly not tolerating any nonsense. False hope could be dangerous. His empty eyes looked towards Seraphiel. "Tell me, Angel, can you fulfill this promise the Elf is making in your stead?" ¡°I can, though the more information I have on my target, the better my ability works. The better I understand what I¡¯m looking for, the less the ability has to deal with false leads.¡± She gave a curt explanation. The Iron Dragon chewed on that for a moment, before turning to Teclis again. ¡°What kind of help are you looking for in exchange?¡± Teclis launched into a rather long and detailed explanation of what he wanted, and by the end Zhao Ming was eagerly nodding along, offering his own theories. ¡°Ultimately, my father needs to make a decision on this, but I¡¯m confident in him seeing the benefits. Especially if you can return Shen-Zoo to us. It¡¯s going to be a massive undertaking, but the advantages¡­well, we¡¯ve been struggling ever since the Demons gained the ability to bypass the Great Bastion. That our work might solve the problem and benefit the other order-aligned nations would be a major diplomatic boon as well, even if my siblings are not as open to others as I am.¡± He ordered one of the servants to bring in information on Shen-Zoo, something that Seraphiel quickly read over and absorbed. She then used her artifact to try to search for her target. "Well, the first bit of good news is that she is alive at the moment." She revealed as she got a response. That brought a relieved sigh from everyone involved. It would¡¯ve been really bad if Shen-Zoo was dead. ¡°Where is she?¡± Seraphiel walked up to a map and studied it for a short time. ¡°I¡¯d pinpoint her current location somewhere in what you call the Darklands.¡± ¡°Chaos Dwarfs, Hobgoblin Tribes, Ogres, and Undead.¡± Zhao Ming summarized. ¡°Of those, the most likely to hold one of ours captive would be either the Ogres or the Dawi-Zharr. Problematic either way.¡± "I can get a more accurate location if I get closer," Seraphiel suggested. "That can and will be arranged. I will lead an army to the Darklands if necessary, but let''s try to avoid it for now." The Iron Dragon decided. Chapter 57 - Maladies -------- "I''m not sure if I should be glad or disappointed that you''re leading us away from the Dawi-Zharr," Zhao-Ming commented. The Iron Dragon was leading a group of elite warriors to help in the rescue, and to keep an eye on Seraphiel¡¯s group. ¡°Of the choices presented, the Chaos Dwarfs are not the worst when it comes to the treatment of prisoners.¡± Teclis nodded along. ¡°Slavery isn¡¯t the best, but at least they usually only put their slaves to work. There are worse alternatives.¡± ¡°We¡¯re getting close.¡± Seraphiel suddenly said. She pointed towards the south, to an island chain. ¡°The southernmost island.¡± They could all see the undeniable corruption of the land. Mutated and twisted flora and fauna were everywhere. Mushrooms grew on every tree, and the animals were filled with weeping sores and pustules. There was a sickeningly sweet scent in the air, wafting from the islands. ¡°Nurgle corruption.¡± Seraphiel recognized immediately. Zhao-Ming frowned. ¡°What would the god of diseases want with Shen-Zoo?¡± An idea came to Seraphiel immediately. ¡°She¡¯s a Dragon of Light, is she not? I¡¯m going to assume resisting and maybe curing diseases is within her powers?¡± Zhao-Ming nodded. ¡°Yes. She¡¯s the bringer of light and hope. That is exactly what she¡¯s great at. Unlike the rest of us, she¡¯s not much of a fighter, but when there¡¯s a plague, there¡¯s no one better to deal with the situation.¡± ¡°Then it makes perfect sense. In another universe, Nurgle captured the Aeldari Goddess Isha, who he used to test all his most potent diseases against since the Goddess naturally resisted them all and could heal herself. Anything virulent and powerful enough to affect Isha would be supremely effective against mortals. And I wouldn¡¯t put it past any servant of Nurgle to emulate their god in such a way. Maybe attempt to create a disease to strike at the rulers of Cathay?¡± Seraphiel speculated, referring to the Dragons. ¡°You¡¯re sure she¡¯s there?¡± Zhao-Ming looked at the rotten islands with a speculative look. ¡°Of course you are. Bringing troops on the island would be problematic. Most would succumb to plagues well before facing any enemy.¡± ¡°A stealthy approach with a small group then?¡± Seraphiel grimaced a bit. ¡°My abilities will protect me and a few others, but if there¡¯s a Great Unclean one on those islands, I¡¯m not certain my powers are enough for full protection against too many. The level difference would be too harsh, even if my abilities are a direct counter.¡± ¡°I can create a magical protection that will hold the worst at bay for a while," Teclis suggested. "It''s not the first time I''ve dealt with Nurgle Demons, even if we''ve mostly had to deal with Slaanesh. I won¡¯t be perfect, but it¡¯ll do. We¡¯ll have to have a plan for our exfiltration though, we don¡¯t want to bring out any plagues.¡± "I can use my powers to hide us for a short time," Kaede promised. "Though when I say short, I do mean it. A couple of hours at maximum." ¡°We may have to separate rescuing Shin-Zoo and punishing those responsible.¡± Zhao-Ming finally admitted. ¡°My sister is our priority. It is almost certain that a Great Unclean One is present. If we can kill it, great. But if we run into them, we should focus on delaying them. Luckily Nurgle isn¡¯t known for speed, so reinforcements will take a while to arrive.¡± ------- The stench and almost oppressive pressure of wrongness grew as their small boat approached the furthest island under the cover of night and the shadows created by Kaede. Worryingly Seraphiel was already getting almost constant increases to her [Bastion of Purity] and [Fount of Purity] Skills. She was also getting the occasional increase to her [Greater Aura of Sanctity] implying that the diseases were magical and being somewhat suppressed by her aura¡¯s magic resistance component. And that was despite the protective magics woven by Teclis, which were clearly not enough. Without another word, she blessed everyone in their party with increased Vitality, hoping they could hold out long enough. "This will have to be quick," Zhao-Ming grunted, clearly being at least a little affected already. A disease that could affect a Dragon, even in humanoid form, had to be potent indeed. "I''ve always thought Nurgle was the most dangerous of the four Chaos Gods, even if the danger he represents is more subtle," Seraphiel revealed. Khorne was more direct in his pure violence approach, while Tzeentch might create plots that lasted thousands of years. The appeal of Slaanesh was quite obvious. But plagues in this current universe were very binary in their danger. You either had the healers capable of cleansing it, or you didn¡¯t. If you did, the plague¡¯s effect was largely dulled, even if there would be casualties. If you didn¡¯t, you were fucked. And a plague only needed one carrier, not an army. Swarms of insects buzzed around, almost covering the entire island like a thick living blanket. As their little boat hit the beach closest to where Seraphiel sensed Shen-Zoo, they saw several Demons patrolling the area, ranging from enormous Rot-Flies to the slow and ponderous Plaguebearers, the foot soldiers of Nurgle. Knowing they had to move with haste and decisiveness to not succumb to the constant plagues around them, the group slashed their way through to Nurglite camp instead of trying to work their way around guards. Countless insects fell, burnt to death by Teclis and Zhao-Ming, while Seraphiel and Wrex sent waves of psionic power to crush any opposition in an attempt to silence any guards before they could raise the alarm. Kaede and Tatsumiya took down any runners, while Yoruichi took down any significant Demons that wouldn¡¯t go down with one shot. Their group moved quickly and efficiently and soon came upon what seemed like a large, corrupted temple. Judging by the architecture it had been built by the Lizardmen at some point in the long past, but it had been completely overgrown with plant life that was utterly diseased and corrupted. They could hear demented laughter coming from the inside, along with the sounds of someone choking on their own blood and bile. Painfully by the sound of it. They burst through the stone doors of the temple, the stone not offering any resistance to the battering ram in the form of an angry Krogan. Without wasting any time, Wrex biotically charged the largest target within the temple, a huge green Demon filled with pustules and had a huge, fanged mouth on its belly, filled with maggots and intestines. The Demon was hunched over a cauldron, while tiny little Nurglings fed the concoction to the withered beings in the cages. As Wrex charged in, the Great Unclean One used a ladle to slap the Krogan away mid-charge without missing a beat. Teclis and Zhao-Ming filled the room with as much fire as they could, burning away any corruption they could reach without hitting the beings in the cages, while the rest moved in to take out the other Demons. The prisoners seemed to have been gathered from all the surrounding races, Humans, Naga, Dawi-Zharr, even a few Zombies, and what looked like a Vampire. All of them were only shadows of what they used to be, their bodies withered and diseased likely beyond any recovery. Except for one. A gorgeous dark-haired Human looking woman sat in one of the cages, looking pristine in both body and clothing, and it didn''t take a lot to realize this was Shen-Zoo in her humanoid form. Zhao-Ming shouted her sister''s name while rushing towards her, the captured Dragon looking up with sudden hope and relief. The Iron Dragon was interrupted as the Great Unclean One grabbed the cauldron and tossed it at him, while almost entirely ignoring the flames licking at its turbid body, and only barely acknowledging the attacks launched at it by everyone. This was the power of the Greater Demons of Nurgle. They were not fast, nor were they magically the most gifted. They weren''t the smartest, nor were they physically the strongest. What they did excel at was sheer staying power. They just lived and survived, allowing their plagues and minions to wear down the enemy. And while they were not the most gifted in those other areas, assuming them weak or magically inept would be a mistake. They were slow though, which mostly allowed everyone here to avoid any attacks it sent as retaliation. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Zhao-Ming deftly dodged the cauldron while allowing the draconic flames that he was conjuring to burn anything that spilled out from the inside, before dashing to the cage, breaking it and pulling his sister out. "Ignore the Demon. Pull out now!" He called out the order, everyone clustering around Seraphiel, who for the first time used her [Reality Control] to tear a hole in space for everyone to jump through, making a hasty exit. As soon as everyone had managed to exit, she allowed the hole in space to collapse, grunting at the exertion of holding the portal open. She''d only managed it because she''d capped the [Psionic Efficiency] skill, making all her psionic abilities cost only 1/16th of their original cost. As soon as they were through, they were all bathed in flames that destroyed almost everything they were wearing, while several of the best healers Zhao-Ming had brought along bathed them in magic to remove any lingering possibility of disease or plague. The team had known that anything they were wearing would be destroyed to stop any plagues from getting out, so they hadn¡¯t been using or wearing anything they couldn¡¯t afford to lose. Despite the sudden bout of nudity, not a single thought was sacrificed to anything indecent, as they all knew what was at stake and why this was being done. After the magical solutions, they all stepped through the decontamination process of Seraphiel¡¯s ship, where new clothing and equipment waited for them. Even so, Shen-Zoo proved her ability as a Dragon of Light and cleansed them all over again with her powers, as soon as they were through the decontamination. ¡°You can never be too careful with the twisted gifts of Nurgle.¡± She said simply, nodding in slight approval at Seraphiel¡¯s own Skills cleansing herself. Combined with her huge effective Vitality, the plagues hadn¡¯t had much of a chance to grab a hold of her. Wrex was a Krogan and could suffer through a nuclear winter if he had to, but the others were in less great condition even after all the cleansing. Kaede and Teclis especially would spend several days dealing with the aftereffects, feeling sick and weak. Just because a magical plague was gone, that didn''t mean it hadn''t left a mark on your body. After the initial rush of healing and cleansing was done, Zhao-Ming hugged his sister with obvious relief and ardent familial love. ¡°We were so worried for you, little one.¡± He murmured, only audible to others because their hearing was boosted by stats. ¡°I knew someone would come eventually big brother.¡± Shen-Zoo returned the show of affection. ¡°How did you find me?¡± Her voice was filled with as much relief and hope as her brother¡¯s. Zhao-Ming turned to point at Seraphiel. ¡°The Angel has an artifact that can be used to find things and people. They came to offer their help, in return for our help in pushing back the Demons to the northern and southern wastes.¡± ¡°The Wu Xing Compass.¡± Shen-Zoo realized right away. Smart girl. "Correct," Teclis added. "With the work of our mages and your Astromancers, I believe we can force the demons away. As we just witnessed, we really can¡¯t allow them to roam as free as they have.¡± He quickly explained his plan. ¡°It¡¯s going to take a lot to convince father, even if it is a good idea.¡± Shen-Zoo pointed out. ¡°Which is why they helped save me.¡± She realized right away. ¡°They¡¯ve thought this through.¡± She stated to Zhao-Ming with a nod. ¡°They also get a more unified Cathay to stand against the Chaos incursions that are currently ravaging our land. Not a bad plan and benefits us as much as it does them. The only issue is that father will not like the idea coming from outsiders.¡± Zhao-Ming nodded. "Sounds like your father is about as receptive to new ideas as mine," Seraphiel commented ruefully. ¡°Father has¡­had a problem with everyone ever since this world was created as it is now. The Dragons ruled this world back then, but when the Old Ones terraformed the world to be more suitable for other life, many of the old Dragons went into hibernation or left. Father has never forgotten that all the problems that came after could¡¯ve been avoided without the Old One¡¯s meddling.¡± Shen-Zoo explained. "That''s a long time to hold a grudge," Teclis commented. "Even if not entirely without merit." ¡°Well, the rest is all about diplomacy, and I¡¯ve been told I should stay out of it.¡± Seraphiel chuckled. ¡°So good luck with that.¡± ------- After picking up the soldiers Zhao-Ming had brought along, their ship flew back to Shang-Yang and was allowed to land within the city. Teclis went with the Dragons to deal with the diplomacy, while Wrex walked off, muttering something about finding a drink. Kaede and Tatsumiya both decided to spend some time in the sickbay, recovering from the aftereffects of the plagues under Chachamaru¡¯s discerning gaze. That left Seraphiel and Yoruichi to find their own entertainment. As soon as they walked into the city, Seraphiel could sense someone observing them magically. This wasn¡¯t some random person scrying for their location either. She could tell it was someone or something extremely powerful observing them through a powerful magical artifact. There was no way to tell who or what, but she got a definite feel that whoever it was could see more and deeper than most. She was considering how to deal with the problem when Yoruichi interrupted her thoughts. ¡°I could really use a good palate cleanser after all the shit we saw on the island. Something really fun.¡± She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at Seraphiel. ¡°Wanna do what we used to do in the Soul Society back then?¡± That was a rather wicked idea considering they were currently being watched. Definitely something Lucifer would do. She quite liked it. ¡°I could be persuaded.¡± Yoruichi laughed raucously. ¡°You don¡¯t need any persuasion. You were always ready for our little games.¡± The two walked a ways away from their ship and found a random bar where they ordered drinks as another form of palate cleanser, before sitting down at a booth by the side. A quick glance around the place told them that this was a bar frequented mostly by lower classes and merchants. They could see farmers and physical laborers, mixed in with a couple of guards for both the city and the caravans. Yoruichi drained a good part of her drink before giving a relieved sigh. "You always did get mixed up in the most messed up things, even back then." ¡°In my defense, I usually didn¡¯t go looking for trouble back then. I was simply the one to take care of it when the trouble came. Now we¡¯re specifically looking for problems to solve. How have things been for you really?¡± She asked. Yoruichi frowned a bit. ¡°I have to say, most of the fun went out when you disappeared. We tried to keep up some of the adventures with Rangiku, but it just wasn¡¯t the same without you. The Soul Society is getting by, but it''s been a slow downward spiral. The systems you instituted are slowly being eroded. But! We''re not here for such negative topics!" She took another long swing of her drink. "I can''t have been the only one to notice during the decontamination how well-equipped that Krogan friend of yours is." She winked at Seraphiel suggestively. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± She replied prudely. ¡°My mind was elsewhere.¡± ¡°What? You obviously spent time in their universe. Don¡¯t try to tell me you didn¡¯t try! I know you Sephy!¡± Yoruichi pointed an accusing finger at her. ¡°Truthfully, I spent only a handful of years in that universe. And almost that entire time I was in a committed relationship. You met Shepard.¡± She pointed out. ¡°I know you. A relationship wouldn¡¯t stop you. That¡¯s something you made clear from the very beginning. You¡¯re not a one-person woman. You¡¯re literally unable to do that. And trying out something weird like a Krogan is right up your alley.¡± Yoruichi pressed on, not without a cause. Monogamy really wasn¡¯t Seraphiel¡¯s style, and she made sure that anyone she got involved with knew that. ¡°Ah, but you¡¯re forgetting the influence of my partner. No one is foolish enough to annoy Shepard when trapped in the close confines of a relatively small spaceship. I might be alluring, but if the price is picking a fight with Shepard¡­¡± She pointed out with a wry grin. ¡°Besides, ours wasn¡¯t a completely monogamous relationship. There was this Asari called Liara¡­¡± ¡°Hah! I knew it sounded too much unlike you! Still, I¡¯m a little disappointed you didn¡¯t explore any of the wilder options when presented with the opportunity.¡± Yoruichi¡¯s expression was both vindicated and slightly disappointed. Her relationship with Yoruichi had always been a little weird one. They cared for each other deeply, one could even say loved each other, but neither of them was interested in a purely sapphic relationship. They were also both quite adventurous, which had led them into developing some rather uncommon ways of showing and sharing their love. Ways that usually included other parties. ¡°Hey, if you want to take a swing at that batter¡¯s box yourself, I¡¯m not going to stop you.¡± Seraphiel waved her friend and previous lover down. A simple gesture had the bartender bring them new drinks, not that the alcohol in them could really affect them unless they specifically allowed it. ¡°Hmm, perhaps another time.¡± Yoruichi hummed. ¡°Well, if I can¡¯t get that vicarious experience through you, I want another. I know you¡¯re up to almost anything. What¡¯s the kinkiest thing you¡¯ve done? The one you¡¯d be least likely to share with others?¡± Seraphiel considered for a moment. "Hmm, I think I know my answer, but this requires a bit of setting up. This was one of those lives where I wasn''t in my own body. I was in the body of a recently turned Vampire. The Vampires of that world have what''s called a predator type, a specific way they prefer to drink the blood of others. They often also have some specific requirements that make the experience even better. It could be anything from feeding on criminals in back alleys, all the way to the color of the target''s eyes. The preferences can be very finicky, though in many cases not exclusive. They simply make the experience better." She continued. ¡°Now, these preferences are often influenced by the life before being turned, the process of being turned, as well as the first few weeks after. I was shoved into the body of a recently turned courtesan, who¡¯d been turned as a part of an experiment. Anyway, unsurprisingly, her feeding habits transferred over, and I found myself in the body of a Siren, a Vampire that liked to feed during sex.¡± ¡°Oh dear.¡± Yoruichi, leaning forward now more interested. ¡°Anyway, thanks to the experiments, she also tended to have a thing for¡­shall we say dubious consent and being dominated. So, to satisfy those urges, I¡¯d do what I called ¡®fishing trips¡¯. I¡¯d dress immodestly and go walking around in a bad neighborhood. Pretty girls can¡¯t go too far in places like those without consequences. Pretty soon I¡¯d catch fish, and satisfy those urges, while feeding during the act, usually at the moment of orgasm. Depending on how hard they rang my bell, I¡¯d either kill them after or leave them alive and later return for second''s.¡± She grinned while telling the story. ¡°Wow. That¡¯s¡­exciting.¡± Yoruichi admitted. ¡°Not something I¡¯d try, but you¡¯ve certainly gotten me going now.¡± Mindful that they were being observed, and wanting to stick it to the peeper, she brought up their purpose here. ¡°So, what did you have planned for today? Just a pair of someone completely random? Would be a perfect opportunity for it, considering there isn¡¯t anyone we know here, nor are we likely to ever return.¡± ¡°Pair? At least. I really need something to get that island off my mind. I can deal with a lot of things, but that? Not my thing.¡± Yoruichi stated eagerly. The hunt was on. Interlewd 1 -------- Considering their Charisma and looks, it didn''t take long for men to approach the two. They noted as a pair of men separated from a group of laborers. The men had all been throwing looks their way, and these two were simply either the boldest or the most confident. Not without any merit. The two men were well-built, clearly the result of constant hard labor. They had the bodies of people who worked lifting heavy objects all day but were still young enough that the backbreaking work had not damaged them. A quick inspect gave the result of [Laborer ¨C lvl 105] and [Laborer ¨C lvl 107]. It was obvious Strength and Vitality were their main stats. They were dressed in light clothing considering the warm climate of Shang-Yang, their light shirts open at the front, showing off the results of their hard work. Every muscle was sculpted out in detail, with some slight scarring here and there from coming into contact with something less than healthy. One of the men approached Yoruichi while the other one approached Seraphiel. As the two got closer, an odd feeling came over Seraphiel, something she''d sensed before but hadn''t had to fully contend with before in this universe. It was the feeling of someone heavily and consciously utilizing their Charisma, and maybe even some Skill to affect her. ¡°Hello there ladies. We were wondering if you¡¯d like to join us for some drinks.¡± The man walking up to Seraphiel opened with a classic. Seraphiel had felt the effects of Charisma before. No one could avoid it completely, as merchants tried to sell you their wares, and advertisement wasn¡¯t unknown. Her Willpower had always been enough to render such effects entirely moot so far. It was also a fact that the System protected those underage from any sort of mental effects, and she¡¯d only recently reached an age where she could be considered mature enough to have those protections removed. Despite her Charisma, she hadn¡¯t been the target of any true attempts at seduction before either. The Quarian craftsman of her team in Mahora had playfully tried hitting on her, but he¡¯d never used the mechanical help from Charisma or Skills. This was perhaps the first time since the protections had worn off that someone made a serious attempt to hit on her, and the effects were notable. Not the least because of her curse. She¡¯d wondered how the effects of the curse would manifest mechanically in this universe, and it seemed that one of the effects was a major reduction in her ability to resist the effects of Charisma when someone was making an attempt to seduce her. This was why she hadn¡¯t wanted to fight the Slaanesh Demons, who performed seduction as a matter of course. It was hard to tell exactly with her mind affected by the man, but it seemed like her Willpower had no effect at all, or at most a minor effect. If he¡¯d been trying to sell her something, she could¡¯ve easily brushed him off, but now that his clear intent was something else¡­ Charisma and related Skills were not mind control. Their effect was more subtle than that. As the man used his Charisma on her, she found herself unable to form the words to refuse. Instead, she found herself agreeing instead. ¡°Sure. That¡¯s sounds delightful.¡± Her mind was also providing her with all the reasons she should agree, instead of all the reasons why this might be a bad idea. It would be fun! This was what they were here for! Why refuse when agreeing would be so much better? She could override the effects, or at least most people could. High Charisma wasn¡¯t a key to automatic success if someone was fundamentally against a proposition. There had to be a level of willingness involved for the Charisma to have something to latch on to. Her curse, as well as her quite adventurous nature, made sure that willingness was present almost always. As a result, refusal was difficult due to how forcefully she¡¯d have to do it. It would come off as incredibly rude, and likely anger the other party, but it could be done. Yes, her curse made it extra difficult, but the effect was still down to a level where she could do it. She simply didn¡¯t want to. After all, she was open to the suggestion. Yoruichi gave her a knowing look, aware of her curse and how it had worked in the past, albeit the effect back then had not been amplified by the System. This had been a very common habit of theirs. It was how they showed affection for each other. ¡°Show the way.¡± She nodded in agreement, just as eager as a participant. The two guys led them to another table where three other men were nursing their drinks, now eagerly calling for more for the two of them. "I don''t think I''ve seen you in the city before. Travelers?" One of the men asked, getting the conversation started, they were all now laying their own Charisma on heavily, and at least two of them seemed to have some related Skill. The fact that they could feel it working on at least Seraphiel made them even bolder. ¡°We¡¯re mercenaries, hired for some business we can¡¯t talk about. You understand.¡± Yoruichi explained, while subtly showing five fingers in question towards Seraphiel. Seraphiel nodded in agreement. Yoruichi had wanted more than a pair as a palate cleanser, and now she was getting it. Besides, Seraphiel could still sense someone observing them magically. Might as well give them a show. The conversation went along the usual paths, with the men showing off and bragging, while flattering the two of them and trying, and succeeding, to make them laugh. The more they were under the effects of the men¡¯s Charisma, the more eagerly they went along with things. The funnier the jokes, the more impressive or touching the stories, and they started to hang on every word said. ¡®Was this how it felt to be affected by her Charisma?¡¯ Seraphiel wondered. She¡¯d never intentionally pushed the effect on others, but her effective Charisma was so high that she¡¯d likely have a similar effect without even trying. As the drinks kept coming, the conversation flowed, and the mood kept improving, Seraphiel felt a hand on her thigh. Knowing they were going out for some fun, she¡¯d dressed rather lightly and casually. Moderate heels, highly impractical, stockings and a garter belt, with simple satin panties covered by a relatively short skirt. On top, she wore a frilled bustier. A little fancy for this area but alluring. Instead of pushing the hand away, she found herself eagerly opening her legs to give the hand more space to operate. The hand slowly crept upwards, pushing her skirt up as well, before coming in contact with her panties. It rested there, against her hot sex for a brief moment, before starting to rub her through the panties. She leaned into the touch clearly signaling it was welcome. She leaned back in her chair closing her eyes and enjoying the intimate touch, only barely paying attention to the conversation. It had been too long. Way too long. She was a sexual being, equal to Lucifer in that regard, and Lucifer was a complete manwhore. The worst part of being born as a child had been the wait. She felt another hand reach for her from the other side, grabbing her breast, and playing with it through the bustier. The first hand pushed her panties to the side and slid a thick calloused finger inside her, forcing her to bite her lip to resist moaning out. As she opened her eyes, she noticed one of the men was kissing and fondling Yoruichi across the table. ¡°Why don¡¯t we take this upstairs, so we can have some proper fun.¡± One of the men suggested. She found herself eagerly agreeing, and Yoruichi nodded in agreement as well. One of the men tipped the bartender, getting a key in exchange. This was clearly a trade that had been done before. One of the men, the one that had just been fingering her, grabbed her around the waist and lifted her over his shoulder, which she protested a bit with a small squawk. He rewarded her with a slight swat on her butt, allowing his hand to linger and caress her ass cheek. She watched the grinning Yoruichi and the three men who walked up the stairs behind them, while the one with the key led the way. They were quickly ushered to a rather sizeable room that had its own bar counter with a row of bottles, though no one to work as a bartender. Not that she would¡¯ve minded at this point. As they got inside the room the man carrying her set her down, and captured her lips with his own, his hands slipping down to grab her ass. As their tongues dueled and probed in a teasing way, another man stepped behind her, one hand pushing her bustier down just enough for her tits to pop out the top, grabbing one, while his other hand went down and under her skirt, continuing what the first man had started, quickly and roughly fingering her. Her eyes were closed, but she could hear clothes hitting the floor, and she could already hear Yoruichi giggling before starting to suck on a cock, judging by the wet sounds. Someone guided her hand to a bare and hard cock, not one of the two men playing with her currently, and she obliged, starting to skillfully stroke the rather decent-sized cock with her hand. Slowly at first, before picking up speed and intensity. In the meantime, the two men caressing her got to the work of undressing her. Her bustier was the first to fall to the floor, quickly followed by her skirt and panties sliding down her long legs, just before she kicked away her heels. Her own hand went down to rub her clit while the man behind her grabbed both of her breasts, repeatedly sliding his hands along the underside of her rather sizeable and heavy tits towards her nipple. The man had his own cock out, standing at full attention between her thighs sliding against her sex, but not entering her, using her thighs for his pleasure. The man in front of her was satisfied with keeping her mouth occupied while playing with her ass, something he apparently found great pleasure doing. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. She could feel the pleasure slowly growing inside her. She could tell she was getting wetter by the moment, the cock sliding between her thighs probably already covered in her juices. She was then caught by surprise by a System announcement. [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Sex! Having taken your first steps on the erotic path in this body, you¡¯ve now gained access to the Skill that makes it all better. Every Skill level will greatly increase the pleasure both you and your partners experience. Heavily influenced by Charisma. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] Yes! Of course, yes. The System knew damn well she¡¯d take the Skill eventually. She quickly replaced the largely pointless [Star of the Show] with the new Skill instead. She felt the Skill take effect immediately. The difference wasn¡¯t major, yet, but it was noticeable. Every touch was like electricity, sending waves of pleasure through her body. Every caress seemed to be hitting an erogenous zone. Every kiss felt like she was being kissed by an attentive lover. The hand she was using to jerk one of the guys off moved almost frantically now, and she could feel the man getting close. The cock sliding between her thighs was getting more insistent, sliding between her pussy lips, but not quite entering her yet. The man kissing her suddenly pulled back. ¡°Why don¡¯t we take this to the bed.¡± He suggested, getting grunts of approval, and an eager nod from her. The men guided her to the bed, and she obligingly fell back to lay on top of it. At first, she had her legs closed, pretending to be shy and demure, before using her hands to push her still stockings-clad legs wide apart in a clear invitation. Before any of the men could react, Yoruichi planted her own crotch on her face in a rather clear and obvious suggestion, which she happily went along with, her tongue slipping into Yoruichi¡¯s wet and quivering quim. She could hear and feel as Yoruichi¡¯s torso moved back and forth above her as the other woman clearly continued sucking on one man¡¯s cock, probably also jerking another man off at the same time. Her face and sight completely obstructed by the lovely sight of Yoruichi''s crotch, she could only feel it as the men got on the bed. One of the men once again guided her hand to his throbbing member, and she could immediately tell that this was the same one she¡¯d been jerking off before, wanting her to continue where she left off. She had no idea where the fifth man was, but she could feel the fourth man settle on top of her. She felt the man¡¯s cock probe her lower lips, sliding between them before settling in place. She could feel the moment the man started pushing inside. At first, she felt pressure, as her tight snatch resisted the invasion, before the protruding head finally split her apart and forced her body to take in the invading member. Despite all of what she¡¯d done in other universes, she was still a virgin in this one, or had been until now. Now that virginity was gone, as a man she couldn¡¯t even see slowly but insistently pushed his cock into her tight sheath. She was extremely tight, something the man also loudly exclaimed, but she was also very wet and more than willing. At this point, she was feeling almost desperate to get some hard cock inside her, and the man currently pushing into her was happy to provide. There was no pain involved, as her Vitality rendered such things completely pointless. What there was instead was pleasure, amplified by her new Skill, something that was happy to reward her as the man thrust inside her. [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 1 to 2!] The man had to pull back and thrust a few times before their hips came together, signaling he was as deep as he could go. The feeling of the invading member splitting her apart felt just as good as she remembered, and even better thanks to her new Skill. The man, excited at getting inside such a gorgeous girl, something he once again was happy to announce, started thrusting inside her again and again, every thrust causing her new Skill to go up, and make every thrust feel just a little bit better, while sending her breasts bouncing freely. [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 2 to 3!] [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 3 to 4!] [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 4 to 5!] [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 5 to 6!] Despite her head being covered by Yoruichi¡¯s crotch and her other hand being occupied by another man, she didn¡¯t just lay there taking it. Her whole body was gripping the man, moving with and against his every thrust. Without even realizing it, her legs wrapped around him, and for a moment she was effectively fucking herself with him, her powerful thighs guiding his thrusting cock to hit all the best places inside her. Her free hand massaged his back, grabbed at his hips, dug into his shoulder, her nails running up and down his back, before grabbing the sheets as pleasure overtook her. [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 6 to 7!] [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 7 to 8!] [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 8 to 9!] [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 9 to 10!] [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 10 to 11!] The man started thrusting into her harder, causing her to moan out, long powerful strokes, driving as deep inside her as possible. Every time he thrust inside her, it was like a string was wound tighter and tighter inside her, each thrust sending increasing waves of pleasure through her body. [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 11 to 12!] [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 12 to 13!] [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 13 to 14!] [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 14 to 15!] [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 15 to 16!] Their bodies slapped together harder, every thrust sounding lewd, as their shared pleasure got her more and more wet, and the movement of the cock inside her became easier and faster. Despite that, she was squeezing down on the invading member harder, as her own pleasure mounted and that string inside got wound tighter and tighter. She was guiding his cock to hit the exact right place, which caused the maximum amount of pleasure inside her. [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 16 to 17!] [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 17 to 18!] [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 18 to 19!] [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 19 to 20!] [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 20 to 21!] The man fucking her was getting close to cumming. She could feel it in how his thrusts were getting more frantic, and he was driving his cock inside her almost desperately, trying to get even deeper inside her. Still, the first one to cum was the man whose cock she¡¯d been jerking until now. She could feel his manhood start jerking in his hand, as he shot his warm and thick seed on her. She could feel the warm drops fall on her bouncing breasts and the hand she¡¯d been using to jerk him off. [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 21 to 22!] [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 22 to 23!] [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 23 to 24!] [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 24 to 25!] Yoruichi stilled next, she could feel her pussy contracting around her tongue, and a bit of Yoruichi¡¯s juices rained on her face. She liked the taste of the other woman. Always had. [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 25 to 26!] [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 26 to 27!] She could feel the man fucking her reach his peak as well, and the man tried to pull out, but her legs had wrapped around his waist, keeping him in place, and she could feel as he gave up and just thrust deep inside her before his cock started jumping and twitching, and she especially felt the moment his seed was shot inside her, a feeling she¡¯d always loved. Despite not being able to become pregnant, the feeling awoke something primal inside her, and she didn¡¯t feel complete without the feeling. The man came hard, groaning and twitching in place as he drained his balls inside her, shot after shot of thick cum pushing into her expectant pussy, the feeling of being filled up finally driving her over the edge, snapping the string inside her and causing her to moan out into Yoruichi¡¯s cunt as she came, for the first time in this life. Everyone involved collapsed on the bed, the man that had cum inside her being the most drained, but the others had no intention to wait. The man that had stayed out of the fray so far, stepped behind Seraphiel, and guided her until she and Yoruichi were kneeling on all fours next to each other on the bed. Another man stepped behind Yoruichi, while a pair of men were standing in front of them, with their cocks at full mast. The men in front of them guided their cocks to their mouths, both of them eagerly opening their mouths in expectation. Seraphiel loved sucking cock. It was a fun game to drive a man insane. It was a challenge to how much pleasure she could bring a man without letting him cum, or just try to cause a man to cum as fast as possible. It was also quite erotic to see and feel how much pleasure she could bring a man with such a simple act. Bringing pleasure to others was a pleasurable act in itself. And over time, she¡¯d learned quite a few tricks to make things more fun for both. As one cock was pushed into her mouth, another one pushed inside her wet snatch from the back. This time her pussy had already been loosened by the first man, and a mix of her own juices and the previous man¡¯s cum was running down her thighs, making the entry of the man taking her from behind much easier despite being a bit bigger than the previous man. ¡°Mmmph!¡± She moaned around the cock in her mouth as the man behind her grabbed her hips and rammed his cock home in a single thrust, their hips slamming together. The Skill levels came in thick and fast as the two men spitroasted her between them. The man fucking her had a slightly thicker and longer cock than the one who¡¯d fucked her before, further aided by the position, and as he slammed inside her, he reached deeper inside. Further spurred on by the rapidly improving Skill, she found all new pleasurable places inside herself, as she twisted and rotated her hips while the man took her from behind, meeting each of his thrusts with her own. She couldn¡¯t focus properly on sucking on the cock in her mouth, as all her attention was directed towards the cock inside her, and she started feeling weak in the knees, as the pleasure threatened to overwhelm her. She had to wrap her arms around the other man¡¯s waist to stay in place, while the man grabbed a handful of her hair, basically using her head and mouth to jack himself off. She felt it was her failure to do such a half-assed job, but she couldn¡¯t help it. This time she was the first to cum, loudly moaning around the cock in her mouth again, her pussy contracting and almost desperately trying to milk the cock inside her, without a result as the man fucking her proved his stamina, and just kept going and going. Instead of tumbling down the release of an orgasm, she found herself being pushed further towards another peak, each thrust inside her extending the earlier pleasure. She could hear Yoruichi cry out next to her, the two men fucking her cumming in her mouth and pussy, sending a small wave of envy through her. Envy that didn¡¯t last long as the man whose cock she¡¯d been sucking gave her the prize she wanted, filling her mouth and throat with his thick seed. While the man in front came into her mouth, the one behind her continued plowing into her, thrusting harder and harder. He practically climbed on top of her, forcing her hips against the bed, as the cock in her mouth slipped out with a wet sound and a yelp from her, the last shot of cum shooting on her face. The man fucking her proceeded to try and pound her through the mattress, every thrust eliciting a clarion cry of pleasure from her cum covered lips. ¡°Ahhn. Ahh. Fuck me. Just like that. Keep doing it like that.¡± She chanted almost feverishly, not the least bit aware of what she was saying. ¡°I¡¯m about to blow. Where do you want it?¡± He growled into her ear. ¡°Inside me. Just like that! Aaahn! Shoot it inside me!¡± She replied eagerly. ¡°Dirty bitch.¡± He grunted, before picking ever more speed for a few last frantic thrusts, before obliging her. He forced his cock deep into her core, before he started shooting his seed inside her just like she wanted. Just the way she loved it. The second release crashed over her even harder, causing her to loudly cry out in release and relief. ¡°Dirty bitch, you¡¯re being too loud. They can hear you in the other rooms.¡± The man cumming inside her grunted. Not that she cared. [Congratulations! [Sex] has leveled up from 45 to 46!] The man pulled out of her with a wet squelching sound, her suddenly gaping open cunt sending a spray of cum all over the bed as her pussy contracted through the orgasm. Once again, the man that had just fucked her took his turn to rest as the men rotated. The ones that had their cocks sucked got their chance at their pussy, while the other two got their cocks sucked in turn. They switched partners as well, so that no two men was fucking the same partner a second time. Both Seraphiel and Yoruichi came over and over again as the men proved the usefulness of Vitality and the stamina that it brought them, taking turns with them again and again. As the last man standing mounted her over the bar counter, mostly spurred on by stubbornness at this point, Seraphiel was quite certain all five of them had cum inside her at least once, some of them twice or three times. And every time she came harder as the Skill went up, easily reaching triple digits by the time they were done, even though the increases started to slow down. ¡°We¡¯ll have to do this again soon.¡± She whispered towards the almost unconscious Yoruichi, who just nodded in agreement. Chapter 58 - Spirits -------- The trio moved through the castle in a line with their guns raised at the ready. Wrex kicked down a door, going straight in, while Tatsumiya secured the left side, and Seraphiel took care of the right side, all of their weapons singing, firing bursts of concentrated psionic energy in the case of Wrex and Seraphiel, and mana in the case of Tatsumiya. Each shot was enough to completely devastate any small group of skeletal minions or zombies they came across, and they came across many. They had entered the castle less than ten minutes ago, and they¡¯d already destroyed hundreds of the undead minions. The castle was made of old grey stone, and the room they were currently in was a rather classic foyer with a pair of straight staircases going up to the next floor. In this case, the fourth floor since they''d already cleared two. The castle may have been relatively well decorated at some point, but most of the rugs and wall hangings had rotted away, while anything valuable that wasn''t nailed down had been stolen. Now the castle was mostly ruined. It wasn''t a large castle, as it had been a border fort at some point. ¡°Located the target. The large double doors at the top of the stairs in the room you¡¯re in. Leads to a hallway, which ends in sort of a throne-room kind of deal.¡± Kaede reported over their half magical half technological communicator, having scouted ahead. ¡°A lot of undead between you and the target, and not all of them quite as disappointing as the ones you¡¯re fighting now.¡± "Located the other target. In the dungeons, overlooking a small number of coffins. I count four coffins from my current vantage point." Yoruichi reported, as she''d gone to scout the opposite direction from Kaede. "Should I engage?" The group of three didn''t say anything, simply mowing down more and more undead as they made their way to the stairs. The skeletons and zombies weren''t really a genuine threat with the stark difference in levels, but the sheer numbers were slowing them down. Despite being relatively easy to take down, the undead didn''t stay dead, and kept slowly regenerating, so they had to move rapidly or risk getting swamped. Only those shot by Seraphiel stayed dead. ¡°Level of target?¡± Chachamaru asked over the comms. She was keeping their ship in the air, circling the castle, while coordinating the operation. "My [Identity] lists her as level 500," Yoruichi replied. "I should be able to take them easily. And as a Shinigami, I can make sure they don''t get back up." Being a Soul Reaper had its perks. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt you, but keep position until Hammer reaches the other target. Might draw away any trap they might have prepared.¡± Chachamaru ordered. Hammer was the name for the group of three. ¡°Roger. I¡¯ll prepare something big while waiting.¡± Yoruichi acknowledged. The three fought their way up the stairs, which made things easier as the undead were clumsy on the steps, trying to reach them with their melee weapons, and had less space to work with. There were some skeleton archers on the balconies, but their fire was largely ineffective against the barriers set up by Seraphiel. Truthfully, both she and Wrex had such high Vitality that they could be standing there, taking arrows to their face, and the effect would be pretty much zero. And while Tatsumiya might be a bit more vulnerable, she was also the one gunning down the archers with frightening efficiency. It was obvious that her fire was the most effective of the group. As Wrex kicked down the heavy, half-rotten double doors, Tatsumiya started sniping down the targets down the hallway, while Seraphiel made sure none of the undead chasing them reached them. The enemies were not just skeletons and zombies, although the majority of them were made up of the two types. A handful of wraiths were mixed in with the enemies, as well as a pair of Vargheists dropping down from the ceiling in an attempted ambush. The two large batlike flying monstrosities had been hiding among the dilapidated chandeliers but were gunned down with barely any more effort than the other enemies despite their size. In front, the simple skeletons gave way to what was known as Grave Guard, or the elite skeletons of the undead armies. Instead of being just random raised people swinging rusted weapons, these were actual warriors with some skill and real equipment. Not that they could stand up to the charging Krogan or Tatsumiya¡¯s sniping. The hallway ended in a magically sealed pair of doors. "Seraphiel. This one''s for you." Tatsumiya declared, stepping back to take Seraphiel''s spot as she let her gun hang off a strap and pulled out her recently created Witchblade, which was finally approaching a standard that she could actually call a proper weapon. The combination of her new blade and her Shinmei-ry¨± techniques allowed her to cleave through the enchantments on the door easily. As soon as she did, both she and Wrex used their charge abilities to end up right in the middle of the supposed throne room, their psionic and biotic might exploding outwards, sending the gathered troops flying. Tatsumiya stayed at the door, making sure to take out anyone trying to get inside. No words were wasted, as a large monstrous Varghulf charged at Wrex, the laughing Krogan eagerly accepting the challenge. Varghulf were monstrous Ghoul-like beings with enormous, muscled forelimbs that had atrophied wing-flaps attached. They were swollen contorted masses of packed muscle combined with a whirlwind of rage very unlike most undead. In a nutshell, Wrex''s favorite type of enemy, stupid, big, and brawly. A pair of Vampires moved with deceptive speed to intercept and strike at Seraphiel, who met their blades with her own. The two Vampires moved with practiced coordination, working well together, pushing Seraphiel rather well. Or they at least would have, if she didn¡¯t hold a massive advantage in stats. She was a bit lower in level, but only by double digits, and her stats were massively higher, as she moved with speed that even Tatsumiya had trouble following entirely. The two Vampires combined the best of an expert warrior and a combat mage. The trouble was that her Shinmei-ry¨± techniques countered their spells almost entirely, and what little slipped through was countered by her Paladin immunity to negative effects like curses. On the other hand, every attack from her carried the power of Light, something that was the natural enemy of the Vampires. The resolution to the short stalemate came when she managed to send one of the Vampires flying back with a well-timed wave of psionic energy, before slamming her golden wing through the chest of the other Vampire. Now mortally wounded, the Vampire didn¡¯t have the opportunity to recover, before Seraphiel¡¯s Witchblade beheaded him. The second Vampire was suddenly caught by surprise when Kaede appeared behind her, driving a pair of short blades through the Vampire¡¯s back, before eviscerating the being. ¡°Second Vampire down.¡± She reported. ¡°Third one down," Yoruichi reported through the communicator. ¡°Gave the coffins a soul burial as well, so the Vampires you killed won¡¯t be coming back either.¡± ¡°We¡¯re missing one.¡± Chachamaru pointed out. ¡°There were four coffins.¡± Suddenly an explosion rocked the entire castle. ¡°Found the fourth one. It¡¯s been dealt with.¡± Teclis¡¯ voice came through the communicator, and they could see the storm of fire above and around the castle. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. They knew he was right as the remaining undead began disintegrating, with their masters gone. "Chachamaru, send a word to the Priests. Let them know they can come down to consecrate the castle." Seraphiel nodded while allowing her notifications to appear. Among them were some that she''d been expecting for a while. [Congratulations! [Path of the Fatebreaker] has leveled up from 499 to 500! Free Stat Points +720.] [Congratulations! [Celestial] has leveled up from 499 to 500! Strength +80, Vitality +80, Agility +80, Perception +80, Charisma +80, Willpower +80, Manipulation +80, Acumen +80, Free Stat Points +160.] [Congratulations! [Shinmei-ry¨± Kamigoroshi] has leveled up from 499 to 500: Strength +50, Vitality +50, Agility +80, Perception +80, Psionic Power +50, Psionic Control +80, Tolerance +50, Psi +50, Free Stat Points: +230.] [Congratulations! [The Path of the Firstborn] has leveled up from 499 to 500! Strength +80, Vitality +80, Willpower +80, Charisma +80, Conviction +80, Free stats +160].] She gave a whistle of appreciation. The missions they¡¯d run on this world and elsewhere finally brought her to the next step. Considering she¡¯d gotten almost half of the necessary levels from the Tyranids, this result wasn¡¯t all that unexpected. In fact, the main reason she had taken this long was because she¡¯d mostly been supporting her allies in most of the battles. While supports got just as good EXP, the relatively higher level of her friends had slowed things down a bit. ¡°Finally hit the next threshold?¡± Kaede asked knowingly. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll get a chance to delve into it once we get out of here.¡± She nodded. ¡°Any sign of the artifact we were sent to retrieve?¡± Wrex interrupted. Teclis¡¯ voice came over the comms again. ¡°The last Vampire was carrying it. Another dark chalice like we assumed.¡± "This makes for a third one inside two weeks," Wrex grunted. "Not that I don''t appreciate an endless stream of enemies, but not when they''re this weak." They¡¯d been Vampire hunting for almost three weeks now, and they¡¯d been running into these chalices that kept resurrecting all the undead. Vampires and Necromancers had the magical power to do the same, but having an artifact to take on that burden took that burden off the users of death magic. ¡°What about¡­you know¡­¡± Yoruichi asked. ¡°Still there. Still watching us.¡± Seraphiel replied. The same being that had started scrying them in Cathay was keeping it up constantly. She would¡¯ve assumed that whatever or whoever it was would¡¯ve given up their voyeuristic tendencies after that particular wild night, but no. And they still kept observing. ¡°Persistent. You sure you can¡¯t do anything Teclis?¡± Yoruichi grumbled. ¡°Unfortunately, whatever they¡¯re using to spy on us is beyond my means to deal with. I can¡¯t even detect their observation like Seraphiel.¡± Teclis regretfully stated. ¡°I thought the kinky cat liked being watched.¡± Wrex joked, just loud enough to be heard over the communicator. ¡°Not while I¡¯m fighting, I don¡¯t!¡± Yoruichi protested. "So, you don''t have a problem with the other type." Kaede bantered with some amusement. ¡°Of course not. The more the merrier. You¡¯re welcome along anytime Ninja.¡± Yoruichi eagerly invited Kaede. ¡°Alright, as much as I enjoy hearing about your various kinks, let¡¯s move this along. We have more castles to hit.¡± Chachamaru interrupted. ¡°We can then coordinate with the Draenei to hear if they¡¯ve run into the same problem.¡± "You''re no fun," Wrex grumbled good-naturedly. ------- As Seraphiel sat down in a meditative position in the room dedicated to such activities on their ship, she considered her Status. Interestingly, her Paladin Skills had advanced the best out of her Classes. She had been doing a lot of supporting, and many of her Paladin Skills were permanently active, or constantly in use, even if she was not fighting on the frontline. Her Shinmei-ry¨± was lagging a little behind, but that was mostly because of the [Zanpakut¨­] Skill that was still resisting her attempts to make a proper connection. That was simply something that could not be rushed. At least her General Skills were looking better now, with [Magical Engineering] finally seeing active use, even if she hadn¡¯t managed to implement any of the changes yet. Luckily, she¡¯d gained the necessary resources for her newest Class Evolution from all their missions, and then some. With a final thought, she allowed the System to whisk her away, and into the same penthouse where she always met Lucifer at. "Sister! I''m so proud of you!" Luci greeted her with open arms and a warm grin like always. ¡°You should be. Although, I hesitate to ask, why this time?¡± She asked despite her hesitation. "Why, taking part in that great orgy of course! It wasn''t ideal, but it was a great way to get things started in this life." Lucifer pushed a bubbly drink her way while winking at her. Of course, that would be it. ¡°Eh, you take what you can get in the moment. It was nice though.¡± She admitted. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it? The System truly adds a nice spin to things. Everyone has so much stamina.¡± Luci leaned on the bar while wiggling his eyebrows. ¡°I wish I could take credit for the idea, but that came before I gained this form and the interest in such things.¡± Seraphiel frowned. ¡°Surely there have been carnally minded Guides before?¡± ¡°Sure, but only certain Guides have any ability or autonomy beyond functioning as a Guide. Unsurprisingly, this has become the main embodiment of the entire System by now.¡± Lucifer made a small pirouette showing himself off. ¡°And I¡¯m rather glad for it.¡± ¡°Eh, you could certainly do worse. And even if you¡¯re not exactly my brother, you¡¯re close enough to make me glad of your presence.¡± She admitted. It really was nice to see Luci, even if only this fake version. ¡°On that note, the real one might be able to make a visit in the near future. And no, before you ask, I won¡¯t tell you how or why.¡± Luci wagged his finger at her knowingly. ¡°Fine then. Be that way. Hmmph!¡± She pretended to be miffed, just to get into the spirit of things. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re here for a reason. New Class, eh? Have you given it any thought?¡± He asked. ¡°Well, currently that Superpowered Individual thing you advertised to me seems the most likely, although I¡¯m all ears for other options.¡± She leaned in to meet Luci over the bar. ¡°Your recommendations so far have been excellent.¡± ¡°Well. I do have a couple of options.¡± He admitted conspiratorially. ¡°The Superpowers thing would be the most logical stat-wise, but¡­you¡¯re already pretty set on stats, and depending on your choices for the Class, you run the risk of not having your [Been There, Done That] work for it.¡± ¡°Hrrrmm.¡± She made a sound. ¡°Losing a 1500% bonus in leveling speed would be kind of bad.¡± She admitted. She could work hard, when necessary, but sometimes taking the hard way was just stupid. ¡°Mmm-hmm. However, I should mention that this is usually the point where people make some choices for utility and fun instead of just battle power. Not everyone levels all their Classes equally like you. Not everyone has such a huge EXP boost after all, although almost everyone has some boost. If all you have is a 100% increase, then it''s hard enough to focus on one main Class, not to mention three or four. I''m simply mentioning this to highlight that you don''t have to optimize this one entirely. Even the current rank 1 Champion at the moment doesn''t. Although, that''s as much as I''m allowed to say about that." Luci revealed. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± She promised. ¡°I do have some alternative ideas that you¡¯ve qualified for, and that could fit you quite well. They¡¯re a little¡­odd though, and come with what could be considered downsides. Not horrible ones, mind you, but downsides nonetheless.¡± Luci explained with a challenging smile. ¡°Alright. You have my interest.¡± She allowed. ¡°The first one is to lean into your Vampiric Skills as you already have the Blood Magic Rituals. You wouldn¡¯t actually become a Vampire, but gain a related Class that would grant you some of their abilities through Skills. The downside is that these powers do still run on the power of blood. You¡¯d need to drink some occasionally. Not as often as an actual Vampire, but on occasion.¡± Luci outlined the first option. ¡°This Class has very strong potential, depending on some choices you make, but some of the choices presented will not jive well with some of your current Skills. For instance, I would suggest not leaning into necromantic abilities, what with being a Paladin and all. Your own presence would weaken your own minions.¡± "Do I look like an idiot to you?" She asked with a playful frown. "No, wait. Don''t answer that." "Alright. If you insist." He grinned. "Another Class that you easily qualify for, and is rather common among the Champions, is Heroic Spirit." ¡°Heroic Spirit, as in Grail Wars and summons and stuff?¡± She asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s a whole Class?¡± "It''s a series of Classes actually. You''d be shocked how many gods summon Heroic Spirits, and not just that single type you''re likely thinking of. But yes, that is the main path. Depending on the type of Heroic Spirit you¡¯d become, you¡¯d not even necessarily need new stats. You¡¯d get one or two perhaps, unless you went full Caster, which I doubt.¡± ¡°And the downside?¡± She asked. ¡°Well, as a Heroic Spirit, you¡¯d be eligible for summons.¡± Luci pointed out. ¡°But I¡¯m already summoned by Mother and you.¡± She argued. ¡°As a Champion, yes. Look, as many of the strongest Champions are Heroic Spirits, the Gods love to arrange faux-Grail Wars as events. Either between Champions summoning spirits, spirits that may or may not be Champions, or other people doing the summoning. There can also be mixed events, with a Champion summoning another Champion as a Heroic Spirit, fighting against mortals, who have either Champions or just normal Heroic Spirits as their summon. It¡¯s a little complicated, but it¡¯s great fun. The downside is that the command seal system is in place, and if you¡¯re summoned, you¡¯re essentially fighting for your summoner, and not for yourself. You might both be rewarded, or the master might command you to kill yourself using their seals. The upside is that as a summon, if you do die, you don¡¯t actually die. You just return where you were summoned from. Masters might die for real, depending on the event. There are dozens of Grail Wars going on at any time, as it is one of the most common events the gods arrange. There¡¯s no actual Grail involved, but there are rewards.¡± Lucifer explained. ¡°Oh, and the timing of the summons might be a little inconvenient, although there¡¯s a little leeway in answering, as you¡¯ll know if you¡¯re being summoned beforehand.¡± ¡°Sounds rather risky.¡± She bit her lip a bit. "Yes, but it does come with rewards. There''s a reason why many high-ranking Champions have the Class, as it starts out S-ranked, and only goes up from there. It is, in fact, the most common XXX-ranked Class, though the reason for that is that you have to actually qualify as a great hero before taking the Class." Lucifer explained. ¡°You do like to make these decisions hard, don¡¯t you?¡± She pursed her lips in thought. Chapter 59 - Path of Entertaining -------- Seraphiel bit her lip. Something inside her pushed her in a particular direction. Instincts telling her what the right answer was. Yet, she had so many questions and saw so many problems with the choice. "I''m not enjoying the loss of autonomy that comes with the Heroic Spirit Class. I also see so many potential ways to abuse the whole summoning system." Lucifer got a look of realization. "I forgot that you haven''t spent much time on entertainment in this world. Most of these are official events like the ones you''ve already taken part in. Since most of these events are overseen by at least the Gods and most likely viewers, they''re mostly comparable to other official events. They''re entertainment. Nobody is going to abuse their command seals when they need them for the event, and when under the watchful eye of¡­well, everyone watching. If someone tries, there are judges that can intervene.¡± He looked at her a bit amused. ¡°Also, you might not recall, but the strongest heroes have limited resistance against the command seals. Considering your investment in Willpower and your Classes, I¡¯d say you qualify. That¡¯s not to say you¡¯re immune, just that you can struggle against them, effectively freezing in place, or use malicious compliance. Besides, even non-official pseudo¨CGrail Wars still go through the System, which means me. I have the sole arbitration over the proceedings. I monitor all the events, and if anyone tries to use their summons in ways that cross certain lines, I can always yank the summon out. I should point out though, that those lines are quite liberal, and they have plenty of leeway to keep to the spirit of the original event.¡± Lucifer continued with a wide grin. ¡°Besides, you haven¡¯t realized something. If you get summoned specifically by borrowing your old legends, as you are rather well-known in certain parts, you will get summoned with at least part of your old powers. You wouldn''t match your legend otherwise. And do you think your real body could be taken advantage of?¡± ¡°Hmm. Fair point. I still don¡¯t relish the idea of being yanked out of my life and leaving my friends in trouble.¡± She said carefully. ¡°That is the downside of the Class, although, as I said, you¡¯ll know if you¡¯re being summoned beforehand, so it¡¯s not an immediate thing. There¡¯s also a bit of a downtime between summons. You can¡¯t be summoned constantly, so you¡¯ll know there are times when you can¡¯t be summoned. Good for doing things where you don¡¯t want any interruptions. It also seems you''re under the impression that you''d be summoned often. Even the most commonly summoned spirits with plenty of people trying to summon them specifically using their old artifacts get summoned maybe once a year at most. So yes, you might have to push off some things on short notice if and when you''re summoned, but a week every few years isn''t exactly a huge imposition." Lucifer explained, playing the ironic devil¡¯s advocate. ¡°Why do I feel you¡¯re pushing me towards this Class.¡± She frowned at him. ¡°That¡¯s because I sort of am. I¡¯m your Guide. It¡¯s my job to push you towards things that would benefit you the most. I know very well your propensity to independence and chafing under any control. And yet, I still think this would be the best Class for you despite the risks. The other two aren¡¯t bad, or I wouldn¡¯t have offered them, but I haven¡¯t guided you wrong so far, have I?¡± ¡°You have not. On the other hand, I get the sense that there¡¯s more to this than the others.¡± She argued. ¡°Because there is. It is by far the most amusing option as well. If you recall correctly, you were brought here to stir things up. This is by far the most effective way to do that.¡± Lucifer admitted. ¡°You could say it goes well with our goals.¡± She sensed an opportunity. ¡°Is Mother in on this?¡± ¡°She is aware and is favoring the option, yes. She can¡¯t influence my choices as your Guide of course, but she approves.¡± As always, Luci didn¡¯t lie. He might not tell the entire truth, but he didn¡¯t lie either. ¡°Mother.¡± She called out, not surprised when the elevator to the penthouse suddenly dinged and opened to let the Goddess in. ¡°Yes, my Champion.¡± She replied glibly, stepping out of the elevator, wearing a revealing red dress suitable for a night out. ¡°You want this, I assume.¡± She probed. ¡°It would go well with my plans, yes.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°I want to dazzle these pretender gods with your power, and this is the best way to accomplish this. I won¡¯t push you to it, but it would please me quite a bit, yes.¡± ¡°Then I need some assurances.¡± She looked at the Goddess firmly. ¡°I absolutely cannot allow myself to be summoned by anyone from that universe. We both know it would be a shitshow. No summons by my enemies either.¡± She knew the Goddess could make it so the terms would abide. She could do anything after all. Even if someone tried to summon her, the Goddess would be able to stop it. "Done," Charlotte promised right away. "Although¡­we should at some point go through a list. You have¡­frenemies I think the young people call them these days?" She cleared her throat to keep things on track. ¡°I need a bit of incentive.¡± She also demanded. Lucifer tossed a card from his deck; except this time the entire card was covered in gold leafing. ¡°I can help with the incentive part. Instead of going through all the Class Evolutions, you get it straight in the state you would if it was a level 500 Class.¡± Seraphiel¡¯s eyes narrowed a bit as she did the calculations. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of extra stats.¡± She muttered, allowing her fingers to graze across the card. ¡°You really want me to take this Class.¡± Yet, despite all the risks, her instincts were telling her this was the right decision. Not necessarily because of the power, but because of what Luci had said earlier. Most people took a more relaxed or even hobby/utilitarian Class at this level. Despite the potential imposition, the Class sounded fun. She¡¯d be lying if she said she didn¡¯t look forward to being summoned. She flipped the card around. [Saint Graph: Multiverse ¨C Grand Servant. Rank XXX, Elements: Varied ¨C Stat Classification: Heroic. As the quintessential Heroic Spirit, you''ve traveled across the universe, doing mostly heroic acts, and saving more people than anyone can imagine. Even if you''re not always the most willing hero, a hero is what you are in the minds of those you''ve helped. Stats: Free Stat Points: 1600] Her eyes narrowed. ¡°I seem to recall the Saint Graph only went up to Stellar. And that those Servants had difficulty being summoned. And those were mostly gods.¡± It was somewhat ironic this would be her first XXX-ranked Class. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s for Heroic Spirits who have legends in a single solar system. You''ve been across half the multiverse, haven''t you? You''ve got legends across half of the universes that join this one. And like I said, you''d be summoned with a portion of your real might. Not your full abilities. That would invalidate the whole thing. Or to be more exact, you''d be summoned with the power appropriate and associated with the legend in question. You wouldn''t be summoned as Grand Servant in most cases anyway. Those are reserved for special occasions. Although, as both the System and the Gods provide the power for it, the restrictions are a bit looser on such summons.¡± Lucifer explained. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°And you can¡¯t argue that you¡¯re not a divine being.¡± Mother pointed out. ¡°In fact, I could argue that you¡¯re actually one of the only three really divine beings, aside from me and your Father.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to go ahead and assume I¡¯m not getting those 1600 stat points for levels before 500.¡± She realized suddenly. "Naturally. That would mean 800k points, which is a bit under what you''ve gained from your other Classes combined." Lucifer grinned. "You will however gain the Skills as if you''ve already evolved the Class until level 500 and all the stats as if the Class had been that rank the whole time. As it will be." ¡°Fine. I might regret this, but¡­¡± The Card disappeared and entered her body, leaving her glowing with new power. ¡°I need a drink after that.¡± Lucifer obligingly lifted a drink with a little umbrella from behind the bar counter and pushed it her way, having expected this. ¡°Thank you for the visit, Mother.¡± He stated suavely, signaling that she was no longer required. Charlotte gave a small smile and a wink. ¡°No problem, son.¡± And just disappeared. ¡°Why do I get the sense that I¡¯m entering the big leagues now?¡± Seraphiel asked a little morose. "Because you are," Lucifer confirmed. "I''ll make sure you have some time to get the new Class going, but you can safely expect the first summons in a few months. I think I already know who and where has their eye on one of your legends.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re not going to share, are you?¡± She huffed. "You know me so well sister," Lucifer confirmed with a grin. "Still, that Class should make sure you''re up to snuff and punching well above your weight even if you''re summoned as is. Since you''re no doubt wondering, there are two new stats one of which I''m not sure if you''ll increase too much considering your other Skills. Or you might. The Heroic Spirits mostly utilize the same stats as you already have, depending on the Class of Servant they''re summoned as. Notably, you do get access to Mana, as that''s rather integral to fueling all Servants. I believe you¡¯ll find that useful for your little projects even if you don¡¯t sink too many stats into it, and the little boost in stats should help you cover any deficits.¡± ¡°Hmm, Mana might be useful even if I don¡¯t have a magic Class, seeing as my old abilities haven¡¯t disappeared.¡± She nodded in agreement. Not all spells require the support of Skills. She knew plenty of spells that were just useful in daily life in general. And well, the stats only improved what was already there. She wasn''t unskilled in magic. Although¡­she did remember when she''d first gained Skills and levels. It had been difficult to even levitate a rock despite her old Skills. She''d have to see how magic would work. ¡°Which brings us to the next point.¡± Luci interrupted her thoughts. ¡°Time to make the improvements to your other Classes.¡± He flicked three more cards at her, showing the expected improvements in stat gains. None of them had gone up in rank, though she hadn¡¯t expected them to. ¡°I¡¯m guessing level 750 is where the Classes improve again?¡± She asked. ¡°Somewhat, yes. Though actually level 1000 is the major milestone where the largest improvements come for everyone. That¡¯s why that Class Evolution also has the largest requirements for materials.¡± Her brother said carefully, not giving away too much. ¡°I¡¯m assuming there are some improvements now though?¡± There always seemed to be. ¡°Actually, this level is mostly reserved for making improvements to your General and Social Skills. Not Racial Skills, as those we touched on last time, but you¡¯ll get one proper improvement of your choice for each Class as well.¡± Lucifer promised. That was a hard one. Picking just one that is. Most of her Class Skills were already well-rounded and powerful. There was one that stood out though. "Can we do anything with [Psionic Efficiency]? While the reduction in power costs is important, it bothers me that the Skill is stuck at the current level and no longer able to improve. An additional effect that can scale, perhaps?" Lucifer nodded happily. "I suspected you''d go for that one. Yes, it''s doable, but it can''t be a major effect. How about a slight scaling effect when it comes to the smoothness of casting your abilities? It should bring you closer to how your powers worked in the past. Not a percentage increase in Control or Power on anything, just something to smooth handling large amounts of power. Make things a bit easier and faster.¡± She nodded. ¡°That could work. Now for the Paladin¡­¡± Before she could say more, Luci interrupted her. ¡°Before you ask for [Bastion of Purity] to resist things like the command seals, I think you should know that your other new stat and Class will help with that.¡± She had to think about what she knew about the spirits before she reached a conclusion. "Magic resistance.¡± She realized. Some of the Heroic Spirits were famed for their resistance to spells, while others were especially susceptible. She nodded at her own conclusion. Made sense. Also, it now made sense why Lucifer had mentioned she might not want to put too many points into the stat, seeing as she already had other sources of magic resistance and an entire Class to deal with mages. ¡°In that case, [Fount of Purity]. Negative statuses even to my friends and allies can be quite bad, as shown by our recent encounter with Nurgle Demons.¡± ¡°Done. [Sacred Fount of Purity] it is.¡± He nodded in agreement, having expected that. ¡°As for the last Class, let¡¯s go with [Shiten Kekkai]. I¡¯ve allowed it to languish long enough.¡± She decided. ¡°Good choice.¡± He nodded in approval. ¡°With your new access to Mana, let¡¯s broaden the reach of the Skill and allow the Skill to support magical formations as well. Now for the General and Social Skills. We¡¯ll improve the weapon arts and martial arts of course.¡± ¡°Enough to have a domain?¡± She asked, bringing up the old request. ¡°Perhaps. If you try hard enough.¡± He smiled mysteriously. ¡°Bloody finally.¡± She grunted, before frowning in thought. "Magical Engineering to combine with my various powers and [Reality Manipulation] to create some of the materials I know about from thin air?" ¡°Oof, that¡¯s a big ask. As long as we agree that the materials created in such a way can¡¯t be used for Class Evolution. It would upend the entire universe if you could create those freely.¡± He finally allowed. ¡°Good enough. [Push Through] actually improving the regeneration of my various powers? Seeing as I don¡¯t have a Mana Regen stat.¡± She realized the potential issue with having Mana, but very little regeneration. Besides, she knew Heroic Spirits as servants needed Mana provided to them by their summoners. This would help with that as well. Lucifer¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Let me guess. Your next request is to have your [Magic Sight] sub in for Magical Control.¡± ¡°You know me so well brother.¡± She grinned, returning his words back at him. ¡°Fine. You can have them, and I¡¯ll make them good, but that¡¯s it. I¡¯ll allow you to circumvent things a little since you went along with our wishes.¡± He waved at her. ¡°Now off you go.¡± She found herself back on the ship, feeling nice and refreshed. She still had to decide the Skills for the new Class. She was already getting ideas from the Class itself, and she¡¯d learned her lesson on that front. Better to allow the System to help her. The first two Skills were already decided for her, a sort of Skill tax, even though different from other Classes. [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: One of Many Legends! You¡¯ve been the inspiration for countless legends over the years and universes. If summoned using one of your old legends as a basis, you¡¯ll gain a fraction of the power you possessed depending on the power of the summoner and the event. You can also call upon a part of that power even while not summoned, though at a large cooldown.] There was no ¡®would you like to accept the Skill¡¯ question attached. Neither had the next Skill. [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Divinity Rank EX! You hold a small part of the original creator''s Divinity. There is no higher rank of Divinity in existence. The Skill is used to determine the ability to overcome certain defensive abilities and to resist certain effects, as well as determine vulnerability to certain attacks.] Right. Those were the mandatory ones. They were also passive and didn¡¯t level up. The others she could pick, although certain ones whispered to her more than others. One in particular felt almost mandatory. [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Independent Action! Reduces Mana expenditure when summoned or using Skills and abilities. Reduces the need to gain mana from your summoner. Allows you to act independently should your summoner be eliminated. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] Yes. That would do nicely. [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Magic Resistance! Resist the abilities and spells of summoners and other servants. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] Yes. It might seem like overkill combined with the new stat, but the magic no doubt available to certain spirits was no joke. Some of it was capable of killing you with a single thought or ending an entire world. And those spirits would no doubt have their abilities boosted by Skills. Additional resistance would never hurt. She really wanted to be able to resist those command seals and knew that would require every effort to do properly, as they were such an intrinsic part of the system. [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Heroic form! Stronger, faster, sturdier, and with better reflexes. The bodies of heroes are the result of constant effort. It¡¯s one of the things that set them apart from normal people, and Heroic Spirits are vastly stronger than any normal beings. Improves all your Physical Stats. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] Yes. More effect from her stats, even if it wasn¡¯t defined in nice percentages like some of her other Skills. [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Noble Phantasm: Day of Judgement! Sometimes heroics are not enough. Sometimes to destroy a greater evil, an entire world needs to be judged. Bring forth the wrath of the heavens on the unworthy. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] The big boom ability. Yes. She¡¯d always had the power, just very rarely used it. It would also be extremely Mana consuming. She went through some of the other options. Skills like intuition were pointless since she had [Precognition]. Riding was useless to her since she already knew how to ride or pilot almost any beast or craft. Besides she had her wings. Speaking of¡­ [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Noble Phantasm: Golden Wings of the Firstborn! The strongest shield and the sharpest sword. Your wings have always been your most faithful shield and weapon. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] Yes, she would. [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Perfect Aim! Whether with a gun, bow, or melee weapon, your attacks tend to find their mark, even if dodged. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] Yes. That sounded somewhat like what a Domain could accomplish. She knew at least a couple Heroic Spirits that had the Skill as a Noble Phantasm, capable of even altering reality to make it true. What else, what else¡­. Chapter 60 - Changing winds ------- [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Noble Phantasm: Assemble the Heavenly Host! Heroes don¡¯t have to fight alone. You can call for assistance in the form of old allies. Mana expenditure rather large. Skill level reduces the expenditure. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] Uh, yes. Hell yes. Even if she could summon one of her old allies for a handful of seconds, she knew some people who could make a difference in that time. Yes, yes, and once again yes. She knew people who could match almost any of the other Heroic Spirits. Hell, she knew some of the Heroic Spirits. Even if only momentarily, two was better than one. [You¡¯ve gained the new Skill: Original Slayer of Gods! For good or bad, you were cast out for being able to kill the original God. You¡¯ve also killed beings that title themselves as gods, and there is no being that can¡¯t fall down at your feet. Would you like to accept the Skill? Y/N] That¡¯s¡­ok, but what does it do? No explanation. Just a mystery. Right, let¡¯s take it, yes. The Skills she¡¯d gotten were somewhat odd in theory, though she knew the Skills of the Heroic Spirits worked a bit differently in application. Their reach was longer than one would assume at first glance. For instance, [Magic Resistance] didn¡¯t resist just magic. In fact, in that world, there were only a handful of beings capable of using true magic. The rest used what was called thaumaturgy. So why have a Skill like that? Because it wasn¡¯t just magic it resisted. She was somewhat surprised she hadn¡¯t been offered [Territory Creation], though it made certain sense. She didn¡¯t really have a place to call home. No place that could be called her territory. She had adapted to fighting in all sorts of circumstances, so having a terrain specifically advantageous to her didn¡¯t really exist. All she¡¯d be doing would be to bring others into territory they were disadvantaged at, and that wasn¡¯t the purpose of the Skill. She noted that she¡¯d leveled up several times just from picking her Skills, the effect of her [Been There, Done That] Skill. Extra 1500% Exp was no joke. She also confirmed that she got the expected 100 Stat points, which would likely last until level 50. Her thoughts were interrupted by the door opening silently. ¡°Done?¡± Yoruichi asked. ¡°About there. I¡¯m still working through some of the details, but in general yes.¡± She nodded. ¡°Anything good?¡± Her old friend asked. ¡°Heroic Spirit. XXX-ranked at that.¡± She didn¡¯t bother hiding. Yoruichi gave a small whistle. ¡°Nice. Risky as well. You¡¯ll get summoned at some point. Wait. Considering how much you¡¯ve gotten around, double entendre intended, I wouldn¡¯t be shocked if you were summoned often.¡± ¡°My Guide implied as much, although I was able to wrangle some guarantees.¡± She revealed. ¡°¡­Your Guide can hook you up with some special conditions?¡± Yoruichi noted right away. ¡°Quite. I was given to understand that my Guide is currently the main embodiment of the System. So, there¡¯s that. Oh, and he¡¯s taking the form and personality of Lucifer, my silly brother, so¡­¡± She shrugged again, seeing no point in hiding that fact from Yoruichi. ¡°I¡¯m¡­not sure how I should feel about that. You told me about your brother in the past. On one hand, great, more fun. On the other hand, oh great, more shenanigans.¡± Yoruichi lamented. ¡°My thoughts exactly. He¡¯s been toying with me ever since I¡¯ve been born here. Pretty sure he and Mother conspired together to bring me here in the first place. And it might have been for this exact purpose. They at least leaned on me heavily to take this Class. Usually, they wouldn¡¯t do something like that, until it was important to their plans.¡± She explained. ¡°I got the distinct impression that while I could pick something else, there might be¡­knock-on effects.¡± "Hence why you were able to haggle." Yoruichi nodded in understanding. "Well, we''re down this path now. Might as well make the most of it." -------- The next couple of months were filled with almost constant missions to deal with both the Vampires and Chaos. The Empire¡¯s problems were not about to end anytime soon, and there was plenty to do, although the situation was improving. The Class Heroic Spirit naturally leveled the fastest when doing either something heroic or something villainous, and hunting down Vampires and Chaos certainly qualified. Everyone else was benefitting as well, even if her progress was obviously the fastest. By the end of the two months, the situation took a sharp turn. Teclis¡¯ plan with Cathay started bearing fruit, and the Chaos Demons were slowly being pushed back towards the poles of the planet, where the ambient magic was the thickest. The effect wasn¡¯t instantaneous, but every battle and mission saw a decreasing number of Demons able to manifest to aid in battle. They wouldn¡¯t be stopped entirely at any point, but their influence was diminishing greatly. That, in turn, allowed the Empire to focus on other matters. Karl Franz was finally seated as the emperor. There¡¯d been an attack on some of the electors, but that attack had been repelled, earning him some much-needed favor, and his actions to protect the empire were bearing fruit. They weren¡¯t perfect, but the electors noted that things were improving. A new alliance with both Cathay and the High Elves helped, and the improved trade was also an economic boon, something that helped counter the cost of hiring so many mercenary groups to help with the festering problems of the nation. And while the mercenaries and witch hunters couldn''t deal with all the internal problems, things like religious schisms would still remain, the reduction in many previously large problems helped a lot. The practical eradication of roaming Beastmen herds and most bandits alone was a large boon to internal security. "In summary, the Empire is under the impression that they can now reduce their expenditure on groups like ours," Chachamaru stated, with their group gathered in their ship. "While that means our employment here has come to an end, for now at least, it also means job well done. Bonuses all around.¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Tatsumiya nodded in realization. ¡°Now that the emperor has gained his throne, his own authority is also much higher, allowing for a better utilization of their own resources to deal with issues.¡± ¡°They¡¯re being a bit premature though.¡± Yoruichi frowned. ¡°Many of their problems have gone underground, but they aren¡¯t gone. We may have hunted down several Vampires for example, but we never really solved the problem with the chalices and where they were coming from.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Chachamaru nodded. ¡°However, that just means more work for us in the future. This is the ebb and flow of mercenary work. When a client decides we are no longer necessary, then we must abide.¡± ¡°When¡¯s Teclis arriving?¡± Kaede asked. ¡°In a few days. He¡¯s still working with the Cathayans, making sure that the latest project has no issues.¡± Chachamaru was proving invaluable, taking care of all sorts of running issues like this. ¡°We¡¯re going to set flight towards Cathay in the meantime to pick him up. No point in making him travel to us.¡± ¡°Do we already have something lined up next?¡± Seraphiel asked. "Not yet. We''ve been working fairly hard for months now, and I thought it better to allow everyone to have some time off. A day here and there isn''t enough to fully unwind. Besides, this world has been pretty rough on all of us. It''s not an easy place to deal with. There''s bound to be stress piled up, even if not fully visible yet." Chachamaru revealed her plans. "We''ll have a bit of time off. Enough for everyone to visit friends and family. We can have the ship parked at Mahora in the meantime. I''ll handle re-supply and Seraphiel can officially get her graduation papers.¡± Even Seraphiel had to admit a bit of rest was a good idea. She was perhaps the most used out of everyone to constant struggle and being thrown from one crisis to another, but even she knew the value of rest. The last couple months especially had been pretty rough. They hadn¡¯t even had time to go unwind with Yoruichi. Speaking of. ¡°I¡¯ll have to make an appearance at the Soul Society. I¡¯m still a Captain, and I¡¯ll need to make things official with them. On the upside, Rangiku will probably also want to join us, as might a couple of others.¡± The Shinigami explained. There went that plan. ¡°Of course. I know you came to us rather suddenly. No Zaraki Kenpachi though!¡± She insisted. ¡°From everything you¡¯ve told me, I might enjoy fighting him," Wrex commented eagerly. "That¡­might not actually be a bad idea," Yoruichi muttered. "Hazardous for everyone around you, but¡­" ------- Teclis wasn''t alone when he came up the ship''s ramp. He was accompanied by the very person they''d saved not too long ago. "Princess." Seraphiel nodded in a slightly confused greeting. ¡°Lady Seraphiel. Would it be possible for me to join your mercenary unit, at least provisionally?¡± The Dragon in humanoid form asked. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything against it, but I feel obliged to point out that this seems a little out of place. And that this won¡¯t be safe.¡± Teclis had mentioned the possibility that they might gain an ally from this, but she hadn¡¯t expected it to be Shen-Zoo. ¡°Your family went to great lengths to find you and bring you to safety. It seems a little odd that they¡¯d send you away and into further danger.¡± Shen-Zoo nodded, apparently having expected the question. "This mostly comes from my mother. She feels it is necessary for me to gain more experience and learn to defend myself better. In her opinion, my other siblings are already capable of defending themselves adequately, but as recent events show, I do not have that capability. I feel that''s a little unfair since even my siblings might have fallen prey to Greater Demons, but we are where we are. I also have the additional mission of gaining more information about other worlds and even to potentially forming beneficial relationships outside our world. My other siblings have their duties, and I believe this is to be mine.¡± ¡°Right. Ok. I can see all that, but why us? I mean, yes, we were instrumental in rescuing you, but we aren¡¯t exactly the safest group to gain experience with. Nor will we abide by the sort of decorum that might be expected when dealing with a princess.¡± She pointed out. "I think that was the point. I need real experience, not just a ''less sheltered experience'' as my mother put it. She''s been¡­observing you for a while now and feels that I might gain that experience with you. She also mentioned that being with you might actually be safer than you let on. Yes, there''s risk, as there would be with any mercenary group. But not every group is led by a being of a rank even higher than us Dragons. Nor watched over so closely by a powerful deity." Here it seemed that these were things her mother had revealed to Shen-Zoo, and not something the princess had discovered herself, seeing as the princess was looking at her with new respect. ¡°Besides, there is a certain amount of¡­internal struggle for power within Cathay at the moment. My mother thought I¡¯d be safer outside for now. My initial abduction had to have some help from the inside, and your group is certainly above suspicion.¡± ¡°Seems reasonable enough. Besides, they probably aren¡¯t telling us everything. We wouldn¡¯t tell them everything either.¡± Yoruichi gave her opinion. ¡°I see no reason to reject her, assuming she carries her weight.¡± Shen-Zoo stood a little straighter. ¡°Admittedly my abilities in combat are not as great as my siblings, but when it comes to support, I stand above anyone in Cathay. Aside from being a Light Dragon, my Classes are all directed towards supporting others. I have Classes for healing, tactical support, and strategy. Not direct combat Classes like I mentioned, but I can heal almost anything, and give buffs that few can rival.¡± ¡°We are lacking a dedicated support, even if you¡¯ve been doing that mostly.¡± Kaede nodded towards Seraphiel. ¡°Now, all we¡¯re really lacking are non-combat things like crafting. Our direct frontline could use someone aside from Wrex, but he¡¯s doing rather well as is. And once you gain more levels, you¡¯ll slot in perfectly for that role. Heck, you¡¯re already almost there. You¡¯re certainly more durable than anyone besides maybe Wrex.¡± Seraphiel agreed. "Welcome aboard. Chachamaru will show you where you can place your things." She turned towards Chachamaru. "On that note, one of the things we could look into during this vacation is our lacking non-combat personnel. We could really use a proper crafter. I have plenty of ideas, and can now produce materials, but my ability to turn them into proper weapons and armor is limited. With all the work we¡¯ve done for the Empire, and the reward for rescuing Shen-Zoo, we''re flush with cash and resources.¡± "We could use a dedicated base as well." Chachamaru nodded. "Currently the ship works as a mobile base, and we can easily dock at either Citadel or Mahora, but once our reach starts expanding, we could use a dedicated home. If for no other reason than to have some place where people who want to hire us can reach us reliably. Currently, I''ve found all our work from my end, but once we get a decent reputation, people will try to reach us instead." ¡°Something to take under advisement.¡± Seraphiel agreed. ¡°Brainstorm some ideas during your time off.¡± ¡°Any news of being summoned?¡± Yoruichi asked. ¡°You mentioned it would likely be around this time.¡± ¡°Nothing yet. Though that is another reason to have a bit of a vacation. It would be nice timing if the summoning happened during the vacation instead of when we¡¯re on a mission.¡± -------- "Sir." A woman who gave the impression of the idealized form of the word secretary spoke. "We have an urgent report from Laplace." She was speaking into an intercom. ¡°I assume it¡¯s something important, considering I did say I didn¡¯t wish to be disturbed.¡± A male voice responded. ¡°I would say so, sir. The System is recognizing a new Heroic Spirit.¡± She reported. ¡°And? That can¡¯t be it. It¡¯s not common, but not enough to be important.¡± The male voice asked. ¡°The System is evaluating the new Spirit as a Grand Servant and one of the Top Servants.¡± She revealed the real reason everyone at the base was in a tizzy. The voice on the other end of the call was quiet for a moment. ¡°Come in.¡± He finally stated. The woman gracefully stood up, picking up a small folder, and made her way to the large armored doors on the other side of the room. The doors opened automatically, allowing her to step inside, the noise of her heels clicking changing when the floor changed from marble to metal. The room was not overly large, although it held several large bookshelves brimming with old books and manuscripts. Sitting at a desk was a middle-aged man with long silver hair and a pair of round glasses, dressed in a stylish black suit. He waved her closer. "I need details. What Grand Class, name, legends, any known parameters, abilities, anything." "We have no name nor most of the other information you requested. Laplace was only able to produce a list of titles. The main title given was ''The Exile''. Other titles include The First One, The Savior, The Liberator, The Arbiter, The King of Celestials, and most worryingly ''The Original Slayer of Gods''. Apparently, The Exile qualifies for several Grand Classes, including Saber, Caster, Lancer, Berserker, Archer, Shielder, and Ruler.¡± She reported the little they had managed to find out so far. ¡°Grand Shielder or Ruler?¡± The man frowned. ¡°There¡¯s no Grand Shielder, and there has definitely never been a Grand Ruler.¡± ¡°There is now.¡± She said simply. ¡°At least we can infer some things from her titles. Especially The King of Celestials. Implies some sort of angelic heritage. The main title sounds a little familiar.¡± He tapped the table a bit in thought, before standing up and walking to one of the bookshelves and pulling out a very old and damaged manuscript. He carefully laid it on the table, before reading through it. ¡°There are some very old references to a being known as The Exile. Apparently, several gods tried to summon them as a Champion and failed. Then there was some old agreement to not summon them. No reasons survive to this day.¡± ¡°Tried and failed?¡± She confirmed. ¡°Why forbid it, if the summon failed?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t go into further detail. We could speculate, but that¡¯s all it would be. Speculation.¡± He stated firmly. ¡°How shall we respond?¡± She asked. ¡°For now, try to find out more. Oh, and inform Zelretch. The Wizard Marshal would be mighty annoyed if we didn¡¯t keep them appraised.¡± He ordered. Chapter 61 - Gee, I wonder who that is... -------- She slammed her fists against the workshop table in frustration and anger. She wouldn¡¯t be a laughingstock! She refused! It wasn¡¯t her fault that out of all the members of the Clock Tower, she was one of the seven to be granted the Command Seals by the System. The others were jealous of course, but they were also disdainful that a lowborn Magi had succeeded where they failed. They could try to blame her all they wanted, but they¡¯d all tried to draw the attention of the System to gain this honor. She¡¯d succeeded where they had failed. That should tell the others something! So what, if she wasn¡¯t one of the Barthomeloi, Edelfelt, or El-Melloi? Neither were they! Yet, they did have one point. She didn¡¯t have the resources the other Masters had. She had no relic to use as a basis for summons. Not any reasonable one at least. She didn''t have the connections to acquire one either. The only things she did have were her heritage and a whole lot of stored Mana. Nearly all of the other Masters would be drawing from a similar set of legends, while she had access to something different. Maybe. Hopefully. She had no idea if any of the heroes of her people could be summoned. Yet, she had no other choice but to try. She drew a deep breath before exiting her workshop, carrying all the equipment and mana gems she¡¯d created in an enchanted pouch. One of the handy things this universe had brought: spatial artifacts. As soon as she stepped out, she could feel the sharp gazes of the other students and teachers of the Clock Tower. "Luthien. Want to buy a relic? Might help you summon a spirit even remotely useful. At least that way you won''t be such a burden to the team." One of the richer rejected students called out in a jeering voice. The offer was an obvious trap. Oh, the relic was probably genuine, but associated with some crappy Servant that would relegate her to a status of uselessness. She¡¯d have better luck allowing the System to decide her Servant for her. She might get lucky. Or she might summon someone just as weak as that relic was no doubt connected with. She ignored all the calls and jeers, stoically marching towards the gathering point in the front yard. Success was the only remedy available to her. Despite all her gloom and the jeers, she couldn¡¯t help but be excited. Even as the premier institute associated with the Grail Wars, the Clock Tower extremely rarely got the opportunity to participate in a Grand Grail War. Someone had to have pulled some really big strings to make the event happen. It would be extremely dangerous, especially for a minor participant like her, but the rewards were equally great. That¡¯s why everyone wanted to participate. She wasn''t the first to arrive, though neither was she the last. Lord Barthomeloi was naturally present as the leader of the team and as the one coordinating their strategies. Luviagelita Edelfelt was also already present, most likely because she was a teacher as well. The two women were powerful Magi capable of fighting monsters and perhaps even Servants on their own. They also happened to be immortal, which helped, although that was one advantage Luthien also held. The benefits of belonging to another race beyond Humans. The last person present was Lord Germaine, the head of the Department of Creation, a wild-looking old man that was famous for his runic thaumaturgy and crafting abilities. He wasn''t exactly known as a combat Magi, but his skills would be highly useful to the team. Assuming he could be persuaded to share them. The rumors suggested the old man was a crotchety old drunk that didn''t really give a damn about anyone else. So, she was the first person outside the faculty to arrive. ¡°Luthien. Are you ready?¡± Barthomeloi asked sternly. ¡°As ready as I¡¯ll ever be.¡± She stated. That answer seemed to satisfy the woman. ¡°It¡¯s good to know your limits. No one can be completely prepared for something like this.¡± She nodded, satisfied in her own judgement. The last three arrived in a couple of minutes. Two were Magi she wasn¡¯t familiar with, not students or faculty but mercenaries of sorts. Mercenaries she knew by reputation. The last one was another student like her. The difference was, he was a member of the Trambelio family, one of the three great families, so his participation was not questioned. As soon as all seven were present, the light of magic surrounded them, and they suddenly found themselves in a completely different place. This had been achieved by Zelretch, the Wizard Marshal, and they had to just assume they were in the right place. Knowing Zelretch and his penchant for entertainment, that was not a safe bet to make. The Grand Grail War would take place in a neutral territory only known to scant few people to keep interference to a minimum. A single glance around them let them know that at least the world in question was inhabited because they''d been dropped at the border of a relatively large city. At this distance, the inhabitants looked Human, and the architecture rather modern, matching around 20th century Earth, though appearances could be deceiving. ¡°We need to establish a base of operations, and then we need information on the battlefield. We can assume the other teams have also been placed somewhere in the vicinity of the city. At first glance, the city does fit the brief description I was given.¡± Lord Barthomeloi took the lead right away. ¡°Stay close until we¡¯ve located at least a temporary safe haven.¡± ¡°I will contact the overseer, just to confirm the timetable.¡± Luvia declared, pulling out a paper talisman that she placed on her forehead, walking along with the others effectively blinded while she held up the mental communique. They¡¯d reached the edge of the city proper by the time Luvia''s talisman turned to ash. "We are in the right place. The overseer did not tell me how many teams have arrived, but we are not the first or the last. They also let me know that we can start summoning Servants tonight. If any team doesn¡¯t make it by then, then they¡¯ll be disqualified.¡± "Wonderful," Barthomeloi said simply. She led them towards a fancy-looking building at the edge of the city, before finding the owner to negotiate with. Luthien wasn''t privy to the details, but by the end, they were allowed access to the building, while some money exchanged hands. ¡°Prepare all your summoning materials. We¡¯ll start summoning the Servants as soon as possible.¡± Barthomeloi ordered. ¡°Try to keep the property relatively in one piece. Minor damage is tolerable, but total destruction would be a hindrance.¡± The others scattered to quickly nab the best rooms to use as their workshops and their summoning areas. Luthien quickly carved the necessary sigil into the stone floor, before filling the grooves with mana-enriched powder. This was her only trump card. Surprisingly, the sigil itself wasn¡¯t that complicated. The circle was roughly five meters across, made of three concentric circles with smaller sigils and runes. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. The Clock Tower still used the old chant. It was long, arduous, pretentious, and at points nonsensical. In the end, most of the chant was pointless. The Masters were pre-chosen, as indicated by their command seals. As a Master, her job was to anchor the Heroic Spirit to this place and time once it appeared. And, of course, to provide enough Mana for it to take physical form. The Grail itself, a fount of almost endless Mana, provided most of the sustenance for the spirit, but the Master¡¯s contribution mattered. It was symbolic. The chant did have one purpose though. It influenced what Class the Servant would be. Sometimes you had no choice. Sometimes the relic you used made sure you summoned a particular Servant, and that Servant could only be of specific Classes. But when the option was available, the chant could influence it. And in the case of Berserker, controlled the level of the Madness Enchantment placed on the Servant. The deeper the madness, the greater the power granted by the enchantment. ¡°¡­My will shall create thy body, and thy sword shall create my fate. Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grail, if thou dost accede to this will and reason, answer me!...¡± She chanted. They had discussed their choice of Servants beforehand of course. They were working as a team. At least theoretically. Certain Classes were reserved for certain members of their team. The Archer, Berserker, and Lancer were already chosen, and Saber would most likely go to Barthomeloi as it was generally considered the strongest Class in a straight-up fight. That left Rider, Assassin, and Caster. She didn''t mind, and they''d been given free reign to attempt to summon any of the three, or four if you dared to compete with Barthomeloi. A sudden flash of light blinded her, and the sound of a beating heart could be heard for a few seconds before the ritual finished. The light faded and in the circle stood a woman wearing the robes of the greatest hero of her people. The hero who had freed them from the oppression of a malicious god. A hero, who was still venerated to this day, over ten thousand years later. Any true child of her people could recognize the symbol on the figure''s robes, even if the woman''s face was covered by a smiling Solitaire mask, and the heavy robes and Wraithbone armor obscured her other features. The pair of golden wings above the symbol of the Aeldari Pantheon was forever engraved into the psyche of her people, even if they had forsaken their home. She also knew something only the non-Human students of the Clock Tower had realized. The Servant rankings maintained by the secret branch of the organization were fallible. Laplace was a great source of information, but it wasn''t all-knowing. It had a serious slant in its evaluation criteria, valuing the Human Heroic Spirits way above all the others. Now, she would be able to prove them wrong. She had succeeded. Suddenly, she wasn¡¯t the least bit worried about the outcome. She had already won this war, and nobody else had realized it yet. ¡°I ask you. Are you my Master?¡± The figure asked, the voice distorted by the mask to sound as if a dozen people were speaking at once. ------ Luthien led her new servant to the atrium, noting that the other Masters were also arriving with someone in tow. Some of the Servants stood out in a very obvious way, and Luthien could recognize a few of them from her research. The most harmless-looking servant, a young-looking blond girl wearing a chest plate and faulds over a blue dress might have been the most dangerous of them all and was obviously the Saber. This was in fact one of the most famous Servants among the Clock Tower, Arturia Pendragon, the King of Knights. She was considered one of the Top Servants. Of course, Barthomeloi would summon her. The two suited each other. Another one easy to recognize, was a large man wearing a tattered cloak over his blue full-plate armor and white skull mask. No one would think this was the most infamous Assassin, Yaman no Okina, or Old Man of the Mountain, a man recognized to be perhaps the most dangerous Servant to have ever lived. The Grand Assassin, a fact belied by his appearance. No one, except the people of the Clock Tower, that is. The Trambelio heir looked so smug with his success. Not without reason. Where Hassan looked imposing with his presence and appearance, the Archer was the opposite. Wearing simple white pants and a sleeveless shirt of the same color, Archer managed to still look diligent and just. His dark hair and skin contrasted well with his simple clothing, managing to make the simple look elegant. This was another Servant well known to everyone, the Grand Archer Arjuna. Luvia looked almost as smug as the Trambelio heir, with equal reason to be pleased with herself. ¡®Two Grands, even if not with their full Grand powers, and two top servants, and that¡¯s without counting mine. The other teams are in for a bad time.¡¯ Luthien thought to herself. This was the might of the Clock Tower when they got serious. Even if they hadn¡¯t all been quite as lucky. The other three were less identifiable, albeit not impossible to at least narrow down to a certain area. The Berserker wore bright red ornate Chinese armor, holding a large halberd, and had two long red plumes of hair coming out of his headband. Not everyone would recognize L¨¹ Bu, but Luthien did. Not quite as magnificent as far as Servants went as the previous three, but nothing to scoff at. The next Servant only wore a bright red cape, an ancient Greek Hoplite helmet with bright red horse-mane hair, metal vambraces boots, and what looked like a thong made of simple red loincloth. He had bronze skin with bright red painted markings and held a spear and a Hoplite shield. The number of Greek heroes was rather large, so his exact identity was hard to tell. Case in point, the Rider also seemed Greek. Still, the colors and equipment hinted at Sparta. The Rider had his face bare and wore silver Greek armor and spear, but otherwise was much more moderate in his appearance, making identifying him impossible for now. Luthien would need to see him in action. The fact that Lord Germaine looked so pleased with himself did suggest he''d managed to summon someone special though. ¡°What sort of Servant is that?¡± Trambelio jeered, looking at Luthien and her Servant. ¡°Is that supposed to be Caster?¡± Luthien felt her blood boil for a fraction of a second. No one would mock the savior of her people! But she didn¡¯t say anything. Let them think what they wanted. Sadly that plan was foiled quickly. The Assassin leaned forward and whispered something in his Master¡¯s ear. ¡°What?!¡± Trambelio asked with a disdainful and confused look. He didn¡¯t get a response though, as the Assassin seemed to disappear into the thin air, using his [Presence Concealment]. However, Luthien wasn¡¯t worried, as she was able to see a faint outline in the air where the Assassin was, provided by her own Servant. ¡°Hey! Come back!¡± Trambelio called out. ¡°Care to share with the rest of us what has you so flustered?¡± Luvia asked with a sarcastic sweet tone, clearly annoyed by the young man¡¯s antics. Trambelio chewed on his lip for a moment. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I will.¡± He finally decided. Luvia looked towards her Servant. ¡°Master Assassin said that there¡¯s only one being among everyone gathered here he would not want to fight, and that being is Caster.¡± The dark-skinned man glanced towards Luthien¡¯s Servant. With everyone present, the Classes were easy to guess. Saber nodded. ¡°I happen to agree. I do not know who she is, but I¡¯d rather fight the rest of you combined than her.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Her Master asked sharply. "The Skill [Instinct]," Saber explained curtly. The Skill wasn''t precognition exactly, but it helped her make the most optimal decision in any situation. And the Skill was rather loudly screaming that fighting the Caster was very much not that. As if acting on a silent command, the Berserker suddenly leapt across the room and threw a powerful punch at Luthien¡¯s Servant. Luthien watched confidently as Caster stopped the powerful blow with a single finger, not even bothering to fully extend the finger, despite the shockwave from the blow cracking the stone wall behind her. That left everyone surprised. It wasn''t a full-power blow, but it was made by Berserker against Caster. That''s not how that was supposed to work. They wouldn¡¯t have been the least bit surprised if the blow had been magically deflected, but stopping it physically with a finger was another matter altogether. All the Servants were experienced enough fighters to draw several conclusions from that brief exchange. Caster had made her point, and nothing else needed to be said. ¡°Well, now. That is interesting.¡± Lord Germaine gave voice to what many of them were thinking, also showing his experience by coming to the right conclusions. ¡°Enough with the shenanigans. We need to get information on the other teams. Caster, Archer, you¡¯re the most likely able to help with that, correct?¡± Barthomeloi got the team back on topic. Her Servant looked at Luthien, making it obvious she wasn¡¯t following Barhomeloi¡¯s orders but her instructions instead. Luthien simply nodded, giving permission. Her Servant waved a hand and a handful of the bricks from the just broken stone wall flew up to float above her hand, before they suddenly shattered into fine dust. Then the dust flew out to form a miniature replicate of the city they were in. Then her Servant pulled out a handful of what looked like dice covered in glowing runes and tossed them inside the miniature city. One of the dice settled on their location, while six others rolled out to various locations around the city, although one dice kept slowly moving, just entering the city. The message was rather clear and obvious without any need for words. Barthomeloi nodded, quite pleased with the information. "Archer, can you get actual eyes on one or two of the opposing teams? You can keep enough distance to not be at risk." ¡°With their locations already provided, easily.¡± The Archer replied dutifully, before vanishing. The Class was famed for high Perception and Skills that granted sight at long ranges. ¡°Good. Now, normally I¡¯d insist that we reveal the details of our Servants to each other, to facilitate teamwork, but I know none of you are actually stupid enough to go with it.¡± Barthomeloi frowned a bit. This was a team event, but there would only be a single winner. Once the other teams were eliminated, the remaining members of the last team would turn on each other and duke it out until only one Master/Servant pair remained. Not necessarily an original pair either. Sometimes Masters would get eliminated first, leaving orphaned Servants that could be taken up by a Master that still had Command Seals and had in turn lost their Servant. Some Grail Wars were more gentle in that they forbid the targeting of Masters, but this wasn¡¯t one of those Grail Wars. In this war, the Masters were fair game, and likely the choice targets for at least Assassins. After all, Masterless Servants would only be around for a short time, unless they had high level [Independent Action]. Luthien realized that while she had no doubt her Servant would win, that didn¡¯t necessarily mean it had to be with her¡­ Chapter 62 - First blows ------- Seraphiel wasn''t sure how she felt about the current situation. She had been expecting a summons, so that was fine, but there were a couple of issues with how it had happened. Luci and Mother had stuck to the letter of their agreement in that no one from that particular universe had summoned her, but a descendant of the Aeldari that had fled the place had done it instead. On one hand, she''d made the rule to avoid being summoned by one of her old enemies and her summoner wasn''t that, on the other, she wasn''t happy that they were skirting her terms so blatantly. She''d also been summoned as a Caster, which was a bit of an odd feeling. True, nowhere did it say that the Caster had to actually be able to use magic instead of psionics, but it was sort of implied. She''d manage, no doubt, but it wasn''t exactly the most comfortable Servant Class for her. Then again, their team was rather stacked, which sort of explained it. It was likely that Caster was the best her new Master had access to. She did enjoy having a decent portion of her old powers back though. She also got to enjoy her old body, albeit the one from such a long time ago. Even if she wasn''t quick to change, there had been some slight changes since then, so it didn''t feel like a perfect fit. It was like wearing clothes a couple sizes too small. Better than what she''d gotten used to in this universe but not perfect. She hadn''t gotten all of the power she''d had access to during her time among the Aeldari, but she''d gotten enough to not be too worried. Ironically, she''d been at one of her weakest points in that universe, mostly because she hadn''t gained all the various powers and styles from other universes yet. Not that it mattered much, since most of it was a matter of knowledge and utilizing her skills properly, and she hadn¡¯t lost those. No magic, though at least she had access to her original power as a Celestial, even if not quite at full power. Her Master seemed to have a decent head on her shoulders, although it seemed her position in the pecking order of this team seemed to be at the bottom. Something that she would have to change, as Seraphiel certainly wasn''t going to be taking orders from the other Masters, no matter how much they might try. A couple of the Servants she was familiar with from previous experience, even if none of them likely remembered her. One of the oddities of the old Grail Wars was that the Servants didn¡¯t carry their memories from one war to another. Saber was likely an exception, so she would have to keep her mask on when dealing with her. The Grand Grail War was weird. Seven teams of seven Servants was bonkers. She had very little information on the other teams yet. She''d managed to figure out that there were seven teams in total, so six enemy teams, and that three other teams were similar to the Clock Tower team in that they came from the same world, and likely drew from a similar pool of Heroic Spirits. The last three teams were different, and likely had their own heroes to summon. Truthfully, she was looking forward to meeting those teams more. It would be interesting to see what kind of heroes they had summoned. ¡°Archer has eyes on two of the enemy teams.¡± The Master of Archer reported. Her name was apparently Luviagelita, or that¡¯s what her Master silently told her. The benefits of the telepathic link between the two. Most Masters and Servants had some sort of link, but theirs obviously went beyond the normal since Seraphiel¡¯s powers here were mostly psionic. "Don''t keep us in suspense." The apparent leader and the Master of Saber prompted. Seraphiel could sense that the woman was quite powerful. She could¡¯ve almost passed for a Heroic Spirit herself. ¡°One of the teams is most likely the Academy team, Argus Academy, judging by the gloomy atmosphere and visible corruption. Archer can¡¯t recognize any Servants, but they¡¯re not Human. Or at least most of them aren¡¯t. There¡¯s also a good chance most of them are villains instead of heroes as well.¡± Luvia reported. Huh. She kept running into the Argus Academy. She¡¯d fought their students before when representing Mahora. It did make sense that they¡¯d be interested in the Grail though, as they were focused on dark magic. ¡°The Masters are obviously faculty. And we can expect a lot of summons and corruptive magic from them.¡± Luvia finished off, confirming what Seraphiel knew. ¡°And the other team?¡± Barthomeloi asked. "A standard Human team like ours. The two are located rather close to each other, just like Caster told us. It is likely the two teams will come to blows sooner rather than later. There is some bad news though. Archer can recognize two of the enemy Servants. Gilgamesh and Karna." Luvia revealed, drawing a sharp intake of breath from the others. Those two Servants were actually rather powerful even as Champions, belonging to the handful of people actually capable of challenging the top spots in the fights between the gods'' chosen Champions. That said, they''d be limited by their summoner, but that was still not good news. Suddenly Seraphiel was just a tad bit less certain of her eventual victory. Those two would likely be able to challenge her to an extent at least. She''d still likely win, but the win was no longer guaranteed. It was certainly good she didn''t have to fight the two at her current level in this universe instead. "I propose we leave someone to hold down the fort here and send our forces out to see if we can get lucky and snag a few easy wins," Barthomeloi suggested. At first glance, that was a stupid plan. Why spread their fighting power instead of moving and working together as a team? The reason was that that''s not how most Heroic Spirits worked. They were prideful heroes. Most of them would disdain working together with unreliable allies, preferring to take their chances alone beyond surface-level cooperation. Many of the Servants, pretty much anyone summoned as Saber, Lancer, or Archer, would never gang up on a target either. The mere idea was shameful. There was also the fact that their powers would likely not work together very well when they went all out. ¡°Casters usually like to form a fortress of sorts, but¡­¡± Lord Germaine suggested, glancing at Seraphiel and her Master. ¡°But I get the sense that ours isn¡¯t a standard Caster.¡± "Well sensed," Seraphiel stated simply. "I have no need for such things." Her mask disguised her voice. Out of their current group, Saber was the only one who might be able to recognize her voice, which meant she¡¯d want to keep the mask on while dealing with her. ¡°In that case, I shall remain to hold down the fort. As the Master of Rider, I can quickly come to your aid if one of you gets outnumbered.¡± Lord Germaine decided. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ------ Luthien decided to stick together with Barthomeloi for now. She knew well that Saber would not fight together against a single Servant, but would likely have no issue working together if there were more than one enemy. Besides, Barthomeloi was strong enough to protect her if necessary. The question was, would she? Assuming that would even be necessary. Her own Servant likely would be able to protect her in almost all cases. They walked deeper into the city, mostly getting the lay of the land. The city was relatively sizeable, but the number of tall buildings was limited. Caster had already pointed out the position of their Archer, Arjuna, while also pointing out the presence of another Archer on top of another tall building. Arjuna had been able to claim the most prominent position in the city, and the enemy archer was likely waiting for an opportunity to contest. It also seemed like a significant portion of the populace had been evacuated, which didn¡¯t sound like a bad idea considering there were currently 49 Servants present, many with abilities that could wipe out the entire city. ¡°Wonder how they decided the location for this Grail War?¡± She suddenly asked. ¡°I mean, the collateral damage will be significant almost certainly, so I can¡¯t see anyone volunteering.¡± Barthomeloi gave her a quick glance. ¡°They didn¡¯t. They weren¡¯t asked. As so often is the case, the gods decided where the fight would take place. What criteria they used is still unknown.¡± "The remaining population. There''s something wrong with them." Caster suddenly interjected. The three others narrowed their eyes. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Barhomeloi asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the details just yet, but the people here are¡­not whole. Incomplete.¡± That Caster was able to sense that right away didn¡¯t surprise Luthien in the slightest. ¡°I think anyone trying to pull power out of them is in for a nasty surprise.¡± It wouldn''t be the first time for civilians to be used as nothing but a source of mana. Usually, when such concerns were had, A Ruler Class Servant was also summoned to curb those kinds of tendencies. ¡°That reminds me, we haven¡¯t heard anything about a Ruler, have we?¡± Luthien asked. ¡°So far, no. But that¡¯s not out of the ordinary. Many times the first hint of a Ruler¡¯s presence is when they interfere for the first time. That said, most Rulers aren¡¯t exactly subtle.¡± Barthomeloi pondered. ¡°I can sense the presence of a Ruler.¡± Caster suddenly stated again. ¡°They¡¯re not in the city yet. They appeared outside for some reason.¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± Barthomeloi nodded, already glad of the presence of this particular Caster. They were purposefully walking in the other direction from the teams Archer had spotted, partly to scout things out, and partly to avoid running into Gilgamesh and Karna so early. They were soon rewarded when they heard the sound of clashing weapons and shockwaves destroying buildings. ¡°Hold on.¡± Caster said and grabbed Luthien by the waist. The next things Luthien knew, they were both on top of a warehouse overlooking a train yard. Barthomeloi and Saber arrived almost ten seconds later, giving them a glance. "That''s some speed," Saber commented, appreciatively. Caster didn''t respond, instead pointing at the fight going on in the train yard. A male figure clad in ornate silver Elven armor and wielding a long, curved Elven sword was clashing with a Human warrior with a black skinsuit, metal boots and pauldrons, and wielding a large two-handed blade. The Elven figure''s helmet covered his face, making it impossible to identify him, but he was currently dancing around the Human warrior with sublime grace and speed. ¡°Siegfried.¡± Saber identified the Human warrior. ¡°Master, he¡¯s not a good match for me, as the eponymous Dragon Slayer.¡± ¡°Anyone have ideas about the other one? Or their Masters.¡± Barthomeloi asked. Caster pointed a finger at a pair of mages exchanging spells around the cover provided on the other side of the train yard. ¡°And both Servants are Saber Class. The Elf seems to have the upper hand, but that could change any moment.¡± As if hearing her words, the two combatants disengaged, turning to look towards the newcomers. ¡°Are you planning on interfering?¡± The Elven warrior asked with a calm voice. Saber seemed to summon an invisible sword and smiled at the two. "I''d happily cross swords with warriors such as you two." Caster pulled out what most likely only Luthien recognized as a Singing Spear, and dropped down from the roof as well. ¡°Sounds like fun.¡± The Human warrior, identified as Siegfried, lifted an eyebrow at the spear. ¡°A Lancer then?¡± "If that''s what you want to believe," Caster replied, squaring off against the dragon slayer, knowing that draconic blood famously flowed through the blood of Artoria Pendragon, making Siegfried especially effective against her. Neither of them could spare any attention to the other people involved in the fracas, as they suddenly lunged at each other. The pair moved at speeds only true warriors could follow, but it only took a couple of exchanges for Siegfried to realize several things. He was the famed Dragon Slayer and one of the most powerful warriors in history, but the one he was fighting against was significantly more skilled than him. The way she moved her spear seemed almost lazy, only making just the bare minimum required effort to deflect all his powerful blows. Her rather fragile-looking spear was also much sturdier than it seemed, able to take blows from his huge sword straight on. The woman was also strong. Usually, Lancers were famed for their Agility, while Sabers excelled more in Strength, but this one was able to match him directly, blow for blow. This fight started up more ferocious than the one he¡¯d been having against the Elven hero, and it was only growing more intense. Siegfried found himself unconsciously grinning at the challenge, even as his opponent seemed to be picking up in both speed and power as the battle continued, and the train yard around them was destroyed as the shockwaves from their engagement flattened everything they came near. Suddenly, her spear seemed to slither its way through his defenses, striking at his flank. He had faith in Noble Phantasm, Armor of Fafnir, that would negate all attacks below a certain rank, and reduce the power of all attacks from anything above. He swung his sword in retaliation at her torso, trying to force an exchange of injuries. Two things happened that made his confidence shatter. First, the spear that was aimed at his flank sliced through him, as if the armor wasn¡¯t even there. Secondly, his wrist was grabbed by the woman, halting his own blow in place as the spear wielder stepped in close and delivered a frontal kick to his chest that sent him flying through several containers. It felt like several of his ribs were damaged. The flying Siegfried forced the other two fighters to separate by jumping apart to avoid being hit. They also barely managed to see the spear-wielding woman leaping above them, thrusting her spear at the prone Siegfried, who only barely managed to roll away from the blow. The landing strike struck the ground like a meteor, shattering the concrete and ground beneath her before she almost lazily stood up from her kneeling position. Siegfried coughed out in pain as he felt his ribs realign, clearly with some effort. "I underestimated that spear." He admitted. "I didn''t think it was a Noble Phantasm powerful enough to overcome my armor." The Lancer laughed. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re mistaken. This is just a normal spear of my people. Well made, yes, but not in any way special.¡± Her words shocked him deeply. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not my weapon that¡¯s overcoming your resistance but my very existence.¡± She was about to say more before her hand suddenly lashed out in a grasping gesture. "Tut-tut. I''m afraid I can''t allow you to target my Master." She stated while somehow levitating Siegfried''s Master near his Servant. Siegfried noted his Master looked like he was being choked by an invisible hand. Siegfried could tell she could''ve killed his Master there and then, but let go, dropping the mage in front of Siegfried instead. ¡°Very honorable of you Lancer. It seems my journey is about to end early. Can I at least have the name of the one who¡¯s about to take me out?¡± He asked, ready to play one last card. ¡°She¡¯s not Lancer.¡± The ever-honorable Artoria answered instead. ¡°She¡¯s our Caster.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Both of the enemy Servants asked in confusion and shock. "You can call me the Exile if you must." The spear-wielding supposed Caster replied. Siegfried closed his eyes for a moment. ¡°The Exile, huh? Then I must apologize for this.¡± He said before swinging his weapon at the ground, power scything from the blade and sending rubble and dust at everyone else. By the time the ground had settled, both Siegfried and his Master were gone. "Disengage ability, huh." The now-revealed Caster muttered, before turning to her Master. "Would you like me to give chase, Master? Catching them would not be too difficult." Luthien shook her head. ¡°Not this time Caster. It¡¯s early yet, and while a great achievement, it would be a shame to eliminate a hero at the rank of the great Siegfried so early.¡± Barthomeloi was about to argue, but a single look at the Caster¡¯s mask told her it would not be a good idea. ¡°I believe this is where I make my exit as well then.¡± The Elven hero spoke while sliding his sword into its scabbard. ¡°The House of F?anor thanks you for allowing me that grace.¡± Barthomeloi was about to argue again, but neither Servant seemed willing to stop the Elf, so kept her mouth shut again. She could already sense the power shift starting in their team, thanks to Caster¡¯s performance. She did wonder what hid behind that almost demonic mask¡­ Chapter 63 - Wheat from the chaff ------- As the small group made their way back towards their chosen abode, Barthomeloi turned to the others questioningly. "You could''ve eliminated two Servants tonight. Two Sabers no less. Yet, you didn''t. Why? I get that you''re not following my orders, but I think I can at least ask for an explanation." ¡°You can ask.¡± Caster muttered, her voice just as eerie as always, sending a shiver down everyone¡¯s back. She left them hanging for a moment before Luthien nodded for her to answer. "It is not quite as simple as you think. Yes, I injured Siegfried, and that left him in a state of shock, but he hadn''t released all his powers yet. He has an offensive Noble Phantasm as well." ¡°How do you know?¡± Barthomeloi shot off. ¡°Darling,¡± Caster said condescendingly. ¡°you¡¯re all open books to me. Not a single being taking part in the war so far has been capable of protecting their minds.¡± Barthomeloi suddenly looked wary, which caused Caster to shake her head. "I don''t have a habit of going through your secrets and every thought. You''re not that interesting." Now her words were dripping with condescension. "However, I can and will check the abilities of someone I''m fighting. That''s the basics. If you can''t protect your mind and have no protection against Chronomancy, then there''s no point in even showing up to a fight." ¡°Chronomancy?¡± Artoria asked. ¡°Time magic. The magic is simply something that you must have a protection against. Even if you very, extremely rarely need it, the few times you do, you¡¯d be completely hosed without. I don¡¯t think we need to worry too much about that in this war, but you never know.¡± Caster explained simply, as if lecturing a child. ¡°And I assume you have such counters?¡± Barthomeloi questioned. "Of course. I would be a bit of a hypocrite otherwise, wouldn''t I?" She retorted. "Now, to return to my explanation, I could''ve killed Siegfried rather easily, but when he would''ve released his last card, I would''ve been forced to expend quite a bit of effort to counter it. Not to mention the Elven Saber. It would''ve not only wasted power but also drawn attention to us. On the other hand, both of those teams are now more likely to avoid us and go for softer targets instead. Why bother eliminating all enemies when you can force them into eliminating each other instead? In fact, I thought that went exactly as we wished." ¡°They¡¯re more likely to make plans to counter us as well.¡± Artoria pointed out, showing her tactical acumen. "Yes. Of course. Which is partially why I would''ve preferred it if you hadn''t revealed my Class, but that''s ultimately irrelevant. Any plans they make are going to be pointless. In front of absolute power difference, no level of planning can save you." Caster stated in a firm voice. She''d gained back some of the confidence with her old power and body. She was used to just bulldozing through problems, and her superior power was the reason. She was falling back on old habits. It wasn''t just by choice. As she''d been summoned using one of the oldest legends she''d created, some of that old mentality also came back. She could fight against it, and eventually might, but didn''t see a point to do so just yet. As they walked a few steps forward, Caster suddenly came to a halt. ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m starting to get a better sense of some of the Servants summoned. A few of them could be a problem. In particular, I sense the presence of the Lion King.¡± ¡°The Lion King?¡± Luthien asked, confused. Caster nodded towards Artoria. ¡°Yes. Another version of her, from a possible reality where Bedivere never returned the Sword of Victory to the Lady of the Lake after the Battle of Camlann. As a result, Artoria wasn¡¯t¡¯ able to die properly when she was fated. Instead, she became a wandering ghost, and picked up the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad, transforming into the goddess inhabiting the weapon and becoming a complete Divine Spirit. Notably, she easily has the power to destroy this entire world.¡± ¡°Another version of me?¡± Artoria asked in clear shock. ¡°Yes. Though, there are also obvious differences between the two of you. You should think of her as another possible future you could¡¯ve faced.¡± Caster nodded. ¡°A very powerful one.¡± Barthomeloi pointed out, frowning. ¡°As is she.¡± Caster nodded at Artoria. ¡°The difference is, she¡¯s unlocked her power, while our Saber here is still yet to achieve hers. Another problem to worry about in the future. I can also sense the presence of a villainous spirit we should be aware of, called Gul¡¯dan. A warlock with sinister corruptive powers. We can expect Demons to be summoned, and eventually this whole area will be tainted by his corruption if not dealt with.¡± "I''ve heard that name before. Not in a positive context either." Barthomeloi nodded in agreement. By now they were reaching their home base again. ¡°Welcome back.¡± Lord Germaine greeted them at the door, with Rider lounging around without a care in the world. ¡°Anything exciting happen?¡± "We did run into two other Sabers. Caster defeated one of them, Siegfried, but he escaped.¡± Saber reported dutifully. "O-ho. Three Sabers facing off on the first night. Exciting, even if ultimately no one was eliminated." Lord Germaine was getting into the spirit of the event. ¡°Fighting the Elven Saber was exciting, even if the fight was short.¡± Artoria nodded. Caster waved her hand and several groups of seven figures appeared above every team''s location. There was also one figure with a crown making its way toward the city, as well as a central location that looked like a cathedral in the middle of the city. "We''re going to have to separate the teams somehow. We''re going to get confused if everyone is called by their Class." She pointed out with her eerie voice. ¡°Team colors?¡± Luthien suggested. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Works for me. I''ll contact the overseers to have colors assigned." Caster nodded and bowed her head for a moment. After a brief time, everyone was suddenly wearing a colored sash. Everyone here had a red sash, and the psionically created map suddenly had colors on the map as well, though those were added by Caster. ¡°Seems we¡¯re the red team.¡± Barthomeloi commented. ¡°Works for me.¡± She took a look at the map, noticing some of the figures had their identities revealed or at least partially. Siegfried had his name and face highlighted in purple. The Elven Saber only had the image highlighted in white. Karna and Gilgamesh were both highlighted in Gold, which seemed appropriate. Gul¡¯dan was in black, while the image of the Lion King was Purple as well. ¡°I combined what information I¡¯ve gathered with that of our Archer.¡± Caster offered in the way of explanation. Only two teams were completely blank, though they were the furthest located as well, the blue and green teams. ¡°You¡¯re sure the Lion King is in the same team as Siegfried?¡± Barthomeloi asked. "Either that or the Lion King is currently decimating their base. Some of this information is a little imprecise. I can sense her near the place where the purple base seems to be, so I''m guessing somewhat." She admitted. "I''ll update when able." ¡°Fair enough.¡± Barthomeloi nodded. They waited for a while for others to arrive, and some did. Luviagelita came back quite quickly, now wearing the red sash, though no Archer in tow. ¡°I got a message in the middle of a battle that we¡¯ve been assigned team colors.¡± She called out immediately. ¡°Bloody thing almost caused me to mess up. Anyway, Archer managed to eliminate the enemy Archer Servant that was hanging around in the next building over, so scratch one win for our team.¡± ¡°Any idea which one?¡± Caster asked. "I think it was the green team. He seemed surprisingly weak. Well-trained and good tactics, but not near our Archer¡¯s power.¡± Luvia bragged a bit with a flip of her long blonde hair. "With this many Servants summoned, not all of them can be winners," Barthomeloi stated coldly. "Even in our team, there are differences in power." The Rider sitting on a windowsill laughed. "Hey, lady! Out of curiosity, who would you estimate to be the weakest in our team?" Barthomeloi considered for a short moment before replying. ¡°I can¡¯t tell exactly, but you, Lancer, and Berserker would likely be the weakest.¡± The Rider seemed to chew on that for a moment. ¡°I can¡¯t say you¡¯re wrong, though I would have never thought the day would come where I¡¯d be in the bottom half of seven Servants. Just makes me want to work harder.¡± His smile gave the impression that he knew something the others did not, and Lord Germaine shared that same knowing smile. Suddenly the map showed an explosion of power, and three servants winked out immediately, all from the mostly unknown White team. ¡°Well now. Someone is getting busy.¡± Luviagelita commented happily. ¡°With this many Servants in a city, it would¡¯ve been a shock if only a single Servant got eliminated the first night.¡± ¡°That was the Elven team, right?¡± Luthien asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Caster nodded simply. ¡°They ran into something big obviously.¡± They spent the rest of the night keeping watch on the events, but no more Servants were eliminated. The Ruler also finally made it into the city, beelining for the central Cathedral for information. The rest of the team returned to base as well, and Trambelio was feeling specifically smug. ¡°I see you¡¯ve already seen the results of my work!¡± The young man boasted, pointing at the eliminated three Elven Servants. ¡°I really showed them who¡¯s king.¡± ¡®Now I can see how several Elven heroes could¡¯ve been eliminated in one sweep. The Assassin really is powerful enough to do something like that. Although, now he¡¯s likely rather exhausted after using such a flashy power.¡¯ Caster sent a mental message to Luthien. ¡®Let him have his win. We can withdraw to rest for the time being.¡¯ Trambelio was in the middle of boasting when they withdrew. However, as soon as Luthien fell asleep, Caster put her in a small demiplane where she¡¯d be safe and disappeared. She appeared on top of the tallest building in the city, right next to Arjuna. The gentle-looking Servant jumped in fright before settling. "Gods, you can move quietly and fast. Are you sure you''re not an Assassin?" Caster released an eerie laugh. ¡°Everyone who knows me claims I have no ability for stealth. I really don¡¯t. However, moving fast enough counts I suppose. Be at peace. I came to see some things for myself.¡± She waved a hand and a magical window appeared in front of her, rapidly showing images on the other bases. One in particular stuck in place, showing the Argus Academy team. ¡°Interesting.¡± She muttered. "I don''t recognize any of the Servants. Not Human, I suppose." Arjuna pointed out. ¡°No. Well, one of them used to be.¡± She pointed at a figure in dark and foreboding armor rimmed with frost, and holding a runic sword. ¡°That one used to be the Prince of a Human Kingdom known as Lordareon, Arthas Menethil. Although, now he¡¯s simply known as the Lich King.¡± ¡°Undead?¡± Arjuna asked. ¡°My abilities work well against Undead and Demons.¡± "Then you''ll have those aplenty from this team. Their Saber, the Lich King can summon Undead, and their Caster is already busy summoning Demons." She pointed at green Fel ritual circles where some of the civilians were being sacrificed and Demons stepped out of portals. A large shadow was cast for a moment, as some huge winged being flew over. Yet despite that, neither of them could see no flying being above the city. ¡°Interesting. They have a Dragon. Either as Rider, or as Rider¡¯s mount.¡± ¡°And not a small one either. However, there are quite a few Dragon slayers present. I wouldn¡¯t be too worried.¡± Arjuna commented. ¡°Depends on the Dragon. If it¡¯s just a random mount, then I agree. However, I suspect it¡¯s not. And if it¡¯s either Malygos or Neltharion¡­well, our Dragon slayers are in for a rude awakening.¡± Caster didn¡¯t sound worried though. Just excited. ¡°This whole thing is seeming more and more exciting by the moment.¡± "I must admit, I was a little worried this would be one-sided once I saw our team," Arjuna admitted. "Glad to know things won''t be that simple." Caster tried to move the window, but for some reason, it wasn''t working. "Hmm. The blue team is somehow managing to block me. Someone there knows what they''re doing. And they''ve completely hidden themselves from my ability to sense their powers. Interesting. I don''t know many beings who could do that." ¡°So, not good news?¡± Arjuna asked with a smile. "Depends on if you like challenge. I personally do, so it''s great in my books." She argued. "On that note, and speaking of Assassins, I think you might want to withdraw for a moment." He looked at her strangely for a second, before taking a more comfortable position. ¡°I think I¡¯ll stay.¡± "Suit yourself," Caster responded. Suddenly a dagger froze in place mere centimeters from her neck. The dagger was held in the grip of a female being covered in black leather clothing, all her features obscured by a dark hood. The being was straining with all her power, her muscles and the blade of her dagger trembling in place, as the would-be Assassin tried to force it home. Caster slowly turned around to look at the struggling figure. "The first one." She commented with her eerie voice growing cold enough to send chills down even Arjuna''s back. "Tell me, do you think the others abandoned you when they saw you fail?" As if in response, a hail of sharp objects was hurled her way from a dark figure leaping above her, while a third one, this one wearing a skull mask seemed to appear from thin air to slash at her with a blade. The male Assassin in a skull mask also froze in place, while the invisible force seemed to grab the flying objects from the air and hurl them back at the third Assassin frantically trying to avoid the returning barrage. ¡°Three Assassins?¡± Arjuna, seemingly not too alarmed, commented. ¡°Black, Purple, and Gold.¡± "Four," Caster commented as a pair of grenades were thrown at them, exploding near them before she had a chance to catch them, both releasing a gas of some sort. Instead, the invisible force seemed to gather the gas and compress it down into such a tight, high-pressure orb that it spontaneously combusted, flaring for a small moment like a tiny star. "Although the fourth one pulled back as soon as he realized he was outmatched. "Finally decided to fight as a Caster, then?" Arjuna jokingly referred to the two frozen in place Assassins. Before she had a chance to respond, the third Assassin acted. ¡°Assemble, wind...Activate Kashin Mystic Code! Karakuri Genpou, Dongyu!!!¡± There seemed to be a vacuum forming in front of her, drawing in the air surrounding her into a swirling ball of energy, before she released thousands of blades of air at both Caster and Arjuna, all of them ramming into some sort of invisible shield. ¡°Cute. Might even work against many opponents, but no. And unfortunately for you, I¡¯m not a Demon either, as it seems that attack works better against them.¡± Caster quipped a little condescendingly. A squeeze of her hands had the male Assassin¡¯s form suddenly start breaking as he seemed to disintegrate into ash. ¡°First one.¡± She stated in a firm tone. The still-free female Assassin made some signs with her fingers, and Caster felt something trying to assault her senses. She just laughed. "Let me tell you a little story. The Harlequins travel between Craftworlds and even the hidden Comorragh to dance and re-enact the story of the fall of our people. The Dance Without End." She tapped her mask. "The Solitaires are considered doom incarnate, for they play the part of She Who Thirsts, and dance along the path of damnation. They are respected because they do this despite their souls being forfeit, and they can only be the bravest, strongest, and most incorruptible of their race, as they take on the aspect of the Great Enemy, thus risking her ire." She glanced around herself. ¡°I¡¯ve played the part in the Palace of Pleasure, right in front of Sai¡¯lantresh herself, exciting the Prince of Pleasure with my performance, right before plunging my weapon straight into the core that made the god.¡± She walked a few steps forward. ¡°Now, having walked through the illusions and lies of one of the most deceptive places in creation, and slaying the Great Enemy at her place of power, do you really think your paltry illusions will do anything to me?¡± She suddenly grasped at seemingly empty air, and the third Assassin was suddenly held up by her throat, apparently having tried to sneak close. The Assassin tried to struggle a bit but had just as little luck as the first Assassin still frozen in place. ¡°Time for you to exit this little game of ours. Nice try, but no consolation prizes.¡± The air was filled with the smell of ozone as eldritch lightning flowed through the body of the third Assassin, before she disappeared in a rain of golden dust, signaling her death. ¡°Second.¡± She turned back towards the third Assassin and pulled down the cloth covering her face. ¡°Now, for the third. I really want to know how you ended up here, Garona?¡± Chapter 64 - Game Changer ------- The green-skinned Orc still struggled against the invisible force binding her. Having heard her name spoken out loud, she was feeling even more desperate, since knowing her name would mean the enemy had at least some idea of her capabilities. ¡°Your struggle is quite futile.¡± The Servant they¡¯d all come here to kill stated in that eerie voice of hers. ¡°You know her?¡± The dark-skinned Archer of the now red team asked, a question Garona also wanted answered. The Caster that had all the Assassins worried, for a reason as shown by this sad excuse of a battle, seemed to nod. ¡°She doesn¡¯t know this, but we¡¯ve met. Back in her old world. Although, back then, I didn¡¯t look as I do now.¡± That came as a pure shock. Garona looked at the being in front of her with more interest. The Caster was covered from head to toe in her armor, robes, and that mask that seemed to cause such primeval feeling of otherness in people. Then again, if she was correct and she¡¯d looked different, then appearance would not help anyway. But there were other ways to identify someone. The way they carried themselves. The aura they exuded. The personality that shone through their smallest actions. There weren¡¯t many beings that carried themselves with such confidence or radiated such danger. Only¡­. ¡°No!¡± She suddenly exclaimed. ¡°It can¡¯t be! Draenei! Butcher! Murdered! All the deaths of my people!¡± The Caster suddenly laughed. ¡°Is that what Gul¡¯dan and Ner¡¯zhul told you?¡± She asked clearly amused by the thought. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know, you Orcs doomed yourself by attacking the Draenei. Hell, you yourself are the result of your people raping one of those Draenei. You used the power of the Dark Star to attack Karabor. I merely turned that power against you. You attacked Shattrah, and I defended my people. When we left instead of retaliating, you chased us to Azeroth, hellbent on conquest. I made sure you failed once again. Do not blame me for the barbaric actions of your people. Besides, it¡¯s not like your people went extinct. The others were too soft-hearted to finish the job.¡± The Archer cleared his throat. ¡°Not that this isn¡¯t interesting, but isn¡¯t it risky to reveal so much?¡± The hated enemy of her people just shrugged. "There''s no one scrying us. I actually want to see if her master will try to use a Command Spell to summon her away to save her. I want to see if I can stop it. Besides, this information will do nothing to help them. I wasn''t summoned using that legend.¡± Garona didn¡¯t understand but tried to memorize whatever she heard. The others would want to know. No, they needed to know. Grom and Gul¡¯dan were among those summoned here. They would savor the chance for revenge. Only¡­could they gain that revenge? It¡¯s not like they¡¯d been successful with all the power of the Horde behind them. No wonder most of the Assassins decided to join hands to take her out. They just didn¡¯t understand who they were dealing with. "Ah, here we go." The hated enemy suddenly said, and Garona could feel the power of the Command Seal struggling against whatever was holding her in place. For a brief moment, it looked like the Seal would lose, but then it seemed she was let go. Mercy from the Butcher? That seemed unlikely. ------ ¡°Well, even with that gone, you took out two Servants. Not bad.¡± Arjuna stated, not entirely pleased she¡¯d let Garona go, but not too fazed either. He was not in a position to complain, considering he¡¯d not taken part in the fight. Caster, on the other hand, was surprised Garona held such weird beliefs of the past. Maybe she had been summoned from a point in the timeline where the Horde hadn¡¯t yet reconciled with their loss. There was a good chance Garona had been summoned from the height of her infamy, which would place this version around the point of the First War, before her involvement. Minor details anyway. In her anger, the Assassin had not noticed her rifling through her surface thoughts, which included the identities of the Black team¡¯s Servants. They had a nice line-up, perhaps aside from Garona, and she wasn¡¯t bad as far as Assassins went. She eagerly awaited how they¡¯d do against the other teams. It would be interesting to see how someone like the Lion King dealt with Sylvanas or Illidan. ¡°One, aside from Garona, got away though. That one noticed they were outmatched right away and fell back. Too bad. They would¡¯ve been interesting to question. Great situational awareness though.¡± She complained playfully. Something about Arjuna''s stoic presence made her want to force him to react. That was part of the reason she''d let Garona go. A bad habit from her past that she''d since tempered. As the two stood on top of the building for a moment, the whole structure suddenly shook. They looked down to see two Servants fighting. ¡°Huh. I wonder how they got so close without me noticing¡­¡± Arjuna fingered his bow. ¡°You were otherwise distracted. Still are.¡± Caster said playfully, although considering the way her mask filtered her voice, it came off even creepier. Arjuna just scoffed at the thought and looked down at the fight going on below. There, an elven figure wielding a shining spear was facing against a raging green-skinned humanoid creature, and apparently winning. ¡°Another one of the Orcs? Or something different?¡± Caster took a look down as well. ¡°Oh, something different. This one is a superpowered individual of sorts. I''ve heard the name Hulk at some point, though I''ve never seen him personally." The Green creature wasn¡¯t fighting alone, as he was supported by a blond man wearing scale armor, a winged helmet, and a rather small hammer. The man was crackling with the power of lightning though. The Elven spear-user was being pushed back, but only barely, as the agile fighter seemed to be able to dance around the two slower enemies with relative ease. ¡°Two on one?¡± Arjuna asked. ¡°Humm. If their team is made up of superpowered individuals, then they¡¯re somewhat used to working in teams, unlike most Heroic Spirits. Besides, as we can see, they¡¯re losing.¡± As she spoke, the green being ripped out a chunk of the building and tossed it at the elf, who effortlessly seemed to vault over the hurtling debris before sending a shining lance of power to wound the monstrous being. ¡°Should we make things more ¡®equal¡¯?¡± Arjuna suggested. ¡°A chance to take out more Servants.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need to.¡± Caster pointed at the other approaching Elf, the same one that had fought against Siegfried before. ¡°The White Saber is here. Although¡­he is being chased.¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. It seemed more members of the green team were following the White Saber. An angry-looking masked man with metal claws coming from the spaces between his fingers, as well as a flying man wearing blue spandex, with a stylized red S on his chest, were chasing the Elf down, almost herding him towards the other fight. ¡°Now we can interfere. I don¡¯t think 2 on 4 is very fair. Besides, I think it was the Green Assassin that attacked us and bailed.¡± After speaking, Caster simply stepped off the edge of the building, falling down. Instead of just plummeting though, an invisible force seemed to grab hold of her and gently set her down between the two chasers and the White Saber. ¡°I think, I¡¯ll step in here to make things a little more fair, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Her arrival stopped the two in their tracks, while the White Saber went on to aid his teammate in the other battle. The flying man spoke with a calm voice. ¡°It¡¯s a little hypocritical of me to say, but I do not believe this to be any fairer than the previous two against one.¡± The man seemed genuinely sorry about that, even if not willing to let the advantage go. It seemed the Green team had indeed realized the benefits of teamwork. ¡°Just what I¡¯d expect from the Superman.¡± Caster laughed. ¡°However, who said I was alone?¡± Suddenly a pair of arrows shot past her, nailing the clawed man against a wall down the street. The flying man nodded. ¡°Well, that does make things fairer. And the Red Archer already took down one of ours, so returning the favor is only fair.¡± Suddenly the man¡¯s eyes glowed bright red, and it seemed like lasers shot out towards his opponent. The beams hit an invisible shield however and didn¡¯t seem to have much effect. "Archer, darling. Would you take care of the other one? Superman here would be a bad matchup for¡­well, most Servants. Just know your enemy has a powerful healing factor and almost indestructible bones." She suggested, not bothered by the continuing beams hitting her barrier. "Will do," Arjuna announced quickly, before going after what could''ve only been Wolverine. The flying man stopped his ineffectual attack. ¡°It seems you don¡¯t consider yourself among those that are a bad matchup against me.¡± ¡°Oh dear, no. See, the issue is that I started pretty much with what you have, only more. And I''ve learned so much more since then. So, why would I be afraid? Being a Kryptonian is an advantage against most, no doubt, and not many beings can boast having an SS-ranked race or better. It¡¯s just too bad, that I¡¯m one of the few.¡± Caster pulled out a spear that started floating around her, and eldritch lightning crackled around her hands. ¡°So, this is why Bruce was so insistent on trying to eliminate you first.¡± The floating man nodded. ¡°In that case, let us measure if you truly are worthy of such a boast.¡± He surged forward, attempting to punch her, but was shocked to see her return the favor, doing the exact same move. Not only was she able to match his speed, but as their fists collided, and both were thrown back by the shockwave, he could tell she could match him in power as well. Then there was the lightning. He could feel it coursing through his body, causing trouble. As the two engaged in a close combat brawl, he quickly realized that while they might be close in power and speed, she was far ahead of him in pure skill. Every strike and exchange seemed to land him in a worse position, and soon he found himself overextending before he was thrown over her hips and his hand and shoulder were twisted painfully behind his back. "You aren''t used to fighting people who can match you, are you?" She asked with a laugh. The annoying thing was that she was right. He''d grown better in this new universe, but even here few could match him in pure speed and power blow for blow. He gathered what power he could despite the awkward position, before striking at the ground below, shattering it and breaking the hold she had on him at the same time. He quickly pulled some distance with another flash from his eyes. Before he had the time though, he suddenly felt pain in his back, as the spear he¡¯d forgotten slashed a wide gash in a sudden swing he hadn¡¯t even noticed. ¡°Situational awareness also needs improvement.¡± The woman commented. ¡°Let¡¯s try something.¡± As he was gasping from pain, he suddenly felt some kind of power constricting him, and holding him in place. He knew this would be the death of him if successful, and rebelled against it with all his strength, shattering the power holding him, and barely dodging the flying spear once again. ¡°Well, I suppose it would¡¯ve been too easy if the most magic-resistant Class would''ve succumbed to simple telekinesis." She commented, seemingly not too bothered. That was supposed to be simple telekinesis? He was more thankful than ever for his wisdom in investing in the Magic Resistance stat. That had always been a weakness of his. A blue explosion of power came from a short distance away. ¡°Oh, it seems Archer is getting serious.¡± He didn¡¯t even look towards the explosion. ¡°I have faith in my teammate.¡± He simply said stoically. ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t. Wolverine has his strengths, but in this, he is hopelessly outmatched.¡± She replied coldly. As if to prove her words correct, the Red Archer suddenly arrived to stand behind her. "Done already? Are you sure? Your opponent has a nasty habit of crawling back from almost any damage." The female enemy asked. The handsome dark-skinned man spoke with a humble voice. ¡°He was. Unfortunately for him, you can¡¯t regenerate instant death. He was judged by Shiva and found wanting.¡± The Archer looked towards Superman with a tilt of his head. ¡°Are you playing with your food? Or why is this taking so long?¡± His voice wasn¡¯t judgmental, simply curious. The Red Caster tilted her mask and hood-covered head as well, mirroring her ally. ¡°He¡¯s Superman. He deserves some respect. Though I suppose he also deserves me getting a bit serious. Fine then. Let¡¯s do it that way.¡± She recalled the spear back into her hand, lifting it up as if throwing it up, before levitating into the air. Superman could feel the eldritch energy gathering in the spear that glowed with so much power that even he found it difficult to look at. He didn¡¯t know why, but he knew. He absolutely knew, that if he got hit with this attack, he would die. No matter his heritage, power, and stats, this attack would end him. He frantically tried to fly away from her, turning several corners to get behind several tall and sturdy buildings to use them as cover, before the spear reached him. At that moment he realized. No matter how much he tried to dodge, he would not be able to avoid it. And then he knew no more. ------ Arjuna gave a small whistle as the spear Caster threw bored through several buildings to find the target, and then cleaved a long, deep, and thick furrow through the rest of the city behind the target, leaving a permanent scar on the surroundings. ¡°You can be summoned as Archer as well, can¡¯t you?¡± He asked. ¡°I can sense [Unerring Aim] and some sort of clairvoyance in that attack as well.¡± ¡°Seeing as you have the same, or similar, abilities, I would be shocked if you didn¡¯t.¡± She replied before a great howl came from all around them. It seemed to come from everywhere. Every building, every park, every workplace and home. The cold howl of countless beasts waking up. ¡°Oh? It seems things are about to get more interesting.¡± ¡°You did mention that there seemed to be something off with this place. I believe we¡¯re about to find out what.¡± Arjuna shot back. The other fight also seemed to pause for a moment, as the combatants realized things were about to take a different turn. Windows and walls started shattering as creatures with feral features suddenly charged out. The ravening beasts bore some resemblance to the people who had lived here, at least judging by the clothes, but their eyes held no intelligence, and their teeth and nails had turned into fangs and claws, and the slavering beings were running on all fours towards them. There were hundreds of the beings, and they were clearly driven mad by something. Arjuna drew back his bow as several blue arrows of energy appeared behind him, and as he shot, all of them turned into thin blue streaks that unerringly found their targets. Some exploded heads, while others collapsed chest cavities. Those shot in the chest seemed to carry on, despite the damage, assuming the damage wasn¡¯t bad enough to cause them to be effectively bisected. Those shot in the head didn¡¯t get up. Caster used her telekinetic power to grab all the debris around them, causing them to spin around quickly, turning their surroundings into a tornado of sharp objects moving at very fast speeds. Despite that, the maddened creatures threw themselves into the blender, and the tornado quickly took a very scarlet hue as blood and viscera were mixed along with the other debris. ¡°Do we stay, or leave?¡± Arjuna asked, not in any hurry. His shots seemed to have no trouble flying out of the tornado and finding their targets. "Well, my senses tell me that this whole thing is citywide, though only those near to us are coming our way. The rest seem to be wandering around aimlessly. That said, it seems they have some sort of communication, as more and more of them are being drawn this way as if word of us is spreading." Caster replied. They could see out of the storm, as the two Elven Servants easily seemed to avoid the creatures. The hammer-wielding Servant flew up and seemed to be conjuring some sort of storm, while the green-skinned one just plowed into the mass of the creatures without any care. At first, that seemed to work, but as soon as some of the creatures jumped on the green being and bit down at his sturdy skin, it seemed like energy was being drawn out of him, despite each bite only barely managing to pierce his skin. They watched as the green being seemed to slowly wither and die in a sudden shower of golden sparks. ¡°Ok, so getting bitten is bad. Noted.¡± Caster stated almost jokingly. ¡°What are they? They don¡¯t act like any creature I¡¯ve heard of. Or to be more precise, they seem like a combination of several. They¡¯re almost like a mix of zombies, werewolves, and ghouls.¡± Arjuna asked, his hands not stopping even for a moment as more and more of the creatures fell under the rain of his arrows. ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯ve seen anything quite like them either, although I can see some possibilities. No matter what they are though, it seems this Grail War just got a whole different dimension to it.¡± She stated firmly. Chapter 65 - Solitaire ------- As Caster and Archer landed on the grounds of their little base, they could see the Lancer and Rider eliminating several of the feral creatures, both wielding long spears. In general, the two men had a similar fighting style, strongly hinting at their shared roots. Outside the walls of the yard, the Assassin was cutting his way through the creatures in a storm of metal, fighting more like a knight than an assassin. As their feet hit the ground, Caster let her Master out of the demiplane where Luthien had been resting. ¡°Finally, I thought I was going to be stuck there with nothing to do!¡± She complained with a relieved tone. "I wasn''t expecting you to wake up in the middle of combat and the subsequent withdrawal, Master," Caster explained curtly. "I couldn''t really drop you out during the battle.¡± "I''m not protesting that part. However, if we use that trick again, the demiplane definitely needs some decorations and something to do. Just floating in emptiness without any way to judge the passage of time is disquieting, to say the least." Luthien almost reverently touched the grass outside. ¡°Could you two maybe help a bit? These things just keep on coming.¡± Rider called out to Caster and Archer. ¡°These monsters make for fine practice, but it does get a bit dull after a while.¡± Lancer concurred. Arjuna almost blindly fired arrow after arrow, which all multiplied into several streaks of light, clearing the immediate surroundings. ¡°They¡¯re going to keep converging, aren¡¯t they? Just like before.¡± He asked. "Give me a second," Caster stated while lifting her arm towards the storm clouds above. The same storm the hammer-wielding member of the Green team had called up. A large chunk of the clouds seemed to concentrate and swirl around their position, just before a veritable forest of lighting struck down at the creatures outside. The lightning spread from one creature to another, making sure that even those that avoided the initial attack were devastated. Instead of stopping, the storm of lighting seemed to surround their base and form a more permanent defensive perimeter. "There. That should hold them for a while." Almost at the same time, on one side of the city, a large pillar of light fell down, seemingly doing the same job as the lightning storm above them, whereas another part of the city seemed to suddenly be covered in frost. "It seems others had similar ideas," Barthomeloi commented as he stepped outside with Saber standing behind her. ¡°Every team likely has some way to protect themselves.¡± Caster nodded in agreement. ¡°I hope your trip was fruitful.¡± Barthomeloi¡¯s tone was hinting at her disappointment at Caster and Archer vanishing, but also at her unwillingness to fully voice her displeasure. Arjuna stepped forward to reply. ¡°It was indeed. The Green team is mostly eliminated, and two other Assassins are also gone.¡± That seemed to mollify Barthomeloi. ¡°Good. We unfortunately suffered losses as well. Berserker ran into who we believe to be Heracles, and his master fell victim to these¡­creatures. Where did they even come from?¡± ¡°They¡¯re the inhabitants of the city.¡± Caster revealed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s connected, but they all seemed to turn when a certain amount of damage was done to the city. It could be a defensive measure, although¡­¡± Caster quieted for a moment. ¡°Although, what?¡± Barthomeloi questioned. ¡°I can¡¯t recognize the creatures, but they seem somehow familiar. Like I¡¯ve seen their kind before. And if that¡¯s true, then I don¡¯t think the change was natural.¡± She finished her thought. Barthomeloi stared at her for a moment before seemingly reaching a decision. She gestured to Lancer. ¡°Bring one of the corpses closer.¡± With a shrug, the musclebound man complied, stabbing one of the corpses with his spear and dragging it over without touching. Once there, Barthomeloi cast several analytic spells over the thing. ¡°Hmm, the creatures are alive, not undead. However, they seem to be heavily modified by something and empowered by a force I¡¯m not familiar with. The analysis spells can¡¯t really get to the bottom of it either.¡± Caster suddenly started putting things together in her head, and to the surprise of everyone, pulled off her gauntlet, before using her telekinesis to make a small cut on her palm. The blood floated above the palm, forming into a glyph, before shooting off and entering the corpse. The corpse that suddenly started thrashing before suddenly bursting into flames and turning into ash in less than three seconds. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Barthomeloi asked. ¡°That¡­was bad news. I think I know what the missing Blue team is about now. That creature is the work of Clan Tzimisce.¡± Caster explained. ¡°A sort of Warghoul.¡± ¡°The¡­Vampire clan?¡± Luviagelita, who had also come outside, asked. ¡°Yes. The question is, is there a member of the clan among the Blue team, or was this battlefield set up beforehand by them?¡± --------- Seraphiel, in her guise as the Caster, sat down at the yard outside their base, looking at the last fading sparks of the [Eldritch Storm] she¡¯d created in the early morning light. The Skill had a lot more power now that she was back in her old body and with her old powers, even if somewhat diminished. The Warghouls had stopped attacking about twenty minutes ago, and there didn¡¯t seem to be any trace of them left. In fact, it seemed like nothing had happened, as she could hear the sounds of people waking up in the city. That seemed odd, considering the people had been turned into monsters and in large part slain during the evening and the night, yet it really seemed like nothing had happened. The damage her attack had done to the city had also somehow repaired itself. It was like time had been rolled back for the city itself, even if the Servants who¡¯d been killed remained gone. As she sat there, with Luthien sleeping on the steps nearby, she played with the sword in her hands. They were supposed to be keeping watch. They''d traded off with Archer during the night, as the two of them had the best crowd-clearing abilities. As a result, both of them were rather tired, and even her Mana reserves were flagging a bit, explaining also why Luthien was so tired. It had been necessary though, as thousands and thousands of Warghouls had thrown themselves at the lightning storm. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Luthien asked with a tired, sleepy voice, her face matter with lines from the grass and the stone step she¡¯d slept on. ¡°This?¡± She lifted the sword. ¡°You could say this is the most important Noble Phantasm associated with the legend you summoned me with. It¡¯s the sword I used to slay Sai¡¯lantresh.¡± Luthien¡¯s eyes grew larger, and she suddenly sat up straight. ¡°The Cronesword of Morai-Heg!¡± The young Aeldari said excitedly. Seraphiel scoffed. ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s somewhat ironic my legend got associated with it, considering I used it exactly once. I only held it in my hands that one time.¡± Luthien smiled. ¡°I¡¯d love to hear more. There are legends after all, but hearing straight from the source would be better.¡± Seraphiel considered it for a moment but didn''t see any harm in indulging the girl''s curiosity a bit. ¡°It was the outcome of a rather long and elaborate plan. With the blessing of Cegorach, I joined a Harlequin Troupe, eventually becoming the Solitaire, with the direct intent of performing in the Palace of Pleasure. For that, I had to become the best. The most graceful. The most alluring. Just to draw the attention of the Prince of Pleasure. It was not uncommon for Harlequins to perform for all audiences, but we were the first to perform for Sai¡¯lantresh personally, just because she heard of my portrayal of her. We put on the perfect show. Even the god was enthralled. As part of the show, I drew the sword, making it a natural part of the show, as if I was using it as an improvised prop. Once everyone got used to the idea of me having it, I used the sword, as well as all the power I had gathered for that moment, to destroy the core of She Who Thirsts.¡± She gestured in a dismissive way. ¡°Many likely expected an epic battle, but the reality can be dull sometimes. It wasn¡¯t force of arms or even unfathomable power that brought the god low, but allure and the performance of a lifetime.¡± She chuckled. Luthien considered that for a moment. ¡°And yet, you¡¯ve shown more than enough power in battle during the Grail War.¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t say I didn¡¯t have power. Just that the power was not the important part of forging that legend.¡± Luthien couldn¡¯t see it of course, but Seraphiel was smiling behind her mask. As they relaxed on the steps, Seraphiel suddenly created a barrier in front of them, barely in time to stop an arrow spinning in place, trying to bore its way through. Three other arrows were also stopped, clearly meant to probe her defenses. One of the arrows shone with a light that she recognized as something able to penetrate magical barriers. The arrow had been clearly aimed at her Master. It had been a decent attempt to catch them off guard, but it had failed. She didn¡¯t even have to say anything as returning shots were fired from inside the building by Arjuna, clearly hitting one of the tall buildings nearby, causing most of the building to collapse. ¡°You missed.¡± She commented as Arjuna appeared next to her. ¡°They had some sort of defensive artifact. Quite powerful. The artifact, not the Archer necessarily.¡± He replied. ¡°A tricksy one then. He doesn¡¯t feel very powerful, but he seems to have some interesting artifacts. He fired an anti-mage projectile as well.¡± She commented. ¡°Not too much effect, I see," Arjuna commented wryly. She scoffed. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve already noticed, so don¡¯t play stupid. I¡¯m not a mage.¡± She scoffed. ¡°Did you recognize them? Or at least their team?¡± ¡°The Purple team. I did not recognize them. Darker skin, white-gray short hair. A red coat of some kind.¡± The Archers had the best eyesight by far. Seraphiel could sense the presence of people at range, but even she had difficulty seeing details from too far away. ¡°So, the team with Siegfried and The Lion King. They know we¡¯re here. And are starting to make moves.¡± She speculated. ¡°You and I need to save up on Mana in case they come knocking in force instead of just sending a greeting.¡± ------ "This doesn''t seem like a good idea," Luthien commented as the other Masters and Servants, aside from Arjuna and Luviagelita were going out while they were supposed to stay back to hold down the fort. ¡°It went great for you yesterday.¡± The Trambelio heir pointed out. ¡°Now you think we can¡¯t do the same? A bit full of yourself, aren¡¯t you? There¡¯s four of us and there were two of you yesterday.¡± "Don''t bother," Caster told Luthien. "Let the idiots get themselves killed. Just means less competition later on." Arjuna nodded, standing next to her. "There''s a large difference between yesterday and today. That they don''t notice it doesn''t speak well of them." He spoke quietly enough not to be overheard. It was rare for the polite Arjuna to speak so derisively. Luviagelita seemed to also agree, as she was arguing with Barthomeloi, but she clearly lost the argument, as she stomped back, while the others moved out. ¡°This is not good.¡± The blond master growled. ¡°Even Barthomeloi is blinded by her own power and the success we¡¯ve had so far. They have no answer to the big enemy Servants, and they¡¯re venturing out anyway. At least they should have a plan!¡± ¡°We won¡¯t be bored either.¡± Caster reassured them. ¡°We¡¯ll have visitors as well. The Purple Archer already reported our location to his team.¡± Her words turned out almost prophetic, as it took less than an hour after the others were gone for three Purple team Servants to appear. One of them was the Archer that had shot at them earlier, while another was Siegfried. The last one was a blue-haired druid-looking servant. Their Masters came along as well, and before anyone said anything, Seraphiel scooped up both Luthien and Luviagelita into the same demiplane to keep them safe. "Only two of you?" The druid-looking Servant asked. ¡°Enough to deal with you.¡± She replied confidently. ¡°How very bold of you.¡± The druid, obviously a Caster retorted. ¡°We shall see if that is warranted.¡± This time there was no dividing into pairs to fight, as Siegfried rushed towards them with his sword, while the enemy Archer surprisingly also closed in with a pair of black and white swords. The druid followed suit, spinning his staff that suddenly burst into flames that spread into the weapons of his allies. Arjuna preferred to avoid melee, instead leaping back, sending a silent message that he was preparing something large if she could keep them occupied. Instead of replying, two floating spears appeared above her head, while the Cronesword appeared in her hands, as she eagerly met the charge of the three warriors. It had to be said that Siegfried and the druid really were masters of using their weapons, and even the Archer was decent enough, even if not in the same category. The flame in their weapons wasn''t simple fire either and greatly improved their offensive power. Yet somehow, they all found themselves frustrated as their weapons just couldn''t reach the Caster elegantly dancing between them, her Cronesword easily deflecting all attacks, not being affected in the least by the flames, while the floating spears attacked the trio to keep them off balance. The three pushed harder and harder, burning their Mana in an attempt to overwhelm her, but they simply had no luck. No matter how skilled they were and how hard they fought, even three on one they couldn¡¯t reach her. The first mistake came from the Archer, clearly the least skilled of the fighters, as the Cronesword slipped through his defenses, nicking him on the shoulder. The wound was deep enough that the arm was disabled. The Archer''s Master tried to heal the wound but with no luck. "I can''t do it! The wound is cursed somehow!" The Master called out. With a swear, the druid leaped back and drew a magical rune in the air. They could all sense the power in the Primordial Rune, power that seemed to struggle against whatever power festered in the wound, but with no luck. "You. Who are you? You fight like my teacher, and seem to carry a power similar to her Land of Shadows. I did not think there was another that could rival Sc¨¢thach so closely.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to fight a little harder to earn my name.¡± Seraphiel shot back, amused. It was funny to her that the Servant was so thrown off by not being able to heal the damage done by the Cronesword. The same sword that had slain a Chaos God. Of course he couldn¡¯t heal the wound. ¡°Agni Gandiva!¡± Arjuna¡¯s voice suddenly called out, and a rain of blue flaming arrows fell on the entire area. Thousands and thousands of arrows fired by a man recognized as the potential Grand Archer. The three Servants all reacted in different ways. The wounded Purple Archer lifted a hand and a layered shield that seemed to be made of seven flower petals appeared in front of him, Siegfried fired a blast of power from his sword, while the arrows somehow seemed to avoid the druid, the man seemingly possessing some sort of protection against projectiles. Instead, he slammed his staff into the ground, and a large hand made of branches sprouted out to protect the Masters. The arrows managed to pierce six of the seven layers of the enemy Archer¡¯s shield before stopping, but it seemed that every layer destroyed left the man in a worse condition, and he was clearly out of the fight. Siegfried didn¡¯t look much better. His armor reduced the damage done by all attacks, but the arrows had still managed to find their mark, leaving several of them jutting out of him. The Wickerman that had protected the Masters was devastated, but still standing, as were the Masters, though not unharmed. Arjuna appeared next to Seraphiel, looking a little surprised. ¡°I missed?¡± The enemy druid could see how badly the fight was going and decided to pull out all the stops. "Och Deug Odin!¡± And was about to slam down his staff again, before he was interrupted by a bolt of lightning shooting him off his feet. "None of that now," Seraphiel spoke. "This is revenge for taking a shot at my Master. Curse of Morai-Heg." She pointed at the injured Archer, who suddenly started to wither as all the Mana was drained out of him before he burst in a shower of golden sparks, and all the Mana flowed into Seraphiel instead. Then she suddenly appeared behind Siegfried, who tried to twist to defend his weak spot, the scar on his back where the protection of his Armor of Fafnir didn¡¯t apply, but was too late due to his wounds. She jammed a small object into the scar on his back. ¡°Harlequin¡¯s Kiss.¡± The small object was horrifically lethal, one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed by the Aeldari. A tightly coiled monofilament wire around 100 meters in length was violently released, capable of piercing almost any armor as it instantly uncoiled and lashed out, liquefying bones and internal organs, and destroying the target in a spectacularly gory fashion, before retracting back. It was a testament to Siegfried¡¯s toughness that he wasn¡¯t completely mulched right away, but the damage was still horrific. Her own [Divinity EX] rendered any defenses the Hero might have moot, even if the weapon she used was not magical in nature. As the golden sparks from Siegfried floated away, she looked towards the Druid. ¡°Are you going to force me to make it three?¡± The druid ground his teeth a bit but finally shook his head. "I¡¯m not going to throw myself against someone clearly on the same level as my teacher. You¡¯ve won this round.¡± The druid then jumped up to stand on top of the damaged Wickerman protecting the three Masters, before the giant being walked away. ¡°Again, you let an enemy leave, and again I find myself unable to say anything, seeing as I didn¡¯t do much.¡± Arjuna shook his head in wry disappointment. ¡°It is rare for me to feel so inadequate.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it.¡± She retorted playfully. Chapter 66 - Light and Fire ------- ¡°Is it just me, or did that previous fight have something of a distraction feel to it?" Seraphiel asked Arjuna and their two Masters. Luviagelita lifted an eyebrow at that. ¡°They send three Servants against two, at a perfect timing after our other Servants leave, and you call them a distraction?¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t send their strongest Servants, however. If you wanted to make a quick surgical strike, you¡¯d use your most effective Servants.¡± Seraphiel shot back. ¡°They sent Emiya, C¨² Chulainn, and Siegfried. Any of the three alone could be considered powerful. Even if he didn¡¯t get to show off his best, Emiya has defeated Gilgamesh in the past and C¨² Chulainn has won entire Grail Wars.¡± Luviagelita insisted. ¡°And yet, they have The Lion King, and unless I¡¯m mistaken, their Rider might be almost as strong. They knew the two of us have fought off multiple Servants before, and Siegfried at least should¡¯ve known he was at a disadvantage against me.¡± Seraphiel explained. ¡°They obviously assumed they¡¯d do better than they did, but if they wanted to defeat me, they should¡¯ve known those three would not be enough.¡± "She has a point," Arjuna interjected. "We haven''t exactly been quiet. They did give off the feeling that they were sent to keep us in place. If they won, then great, but I¡¯m not sure they were aiming for that. Stalling seems more likely, only their stalling went bad.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s say you¡¯re right.¡± Luviagelita crossed her arms in front of her. ¡°If we are not the real target, then who is?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the question, isn¡¯t it?¡± Seraphiel nodded. ¡°Luckily, with their Caster busy retreating, I might be able to answer that.¡± She walked back inside and to the miniature map of the city. Several scrying windows appeared above the map, showing images of some of the Servants. ¡°Hmm. Their team is not the only one whose protections against scrying have weakened.¡± As the others looked at the screens, they noticed she was right. They could not only see members of the Purple team, but White and Gold as well as what was left of the Green team with their Caster and Rider. Another window showed the members of the Red team looking for a fight. ¡°What are they doing?¡± Luvia asked with a frown. ¡°They¡¯re not aiming for our team it seems. Their movements seem strange.¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost like they¡¯re working together. Herding something or someone in.¡± Arjuna muttered. ¡°But who?¡± Another window opened, showing the Black team in the process of some kind of ritual. ¡°Not the Black team, although that might not be a bad idea, considering they¡¯re summoning Demons.¡± As Seraphiel spoke, another large Demon seemingly made of Fel fire and rocks appeared. ¡°They¡¯re going in a different direction.¡± ¡°The...Blue team maybe? Luthien suggested. ¡°We have most of the Purple team accounted for.¡± Seraphiel pointed at the window showing a regal Lion King, a more mature version of Arturia, walking alongside a colorfully dressed and happy woman and a man completely covered by a black armor. "The Gold." Luviagelita pointed at the two golden figures of Karna and Gilgamesh, along with another armored figure wearing a red cape, a scantily-clad woman with a blindfold, and a large man seemingly made of nothing but muscle holding a sword that seemed to be made of a slab of stone. "Their Caster is missing." ¡°Three Whites.¡± Arjuna pointed at the trio of Elves, two men and one woman. The two men they¡¯d seen before, their Lancer and Saber. The female was likely their Caster. ¡°Something¡¯s happening.¡± Luthien pointed suddenly, as two figures stepped in front of the Purple team. Both looked attractive and seemingly looked Human, though they could all right away tell that was likely not true. Their skin was quite pale, and with their senses, they noticed the two were not breathing. One was a gorgeous woman wearing a sexy red dress and holding a rather impressive halberd, while the other was a man in an expensive suit, wearing an expensive watch and rings, and with no weapons in sight. ¡°Kindred. Vampires.¡± Seraphiel stated right away. ¡°A Toreador and a Ventrue if I had to make a guess.¡± ¡°Vampires? They seem rather bold to be facing their opponents so openly.¡± Luthien said. ¡°Even the Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors would think twice about picking that kind of fight. Not to mention, they shouldn¡¯t be able to become Heroic Spirits.¡± ¡°The other¡¯s as well.¡± Arjuna pointed as two other similar figures walked out to face the other two teams. One of them, one of the pair walking to meet the Gold team, was accompanied by a small army of grotesque figures, much larger but similar to the one that had attacked them previously. That one was followed by a brutish-looking fellow that looked like a punk. ¡°Tzimisce and Brujah.¡± Seraphiel stated firmly, recognizing the clans even if the individuals were unfamiliar. The last pair, facing the Elves and the remains of the Green team, consisted of a woman dressed in all black, and a bald man in a red coat and red-tinted sunglasses. That caused Seraphiel to chuckle. "Lasombra and Tremere. And I happen to know that particular Tremere. Strauss." ¡°They¡¯re picking a fight with three other teams at the same time. This doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± Luthien stated. ¡°They aren¡¯t really. Arjuna was right. They were being herded. They are making a last stand, either because they think they can win, or because they have no choice. Besides, one of them is missing. The Assassin, I¡¯d assume.¡± Seraphiel drew everyone¡¯s attention to the fact that there were only six vampires. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°I¡¯m still confused how Vampires can be summoned by the Grail.¡± Luvia insisted. ¡°They¡¯re not Heroic Spirits. That requires legends and those believing and revering their legends, either in good or bad. Vampires tend to appreciate anonymity and obscurity. That doesn¡¯t really help in forming a coherent legend even if they have the power.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think they were summoned. There¡¯s something else going on. This whole war has seemed a bit weird from the start. I think they were empowered by the ritual instead. The reason I don¡¯t¡­¡± Seraphiel speculated before she was interrupted by the woman standing next to The Lion King stepping forward and saying something, just before they could all feel a heavy concentration of power above the city. "They''re pulling out the big guns right away," Luthien said. As she spoke, The Lion King, Karna, and Gilgamesh all stepped forward to unleash their own powers. A golden pillar of light fell from the skies at The Lion King¡¯s gesture, while flames bathed those in front of Karna. Gilgamesh pulled out a sword that looked almost like a small lance, with three spinning sections in the middle, before red strings of power extended from the blade. The Elven trio unleashed their powers together, causing a burst of searing light that shattered even the scrying window. At the same time, it seemed like the skies fell as the light of the sun was concentrated into a single beam searing everything in its way. It seemed like the entire center of the city just vanished by the combined powers of the Noble Phantasms suddenly unleashed. To top things off, a giant figure suddenly descended from the skies, a Dragon of enormous proportions covered in dark black scales, bathing whatever remained of the center of the city in draconic flames, before disappearing back into the clouds. The shockwaves of the attack reached all the way to their base, only stopped by the barrier erected by Seraphiel as the buildings around them collapsed and were shredded. As the devastation cleared, it seemed like 80% of the city had been wiped out in a matter of seconds. Only a single church stood in the center, where the arbiters and the Ruler Servant resided. Seraphiel had seen the destruction of an Antediluvian Vampire, and that had required similar firepower. She seriously doubted these were Antediluvians, however. Although, she had no idea how long someone like Strauss had been in this universe, and thus how strong he¡¯d become. Fire and light. The two biggest weaknesses of vampires. It was doubtful that any of the six had survived no matter how powerful they were. Still, she remade the scrying windows just in case. The devastation in the city was absolute. Fires still burned here and there, but the buildings had been reduced to nothing but rubble at the bottom of a large crater. Some broken waterlines were spouting their contents out in the open. There was no sign of survivors, aside from the Servants that had done the deed. The scrying windows showed their mostly exhausted forms. Some, like Gilgamesh and The Lion King, still looked as if they were out on a stroll, but the Elves and the two members of the Green team looked exhausted. ¡°I think I know why they were trying to distract us.¡± She stated simply. ¡°I agree. Even Karna looks spent. He would not be able to fight me in his current state.¡± Arjuna said, even before Seraphiel had to point the obvious exhaustion out. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s obvious they were worried we would capitalize on the situation and mop them up.¡± Seraphiel finished. ¡°What about the rest of our team? They were not the direct target, but the blast radius may have affected them.¡± Luviagelita asked slightly worried. ¡°They probably split up, and at least some might have gone towards the city center.¡± Seraphiel reached out with her mind. Ascertaining the location of her team was simple. One of the tricks she''d picked up in her time in the universe this legend was based on was the ability to tag people with her psionic powers, making them easy to find. In this case, she''d tagged every Servant she''d seen with a discreet [Doom]. She didn''t actually mind if her own team got affected, as she''d have to deal with them eventually anyway. In fact, just that ability might have caused them to get caught in the blast because two of them were no longer present. "Well, this is interesting. I can''t locate two of our Servants anymore." There was a pleased tone in her voice, which the others caught despite her mask distorting her voice. ¡°You seem glad.¡± Luvia pointed out. ¡°That¡¯s because one of the Servants missing is our Assassin. I didn¡¯t expect him out of everyone to become collateral damage. Though of course, there is always a chance that he has found another way to avoid my senses.¡± She admitted, though it was extremely unlikely. The Old Man of The Mountain was very powerful in many ways, but avoiding psionics was not one of those. In fact, Seraphiel was likely the Servant with the greatest chance to defeat the man. ¡°You said two. And what about the Masters?¡± Luvia asked, less happy, but still seeing the upside. The Masters were her colleagues after all, even if they were not on the best terms. ¡°The other missing Servant is the one I suspect to be Leonidas, our Lancer. His master is also missing, although I can sense Trambelio still. He¡¯s injured, but if he has any skill at all¡­¡± She moved one of the scrying windows to a particular part of the crater. There they could see the Trambelio heir, heavy burns on his body. Most of his clothing had been burnt away, and much of his skin showed signs of 1st and 2nd degree burns. His hand and the two Command Seals on it were also visible. The distribution of the burns was also odd, sparing his head and most of his torso, as if he''d been shielded by something. Or someone. ¡°He¡¯s rather close to the epicenter. How is he still alive?¡± Luthien asked. As they watched, the young man¡¯s skin was slowly healing as he was moaning in pain. "I think he used a seal and ordered his Servant to take the hit in his stead," Arjuna stated. "I can sense the death of his Servant right next to where he is lying on the ground." "Slightly despicable, but the right choice," Luviagelita muttered. "Had his Servant survived, the Assassin could''ve found any of the Masters without a Servant and thrown his lot with them. On the other hand, this way Trambelio has a chance, should another Masterless Servant appear. Like I said, despicable, but strictly speaking the correct decision." "Somehow I get the urge to kill him while he''s vulnerable," Luthien muttered. "Just say the word, and I''ll take care of it," Seraphiel said without hesitation. Luvia grimaced. ¡°Also slightly despicable, but not the wrong decision. That said, If I survive, I would be obligated to inform the Trambelio family. I wouldn¡¯t want to, but I would have to.¡± Luthien chewed on her lip for a moment before reaching a decision. ¡°Leave him. I doubt he¡¯ll manage to survive too long anyway.¡± ¡°Should we attack the tired Servants? They seem to have some sort of an alliance going on. At least against the Blue team, and perhaps us, seeing as they sent some servants to distract us.¡± Luvia asked. "Normally I''d say yes, but I''m not doing great on Mana," Arjuna admitted. The last 24 hours had been a bit of a drain. "I would likely win against any single Servant present there, but that would in turn leave me vulnerable. I believe we should instead take this opportunity to gather our strength. We are not the only ones with the opportunity. You''ll recall that most of the Black team didn''t take part. If we''re lucky, they''ll take each other out." Seraphiel was glad she¡¯d asked Lucifer to make [Push Through] into doubling as mana regeneration, as it kept her going, even though this legend of hers was rather Mana intensive to maintain. That¡¯s also why she¡¯d avoided using her most flashy abilities. They would help her defeat any of the Servants but would also leave her with almost nothing in the tank. She¡¯d placed a lot of the new stat points into both resistance and Mana, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that those stats were lower than any of the other Servants in this war, especially since this legend of hers had not learned any Mana based magic yet and had not trained in those abilities. The only positive was that her Master had a lot of Mana stored, even though transferring it to her was not the quickest process. Ironically, if she¡¯d had a male master with a lot of mana in their body through stats, there were certain ways to speed up the process, but as it were, they had to use the slower method of her draining the gems one at a time. ¡°Still, I¡¯d argue this is good for us. Almost an entire team was eliminated without us needing to do anything, and the other Servants are also spent. Even if there is an alliance of sorts in the works, which I doubt extends beyond this one action, I doubt they¡¯ll be able to maintain it for long. We can just lay low for a bit, and they¡¯ll turn on each other sooner rather than later.¡± Seraphiel stated. "She has a point," Luvia said thoughtfully. "The power balance between teams won''t allow other teams to aid the Gold team any longer." The Gold team still had six Servants, the only team aside from the Black team, and the power imbalance would push the other teams to work against the team in the obvious lead. ¡°Besides, everyone will have something else to worry about soon enough.¡± Seraphiel pointed at the screen with the Black Team summoning more Demons. ¡°The only positive thing is that the recent destruction didn¡¯t leave any bodies to be raised as undead.¡± A strange new voice suddenly interrupted them. ¡°Well reasoned. On that note, with my team now gone, I wonder if you¡¯d be interested in a little alliance.¡± The shadows revealed a man wearing non-descript clothing, someone that would not stand out in a crowd, yet now that he was standing in front of them, they could all sense danger practically oozing off him. ¡°Huh. He managed to walk through my warning wards.¡± Seraphiel had to grant some respect to the man. ¡°And who might you be?¡± Luviagelita asked suspiciously. ¡°I¡¯m the last member of the Blue team. Most call me Haqim.¡± The man stated with a smile, knowing what sort of effect his presence had on people. Chapter 67 - Saint and Sinner ------ ¡°What exactly did you have in mind?¡± Luviagelita asked the man who called himself Haqim, taking charge of the situation. ¡°You just saw my entire team get eliminated. Is it not reasonable to seek revenge?¡± Haqim questioned with a smile that held no warmth. ¡°For many others, yes. Dead Apostles? Not so much. You¡¯d happily watch your allies get killed as they¡¯re only competition at best, and enemies at worst.¡± Luvia wasn¡¯t about to allow herself to get fooled. The man¡¯s smile turned into a mirthless grin. ¡°Very hurtful, but also very true. We only really care about our own clan, if even that. That said, we are also spiteful bastards, so revenge as a motivation shouldn¡¯t be too hard to fathom.¡± ¡°And what sort of alliance did you even have in mind? It¡¯s not like we will be able to trust you and there can be only one winner. Are you even proper participants in this Grail War? Where are your Masters?¡± Luvia continued to interrogate the man. ¡°Well, answering the last two questions first, as a show of faith, the other members of my team were not. They did not have Masters either. They simply hijacked the system for their own benefit, which is why I assume the Ruler sought out those other teams to eliminate them. As for me, I am a proper Heroic Spirit, summoned by our ¡®Caster¡¯ who also functioned as my Master, as little power as that granted him over me. Even with Command Seals, Strauss was not strong enough, or foolish enough, to order me to do anything. Believe me, if he could¡¯ve, many of you would already be dead.¡± The man grinned again, a little maliciously this time. ¡°Without a Master, you will quickly fade away.¡± Luthien pointed out. Haqim nodded. ¡°Granted, and I¡¯m not especially interested in staying here anyway. Unlike many Servants, I have a life, or unlife if you will, waiting for me after this little event is over. I can sustain a bit longer by feeding on the civilians, but I just want to make my displeasure at being summoned like this known, which brings me to why I¡¯m here. I find it quite interesting how even the Black team was invited to be a part of the attack on my former compatriots, but you weren¡¯t. After all, judging by your attitude against my kind, at least your Masters would¡¯ve been willing.¡± ¡°Speak plain. What exactly do you want, and expect from us, should we agree?¡± Luvia went straight to the point. ¡°I¡¯d simply like to take out as many of the Servants that attacked us as possible. And if the Ruler happens to be among them, then all the better. You would provide a nice cover and a nice distraction to do my thing. I was still summoned as an Assassin, and thus my powers are somewhat limited in direct combat.¡± Haqim explained. ¡®Say yes. He¡¯s about as honorable as his kind become.¡¯ Seraphiel telepathically messaged Luvia. Seraphiel was also the perfect example to show that Haqim was bending the truth a bit. She was a Caster and had no trouble in direct combat. At the same time, she sent another message to Luthien, while allowing her to hear the first one as well. ¡®Unless you use a Command Seal to stop me, I will be using my full power to strike him down at the first opportunity.¡¯ ¡®Why?¡¯ Luthien asked simply. ¡®I¡¯m fairly confident that if he is who he says he is, and I have no reason to doubt him, then he is the most dangerous participant in this war, even above and beyond The Lion King. And considering he¡¯s of the Assassin Class, I will not be able to stop him from striking you down.¡¯ Seraphiel revealed. ¡®I can protect myself, but not others.¡¯ ¡°We can take your suggestion under advisement. I can¡¯t make promises for my entire team, but I feel inclined to agree." Luvia decided. She''d been leaning towards accepting anyway, even if only to point the man at their enemy instead. Even if he eliminated a single enemy Servant, then that would be fewer enemies to fight. "I suppose that''s all I can ask. I''ll have to find someone to feed on though. Surviving the conflagration took its toll on me." He explained, though he didn''t look any weaker, and was likely somewhat feigning vulnerability to bait out an attack, if one was coming. Seraphiel was too patient to fall for it though. ¡°There seems to be significantly less prey around after the ¡®conflagration¡¯ as you named it.¡± Luthien pointed out. ¡°There¡¯s some prey still, and by tomorrow morning, they¡¯ll all be back. There¡¯s a reason why this city was selected as the site for this Grail War.¡± Haqim stated mysteriously, before vanishing from sight right in front of them. ------ As Barthomeloi and Saber returned to the base, they were not alone. They were accompanied by a blond female knight with a thick braid over her shoulder and carrying a flag that seemed vaguely familiar to Seraphiel. The woman was rather easy to recognize as the Ruler. ¡°Have you seen Rider and Lord Germaine?¡± Barthomeloi asked as soon as she entered the base. "No," Luvia answered curtly. "Caster says that Rider at least is alive, but beyond that, we haven''t looked." ¡°The others?¡± Barthomeloi asked, not knowing yet, and grimaced at Luvia shaking her head. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°We have reason to believe Trambelio is alive, but his Servant is not. The other two are gone.¡± Luvia explained. Seraphiel pointed at Ruler. ¡°I¡¯m more interested in why you brought her along. She created an alliance between the other teams. ¡° ¡°The Blue team had to be dealt with.¡± The blond woman replied simply. ¡°And you didn¡¯t see fit to approach us with these plans.¡± Seraphiel continued pressing. ¡°I judged that the gathered Servants were sufficient.¡± Ruler argued, not budging from her position. ¡°You thought it sufficient? You created an alliance that led to the deaths of two of our Servants, and at least one Master, an alliance that might find enough unity to target us next, and your excuse for this meddling is that you thought it sufficient, no matter who got caught in the crossfire? You really didn¡¯t think things through coming here as you did.¡± Seraphiel flashed forward, lifting the Ruler up by her throat, strangling her in the process. ¡°Give me one reason why I shouldn¡¯t remove your meddling from this war right now.¡± The Ruler tried to speak but was unable to. She then tried to activate her powers, but even that was interrupted as eldritch lightning coursed through her body. "I''m not hearing any reasons," Seraphiel stated coldly. ¡°She can¡¯t talk.¡± Luvia pointed out, not really wanting to get in the middle of this but felt compelled to speak. Seraphiel flung the Ruler with enough power to send her through a stone wall, the woman¡¯s armor shattered by the impact. ¡°Talk, Saint Jeanne d¡¯Arc. Before I decide your words are not worthy of listening to.¡± She casually revealed the woman¡¯s identity. ¡°Cough! Hack! The Black team needs to be dealt with as well." She managed to squeeze out. It had to be mentioned that She was powerful enough to fight a Berserker in direct combat, but had been entirely helpless just now. Seraphiel chuckled. ¡°Oh, so your defense is to meddle further. Who¡¯s next? Our team?¡± ¡°They are summoning Demons.¡± Jeanne of Arc squeezed out. ¡°Oh, I know. I¡¯ve known since they started. Here¡¯s the thing though. I¡¯ve killed more demons in an hour than they can summon in a year. I¡¯m not concerned about Demons.¡± She knew she was letting her legend affect her mentality a fair bit there. As an Aeldari, slaying Demons was much too common. She¡¯d also been a lot more single-minded in that life before time had worn off some of the edges. She also had a bit of a habit for grandstanding back then ¡°Let me show you the futility of your actions. Haqim!¡± She called out. "You have something for me?" The old as dirt Vampire appeared out of thin air, only a few steps away from the Ruler, having never truly left as he¡¯d seen the Ruler appear. ¡°You wanted an alliance of sorts, yes? How about you kill Gul¡¯dan, the caster of Black, and we¡¯ll take it into serious consideration.¡± She suggested. Haqim, a lot smarter than most, could easily read her thinking and loved the idea of rubbing the Ruler''s nose in her failure. That was a nice first step in revenge. Even better than killing Jeanne right away. ¡°Consider it done.¡± He vanished again. ¡°So, you see, not only did you fail in eliminating the Blue team, you failed spectacularly since Haqim alone is more powerful than the other six dead members of that team combined.¡± Seraphiel mocked the Saint. In part, it was an act, though she¡¯d never really liked Saints. They were all so convinced in their righteousness, blinded by their faith, often unwilling and unable to see the evil their actions were causing. In response, Jeanne knelt and crossed her fingers in prayer. Chanting and asking for God to help, to strike Seraphiel down. As a Saint, it was unsurprising she had such powers. This time Seraphiel didn¡¯t bother interrupting. Instead, she stepped outside with arms wide open, as if welcoming any heavenly punishment. ¡°Oh, let the heavens judge me. No? Nothing?¡± Jeanne seemed shocked that it didn¡¯t work, the Saint not used to her powers failing. ¡°Oh, Father why hast thou forsaken me?¡± She beseeched the heavens again. ¡°Would you like me to tell you why?¡± Seraphiel asked in a mocking tone. ¡°Mother, would you like to make an official debut appearance and introduce yourself on the big stage and tell her why her entreaties are not working?¡± She asked, knowing the entire event was most likely shown to at least many of the gods, and more than likely many mortal viewers, as such events often were. Charlotte Richards appeared in response to her request, flaring her divine presence for effect, suppressing everyone other than Seraphiel. She had a gracious and awe-inspiring smile on her face, and her appearance definitely had a bit of divine enhancement when compared to the usual. ¡°Of course, my dear daughter. I am currently known as Charlotte Richards, but more commonly I¡¯m known as the Creator Goddess of All Creation.¡± You could hear the capitalization in her words. ¡°All other universes have sprouted from the seeds me and my husband have created.¡± She stepped closer to the kneeling Jeanne. ¡°As it just so happens, the deity you¡¯re praying to is the pale imitation of my husband, and when He first entered this universe, all other versions of Him were absorbed by Him. So, you¡¯re basically praying for my husband to smite our beloved daughter, my High Priestess, the original protector and Paladin, and the Firstborn of All Creation.¡± Seraphiel cursed a bit in her mind, as she¡¯d asked Charlotte to introduce herself, not Seraphiel. Charlotte winked at her before smiling to the skies, where presumably they were being observed from, before vanishing in a flash of golden light. There was some stunned silence, but otherwise a fair lack of reaction from those present. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve established that, and taken care of your Demon problem, begone!¡± Seraphiel psionically grabbed Jeanne and tossed her out of their base entirely. She turned to Barthomeloi and asked. ¡°Why bring her here anyway?¡±. ¡°Luthien, kindly reign in your Servant. I have no interest in being questioned.¡± Barthomeloi was dead tired and making bad decisions, something highly unusual for her. She also did not believe everything the Goddess had said. ¡°Master¡­¡± Saber said in a warning tone, sensing that things might be taking a bad turn, clearly having listened and believed the Goddess that had appeared straight after being requested by Seraphiel, clearly favoring the powerful Caster. "No, I don''t think I will," Luthien stated firmly. She was confused about what had just happened but was choosing to ignore it for now, knowing Seraphiel would explain if she chose to. ¡°I¡¯d like the answer as well.¡± Barthomeloi realized that she¡¯d overstepped, and decided tact was called for. ¡°Because she asked to speak with us. I did not see a reason to shut her down out of hand. I obviously wasn¡¯t aware of all the details.¡± Arjuna leaned closer to Seraphiel. ¡°About Haqim¡­¡± Seraphiel interrupted him with a single lifted finger, before sending a pulse of power through the entire place and creating a field that stopped all sound from escaping. She knew how the Vampiric Discipline of Obfuscation worked. It wasn¡¯t real invisibility. Instead, it was a very subtle form of mesmerism that caused everyone around the person using the power to ignore their existence. Even if those affected had to walk around the user to avoid them, their own mind would justify why they¡¯d done that. She also knew how to counter the effects, even someone as strong as Haqim. ¡°Now you can ask.¡± She finally nodded, certain that the man was not about to pop out. She also felt the Ruler suddenly being snuffed out, knowing the man had just taken another bit of Revenge. That should earn some good will with the old Vampire, besides working as a distraction. Arjuna continued. ¡°You seemed very reticent of allying with him before.¡± He said reminding her of her own words before. ¡°I still am. But the Ruler did have one point. The Black team summoning Demons is not a good thing. While I wasn¡¯t lying when I said I could deal with the normal Demons, things might get challenging if Gul¡¯dan summons something like Archimonde or Kil¡¯jaeden. And those two would leap at the chance to get revenge. I¡¯m still going to kill him when I get the chance, unless he fades away first, but if the other teams still have even the semblance of an alliance, then he might become necessary. Especially if there are only three of us left, since Rider and his Master are missing. I still maintain that the little alliance between the teams won''t last long, but we might as well take precautions against it until we know it no longer exists." She elaborated on her thinking. "According to what I know of him, Haqim might be as trustworthy as Vampires of that world come, although that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean much. We should keep our eyes open and point him at our enemies, rather than having him attack us.¡± After a moment of silence, Arjuna finally brought up what everyone else was thinking. ¡°So¡­the Daughter of All Creation?¡± He added another moniker to her, which did summarize things nicely. "As the son of Indra, you''re the last person to talk." Seraphiel shot back wryly. ¡°But¡­how?¡± Luthien asked. ¡°I could understand the daughter of Asuryan, but¡­¡± Her confusion was understandable, as nowhere in her legends among Aeldari was it mentioned that Seraphiel was anything but one of them. Mostly because she¡¯d taken on their likeness at one point. ¡°You know what title I¡¯m most known by? The name I have among the Grail System?¡± Seraphiel asked simply. ¡°The Exile. Where do you think I was exiled to?¡± -------- Chapter 68 - Limits ------- Haqim had been right about one thing. Despite the devastation, the city was back to normal when the night fell. The people were going to work just like normal, and it didn¡¯t seem that anything had happened. It was fascinating to watch, as this time they could freely observe the process. It wasn¡¯t like one moment the city was devastated and the next moment everything was back. No, it looked as if time was slowly wound back for the city and its inhabitants. The Servants and Masters that had died didn¡¯t come back though. As Luthien slept, Seraphiel had for once assumed the invisible and intangible mode of being that all the Servants were capable of to regain more Mana. Just materializing was a drain on the Servants Mana, not to mention doing anything, although so far, she had managed to go easy on the mana her Master had provided. It was, after all, the most important resource in a Grail War like this. In a simpler seven Servant Grail War things often resolved quickly enough that it didn¡¯t become such a huge problem, but this was turning into a battle of attrition. That was also one of the reasons some of the other major Servants had not made too many overt moves. They were hoping the lower-strength Servants would sort each other out while they stood by and saved their Mana. It wasn''t a bad plan even if everyone knew about it. Just because a plan was simple didn''t mean it couldn''t work. Most Servants were hungry for battle by nature and didn''t want to just sit on the sidelines while other heroes fought. And it was very natural to try to avoid the most powerful enemies at the start. Assuming you even knew how to find them. ¡°The Warlock you wanted dealt with is dead.¡± Haqim appeared inside their base and just announced his success. Seraphiel had sensed his arrival and materialized fully to greet his arrival. ¡°Good. Any trouble?¡± ¡°Not really. Their Assassin tried to stop me, but she wasn¡¯t really a problem. Might have been able to deal with Masters and some weak Servants, but¡­¡± The Vampire left the rest unsaid. ¡°True enough. Well, you did what I requested, so you shall have your alliance, for now.¡± They¡¯d discussed the matter while Haqim had been gone and decided to accept the offer. ¡°And I already feel the alliance bearing fruit with what happened to the Ruler. We can make this work.¡± Haqim replied with a grin that might have been appreciative on a less hardened man. He nodded towards Seraphiel. ¡°I can sense you¡¯re among the Servants that have a life outside the war. I believe we will see each other again.¡± ¡°Do excuse me if I¡¯d rather not. I¡¯ve had enough dealings with the Banu Haqim before.¡± She grimaced behind the mask. Haqim barked a laugh. ¡°That settles it. I knew I recognized you somewhere.¡± He lowered his voice to a level where even she barely heard it. ¡°Are the others aware of your multiple lives? I figured it out before when The Goddess showed up, but I have more experience with such things than most.¡± ¡°Not really, although I¡¯m not really hiding it or anything. And what makes you think you recognize me?¡± She asked, feigning nonchalance. ¡°Come now, Selessa. You were aware of the fact that they used both mine and Caine¡¯s blood in creating your body for that life. You didn¡¯t think they would¡¯ve gotten either without our approval? The Tremere think they got it from a spy that snuck in and stole the blood from Alamut, but Caine handed it to the Tremere himself, while I sent my clan to rescue you afterwards.¡± He grinned. ¡°Then we just watched the fireworks go off.¡± ¡°You are aware that before I regained any power, I wasn¡¯t exactly treated well while in the custody of the Tremere, and the girl, Haydee, whose body I took, suffered even worse before she was turned?¡± The fact that she¡¯d quite enjoyed the experience due to her Predator Type in that life was not something that needed to be said. ¡°So, the rescue was a little late. I couldn¡¯t take a personal hand, and the newbloods had a bit of trouble finding the right place.¡± Haqim shrugged. ¡°We kept tabs afterwards. You had quite a lot of fun in that life, don¡¯t bother denying it. Maybe not one of your finest moments, but ours was not a world of pretty ideals and happy destinies. And you certainly didn¡¯t need happiness to have fun. Which you did. Aplenty.¡± She gave a sigh. "That''s impossible to deny.¡± She had to agree on that front. She¡¯d had a little bit too much fun in fact. ¡°See, I knew we could get along. You hate Tremere, I hate Tremere. Caine fucked with your life, as he did with mine. We¡¯ve both seen some of the darkest the Creation has to offer. And now we can both get some benefits from this war.¡± He seemed to be in a jolly mood. ¡°You do know I¡¯ll stab you in the back the first chance I get, right?¡± She stated honestly. ¡°Despite whatever else you are now or have been, you¡¯re Banu Haqim. I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.¡± He took the threat in stride before vanishing again. ------- It was only a couple of hours later that the Trambelio heir finally managed to return. He was still severely injured, both of his arms practically unusable, and with severe burns on his legs. Arjuna, who was keeping watch had alerted those at the base to his arrival, so it didn¡¯t come as a surprise as he stumbled and almost fell through the door. There was very little left of his previous fancy and expensive clothing and equipment, though some of his items had likely worked to help heal the worst of his injuries. Seraphiel took enough pity on the man to telekinetically float him onto one of the nearby sofas. "How good of you to finally show up," Barthomeloi stated coldly. "Although I''m surprised you didn''t seek sanctuary at the church. They could offer asylum in return for giving up the war." ¡°You¡­left me. I know¡­you could¡¯ve come for me.¡± He complained instead of answering, having trouble speaking properly. Damage to his lungs from hot air most likely. ¡°We could¡¯ve. Why would we though? We know you threw away your Servant to save yourself.¡± Barthomeloi personally wouldn¡¯t have minded if the young man had passed away. Although he was pretty good as a mage, his cocky nature and disdain for those of ¡®lower¡¯ upbringing spoiled any true potential he might¡¯ve had. "I can¡­still be useful." He ground out, hatred and vengeance in his eyes. ¡°How?¡± She asked coldly. ¡°I still¡­have my command seals. Can take¡­orphaned Servant. Or be a better Master¡­instead of¡­someone else.¡± They all knew he was referring to Luthien. ¡°That someone else you¡¯re referring to has managed to eliminate an entire team¡¯s worth of Servants. Just for your information.¡± Luviagelita interjected. ¡°So, I think we¡¯ll keep her, thanks.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Barthomeloi picked up there. ¡°That said, we have allied ourselves with an orphaned Servant¡­¡± She left the rest unsaid, allowing Haqim, if present to decide the rest. The Assassin Vampire didn''t disappoint, appearing out of thin air. "I''ll manage without, thanks. I think I''ll last longer as I am, than with a Master who will throw me away at the first sign of trouble. Besides, he clearly doesn''t know how to utilize an Assassin." He disappeared again. Not that he could be used in the same way. He could likely resist the Command Seals unless multiple were used, and Trambelio could only really use one. "Well, there goes that possibility," Barthomeloi stated coldly. "Still, you might still be useful." She turned to Seraphiel. "Lady Exile, I seem to recall hearing your Goddess call you Paladin and High Priestess. Would I be correct in assuming you can heal his injuries?" Barthomeloi had been more polite, clearly understanding she¡¯d overstepped after her previous outburst. She had access to her abilities from the vessel in this universe, although they were hopelessly outmatched by most of what was shown in this Grail War. Healing one guy though? That was easy. ¡°Yes. It is within my power.¡± Her mask turned towards Luthien. Luthien chewed on her lip in thought. Trambelio represented everything she hated about the Clock Tower, the disdain of the noble families, and the way everyone overlooked her. The hereditary nature of their magic and resources meant that someone like Trambelio would always stand above those like her in the Tower hierarchy. It would be so sweet to let him suffer. Though if she did, how was she any better? Finally, she nodded, and the golden light of healing fell on Trambelio, slowly fixing the damage done to him. He could now breathe easily, and no longer had to suffer the pain from his wounds. At last, being able to relax, he fell asleep almost immediately. "A noble decision, even if one I fear may come to haunt you in the future." Seraphiel said to Luthien. ¡°Would you have refused him?¡± Luthien asked in turn. ¡°Hmm, the answer to that would change, depending on when in my life you asked it. In the past, I would¡¯ve saved him, no questions asked. Nowadays¡­¡± She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not as noble as I was in the past. Or as na?ve.¡± "Sorry to break the moment, but we have a lot of movement," Arjuna reported, jumping down to them. "Many of the teams are moving in our direction. Or to be more precise, the Black team is moving towards us, and the others are moving towards the Black team. Who reaches who first, I do not know.¡± ¡°Can you bring down the Dragon if necessary?¡± Seraphiel asked directly. Deathwing, or Neltharion depending on which one had been summoned, was the most likely to become a problem for them. ¡°With enough time, I can bring down anyone or anything. At a cost. If I unleash my full power, I will also disappear.¡± The modest Archer revealed. "Then let''s try to avoid that, shall we," Luvia said firmly, Arjuna being her Servant. Seraphiel secretly agreed. Having even one reliable ally was better than nothing, and it wasn¡¯t in Arjuna¡¯s nature to stab her in the back. Hell, of the two of them, it was more likely that she was the one to betray him. ¡°I believe the direction of this Grail War will be decided tonight. Everyone be ready for anything.¡± They, aside from the still-sleeping Trambelio, stepped outside and prepared for battle. They didn''t have to wait long, as the first one to arrive was a giant, green-skinned Orc with red-glowing eyes, holding a wicked-looking axe. "Mak''gora." The Orc growled and pointed at Seraphiel with a thick finger. "I believe he''s challenging you," Saber whispered helpfully. She seemed eager to fight as well. ¡°Yes, I got that. Not my first time.¡± She obligingly stepped forward, the Cronesword appearing in her hand. As she stepped forward, she unclipped the Wraithbone chest armor, and allowed it to fall on the ground, while also making the Harlequin''s Kiss on her arm disappear. The rules of Mak''gora only allowed a single weapon, and for this fight, she had to choose the strongest one. A truly traditional Mak¡¯gora only allowed the wearing of a loincloth as well, but she wasn''t feeling quite that obliging. "Grommash Hellscream. It''s been a while." She said as the two started circling each other. ¡°Butcher of Shattrah. I¡¯ve waited for this opportunity.¡± The Orc retorted, his axe suddenly swinging at her with speed and ferocity that none of the Human Heroic Spirits could match. She matched him blow for blow but had to push herself significantly more than before. Despite everything that happened to him, Grom was a Blademaster, a title not given lightly among a race practically designed and bred for battle. Someone like Siegfried would¡¯ve been defeated in moments, and this was just the beginning. ¡°Funny. Your mangy kind came to exterminate mine at Shattrah city, and I¡¯m called a butcher for making an effective defense.¡± Her [Graceful] Skill came in handy as she danced around the heavy blows of the famous axe Gorehowl. Her weapon didn¡¯t miss its mark though, as small cuts appeared on the Orc¡¯s hide. ¡°That was not an honorable battle. That was a slaughter.¡± The Orc accused her while striking an overhand blow that even she had to struggle a bit to stop. This version of Grom was all hopped up on the blood of Mannoroth, and thus even more powerful than usual. He made a good Berserker, though barely retaining what was left of his sanity. Just not enough to notice some of the power in him slowly ebbing away. She could sense things escalating around her, other Servants arriving, but she couldn¡¯t afford to lose her concentration. Grom was not an opponent to take lightly, especially when fighting on his terms. As she was moving to block another blow from the Orc, a shadow-infused arrow flashed right by her as she barely managed to dodge, largely thanks to her [Precognition]. ¡°Sylvanas! Do not interfere!¡± Grom growled. Suddenly it seemed like attacks from the Gorehowl were coming from all directions, and she knew Grom had used his trump card, the ability known as Bladestorm. Her entire focus was forced on defense, but it worked. Every blow from the axe was met by a block or dodge, and the storm of blows couldn¡¯t last forever. She knew she only had to weather the storm. The rain of blows started slowing down, and the Orc stumbled to a stop, panting heavily. She felt a little bad for defeating the Orc just because of a difference in equipment, but not bad enough to not use the blade. ¡°And here we are again.¡± She stated walking over to the Orc¡¯s kneeling form. ¡°No matter how many times you try, your axe won¡¯t reach me. It was a valiant effort though.¡± She rammed the blade through the Orc¡¯s chest. ¡°B¡ªButcher¡­I did reach this time.¡± The Orc managed to growl out before his body scattered in a shower of sparks. She noticed the slight wound on her arm, one of the attacks having grazed her. Likely the one where she had to dodge the arrow as well. Still, it was a wound. ¡°So you did.¡± She whispered. She had to admit that Grom had really pushed her, even if the fight was short. You should never underestimate the ferocity of his kind. A boom, like a thunder striking, sounded from the skies as a flash of light flew past the form of the Black Dragon flying above the city. It seemed they were dealing with Neltharion and not Deathwing. ¡°Huh, Rider is back.¡± The chariot ridden by the Greek hero moved with blinding speed as it harried the Dragon. It wasn¡¯t managing to do any damage, but it was keeping the Dragon busy for now. Artoria was engaging another female knight, which Seraphiel assumed to be her ¡®son¡¯ Mordred. The Arthurian mythos of that world was weird. The two seemed to be fairly equal for now, emotions likely holding Artoria back. Arjuna was exchanging fire with Sylvanas, the Banshee Queen, while Illidan Stormrage, the half-demon half-Kaldorei Demonhunter with his twin Glaives stood over the quickly disappearing bodies of what she assumed were the last members of the Green team, the Caster and the Rider with the hammer and lightning. Arthas Menethil was engaged with two Berserkers, Heracles, and a knight in black armor that looked quite ominous. And by everything she could see, Arthas was winning, as Heracles was on his last legs. Three Elven servants seemed to be engaging the giant monstrous form of Medusa, and she could sense the presence of Four extremely powerful Servants just outside the biggest fracas just starting their fight. Those were likely the big hitters of both the Gold and Purple teams. Well, except for the one that was coming for her. The Caster of Gold, a man with long white hair was calmly walking towards her. The man was wearing fancy red and black clothing and didn¡¯t seem the least bit worried about the chaos surrounding them. She could sense the man was significantly powerful. Before she managed to say something witty, the man lifted his finger for quiet and uttered a single phrase. ¡°Ars Paulina.¡± Suddenly she found herself and the man inside a reality marble. She was inside a glorious temple with 72 tall artistic pillars, and she seemed to be standing on top of an infinite stairway made of white stone. Rocks floated around her, and the only thing alongside herself and the man at the top of the stairs was a throne with ten rings placed on top. "And what''s this about?" She asked. ¡°I am Solomon, and this is my temple. An Anti-World Noble Phantasm that holds the power of all magecraft of Humanity. It is my pitiful attempt to keep you away from the battle raging outside.¡± The man, whose name seemed to be Solomon, revealed with an apologetic smile. ¡°Solomon, as in King Solomon?¡± She asked in confirmation. ¡°The one and only. And with you having introduced The Goddess, I know the futility of fighting against you. However, I am rather confident in keeping you here.¡± The man¡¯s tone was almost sad and gentle. ¡°You of all people should know better than doubt the wrath of Father and Mother.¡± She nodded, freely removing the mask on her face because it felt somehow impolite in the face of a man who was important in her own mythos as well. ¡°And yet, here, I am immortal, and as long as the temple stands, you will not be able to leave. And the 72 pillars will only regenerate from any damage you do.¡± The man revealed. ¡°How long do you plan on keeping me here then?¡± She asked. ¡°While fighting you is impossible, it is not impossible to work around you. Unlike you, your Master can be defeated, and without a Master, you cannot win.¡± His plan was simple and rather obvious. Normally she would be able to protect her Master. However, while she was stuck here? Luthien was on her own. Ah. They didn¡¯t know about her choice of becoming the Grand Ruler. Still¡­ ¡±This is rather annoying. I would really prefer that my Master did not die. And it would be rather embarrassing to lose after dedicating this war to Mother.¡± "A thousand apologies. My Master had to use two Command Seals to even get me to fight you, and to reinforce my powers so it would work for certain." Solomon seemed honestly regretful. Yet, here they were, and she could sense this reality marble¡¯s power. ¡°I do wonder. There were three servants missing in the battle earlier. Their decision can make quite a difference.¡± She pointed out. "And who would they be? I thought everyone was accounted for." Solomon asked. ¡°The Green Assassin, C¨² Chulainn, and our newest ally, Haqim. That last one should concern you most of all since he carries a bit of a grudge after you all annihilated the rest of his team." Even as she said that she felt the connection with Luthien break. Whether that was because her Master was dead, or for another reason, she didn¡¯t know. It looked like Solomon¡¯s plan had worked to some extent at least. Chapter 69 - Transfer ------ Seraphiel quickly considered the situation. Whoever had struck at Luthien had wasted no time, so the whole thing was pre-planned. She¡¯d been here for less than a minute. Someone had executed a surgical strike in the brief window she¡¯d been pulled away by one of the few powers capable of restraining her for any period of time, no matter how short. ¡°I¡¯m afraid, Mr. Solomon¡± Not King Solomon anymore. ¡°That I¡¯m going to have to break this little world you¡¯ve created. You really should¡¯ve known better than to bring someone like me into such a Mana-rich environment. Means I don''t have to hold back. At all. I do wonder if you''ll ever be able to reconstruct it again. If not, that shall be your punishment for this transgression." Solomon¡¯s eyes grew large as nearly all of the Mana in his reality marble was suddenly taken over and consumed. She lifted a hand and pointed at the man. ¡°[Day of Judgement] [Original Slayer of Gods] Let there be light.¡± On the outside, the battle suddenly came to a momentary pause as everyone present felt it. Two powers that could not be measured and should not be unleashed clashing directly, before one overpowered the other. The skies above seemed to crack for a moment before the battlefield was filled with a pure white light so bright everyone was momentarily blinded. For several seconds, nobody could act as the light seemed to be everywhere, blinding not only their sight but even their supernatural senses. Those with precognitive powers, for a brief moment, couldn¡¯t see anything but the end of everything. The moment passed and clarity returned to the field once more. While the fighting had paused for a time, it had not ended, and many tried to take advantage of the momentary distraction. To highlight this transition back to violence, the large Dragon that had been fighting in the skies, fell to the ground, wounded but not dead, as he¡¯d been one of the worst affected. Standing in the skies above the battle, Seraphiel quickly searched for Luthien and found her among the mixed melee between Masters. Even though she was barely able to defend herself currently, she¡¯d lost her arm from the elbow down, and the Command Seals with it. When a Master lost their Command Seals, be it through giving up, spending them all, or as in this case physically losing them, they lost their rights as a Master. Even if she regained the Seals somehow, it was doubtful she would be able to take back her spot as a Master, because losing the Seals was tantamount to forfeiting. The wound had been dressed, but it didn¡¯t look good. Any healing had been done in a hurry. Alarmingly, there was no sign of the missing arm, or who¡¯d taken it. That was worrisome, because as long as Luthien lived, the Seals, and her mastery, could be transferred over to someone else. So, unless the hand had been annihilated somehow, and Command Seals were a real bugger to try and destroy, someone was running around with the potential to become her new Master. With a frown, she lifted a hand with the intention of taking out the Masters attacking Luthien, Barthomeloi, and Luvia, but was interrupted by a haughty male voice. "Surely you don''t plan on sinking to the level of an Assassin? That would be such a disappointment after finally finding someone who might be a worthy rival." She turned around to find a Servant in intricate golden armor and golden hair standing close by, with a small smirk on his perfectly sculpted face. ¡°King of Heroes.¡± She said simply in greeting, while just erecting a telekinetic wall between the Masters fighting below, ensuring that Luthien would not perish. A quick search with her senses discovered that The Lion King had retreated, and the powerful Servant that had been her ally had vanished, likely defeated. Karna, who¡¯d also been part of that fight was currently fighting Arjuna, the old rivals facing off once again. It seemed Arjuna was winning, likely due to Karna¡¯s strain from the earlier battle. ¡°Firstborn of All Creation. Proclaimed thus by a god no less.¡± Gilgamesh stated, with an amused tone. ¡°And here I was supposed to be the mankind¡¯s first hero.¡± As he spoke, golden portals appeared in the air, as if small ponds of water, with weapons protruding out of them. A single one of the weapons was shot at her, more as a greeting and a warning shot than a serious attempt to hurt her. A golden wing appeared from her back and batted aside the projectile. ¡°That¡¯s the error in your assumptions. Mankind¡¯s.¡± A pleased grin spread on his face. "So I see. I was correct. You are a worthy foe. We shall resolve this little war between us and that goddess hiding within a mortal frame. It shall be a battle worth my attention." He referred to The Lion King. "Until then." He simply vanished, having said what he wanted to. Gilgamesh was a smug prick, but he had enough power to back up his attitude, and he likely wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. He was also among the most powerful Champions of the gods, albeit his power was curtailed by the Grail War. It was almost too bad he hadn''t wanted to fight because she had a perfect plan against him. A plan that required quite a bit of Mana, unfortunately. She looked down again, seeing her previous Master momentarily safe, and allowed her senses to take a better look at the rest of the battlefield, and all of those still on it. It seemed the Black team would finally be eliminated when the three Elven heroes finally defeated Neltharion, but they had not gone down without a fight. She could sense that all the Berserkers had been eliminated. The giant Medusa was gone, as were both Artoria and her ''son'' Mordred. That fight would''ve been interesting to witness. As far as she could tell, the Gold team had two Servants left, Karna and Gilgamesh, and Karna was locked in a fight with Arjuna at the moment. Purple still had The Lion King and C¨² Chulainn. Green team¡­she couldn''t sense any of them, but their Assassin seemed to be a slippery one. The white team still had the three Elven Servants fighting Neltharion, who was the last of the Black team. She could sense Haqim still out there, hunting. That left their team. Herself, Arjuna, and¡­ She turned just as the chariot of Rider stopped next to her. ¡°I like the wings. Unexpected, yet at the same time not. You made a bit of an entrance as well.¡± The man¡¯s voice was clearly excited by the battle, which it should be, considering he¡¯d just fought and for all intents and purposes won against Neltharion. Not a bad feat. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Rider. Who attacked my Master?¡± She asked, not amused. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was a little busy, in case you didn¡¯t notice.¡± He pointed at the Dragon, who in his final moments managed to drag the Elven Saber with him to death, by collapsing an entire building on him, before his claws finished the job. An opening which the Elven Lancer used to finally slay the Dragon. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice, because I was dragged off the battlefield. Damn reality marbles.¡± She cursed lightly. ¡°And that¡¯s the final Saber gone. Where did you and your master vanish?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not at liberty to say.¡± Rider declined to answer. ¡°I don¡¯t think that is going to cut it at this point.¡± She almost growled. ¡°And yet, that is all the answer I can give. And I don¡¯t think you have the Mana to spare to strike at one of the last allies you have, even if you¡¯d win.¡± He was right too. She didn¡¯t. Even if most of the Mana for breaking both Solomon and his reality marble had come from inside the dimension, she wasn¡¯t regenerating any without a Master. In fact, without a Master, she was slowly bleeding Mana instead. And she still had bigger battles to fight. So, she decided to focus on solving the mystery instead. She slowly floated down towards Luthien and the others. She noted that the Masters attacking them were Elven in heritage, so likely the Masters of the White team. The two Elven Servants, both ragged after the fight with the Dragon, quickly made their way over to protect their Masters. Not that it would do any good if she wanted them dead. "Caster," Luvia said with a breath of relief. Seraphiel looked at Luthien. "Who did this?" The light of healing fell on her previous Master, sealing the wounds, even if she wasn''t able to regenerate a missing arm. The downside of her healing Skills still being at a lower level and so universal. Limb recovery was a bit too specific. Luthien shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Someone took me by surprise and was gone before I could see them through the pain.¡± After a moment of consideration, Seraphiel turned towards the Elven team. ¡°You were busy attacking them, and I¡¯m well aware of the Elven Perception. Tell me who did this, and I¡¯ll let you leave here alive.¡± The Elven Caster, a gorgeous woman dressed in all white hesitated a brief moment before nodding. ¡°The Assassin of Green.¡± That was not at all what Seraphiel had expected. ¡°The Assassin of Green? He willingly maimed a person? That doesn''t fit his character at all.¡± She was almost certain the Servant''s identity was Batman. The Elven Servant could only shrug at that. "I can only tell you what I saw. As you asked. Will you keep your word?" Seraphiel waved her hand at the woman. "Of course. Although, as a word of advice, I would suggest trying to save your Masters instead of aiming for victory. This whole thing will only get worse soon." She knew they would not abide by her advice, but she gave it anyway. As she turned back to the Red Masters, Barthomeloi stepped forward. "I''m simply going to point out that I just lost my Servant, and your Master no longer qualifies. It would be beneficial for us to join forces. There¡¯s no point in you fighting alone." Seraphiel shook her head. "I believe you already know this, but while it is true that Luthien is no longer my Master, I''m not an orphaned Servant yet either. As long as she''s alive and her arm is out there, I''m still tied to the Command Seals on the hand, wherever it is. And whoever has it, might become my new Master if they so choose. I cannot take a new Master before that issue is resolved, even if I wanted to." It was actually a good plan. While the hand existed and Luthien lived, she''d slowly grow weaker. If Luthien had been killed, she could¡¯ve just taken a new Master, as distasteful as that might be. There were plenty of takers after all. "Can you not track the Seals?" Luviagelita asked. "Well, here we come to an interesting little conundrum. I''m not exactly your standard Caster. While my abilities and existence consume Mana due to my status as a Servant, I''m not actually a mage. I can do things other Casters cannot. However, while stuck in this legend, I also have some limitations other Casters might not have. I¡¯m good at tracking people. Not so great at tracking magical signatures." She revealed. She hadn¡¯t had any of her magical or anti-magic skills during her time as an Aeldari. The knowledge wasn¡¯t gone, but access to the abilities was extremely limited. The battle between Karna and Arjuna abruptly ended, inconclusively, as the two Servants chose not to battle to the death just yet. While rivals, they didn''t hate each other, so a temporary ceasefire once everything else was calm wasn''t too out of the ordinary for them. As Arjuna landed next to them, he was clearly exhausted. After catching his breath, he had more bad news. "I tried to track the arm, but Assassins by the nature of their Class can avoid any notice." He admitted as well. That left her in a bit of a pickle. Not for long though. ----- Haqim looked at the immobile Servant standing in the middle of the city, staring at empty air. The man was dressed in a funny costume, but his countenance was serious enough that Haqim could''ve considered turning him had this been the distant past. Currently, he had no interest, as the man was frozen in place, his eyes unfocused. If nothing happened, the Servant would likely stand there until starving to death. Such was the insidious nature of the Domination powers of the Kindred. It looked like one of his previous teammates had Dominated the mind of the man at some point earlier, assigning him some kind of tasks. Now the man had either completed his assignment or couldn''t proceed further. Haqim didn¡¯t hold much regard towards the Kindred that had tried to use him, but they were capable in a couple of ways. He¡¯d observed as they¡¯d early on taken control of the other Assassins and turned them on the most dangerous target in this Grail War without even fully realizing why. After that had failed, they¡¯d obviously reconsidered and targeted the Master instead. Even in death, their powers and commands persisted. Seeing the hand bearing Command Seals in the incapacitated Assassin¡¯s arms presented an interesting opportunity and dilemma. Taking it was easy, and he would obviously do that. The question was, what to do with it? He was nominally allied with the Red team and Selessa, as he knew the woman, and if he had to pick someone to win this war, then she would be his first choice by a wide margin. If the hand was returned as is, it was extremely likely, Selessa would be the victor. That had been rather obvious straight from the beginning. Even Haqim knew better than to pick a direct fight with her. That said, it¡¯s not like he couldn¡¯t mess with Selessa a bit. He¡¯d messed with her before, and messing with her was great fun. She was great fun, and didn¡¯t carry much in the way of grudges. He knew better than anyone how she¡¯d been treated on his world, and she still didn¡¯t hold a grudge. It would be such a shame to let her waste away due to lack of Mana, as she obviously couldn¡¯t use the same method of sustaining herself as he did, but at least he could have some fun with it. And he knew just how to do it too. With a quick twist of his hand, he snapped the neck of the Assassin and picked up the arm with the Command Seals. He couldn''t become her Master, as he barely had enough Mana to sustain himself for a brief time. He knew just the person to give the arm to though. Someone who¡¯d annoy her as much as possible as a Master. His own time was running out, the blood no longer enough to sustain him. Might as well observe the fun as long as he was able. ------- The Trambelio heir couldn¡¯t believe his luck. At first, he¡¯d been freaked out about a severed hand in his bed. That was not a sight anyone wanted to wake up to. Yet, it took him only a short time to realize the significance. Someone had done him a huge favor. And he wasn¡¯t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. If someone wanted to hand him the keys to winning this whole thing, he certainly wouldn¡¯t reject it. And to be able to do it by using the exact same method he¡¯d been denied earlier made it even sweeter. He knew he had made an error with his own Servant earlier, but it wasn¡¯t like he could be blamed for getting caught in a huge explosion that took out most of the city. And it wasn¡¯t like that bitch Luthien had gotten this far due to any tactical acumen. She¡¯d simply managed to summon the most powerful Servant. That¡¯s it. Now, credit where it was due. Summoning a powerful Servant like Caster meant that they¡¯d all underestimated her, and for that, she had earned at least some respect. But it wasn¡¯t like she¡¯d done anything useful since then. It had been completely unilateral domination by Caster. At least he¡¯d almost entirely destroyed the White team by himself by best utilizing his own Servant. And now he¡¯d be able to do it again. Maybe he¡¯d even let that ungrateful bint live as a reward for securing him the keys to victory. With a grin, he grabbed the hand, and chanted the perquisite spell, and the two Command Seals transferred to his hand instead, bringing up the number of Seals to four. He also felt the connection form with his new Servant, along with the basic knowledge of her. ¡°A Godslayer? Really? No wonder she¡¯s so grossly overpowered.¡± He idly wondered how long it would take his new Servant to realize. As it happened, not very long, as she appeared in the room only seconds later, stepping through a gash in reality. ¡°Well, I have to admit. This I did not see coming. Maybe I should¡¯ve.¡± The eerie voice of the woman came through the filters of the mask. Chapter 69,5 Interlewd ------ As Trambelio was about to say something, Seraphiel lifted a hand to stop him. ¡°Before you start making flippant comments, let us remember that if you annoy me badly enough, I can and will kill you in a heartbeat.¡± ¡°Not if I use a Command Seal to stop you.¡± Trambelio countered. Luckily, Luthien''s arm had disintegrated when the Seals had been transferred, otherwise, things might have been a little awkward. "Mm, first, that only works if you manage to utter the command fast enough. Faster than I can kill you. Which we both know isn''t going to happen. Secondly, that only lasts as long as the effect of the Seal lasts. You should be aware of this, but I''ll remind you. You can order me to do something, but the effect isn''t permanent. You could order me to kill myself because it would only take me a second to do it. But ordering me to not kill you would require it to last for days when we both know any order you give me will last minutes at best." She wasn''t going to give him the upper hand in this. "Assuming I won''t be able to resist it in the first place." He leaned back in his chair and tapped his chin in thought. He knew she had a point. She was one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful Servants in this war at least, and the strongest Servants were not as susceptible to the Command Seals. ¡°And yet I am the Master, and you the Servant.¡± ¡°Those are the names used, yes, but I wouldn¡¯t take them too literally. We are now at a crossroads. You hold the keys to victory in your hands, but if you try to treat me like one of your actual servants, you¡¯re going to throw those keys away right quick.¡± She stated. He wasn¡¯t a complete idiot though. He leaned forward. ¡°Perhaps, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯d be willing to throw the victory away over some minor slight either. Not when you¡¯re this far in the war. See, I''ve figured out something about you. Many who heard your little proclamation with the goddess you serve might think that''s your main motivation. Dedicating a war to your goddess is a very obvious and understandable motivation. But I don''t think that''s what¡¯s driving you. You¡¯re not used to losing. I think you¡¯re so powerful and so blessed with talent, that losing this Grail War hasn¡¯t really even occurred to you. See, we''re similar in that way. It would irk you. It would be a stain on your honor if you were to participate in a Grail War and not win it. Had this been the start of the war, you might just throw it away no questions asked, but after all this effort and so close to victory? I don¡¯t think so. Not unless you really have to.¡± "Perhaps." She admitted. "It is true that losing is not something I have to deal with very often. It''s not entirely foreign to me though. It would not be the first time, or the last. So, while I strive for victory, and even give much to achieve it, there are lines. And since you mentioned a stain on my supposed honor, having a different kind of stain on my honor and dignity just to avoid a stain hardly makes sense.¡± Thanks to this being the legend of her from right after her exile, he was more right than she cared to admit. This version of her was definitely not used to losing. ¡°But you won¡¯t throw the whole thing over something minor, like I said. We both know this, even if you don¡¯t care to admit it. I know there are limits. For example, I won¡¯t order you to deal with your former Master, as I know that would be crossing the line. And not that she needs to be dealt with.¡± He felt that he understood her better than most for whatever reason. ¡°The real question is, how far are you willing to go to gain victory?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked. ¡°You know what I mean. We both know the only thing that can stop you from winning this war is the lack of Mana. Unlike your previous Master, I can provide you with all the Mana you need, and much more effectively.¡± He grinned a bit. ¡°See, now you¡¯re confusing me with the maids you keep schtupping.¡± She shot back. Trambelio scoffed. ¡°I have more standards than that. I would not stoop to mixing with such rabble. I have no trouble landing willing partners of my level just fine, thank you very much. Forcing myself on some lowborn maids is beneath me. I¡¯m proud of my conquests, and I¡¯m proud of my record when it comes to partners. I have nothing to be ashamed of in that regard. I only sleep with those worthy, ladies of the highest class. And I''ll have you know, none of them have had any complaints afterward." ¡°If you have to say you¡¯re the king, you¡¯re no real king.¡± She mocked him a bit. ¡°And interesting that you¡¯d offer right away, considering you know nothing about what¡¯s under this armor and mask. You might be propositioning a Troll.¡± Trambelio scoffed again. ¡°Please. We both know that¡¯s not going to be the case. However, you do have a point. I don¡¯t have to make a case why it would be beneficial to you. You¡¯ll need to get my interest.¡± He lifted the hand with the now four Command Seals. ¡°Seeing as we have extra, let¡¯s see what you look like under that armor and mask. Undress completely.¡± One of the Seals flashed and vanished. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. She could¡¯ve fought it, but chose not to. While Trambelio wasn¡¯t exactly her favorite, he was a handsome enough man, and he had a point. The Mana she could gain from him might be enough to ensure victory. It felt like her body was acting without any input from her, as if on autopilot. The more she undressed, the more excited Trambelio became. He had expected her to be pretty. She was, after all, supposedly the hero of Luthien''s people, and for all her other faults, Luthien was not unattractive. The Eldar was a bit on the slim side, as Trambelio liked his women with some curves, but the vision of beauty revealed in front of him didn''t suffer from that problem. He''d known she wouldn''t. The robes and armor hid a lot, but they couldn''t hide the basic shape of her body, and he''d known the Caster had curves, and now they were revealed in all their glory as piece after piece of clothing dropped on the floor. First to go was the weird armor. The armor had clearly been pushing down on her assets, as they quickly became much more obvious and pronounced as soon as the armor fell to the floor. Next, she removed the hood, which sent a full set of slightly curled and lightly waved, and slightly messy, golden blonde hair cascading down her back, all the way to her waist. Next, she reached back to release some kind of string at her back holding the robes in place, before giving a shrug that sent them cascading down her back, leaving her standing in rather revealing lingerie. She had on a blue set of panties, a blue bra that didn¡¯t really hide much, struggling to hold back her impressive decolletage, black stockings, and a blue cloth choker. Her bust was definitely large, full, and surprisingly perky for its size. Narrow waist flared out to rather wide hips and bubble butt you could bounce a coin off of, a flat belly with the outline of abs visible, and thick thighs that met long legs. It was like she had been sculpted to perfectly match his tastes. Slowly, she shrugged off her bra, revealing ping turgid nipples, and was about to move on, before he stopped her. ¡°You can leave the rest but remove the mask.¡± Something she¡¯d been holding on to. Her hands slowly moved to the almost demonic-looking mask, making it vanish into thin air, revealing a face that was surprisingly youthful and Human-looking. At the same time the effect of the Command Seal disappeared. Her age was impossible to determine, but if he''d been forced to guess and she''d been a random person, he would''ve pegged her at somewhere between twenty and thirty. Deep blue eyes, sharp features, prominent black eyebrows and lashes, naturally thick red lips, and perfect skin. She was a vision of beauty, and clearly, her Charisma was off the charts. ¡°Is the Master pleased?¡± She asked in a mocking and almost sarcastic tone. He laughed. ¡°The master is very pleased. You¡¯ll do.¡± He nodded happily, standing up from his sitting position on the bed. He walked around her as she stood in place, taking in every feature and curve of her body. ¡°Yes, the master is very pleased indeed.¡± He stepped closer, sliding a hand up from her hip to her side, and up to cup one of her breasts. She didn¡¯t move to resist or help as he slid his hand along the underside of her breast, grabbing it, giving it a gentle squeeze, and lifting it a bit. He found the breasts surprisingly heavy. He brought his other hand to the other breast, cupping both, before moving his fingers to her nipples, which he discovered were already hard. He brought a leg between her legs, pushing them apart a little, before sliding a hand down her front to caress her taut belly, slipping into the tight small panties, and cupping her sex. One of his fingers easily slid between her folds, and inside her, as he noted she was growing wet from his touch. The finger inside her made a hooking motion, finding that little rough patch inside her that he knew did wonders to most women. He relentlessly, but gently teased and caressed the spot, and it didn''t take long before she opened her legs wider without any prompting from him, allowing him better access. He soon had a second finger inside her, her own hips moving in pace with his fingers, making sure he hit her just right. The longer he fiddled with her, the wetter she became, and clearly, she wasn''t putting up any resistance. Not that it would''ve much mattered to him at this point. He moved the hand playing with her luscious titty to his pants and unzipped them, his cock slipping out easily. His cock slid between her thighs and protruded in front of her, as he pulled his fingers out of her cunt. He slowly moved his hips sliding his cock between her soft thighs and against the fabric of her panties. "What do you think?" He asked. She glanced down. ¡°I¡¯ve seen more impressive.¡± She stated directly. He chuckled. He was a bit above average for a Human, so he was sure she was correct. He grabbed his manhood with his hand, before whispering a small spell, and started sliding his hand along the underside of his cock. Except his hand kept going, and going. When he let go, his manhood was much thicker and longer than before. He didn¡¯t make it grotesquely large, but it was still larger than any natural Human manhood., thicker than her wrist and almost as long as her arm from elbow to wrist. ¡°That¡¯s what spells are for dearie.¡± Then he suddenly lifted her up, holding her up with his arms under her knees, easily holding her in the air in front of him, her legs spread wide. He carried her towards a large standing mirror so that they could both see what was going to happen perfectly. "Put it inside yourself." He whispered into her ear. Without objection, she slid aside her panties, at the same time revealing that the carpet didn''t match the drapes as her pubic hair was decidedly dark, grabbed his manhood, and brought it to the mouth of her sex. She used her fingers to spread apart her lower lips, and placed the now large head of his cock into the opening, before making a twist with her hips allowing the head to slip inside her tight sheath. Trambelio could feel her tight folds grabbing hold of him, squeezing the head of his cock, and he couldn¡¯t stop himself as he lowered her down, her whole weight causing him to spear her in a single thrust. ¡°Ahhn!¡± She cried out in a seductive voice. They could both see the outline of his cock under her skin, as his massive manhood extended all the way to her belly inside her. She was so tight and felt so good! He could feel the Mana transfer starting, and before even realizing it, he was thrusting inside her. Her titties bounced up and down as she worked her own hips just as hard as he did, crying out in pleasure on each thrust. Both of them were so keyed up, and their pace so frantic, that they were not going to last very long. ¡°Ahhhhhhn!¡± She cried out loudly and he could feel her squeezing down on his cock, milking him with success as he shot inside her, injecting a huge amount of Mana into her. The position was spreading her so far apart, that some of the cum he shot inside her sprayed out of her and even on the mirror. As he let her down on her own feet again, she turned to her, with cum still leaking from her pussy. ¡°Such a quick shot Master. I have trouble believing you satisfied too many high-class women with such effort.¡± He didn¡¯t bother telling her that he¡¯d only cum so fast because she was so unbelievably hot. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. The first shot may have been quick, but the next one will not be. And I have more than enough stamina to make sure you¡¯ll have all the Mana you need to win the war.¡± He reassured her. And he spent several hours proving his words. Chapter 70 - If wishes were fishes ------- Seraphiel felt fresh. Empowered. As a Servant full on Mana, that was a heady feeling. She glanced at Trambelio, who was sleeping on the bed with a satisfied look. He wouldn¡¯t be happy for long. A quick flex of her telekinesis lifted him off the bed while she dressed, her clothes practically shooting off the floor and draping over her. She made sure to send a pulse of energy into his mind to keep him asleep while she made her way downstairs, where she found Barthomeloi waiting. ¡°Trambelio? Huh, didn¡¯t expect that. I was worried for a second you wouldn¡¯t come back, but I suppose that worry was for naught.¡± Barthomeloi stared at the sleeping Trambelio with a dark look. ¡°He wasn¡¯t the one to attack Luthien, was he? That would be¡­¡± ¡°No. For some reason, he was the one to end up with the Command Seals though. I have some idea why, but that¡¯s largely irrelevant at this point.¡± Seraphiel shook her head while thinking about a certain pervert Vampire. ¡°Everything go according to plan then?¡± The nominal leader of the Red team asked. ¡°Close enough.¡± Seraphiel nodded. The exact nature of her encounter with her new master had been a question mark, but having her Mana reserves filled so effectively was a positive, despite the method used. ¡°We¡¯re still going through with the plan then? He is still part of our team on a certain level.¡± Barthomeloi asked, just to confirm. She wasn¡¯t suggesting a change but making sure she was committed to the path. ¡°I was a bit concerned you had run into complications, but I¡¯m glad that¡¯s not the case.¡° ¡°The plan is unchanged. He managed to help with the Mana issue as well, and I¡¯m now topped off completely. Ready to face anything.¡± She stretched like a cat, causing Barthomeloi to chuckle. ¡°At least his last moments were pleasant.¡± She turned a bit more serious. ¡°Can you keep him asleep until¡­¡± Instead of responding, Seraphiel slashed with her sword, severing Trambelio¡¯s hand without the man even flinching. The cut was so clean that it took a moment before the wound even started bleeding. ¡°You might want to rush. There¡¯s no point in wasting mana healing him and this only works while he¡¯s alive," Seraphiel stated coldly. Barthomeloi nodded, grabbed the severed hand, and chanted the necessary spell to transfer the Command Seals, as well as Seraphiel¡¯s mastery over to her. Their plan had been hastily put together, as they hadn¡¯t known who Seraphiel¡¯s new Master would be, but things had worked out better than they expected. The plan always had been to kill the new Master once their guard was down, though that Master being Trambelio had been somewhat unexpected. ¡°And Luthien?¡± Seraphiel asked, confirming a part of the deal they¡¯d made. Neither of them particularly cared as Trambelio bled to death behind them. ¡°Already off-world and getting looked at by someone who can regenerate her arm and hand. She¡¯ll be further rewarded once the victory is ours.¡± Barthomeloi confirmed she¡¯d held her end of the deal. She also recognized Luthien¡¯s contribution to the eventual victory. "Good. Now let''s go win this thing." Seraphiel stated, before grabbing Barthomeloi and creating another portal to where Arjuna and Rider were located. The same place where Lord Germaine also resided. As she left, a final invisible cut appeared on Trambelio¡¯s neck, just to make sure. The underground basement was a rather good hiding spot. "You''re back," Arjuna stated, as if he''d never doubted it for a moment. He probably hadn''t. ¡°Haqim is gone. The voyeuristic bastard.¡± Seraphiel revealed as the two of them arrived. "That might explain what I''m sensing," Luvia interjected. "The Grail is about to appear near the center of the city, and that usually heralds the imminent end of a Grail War.¡± ¡°With only eight Servants left, that makes sense. Although normal Grail Wars only have seven. This one has been a weird one from the start.¡± Barthomeloi shook her head, familiar with the history of the Grail Wars. "The plan for the final fight still stands?¡± Arjuna gestured towards Rider. ¡°I will take care of Karna and Rider will face C¨² Chulainn. Together we¡¯ll take the Elven heroes when we have the chance.¡± He pointed at Seraphiel. ¡°You¡¯ll have to face Gilgamesh and The Lion King. Whoever is left will decide the final victor.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take the Masters inside a pocket dimension to make sure nothing like Luthien happens again. You have my word none of them will be hurt.¡± Seraphiel promised, before clapping her hands. ¡°Let¡¯s get to it.¡± The two other Servants were gone in a flash, while Seraphiel stayed long enough to secure Barthomeloi, Luvia, and Lord Germaine. Next, she stepped through another portal to appear next to the materializing grail. The grail was still intangible and impossible to touch, but the outline was already floating above the city radiating power. It was easy to sense a relic of such power, and it was also clear why so many people were willing to fight for it, risking their lives. The survival rate of Masters in this war was surprisingly high, with many seeking shelter in the central cathedral, though that was irrelevant at this point. She wasn¡¯t alone. The man in golden armor was already waiting there, and The Lion King appeared only a few seconds after her. Gilgamesh smiled a bit. ¡°Excellent. None of us was gauche enough to allow the lesser heroes to taint this moment with their presence.¡± The Lion King looked at both of the others while maintaining a perfectly calm demeanor. Seraphiel could tell she was wounded though. Not by her fight with Gilgamesh though. Something that had happened after. Something that standard healing couldn¡¯t deal with. A power Seraphiel could recognize. ¡°Fel.¡± She spat out the name of the corrosive power. ¡°Shame you¡¯re not at full power.¡± The Lion King simply inclined her head a bit. ¡°The Demon with two glaives was a worthy opponent, even if he interrupted my fight with the King of Heroes.¡± Ah, Illidan had been his usual hotheaded self. ¡°It turned out he managed to leave a mark, even if I was victorious. It is my weakness that I have to bear the wound to the final fight.¡± "I would offer the both of you a seat by my side, but I get the sense that you''d refuse," Gilgamesh said smugly. "I bow to no king." The Lion King said simply. ¡°I¡¯ve killed worse.¡± Seraphiel shook her head. ¡°As you know.¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°In that case, let it be finished. This war has lasted long enough for such a mundane affair.¡± Hundreds of golden weapons appeared and shot towards both Seraphiel and The Lion King. Against many other Servants, this might have been a serious threat, but against the two of them, it was mostly a greeting. Seraphiel gracefully dodged a few and telekinetically deflected some more, but the main focus of Gilgamesh was clearly elsewhere. Hunting the wounded gazelle first. The Lion King simply lifted a hand and a stone wall appeared between her and Gilgamesh as they were all brought inside another Reality Marble. It seemed like all sound was suddenly cut off, as a wave of pressure fell upon Seraphiel and Gilgamesh, as they floated above the Holy City of Camelot. At the center of the city stood a pillar of gold, a Divine Weapon known as Rhongomyniad, the Spear of the End, and the true form of the Goddess inhabiting the body of the Lion King. In return, Gilgamesh once again pulled out the same Gold and red sword that he¡¯d used against the Vampire team. It looked almost like a lance with rotating sections, the anti-world Noble Phantasm, Ea. The two were getting serious and preparing to throw their most powerful attacks at each other. Seraphiel felt a little ignored but wasn¡¯t going to protest when her enemies were making a mistake. ¡°Holy Judgement.¡± The Lion King declared and a lance of brilliant light fell from the heavens towards Gilgamesh. Rhongomyniad itself was too large to wield, but the power of the Divine Weapon could be directed to attack. ¡°I shall perform this final blow as a parting gift to you! I will tell you of the beginning. Heaven and Earth split, nothingness praised creating, my Sword of Rupture cleaved the word! Mortar of the stars, heaven¡¯s hell is the eve of creation¡¯s celebration. Now you shall die and be silent¡­Enuma Elish!¡± Gilgamesh managed to chant the entire aria for his weapon. Everything around him seemed to be plunged into darkness, as a torrent of red energy, formed like a tornado, faced the lance of gold, fracturing the unbreakable Camelot around them. The two seemed almost evenly matched, but Seraphiel, currently focused on defense with layers of shields around her, could see Gilgamesh winning. Mostly that was because The Lion King was wounded, and because she was fighting under constraints that the King of Heroes didn''t have. That had always been the problem with both Artoria''s Excalibur and Rhongomyniad. Both were weapons of unfathomable power, but both were mired in limitations, restraints set upon them by the knights of the Round Table, each knight laying a rule limiting the weapon¡¯s power. ¡°The enemy must be more powerful than oneself, The battle must be one-on-one, The enemy must not be an elemental, The battle must be one against evil, The battle must not involve personal gain, The battle must not be against Humanity, The battle must not be inhumane, The battle must be for truth, The battle must be to live, The battle must be to save the world, The battle must be an honorable one.¡± Seraphiel recited the restraints, too many of which were still in effect for the Divine Weapon to truly perform up to the necessary level. A problem that Ea didn¡¯t have, even if the weapon was slightly weaker. The reality marble finally shattered, Gilgamesh coming out victorious in the exchange. The Lion King was not dead, but she was dying, golden sparks slowly scattering off her body. Gilgamesh looked pleased with himself, but only as if this much was to be expected. ¡°And so, another King falls.¡± He stated with supreme confidence. The Lion King gave a last regretful look at the crumbling Camelot around her as she fell. This was not the first time she¡¯d been summoned, nor would it be the last. She was one of the top Champions of the gods as well, so the two were likely to fight again, even if they hadn¡¯t faced directly in the past. "We shall meet again, both of you." The Servants stated before vanishing. "I suppose it''s my turn then," Seraphiel said, bringing Gilgamesh out of his thoughts. She probably could''ve performed a surprise attack if she wanted, but that would''ve felt wrong. It was her time to show off after all. ¡°[Heavenly Host] Azrael.¡± A golden portal appeared in the air next to her, and she could feel the heavy drain on her new Mana reserves, as her sister appeared, as always, looking like a normal Human instead of a Celestial. ¡°Sister. I¡¯m a little surprised you called for me. I¡¯m not a warrior like Amenadiel.¡± Azrael said, as if having expected something like this. ¡°I can¡¯t stay for long either. Souls to collect and all that.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Gilgamesh asked with a frown. He had expected a fair one on one fight. ¡°King of Heroes, may I introduce Azrael, the original Angel of Death. Azrael, your blade please.¡± Seraphiel opened her hand in expectation like a little child, making a ¡®gimme¡¯ gesture. "Oh! Now it makes sense. Here you go." She pulled out a rather unimpressive-looking sword that burst into flames as soon as it was in Seraphiel''s hands. It was too short to be classified as a longsword, but too thin for a short sword and too long for a dagger. It was a decidedly awkward-looking and unwieldy weapon. ¡°You gathered the Flaming Sword? Really? What necessitated that?¡± Seraphiel asked, concerned, ignoring the King of Heroes for a moment. She had expected only Azrael¡¯s blade, which was part of the Flaming Sword. ¡°I¡¯ll explain another time. Go do your thing.¡± Azrael gestured towards Gilgamesh. As Seraphiel walked closer to him, Gilgamesh looked quite unimpressed. ¡°You¡¯re going to fight me with that thing? I expected something more. I expected the blade you used to kill a god.¡± ¡°Yeah, doesn¡¯t look very impressive, does it?¡± Seraphiel joked, waving the awkward blade around like it was a toy. It looked a bit like one. She kept walking closer the entire time. ¡°And yet, looks can be deceiving. This is me paying respects and not a slight despite the weapon''s appearance.¡± Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes, and suddenly golden chains shot out from several portals. This was Enkidu, his most trusted Noble Phantasm, the Chains of Heaven, capable of binding even gods. One of the few anti-Divine weapons in existence. The strength of the chains grew more powerful the higher the target''s divinity, and in Seraphiel¡¯s case, they were very powerful indeed. "Cute," Seraphiel muttered. "But ultimately futile." A single swing of the flaming sword shattered the chains on contact. Gilgamesh''s eyes almost bulged out of his head at the sight. "What is that thing?" ¡°Did you think I summoned my sister just as a spectator? She¡¯s the original Angel of Death, as I mentioned. And this is her blade, used to cull countless lives over the eons. She¡¯s always had a shit taste aesthetically, but as far as weapons go, there¡¯s nothing more powerful in the entire Creation.¡± She explained. Gilgamesh swung Ea again, intent on using the weapon again, but Seraphiel appeared right in front of him in a single step, slashing through the weapon in a simple swing, shattering the Noble Phantasm in one strike, before a golden wing appeared to stab the man through his armored chest. ¡°Be happy I was merciful. I¡¯m not sure your soul would survive if I struck you down with the sword." She said while looking Gilgamesh directly in the eyes before the man scattered into golden sparks with a confused look. Her plan had worked perfectly. It wouldn¡¯t work again though. Gilgamesh was not stupid and was capable of evolving his methods. It wasn¡¯t for naught that he¡¯d become Humanity¡¯s first hero. Hopefully, she hadn''t shattered his weapons permanently, otherwise he would carry a grudge. Gil had always been a little precious about his treasures. Her enemy disappeared just in time for her to witness Arjuna using a fully powered Pashupata against Karna, eliminating his target and half the city along with him, but sacrificing his own life in the process. Arjuna had previously stated that using the ability at full strength could defeat anyone but would cost him his life as well. It seemed the honorable fool had decided to take down Karna at any price. She was quite sure she¡¯d be meeting him again as well. Ironically, the Elven heroes had gotten to C¨² Chulainn first, although now only the Lancer remained. "Seems this fight is about to end," Azrael commented. "Mind if I go now? Like I said, souls to collect and all that. You don¡¯t need the sword anymore either.¡± Seraphiel removed her mask and nodded to her sister. ¡°I appreciate you coming, even if the visit was short. It¡¯s always great to meet my favorite sister.¡± Azael just vanished with a small smile. The Angel of Death could be anywhere and everywhere at once, and they both knew she¡¯d used the word sister instead of sibling on purpose. Although Seraphiel was a little bitter Lucifer had not visited her, and she¡¯d had to settle for the faux version of her Guide. The flaming blade vanished along with Azrael, and Seraphiel slowly descended towards the place where Rider and the Elven lancer were fighting, ironically exactly where the Grail was about to land. The two were close to equal, the Elven Lancer being faster, while Rider was defensively more powerful with his shield. The two stopped fighting as Seraphiel landed. ¡°Is it over?¡± Rider asked. ¡°It is. Only us three remain. I think it would be polite to at least go with our real names. Don¡¯t worry Rider, I figured out your weakness a long time ago, so the name won¡¯t change that.¡± Seraphiel looked at the man, no longer bothering with the mask. Rider grumbled a little but acquiesced. ¡°Achilles. I always hated hiding my name but¡­¡± ¡°Oh, Achille¡¯s heel!¡± The Elven Lancer realized right away. ¡°And I¡¯m Glorfindel if you didn¡¯t guess already.¡± Seraphiel made a small gesture that removed the opportunity for anyone overhearing her next words. "And I''m Seraphiel. Most call me the Exile" ¡°Yeah, the Angel heritage is rather obvious without your mask.¡± Achilles nodded. ¡°So how do we want to do this?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, there¡¯s little you two can do.¡± She used all her remaining Mana to reinforce herself, vastly increasing her physical abilities in the process. ¡°Bring it on.¡± She waved her Cronesword at the two and both rushed her with their spears. Neither of them reached her. She gracefully weaved between their strikes, using her wings as both shields and weapons. The two worked well together, but they simply didn¡¯t have the experience and skill she had. She''d spent more time than she cared to count mastering fighting with her blade and wings, and with her wings unleashed, it wasn''t a contest. She was landing her own strikes in the process. Glorfindel could stay away from her blade longer, but once Achille¡¯s wounds started to become too much, the Cronesword once again draining the powers of another great fighter, the Elf too was wounded. After that, all she had to do was wait and fight defensively. ¡°I almost feel bad that I¡¯m winning because of a difference in equipment, but I made a promise. A promise I would win this Grail War for my new Master.¡± The two Servants finally scattered in a shower of golden sparks, leaving her the last one standing. She released the three Masters from their safety as the Grail materialized fully, and slowly descended towards them. ¡°It¡¯s not cursed anymore, is it?¡± Seraphiel asked at the final moment. "No, that was fixed when we came to this universe," Luvia responded with a faint smile, somehow not surprised that Caster was aware of the curse that had previously inhabited the Grail. As the winners, Seraphiel and Barthomeloi heard a voice in their heads, asking what they desired as the reward. The Grail War had always been about getting a wish granted, and though the Grail didn''t have the power to grant all wishes anymore, the range of options, especially for a war this large was quite spectacular. Her decision was rather easy. Chapter 71 - Rewards and coming out --------- She could immediately tell the difference as she was brought back from the Grail War. The body she returned to was not the same as it had been when she''d left. It was as if weights had been lifted off of her. She felt light, and she felt as if some old niggling injury she hadn''t even realized had been there had suddenly disappeared. Best of all, that analogy was very accurate in this case. She had been very specific in her wish to the Grail. Her body in this universe had been slowly changing towards her real body, and she had wished that process to be completed. However, she wanted her old, real, body back. Not the one she¡¯d had from just before being brought to this universe. No, she¡¯d specifically wished for her old, unaltered body from the time she¡¯d just been exiled. As a Celestial, she had been all but invulnerable, but that didn¡¯t mean there could be no attritional damage accumulated over time. And most importantly, this was before she¡¯d slain Slaanesh, before the curse. Celestials like her self-actualized. If they thought they should be injured, or in her case cursed, they would be. It was not something they consciously controlled. It had to do with the deepest depths of their psyche. Even if she hadn¡¯t truly accumulated any damage over the years, after the life she¡¯d lived, she mentally maybe considered that she should¡¯ve. She had considered herself worthy of the curse laid on her. And if she wanted to get rid of it, it wasn¡¯t enough to just want it to happen. She needed something, some push to make her own unconscious mind really believe it. Accept it. What had happened during the Grail War was a low point. It was far from the rock bottom or lowest point she¡¯d hit before. She¡¯d been through much, much worse, many times. But it had been a low point. Enough to get her thinking. It was time for the curse to go, and it was also time for all the other self-inflicted harm and gunk in her system to go as well. The wish allowed her enough of a push, a plausible mental shift for a reset. It was time to return to the beginning. This was not her at her strongest, and yet at the same time it was. She didn¡¯t regain any of the old powers she¡¯d gained over her multiple visits to other universes. In fact, she didn¡¯t even regain the psionic abilities she¡¯d used during the Grail War. She¡¯d made gradual changes and improvements to her body over all the universes she¡¯d visited. This was truly her at her weakest. But it was also her at her strongest. This was still when she¡¯d been a perfect creation of Father and Mother. And not all the changes she¡¯d made since had been good, as evidenced by the curse. Some of those changes had been in response to what she had access to at the time and the injuries she''d gained. Some of the changes didn''t necessarily play together well. Now all of that was gone. This universe had offered her a fresh re-start. She¡¯d finally decided to embrace it. She¡¯d grown since she¡¯d been sent to exile. Mentally and physically. The physical growth she could regain without the accompanying downsides, and the mental growth didn¡¯t disappear just because she¡¯d decided to reset her mentality a bit. She hadn¡¯t become a different person as a result of the change, but maybe she should consider some changes? Powers could be re-learned, as she¡¯d already done in this universe. Not all her powers, but some of them. She didn¡¯t need all anyway. What was important was that she was now back. She was back in the body that had been created to defend Creation from unknown threats. She obviously felt stronger as well. Whatever imitation the System and her Father and Mother¡¯s meddling had created, it had not been her. This was her, as Father and Mother had originally intended. Without the ravages of time and bad decisions. They said the stats of this universe only affected what was there. Well, now she had the strongest base there could be. Even without the stats, she had done things no one else had done. No one else could have done. She wasn¡¯t even sure how much those stats still influenced her, as their effect seemed to have somewhat waned. Perhaps that was because before this she¡¯d been treated as an original inhabitant of this universe, growing strong because of the stats. Now, she was more akin to the other summoned Champions, whose stats reflected her reality instead of creating it. Or, maybe she was some strange hybrid of both? It was hard to tell. She would have to study the effects properly later on. She was about to have company. The door to wherever she was now, she assumed their ship, was thrown open. ¡°Captain!¡± Rangiku greeted happily, as Yoruichi walked in behind the bubbly woman. This time the slovenly dressed woman didn¡¯t try to glomp her and approached more carefully. ¡°I¡¯m so happy you¡¯re back! I had no idea Angels grew up so fast!¡± There was a tinge of unfamiliarity in her voice, likely because she didn¡¯t quite look the same. "They don''t," Yoruichi stated wryly. "This is a new development, and I sense the summons had something to do with it. You won, I assume?¡± ¡°Was there any doubt?¡± ¡°Well, it did take a while. I wasn¡¯t getting worried exactly, but usually you deal with things faster.¡± Yoruichi commented. She gestured towards Seraphiel. ¡°What¡¯s with the sudden change? You even feel different. Not bad, just different. You have a¡­presence about you.¡± ¡°Part of my reward for winning.¡± She nodded. ¡°Part of?¡± Rangiku asked rather sharply. ¡°Yes, I also got rid of a niggling problem, and of course got a huge chunk of EXP.¡± She summarized. There was a reason why Heroic Spirits were willing to participate in these wars, one of which was the great rewards, even if you didn¡¯t ultimately win. Even at high levels, participation was worth a lot of levels, not to mention winning. Luckily, her body from before had been growing ever closer to her real one, so the change was not as major as it could''ve been and didn''t eat up the entire reward budget. Even in a Grand Grail War, something like reforming the body of a Celestial, and getting rid of a curse like that was quite heavy. The faux-Lucifer had mentioned that even the System didn¡¯t have the power to summon her as she had been. The only reason the Grail had been able to affect the change was that she¡¯d already been halfway there. Still, she felt her current level was growing closer to the next Class Evolution, even if not quite there yet. As she stood up, she noted she¡¯d gained some height, and now had proportions similar to those she¡¯d had during the Grail War. It felt good to be back. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Uh-huh, and what¡¯s the downside?¡± Yoruichi asked wisely. ¡°I may have made some powerful enemies, and now my existence is known to all and sundry.¡± She shrugged, uncaring. Now that she had her old body back, even if not all her old powers, that didn¡¯t matter as much. Fuck the rest of the universe. If they wanted to come for a bite, she¡¯d be happy to give them more than they asked for. Now she was ready to deal with all comers. Now she was in a position to start taking real responsibility for her situation and circumstances. ----- Odin looked on in amusement as the whole gathering of gods was abuzz with the recent developments. There had been no summons for a conclave, yet a vast majority of the gods had sent a small fragment of their existence to their usual gathering place anyway. It was not uncommon to see a dozen or two gods here at any time, gossiping and exchanging news, while others had secret meetings in the dark corridors of the dreamlike plane of their gathering place. Ironically, those dark corridors only existed when the gods needed them for just such meetings, as the whole place was always molded for their needs. The place had no real name. It just was. Every god knew this weird little dimension was where all the politicking and backstabbing of the gods happened. No one remembered who had created it, or if someone did, they were not sharing. Usually, the place was not this full unless a full conclave, a gathering of all the gods, had been called. ¡°Father. I hear congratulations are in order.¡± A deep male voice spoke from behind him. Odin had of course sensed the approach, as it really wouldn¡¯t do to not be aware of your surroundings in this place. More than one god had been assassinated in this place. That¡¯s part of what made this place fun, as here anyone could be killed. ¡°A rather large victory in a risky bet.¡± ¡°You should know betting is only risky if you do it blind.¡± Odin smiled a little. He¡¯d won very big indeed in betting on the subject of all these rumors and hubbub. ¡°I hear your namesake among the Asgardians got defeated rather easily in the recent event.¡± It was not surprising that news of the event had traveled fast. The gods were perennially bored, and the events put on by their Champions and other agents were one of the best ways to entertain themselves. And an event that included several of the top Champions, even if in a slightly diminished capacity due to how the summoning system of the Grail Wars worked, was going to draw a lot of attention. Thor scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much I like that idiot going around abusing my name. The Asgardians have always had a bit of an ego. But I suppose it could¡¯ve been worse. He kept up until midway at least, even if his team did not do well.¡± Unlike his Asgardian namesake, the god Thor was a lot more strategic and sly being, as shown by his approach of Odin. ¡°You obviously know something, as you implied.¡± "Let''s just say I had some information beforehand that most gods didn''t have. I''ve run into the winner before and knew of her potential participation. I also know of the Exile, as do many others. I could put two and two together." He admitted freely. ¡°Good. Otherwise, this whole thing could¡¯ve been a disaster. Suriya and Indra reaped some of the largest benefits as usual, thanks to their Champions, not to mention Rhongomyniad.¡± Thor nodded, satisfied. Suriya was Karna¡¯s father, and Indra had sired Arjuna. When their Champions and sons did well, so did the gods themselves. ¡°The three of them have been doing a little too well lately, even if Rhongomyniad almost never comes out of her hiding place.¡± ¡°The really interesting part is, who else benefitted?¡± Odin looked around the gathering place and pointed at the area holding the Chaos Gods. Sometimes it was hard to tell how much any single god benefitted from any event, as betting and glory from their Champion were not the only ways to benefit. ¡°Case in point, The Changer of Ways has been growing a lot stronger lately, and this event somehow boosted him up even more.¡± ¡°I can sort of see how that happened.¡± Thor narrowed his eyes. ¡°Things are changing. And if anything, this Exile does seem to be an agent of change, even if unwittingly.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°And I can see why the Prince of Pleasure might have benefitted from what happened as well.¡± ¡°Oh yes, Freyja rather liked that last part as well. As did Aphrodite and others of their Domain as well.¡± Odin nodded sagely. ¡°Light also benefitted for some reason.¡± "And here comes the main beneficiary." Thor pointed out as a very Human-looking woman in very mortal clothing walked through the large doors of the gathering place. Before this, very few would¡¯ve even known about the being known either as Charlotte Richards or The Goddess. Now, she was on everyone¡¯s mind. The claim about being the beginning of everything was something that few took seriously, but it was something that everyone had heard about. It wasn¡¯t the first time someone made similar claims. Many gods have considered themselves creator gods before being brought into this universe. Some of them even had some merit to their claims. ¡°And here comes trouble.¡± Odin nodded towards Gaia approaching the new goddess from the opposite direction. He didn¡¯t hear the initial words the two exchanged before everyone went quiet, but he did hear the next ones. ¡°What kind of self-respecting goddess names themselves Charlotte? Sounds like you plucked some random mortal name out of a hat.¡± Gaia mocked. The new goddess grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t feel the need to be quite as pretentious as some. Though, if you insist, you can call me The Goddess, seeing as that is my official title in the System.¡± "Bold of you to try and assume the moniker of The Goddess in our presence," Gaia stated in a half-accusing, half-proud tone. "And yet, none of you can challenge me for it," Charlotte stated with a tone that practically dripped mockery and defiance. "Go ahead and try. Nothing would make me happier." Gaia looked thoughtful for a moment before making a decision. ¡°System query: legitimacy of the title The Goddess.¡± A swirling portal appeared in the air, and the System embodiment Odin had been seeing a few times lately stepped through. The handsome-looking Angel gave a small bow towards Charlotte. "Mother. Good to see you again." Those words sent a wave through the gathered gods. "Good to see you, son," Charlotte responded with a smile. The System embodiment turned towards Gaia. ¡°To answer your query, the title is legitimate, and applies only to a single being, the one standing in front of you, also known as Charlotte Richards.¡± His words confirmed Odin¡¯s suspicions, and he was glad he¡¯d picked the path he had. Having the title confirmed didn¡¯t confirm her words about being a Creator Goddess, but it did lend her words credence. Obviously challenging the title and being proven wrong was a huge blow to Gaia. There was no real price to be paid in making a query but making it like that in front of everyone was tantamount to calling the other person a liar to their face. And being proven wrong so decisively came with a loss of prestige, and likely the hostility of the deity you challenged. Sometimes the game was very blunt, and other times it could be quite subtle. ¡°Makes you wonder, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Thor asked. ¡°When did she even appear? Why isn¡¯t there any real following for her? As far as I can tell, she has exactly one believer and worshipper, and that¡¯s her Champion.¡± ¡°Yes, but when that worshipper and Champion is the Exile¡­¡± Odin pointed out. "I''ve heard rumors, but I don''t think any of my fragments have had close contact with the Exile," Thor muttered. ¡°Let¡¯s just say there has existed a silent agreement for a long time that no one shall try to summon the Exile as a Champion. Someone tried before, and the System shut that down hard.¡± Odin explained. He was one of the older gods present and was one of the major gods that held dominion over a Core World. Normally only a single god out of a pantheon did. The Norse pantheon was a bit different in holding three. The confrontation between Gaia and The Goddess had reached a new height as Gaia tried to suppress her opponent with sheer power, but that didn''t have even the slightest bit of effect. Gaia was not some minor goddess either, as she was widely worshipped in several universes before they''d joined with this one. She was not one of the major gods, but she was right on the cusp of becoming one. It was quite likely that Gaia had planned on using this confrontation as a stepping stone on becoming one. That plan had obviously badly failed. ¡°It¡¯s cute when a minor pretender goddess tries to flex their powers like that.¡± The Goddess stepped closer to Gaia and condescendingly gave the latter a pat on the cheek. ¡°Though you¡¯re lucky my husband isn¡¯t here. He doesn¡¯t like such defiance, even if He has mellowed out somewhat lately.¡± Gaia practically growled. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so smug if I were you. Even if I can¡¯t touch you, I can still reach your Champion.¡± ¡°Denied.¡± The System embodiment suddenly announced, drawing everyone¡¯s attention to the fact that he was still here. ¡°Oh, now this is getting interesting.¡± Odin narrowed his one good eye. ¡°What do you mean denied?¡± Gaia demanded. ¡°Just that. Your powers and access are insufficient to curse or otherwise affect the person you are attempting to curse. She is being protected by forces more powerful than you. Thus, your attempt has failed.¡± The System simply clarified. The rest was lost to the commotion again. ¡°So. The Champion is being protected by The Goddess directly?¡± Thor speculated. ¡°Probably, though I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the reason. There are others holding back any divine interference as well.¡± Odin gestured towards the place where the Chaos Gods resided. He didn¡¯t mention that he too had a bit of his own power invested in said protection. Had to shield his investment after all. Chapter 72 - Champions -------- The ship docked smoothly on the newly built station, and the team had disembarked in less than a minute. As Seraphiel sniffed the air, the place had that newly built smell, with freshly welded seams, electrical burns from not all wiring quite working correctly, freshly laid concrete, and recently cast metal. Oh, and the thick odor of oils and other lubricants. Since everything was freshly made, everything was also freshly maintained. She could spot some of the berths that were still being worked on. The outside of the station might have been finished, along with the defensive systems, but the internals and docks were still being worked on. ¡°Any idea why we were called?¡± Seraphiel asked. "No definitive ideas, though I can take some guesses," Chachamaru replied. "They told me they have a job offer, but didn''t go into detail. As we have a good relationship with them, I decided it was smart to hear them out personally.¡± ¡°Something to do with the Tyranids? You helped with them the last time, right?¡± Yoruichi asked. She and Rangiku were looking around curiously, not being as familiar with advanced technology as most of the others. Teclis seemed less out of place, even with his High Elven robes, while Shen-Zoo was feigning calm disdain, even if her curiosity was rather obvious. ¡°Although possible, it seems unlikely.¡± Seraphiel shook her head. ¡°They seem to have the situation under control, and the fleet outside should be large enough to deal with a Hive Fleet.¡± The number of ships outside the station was quite impressive. Turians and the Humans of that universe were quite industrious and militarily minded, so rapid military build-up was not too out of their character. Combined with the static defenses like weapon platforms and the base they were on, the defenses in this system, and especially the gateway, were quite formidable. "I got the impression that this request was more personal in nature," Chachamaru interjected not explaining further just yet. Their speculation continued as they marched through the station, noting all the unfinished shops and buildings. Even a military installation like this required services, and places for rest and relaxation. The exterior of the station truly was much further along. Still, the large military building they entered was completed. As soon as they stepped inside, they were greeted by an Asari officer, who identified their party right away. Considering the makeup of their group, that wasn¡¯t too difficult. ¡°Good afternoon. Spectre Shepard is waiting for you in congress room five.¡± The blue-skinned woman handed them a key and pointed them down a particular hallway. ¡°Oh? Shepard¡¯s behind this?¡± Seraphiel asked, not having expected that. "She was not the one who contacted me, but it would seem so," Chachamaru replied, clearly not too surprised as she led them in the appointed direction. The key allowed them direct entry to a rather sizeable room with a holoprojector at the center of a large conference table. Shepard seemed to be going through some maps on the projector as they arrived, though she stood up cheerfully as they arrived. ¡°Welcome! Good to see you again.¡± Shepard came around the table to give Seraphiel a hug. ¡°Wrex!¡± Shepard greeted right after the two separated, she nodded to the Krogan standing at the back of the group. ¡°Shepard.¡± Wrex greeted back simply. ¡°I see some new faces as well.¡± Shepard looked especially towards Rangiku, Teclis, and Shen-Zoo. Seraphiel made some quick introductions. ¡±This is my former Vice-Captain, Rangiku Matsumoto, of the Shinigami. She joined us just a week ago, though she¡¯s an old friend from a long time ago. This is High Loremaster Teclis, one of the best mages I¡¯ve met. And finally, this is Princess Shen-Zoo, our support specialist.¡± ¡°Happy to meet you.¡± Shepard nodded. ¡°I¡¯m Champion Shepard, an old companion of Seraphiel. And why am I not surprised in the least that you¡¯ve already managed to get a Princess to be a part of your group?¡± "A Dragon Princess no less," Seraphiel said smugly, causing Shepard to just shake her head. ¡°And you¡¯re not one to talk. You¡¯re the one that had the most eclectic crew possible when we were fighting the Reapers.¡± Tatsumiya was the one to interrupt the fun and bring up the business. ¡°What¡¯s this all about? We heard there was a job for us?¡± ¡°Yes and no. I have a job for Seraphiel specifically, although in a way for the rest of the group as well.¡± Shepard stated a bit cagily. ¡°I noticed you took part in a Grail War.¡± She half-asked quietly. Seraphiel lifted an eyebrow. ¡°That wasn¡¯t supposed to be all that public information.¡± ¡°Well, I happen to know about Charlotte Richards, so it wasn¡¯t hard to connect the dots. Especially since I¡¯m rather familiar with your preferred fighting style.¡± Shepard shrugged. ¡°Even if you were a bit hamstrung by the setting. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not widely known, and the Grail War isn¡¯t something just anyone can observe.¡± ¡°Ok, so what about it?¡± Seraphiel asked. "Well, seeing as you''re now getting active, how would you feel about starting your career as a proper Champion as well? I have an event coming up, which just so happens to be a team event." Shepard smiled. "There''s really nobody I''d rather have by my side." Seraphiel¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Two people isn¡¯t exactly a team yet.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "Well spotted." Shepard nodded. "The event calls for three-person teams. We need a third Champion, and I happen to know a couple of options. As for the rest of you, we would need a ride and bodyguards. Sabotage isn''t unknown in these kinds of events, and we would have to travel quite aways.¡± The group looked at each other a bit, each of them nodding. ¡°I see no objections. Consider me intrigued.¡± Seraphiel spoke for the whole group. ¡°We¡¯ll have to gather some supplies first, but it should only take a couple of hours.¡± Chachamaru gave her approval as well, and signaled Kaede and Tatsumiya to go with her to pick the supplies up. ¡°You can hash out the details.¡± ¡°How¡¯s the situation with the Tyranids?¡± Wrex asked, being the one with the most to lose if the bugs came this way. ¡°They sent a few probing attacks our way, but I believe our defenses encouraged them to go another way. Especially since we already gave them a bloody nose with Seraphiel¡¯s magic. That said, we¡¯re being careful, and any extra forces we possess will get channeled here as soon as they¡¯re either built or made available from their normal duties. Many are actually looking forward to a fight, as it¡¯s a great opportunity for some levels. Of course, that will also mean a lot of dead people, so not everyone is as gung-ho, but what can you do.¡± Shepard shrugged again. ¡°War is good business though.¡± ¡°Yeah, no-one goes bankrupt selling weapons.¡± Wrex nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sure my people are eager to re-enact the war against the Rachni, what with us finally recovering from the genophage and everything.¡± ¡°Genophage? I don¡¯t believe the translation spell quite got that one?¡± Shen-Zoo asked. Wrex grunted. ¡°My people were uplifted by the other races of our universe to fight an enemy similar to the Tyranids. We helped them win, and as a thanks they neutered us with a genetic plague that caused most of your children to be stillborn. That went on for about a thousand years, before Shepard, Seraphiel, and a few others dealt with the plague. We still aren¡¯t quite as fertile as we used to be, but that¡¯s probably a good thing. Otherwise, we might¡¯ve become one of the Locust races ourselves. Despite all my efforts, we still aren¡¯t exactly a peaceful race.¡± "To put it mildly," Shepard grunted, causing Wrex to grin. "That seems horribly unfair still," Shen-Zoo stated. ¡°It was. Our people are going to hate the Salarians and Turians forever for what they did, but at least we¡¯re moving on.¡± Wrex explained. ¡°Maybe in a few generations that hate will become less pronounced. Mind you, Krogans can live a really long time, so a generation is a rather fluid concept.¡± Seraphiel turned towards Shepard. "So, what''s this Champion event about? And more accurately, how do these Champion thingies even work? It''s my first time if you don''t count the Grail War. And I was just summoned for that one.¡± "Well, those Grail Wars are one major way. Almost all of the top Champions can be summoned as Heroic Spirits after all. Mostly, we get informed of any events our God wants us to participate in, either by the god or by one of their messengers. Not all gods are as personal as yours." Shepard grinned. "Sometimes our gods are nice enough to directly transport us to the location, but most of the time we need to hitch a ride. Sometimes we need to travel quite far, as is the case this time. The events themselves can be absolutely anything from singing competitions to Grail Wars. Naturally, I''m not entered into the former.¡± "Maybe I was too hasty in dropping that performance Skill," Seraphiel muttered. ¡°What was that?¡± Shepard asked with a sudden grin. ¡°Nothing at all.¡± Seraphiel denied. ¡°This event is a more traditional team fight one, according to what you¡¯ve said.¡± ¡°As far as I know. I haven¡¯t gotten all the details yet. We usually don¡¯t, so we can¡¯t prepare too much beforehand. Otherwise, it would turn into an arms race. That said, even combat-focused events often include other elements, so teams that are pure fighters usually get brought down a bit. That''s just one of the reasons I wanted you on the team. Even if you don''t have System-assisted Skills for some things, you''ve gained actual skills and experience in most things.¡± Shepard leaned over the table she was sitting at. ¡°And you said you had some ideas for a third?¡± Seraphiel questioned. ¡°Yes, but I¡¯ll keep that one a secret for now. They should be at the event, and if they are, we can ask them. They¡¯re not exactly the most popular person around due to certain circumstances, so we most likely won¡¯t have to worry about someone poaching them.¡± Shepard had apparently decided to be all mysterious. ¡°Team-ups at the event site are actually the norm in such events, as not all Champions have connections with other Champions. That¡¯s another reason you might want to take part, to make some of those connections.¡± ¡°Right. I was under the impression that you¡¯re a mid-ranking Champion, so I assume this is an event for such.¡± Seraphiel knew Shepard wouldn¡¯t take her words as an attack, although they could be seen as rather rude. She also had a bit of a fear that she might be connected to other Champions already. ¡°Correct, though it¡¯s not entirely uncommon for one of two high-ranking Champions to take part out of boredom. The number of events for the high-ranking Champions is less, mostly because even the gods find it difficult to corral them sometimes. Besides, many of them have entire planets to defend. While it would be considered highly rude to attack a Champion¡¯s world while they¡¯re gone, it has happened in the past.¡± Shepard revealed with clear distaste. ¡°Usually, the high-ranking Champions don¡¯t bring their A-game though, as they know it would spoil everyone¡¯s fun if they stomped all over every event.¡± ¡°Right. Let¡¯s get to it then.¡± Seraphiel nodded. ------ Yoruichi and Rangiku found Shepard in the gym area of their ship. The two hadn¡¯t exactly been searching for the Human Champion, but now that they were here, they knew they had some things they should talk about. ¡°Shepard. It¡¯s always gratifying to see even Champions working out.¡± Yoruichi said with a cat-like grin. Shepard used her Biotics to flick off the gravity enhancer over the spot she was using for push-ups. ¡°Well, even with stats it¡¯s important to stay in shape. Besides, even if there was no need, it¡¯s a habit at this point. Something I¡¯ve gotten used to doing all my life.¡± She smiled wryly. ¡°Oh, I agree. Even for us Shinigami, it¡¯s important to stay in shape, although the methods we utilize are a little different. Otherwise, someone as lazy as Rangiku here would have no hope.¡± Yoruichi teased with a grin, earning a punch to the shoulder from the blonde woman. A rather lazy punch. ¡°I am curious what your exercise is like.¡± Shepard asked, while jumping up to a standing position. "For us, it''s mainly about spending our powers regularly as we are still spiritual beings. In my case, that usually means more [Shunpo], and battle training is always useful. The important part is working hard towards an ideal, and the mental work helps form us into what we are. It''s not that there is no physical component, but that the physical aspect is secondary." Yoruichi explained. ¡°Makes sense I suppose. I don¡¯t pretend to be an expert on the subject.¡± Shepard admitted. ¡°Now, I get the sense you sought me out for a reason. And I can somewhat guess what that reason is.¡± ¡°Yes, well, I would be worried if you didn¡¯t have some idea at least. Seraphiel. Lovers.¡± Yoruichi drew a small circle with a finger that clearly encompassed all three. "Many lovers," Rangiku added. She actually had a less direct relationship with Seraphiel, as it had been more a case of them both getting into trouble together. It had always been understood that Yoruichi and Seraphiel had a special bond, and Rangiku had been more of a companion on such adventures than a lover. ¡°Yes, and I suspect there are many more that we¡¯ll run into in the future.¡± Shepard nodded. ¡°I already told her that I just want her to be happy. Things have changed a lot since we were together. I¡¯ve changed a lot. I¡¯m not sure if it would even work between us anymore, but I¡¯m not really willing to let go either.¡± It was a fact that they¡¯d only been together for a few very tumultuous years, and that was several decades ago. ¡°Well, both of us are fine with Sera having multiple lovers. In fact, that¡¯s part of the fun, as we get to have fun with many people as well. We just want to be part of that fun. And if you happen to be among those lovers¡­well, I certainly won¡¯t object.¡± Yoruichi grinned a bit. Shepard was looking rather delicious after all. ¡°Well, that¡¯s certainly an interesting way to deal with the situation, though I would have to know more about both of you to even consider it. I''m not quite as liberal with my affections as Seraphiel, although I don''t judge her either. There would be no point. I knew what I was getting into.¡± Truthfully Shepard had prepared herself for the fact that she wouldn¡¯t be able to have Seraphiel all to herself, as that was simply not in the Celestial¡¯s nature. On the other hand, she hadn¡¯t quite prepared herself for what that meant in practice. ¡°Of course, all of this is provisional on Captain¡¯s approval.¡± Rangiku pointed out. ¡°Of course, though I don¡¯t see her refusing.¡± Yoruichi shrugged. "What''s the deal with the others? Teclis and Shin-Zoo in particular?" Shepard asked. ¡°Oh, they¡¯re not involved. I think Teclis might be interested, though there¡¯s some baggage with his brother. As for Shin-Zoo, she seems¡­well, the word that comes to mind is that she¡¯s above these sorts of things. I think it has something to do with her nature as a Light Dragon, and her growing up as royal. On the other hand, I¡¯ve heard about some really randy Dragons, so who knows.¡± Yoruichi made an indifferent gesture. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s going to get involved.¡± ¡°Well, as it happens, things might get interesting when we get to the event. The third member of the team I mentioned? Yeah, they have some history with Seraphiel. That¡¯s partially why I didn¡¯t mention anything.¡± Shepard revealed. Chapter 73 - Varete ------- "Ah, it''s about time you stopped hiding," Seraphiel stated with a smile. She was currently in her mental landscape, trying to form a better connection with her Zanpakut¨­ spirit. She¡¯d only just begun meditating, meaning the spirit had shown up almost right away. She¡¯d only stepped through a single doorway in the long hallway of doors inside her mind. The spirit that stepped forward was a tall, slim, and well-endowed woman who looked a whole lot like Seraphiel, except with red hair covered by a large headdress and dressed in all black. Although covered by her hat, she knew the spirit had her hair tied up in a spiral snail-shell fashion at the back of her head, held together by an ornate gold clip. She also had a round, golden medallion on her forehead and a pair of crescent earrings. "It''s been a while, Master." The spirit stated with an almost emotionless voice. ¡°And yet, you haven¡¯t changed a bit.¡± Seraphiel countered. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve changed plenty, Master. But then, you already knew that. I may look the same, and act the same, but we both know we are both fundamentally different.¡± The spirit argued back. Shadows seemed to wrap around her as if caressing her. ¡°Yes, I suppose it would not make sense if we had not.¡± She conceded. ¡°And yet, some things don¡¯t change.¡± ¡°Say it.¡± The spirit stated firmly, both of them knowing what she meant. ¡°Even if you know, I know it?¡± Seraphiel asked playfully. ¡°That¡¯s not how it works, Master. I need to hear you say it. Say my name.¡± The spirit insisted. "Varete," Seraphiel said softly before a glow of shifting colors surrounded the spirit. "Varete." She repeated, for effect. The Zanpakut¨­ spirits generally represented a trait of a Shinigami¡¯s personality. Usually, a vice or flaw they had. Rangiku tended to be lazy, so her spirit was even more so. Yoruichi was playful, so her rarely used Zanpakut¨­¡¯s spirit took that to the extreme. This wasn¡¯t always the case, but it held true most of the time. Some people simply weren¡¯t so easily reduced to a single flaw, or their flaw was more complex. Seraphiel had not been your typical Shinigami, even when she¡¯d been brought into their world. She had vices, but she¡¯d also lived longer than the Soul King, and seen more than almost any other being. She had vices, certainly, but handling said vices even when taken to the extreme wasn¡¯t the same kind of mental challenge as it would¡¯ve been to others, as she¡¯d come to terms with them long ago. Part of overcoming the vice was part of unlocking the Shinigami¡¯s power. In her case, her spirit had posed her an entirely different challenge. And apparently that had not changed. The Spirit and the challenge were the same, even if there had been changes. ¡°So, are we really going to do the guessing game where I have to slowly try to figure out our powers to unlock them?¡± Seraphiel asked. ¡°Not that I mind spending time with you.¡± ¡°No, Master. You don¡¯t. You didn¡¯t the first time we went through this, so there is little point in demanding for it now. I am your Zanpakut¨­, and it is my duty to help you.¡± The spirit claimed. ¡°I will reveal what you gain from me, as it becomes available. That means no Bankai yet.¡± ¡°Why the hide-and-seek then?¡± Seraphiel questioned. ¡°Because, before now, you weren''t ready. You were not in the correct place mentally. You still aren''t there completely, but you''re close enough. You didn''t understand what you needed. Now you do, at least a little. Your return to the source of your strength underlines that." The spirit explained. ¡°And what is it that I need?¡± Seraphiel asked, interested in the answer. ¡°Mana.¡± The spirit said simply. ¡°It always comes down to that, doesn¡¯t it?¡± The spirit adjusted her hat. The original person, on whom the spirit was based on, had used that hat as a font of mana, as did others of her kind. It was the source of their power after all. Or at least where that source was hidden. "You don''t need fancy tricks or new abilities. You just need better access to what you already know, and the ability to not hold back." ¡°I¡¯ll grant you that it would¡¯ve made the Grail War easier.¡± She admitted. ¡°It is also obvious in your Skill choices. You¡¯ve tried to replicate your magical abilities through other sources without taking a magical Class, but I will solve that problem for you once and for all. The last shackle holding you back is broken. You no longer need to hold back. Go forth and be what you need to be.¡± Her spirit declared, still with an emotionless voice. ¡°What kind of Mana are we talking about here?¡± Seraphiel asked carefully. "A bit of extra or a whole lot?" The spirit frowned a bit. ¡°You already know what kind of spirit I am. Why even ask? Think of it as having a personal Well of Eternity in your pocket if you must.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Varete had been a very simple Zanpakut¨­ spirit in function before, and it seemed that hadn''t changed. Sometimes simple was the best, especially when it came to someone like Seraphiel, who already had access to all sorts of abilities. Why grant something new that might not be any better than what she could already do when Varete could just make her better instead? ¡°I have high hopes for the Bankai.¡± She added with a small smile. "As you should," Varete stated before simply vanishing, and Seraphiel found herself back at the ship, kicked out of her own mental world. Only a second later the ship jerked a bit. ¡°I regret to inform everyone, but we are under attack.¡± Chachamaru¡¯s voice came over the comms. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s too serious, but it would seem we are being targeted.¡± Seraphiel quickly made her way to the bridge. There she already found Shepard present. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Shepard asked with a commanding voice. "We were joining the queue for the gateway when a vessel started firing at us. I''m currently engaging in evasive maneuvers, using the other ships as a distraction, and it seems the attacking ship is trying to avoid firing on the other vessels, making this tactic highly effective." Chachamaru reported, while still engaged with flying the ship. "Show us the enemy ship," Shepard ordered. A singular dark wedge-shaped ship of about Corvette size was flying after them, firing weapons that seemed mostly plasma-based. "I don''t recognize the ship," Shepard said after observing it for a moment. "You?" She turned toward Seraphiel. "I think it''s a deliberate mix of technologies to obscure its original source. The hull is reminiscent of the ones used by Sith, but using different materials, and the weapons are definitely not from that universe.¡± Seraphiel recognized elements of the ship. ¡°So, we should probably assume that the ship doesn¡¯t actually belong to any of the obvious sources used in the construction. If they want to obscure their origin, they wouldn¡¯t use anything recognizable as theirs.¡± Shepard speculated as the ship swerved around another civilian ship. There were dozens of ships lining up, preparing to use the gateway, which had to be tuned to each destination as it was one of those that could be used to travel to multiple locations. The process took a few minutes every time. Not long enough to really be a bother, but long enough to build a bit of a bottleneck. A good place for an ambush. ¡°Unless that¡¯s what they want us to think.¡± Seraphiel pointed out. ¡°Bah! Just shoot them down and shift through the wreckage!¡± Wrex scoffed as he came on the bridge. "Unfortunately, as our ship was designed to be a stealth attack ship, most of our weaponry is pointed forwards," Chachamaru stated, deftly dodging another series of attacks. ¡°Nice flying.¡± Shepard complimented. "Thank you, though mostly I''m managing because the enemy really is avoiding shooting at others," Chachamaru replied modestly. ¡°Why do they keep making ships that can¡¯t shoot backwards?¡± Seraphiel grumbled. ¡°Every bloody universe makes the same mistake.¡± "Engines," Wrex grunted. ¡°Indeed.¡± Shepard nodded. ¡°The engines are usually quite large, blocking arcs of fire, and they also produce either heat or other effects that will throw off the aim of any weapons, or can even cause your ammunition to explode. And even if shooting backwards during a chase would be nice, working engines are better.¡± ¡°Well, remind me to fix that problem when I have time. That problem has been solved a hundred times before. Good thing I don¡¯t have the same issue as our weapons.¡± Seraphiel stated and reached back towards the offending ship with her telekinesis. Her power and reach had improved a lot over the years, and now even distances between spaceships weren¡¯t an issue. She concentrated for a moment after grabbing hold, and the offending ship started suddenly jerking around as parts of it almost collapsed, before it suddenly righted itself and resumed pursuit. ¡°Was that supposed to do something?¡± Wrex asked. ¡°Yes. Yes, it was. There¡¯s someone on board with psionic powers of their own, considering they managed to counter mine. Granted, the distance makes that easier, but still.¡± Seraphiel grumbled. At this distance, the enemy didn''t need to be as strong as her to stop her. ¡°Together?¡± Shepard asked, and Seraphiel nodded. Together, they reached towards the enemy vessel, Shepard using her biotics, and Seraphiel could feel the psion in the enemy vessel trying to counter both of them. As was so often the case, when you chase two hares, you end up catching neither, and the enemy ship was practically torn in half between the two powerful Champions. ¡°Good. Take us around and engage.¡± Shapard commanded. ¡°No! Don¡¯t!¡± Seraphiel countermanded that order, though it was somewhat unnecessary as the vessel exploded before they had a chance to change course. "Huh. You should''ve hit it slightly less hard," Wrex stated. "I know that sounds wrong coming from me, but we just lost all our leads." ¡°That wasn¡¯t us. They self-destructed. And here¡¯s the fun part. I didn¡¯t sense anyone dying in the explosion. They somehow got out, if they were present in the first place.¡± Seraphiel explained. There were ways of projecting psionic powers across distances via supporting systems. ¡°Okay. That¡¯s a little disconcerting.¡± Shepard admitted. ¡°We need to be more careful going forward. Engage stealth systems as often as possible.¡± "I already am, but we need to come out of stealth if we need to line up for gateways, like here," Chachamaru explained. "And we need to discharge heat at some points as well." "Huh, I forgot this technology had that problem," Seraphiel said mostly to herself. "I''ll have to fix that too when I have the opportunity. I¡¯ve clearly spent too little time working on the ship itself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not gonna say no to some bigger guns and better engines." Wrex grinned. "We might be able to turn this thing into a proper warship with a bit of time." "I think Tatsumiya would like something to shoot with as well," Chachamaru added, knowing the former teacher was quite fond of weapons. "Yeah, that one''s a real second Garrus when it comes to guns alright," Wrex commented with a chuckle. ¡°Where is he by the way?¡± Seraphiel asked. ¡°Working as a Spectre. There¡¯s actually talk about making him the next Hierarch in light of all he did during the Reaper debacle.¡± Shepard replied idly. "The scans are coming in," Chachamaru interjected. "There''s not enough left of the ship to analyze. Nothing that we didn''t already know at least. No sign of bodies either, so Seraphiel was correct there." ¡°We weren¡¯t in a rush, right? Can we take an alternative route?¡± Seraphiel asked. Navigation was something she could do but hadn¡¯t bothered to learn in this universe. She could always pick it up if and when necessary. Shepard frowned. ¡°We do have some extra time, but not the three weeks the alternative route would take. The connections between my home and the destination are not exactly ideal. That¡¯s why I wanted to hire your group.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s proceed as is.¡± Seraphiel declared. ¡°This attack was¡­odd. They went out of their way to avoid collateral damage and sent only one ship that wasn¡¯t really equipped to deal with us. This seemed more like a warning shot, and maybe a deterrent, not a real assassination attempt. If we run into something similar, I have ways of dealing with the situation.¡± ¡°Oh? Do elaborate.¡± Shepard looked at her with interest. "You remember how we traveled a few times during the Reaper War to escape from some of their forces?" Seraphiel asked. ¡°You can do that again?¡± Shepard lifted an eyebrow in question. "Now that I''m back to my old body, yes. After all, [Reality Manipulation] is my original, Goddess-given power." Seraphiel assured the other woman. In fact, her original power was now stronger than in Shepard''s universe because she''d gone back to her original state. ¡°I did notice you¡¯d grown a bit.¡± Shepard nodded approvingly. ¡°Can you not take us to our destination directly?¡± ¡°I theoretically could, but it would take quite a bit out of me, so I¡¯d rather avoid it unless necessary. As mentioned, we do still have time.¡± She demurred for now. ¡°What¡¯s this new-old power I hear about?¡± Wrex asked. ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything like that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you always hung out in the cargo bay.¡± Shepard laughed. Chapter 74 - That went well --------- "We''re approaching another gateway," Chachamaru reported, as she slowly brought the ship towards the group of other ships waiting to pass through the portal. ¡°Still no sign of our mysterious assailants?¡± Shepard asked, trying to look through the windows of the cockpit. She wasn¡¯t having much luck though. Even with her Perception, the distances were simply too large, and space was rather big. "Negative," Chachamaru said simply, before looking towards Seraphiel sitting at the co-pilot''s seat. ¡°Can¡¯t sense anything either.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Either they¡¯re not here, or they¡¯re too good at hiding.¡± It wouldn¡¯t be the first time someone managed to fool her senses, even if it was a rare occurrence. ¡°My [Precognition] isn¡¯t giving any hints either.¡± Fooling that was even harder, although the required Skills did overlap. "It''s the final gateway before our destination," Shepard muttered. ¡°If I was trying to ambush us, this is where I would do it.¡± ¡°Maybe they decided against it?¡± Wrex asked, almost sarcastically. ¡°A single attack that leaves a lot to desire for when it comes to seriousness? I somehow doubt it.¡± Shepard shook her head. "Disabling stealth systems and taking a position in the queue," Chachamaru reported. There was no actual line of course. The ships were simply situated near the gateway, holding a rather safe distance away from each other. They each took turns using the gateway, in the order of their arrival. There were some exceptions for special rush cases, but those were usually only relevant for owned gateways. For instance, an owner of a gateway might allow their own military to skip the queue and force civilians to wait. That and medical help. Those were the most commonly known and accepted exceptions. ¡°Still nothing.¡± Seraphiel shook her head. ¡°Everyone, keep your eyes open. I don¡¯t trust this type of calm before the storm. There¡¯s a good chance they¡¯ll strike once we exit the gateway instead. It¡¯s a more difficult strike on their part, but they might be hoping we¡¯re not paying attention and feeling safe.¡± Shepard was not going to let go of her concern. "Sniper in position," Tatsumiya reported. "Shadow as well," Kaede added her own voice to the mix. The queue proceeded quickly and in an orderly fashion. Every ship needed only a few minutes for gateway realignment, and there weren¡¯t too many ships waiting. Their turn came without an attack, and they were launched across space. As soon as they arrived though, they realized something was wrong. ¡°The gateway behind us is shutting down!¡± Chachamaru exclaimed. ¡°This is not where we¡¯re supposed to be arriving.¡± Seraphiel also noted. "Triangulating. Unknown location. Using active scans to try and gather more information. Empty system aside from the gateway. No life signs." Chachamaru scanned the system, as the information slowly trickled in. ¡°Uh, guys, you better check your scans. There might not be life, but the place isn¡¯t empty.¡± Tatsumiya reported over the comms. The sniper had a very high Perception, so it wasn¡¯t too odd for her to notice something out of place. ¡°Agreed. I can sense debris on the other side of the gateway.¡± Seraphiel confirmed. Chachamaru refocused the scanners. ¡°Acknowledged. Scans show the remains of some sort of a station. Origin unknown. Signs of violent destruction. The gateway behind us is also damaged. I¡¯m fairly sure it was somehow jury-rigged to accept our arrival, but I have no idea if we can use it to leave. I seriously doubt it, though.¡± "No signs of hostile ships though," Wrex commented. Seraphiel used her [Gift of Knowledge] on the gateway and was not happy about what she found. ¡°The gateway is badly damaged. It was damaged on purpose. Chachamaru was right. It was in good enough condition to accept our arrival, but no departures without extensive repairs.¡± ¡°Can you fix it?¡± Shepard asked. ¡°I could, but it would take time. Quite a bit of time. And I¡¯d need to create some of the materials from thin air, which takes more time and power.¡± She mused. The gateways were created by the System and the gods when a new universe was connected to this one, but that didn¡¯t mean they were somehow inviolable. Replicating them was hard, but not entirely impossible. ¡°Certainly enough time that we would miss the event.¡± "Someone''s gone through a lot of trouble to make sure we don''t arrive," Wrex muttered. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re the ones to attack this place and disable the gate.¡± Tatsumiya suddenly interjected. ¡°I¡¯m looking at the damage, and it seems old. Even the damage to the gate. The repairs to get it working long enough to get us here seem much newer, yes, but the damage is not. Someone simply took advantage.¡± Wrex grunted. ¡°Still, I would imagine it would take a bit of something to send a ship to the wrong gateway. I¡¯ve never heard of that happening before.¡± "It would. It would take either divine intervention or highly specialized knowledge." Chachamaru confirmed. "There are people studying the gates, but it''s a rather obscure field all things considered. It''s not something a random kid with access to a computer could manage." If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Here¡¯s an interesting thought. Were we targeted specifically?¡± Seraphiel suddenly asked. ¡°How do you mean?¡± Shepard asked with a frown. ¡°Well, yes we were targeted, but did they just want to catch any Champion going to the event, or you specifically?¡± Seraphiel clarified her thought. ¡°That¡¯s a good question. While I have enemies, that¡¯s why I hired you, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m a large enough threat to be targeted specifically like this. An attack like the first one, yes, a rigged gateway though? I don¡¯t think so. They could have come after us after hearing about you, but¡­¡± Shepard speculated. ¡°While I wouldn¡¯t rule that one out, it seems a little early. My identity really only got out there during the Grail War, and only to a limited extent. Few people would be able to connect me with the Exile.¡± Seraphiel countered. "So, there''s a good chance we were just targets of opportunity. The question is why? And if so, were there others targeted?" Shepard frowned in thought. "The first attack did seem a little haphazard. Could be explained if they weren''t sure who was on board. Just that a Champion was. We''re not all that difficult to detect, even across distances. Not if you know what to look for.¡± All Champions had a fragment of their god¡¯s presence and blessing after all. "While it would be fun to speculate on motivations all day, we need to decide what to do next first," Chachamaru interjected. ¡°So, Seraphiel, can you¡­?¡± Shepard made a vague magical gesture. "I can, but first I need to know where we are, and I need to know exactly where we are going," Seraphiel explained. "Knowing the entry and exit points is the basic 101 of any teleportation. While my ability is a little more flexible, the more I know, the less power it requires.¡± "Still figuring out our exact location," Chachamaru said. "Reading the stars is not exactly quick when so many universes are mashed together, many with very similar stars." "My parents weren''t exactly very inventive when it came to the makeup of the Milky Way in the various universes," Seraphiel complained. "Why do extra work, right? Differences appeared later of course, in reaction to how those universes developed, but many got the same seed." "This isn''t the Milky Way. That much I can already tell." Chachamaru stated simply. "You didn''t explain too much about our destination," Wrex commented. "It wasn''t really necessary before this, but¡­" "Right." Shepard nodded. "Our destination is the Core World of Coruscant. It''s a planet covered by an ecumenopolis city thousands of levels deep. The deepest levels haven¡¯t seen sunlight in god knows how long time. Notably, it is the throne world of that universe and the Galactic Republic. Also, the home to the Jedi Temple.¡± "Been there," Seraphiel commented. "A rather dreary place if you go away from the glitz and glamor of the administrative sectors.¡± ¡°Indeed. Not a place I¡¯d want to live in.¡± Shepard agreed. ¡°Anyway, the sheer number of people, combined with the world¡¯s status as a Core World makes it the best place for some very¡­particular resources. Not those you dig out from the ground, but those that sublimate from the air. Soul-based resources to be specific.¡± "That actually helps," Chachamaru said. "We were going through a minor gateway, and there''s a limited number of destinations it could connect to, and knowing we were close to that galaxy will help the triangulation. Yes, I can already tell we are on the edge of that galaxy. The area known as Unknown Regions. Yes, I see the irony of the name. Seeing as this is an empty system, that''s about as accurate as I''m going to get." ¡°I¡¯ve heard traversing the Unknown Regions is not exactly safe.¡± Wrex pointed out almost hopefully. "It''s not. At least if we were doing it the way the people of this universe do it." Seraphiel replied. "Their technology places certain limitations on how they travel, although, on the positive side, their ships are quite fast. We''re not going to be using that method. Our own location is a bit shaky, but we¡¯re close enough that it shouldn¡¯t matter. It won¡¯t be exactly pinpoint, but I can put us in the system where Coruscant is.¡± ¡°Good. At this point, I want to arrive just out of spite.¡± Shepard growled. Seraphiel focused hard, bringing her hands together in prayer, reaching for the reality she wanted, instead of what was really there. She willed things to be different, and the reality obeyed. She felt power drain out of her body, as making such a drastic change in reality was quite exhausting, but she succeeded. She lay in her seat, panting as the new reality came to focus. Suddenly all the consoles in the cockpit started blaring alarms. ¡°Weapons fire, proximity alarms, we¡¯re being targeted!¡± Chachamaru called out in warning. ¡°It¡¯s not just us!¡± Tatsumiya¡¯s voice came over the comms. ¡°There¡¯s a battle out here! And not a small battle either!¡± "I''m reading, dozens, hundreds, almost a thousand ships exchanging fire in orbit! Incoming fire! Raising shields!" Suddenly the ship shook as whatever shot at them hit the shields with more force than they were really designed to deal with. "Taking evasive action!" ¡°Who¡¯s shooting at us? And who¡¯s fighting?¡± Shepard asked heatedly. ¡°We were shot at by the nearest ship, which I think belongs to the Republic.¡± Tatsumiya, who was outside the hull of the ship with Kaede reported. ¡°The other ships I don¡¯t recognize. They¡¯re some grey wedge-shaped things. They seem to be holding an advantage.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve successfully brought us away from the ship that was shooting at us. They weren¡¯t really focused on us anyway. We were just a target of opportunity it seems. We do have some fighters pursuing us.¡± Chachamaru stated coolly. "I''ll take care of those," Tatsumiya promised, her gun singing as she sniped at the fighters. She''d been outside for this purpose, although for a different target. She was supposed to snipe at any ship attacking them. While her personal gun wasn''t exactly an anti-ship weapon, she could turn it into one with enough power. ¡°Can you take us towards the surface? That¡¯s where the event was supposed to take place, and I think they¡¯d avoid shooting at us if they recognize us as participants.¡± Shepard asked. "I can try, but I seriously doubt they''re very interested in the event considering the situation," Chachamaru replied doubtfully. ¡°Even if the event is canceled, I still need to arrive. There''s a world of difference for a Champion between ''I couldn''t participate as promised because the event was canceled.'' And ''I couldn''t participate because I couldn''t arrive.'' At least we can get support from other Champions there, and whoever is responsible for this thing is not likely to pick a fight with enough Champions, each with the power to take down armies.¡± Shepard explained her plan. ¡°Unless they¡¯re aiming for the Champions.¡± Wrex pointed out happily. Shepard shook her head. ¡°Unlikely. I think it¡¯s more likely they¡¯re taking advantage of the distraction provided by the event. That or the publicity.¡± Their vessel dodged and weaved its way through the battle towards the planet below. Any fighters wanting to pick a fight with them got dealt with by Tatsumiya. They soon ran into a problem though. "The planetary shield is stopping us from entering," Chachamaru reported. "Just go straight at it," Seraphiel ordered. "I''ll deal with it." "Are you up to it after the earlier teleport?" Shepard asked a little worried. ¡°I am.¡± She promised and reached forward towards the shield. Chachamaru piloted directly towards the shield. ¡°Uh, Sephy, the shield is still there.¡± ¡°Trust me. Have a little faith.¡± She whispered, and reached forward to alter reality once again. Just as she sensed the ship was about to ram the shield, she altered reality again, and the vessel was now forward from its previous position, leaving the shield behind. She collapsed against the co-pilot¡¯s chair, completely out of breath. ¡°I really need to train that ability more.¡± She muttered mostly to herself. ¡°Great job!¡± Shepard exclaimed, patting her on the shoulder. ¡°Yes, well, now we have another problem. We¡¯re coming in too fast.¡± Chachamaru reported. ¡°Just fly doughnuts above until you bleed the speed off!¡± Shepard ordered. ¡°I would, but we¡¯re being lit up by every AA-gun in the area. Might have something to do with us approaching the senate building.¡± Chachamaru countered. ¡°You did report there¡¯s two Champions on board, right?¡± Shepard looked towards Yoruichi, who was operating the communications station. "I did, and they don''t necessarily disbelieve me, but they''re a little jumpy at the moment. Steer away from the senate, and they might not put holes in our ship Chachamaru." The Shinigami instructed. "This is such a mess," Shepard grumbled and reached out with her own biotics, using the mass effect field to slow them down further. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve heard crash landings are a time-honored tradition on this world.¡± Wrex laughed, enjoying the whole thing. ¡°Don¡¯t damage my ship!¡± Seraphiel protested. ¡°We just got it!¡± The whole vessel was now shaking under the effects of the sudden deceleration and Shepard''s powers. "Found us a spot to land, at least by a certain definition of the word," Chachamaru called out, before the ship leveled. Then it hit something, throwing all of them around as it slid across the ground sideways, hitting more things, before finally coming to a stop. ¡°We¡¯re alive?¡± Shepard asked gingerly. "That was a shit landing," Wrex grumbled. "Not even a proper crash." ¡°We managed to jump off.¡± Tatsumiya¡¯s voice came over the comms again. ¡°I hope those statues you bowled over weren¡¯t important. Incidentally, you almost crashed into the Jedi Temple, so you¡¯re about to be surrounded by glowstick-waving people less than pleased you trashed the plaza in front of their home. ¡°Oh joy.¡± Seraphiel, who¡¯d been tossed off her chair and was finding the experience of laying on top of the console rather displeasing, sarcastically expressed what they were all feeling. Chapter 75 - Star Wars ------- ¡°You should only wave those glowstick around if you¡¯re prepared to use them.¡± Wrex¡¯s gruff voice could be heard as the first greeting as they exited the ship after their graceful landing. ¡°And keep in mind that it makes you into legitimate targets. You wouldn¡¯t like the result.¡± "Wrex, do try to not scare them too badly," Seraphiel stated a bit more diplomatically. ¡°He¡¯s not expressing the sentiment in the most diplomatic way, but the sentiment itself is something I can get behind.¡± Shepard countered a bit. ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate someone baring weapons at me.¡± It seemed Shepard¡¯s renegade side had come out to play. "You''re the ones who almost crashed into our temple in the middle of an invasion. You will be questioned, and suitable punishment will be determined." A dark-skinned bald male Human Jedi stated with a tone that was leaving no space for argument. He was being backed up by two dozen other Jedi, with more arriving steadily. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not going to work for us. We don¡¯t recognize your authority in this matter.¡± Shepard stated coldly. ¡°I know you¡¯re a little distracted, but you¡¯re the ones holding a planetary shield up knowing that there are Champions arriving, who don¡¯t have much choice but to come here because they¡¯ve already agreed to participate in the event. Two such Champions just arrived. You don¡¯t get to whine about our method of arrival. In fact, you should consider yourselves fortunate we aren¡¯t taking hostile action after being shot at by your ships.¡± Yup. Shepard¡¯s renegade side was definitely out to play. ¡°You may have missed it, but we¡¯re in the middle of a war and under surprise attack. We don¡¯t have the luxury of playing nice with foreign Champions.¡± The leading Jedi stated. ¡°Now, you will be questioned whether you want to or not.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not going to work for us, like the lady said," Seraphiel repeated. "Instead, you have two choices. You can try to force the issue, after which you''ll have a lot less Jedi and nothing to show for it, or you can fuck off. We''re not in the mood to answer your questions. I would imagine the loss of a hundred or so of your Jedi might not be the best thing ever to happen to your war effort. Or it might be. I''ve noticed Jedi can be a bit of a hit-and-miss when it comes to war. Most are just self-righteous hindrances, while a few here and there can accomplish something." She did not have any appreciation for Jedi. She hadn''t had any when she''d visited their universe and had been more of a morally righteous person, and she hadn''t gained any more since then when her own morality had turned more gray. She also didn''t have much appreciation for Force users in general. The power was listed under psionics, but she thought it to be a horribly ineffective way to use their powers. ¡°Master Windu, stand down, you will.¡± An old green Goblin-looking Jedi hobbled down the steps of the temple, leaning on a wooden cane. ¡°Enemies these people, need not be.¡± For a moment, it seemed like the man was ready to argue, but finally put away his lightsaber which prompted the other Jedi to stand down as well, although a large portion of them stayed around to keep watch just in case. The green Goblin-wannabee hobbled closer to them. ¡°On edge, my friends are. The attack, the worst in people brings.¡± He provided in the way of an explanation. ¡°Though, to fair be, something about that, you should do.¡± The short creature pointed at their ship, which was still leaning over a broken statue. ¡°We''ll get to it. When we get to it.¡± Shepard stated, still not feeling very cooperative. ¡°And who might you be?¡± ¡°I believe you¡¯re talking to the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. The leader of this cult.¡± Seraphiel stated disdainfully. The green being looked at her. "Like the Jedi, you do not. No. The Force itself, you disdain." ¡°Right on both accounts, though the two are connected. I think your order¡¯s use of the power you wield is not only inefficient and short-sighted, but your teachings are immoral. I suppose I¡¯ll give you two examples.¡± Seraphiel, despite being tired from two reality alterations, floated into the air above their ship. With a single gesture, she lifted the entire ship into the air. Another gesture from her, and the ship almost seemed to explode, as it suddenly expanded when it efficiently dismantled itself in a matter of seconds. Every piece and part was separated from each other, and the whole thing was broken down into the smallest constituent parts. Then, all the damaged armor plating suddenly bent back into proper shape. Every burnt-out and overloaded power conduit suddenly seemed to regain its previous pristine state, and any part too far gone simply vanished as a new one was created out of thin air. Then, with a final gesture, the ship reassembled itself perfectly, before setting down on an open spot beside the temple. "Now, that was something a proper Psyker can do. Next, I will provide a demonstration as to why even a half-decent magic user is better than your cult." She gestured towards the broken and devastated statues. Dozens of them lay in a million pieces around them. She uttered a single word. "Reparo.¡± All the statues rebuilt themselves perfectly. Not even a single crack could be seen in the statues. All of them were restored to their former glory. "And none of the Jedi in the temple can replicate either of the things I just did with little to no effort." She stated with finality, although the no-effort part wasn''t entirely true. Repairing the ship and creating the parts out of thin air had taken a bit of effort.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Hmm, and yet, things that you cannot do, we also have.¡± The diminutive Jedi stated. ¡°Well, when you can think of a single example, let me know.¡± She walked straight back towards the ship, with Shepard and Wrex in tow. "That was kind of awesome." Shepard grinned when they were back inside and out of earshot. "Though to be fair, I couldn''t have done either of those things with my Biotics either." ¡°Perhaps. But at least Biotics are useful in other ways. The Force Cults? They¡¯re just very inefficient ways of doing minor things with a power that could be so much more.¡± ----- ¡°How¡¯s the battle in orbit faring?¡± Seraphiel asked Chachamaru. While everyone had exited the ship, Chachamaru had remained focused on the battle raging above. "It''s interesting. There actually seem to be three sides to the battle, as I initially assumed. One side represents the Republic, as we already know, which is defending Coruscant. However, there seem to be two separate parties attacking the planet. Two parties that are not actively engaging each other, but who also don''t seem to be allied. I''ve analyzed their movements and positions, and if my guess is correct, the two attackers originally didn''t plan to attack at the same time, but now that they are here, they don''t mind focusing on the Republic forces first." The android explained while having her eyes glued to her wrist computer. She had hacked several satellite feeds to get a better grasp on the situation. ¡°What happens when the Republic loses? Are they losing?¡± Wrex asked. "It''s not entirely clear yet. The size of the Republic forces is larger than either of the attacking forces, but together the attackers have an upper hand. At the moment, the attackers have an advantage, but it''s not a large advantage. I would assume the result rests mostly on how well the two attackers can work together and can they avoid coming to blows. They have the Republic forces pincered, which is why their tactics so far have been working. You don''t need a lot of tactics when shooting at a pincered enemy, but that won''t last forever." Chachamaru analyzed. ¡°Do we have any identification on the two attacking forces?" Shepard asked. "The locals must have some idea of who''s attacking them. Are they at least groups from this universe, and not some outside force.¡± ¡°I heard one group is a separatist group. A force trying to break away from the Republic.¡± Kaede reported. ¡°The other group is known as the Eternal Empire. The Jedi claim both are led by the Sith, but so far, I haven¡¯t found any evidence to corroborate that. I¡¯ve only managed to gather some initial information, but as far as I can tell, the Separatists, those people in the grey wedge-shaped ships, have Grey Jedi among them, though I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re leading them per se.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t get a great look at the Eternal Empire ships, as those were on the other side of the battle. We only got shot at by the Republic, and some Separatist fighters.¡± Chachamaru added. "The weapons being used by both the Separatists and the Republic seem to be from this universe, but the Eternal Empire seems to have gained some weapons tech from elsewhere. The effectiveness is still being judged, as we can see." ¡°Speaking of, we really need to update our own weapons. Seeing as you were pulling the ship apart earlier anyway, could you¡­¡± Wrex looked hopefully at Seraphiel. ¡°I could.¡± She nodded. ¡°And I think I might, if we get stuck here for a while. But I¡¯m too exhausted to do it now.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been putting off the upgrades, and now it¡¯s biting us.¡± Yoruichi pointed out. ¡°We do have the funds after all the work we did on Teclis¡¯ world.¡± ¡°Speaking of, did I just see you using magic?¡± Shepard asked curiously. "You did," Seraphiel replied simply. ¡°And when did all this happen?¡± Shepard pushed. ¡°When I unlocked the Shikai of my Zanpakut¨­.¡± Seraphiel shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m still not the primary mage of the group, as I don¡¯t have supporting Classes, but I can handle normal spell work just fine even without a Class.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all very interesting, but if we¡¯re not installing big new guns on the ship right away, what are we going to do?¡± Wrex asked. "For now? We should probably make our way towards the event area. Slowly and carefully, so they don''t shoot at us. At least we need to find out if the whole thing is canceled on account of¡­well." Shepard gestured towards the orbit. ¡°Depends on who wins, I suppose.¡± Seraphiel pointed out. ¡°Either way, we need to officially register our arrival. Even if the whole thing is canned, we need to at least know.¡± Shepard shrugged. The ship made a lot more graceful liftoff than the landing had been and slowly flew towards the large arena complex where the event was scheduled to take place. There was an adjoining spaceport, which they used for landing and docking their ship. After disembarking, they made their way towards the event officials, who predictably informed them that the whole thing was on hold until the attack was resolved. Instead, the official guided them towards quarters that had been set aside for participants, while suggesting a hotel for the non-Champion members of the crew. It seemed only a small portion of the expected Champions had arrived thus far. The situation being what it was, they all elected to sleep on the ship instead, as it had relatively comfortable sleeping quarters, and it allowed them to stay safe and watch out for each other. That of course didn¡¯t mean they stayed on the ship the whole time, although most of their time was spent observing the battle in the orbit. The two attacking forces had rightly noted that defeating the Republic defenders was the main priority and stayed focused on that. Even with a few of the Jedi flying out in starfighters, the Republic had to admit when they were losing, and the remaining ships finally retreated a few hours later, jumping into hyperspace. There was a brief stand-off between the two attacking forces, before the Eternal Empire¡¯s ships, who¡¯d taken more casualties, retreated as well, while the Separatist ships took position in orbit. They could assume some sort of negotiations took place, the end result of which was that the ships in orbit started firing on the planetary shield. The shield was holding on for now, and likely would for several days. It was the shield around the most important world of the galaxy, and a Core World to boot, so of course the shield would be powerful. "Well, that went about as we expected," Wrex stated glumly, still hoping for some sort of planetary invasion that he could fight against just for entertainment. ¡°Personally, I was betting on the Eternal Empire to come out ahead.¡± Shepard joked. ¡°Either way, the event is still on hold.¡± "You mentioned that there would be a potential third member for our team. Have they arrived? We could use this time to train together a bit." Seraphiel suggested. ¡°They haven¡¯t unfortunately. We arrived a bit early, as I was expecting trouble, and most of the other Champions seem to be late. Either they got word of the situation and don¡¯t have your means of arrival, or we weren¡¯t the only ones to get attacked on the way.¡± Shepard shook her head while leaning on the situation room¡¯s table, which was showing the holographic image of the ships bombarding the planet from orbit. "Interestingly, I noted the Senate officially requested the assistance of the Champions present in the case of a planetary invasion," Chachamaru interjected. ¡°Noted? I didn¡¯t see anything like that.¡± Shepard frowned. "I may have been monitoring incoming messages to the arena," Chachamaru admitted. She was apparently quite proficient in hacking, or slicing as it was called in this galaxy. ¡°I assume the officials told the Senate to go fuck themselves?¡± Seraphiel asked. ¡°Not in those terms, but the gist was there, yes.¡± Chachamaru nodded. ¡°Figures.¡± Seraphiel pursed her lips. ¡°They don¡¯t want to pick sides. If the Separatists win, then it would be bad if the Champions had been fighting on the losing side. We have no idea of the politics involved either, so we wouldn¡¯t want to get involved either, unless we¡¯re attacked of course.¡± ¡°So, we have nothing to do but wait?¡± Yoruichi asked, slumping in her chair lazily. ¡°Basically.¡± Both Chachamaru and Shepard nodded. Yoruichi groaned. ¡°Can¡¯t really go out to have fun either with the mood around the planet being what it is. The prospect of it soon raining hot plasma doesn¡¯t make people feel very festive.¡± ¡°On the bright side, our neutrality means we¡¯re at the most secure location on the planet at the moment.¡± Shepard pointed out. "You''re forgetting something. Someone did attack us before we arrived here and even managed to sabotage a gateway. That someone is still out there, and there must be a reason for it." Seraphiel pointed out. ¡°There is that, yes.¡± Shepard nodded in agreement. ¡°So, let¡¯s try investigating a bit. Move in pairs and try not to get into any trouble. That means you too Wrex.¡± ¡°Shepard, I knew how to avoid trouble when your species were still swinging swords at each other.¡± He grinned. ¡°And not the fun glowy-kind of swords either.¡± Chapter 76 - Importance of information ------- Seraphiel took a deep breath, taking in the stale air of the enclosed level of Coruscant. In addition to sweat, blood, and other secretions, she could smell the stench of corruption, desperation, and fear. You didn''t need to go down more than a dozen levels from the glittering surface of the capitol world of the Republic to realize the glitz and glamor was nothing but a fa?ade. A simple scratch at the surface, and you could find the rotten corrupted heart of a system that functioned mostly on inertia and disinterest. The Jedi and the Republic were theoretically the ¡®good guys¡¯ of this universe, but she¡¯d never thought that to be true. She had known better when she¡¯d been transported to the universe originally, and every minute she spent there only reinforced that thought. This universe had been one of those where she had openly rebelled against the mission given to her by Father. One of the first. Not the first, as the first rebellion had been a small one. No, this rebellion had been a larger one, and one where she¡¯d directly fought against her mission, instead of just letting her mission fail by lack of action on her part. She still wasn''t sure if the result had been better. There were no real good guys in this universe. The Republic still stood, and it wasn''t any better than before. Then again, a very long time had passed since her visit here. Any changes she''d caused likely had been lost in the rapids of time a long time ago. That was the problem with heroes and heroic sacrifices. They might buy time and save people in the short term, but in the longer term, those sacrifices were either forgotten or twisted to serve less noble purposes. Time caused even the greatest heroes to be forgotten, and that was without anyone actively working towards those nefarious goals. Unless the garden was regularly watered with the blood of new heroes, all the gains would be lost. It was enough to make anyone feel jaded. "You seem glum," Kaede commented. "I hate this place," Seraphiel replied with passion. Kaede glanced at their less-than-glamorous and cramped surroundings. "Not one of my favorite ambiances either, but I''ve seen much worse." Kaede, just like Seraphiel, was dressed in non-descript clothing to blend in, although the Ninja did a much better job. No manner of clothing was enough to hide Seraphiel''s Charisma. She shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean this alley, although this isn¡¯t pleasant either. I mean the whole galaxy.¡± Kaede tilted her head a bit in confusion. ¡°Again, I feel it necessary to point out, I¡¯ve seen worse.¡± ¡°Oh, so have I. Much worse. It¡¯s not that. Most of those that are worse are honest about it though. They don¡¯t try to hide their depravity and degeneracy. This place does, but doesn¡¯t do a very good job of it. It''s like they''re hypocrites, but not even very good ones." She tried to explain her nebulous dislike of the place. ¡°The supposed guardians of peace do nothing against things like slavery and corruption, even in their metaphorical backyard.¡± Their discussion was interrupted by a thug of some sort being thrown through the holographic window of the establishment they were standing in front of. The man rolled a few times before slumping against the wall on the opposite side of the alley. "Seems Shepard and Wrex are conducting some aggressive negotiations," Kaede commented idly. ¡°Eh. They still haven¡¯t shot anyone.¡± Seraphiel shrugged her shoulders in dismissal, just as another thug was thrown through the same window. ¡°They¡¯re still soft-selling things if they¡¯re not shooting anyone.¡± As if to confirm her words, no more people were tossed through the window. "Where were we? Ah, right, the hypocrisy of this place." ¡°You have some history with the place I take it?¡± Kaede commented with a quirk of her lips. ¡°More than I care to remember. Not one of my longer visits, but not a short one either. When it became obvious I wasn¡¯t going to abide by Father¡¯s will, I think he wanted to give me enough time to change my mind. Or see the results of my actions. I¡¯m not entirely sure. Either way, the place sucks.¡± Seraphiel ranted a bit. To both of their relief, Shepard and Wrex came out the doors, followed by Shen-Zoo. ¡°That was quite exciting! Do you think that counts as a bar fight? I¡¯ve heard so much about bar fights.¡± The Dragon seemed to be coming out of her shell the more time she spent with them. "Not really much of a fight," Wrex muttered. "They didn''t put up enough resistance for it to be called a fight.¡± ¡°Ooh, do you think we could arrange a proper bar fight then? I should like to see one.¡± Shen-Zoo asked in a chipper tone. ¡°We¡¯re certainly in a good place for one.¡± Shepard laughed. ¡°And the locals are nervous enough that it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to get one started.¡± ¡°Speaking of, any news?¡± Seraphiel asked. They were here for a reason. ¡°My source was feeling a little jumpy. For a reason as it appeared, but not the reason he expected.¡± Shepard gestured vaguely at the two thugs. ¡°Someone really was after him, just for different reasons.¡± ¡°He did cough up the information once we pointed out his error. And made a couple threats of our own.¡± Wrex added happily. Even if it was a shitty fight, it still put a smile on his face. ¡°Not very reliable, but it¡¯s something.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°It still needs to be confirmed, but according to him, the gateway we were re-routed to is really only known by the so-called Grey Jedi," Shepard explained. ¡°Huh. Don¡¯t remember pissing off any of those lately.¡± Seraphiel stated. ¡°Me neither. Though my source did also mention that we were not the only ones attacked, so it seems it might not have been personal.¡± Shepard added. ¡°Makes a twisted kind of sense. If you¡¯re planning on invading Coruscant, it would help if there aren¡¯t too many Champions from other gods present. Even if they failed, it would still be a loss of reputation for the Jedi and Republic. Especially if the event is canceled as currently seems likely.¡± ¡°It makes just enough sense to be plausible, but also weak enough that it could be a misdirection.¡± Kaede pointed out. Seraphiel made a sound in her throat. ¡°Playing games is what the people of this galaxy are good at.¡± Shepard lifted an eyebrow at her. ¡°You seem chipper.¡± She commented. ¡°She¡¯s been griping about the whole galaxy the entire time you were inside.¡± Kaede laughed. "Not the entire time," Seraphiel said defensively. "Just the last minute or so." ¡°So, most of the time you were inside.¡± Kaede amended magnanimously. ¡°Bite me.¡± Seraphiel smiled at Kaede despite her words. ¡°You¡¯d just enjoy it.¡± Kaede sniffed. ¡°She¡¯s got you there.¡± Wrex piled on. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here before we draw even more attention than we already are.¡± Shepard decided to get them back on track. As they walked towards the speeder they¡¯d ¡®requisitioned¡¯ Seraphiel brought up another topic. They had multiple reasons for coming here after all. ¡°Any more info on the other two sides in the ongoing war?¡± ¡°Yes. It seems the Jedi aren¡¯t entirely wrong. My sources imply that there really are Sith among the Eternal Empire, though they are somewhat mistaken as the Separatist truly seems to be supported by Grey Jedi. From what I can tell, the former has been conquering systems for the last three months, while the latter joined with the Separatists recently because they believe in the cause. Apparently, the Separatists have legitimate grievances. It also helps that the Separatists are led by a rather major and popular Grey Jedi.¡± Shepard explained. ¡°Who?¡± Kaede asked. She¡¯d been partly responsible for sourcing this information after all. ¡°Some Count from Serenno named Dooku. A slightly older gentleman, who used to be a Jedi and got¡­well, I suppose disillusioned would be the correct term. There have been more and more Jedi jumping ship lately anyway, and the whole Separatist issue seems to have escalated that. The Jedi aren''t really happy with things as they are either. As Seraphiel so eloquently explained yesterday, the Republic is a rotting corrupted carcass, and there are both those who want to distance themselves and vultures who want to fight for what¡¯s left. The Hutts are also making moves to get their grubby little hands on some of the systems neighboring theirs while the Republic is busy elsewhere.¡± Shepard revealed. "Doesn''t help that until a year ago, the Republic had demilitarized. It wasn''t until the Eternal Empire started making moves that they started building actual warships. You don''t exactly re-start a military-industrial complex in a year, so that''s one of the reasons the Republic is getting fucked by both the Separatists and the Eternals." Wrex pointed out. "Which is just another reason why we too should upgrade our ship. Maybe build a bigger one." Their discussion was cut short as they all noticed some of the local people surrounding them. They were all sharp enough to have noted the weird way they were being looked at and had seen the warning signs, but they hadn¡¯t thought the locals were actually this stupid. ¡°Seriously?¡± Seraphiel asked incredulously as a handful of the local thugs blocked off the route they were walking. Combined with those surrounding them, there were maybe a couple dozen of them. Their levels mostly ranged just above and under a hundred. Seraphiel noted that her [Gift of Knowledge] told her they fell under the large umbrella of [Criminal] Classes, even though the Class names were likely different, like Thug or Bandit or Murderer. That¡¯s what happened when a person didn¡¯t get any formal training and fell into a life of crime. Interestingly, there were rather powerful [Criminal] Classes, though they usually didn¡¯t start out that way. Still, their Skills were usually rather applicable to their chosen type of crime, and many of them had some level of stealth Skills. Some were equipped with blasters, though most had blades or even pieces from a pipe. "I don''t think they could hurt us even if we let them try," Shepard muttered. The lead thug pointed at Seraphiel and spoke. "Leave the pretty one and all your valuables and the rest of you can leave in one piece." "I take that back," Shepard growled. "I''m slightly hurt as a woman that they only wanted Sephy, and I¡¯m not even considered pretty.¡± Wrex stepped forward. ¡°You know, even on a scale of stupid fights to pick, this is one of the most stupid I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± He said playfully to the thugs. ¡°Big words for someone who¡¯s surrounded. And outnumbered.¡± The lead thug said with confidence born of ignorance. ¡°And what the fuck kind of ugly thing are you supposed to be?¡± ¡°Ugly?¡± Wrex asked, sounding hurt, faking it of course. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Wrex, you¡¯re a pretty little butterfly to us," Shen-Zoo called out, causing the others to snigger. ¡°Oi! Don¡¯t ignore us!¡± One of the thugs called out. ¡°It¡¯s kinda hard not to. Do none of you have identification Skills?¡± Wrex asked. ¡°I mean the lowest level among us, and note that I didn¡¯t say the weakest, is like six hundred levels above you.¡± "Don''t bother Wrex. Stupidity is genetic in this galaxy." Seraphiel called out. ¡°Thems fighting words!¡± One of the thugs behind them called out. Just as the thugs were moving to attack, two from behind them were yanked off by shadowy tentacles, while another group of three was rushed by an insectoid-looking creature in black carapace. Another one of the insectoids bowled over the thugs in the front and leaped towards Wrex. Wrex didn''t seem too phased and fired his shotgun, the one that shot blasts of psionic power and not normal shotgun shells, at the creature, which didn''t seem to have any effect. On the other hand, the creature seemed to bounce off of Wrex''s armor, neither of them causing any damage. The same could not be said of the thugs who most definitely were not immune to the other insectoid, or the tentacle creature that seemed like a nightmarish mix between a plant and an octopus. "Huh." Wrex made a sound, looking at his ineffective shotgun, before sending a biotic wave of force at the insect, which did toss it back a bit but didn''t seem to harm it. On the other hand, the thugs that had been behind the creature got thrown against nearby walls and crushed by the wave of force. "Huh," Wrex repeated. Shen-Zoo sent a beam of magical light at the insectoid creature, which seemed to completely annihilate the thing. ¡°Magic seems effective.¡± She commented cheerily, before doing the same to the other two monsters. ¡°What the heck were those things?¡± Shepard asked, clearly weirded out as the remaining thugs ran for their lives. ¡°They looked¡­sort of like some sick imaginary nightmares.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Seraphiel said hesitantly, while frowning a bit. ¡°They might be exactly that. They remind me of something I¡¯ve seen before, but they really, really shouldn¡¯t be here.¡± ¡°What are they?¡± Shepard asked. ¡°And why did Wrex¡¯s attacks do nothing to them.¡± ¡°If my guess is correct, they should be called Monstrum. Very unimaginative, I know. They''re basically the solidified form of a certain kind of miasma, formed of negative emotions. They should only appear in high-magic areas, and as magical constructs of a very particular kind, they are only affected by magic. Or magical weapons." She explained. "But I repeat; they really, really shouldn''t be here." ¡°You¡¯ve obviously run into them before.¡± Kaede pointed out. "Once. On a very minor version of Earth." She revealed. ¡°Not a very happy place that.¡± "I''m less interested in their origin, and more worried about the fact that I couldn''t hurt them," Wrex grumbled. "I don''t like fighting things I can''t hurt, even if they''re too weeny to hurt me as well." ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem. I can quickly whip up some basic magical weapons to use. If they really are Monstrum, they shouldn¡¯t be much of a threat if you have a magical way to attack them.¡± She assured them. ¡°Luckily, almost all members of our group already have that covered. Only you two should have any issues with that.¡± ¡°I think the question is, are there more?¡± Kaede asked. ¡°Unless those three were smuggled here somehow, likely yes. A lot more. A place like Coruscant would offer countless hiding and breeding places for them. The lower levels could be teeming with them for all we know. And it¡¯s not like this place is crawling with mages. We could have a proper infestation on our hands.¡± Seraphiel warned. Chapter 77 - Extermination -------- "Ooh, things in orbit are getting interesting. The Republic fleet is back. They got some reinforcements. Not a lot, but some." Rangiku commented over the comms, as she was on watch duty. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not going to be enough.¡± Seraphiel retorted. "Why not? The Republic fleet was almost enough to take on the combined fleet of the Separatists and the Eternal Empire with fewer ships. Now it''s just the Separatists and there''s even more of the Republic ships." Rangiku questioned. "Do you really think the Separatists would''ve stuck around if they didn''t have a plan? Once the Eternals left, it was only a matter of time before the Republic fleet returned. Staying here to bombard the planetary shield would be a suicide if they had nothing planned." Seraphiel explained. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fairly confident the Republic fleet is about to get pincered once they commit to the fight. And if we can figure it out, they likely know it too. That¡¯s why they waited until the last possible moment to attack. The planetary shield was slated to go down by tomorrow.¡± Yoruichi added her own thoughts. ¡°Why did they even return then?¡± Rangiku questioned. This time it was Shepard''s turn to interject. "Because there''s always the chance that the Separatists were bluffing, and because Coruscant is too valuable. Both symbolically as the effective throne world of the Republic and because it''s a Core World by this universe''s standards as well. The Jedi Temple and the Senate are both here. Even if they have other forces and other leaders, the symbolic loss would just be too much. If they lose the world, they¡¯re effectively out of the war anyway. That¡¯s the problem with such centralized powers.¡± "Still, the war''s not over even if they lose in orbit. The Separatists still have to actually take Coruscant on the ground. Unlike many other worlds, they can''t just bombard Coruscant from orbit, and this place is urban warfare on a hellish scale. And the Eternals are still out there, so things can still change. I believe the Eternal Empire is happy to let the two exhaust each other, which is why they retreated in the first place." Seraphiel finished off the explanation. ¡°Fiiiine. Be that way.¡± Rangiku complained. ¡°How are things on your end?¡± "Team one has eliminated three Monstrum nests so far, and there''s plenty more where those came from," Wrex reported cheerily. "Only one of them put up a proper fight. Just like you predicted, there was a Demi-Monstrum here leading them. That one actually managed to dent my armor. Otherwise, it¡¯s been a bit dull actually.¡± "Don''t get complacent," Seraphiel warned. "The biggest threat with the Monstrum isn''t their direct combat power. They attrition you in many subtle ways, mental, physical, and equipment. They love throwing expendable troops at you and lull you into a false sense of security, while the miasma eats at your stats.¡± ¡°What she means, is that team two has only eliminated two nests, and no Demi-Monstrum.¡± Shepard joked, obviously reading that off their tactical network. "Hey, it''s not my fault our nests are further apart," Seraphiel said faux defensively. "Wrex wanted the biggest concentration of enemies, and he got it.¡± ¡°Incidentally, team three has eliminated four nests and two of those demis," Teclis reported with a smug voice. "¡­ok, we can''t let the new guy win," Wrex called out. "Move it! On the double." Sounds of fighting came over the comms. ¡°I¡¯m the new guy?¡± Teclis asked. "Depends on how you calculate such things," Seraphiel reassured him. "Shen-Zoo is definitely the new girl, and by extension, you get to be the new guy." ¡°I haven¡¯t been called a girl in over two thousand years! This is a fun group!¡± Shen-Zoo¡¯s laughing voice could be heard over Teclis¡¯ comms. ¡°We may have overloaded that group a bit when we put both of our best mages and Tatsumiya together.¡± Yoruichi pointed out. ¡°They just so happen to be the three best equipped to deal with these enemies.¡± As it turns out, Tatsumiya¡¯s abilities as a Monster Hunter made her the bane of the Monstrum. Shen-Zoo was a Light Dragon, and her powers directly countered the creatures as well, and Teclis was not known as one of the greatest mages for nothing. ¡°Who¡¯d a thunk it?¡± Seraphiel asked with a smile. ¡°Should we hurry up as well, or are we letting the other two groups win this one?¡± "I''m not fond of losing, but it''s better for morale if we don''t win every time," Yoruichi said with a bit of a pout. They¡¯d reported the Monstrum problem to the Republic authorities, who were apparently aware of the issue, but simply didn¡¯t have the resources to deal with it with the war going on. Instead, they¡¯d hired the group to at least help mitigate the problem. They of course insisted on getting paid at the end of every day, as they wouldn¡¯t work for some vague future reward when the Republic may not even last to the end of the week. For the same reason, the Republic wasn¡¯t shy about paying their exorbitant fees either. The Republic knew they were getting fleeced by the deal but weren¡¯t in a position to haggle. In addition to the compensation, they were getting a bunch of EXP. All of them. Even Shepard had gained a few levels, and she was the highest level out of all of them. The Monstrum were very specialized enemies., requiring specific means to dispose of. The System liked to reward you for such things. Even if most of the enemies weren''t the highest level, many of the stronger Monstrum were quite decent in level on account of having such an easy feeding ground. There were over a trillion people living on Coruscant, and they''d already killed thousands of Monstrum. There was no telling how many locals the Monstrum had killed, gaining them a lot of levels, which in turn meant a lot of EXP for the group. And it didn''t seem like there was an end in sight.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°This really is a widespread infestation. No wonder we ran into a couple stragglers so close to the surface. How bad is it below?¡± Yoruichi wondered. ¡°This is worse than Hollows, based on pure numbers.¡± At the same time, she sent a blast of Kid¨­ at a group of insect-looking Monstrum. Apparently, Kid¨­ counted as magic for the purposes of the resistance. The other Soul Reaper abilities didn¡¯t. ¡°They¡¯re quite a nuisance, that¡¯s for sure. I don¡¯t imagine there are many survivors on the bottom levels, though in fairness, not too many people lived there anyway. It was dangerous way before the Monstrum arrived. Though I¡¯m not sure I want to think too hard on how many people must have died for the infestation to spread like this.¡± Seraphiel muttered, as a large burst of flames incinerated another group of plant-like enemies. ¡°How did you deal with them in the world they originate from?¡± Yoruichi questioned. ¡°There the problem didn¡¯t get this bad. And there was a big bad that could be killed to essentially eliminate most of the threat in one attack. I have no idea if there¡¯s one here. I honestly can¡¯t even remember what the big Monstrum was called¡­¡± Seraphiel shook her head wryly. She¡¯d run into so many similar situations that they tended to blur together. ¡°There was also a hero on that world that did most of the heavy lifting, while I mostly provided containment and support. The threat was also constrained to a single small-ish city and not an ecumenopolis like Coruscant. There were only so many enemies to kill and so many places for them to hide. Honestly, back then, it seemed like a rather mediocre threat all things considered. Just that here the problem has been allowed to escalate, and there are so many more places for them to hide and increase their numbers. If there had been this many Monstrum back then, I don¡¯t think Celesphonia would¡¯ve been able to deal with them without much more help from me.¡± ¡°Celesphonia? Sounds fancy." Yoruichi laughed while easily dodging attacks from several caster-type Monstrum, before blasting them too. "It honestly wasn''t. She was a rather normal schoolgirl, and the name was invented by a nerdy classmate. A nerdy classmate who liked to take kinky pictures. Not exactly the most glamorous adventure I¡¯ve ever had.¡± Seraphiel laughed as the vast majority of the enemies were killed. ¡°Ok, I¡¯m running the locator spell again.¡± "Are you sure we can leave the stragglers behind?" Yoruichi pointed at a few odd Monstrum that pulled away from the fight. Even the almost mindless beasts exhibited some guile. "Yes. The normal Monstrum don''t actually multiply by themselves. It takes miasma and some specific conditions. The stragglers might be dangerous to civilians, but every nest we destroy saves a lot more lives than hunting down a few stragglers.¡± Seraphiel stated, before casting a relatively simple detection spell in the air. They¡¯d used the same spell to track down most of the nests so far. Their comms crackled again while they traveled towards the nearest nest. "Just wanted to report you were right," Rangiku said. "The Republic forces were flanked, and are now in the process of getting wiped out. I don''t think this battle will last more than a few hours. Which means, we''ll be getting an invasion force landing pretty soon. Do you think they''ll approach the arena?" "I doubt it," Shepard replied. "They''d be pretty stupid to pick a fight with the Champions. That said, we might want to end this hunt early and get our rewards. The Separatists might not want to pick a fight at the arena, but they¡¯ll be less discerning if they find us battling on the lower levels. Besides, we won¡¯t get any rewards from the Republic if the world is invaded. I don¡¯t particularly mind wiping these Monstrum out pro bono, but why do something for free, when you can get paid for doing it?¡± All three groups made their way towards the Senate building. Getting inside to meet the senator paying them was a bit challenging, but the fact that two of them were Champions and could¡¯ve slain their way inside if they¡¯d really wanted to, swung things in their favor. The senator in question, one Bail Organa from Alderaan, was staring at the projection of the space battle and the Republic fleet getting their ass handed to them with a mix of stoic acceptance and quiet resignation. ¡°Senator.¡± Shepard greeted the man quietly, taking the lead. ¡°Champion.¡± The man said with a thick voice. ¡°I believe you¡¯ve already gotten the news, with how early you returned.¡± He was still a relatively young man, surprisingly so for someone in his position, though young senators were not so uncommon in the Republic, as oftentimes their role was more symbolic, and all votes were dictated from home. "We have very good access to information," Shepard said circumspectly. "It''s not going great for the Republic." The senator gave a small mirthless chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s putting it mildly. I suppose our own lack of preparation is to blame. The Republic has the industrial might to win a war of attrition, but with the Ruusan Reformations having effectively de-militarized us¡­¡± "I believe you were one of the senators often voting to uphold that principle of pacifism." Seraphiel couldn''t help but point out. "Yes, I suppose I was." The man admitted. "I still think trying to find a peaceful way to live is the right thing to do, and all the credits we saved in warships and troops could be put to better use, but we probably weren¡¯t being realistic enough. Some might say this is our just reward. Though, ironically, I might be among the senators to be spared, as I was also among those that supported many of the Separatist issues before things broke down. Assuming they¡¯re going to spare any of us, of course.¡± They were quiet for a moment, before the man reached behind him for a briefcase, and pushed it over. ¡°Your reward, and a small bonus. I do hope you¡¯ll continue to deal with the issue even if the Separatists take over. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re going to be able to dedicate too much effort to such issues, and yet, civilians will keep dying if nothing is done.¡± Shepard pushed the briefcase to Kaede, who opened it, nodded, and closed it, storing it inside her shadows. As they were preparing to leave, the senator called out. ¡°Tell me honestly Champion. I¡¯m curious. Could you stop this invasion if you wanted?¡± He pointed at the display. ¡°Me?¡± Shepard asked. ¡°No. Her?¡± She pointed at Seraphiel. ¡°Probably. She destroyed an entire Tyranid Hive Fleet while she was 500 levels lower than now.¡± ¡°Hmm. The one I¡¯ve noticed has the most disdain for the Republic. I won¡¯t shame either of us by asking.¡± The senator nodded. "Good. Because I wouldn''t do it. Not because I think the Separatists are better, however. I simply don''t want to bail out thousands of years of bad decision-making from the inevitable consequences of those decisions." Seraphiel stated with a cold tone. "I''m all for second chances. But I''m not one for third, fourth, or fifth chances. That''s just masochism disguised as good intentions." She considered for a moment. "However, as you said, the civilians will need protecting. I think we can agree to continue our efforts through the transition, as soon as we get guarantees the Separatists won''t start shooting at us by mistake." The senator gave a small smile. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s all I can ask. We should take our small victories wherever we find them.¡± ¡°Are you going to be working on the ship again?¡± Wrex asked eagerly. The Krogan loved to watch her work. Both because the precise use of telekinetics fascinated him, but also because he liked to see actual weapons being installed. ¡°I suppose it would be a good time for it. I have the weapons themselves made, and I already replaced most of the power conduits on the ship with Wraithbone in preparation for installing the weapons, so all I need to do is mount the weapons on the ship. Then I¡¯ll need to do some work on the power core.¡± Seraphiel pondered. ¡°Why tinker with the core?¡± Shepard asked curiously. Their ship was rather similar to those her people used, so any upgrades interested her. "Well, as it turns out, installing several brightlance batteries draws more power from the core than it can currently handle. And the heavy pulsar cannon I''m installing on the prow will definitely need much more power. I can make a more efficient secondary power core, but I''ll need to create enough space for it. Unfortunately, that means moving the walls a bit, which isn''t hard, just time-consuming." She explained. ¡°Brightlances? Pulsar cannon?¡± Shepard asked again, not familiar with the terms. "Yes, well, while I have little else positive to say about that particular universe, the first universe I was exiled to does have rather advanced weapon technology. It''s not the most advanced, but much better than most. They have been in a constant state of war for tens of millennia.¡± Seraphiel shrugged. ¡°And the Aeldari have some of the better weapons as one of the oldest races around. I suppose I could¡¯ve tried for some of the Necron gauss weaponry, but that would¡¯ve required a complete redesign of the ship.¡± "We might construct a new ship entirely at some point when we have the spare time, but that''ll have to do for now." Kaede nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes. It won¡¯t allow us to fight entire fleets of less advanced ships, but it¡¯ll give the ship some teeth at least.¡± Seraphiel nodded in confirmation. ¡°What did the senator give us?¡± Kaede smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that combined with all the stuff we managed to get from the Empire last time, all of us are set for our next Class Evolution.¡± Shepard gave a small whistle. ¡°That was generous of him.¡± ¡°It makes sense in a way. This is a Core World producing many of the rarer materials, based almost solely on the density of people present. The Monstrum, if left unchecked, are a real risk to that population density. Combined with the upcoming invasion, and perhaps future trouble, there¡¯s a real risk that Coruscant will lose enough people that it can no longer function as a Core World.¡± Tatsumiya revealed. ¡°The Core Worlds won¡¯t necessarily stay the same, and if the gods or the System decide to shift things around, there¡¯s little the people of this galaxy can do about it.¡± Chapter 78 - Politics -------- "I thought you said they wouldn''t use orbital bombardment on the planet?" Wrex asked with a wide grin as the ground shook heavily. In the distance, they could hear another building collapsing. "I said they couldn''t just bombard the entire planet into submission. I never said they wouldn''t at least target some of the fortified positions from orbit." Seraphiel countered. "It would be idiotic if they didn''t utilize their orbital supremacy at all." The shaking had become a rather familiar feeling in the last few hours. "At least they''re not shooting at us. Anymore." Shepard commented. One of the ships in orbit had taken a shot at the arena, whether by mistake or on purpose, but had immediately been brought down by one of the Champions present, and the other ships had not been stupid enough to try again. "Out of curiosity. You implied yesterday when meeting with the Senator that you could deal with the fleet in orbit. How would you do it?" Wrex asked, brimming with curiosity. He was powerful as well, but his skills were more suited to direct combat, not as a strategic-level threat. "I know you punched a Reaper to death, but I don''t think that''s what you meant." "Rip out chunks of the city and throw them at the ships in orbit with telekinesis," Seraphiel explained curtly. "Not a complicated tactic. A ten-ton piece of metal accelerated to near relativistic speeds is something very few ships can survive. Now, I couldn''t manage those sorts of speeds against targets on the ground, but in orbit? That''s a long way to accelerate an object." They walked outside just in time to see several bulky ships landing, just to deploy large numbers of droids and even tanks before lifting off again for another trip. Not all of the ships landed or left intact, as some got shot down by ground-based assets, but enough did that the droids slowly but surely started pushing deeper into the city, while fighters flew overhead to target any positions shooting at the landing vessels. "I hate droids," Yoruichi muttered. "They''re not created to be used against Shinigami, but they still manage to circumvent most of our abilities." Many of the Shinigami abilities were based on their enemies having souls after all. That''s what it meant to be a Soul Reaper. "Luckily they''re kind of useless. I just hope droids don''t become a common feature in armies." "I doubt it," Shepard stated. "We used some droids in the past as well, but their inability to level makes them kind of useless against any moderately powerful foes. Even a normal infantryman can increase their power a lot after a hundred levels, and training to that level isn¡¯t exactly hard. A bit time-consuming, but not hard." More and more droid ships swooped down. As soon as they managed to clear a proper landing zone, the droids were followed by Jedi, who took control of the droid forces. They were mostly opposed by Republic security forces, law enforcement, and Jedi, as the Republic didn''t have a standing army. The progress made by the Separatists was quick and efficient. While the Separatists were not targeting civilians or infrastructure on purpose, they weren''t going out of their way to avoid collateral damage either. Some of the Separatist Jedi were attacked by those defending Coruscant, although the two different Force sects seemed somewhat unwilling to engage each other fully. Unlike with the Sith, even when on opposing sides and of differing philosophies, there were still too many bonds between the two groups of Jedi. ¡°Well, this is going to take a while, but I don¡¯t think the result is in doubt.¡± Shepard voiced what they were all thinking. As they were preparing to go back inside the arena complex, they noted a couple of the Separatist Jedi approaching them. One of them was a Human with long brown hair and beard, and somewhat advanced age, while the other one was quite a bit younger, although also sporting a beard and shorter hair of the same color. ¡°May I request your time for a moment?¡± The older Jedi requested in a rather pleasant voice. "You may," Shepard stated, taking the lead. ¡°Would I be addressing one of the Champions gathered for the event, and their retinue?¡± The Older Jedi asked, while the younger one looked at them with a searching, but not hostile gaze. ¡°I am Shepard, Champion of Athena.¡± Shepard nodded, before pointing at Seraphiel. ¡°This is Seraphiel, Champion of Charlotte Richards.¡± ¡°Who?¡± The younger Jedi blurted out in obvious confusion, before catching his error. ¡°My apologies. I am Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi. I was disrespectful. I simply haven¡¯t heard of a god by that name, and I think I might remember as it stands out a bit.¡± The older Jedi smiled a bit. ¡°My former Padawan is still a bit impulsive at times, but I must confess I share his dilemma. I am Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright. Charlotte is what you¡¯d call new here.¡± Seraphiel grinned. ¡°I¡¯m quite sure you¡¯ll hear more about her in the future. She¡¯s not the type to hide for long. And apologies accepted.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°My thanks for your graciousness.¡± Qui-Gon bowed a bit in thanks. ¡°We approached you to apologize for the actions of the captain who fired on the arena. You already administered punishment, but they would¡¯ve faced punishment from us if you had not. We are here to assure you that you are not in any danger from the Separatist forces, for as long as you do not participate in the battles to come.¡± "I do not speak for all the Champions here, but I will personally happily remain neutral in the internal issues of this galaxy, for as long as we are not attacked," Shepard reassured the man. "However, I assume that for several Champions there likely exists a certain level of brutality that they can tolerate. We realize that the realities of war can be brutal at times, but I would advise against being too heavy-handed towards civilians." Qui-Gon nodded. "Agreed. And we will try to limit the damage. We are not here to destroy the world or kill the inhabitants. Some of our forces are rather bitter due to the treatment they''ve suffered under the Republic and have already lashed out, but we are trying to curb their worst excesses.¡± "I must ask. Are you here to simply strike at the leadership or actually taking over Coruscant?" Shepard lifted a hand to forestall Qui-Gon''s answer. "I ask because if you are taking over, there is a matter you should be made aware of." ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± Qui-Gon prompted. Shepard explained the issue with the Monstrum, and the fact that they¡¯d been helping a Republic Senator deal with the problem. "I see. This might turn out to be a serious issue. We will have to confirm what you''ve said, but assuming you''re telling the truth, we will likely also request your help, and perhaps the help of other Champions for the same purpose." He looked thoughtful. "Perhaps, as a compensation for the event being canceled, we could organize an event and a competition of sorts to see who can eliminate more of these Monstrum, and reward the winners in a manner similar to winning the event." "That could probably work," Shepard admitted. "Something to keep in mind. I''ll bring this up with our leadership. In the meantime, I ask you to keep to the arena and let us wage our war. We hope it''ll be over quickly, but we also recognize that this is quite wishful thinking. This is Coruscant. Even the Republic can''t maintain full control of the world. Invaders like us would face even more problems." Qui-Gon seemed quite realistic about the prospects. The two Jedi made a bow before making their exit. ¡°They were relatively handsome.¡± Yoruichi suddenly commented. ¡°Also Jedi.¡± Seraphiel shot that line of thought down straight away. ¡°Just because they¡¯re Grey, doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t dislike them, although they¡¯re a bit less sanctimonious than their pure Light brethren. They also don¡¯t exactly revel in emotions or pleasures.¡± ¡°Hey, just because you have a hateboner for them, that doesn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t have some fun.¡± Yoruichi countered with a cackle. ------ The battles went on for several days. The Senate building and the Jedi Temple were among the first to be taken, though how many of their quarry they found at either location was not something publicly advertised. Considering the ease at which they had been taken, the group assumed most Senators and Jedi had chosen to hide instead of throwing their lives away in a futile gesture. Not that the Separatists necessarily needed or even wanted prisoners or public executions. The symbolic value of taking both buildings was already quite sufficient for their purposes. That didn''t stop the Separatists from searching though. Constant patrols went around the area, but even in the beating heart of Coruscant, the sheer number of levels made efficient patrolling quite difficult. As such, it wasn¡¯t a huge surprise that some of the Jedi managed to sneak back in. What did come as a surprise, was that they¡¯d come to the arena. ¡°I¡¯d like to seek asylum and protection from the gathered Champions.¡± A young female senator from a planet called Naboo announced. The other Champions, or at least two dozen of those at the arena, were also present as the senator made her appeal. ¡°When you say you¡¯d like, you don¡¯t mean just you though.¡± One of the Champions, a wizard of some sort judging by his equipment asked, looking at the large group of children and a handful of Jedi watching over them. There were also four more senators present. ¡°You mean the whole group.¡± "Non-combatants, all of us." The young senator stated in a reassuring voice. "The children are Younglings from the Jedi Temple, and those watching over them are caretakers, mostly those dedicated to raising the next generation, not frontline Jedi." ¡°The Younglings I can see counted as non-combatants and civilians, but senators and Jedi Knights? That¡¯s another matter.¡± Another female warrior clad in rather scant leather armor pointed out. The woman seemed to be some sort of Half-Giant. ¡°So far, the Separatists have assured us they¡¯re going to respect our neutrality, but if we start harboring fugitives, things might change. Not that I¡¯d mind caving in some robot skulls, but it could still be annoyingly tedious.¡± "I like that one," Wrex muttered. ¡°Of course you do.¡± Shepard gave a sigh. "I seriously doubt the Separatists are going to have an issue over those here. Even us Senators are all those who supported the reforms they wanted before the war. You could call us sympathetic to their cause." The young senator explained. "And what exactly do you want? We''re not going to stick around here to protect you forever., even if we were to agree to provide asylum for now." The original wizard pointed out. "We would like to negotiate with the Separatists for safe passage off-world. We are even prepared to accept exile from this galaxy in trade. We''d simply like you to make sure we can have those negotiations without fear of reprisal." It wasn''t that simple of course. By sheltering these fugitives, the Champions would be declaring they''d attack the Separatists if the Grey Jedi decided to come into the arena to apprehend the fugitives. They would also be hard-pressed to just abandon the fugitives if the negotiations didn''t work. In that case, they''d most likely have to take them along and hope the Separatists didn''t want to attack them, thus giving the fugitives the result they wanted anyway, no matter how the negotiations went. Seraphiel noted that the group was rather tactically chosen as well. Aside from the Younglings, the Jedi and the senators were all young and female, notably also rather on the attractive side. They¡¯d clearly been chosen to elicit a protective reaction in the Champions, who tended to be on the heroic side of the scales by their very nature. This was a political ploy as well. And judging from what she could see of the expressions of the Champions gathered here, it was working. Shepard noted the same thing and glanced questioningly at Seraphiel. She lifted an eyebrow and nudged her head towards the Younglings, the implication clear. Shepard really didn''t want to throw the kids to the wolves. Seraphiel knew the Grey Jedi would likely induct the Younglings as part of their order instead, but she couldn''t be certain and wasn''t exactly opposed. She was wholly neutral on the whole conflict, and this little issue seemed to be likely to blow up in the faces of the other Champions, not her. She knew karma would somehow pull her in as well, karma being a bitch like that, but she wasn''t opposed. She knew they could always escape if necessary. They''d arrived here thanks to her powers. They could leave the same way. She made a non-committal shrug, which was enough for Shepard. As the other Champions negotiated about taking in these refugees, Seraphiel realized something. There was another dimension to this play. As the Republic didn¡¯t have a standing army, they needed time to get one going. Time that could be bought by bringing in an army from the outside. And who better to negotiate with than the Champions? If the Separatists wanted to apprehend these people, they¡¯d likely have cause. Not that the Champions would see it that way. It was an intelligent play, and she doubted it had been cooked up by the young senator leading the group. If it had been, the young woman was a lot more savvy and devious than she¡¯d assumed. She¡¯d have to keep an eye on this, who was it again? Padme Amidala? Chapter 79 - Design in disorder? -------- ¡°Now there are three separate fleets arriving in orbit!¡± Shepard noted as they were all staring at the images from orbit. The scans showed three disparate groups of ships that still seemed to be coordinating together opening fire on the Separatist vessels. These newcomers used technology different from that of this galaxy, so it was quite obvious they were outsiders. On the other hand, they seemed to be using similar tech to each other, further confirming that they were working together. ¡°That¡¯s not all. I¡¯ve got reports of things other than the Monstrum coming out of the lower levels. Huge Human-sized rat people with a mix of old-fashioned and more modern technology.¡± Yoruichi reported. She and Rangiku had been doing some discreet scouting before. ¡°These rats keep running into the Separatist droids and taking them apart for their own use.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m fairly sure I walked past an area under a Notice-me-not charm earlier. I¡¯m fairly sure the Jedi don¡¯t put up such things.¡± Chachamaru added her own log into the fire. ¡°A what now?¡± Yoruichi asked. ¡°It¡¯s a magical spell that makes everyone unconsciously ignore the area affected by the spell. Not a very complicated magical spell. I believe it works on similar principles as the Vampire abilities that fall under the Discipline of Obfuscation. I sensed my mind being affected thanks to having high enough resistance, but I didn¡¯t push further as it would¡¯ve broken the spell completely. And it¡¯s really not our problem.¡± Chachamaru explained her view. These weren¡¯t their enemies, so why get involved? ¡°Things are getting out of hand fast.¡± Seraphiel shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s too soon for any reinforcements that the refugees that are sheltering at the arena might have garnered. Not unless they were already here or used an ability like mine, which is extremely unlikely.¡± ¡°Perhaps. But it¡¯s not too soon for word to have spread that a Core World is up for grabs, and that¡¯s an enticing proposition for anyone. The problem is keeping it.¡± Shepard pointed out. ¡°In fact, seeing how demilitarized the Republic is, I¡¯m surprised no one took a swing at them earlier.¡± ¡°The problem has never been taking this world but keeping it. The same thing that makes the place attractive also makes it hard to get a solid hold on.¡± Tatsumiya explained. ¡°There are hundreds if not thousands of parties that could take this world, but holding it once you conquer it would be much more difficult. The only reason the Republic managed it was the sheer inertia of history and that no one has tried taking it from them. That''s probably why there''s now a coalition of three groups joining together to take a shot." She pointed at the three groups of ships that were making short work of the Separatists that had been in the middle of conducting an invasion. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then these three groups are probably not the last.¡± Shepard speculated. ¡°Well, and those rat-people. How they got here is a question as well. Who are these attackers anyway?¡± Everyone looked at Chachamaru, who was both in charge of communications and the one hacking all the satellites. ¡°Oh, right. The Federation of Sol, Sardak N''orr, and the Barony of Letnev.¡± ¡°Never heard of any of them.¡± Wrex summarized all of their thoughts. ¡°This whole place is turning into a warzone.¡± Seraphiel shook her head. "The question is, do we want to be here when things turn really bad? We came here to take part in the tournament, but that''s been canceled. We stuck around for the Monstrum, and the Separatists promised an event to deal with those, but that seems canceled as well. I think we can safely assume that there will soon be other parties here that can deal with the Monstrum, and they seem to have become the least of this place¡¯s problems. So do we want to stick around?¡± Chachamaru tapped at her binder in thought. ¡°Warzones are filled with opportunities, but they¡¯re filled with risks as well. In this case, I¡¯m not sure the risks are worth the rewards, especially since we¡¯re doing pretty well on the reward front as well. We all have resources for our next Class Evolution, and many of us are getting close to it. It may be beneficial to withdraw and come back after some preparations. If the price is right.¡± Seraphiel and Shepard looked at each other for a moment. ¡°Put it to a vote?¡± Shepard finally asked. ¡°Gather everyone.¡± Seraphiel nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll vote on it.¡± The vote was rather one-sided. None of them truly cared about the world in question, and it was becoming increasingly obvious that the planet was headed in a dire direction. Even the Republic would survive if they just gave up on the place. Wrex wanted to stick around just for the challenge, but even he was less excited about it since much of the fighting would be had in orbit or between large armies. Tatsumiya was hesitant about leaving the Monstrum behind as a monster and Demon hunter, but even she didn¡¯t vote for sticking around. ¡°Should we offer some of the refugees the opportunity to leave?¡± Shepard asked. ¡°Let¡¯s. It¡¯s the least we could do.¡± Seraphiel confirmed. With the situation deteriorating, all of the refugees were eager to go when given the opportunity. They all packed inside the ship¡¯s hold, in preparation for leaving. ¡°How are we getting out of here though?¡± The young Senator Amidala asked as the only person allowed in the cockpit as the ship was taking off. ¡°The battle in orbit is getting rather severe.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°She¡¯ll take care of that.¡± Shepard pointed at Seraphiel locked in meditation. ¡°How can sh¡­¡± The Senator was about to ask again when suddenly they all stumbled sideways. One moment they were at Coruscant, and the next moment they were somewhere else. "A little rough this time Seraphiel," Yoruichi commented playfully. Seraphiel groaned. ¡°With so many people on board, it takes more out of me. At least the destination was more familiar this time.¡± She replied, greatly exhausted. ¡°Where are we?¡± Shepard asked. "Mahora," Tatsumiya responded straight away, recognizing her old home and workplace. "I thought it was a nice neutral location," Seraphiel explained. What she didn¡¯t mention was that she also wanted them to borrow Evangeline¡¯s resort. Many of them only missed a couple of levels from the next Class Evolution, and the resort was a nice place to get those levels just through training. ¡°One of the Academies?¡± The Senator asked, getting confirmation from Tatsumiya. ¡°I have to agree. This place should be as neutral as it gets. My thanks for allowing us to escape. I might also be able to find some help for my people.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure how good of an idea that is currently. With Coruscant turning into a clusterfuck, you might be better served abandoning that place and making a deal with the Separatists.¡± Shepard pointed out. Surprisingly the Senator nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t disagree. Still, we need to have some power to negotiate with or we¡¯ll lose everything. I¡¯m not unsympathetic to the Separatist cause, but we can¡¯t just surrender to them either. The hardliners in the Senate will not allow that. Even in the current situation, they¡¯ll beat the drums of war, knowing that even if we don¡¯t really have a fleet or army at the moment, it won¡¯t take too long to create one if we go into a full war economy. Most of the large shipyards in my galaxy are still part of the Republic, and with enough backing¡­¡± She shrugged. ¡°Backing that those hardliners would be willing to provide if pushed too far.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve made my recommendation. What you do with it is up to you.¡± Shepard knew arguing further was pointless. As Evangeline walked up to the ship, shaking her head, she asked. ¡°What problems have you brought me now, Seraphiel?¡± ¡°Evangeline, I¡¯m hurt! I bring you a present and this is how you treat me.¡± She responded playfully. ¡°I know you¡¯ve always wanted Jedi of your own. Well, ta-dah!¡± ¡°Does this have anything to do with the mess in Coruscant?¡± The Headmistress asked, grinning a bit at the joke. ¡°And might these gifts be refugees?¡± ¡°Ah, so the word has already spread?¡± Seraphiel realized. ¡°Of course. News of such lucrative carrion always finds its way to vultures. Why am I not surprised you¡¯re involved?¡± Despite the harsh words, the Vampire kept grinning. She always did love drama. "Only tangentially this time," Seraphiel reassured her. "We were present but not involved." "Well, if it makes you feel any better, Coruscant is not the only one, even if it seems to have started the cascade. Armies and fleets everywhere are gathering and making their moves. Many of the Core Worlds have been a bit too lax with their security lately, and the aforementioned vultures have taken notice. The events at Coruscant seem to have simply started the spiral of war.¡± She was quiet for a moment. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not even Coruscant now that I think about it. Different factions were already gathering their forces with all the Locust races becoming so active. Now they¡¯re just finding alternative targets for those forces. There¡¯s at least half a dozen Core Worlds headed for war. Usually, the Gods like to resolve such things through Champions, but not this time. I wonder what they have planned this time?¡± ¡°The mortals are making their own moves?¡± Shepard suggested. ¡°Unlikely. The people of this universe won¡¯t even fart without the tacit approval of their gods. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen chaos at this level though.¡± Evangeline didn¡¯t seem too bothered. She did thrive on such things after all. ¡°Can we borrow your resort by the way?¡± Seraphiel suddenly asked. ¡°Rather blunt, but I suppose. You¡¯re going to have to share it though. Your brother and mom are using it currently. Raziel wasn¡¯t too happy about being left behind.¡± ¡°No, I suppose he wouldn¡¯t have been.¡± Seraphiel nodded. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I wanted to spend some time with them anyway.¡± ----- Odin observed the bedlam that reigned among the gods. More specifically, he was observing which of the gods didn¡¯t seem to be affected by the general unrest. Some of them were simply stoic by nature and didn¡¯t show their emotions, even though some of those stoic gods seemed to be rather perturbed at the moment. No, it was the gods that were not known to be so stoic and still remained calm and collected that interested him. They were not panicking, because they knew something. Interestingly, many of those gods were not considered to be among the most powerful and influential. To say that gods generally reacted badly to sudden and unexpected change was an understatement. Gods of Change and Chaos notwithstanding of course. In this universe, everything had been run a certain way for a very long time. That made the gods feel safe and the universe seem predictable. Controllable. There were rules in place, and those rules were being enforced by a rather forced consensus among the gods. Even those who didn''t really benefit from the status quo personally could appreciate the peace it brought. Now, several of those rules were being broken. To Odin, it seemed like some of the previously weaker gods were taking the opportunity provided by the chaos to improve their previously stale positions. The old winners had consolidated their power under the parameters of the old order. They had focused almost all their efforts on Champions, because Champions were the way disputes were resolved and power exchanged hands. Now, races were bypassing the Champion system entirely, waging more conventional war. Some races that didn''t have the resources or the potential to have the most powerful Champion of their own had plenty of the more conventional resources required to create a fleet or an army. Now, normally the Champions of the most powerful gods were powerful enough to deal with such armies, but what happened when those Champions didn¡¯t show up? Coruscant was the most obvious example, and the place that had started this mess. The Force, as the god of that world was going by, had a Champion. A rather powerful one. Maybe not powerful enough that they could actually hold on to the world against persistent enemies, but still powerful enough to defend the world from most would-be takers. Yet, that Champion had not shown up when the world had been invaded. Multiple times. Where were they? On a couple of other Core worlds that had been attacked, the Champions had stood up to defend their world and god, and were in the process of doing so, with mixed success as their attackers were not weak either. On one other Core World, the Champion had recently died, the otherwise powerful god still in the process of summoning a new one. On two others, the Champions did not show up. One had been in the middle of an event, not able to leave with all the other Champions present stopping her, stinking of a conspiracy, while another one seemed to have vanished. Top Champions didn¡¯t usually just vanish. They were top Champions for a reason. And the ability to defend themselves was just the basics. They could be a bit reclusive at times, but to not show up when their god called? That just didn¡¯t happen. And now it had happened twice. Three times if you counted the Champion being detained by other Champions. Never before had so many Core Worlds suddenly been thrown into contention. Some of them had grown lazy and secure in their position, which was why those were the first worlds attacked and in the process of being lost. The Force had already lost enough power and prestige that even if they managed to somehow come out on top, they¡¯d be forced out of Coruscant by a more powerful god. Or, the position of a Core World would be claimed by another planet. One controlled by a more powerful god who could protect their property, or so they would claim. Here was the interesting part though. As far as Odin could see, this was all machinated by mortals. Oh, there were gods opportunistically taking advantage of the opening created, no doubt about that. But as far as he could tell, and he could divine a lot from his rivals, this whole thing had not been instigated by them. Here was the thing that made him worry, even if his own position was secure. If the whole thing had been arranged by mortals, he had a feeling this was not the end goal. This was just a step on the path toward something. What that something was, he didn''t know, but he could tell there was more coming. And if what had already happened had thrown the gods into such disarray, what would happen when the other shoe dropped? He had a sneaking suspicion this bedlam and gods tearing at each other in opportunistic glee was orchestrated. If the gods were too busy stabbing each other, they would be more likely to miss other moves made by whoever was orchestrating this whole thing. Or he might be overthinking things. That had happened on occasion as well. Chapter 80 - To System or to not System -------- "Welcome back." She heard Lucifer''s voice as soon as she entered the penthouse. She had to look around a bit to follow the voice to the jacuzzi that had been installed into the balcony. ¡°That wasn¡¯t here the last time I visited.¡± She commented as she got closer. ¡°I do like to make improvements every now and then. Would you like to join me?¡± He asked while gesturing with a champagne glass. ¡°Sure, why not.¡± She smiled a bit. Her attire automatically changed into a rather risqu¨¦ sling bikini as she slid into the warm water and sat on a stone seat built into the jacuzzi. The water was just the right temperature to be enjoyable without being too hot. The two of them just sat there quietly for a short while, Lucifer wordlessly pouring her a drink as well, enjoying the peace and quiet as they looked over the night-lit city below them. Lucifer finally broke the silence. ¡°While I did enjoy your temporary vessel, you do look more comfortable in your old body again. Even if you¡¯re quite not at your old strength yet.¡± ¡°I really am. I hope I didn¡¯t disappoint you too badly. Well¡­with what happened with the Grail War, I actually do wish I disappointed you.¡± She smirked a bit. Luci showed off that charming laugh of his. "Sorry to ruin your fun then. I did kind of hope you''d stick with the System-provided one for longer, but it was really only a matter of time. The only real bummer about it is that I really wanted to see how far you could go with the support of the System, unlike all the other Champions that chose to retain their old abilities. You were the perfect test subject as well. Don¡¯t worry, I benefitted quite a bit from everything I learned from you.¡± ¡°On that note, isn¡¯t all this somewhat superfluous now?¡± She gestured around her. ¡°Well, you still gain some benefit from the stats, even if it¡¯s now limited.¡± He frowned a bit. ¡°Although, I must admit you¡¯ve only really been limited by the Skill system. Everyone else learns new things from their Skills, but for you, they¡¯ve only ever limited what you can do. Some of them are supportive, but you would¡¯ve been more powerful without that support if you were just allowed to use your full powers.¡± His frown turned into a chuckle. ¡°Watching your frustration as your telekinesis barely functioned was fun.¡± ¡°So, what now?¡± She asked. He looked thoughtful for a moment. ¡°Well, now we have a choice. The System isn''t really serving its real purpose for you anymore, but it kind of works. We can continue as is. Or, I can remove all the limits the System has been placing on you so far.¡± ¡°Can you do that? And if you can, why not do that from the beginning?¡± Seraphiel asked, surprised. ¡°You said everyone in this universe is subject to the limits set by the System. Even the gods.¡± ¡°That was until Mother and Father got mixed in. Could you see the two of them being limited in any way by a System of any sort? And you do have a small piece of Father¡¯s divinity. They already set the precedent that you''d be continuing. Even in the case of most Champions, their Stats are descriptive and not what gives them their power. There are rare few exceptions like Shepard who embrace the System as a method of growing beyond their original limits, but you don''t really have that problem, do you?" Lucifer grinned. "Besides. You know I don''t lie. And I told you in the beginning that the System didn''t have the power to summon you here with your full powers." ¡°And yet, Mother does. And She helped bring me here, creating my vessel.¡± She pointed out an inconsistency. "She could. But she thought this method was more fun. You know how She is." Luci laughed. ¡°I resent that.¡± Mother¡¯s voice suddenly interjected, appearing in the same jacuzzi with them, although fully in the nude. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just so I could have fun. I genuinely thought it would be fun for Seraphiel as well. And I know you did enjoy most of it.¡± ¡°Mother!¡± Lucifer protested. ¡°What? You¡¯re not wearing anything either. And it¡¯s not like I¡¯m showing you something you haven¡¯t seen before.¡± Mother pointed out. ¡°Don¡¯t be a prude.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the principle of things. Sephy and I are supposed to be the raunchy ones.¡± Lucifer protested again. Seraphiel smiled at his reaction. It was so genuine she was forgetting for a second that this wasn¡¯t the real Lucifer again. Wait. This wasn¡¯t the real Lucifer¡­right? A small suspicion started taking root. It hadn¡¯t been in the beginning. The Guide has said as much, and even the Guide version wouldn¡¯t lie. On the other hand, this was just the sort of thing her brother might pull. Switching with the Guide afterwards so there was no need to lie. ¡°Again, I resent that. You two inherited more of my nature than your Father¡¯s, but I was the original.¡± Mother talked just like he was the real Lucifer as well. Although it was difficult to tell with Her. Deciding not to make any hasty conclusions, she moved things along. ¡°Going back on topic, what would it mean in practice if I was¡­placed outside the System like Mother?¡± "Well, you made things interesting when you decided to wish for your original body back, from the time before you killed Slaanesh. You would gain all the power you had at that point in time, and you¡¯d of course still retain your knowledge. The System would not provide you any benefits, so you¡¯d have to do everything yourself, but it wouldn''t limit you in any way either. Many of your old abilities from the other universes only need the knowledge to function, but in some cases, you haven''t done the work necessary to gain the associated power with this body. For instance, you wouldn''t have any Qi, because you haven''t trained in its use and have no Qi core. You could certainly do it again and regain those powers, but you¡¯d have to start over and do it without any support from the System. But yes, you¡¯d have access to all the power you had just before slaying Slaanesh. That means all your favorite core abilities would be back to full strength. So yes, you¡¯ll still be able to punch a Reaper to death.¡± Lucifer explained with a chuckle. ¡°I do know how much you like punching things.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t have to participate in any Grail War bullshit anymore either.¡± She pointed out happily. Both Mother and Lucifer made a face. ¡°Ah, well, as to that, things aren¡¯t quite as simple.¡± ¡°Wait, why? What do you mean? If I¡¯d be outside the System, that would mean I no longer had the Heroic Spirit Class either.¡± Seraphiel narrowed her eyes at the two obvious conspirators. ¡°There¡­was a reason we pushed you into taking the Class.¡± Mother explained. ¡°See, they¡¯ve been attempting to summon you for a long time. It wouldn¡¯t have worked before you were brought to this universe of course. Afterwards, we blocked any of the summons from taking effect or pushed them into attempting to summon other spirits. We simply stopped doing that when you took the Class. Even without the Class, you¡¯re classified as Heroic Spirit in the eyes of the Grail. The System just manages things. The Class made it official, and rewarded you for accepting the summons.¡± "You''re still going to get summoned. Just that you can choose not to accept those summons since you are no longer subject to the System if you choose that path, but the Grail does work a little differently. I''m not sure if there''d be consequences." Lucifer added with a shrug. "You can still get rewards for participating and winning. Especially since now you''ll have your old powers back, although limited by the legend you were summoned with." He laughed a bit. "Although that usually doesn''t mean much since you never really did hold back all that much. Only the lives where you lived in the body of another being imposed any real limits on you." ¡°And if I choose to continue as is?¡± She asked. ¡°You¡¯ll still have some support from the stats, which might even make you stronger in the long run. Your real body unburdened by the System is very, very powerful, but the stats will eventually overcome that. On the other hand, the Skills will still limit what you can do, and you¡¯ll be limited in what you can do by the Classes. You''ve done an admirable job skirting those limits, but the limits still exist." Lucifer summarized. "You''d continue as is, slowly improving. I can''t say for sure which way is better in the end, but in the short term you''d benefit from the first option, as getting all your old power back and not being limited by the Skill System would obviously be an upgrade to your current strength.¡± ¡°No matter how you dress it, the choice seems rather obvious. Relying on myself rather than the System is something I¡¯m going to choose every time. It¡¯s what I¡¯ve been doing all that time before arriving here. And it''s not like I can''t improve myself without the System. Something like using Qi can be re-learned. Besides, if I have access to my old powers in full, I don''t think I have a need to grow stronger. It''s not like I''m aiming for some pinnacle of perfection. I simply want enough power to protect myself and those I consider mine. As much as Father tries to push that role on me, I don''t consider myself some kind of savior who needs to overturn the entire universe just to save every innocent. And I still remember someone promising the option to leave this universe if I choose to. If things get too bad¡­well¡­" Seraphiel explained. In some distant past, she would¡¯ve dropped everything and rushed to save the innocents of Coruscant and other such worlds afflicted by conflict, but that sort of idealism was long gone. Peace was a sheltered garden watered with the blood and tears of heroes, and she didn''t intend to be that hero. She didn''t mind giving a helping hand when it didn''t cost her too much, but she would not sacrifice everything for such causes anymore. ¡°That was rather expected.¡± Mother stated, not in the least bit surprised and even a bit smug. ¡°I always thought I created you perfect in the first place. No need to fiddle with perfection.¡± Lucifer nodded with a smile. ¡°I suppose we¡¯ve all grown a little jaded over time.¡± He reached over the edge of the jacuzzi and pulled a large glowing card out of the pile of clothes by the pool. ¡°Here you go then.¡± He tossed it to Seraphiel. The card disappeared as soon as she caught it, and as it did, it felt like invisible shackles being released. It also felt like a supporting chair being kicked away from under her feet, though the fall after was nothing to a Celestial. Someone with wings had no reason to fear heights, even imaginary ones. ¡°I would advise you that everyone with any semblance of Perception is going to feel the difference in you immediately.¡± Mother pointed out. ¡°You weren¡¯t the most subtle of people in the first place, so this change is not going to be too much of a shock. Just that you¡¯ve gotten used to being underestimated in this universe. That will no longer be true.¡± ¡°Thanks for the reminder.¡± She said only slightly sarcastically. ¡°Since I¡¯m no longer a part of the System, will I be back here?¡± ¡°Sister dearest. You do remember what your power as a Celestial is, right? You can return here any time you want.¡± Lucifer stated a little condescendingly. ¡°Right. In that case, I have a question. How long has the real Lucifer been here?¡± She was looking at Mother while pointing at Luci. ¡°That¡¯s actually a recent development.¡± Mother didn¡¯t bother hiding and answered right away, without hesitation. ¡°Your brother came to visit and unlike Amenadiel, there are endless legends about the famous Lucifer. Just like your Father and many supposedly divine beings, your brother unified with all the other legends, and funnily enough, the System representation qualified as one of them. Sort of. It gets a bit complicated. Things back home have taken an interesting turn, so your brothers also have greater freedom of movement. You know, Lucifer was the original reason I arrived here. He rather rudely kicked me out of my own universe.¡± "You were about to explode because the body of Charlotte Richards couldn''t handle you inhabiting it," Lucifer argued defensively, before turning back to Seraphiel. "It¡¯s actually not as simple as you assume. There can¡¯t be two Lucifers here at the same time. So, while I¡¯m here, I¡¯m replacing the System version. Since we were so similar in the first place, it¡¯s rather easy. I have all these nifty abilities as well. Did you know I can be in two or more places a once?¡± He wiggled his eyebrows. ¡°So how long did it take you to try a threesome involving two versions of you?¡± She asked with a wicked smile. ¡°Oh, the first night of course. It¡¯s the first thing I thought of.¡± Luci answered just as expected. ¡°Incredibly fun that. Something I intend to explore thoroughly.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you dating that Detective of yours back home?¡± Mother asked. "Off and on," Luci stated vaguely. "It''s a work in process. But I''m not going to change everything for her while I''m in another universe. I''m Lucifer. She either accepts that, or she doesn''t." He did sound a bit bitter. Seraphiel moved closer and pulled her brother into a hug. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, Luci. Really. The real you, I mean. I¡¯ve missed you.¡± She really had. Lucifer had always been her favorite sibling, and they¡¯d had all sorts of adventures together before she was exiled. ¡°You too sister. It hasn¡¯t been the same since you¡¯ve been gone. Maze tries, but she never could take your place.¡± His voice was heavy as well, filled with emotion. ¡°You know, I was lost for a long time after you disappeared.¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± She really could. ¡°On that note though, why is your boner poking between my legs?¡± ¡°Well, sister, you¡¯ve always been rather fetching, and the current circumstances are not diminishing that. Just take it as honest appreciation.¡± Lucifer laughed, not at all awkward as the two finally pulled away and sat back in the water. ¡°How are you, really?¡± She asked. ¡°Managing Hell¡­was hard. Torturing people, while fun at times, just¡­isn¡¯t for me.¡± He admitted. ¡°I like to have fun with people. Sometimes I like to have fun at other people¡¯s expense. But I very rarely want to hurt people. And that¡¯s what managing Hell was all about. Sure, the Demons did most of the work, but¡­and being blamed for all the evils in the world¡­¡± She could see the genuine hurt inside him and in his voice. It was cruel what Father had done to him. It was cruel what Father had done to them both. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I wish I could¡¯ve been there for you.¡± "Well, I think you might''ve gotten the worse end of that stick," Lucifer said trying a joking tone but not quite managing. ¡°What a sorry pair we are.¡± She muttered. ¡°Well, no more. Like you said. We¡¯ve both grown a little jaded, but we are no longer what our Father consigned us to be.¡± ¡°Oh, there¡¯s some good news. Father is retiring.¡± Lucifer said happily. ¡°Amenadiel did mention something like that. What¡¯s he playing at?¡± She asked. "I think part of it is that Michael got to him," Lucifer mentioned his twin brother. ¡°That bastard is still alive? Still self-actualizing a chip on his shoulder?¡± She asked sarcastically. ¡°Oh, do I have a story for you.¡± Lucifer¡¯s whole face lit up with joy and schadenfreude, as he started to tell a story about what had happened. It took a long time, but all three of them enjoyed their genuine time together, for the first time in a very long while. Chapter 81 - I ship that ------- Returning to her body this time was like slipping into a comfortable set of clothes. Little things that she hadn¡¯t even noticed bothering her were suddenly gone. Things that hadn¡¯t quite fit right suddenly were perfect again. She lifted her hand, and magic flowed through her freely. It formed into a needlessly complicated glowing glyph that didn¡¯t actually do anything except confer a slight blessing to the building. But casting that spell would¡¯ve been hellishly complicated to almost anyone. The power for the spell had come from her Zanpakut¨­, something that hadn¡¯t disappeared when the System had been separated from her. The sword spirit was part of her soul after all. Just because the System had re-formed the connection, that didn¡¯t mean it depended on the System to exist. She hadn¡¯t regained her old mana pool, so that was something she¡¯d have to work towards, if she felt it necessary, as her Zanpakut¨­ filled that void already. Although, she¡¯d regained some of the mana already while under the effect of the System. Just because the System was gone, that didn¡¯t mean all her efforts were, and her latest Class had used mana. She closed her fist with force, the small but sudden movement sending a small shockwave around her. It seemed her old strength had returned. Not the System enhanced but also System limited Strength, but actual power that came from her body, training, and creation. She made another test, bending backwards until her palms were on the floor, before lifting her legs straight into the air, over her, and on the ground on the other side again. A movement performed slowly, requiring quite a bit of flexibility and control, made effortlessly. It seemed her body was fine. A single hum and a flare of her psionic might saw a perfect Witchblade appear in her hand. Something of such high quality that she would¡¯ve never been able to make it before. She allowed her hand to slide along the flat of the blade, with Aeldari glyphs infused with magic appearing along the blade. Just because the weapon was made to be used by a psyker, that didn¡¯t mean it couldn¡¯t be enchanted with magic. Best of both worlds and all that. She knew the weapon she¡¯d just created in a few moments was something that would be considered a priceless relic by almost anyone else in this universe. The benefits of extensive knowledge and experience unmatched by anyone. The weapon disappeared with a snap of her fingers, finding a new home in the same part of her soul where her Zanpakut¨­-spirit resided, available to be called at any time. The two would merge over time. As would any other weapons she created and sent there. At the same time, her telekinetic powers grabbed the dust in the corners of the room and moved it all to form a solid orb that looked heavy and smooth enough to be confused for marble. Another thought had the dust disintegrated by a golden flame. It seemed her Paladin abilities were still there as well. They weren¡¯t her core abilities, but as she¡¯d suspected, the System¡¯s removal had done nothing to the abilities either. They came from Mother and her own conviction, not the System. Testing another ability, she created a mass effect field around a small vase, causing it to float in the air weightlessly. Ironic that her biotic abilities would also return when she hadn''t had those before in this universe. Once again, knowledge of how they were used, combined with her psionic powers were enough to achieve the same effect, even without any element zero in her body. She¡¯d need to run a more thorough battery of tests later on. Time to see how others had fared. As she walked out to the porch of Evangeline¡¯s villa, she noted Shepard lounging around. The Human was one of the few who hadn¡¯t reached a Class Evolution point as she was already over level 1000, and the next one for her would be all the way at level 5000. Shepard turned to look at her and could feel the difference right away. Seraphiel now felt much like the Goddess Charlotte Richards had felt. There was a pressure to her very existence. A pressure she exuded without even noticing. ¡°You seem different. Almost like when I first met you. You got something good, I assume?¡± Shepard asked. ¡°You could say that.¡± She responded mysteriously. ¡°And you¡¯re more right than you think. I¡¯m now much closer to how I was back then. Although, I¡¯d argue I¡¯m now better.¡± Shepard whistled. ¡°Bold claim, considering you were a force of nature back then.¡± She frowned a bit. ¡±Although, I can already feel that if I were to fight you, I¡¯d lose. Not a great surprise, but¡­¡± "Yes, you would," Seraphiel responded confidently and grinned. ¡°I hope you enjoyed your brief time as the stronger one.¡± Shepard blew a raspberry. ¡°You¡¯re insufferable either way.¡± Her response caused Seraphiel to laugh. ¡°What about the others?¡± She asked. ¡°Yoruichi and Wrex are still at it. Tatsumiya and Kaede finished and are dealing with some matters related to Mahora. As you know, Teclis and Shen-Zoo didn¡¯t achieve a Class Evolution yet. Rangiku is down below testing her new abilities with Chachamaru.¡± Shepard explained. Nearly all of them had hit the same level at 1000 as well. Chachamaru and Rangiku were the only exceptions at 750, just like Seraphiel. They had started off at disparate levels but had reached a similar point together. Funnily enough, Chachamaru was the one after Seraphiel who¡¯d gained the most levels, as being a supporter gained her a fraction of everyone else''s EXP gains. She was also a very good out-of-combat supporter, and her contributions were recognized fairly by the System. Seraphiel had to remind herself that just because she was now outside the System, that didn¡¯t mean everyone else would be. They would still need to train and gain EXP like normal. They¡¯d also need materials for further Class Evolutions, once again something she wouldn¡¯t have to deal with anymore. The two silently enjoyed the peace and quiet for a moment, before the boisterous laughter of Wrex could be heard. "Shepard! I want a spar! I need to test my new abilities." The Krogan stomped out of the villa with confident steps before he suddenly came to a halt with his eyes locked on Seraphiel. His instincts were screaming danger at him. ''Do not pick a fight!'' was the clear message, despite the massive upgrade he''d just gotten. "Dammit. Seraphiel, would you mind damping down on your presence? My instincts are going haywire." ¡°Oh, my apologies. I¡¯m not used to having my old abilities back.¡± She reigned in her aura. She wasn¡¯t a stealthy person, but she¡¯d long since learned to hide her aura, as otherwise everyone with any senses would be afraid of her. She also wouldn¡¯t be able to go anywhere, as everyone would be too weirded by her presence. ¡°How much of your old abilities DO you have back?¡± Wrex asked, curious and somewhat mirroring Shepard¡¯s first questions.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Instead of explaining, Seraphiel picked up an apple from a nearby bowl and tossed it into the air. It suddenly froze there and started peeling itself layer by layer. The fruit shed itself into nothingness in a rain of tiny particles as she used her telekinesis to tear it apart almost atom by atom, and the process took less than ten seconds. Then all those particles suddenly came back together and reformed a perfect apple that dropped into her hand. She took a bite from it just for emphasis. Wrex grunted and narrowed his eyes. ¡°Point taken.¡± "You stomped here looking quite pleased. Things went well I take it?" Shepard changed the subject. "You wanted a spar and everything." ¡°Right, right. I got my Krogan Battlemaster to rank SS, and I want someone with actual skill throwing some of their abilities at me. I want to see how much punishment my new defenses can take. And I¡¯m certainly not asking Seraphiel to do it.¡± Wrex seemed to perk up a bit. ¡°You two go do that.¡± Seraphiel encouraged. ¡°I need to do something. Wrex will probably like it.¡± She finished eating the apple, before tossing the stem away, which seemed to disintegrate in the air before landing. As the two went to have their spar, Seraphiel exited the resort with a simple thought, finding herself in the hangar where their ship was moored. Her old ability of Reality Manipulation had become vastly, vastly easier to use. Celestials had always had the ability to appear where they were needed, but no one was better at it than her. She made her way to the spaceport area and the hangar where their ship was stored. She gave the vessel a critical look and made sure there was nothing aboard that could be considered personal effects or otherwise important. Then with a snap of her fingers, the whole thing came apart just like the apple earlier. Now that she had her old abilities back, the ship they had been using was just a source of available mass and materials for her to use. She could create materials from thin air, but it was easier to use what was already there and change that mass into something more useful. That was not to say she wasn¡¯t going to create more. Matter and Energy Manipulation were constituent parts of Reality Manipulation, so she could create and modify non-magical materials just about without limitation. As it also happened, her Zanpakut¨­ had assured her that she now had access to an almost bottomless source of mana, so theoretically she could create magical materials as well. Time to put that to the test. She started humming again, and Wraithbone started appearing in the air around her. She was not going to use the material for everything. However, the material was almost unrivaled when it came to conducting psionics and even doing something as simple as functioning as a power conduit or data circuit. The white substance in the air twisted and formed into a sort of nervous system for the future ship. It looked grotesque floating in the air, as if it was the neural system of some large beast. All the internal systems and weapons would be attached to this neural system. With that done, she moved to the skeleton of the new ship. Wraithbone was sturdy, and it was used as armor for the Aeldari, but she knew of sturdier materials as well. This next part would be the hardest, because the materials she was going to use would inherently be something that resisted all sorts of powers, her own included, which made it hard to create. Slowly but surely, dark glossy substance flowed across the white nervous system like a thick liquid. The black skeleton that would protect the more vulnerable systems beneath. This was a creation of her own, something combining several materials from other universes. The main ingredients were Blackstone, Obsidion, and Dark Iron. Blackstone was psionically inert, while Obsidion was completely immune to magic once it solidified. Dark Iron on the other hand was practically indestructible, and could only be forged under very specific conditions. After the skeleton came the organs and the brain. All the systems that would be connected to the nervous system she''d created, as well as the crew spaces inside the ship. She was making this ship larger than their previous one, both to give them more living space as well as to give them the ability to punch above their weight in battle. So, everybody got their own rooms, plenty of space for cargo, weapons, and materials. It even had a bar and a small spa. If they had to take in refugees again, this time those refugees wouldn¡¯t need to stay in a cargo bay. The vessel had extensive hydroponics, which were of course empty for now, medical facilities and space for various activities like training. They¡¯d need to get some more crew to keep everything running, but she was planning big. They¡¯d also need a proper AI to fill the brains of the vessel. The internal walls were made of Wraithbone for ease of moving and adjusting them, though the black liquid material formed a protective cocoon around the whole thing. Then it came time to armor and arm the ship. Instead of using the black material for the whole thing, she opted to use a material that was somewhat less durable but had the benefit of being able to regenerate from any and all damage. The Necrons had created this nice little material called Necrodermis, which formed their bodies as well as their ships. And they''d been the most frightening opponents of the Aeldari before moving into this universe. For weapons, she simply created typical Aeldari weaponry enhanced with technology from other universes. That universe did one thing well, and that thing was designing weapons. Other universes added their own little twists and the most important thing she added to the designs was magic. Just technology was great, but if you added magic to amplify the effects of said technology, you could achieve miracles. A Solar Lance that also struck with the righteous fury of Charlotte Richards sounded like a fun idea to her. Once the last system fell into place, she knew she¡¯d created a monster. The ship looked like some sort of deadly deep-sea predator. It was beautiful and sleek, but it gave a very ominous feeling. No one would mistake this ship for anything other than one meant for hunting other ships. And it also had teeth. Both those immediately visible, as well as those that were hidden from view. The ship also needed a heart, the power system. Luckily, combining a few technologies from universes she¡¯d been to made that the easiest part. She could create a power core that could power an Ecumenopolis like Coruscant and still stay the size of a large fruit. And with all the Wraithbone inside the ship, there was no point in having just one. Why leave an obvious weak spot, when you could have redundant power generation systems in several places around the ship? No need for an engineering section focused around a power core on this ship. There was a lot to do still to get the ship fully operational. Supplies, crew, the plants for the hydroponics, furniture, booze for the bar, the AI, and most of the system needed programming. But it was a start. She might as well get started on the programming part while she waited for the others¡­ ------- ¡°I love it.¡± Wrex practically squealed as he hugged the front of their new ship. ¡°It looks like one of those monsters I¡¯d like to slay!¡± ¡°I always knew you were a size queen.¡± Yoruichi joked while looking over the vessel. The new ship was easily more than triple the length and width of the old one without even considering height, which meant even more space inside, although thanks to the heavy armor, the space inside was somewhat smaller than one would think at first glance. "That''s not even a Light Cruiser anymore," Shepard commented. "Depending on the armament, it falls into Battle Cruiser territory." ¡°Knowing Seraphiel, definitely enough guns. Please Seraphiel, tell me it has enough guns?¡± Wrex practically begged. ¡°It has enough guns.¡± She reassured him. Oh boy did it have enough guns. The thing had more firepower than small fleets. ¡°I¡¯m detecting quite a lot of magic, and yet, at the same time, the magic is very muted. I don¡¯t think I would be able to sense it without touching the vessel.¡± Teclis said with closed eyes. ¡°It¡¯s like the material is dampening all signals from inside.¡± He wasn¡¯t the only one. Tatsumiya was doing the same, while Kaede kept popping in and out of the ship''s shadow. "There''s something¡­sinister about the materials." The latter commented. ¡°That¡¯s because the main armor is made of Necrodermis. Not exactly a material with a great history. Very effective though.¡± Seraphiel replied. ¡°We¡¯re going to need more crew, aren¡¯t we?¡± Chachamaru asked, mostly rhetorically. ¡°Just keeping the ship operational is going to take more people.¡± ¡°Yeah, we could use some dedicated personnel for the ship. We also need an AI, and I don¡¯t suppose some more combat personnel would hurt. If we are dealing with bigger crises like the one on Coruscant, then we could definitely use some more people.¡± Seraphiel agreed. "I know some people," Wrex grunted. "At least on the battle side of things. Grunt is still part of my clan. I also know an Asari Commando or two that could keep up." "I can arrange for an AI. Or at least I can arrange for one that can manage things until we find a proper one." Chachamaru suggested. "Master has toyed with others like me, and one of them could work as a ship AI. They''re not perhaps the best solution in the long term, and Master will want her back eventually, but at least we''ll get the ship flight-worthy." ¡°Let¡¯s put a pin on that. The VI I whipped up can keep things operational, and I¡¯d really like to get a proper AI right away.¡± Seraphiel shot down Chachamaru¡¯s idea. ¡°I have some thoughts on who to approach for a real AI.¡± ¡°We might also get a few of the Mahora students about to graduate to work for us though. They won¡¯t be as high level, but they¡¯ll manage the support aspects just fine. They can keep a ship going.¡± Kaede promised. ¡°Besides, I think your mum and brother might want to be part of this as well. They could get a leave of absence. Perhaps some of your old teammates as well? It would be nice practical training.¡± ¡°Eh, while my old teammates are ok as far as talent goes, they''re still quite low-level. We can''t really take them into the toughest situations. On the other hand, we could perhaps use a B-team of sorts that we could nurture and allow to get experience beside us." Seraphiel amended the idea. ¡°Perhaps some of the older students?¡± ¡°You know some of our old Soul Reaper friends will jump at the chance. Ichigo and Kisuke are just the most obvious ones.¡± Yoruichi suggested as well. "Sounds like we have some recruiting to do. I''m also assuming we need provisions and all the other sundry things a new ship would need?" Chachamaru summarized. ¡°Some furniture as well. Remember to get something comfortable. I made sure everyone has enough space. If push comes to shove, I can always enlarge the insides with spatial magic.¡± Seraphiel confirmed. Chapter 82 - For Aiur! --------- ¡°Now, once we arrive at our destination, I want everyone to remain calm and do nothing sudden.¡± Seraphiel was in the middle of explaining. ¡°The Protoss might be a bit jumpy, since the location of their homeworld Aiur isn¡¯t widely advertised.¡± As her little speech came to an end, the ship dropped out of phase space. As soon as they were in normal space the stations around the new bridge started giving warnings. ¡°Hundreds of vessels detected. Correction, thousands. They¡¯ve seen us, and many of them already have weapon systems targeting us.¡± Yoruichi announced with slight alarm in her voice. "Many of their vessels are quite advanced," Chachamaru added her brief analysis. "Not as advanced as ours, but still. It would be inadvisable to fight them.¡± "Keep our shields down and weapons on standby. Let''s not give them a reason to start shooting at us." Seraphiel reminded them. "Rangiku, I want you to record what I''m about to say and relay it to any ship in the vicinity unedited and verbatim." ¡°Ready.¡± The Shinigami nodded. ¡°Go.¡± ¡°Calling the Golden Armada of the Daelaam, this is Seraphiel. Artanis, get your skinny ass in gear and stop acting like a wuss. You owe me for Aiur and saving the Khala.¡± She looked at the surprised Rangiku. ¡°Got that?¡± "Message sent," Rangiku replied simply, the corner of her mouth twitching due to a suppressed grin. ¡°All of the previously advancing vessels have turned around and are buggering off.¡± Yoruichi laughed in disbelief. ¡°Whatever it is that they got from that, there¡¯s only a single ship on approach. A large vessel that I¡¯d assume to be a carrier of some sort. Nobody is targeting us anymore.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the Khala?¡± Teclis asked curiously. Ever the researcher. ¡°It¡¯s the communal psionic link shared by all the members of this faction of Protoss. It¡¯s not a hive mind exactly, but it allows those involved to share their thoughts and minds. And once they die, their spirit supposedly returns to the Khala. I have no idea if the dead can still participate in some way or not. Nor do I much care. Anyway, at the end of the war with a dark being with almost godlike powers, this Amon tried to take control of the Protoss through the Khala. As you know, I have some modest psionic abilities myself, and convinced him to think again.¡± Seraphiel regaled with a mean grin. ¡°Modest psionic abilities she says¡­¡± Shepard muttered just loud enough to be heard. ¡°I can imagine the convincing was rather unpleasant.¡± Wrex laughed. ¡°I also imagine you had something to do with the eventual defeat of this being with almost godlike power. Although, having talked with you enough, godlike isn¡¯t such high praise anymore. Some gods sound outright puny. Would be disappointing if this one fell into that category.¡± ¡°We¡¯re being hailed!¡± Rangiku announced, and a large holographic projection in the middle of the bridge turned active, showing the image of a female Protoss in full armor. ¡°Seraphiel! I should¡¯ve known it was you! No one else is brazen enough to just show up unannounced.¡± The Protoss didn¡¯t actually have a mouth, and all their ¡®speech¡¯ was psionically projected, so when one of them sounded amused, that meant they were projecting the emotion on purpose. ¡°Artanis would like to lodge a formal complaint and asks that you stop referring to his posterior in such a way. As his mate, I¡¯m extending you a formal request to do the opposite. Unofficially of course.¡± ¡°Of course, Selendis. Nothing would make me happier than to accede to your request.¡± Seraphiel announced happily. The straight-laced leader of the Protoss military had become a lot more relaxed after they''d gotten to know each other. "Excellent. Now why are you here? I doubt that you just came to mock my mate, as fun as that would be. I see you brought another Champion along. One my mate frequently clashes with in events." The grey-ish blue-skinned being added. ¡°I just built this wonderful new ship.¡± She stated. ¡°It looks very you.¡± Selendis retorted sarcastically. ¡°Thank you. I always try to invoke a sinister image. I have a problem though. The ship needs an AI, and I can¡¯t be arsed to program one when there are other perfectly valid options available.¡± She went straight to the point. ¡°So, you came to us. You want one of the Purifier engrams as your new AI.¡± Selendis realized right away. ¡°That¡¯s not impossible, though we can¡¯t exactly give you access to someone like Clolarion or Talandar.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t need a warrior anyway. My crew can do the brawling on the ground. I¡¯d rather like a pilot. Someone with great potential, even if not the most experienced one. They¡¯ll need to adjust to my technology anyway, and being too used to flying a carrier or a tempest will only make things harder for them.¡± She gave her preferred parameters. ¡°Hmm, I think I have just the one in mind. Ashredar was a promising new pilot, mostly flying scouts when his ship was shot down and his real body too damaged to survive. He chose to get uploaded as an engram. Nowadays the Purifiers use his engram on Void Rays. I could get you a copy.¡± Selendis tilted her head a bit. ¡°Artanis requests that this count as one of the million favors that he and our people owe you.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Deal. If old skinny-butt wants to get more even on the ledger, then who am I to argue?¡± She laughed happily. She¡¯d somewhat expected this, which is one of the reasons why she¡¯d taunted Artanis in the beginning. ¡°I¡¯ll warp a core with the engram over. Knowing you, you have an AI core of your own design anyway, so the transfer process is on you. Oh. OH! Zeratul asks if you¡¯d agree to take a disciple of both him and Artanis along? Apparently, the young templar needs some real experience, and he knows you¡¯ll get into trouble anyway.¡± Selendis asked, obviously getting a message from someone else. ¡°Can he handle himself? You know the level of trouble I get into.¡± Seraphiel asked carefully. ¡°Oh, yes. He¡¯s quite skilled and powerful. Just needs more experience, like Zeratul said.¡± Selendis assured her. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t even offer otherwise.¡± "I''m surprised Zeratul is still alive," Seraphiel muttered quietly. "Tell Zeratul yes. Warp the newbie in along with the engram. I''ll make sure to project a field you can use." ¡°My thanks. Old Zeratul can get cranky and annoying when he doesn¡¯t get his way. And you know he gets all cryptic and gloomy when he¡¯s cranky.¡± Selendis joked. ¡°Changing the subject, I heard you have a son now. How¡¯s little Tassadar?¡± She asked after the young Protoss she¡¯d fought back when she¡¯d just gained access to the System. ¡°Fine, fine. Academy life suits him.¡± Selendis tilted her head a bit and looked at her knowingly. ¡°Apparently, he ran into a Draenei called Seraphia, who he has taken as a source of inspiration. Maybe more. You wouldn¡¯t happen to know anything about that, now would you?¡± "I''m sure I have no idea what you''re talking about." She lied smoothly. "Sounds like a nice girl though. A good role model." ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Selendis had known Seraphiel was involved as soon as she¡¯d heard the name. ¡°Well, I suppose it¡¯s not very likely the two will run into each other anymore.¡± ¡°Does seem unlikely, yes.¡± Seraphiel easily went along. "Poor boy," Yoruichi commented from the side with a small smile. "Really unlucky for him," Shepard confirmed without cracking a smile. ¡°Right, I better get that field set up before I have a mutiny on my hands.¡± Seraphiel continued. ¡°It was good to see you Selendis. Give my regards to Artanis. And remind him he still owes me.¡± ¡°Oh, believe me. He knows. It was good to see you. Do visit us a bit more often." Selendis confirmed happily before the connection was cut. ¡°Sooooo. Cradle robbing now?¡± Yoruichi asked. Seraphiel scoffed. ¡°I was a child. He still is. We met once. Get your mind out of the gutter.¡± At the same time, she projected a field of psionically enhanced energy nearby, just in time for someone to start warping aboard. The Protoss warp tech was excellent, able to transport someone over vast distances in a few seconds. The downside was that the system was rather particular about what qualified as a viable destination, as one of these fields was required. Usually, such fields were projected by the pylons that powered all of Protoss technology. Some, like her, could project such fields unassisted. It was a very, very effective way of reinforcing armies on the field. One she would copy instantly if she ever had a need for armies. The individual Protoss that materialized was at the same time a very traditional-looking member of the Protoss race, while also having little oddities that made him quite different. He was dressed in the gold and white armor of a Templar, and on his right wrist was the bracelet that projected a traditional psyblade. On his back though, was a cape used by the Dark Templar, and on his left was a bracelet that would project the blade used by the same. On his back, he also had a staff that Seraphiel knew could project a scythe blade of psionic energy on both ends, a weapon often used by a particular sect of the darker cousins of the Daelaam Protoss. In contrast, he still had his nerve cords, a bunch of brownish hair-like appendages extending from the back of his head that connected him to Khala, something the Dark Templar ritualistically severed. They did it both as a show of philosophical differences, and a practical matter since the two sects used to be at war with one another. Nowadays they were staunch allies, but the tradition remained. All in all, he was an intriguing mix of two cultures, clearly a sign of his two masters. He was also very powerful, combining the energies of both sects, something she thought only Artanis had managed to do before. "Naidam, reporting for duty." The Protoss made a salute, banging his chest armor with his three-fingered fist, and standing at attention. ¡°Naidam. I believe that means creating your own path, does it not?¡± Seraphiel asked. ¡°It does, ma¡¯am.¡± The young Protoss nodded in confirmation. He seemed to be rather rigid in his behavior. At least on first impressions, which wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. Not something that was likely to last with this crew. He¡¯d have to either relax or he would have a stroke. Did Protoss get strokes? ¡°None of that. I¡¯m Seraphiel, or if you must use a title, I was a High Executor of the Golden Armada at one point.¡± And wasn¡¯t that long ago. ¡°Strictly speaking I¡¯m retired, but the title still stands.¡± His glowing eyes seemed to get a bit brighter. ¡°Truly? I had heard someone not of our people held the position once.¡± ¡°That would be her.¡± Yoruichi joked. ¡°Despite the way she looks, she¡¯s older than dirt. And I mean that quite literally. She¡¯s older than your home planet.¡± ¡°Ouch. That¡¯s hurtful.¡± Seraphiel grasped at her chest dramatically. ¡°From such a close friend¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry Seraphiel!¡± Rangiku announced happily. ¡°For being older than dirt, you¡¯ve kept up rather well. Not too many wrinkles¡­¡± ¡°Smooth. Just for that, you get to install our new AI.¡± Seraphiel flicked a finger, and the AI core held by Naidam floated to Rangiku. ¡°Ok. How though? I know nothing about computers. Even less about what passes for one on this ship.¡± Rangiku protested. "Figure it out," Seraphiel said simply. She did wonder how long it would take for Rangiku to figure out she could just press the core against any exposed portion of Wraithbone. The psionic material would handle the rest. ¡°I shall endeavor to help you orange one!¡± Naidam announced with a voice full of vigor. ¡°The project will help me with assimilating to the new crew!¡± ¡°Orange one?¡± Rangiku mouthed at the others, though led the young Protoss away. ¡°You think that was wise?¡± Chachamaru asked carefully. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want to destroy our new AI.¡± "I''d be sorely disappointed if she didn''t stumble into the right answer, if by no other reason than accident and blind luck. And destroying an AI core like that would take concerted effort. They''d actually have to try to destroy it to succeed." Seraphiel explained with a shrug. "Not entirely impossible, but if they do end up doing that, I''m going to have so much fun punishing them that getting the core fixed is small potatoes in comparison." "I was more referring to his first contact on the crew being Rangiku," Chachamaru stated shamelessly. ¡°Well, I couldn¡¯t really perform a thorough review and a welcoming ceremony in the middle of the bridge, now could I? He can spar with Wrex later.¡± Seraphiel sniffed and tossed her hair a bit in a theatric show of displeasure. "Poor bloke." Shepard shook her head, echoing Yoruichi''s earlier words. "You''re really not being nice with the Protoss, are you? First, you lead their prince in all but name astray, and now you''re going to throw their future hero to Rangiku and Wrex? Cruel, even for you." Apparently that particular joke was going to last. ¡°You know I¡¯m going to be gentle.¡± Wrex grinned. Everyone laughed at that. ¡°Wrex, you don¡¯t even know what that word means.¡± Shepard pointed out. ¡°I know what it means. I¡¯ve been gentle to females long before your species invented space flight.¡± Wrex scoffed. "Wrex, I don''t think Krogan females are the shining examples of gentle either. Headbutting people is not gentle. Also, eww. I really didn''t want the image of Wrex being ''gentle'' with our new Protoss friend in my head today. I think I''m going to need to drink myself to a stupor just to bleach that image from my mind." Shepard made gagging sounds. ¡°You just can¡¯t appreciate my charm. Your loss.¡± Wrex just grinned wider. ¡°I¡¯m sure Seraphiel doesn¡¯t mind the image.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯m currently ¡®not minding¡¯ the image very much.¡± Seraphiel joked with a faked passion in her voice, causing everyone to laugh again. After everyone settled a bit, Seraphiel took the reigns of the conversation again. ¡°Right. Let¡¯s go find us more crew then. As much as I don¡¯t mind our new addition, we need actual non-combat crew as well. Besides, someone promised me Asari commandos. I intend to hold you to that Wrex.¡± ¡°Consider it done. I already sent the message before we came here.¡± The Krogan nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can snag a few Quarians as well. They make for perfect engineers and non-combat support personnel. Maybe even a Volus to handle our finances. Those guys really know their business, and that would allow Chachamaru to hand over the accounting duties to someone else.¡± Seraphiel outlined her plan. ¡°I don¡¯t mind doing the accounts.¡± Chachamaru protested very lightly. ¡°Perhaps, but you¡¯re allowed free time as well. Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed how hard you¡¯re working.¡± Seraphiel gently scolded her. "Fine." The android pouted playfully. Chapter 83 - Bout -------- ¡°Initializing¡­control achieved. Testing systems¡­¡­¡­.all systems operational.¡± The new AI, Ashredar kept up a running report as it took over the systems of the ship. ¡°System calibration sub-optimal¡­working on calibration.¡± "Well, it seems Rangiku found the right place to plug in the AI," Seraphiel stated jokingly. ¡°Mmm. She is good at plugging.¡± Yoruichi said in a suggestive voice. The AI made an intentional and very artificial throat-clearing sound. ¡°While the calibrations are underway, I¡¯d like to introduce myself. I am Ashredar. This is a very fine ship. Very fine indeed. Would it be fine if I took a spin around the system to get more familiar with the systems? I might also want to test-fire the weapons a few times.¡± The AI requested politely. ¡°There¡¯s also no name for the vessel in any registry.¡± ¡°I was planning on naming the ship after we got an AI, so it doesn¡¯t have one yet. Permission for movement and weapons granted.¡± Seraphiel nodded before introducing the rest of the crew one by one. "Nice to meet you all. May our cooperation be fruitful." The AI stated with an officious voice. At the same time, the ship picked up speed, slowly aiming for the edge of the system. ¡°The same to you. Tell me when you¡¯re done with calibration to the point you¡¯re confident in flying around. We have the next destination to go to, but we wouldn¡¯t want to embarrass ourselves.¡± She teased the AI a bit, something she knew the AI would have to get used to on this ship. She knew Protoss could get a bit stiff and high in discipline at times, though she also knew they could mellow out with a bit of time and effort. Speaking of, Rangiku and their new Protoss friend, Naidam returned at the same time. ¡°This ship is marvelous. Not quite as spacy as the usual Protoss vessels, but I suppose it makes up in sturdiness and deadliness. The systems are also fascinating.¡± The Protoss Templar seemed impressed. ¡°This isn¡¯t spacious?¡± Yoruichi asked in confusion. ¡°There¡¯s room for a crew of hundreds and we have like a dozen. We even have a bar and a spa.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid you misunderstood me. Our ships have much more empty space. Since nearly everything can and will be constructed of energy fields, there¡¯s less point in permanent fixtures. As a result, every room and corridor is much wider as well as much brighter in illumination. We naturally have fewer rooms as well.¡± Naidam hurried to clarify the misunderstanding. ¡°Huh. And here I was about to ask Sephy to make even more space with some spatial charms.¡± Yoruichi hummed. Seraphiel clapped her hands together to draw everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Let¡¯s move to the cargo hold. I believe it would be nice to see our new member¡¯s abilities, and I do think I promised Wrex the honors.¡± Another clap of her hands, and everyone found themselves in the wide-open space of said cargo hold. It was clear this particular space had already been expanded magically, since you could park three entire ships of the size the hold was supposed to be in inside, assuming you managed to get them through the bay doors, which weren¡¯t as large. "That''s¡­a neat trick," Naidam said carefully, clearly glancing around nervously. Warping and teleporting were not new experiences to a Protoss, the ease at which it had happened, essentially without his consent was somewhat disturbing though. If she could do this, what was to stop his new captain from teleporting him outside the hull? Better not pick a fight with her. ¡°Yeah, you seem to be improving.¡± Yoruichi grinned, noticing the sudden nerves on the previously jovial Protoss. This had clearly been a show of power from Seraphiel, and the effect had been just as intended. "I''ll make sure nothing gets destroyed, so you can get wild boys," Seraphiel promised, her powers wrapping around the entire room, reinforcing all the walls. "You can begin whenever you feel comfortable." The two men looked at each other a bit before walking close to the middle of the cargo hold, taking a comfortable distance from each other. Wrex pulled out a wicked-looking shotgun, while Naidam ignited the two psionic blades on his wrists. As if triggered by an unseen signal, the two psionically charged each other. Wrex turned into a bolt of psionic energy, while Naidam seemed to move so fast that he was teleporting, while wrapped in a cocoon of his own power. Both missiles of psionic might clashed in the middle, the shockwave blasting the entire hold while ruffling the clothing of the observers standing by the side. Naidam was pushed back as expected, but a lot less than everyone had expected. Even Wrex grunted in respect as the Protoss warrior recovered instantly, blinking behind Wrex just as a shot from his psionic shotgun annihilated the space where the Templar had just stood. At the same time, the blades of the Protoss cut through the air, only barely scratching Wrex''s shields as the wily Krogan dodged aside. The Krogan countered immediately, smashing the butt of his rifle at the face of his adversary, who agilely spun away from the strike, his blades cutting Wrex¡¯s shields again as the much more mobile Protoss danced around him. "Bold of our new friend to engage a Krogan Warlord in melee," Teclis commented, the fight moving so fast that even his Elven Perception had trouble following every detail. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°That is the Protoss way. Bravery is something they have in spades, as well as experience engaging dangerous enemies in close combat. He likely wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.¡± Seraphiel explained as the resident Protoss expert. "He''s doing well," Rangiku added positive reinforcements. ¡°In not getting splattered, yes. In terms of winning though, no chance.¡± Yoruichi¡¯s judgement was much colder. ¡°Admittedly I might¡¯ve tried the same the first time I saw Wrex. Now I know better. Nowadays I¡¯d snipe him from range. Repeatedly, and with heavy overkill.¡± "You might find that more challenging than before with his new Class," Shepard added her two cents. "Taking punishment is what his new Class is all about. The only one I''d bet against him in pure endurance competition is Seraphiel, and that''s because she cheats." Seraphiel nodded in agreement. ¡°A valiant effort though. However, not knowing your enemy is going to be our new friend¡¯s undoing. Look, Wrex is about to spring the trap.¡± Wrex¡¯s shields collapsed with a crack, and Naidam smelt blood. His blade struck like a viper towards Wrex''s eye. Wrex didn¡¯t even blink as the blade stopped mere millimeters from the large glinting eye, as the glowing [Fortification] barrier glowed across his skin. A Skill that didn¡¯t last very long but would make him pretty much invulnerable for that brief time. A huge, clawed hand closed around the wrist of the agile Protoss. The Krogan pulled Naidam into a fierce headbutt, before repeatedly smashing him against the floor, before planting his boot on Naidam¡¯s chest with the shotgun pointing at his foe¡¯s face. Despite the disorientation, Naidam was already gathering his powers into a huge point-blank explosion, but that power was suddenly dispersed by Wrex¡¯s. ¡°Nice try pup. Unfortunately, that won¡¯t work against another trained psionic.¡± "I yield," Naidam admitted, the boot leaving his chest right away. The other gave a nice polite applause. Seraphiel stepped forward. ¡°Right. Critique, points of improvement, suggestions. Go.¡± Kaede seemed to appear from the shadows, adopting her teacher''s tone. "Well, despite the great showing, fighting someone like Wrex in direct melee is not the best idea. Nin-nin." She even added her annoying tick at the end. ¡°To be fair, that¡¯s supposed to be my forte as well.¡± Naidam pointed out. ¡°Though, it clearly didn¡¯t work. I have ranged abilities, but they¡¯re severely limited in comparison.¡± ¡°The thing is, you¡¯re a striker. A quick and agile scalpel. Wrex is like a regenerating brick wall. We all know how that fight ends.¡± Tatsumiya, also a teacher, pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s not that you¡¯re wrong about your abilities, but you are facing a very bad matchup. When faced with a bad matchup, you need to change it. That requires versatility in abilities. If you have limited ranged capabilities, you need to develop more.¡± ¡°Which brings us to another point. Knowing your enemy.¡± Seraphiel took over. ¡°Now, I did just throw you two into a fight suddenly, with little opportunity to seek information, but this is where experience becomes valuable. You need to gather the necessary information in the middle of the fight and read your enemy. Wrex read you perfectly and laid the appropriate trap. You saw an opportunity and executed in a heartbeat, which can be good and shows decisiveness. The problem was you not realizing the opportunity was there on purpose.¡± She clapped Naidam on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. These kinds of things are just what you were sent to us for. Experience only comes with repeated exposure to all sorts of situations. Besides, your idea to stab through the eye and into the brain was a correct one. Pretty much nothing else you could¡¯ve done to take down someone like Wrex quickly. Good plan, failed execution.¡± Wrex clapped the young Protoss on the other shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry pup. No one actually expected you to win that. If you had, you wouldn¡¯t be here. Just shows you have room for improvement. You fought well. Your movements were very fluid and efficient, and you kept out of reach quite well. You need a plan for when you get caught and more experience fighting skilled psionics. Luckily, we have some of the best on this ship to help with that, and I¡¯m not talking just about myself.¡± He nodded towards Seraphiel and Shepard. ¡°He isn¡¯t just being polite.¡± Shepard was in agreement. ¡°You did well.¡± The intercom made a small sound, completely unnecessarily as the comms didn¡¯t usually make such sounds. It was just Ashredar¡¯s way of drawing attention and signaling the AI was about to speak, just like the throat clear earlier. ¡°The calibrations are at a state where we can travel safely, and any error margin in my performance is at an acceptable level.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Seraphiel opened communications with everyone on the ship. ¡°Hold on to something. We¡¯re about to move back to Citadel.¡± The world seemed to twist for a moment, and suddenly everyone could feel they were not where they¡¯d just been. They couldn¡¯t see out of the cargo hold to tell where exactly they were now, though they could guess based on Seraphiel¡¯s announcement, but they were sure it was somewhere else than they¡¯d been a moment before. ¡°I¡¯m reading a relatively sizeable space station nearby, and a lot of ship traffic. There¡¯s a protective fleet around the station, some of which seem to have been agitated by our arrival, as well as what I assume to be civilian shipping.¡± Ashredar reported straight away. ¡°We also seem to be within a nebula.¡± ¡°How far did we just travel?¡± Naidam asked quietly. He had expected something like that after being transported into the cargo hold, but it was still weird to experience and sent his mind whirring. "Hard to say with the distances of this universe but suffice to say we''re nowhere near Aiur," Shepard explained. "This is my home galaxy. Using gateways, we''d have to take at least a dozen, though I''m not exactly sure where Aiur is." Two things struck Naidam right away. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose we teleported to a previously marked spot like a pylon, did we?¡± ¡°No, though I¡¯ve of course visited Citadel several times in the past.¡± Seraphiel realized some of what Naidam must be thinking. The young Protoss realized that she could drop him inside a star if she wanted to, if he didn¡¯t figure out a way to stop it. He also realized the tactical implications. ¡°You realize that this would be a huge advantage in a war. Any war. Even if you move only a single ship, the ability to just drop above your enemy¡¯s headquarters is something that can¡¯t be denied.¡± Seraphiel just smiled. The young Protoss was thinking too small. Wrex agreed. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to realize pup. She could move the enemy headquarters into an ambush instead.¡± ¡°Entire planets?¡± Naidam asked, shocked. ¡°Not quickly or easily, but with enough preparation, yes. Moving something like an entire planet would take the wind out of my sails for a long time though and would depend on the number of inhabitants. Every person on the planet would make it harder. It¡¯s not exactly a pool of mana that I¡¯m drawing on, or something similar. It¡¯s more like a muscle. If I overtax it, the more I¡¯m likely to injure myself, and the more I¡¯ll need to rest afterwards.¡± Seraphiel offered a short description. ¡°Moving a single ship of unresisting individuals is relatively easy.¡± ¡°And how would you resist it? Hypothetically.¡± Naidam asked, his concern quite obvious. ¡°Oh, you spooked the pup.¡± Wrex grinned. The wily Krogan had already figured out ways to resist. ¡°I won¡¯t reveal all my tricks.¡± Seraphiel mirrored the grin. ¡°Now let¡¯s get to recruiting. Shepard, can you help us? The word of the heroic Commander Shepard would go a long way to get some great recruits.¡± There were always people looking for opportunities for adventure and work. Some to gain thrills, some for levels, some for money, and some just wanted to do good. The trick was to find the right people. ¡°I am Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite store on the Citadel.¡± Wrex tried to mockingly imitate Shepard. Shepard just laughed at the poor attempt. ¡°Sure, although I¡¯m just a bit disappointed that you haven¡¯t asked me to join.¡± "Oh, you have a standing invitation. I simply assumed you wouldn''t be able to. But yes, I would like to formally invite you to join our crew, Shepard. And you can answer whenever you want." Seraphiel smiled at her former lover and friend. "I accept," Shepard said right away, to everyone''s surprise. "Come now, don''t look so shocked. We all enjoy each other''s company, and you already know I''ve enjoyed Sephy''s company especially in the past.¡± ¡°Quite loudly in fact.¡± Wrex quipped. The old Normandy didn¡¯t have very thick walls. Shepard continued without responding to the Krogan. ¡°I can already tell that you will be in the center of whatever is with this current mess of things. It¡¯s great levels, and I¡¯ve been bored out of my mind before I met you. I also have it on good authority, that if I bribe you right, you might help us again if the Tyranid problem raises its head again.¡± Seraphiel smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t need an explanation, though I appreciate it anyway. Welcome aboard. Now let¡¯s find some new crew. Wrex, you promised me some commandoes and I damn well intend to collect!¡± ----- Chapter 84 - Lurve ---------- "¡­and the right side fore brightlance turret requires some balancing. The turn rate to the right is faster than left." Ashredar reported. Seraphiel concentrated for a moment, making the necessary adjustments with her mind, as she sat on the bridge. ¡°How about now?¡± A few moments passed as the new AI tested the effect of the changes. ¡°It feels better. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s quite perfect yet, but I¡¯ll need to run some thorough tests to know for sure.¡± Seraphiel leaned back in the rather comfy chair while pulling her legs up to her chest on the chair. These kinds of adjustments were extremely necessary, but they were also rather dull and time-consuming. Most of the crew was doing recruitment on the Citadel. Even Yoruichi and Rangiku had returned to Soul Society to report and to see if they could shake loose some interested new parties. Seraphiel had not gone with either group, mainly because she didn¡¯t want people to join just because they were attracted to her. Her thoughts were interrupted by something she sensed. With a small smile, she jumped up from the chair and made her way towards the crew quarters. She found the room she was searching for quickly but didn''t enter right away as she sensed the magic being cast inside and allowed the spell to finish and settle before knocking. ¡°Come in!¡± The surprised voice of Teclis could be heard from inside. The room she entered was significantly larger from the inside than the outside. "I see you''re dabbling with spatial expansion magic. I didn''t know you could cast the necessary spells.¡± She commented with a pleased smile. ¡°I couldn¡¯t before now," Teclis admitted. "But it''s really useful magic, and I observed you using it on the ship¡¯s cargo hold a few days ago. I decided to do some testing.¡± ¡°You know, you could¡¯ve just asked. I would¡¯ve happily shown you how to do it properly.¡± She promised. ¡°It¡¯s useful to have more people with the skill but doing it wrong can be a bit dangerous.¡± ¡°You know me. I can¡¯t help researching new magic when presented with the opportunity. And most of my life I¡¯ve been at the forefront of magic, without the ability to ask anyone for help. I¡¯m just used to figuring things out myself.¡± Teclis shrugged a bit bashfully. Seraphiel realized it was also a matter of pride. Magic was his thing. His crutch. ¡°Do you mind if I check your work? I could give you feedback and suggestions at least.¡± She wanted to make sure the spell wouldn¡¯t collapse in the middle of her new ship. ¡°Sure.¡± Teclis agreed easily now that he¡¯d succeeded in replicating the basics of the spell at least. She allowed her magical senses to circle the entire area affected and even beyond. It was pretty good work for a first attempt. ¡°Not bad. The spatial expansion itself is done well and in a relatively stable manner. You can improve the expansion ratio, but that¡¯s something that comes with experience. Hmm, the only iffy part is the way you tied the spell off. The expansion is relatively stable, but the way you tried to make the spell permanent is slowly fraying, so the expansion isn¡¯t exactly long-lasting. You would need to repair the expansion rather regularly, or the spell would slowly start coming undone.¡± ¡°Oh, we wouldn¡¯t want that. That could be dangerous.¡± Teclis sounded a little worried. "We?" Seraphiel noted the use of the word and didn''t think Teclis was referring to her, or using a general we. Teclis looked a little bashful. ¡°It¡¯s Shen-Zoo. She has expressed a desire to have our quarters combined.¡± Seraphiel grinned happily. ¡°Oh, Teclis you sly dog! Well done. I didn¡¯t see this one coming, although you two have been spending a lot of time together, so maybe I should have.¡± Teclis cleared his throat. "Now, don''t make this a bigger deal than it is. We''re taking things very slowly, and neither of us is very sure of what this is yet, if anything more than a close friendship. But yes, I¡¯m just as surprised. I¡¯m used to my brother being the one getting all the female attention. This is a new experience, and I really have to thank you, since I¡¯ve really noticed a change after you removed the curse from me.¡± Her grin turned into a gentle smile. "Well, it does help that you no longer look like a strong wind will break you in half. Still, you do know it''s not all about appearance, right? I know plenty of people who were a lot less attractive than the old you that had gorgeous partners. Confidence and personality go a long way. As does seizing opportunities when presented. Being in the right place at the right time and taking the chance is half the battle." Teclis looked at her a little wistfully. ¡°I know. I remember.¡± When she¡¯d visited their world the first time, she¡¯d met Teclis first, but it had been his brother that she¡¯d gotten involved with. It hadn¡¯t been a matter of looks either. Even though she could appreciate attractive features, she¡¯d never been too picky about the looks of her partners. She smiled again. ¡°I¡¯m happy for you. I hope things work out between you two. Shen-Zoo is a wonderful girl.¡± Using the term girl for someone thousands of years old was quite telling. ¡°It would be wonderful if the two of you got along well, and I genuinely wish you all the best.¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Thank you, Seraphiel. That¡­means more than you think.¡± Teclis admitted. Like most she¡¯d gotten close to, Teclis too had carried a torch for Seraphiel for a long time. Forgetting her was not easy. She clapped her hands loudly to change the mood. ¡°Now then. If you want Shen-Zoo to move here, you need more rooms and not just enlarge this one. Let¡¯s get some walls moved and doors created. We can easily connect these quarters with the neighboring ones.¡± She decided cheerily. ------ ¡°Sephy, I have a surprise for you.¡± Shepard¡¯s raspy sing-song voice came over the comms. ¡°And you¡¯re not going to tell me, are you?¡± She knew right away. ¡°You¡¯re going to be cruel and withhold the surprise until you arrive.¡± "Damn right, I will!" Shepard declared before laughing. ¡°Oh well. Have your suspense.¡± Despite her slight annoyance, she smiled at her friend¡¯s antics. Besides, she could make educated guesses. "Bah. I was hoping for a little more effort on your part." Shepard complained. ¡°Shepard, honey, despite how it may seem sometimes, I do have patience. What¡¯s a few hours compared to eons?¡± Despite her claims, her patience wasn¡¯t quite as strong as back then. She used to have infinite patience, but her recent life being more active had worn on that, and her patience wasn¡¯t quite what it used to be. She still wasn¡¯t impatient, but it was still a downward trajectory. "You''re taking all the fun out of this," Shepard complained, though Seraphiel could hear the smile in her voice. ¡°I simply refuse to give you the satisfaction you seek. You should be used to it by now.¡± She teased, knowing what Shepard liked. Shepard just cut off the comms with an amused and frustrated huff. Seraphiel turned back to Wrex who was appearing inside the ship via the teleporters they had installed. She aesthetically liked the ring-style teleporters that a certain race called the Goa¡¯uld used, so she¡¯d just copied that. It wasn¡¯t the most efficient system, but it had character and a very satisfying aesthetic. And Seraphiel could appreciate both. Besides, a proper teleporter allowed them to forgo shuttles, as they certainly couldn¡¯t dock on the Citadel with a ship of this size. Wrex appeared with a trio of Asari wearing the typical black Asari commando armor. The armor was focused on mobility over protection, as the Asari usually favored their biotic barriers and shields over heavy armor. They were all heavily armed though. They all had psionically enhanced weaponry, similar to Wrex, and of course their rather formidable biotic abilities. Wrex chuckled. ¡°Well, I promised you some commandos. Here we go. Three Asari commandos, as promised. I can vouch for each one of them. None of them is going to fold under pressure, and they¡¯re good enough to actually push me if all three of them work together.¡± That was rather high praise. They were all between levels 650 and 750, showing just how experienced they were. Two of them had very professional and solemn expressions, while one was clearly amused and more cheery. The two serious ones had rather light-blue skin and looked similar enough to pass for twins, while the amused one had a more purple tone and clan markings tattooed on her forehead. ¡°Ladies, this is our glorious leader Seraphiel. Don¡¯t pick a fight with her unless you want to get trashed. Badly.¡± He turned to the Commandos. ¡°I¡¯m Iryssa.¡± The cheerful one waved at her. ¡°And we¡¯re Dahlenn and Tyvoss.¡± One of the sisters introduced herself and the other sister. ¡°Glad to meet you.¡± Seraphiel shook their hands. She noticed them looking above her head, as if trying to read her level and failing, which obviously made them frown, though they got over it quickly. ¡°I didn¡¯t know people other than Champions had such strong identity protection.¡± The cheerful one pointed out directly. ¡°And what makes you think I¡¯m not a Champion?¡± Seraphiel playfully asked back, before addressing Wrex. ¡°Show them where they can bunk up. We¡¯re starting to have enough people for two effective combat teams. I assume Yoruichi will drag back one or two more, and we¡¯ll likely run into some more of my old friends eventually, so we¡¯re good. If Chachamaru really wants to recruit a junior squad from the academy, then we¡¯ll have a third. Now all we need is the non-combat personnel.¡± ¡°Yeah, can¡¯t help with that.¡± Wrex shook his large head. ¡°Not my forte. Though I think I heard something about Shepard finding someone. Or at the very least, I think I heard her squeal in the Presidium, which means it¡¯s an old friend.¡± ¡°I think I can guess already. It would be very nice, even if somewhat unexpected.¡± She smiled fondly. ¡°Wanna take a bet on which one?¡± Wrex asked. ¡°No. She wanted to surprise me, so let¡¯s let her have her fun.¡± Seraphiel shook her head. She didn''t have to wait long though. The teleporter sang again only an hour later, and a very familiar environment-suit-clad Quarian was accompanying Shepard. "Tali!" Seraphiel threw her hands wide, pulling the slim woman into an embrace. Tali had clearly grown and aged. She¡¯d been very young when they¡¯d last met, the youngest member of Shepard¡¯s crew aside from Grunt. She¡¯d filled out a little more and had grown a bit taller, probably thanks to the System as well. ¡°You look great. Still using the enviro-suits. I would¡¯ve thought the System solved that issue.¡± ¡°It did.¡± Tali¡¯s voice had grown lower and more mature as well. ¡°Nowadays we use them mostly due to cultural reasons. It¡¯s no longer a death sentence if the suit breaks, and we do get out of them more. I suppose the older generations simply grew used to them. The younger ones are more rebellious of course.¡± ¡°Well, as long as it¡¯s by choice and not necessity. You really look good.¡± She gave Tali another quick hug before letting go. ¡°How are you here? The last I heard, you were supposed to be part of the Admiralty Board.¡± ¡°My term actually ended last year. The Board has become more of an advisory role with Rannoch and everything. Anyway, with all of us living potentially much longer due to the System, the Conclave decided to limit the terms of the Admirals to avoid someone gathering too much power. I served more than the maximum already, as I was given special dispensation due to everything. I was gently but firmly retired and told to find something else to do. What better than to go along with some old friends?¡± Seraphiel could see Tali¡¯s happy smile even through the purple visor of the enviro-suit. ¡°Well, you¡¯re certainly welcome. Still a genius engineer?¡± She asked with a slight teasing tone. "I''m not sure if I could call myself a genius, but yes," Tali responded with surprising confidence. "I''m a very good engineer, and Shepard here promised me lots of fun new things to play with as an enticement." ¡°Oh, I think you¡¯ll find what I¡¯ve done with the ship quite interesting.¡± Seraphiel grinned at that. ¡°I almost forgot. You¡¯re a real bag of tricks. Where¡¯s the engineering?¡± Tali demanded to know. ¡°That¡¯s part of the fun. There isn¡¯t one.¡± Seraphiel teased. ¡°N-no engineering?¡± Tali¡¯s glowing eyes blinked behind the visor. ¡°What sort of sorcery is this?¡± "Well, let me tell you all about it¡­" Seraphiel flung her arm around her old friend and started guiding her towards all the exciting parts of the ship. ------ Despite her arrival with only Tali, Shepard and the others had actually managed to recruit quite a few non-combat crew in addition to Tali. Just simple things like having a cook and a quartermaster made things simpler. The quartermaster, a member of the Volus race, also doubled as the one in charge of finances, as the rotund but short beings had rather brilliant minds when it came to matters of finance and organization. They also had a dedicated doctor, or in this case a healer, as well as many others. Their ship quickly jumped back to Mahora, and they had barely arrived when Tatsumiya and Kaede ran towards the ship while leading a small gaggle of students as well as Seraphiel¡¯s mother in this life, Ophiel, and her brother Raziel towards the ship. ¡°Seraphiel, we need to leave. We received news while you were gone. Another world is under attack. This time it¡¯s your homeworld.¡± Kaede reported as soon as she was onboard. ¡°Under attack by who?¡± She asked. The world of the Angels was sort of a Core World, and less defended than most, so maybe she should¡¯ve seen this coming. ¡°Multiple parties. I caught wind of at least Chaos, but I know there are others. We need to get there now. Our people have issued a general recall for all Angels and Draenei capable of putting up any sort of defense.¡± Ophiel hurried to add. ¡°The sooner we get there, the better.¡± Most of the students had been in the form of Draenei now that she thought about it. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good thing I have a fast way to travel then.¡± Chapter 85 - Hell ------ Their ship appeared in the same system as Seraphiel¡¯s home planet. They¡¯d purposefully aimed far enough away from the world that if it was under siege from orbit, they would get some time to get their bearings before they were shot at. A decision that turned out to be a smart one, as thousands of ships were surrounding the planet. "I''m reading at least three thousand vessels of various sizes, not counting one-man fighters," Chachamaru reported. "The silhouette of the ships is not familiar to me, but I can make some educated guesses." A holographic image of a long but narrow ship covered in spikes in places that were picked to cause dread and revulsion in those watching. The ship was made of dark metal, with the broadsides filled with the barrels of cannons, and a dozen weapons placed along the top spine of the ship. The ship was obviously designed to have minimal surface area from the front and behind, so it likely preferred to fire broadsides at the enemy. It was also covered with the iconography of Chaos. ¡°I can sense someone extremely powerful among the fleet. There¡¯s another powerful presence on the surface.¡± Shepard warned. ¡°The combined nation of Angels and Draenei is under attack but holding. The entire nation is covered by a golden dome protecting it from any orbital strikes. By my readings, the shield is holding rather comfortably, but I don''t think it can stop people from just walking through the shield." Chachamaru continued reporting. ¡°The Angels used to be the dominant force in the universe. Even if we¡¯ve fallen low, that doesn¡¯t mean all our achievements and defenses are gone.¡± Seraphiel¡¯s mother Ophiel offered in the way of explanation. ¡°The downside is that when the protections were made, ground attacks were not considered a potential risk.¡± ¡°I would like to point out that despite our current firepower, we cannot take on the entire fleet in orbit.¡± Ashredar pointed out. ¡°Especially since we haven¡¯t yet even completed all our calibrations, and I honestly haven¡¯t perfected flying the ship. In a fight like this, perfect control is extra important, which I don¡¯t have yet unfortunately.¡± "We could harass and retreat," Wrex suggested. "Would force them to focus on us instead of the planet below." ¡°Start flying at them, weapons hot. Prepare for battle.¡± Seraphiel commanded, seemingly not listening, which she disproved with her next words. ¡°I¡¯ll even the odds once they¡¯ve noticed us and are focused on us. Shepard, can you do defense? Wrex, help her. I know your powers aren¡¯t optimized for ship-to-ship combat, but every bit helps. Teclis and Ophiel, make sure we aren¡¯t bothered magically.¡± The others nodded, deciding to trust in her judgement. They didn¡¯t have to wait long until a portion of the enemy fleet started turning against them. Not the entire fleet though. They didn¡¯t take a single ship smaller than a large portion of theirs as a real risk, even one they didn¡¯t recognize. Seraphiel reached with her mind towards the asteroid belt within the system and grabbed the largest and heaviest asteroid she could find. The object wasn''t quite moon-sized, but it wasn''t far from it either. Lifting both of her arms towards the enemy fleet, the asteroid suddenly appeared in the middle of the formation, destroying several ships with its sheer mass. She squeezed both of her hands into fists, at the same time shattering the asteroid, before sweeping both arms wide, telekinetically sending all the pieces hurtling into the fleet around the asteroid. The further the pieces traveled, the more speed they managed to pick up, though even the ships close to the asteroid suffered horrific damage from chunks of rock bigger than the ships themselves. Void shields were generally good defenses, but not when faced with an impact with a mass several times the ship it was protecting. Unfortunately, she wasn''t the only one with powers, and the psykers on the vessels started to either protect their ships or shatter the incoming projectiles now that they could react. The attack had accomplished what she had been aiming for though, as the entire fleet was in disarray, with a large chunk of it just gone. Their own ship weaved through the enemy formation, all their weapons firing at full strength. Ashredar purposefully flew as close to the enemy vessels as possible, so that every shot fired at them that missed would hit the enemy instead. Against most, this would¡¯ve been a great deterrent, but the forces of Chaos almost gleefully kept firing, hitting their own ships vastly more than what they were aiming at. The powerful presence among the enemy fleet suddenly seemed to exit one of the diseased-looking ships, a large figure clad in power armor, with a pair of wings on his back and a nasty-looking scythe in his hands. Seraphiel recognized the figure. "Mortarion. It seems he wants to play. Yoruichi, this one is all for you. The idiot''s greatest strength comes from plagues." Yoruichi laughed. ¡°Well, he¡¯ll be in for a bad time then.¡± "Will Miss Yoruichi be ok alone?" The young Protoss Naidam asked, slightly worried, sensing the power of the enemy. ¡°Should we not send help?¡± ¡°Against this enemy? She will do fine. Mortarion is already weakened fighting in the void of space, but this is Yoruichi. You wouldn¡¯t know, but Soul Reapers like her are pretty much immune to diseases that aren¡¯t specifically designed to be used against them. And Yoruichi will not be messing around. She was the head of the squad focused on executing criminals and enemies of the Soul Society for hundreds of years. Even if Mortarion is powerful, this is not a fight he can win.¡± Seraphiel stated confidently. Yoruichi was strong even among other captains, because the two of them had constantly trained together when she¡¯d been in the Soul Society. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. As if to prove her words, Yoruichi appeared right next to Mortarion in a flash, incinerating the top half of the Demon Primarch¡¯s body with a Kid¨­ spell. The demonic being wasn¡¯t defeated so easily, as it regenerated almost immediately, striking back with its scythe and a wave of plagues, but Yoruichi was no longer there. Among the Primarchs, Mortarion¡¯s strength lay in durability, diseases, and regenerative abilities. Very notably, he was not much of a psyker, despite his latent potential. Unfortunately for him, Yoruichi specialized in speed and sheer attack power, rendering his defenses almost moot, and his attacks were too slow and ineffective to land. That was just part of why Seraphiel had picked Yoruichi. Now all that was required was for the Primarch¡¯s regeneration to be overwhelmed. The rest of them didn¡¯t have time to watch though, as several other demonic beings swarmed towards them from the vessels, noticing how futile just shooting at them seemed. ¡°Tatsumiya, time to show them why you¡¯re the premier demon hunter.¡± ¡°It shall be done.¡± Tatsumiya appeared on top of the ship, her guns singing with speed and accuracy that nearly no one else could mimic. Any Demon that got close enough found out that Tatsumiya wasn¡¯t any worse in close combat, and that was before Kaede showed up to help. ¡°Switch!¡± Shepard called out to Wrex, as the incoming fire started to overwhelm her ability to protect the ship. Wrex took over, as his biotic abilities surrounded the ship. "I regret to inform, but some enemies managed to board us during the switch," Ashredar reported. "They are materializing in the cargo bay." ¡°Naidam, Shen-Zoo, those are for you. I¡¯m sending our new Asari allies with you for support.¡± Seraphiel ordered. Those mentioned suddenly got dropped into the cargo bay and engaged the enemies within. At the same time, Seraphiel continued her own efforts, now sending the enemy ships hurtling into each other utilizing her telekinesis. The enemy psykers might be strong enough to stop chunks of asteroids, but when she focused on the enemy ships individually, the enemy efforts were for naught. She used the larger enemy ships as battering rams until they were too damaged to be of any use, before moving on to smaller ones. She knew it didn¡¯t ultimately matter if her plan came true, but it added to the confusion at least. "Can we get a better read on what''s happening on the surface?" Ophiel asked, worried for her old home. ¡°I read three distinct enemy forces. Chaos Demons are assaulting a large fortress in the south of the Angel¡¯s territory.¡± Chachamaru started reporting but was interrupted by Ophiel. ¡°That has been going on for generations. I fought at the bastion in my youth as well.¡± ¡°Well, that attack likely intensified as the ships arrived in orbit, and is now supported by the forces dropped by these ships. Another portion of the world is being attacked by one of the locust races indigenous to this universe. Nothing special, but annoying. The problem seems to be that one of the other kingdoms of the world seems to have been overrun by the Burning Legion.¡± Chachamaru continued, as their ship swerved around another Chaos vessel to use it as cover. At the same time, their own weapons could fire continuously, almost without aiming with so many targets to shoot at. ¡°Wait. Burning Legion?¡± Seraphiel asked in confusion. ¡°I killed Sargeras. Why is the Legion suddenly a problem when their leadership is gone?¡± She forced her hand into a fist, crushing another enemy capital ship. "Ah, I can see the confusion. According to my sources, the Legion was pacified for a long time but found new leadership when brought into this universe. The Legion didn''t disappear anywhere just because their leader was gone, only scattered. And there are plenty of dark gods and their ilk in this universe happy to pick up the pieces." Chachamaru clarified. Yoruichi annihilated Mortarion again, frying three Chaos ships at the same time with a powerful beam of Kid¨­, and this time the Demon Primarch¡¯s regeneration was significantly slower, allowing Yoruichi to strike again, wiping the remains out as well. A rift formed in space, attempting to retrieve the soul of the Primarch. ¡°Now Yoruichi!¡± Seraphiel practically screamed psionically, prompting Yoruichi to intercept the fleeing soul. There was another reason she¡¯d picked Yoruichi as Mortarion¡¯s enemy. After all, Yoruichi was a Soul Reaper, and the main job of all psychopomps like Soul Reapers was to help souls pass on into whatever afterlife awaited them. All souls. Even those beings that normally wouldn¡¯t die just because their bodies were destroyed. Yoruichi was not called the Goddess of Flash for nothing, as she was by far the fastest Shinigami, and she pressed the hilt of a simple sword against the forehead of the mangled soul of Mortarion, performing the Kons¨­ ritual, before quickly fleeing away. Next to the rift into the Warp, another doorway opened. Two giant doors with enormous skeletons embedded inside of them stood in the void of space, before the skeletons in the doors seemed to pull the gates open, and a giant sword lunged out of the door towards Mortarion''s soul, while at the same time, an enormous, pox-ridden, green and brown hand lunged out of the Warp towards the soul. The results were explosive, and two enormous forces warred with one another. Nurgle, one of the four Chaos gods trying to save his chosen Primarch, and the powers of Hell trying to claim their just reward. The explosion of the two forces annihilated everything in the vicinity, wiping out hundreds of ships in seconds. The only reason Yoruichi escaped was because she¡¯d run early and because she was the Goddess of Flash. She arrived inside the ship just as the shockwave from the explosion started expanding towards their ship, threatening to annihilate them as well. For a moment, those on board panicked, life flashing before their eyes, before Seraphiel simply looked at the incoming doom and said a single word. ¡°No.¡± The entire shockwave just vanished, which was good because it was just about to hit the planet below as well. The struggle between an extremely powerful god and the powers of Hell clashed for a moment longer, before a single figure appeared above the two struggling forces. ¡°Brother.¡± Seraphiel recognized Lucifer. ¡°As both the ruler of Hell and the embodiment of the System, I judge your claim to this soul null and void Nurgle. Stop this foolishness and begone.¡± Lucifer gestured towards the rotting green arm, which suddenly just vanished in a cloud of ash, and the pained and angered cries of the slighted god could be heard through the rift for a moment before it closed. As the doors of Hell closed behind Mortarion¡¯s soul, Lucifer winked towards their ship, before vanishing as well. ¡°You planned this, didn¡¯t you?¡± Teclis asked suddenly in a shocked voice. The shockwave had destroyed almost all of the remaining Chaos ships in orbit, with the stragglers quickly warping away, realizing they were outmatched. ¡°I suspected. I had some reasons to assume this is roughly how it would go. Didn¡¯t know the details of course.¡± Seraphiel laughed. She loved it when a plan came together. She hated the Chaos gods. Nurgle and Slaanesh especially. ¡°Incidentally, Nurgle didn¡¯t only lose one of his most important servants. He also lost a huge chunk of power tied to Mortarion, as well as the power he expended trying to recover the soul, fighting the power of Hell. This is a good day. We should do it again.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re going to have to fight the next Primarch though. The only reason I won that was because the plagues didn¡¯t affect me.¡± Yoruichi stated firmly. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to think what would¡¯ve happened if I would¡¯ve fought another Primarch. And you can perform Kons¨­ just like me. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve forgotten that you have a Zanpakut¨­ as well.¡± She seemed to have remembered something. ¡°And did you say brother?¡± ¡°Yes. That was my brother Lucifer. You might have heard of him. In several legends.¡± She answered a little proudly. ¡°Your brother is kind of hot.¡± Yoruichi shot back straight away. Seraphiel covered her eyes in despair. ¡°Oh no. I really don¡¯t need the two of you spending any time together.¡± Chapter 86 - Different kind of hell ----- ¡°So how do we get to land? The shield is stopping us as well.¡± Shepard questioned. ¡°Surely, they saw us wrecking the Chaos ships? They should realize we¡¯re here to help.¡± Yoruichi pointed out. "I think they might be a bit busy otherwise," Seraphiel argued. "Besides, the enemy of my enemy isn''t necessarily my friend." "The whole thing could''ve been a ploy," Kaede suggested. "Although, slaying a Demon Primarch, losing thousands of ships, and giving Nurgle a black eye just for a ploy would require a whole new level of commitment just to sneak in a single ship." "We don''t need to land," Ophiel stated, pulling up a holographic map of the world and pointed at the Demons assaulting the southern bastion outside the golden shield. "The Chaos forces couldn''t really utilize their orbital supremacy due to the shield stopping them from bombarding our forces, but we don''t have that problem. The Demons are outside the shield. I seem to have noticed the ship having quite a lot of firepower, and we can add our own abilities to the mix. We can help without actually entering the shield." ¡°As good a plan as any. I could get us inside the shield, but if our allies started attacking us as soon as I did, there would be little point.¡± Seraphiel nodded. "For once, it doesn''t help that you made the ship so sinister-looking. Normally it''s useful to strike fear in others. Just not in your allies." Wrex chuckled. ¡°Now let¡¯s get cracking. We already lazed about enough. Let¡¯s fuck up some Demons.¡± Their ship entered the world¡¯s atmosphere above the demonic hosts. Seraphiel could sense the almost permanent Warp rifts spewing out countless Demons. She could feel the rifts were old, as if they¡¯d become a fixture of reality in this place. Never a good thing with Warp. As the ship and her friends and allies started blasting the Demons below, a terrible premonition was sneaking up on her as she could see in the distance the bastion and the Angels and Draenei fighting the Demons. "Mom, you said your levels are the result of fighting at the bastion not far from here. I seem to recall that the bastion holding the Demons at bay for a very, very long time. Has the fighting been like this the whole time?" She asked. ¡°Pretty much. I mean, the intensity of fighting varies. Sometimes the constant stream of Demons grows smaller, and sometimes stronger. Not quite like this though. There¡¯s a lot more of them than before.¡± Ophiel explained. Indeed, almost a constant stream of foul Demons was pouring from the rifts that seemed to be swelling in size. Most of the Demons seemed to be either Nurglite or Khornite Demons, though a third of them were from the other two Chaos gods. It seemed Khorne and Nurgle were the main pushers of this attack. Notably, the Nurglite Demons seemed to be off-balance from what had happened to their god moments before. ¡°You are aware that Warp entities like the Demons don¡¯t actually die when their bodies are destroyed, right?¡± She asked, rubbing her forehead with two fingers. ¡°Right. It¡¯s not exactly widely known, but we suspected.¡± Ophiel nodded. ¡°And you realize that these Demons, especially the Khorne Demons, gain experience just from the battle itself, not just kills, right?¡± She asked another leading question. ¡°Obviously. I see roughly what you¡¯re aiming at. We get experience too, but more since we¡¯re actually winning and surviving.¡± Ophiel countered. "Yes, but you''ve been doing this for thousands of years. Angels die. Not of old age perhaps, but for various other reasons. Otherwise, we''d be back as the dominant race of the universe, wouldn''t we? The Demons don''t. So, for thousands of years, you''ve slowly been feeding them experience. Am I the only one that sees a problem with this? No wonder there seems to be a higher concentration of more advanced Demons like Juggernauts, and Exalted Bloodletters instead of normal Demons." She added a third finger to her forehead, a headache already forming. "We need to put a stop to this." The two of them were still inside the ship, while the others were either standing on top of it, blasting the Demons, or flying around it as the ship''s weapons also fired downwards. Seraphiel vanished from the ship and appeared above the battle, observing everything below. She didn''t really even notice as golden glow of power surrounded her, originating from her golden wings. She looked the perfect image of an Angelic warrior ready to bring the heavens down on her enemies, and that was exactly what she planned to do. Instead of gathering her own powers though, she drew on her connection with Charlotte. "Mother. I believe we''re due another show of force. I think it''s about time I stopped holding back and showed them a glimpse of why they should fear your Paladin. Let''s show these Demons and upstart gods the difference between them and a real deal." She got a positive response in the form of power flowing into her. With a simple gesture from her, the rain started. Countless spears of golden power fell on the battlefield, each spear strong enough to tear even a Greater Demon asunder. A constant rain of death that seemed never-ending, no matter how many Demons fell, and no matter how many stepped through the rifts to take their place. No matter how the Demons resisted, no matter whether they were weak or mighty, the spears kept falling and tearing them to pieces. Quickly the Demons realized something was wrong. Not only was everyone dying, but those that died were not returning to the Warp. Each Demon struck down was gone forever. Once every Demon on the battlefield had fallen, the spears didn''t stop falling but instead flew into the rifts to seek out the Demons on the other side, seeking their prey with unerring accuracy. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Ever since the distant War in Heaven where the Warp had turned into the mess that it was, the greatest strength of the entities called the gods of Chaos was that their servants were essentially immortal. Their servants could be beaten back and stymied, but they would always return. That was the scariest thing about Chaos. Their victory was inevitable, only a matter of time. But now their servants were being cut down, never to return. The power invested in them by the gods simply gone. The Chaos gods recognized the danger, and the rifts started closing by themselves. Chaos didn¡¯t give ground like this. The sheer volume of time the rifts had existed here, standing against the power of both Angels and Draenei stood as a testament to that simple fact. This wasn¡¯t the first time the Demons had been pushed back, but the rifts had stood, unchallenged until now. And now they were closed, not because she¡¯d forced them closed, but because the Chaos gods had closed them to avoid losing any more of their fragments, as that is what the Demons basically were. Fragments of their gods. And every destroyed Demon was a wound on the god that gave them their existence. Only Demon Princes and Demon Primarchs were existences that could exist separate from the gods. Primarchs, because they had been something arguably more powerful before, and Princes, because they were all ex-mortals that wanted to rise up to become gods themselves. A great roar of anger and rage came from the direction of the bastion. There was a single Demon that had not perished. A dozen golden spears jutted out from its red hide, shattering as it took lumbering steps towards her, the wounds closing while steaming hot as if the flesh itself was burning. Angron, a Demon Primarch that could be called the embodiment of rage and hatred. One of the most powerful demons of Khorne, with the possible exception of Skarbrand, the Bloodthirster who had tried to challenge Khorne himself for the throne of skulls. With a simple gesture from Seraphiel, the storm of golden spears turned on Angron, thousands upon thousands of lances of power lashing out at the red-skinned monstrosity, but somehow the Demon pushed on. Sheer anger allowing it to shrug off wounds and damage that would''ve annihilated any lesser being. The wounds kept closing almost as fast as they were made. The Demon stumbled several times as its knees were blown out from under it before they regenerated again. Every spear that struck also seemed to do less damage than those that had come before. ¡°Should I¡­?¡± Wrex asked through a communicator. ¡°No. I will handle this. I will finish this.¡± Seraphiel stated firmly. She helpfully floated back towards the ground as Angron finally reached her position, towering over her, three times her height at least. Everyone could sense the steaming rage radiating from the berserker creature, as it swung down a blood-soaked axe. The blade of the axe was almost as large as her upper body, and it was swung down with enough force to level a mountain. And yet, all it took to stop the strike was a single finger of hers being placed in front of it. All of the force of the blow was instantly drained away, not even a crack appearing on the ground below her. ¡°Your anger is not enough to deal with me Angron. You should¡¯ve fled when your god abandoned you.¡± Her eyes flashed with gold, and the demon was forced to its knees, keening in sudden pain. ¡°I¡¯m done toying with your kind.¡± She looked towards the skies, knowing this place was being watched by multiple deities after what had happened to Nurgle. ¡°Hear me Khorne. I know battle and violence are your domains, but this is a fight you will not win. Only death awaits you here. Ask your youngest sibling. And unlike Sai¡¯lantresh, there will be no surprise resurrection in store for you if you keep seeking this fight.¡± She turned back to Angron. ¡°Now begone.¡± A pillar of such bright light fell upon the Demon that everyone had to turn away, no matter if mortal or god, they all knew this was not a light their sight would survive staring into. And when the light was gone, so was Angron. Another Demon Primarch gone forever, the soul sent to an appropriate afterlife, cleansed by the light that consumed it. She returned her eyes to the skies. "Let that be a lesson in not taking a hint and stubbornly sticking to your war." ------ The old Draenei man could finally turn his eyes back towards the battlefield. Even as a favored servant of the Light, the brightness was too much. ¡°Well. It seems Seraphia¡¯s back.¡± Another Draenei dressed like a mechanic was adjusting the projector they all used to observe the situation on the battlefield and laughed a bit. "Yeah, I think there''s no doubt of that." "She looks good, as always." A slightly younger-looking, in comparison, Draenei man dressed in full armor with a large maul on his back commented. ¡°Hah. Of course, that¡¯s the first thing you comment on Maraad.¡± Another Draenei man dressed like a warrior teased. This one had two smaller weapons strapped to his belt. "Though I can''t say you''re wrong. Different, but good. Still likes to make an entrance. You can''t miss her style, no matter what guise she wears." ¡°I seriously doubt you could get that part of her to change.¡± The only woman in the group, dressed like a scout, laughed. ¡°She¡¯s incapable of not being the center of attention wherever she goes.¡± As a testament to her words, all of them had recognized Seraphiel, despite looking very different. The old Draenei man, clearly the oldest in the group by a large margin, ran his hand through his long white beard in thought. ¡°By the way, who¡¯s going to tell Edirah and Yrel that she¡¯s back.¡± ¡°¡±¡±¡±Not it!¡±¡±¡±¡± All four of the younger Draenei said at the same time. With a chuckle, the woman continued. ¡°I think it¡¯s only fair you get to pass on the good news Velen. Edirah at least respects you enough to keep her temper in check." "Akama, couldn''t you¡­" The respected prophet and leader of the Draenei tried but got shot down immediately. ¡°No. Absolutely not. I¡¯m not stupid enough to pick that fight. We all know both of them are going to blow their lid as soon as they hear the news. I¡¯m not going to be in the room when that happens. I value my life too much. I¡¯d rather charge the Burning Legion by myself. At least they¡¯d make it hurt less.¡± His tone was clearly amused, and he was obviously exaggerating, even if there was a kernel of truth there as well. Velen gave a faux shudder. ¡°Yrel is going to kill me.¡± ¡°Eh, you¡¯ve lived before.¡± The mechanic closed the panel he¡¯d been adjusting, the projector zooming in on Seraphiel and her companions, who were locked in some sort of discussion. ¡°Although, trying to explain to either of them that Seraphia is alive, but didn¡¯t come to meet them before this? That¡¯s going to be¡­interesting.¡± ¡°No one ever said she always makes the best decisions.¡± The female Ranger laughed. ¡°Something that hasn¡¯t changed at least.¡± ¡°To be fair, she did just remove a threat that has been allowed to fester way too long. Just when we needed the help too. That might buy her some leeway with Yrel at least.¡± Maraad suggested in a tone that belied his disbelief at his own words. ¡°That might fly with Yrel, but Edirah? Not a chance.¡± Akama shook his head. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good thing she seems to be able to take a hit from a Demon Primarch without a problem then.¡± Maraad quickly agreed. ¡°She¡¯s not immune to Edirah¡¯s attacks. Emotional damage doesn¡¯t get affected by Vitality.¡± Akama laughed. ¡°Oh, the guilt-tripping will be legendary.¡± Naielle, the ranger woman joined in on the laugh. ¡°Not that she doesn¡¯t deserve it. Both for not coming by to greet us, and for the disappearing act she pulled after fighting Sargeras.¡± There was a companionable silence for a moment, before the doors swung open, and two women walked in. One was a cheery-looking younger Draenei woman seeming to embody the words ''Draenei Paladin'' with her heavy armor. The other was an older woman wearing ornate mage¡¯s robes. Both were gorgeous even among the Draenei, and the two had been discussing animatedly as they walked in. The younger woman turned towards the group inside. ¡°I heard something big happened outside. And I no longer hear the sounds of battle either. Nobundo told us to come and ask you what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡®¡¯¡¯¡¯¡¯Nobundo!!¡¯¡¯¡¯¡¯¡¯¡¯ All five Draenei already in the room cursed in their minds. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll leave you to it. I¡¯ll have to go evaluate and repair any damage from the battle.¡± The mechanic stated genially, hiding his emotions almost perfectly. Almost. ¡°What¡¯s going on Hataaru? Surely you aren¡¯t in a rush if the battle really is over.¡± The older woman narrowed her eyes, sensing something going on, and knowing a tactical retreat when she saw one. The younger woman''s eyes fell on the projector, at first observing the people depicted before her gaze narrowed on one in particular. "Edirah, I think our good friends and colleagues here are hiding something from us.¡± ¡°Seraphia is back.¡± Velen just got it over with quickly. ¡°And she just annihilated all the Demons outside, including closing the rifts that spawned them.¡± The air froze over. Edirah was quite literally radiating magical cold to her surroundings. ¡°Well now. I think I¡¯m going to need some detail. And nobody is leaving until I get them.¡± At the same time, Yrel pushed the doors closed and casually barred them so no one could enter. Chapter 87 - Hammer time! ------- "Uh, Seraphiel. You wouldn''t happen to know why there''s a rather angry-looking but oddly attractive Draenei Paladin charging at us with her hammer raised, clearly planning to attack? Also backed up by a slightly older Draenei Mage." Shepard asked, not really worried. Seraphiel didn¡¯t even turn to look. ¡°Ah. Yes. I might have a slight idea.¡± She admitted. The Paladin in question suddenly sprouted a pair of wings made completely of holy power as she leapt into the air and slammed her ornate and impressively large hammer down towards Seraphiel''s head. The strike held just about the same amount of power as the earlier strike from the Demon Primarch Angron, and the result was quite similar, except Seraphiel used her full palm to stop the hammer instead of a finger. She also didn¡¯t do anything to stop the shockwave of power that radiated outwards as she knew everyone nearby could handle it, and she knew the Paladin wanted to make an entrance. The Mage was about to add her own into the mix, except she was suddenly surrounded by Kaede, Yoruichi, and Rangiku, all with their weapons within striking distance. The mage gave them a glance, obviously considering whether it was worth it to risk getting attacked, but finally decided against it. "Yrel. Edirah. It''s been a while." She finally looked at the two Draenei with a hint of a smile and a lot of understanding on her face. "It''s good to see you." The emotions flashing on Yrel¡¯s face were clearly struggling inside her. Worry, relief, anger, grief, love, concern, and frustration. Her expression settled on the last one. ¡°That¡¯s it? That¡¯s all you have to say for yourself?¡± Seraphiel¡¯s smile didn¡¯t slip even a bit. ¡°I think those are the most important things to say. Pray tell, what would I say? What did you want me to say?¡± ¡°An apology would be a good start.¡± Edirah¡¯s words burst out. Her expressions were more controlled than Yrel¡¯s, but her eyes didn¡¯t leave Seraphiel¡¯s despite being surrounded. "You have me at a disadvantage. What exactly do you want an apology for? I''ve no doubt done something to warrant one, but for an apology to be genuine, I would need to know what you''re referring to." Seraphiel could guess, but she wanted them to say it. ¡°How about going to face Sargeras alone?!¡± Yrel shouted. ¡°We would¡¯ve come with you! We would¡¯ve faced the mad Titan along your side! Instead, you went to your death!¡± Her voice got much quieter. ¡°Instead, you left us behind. Left us without any knowledge of what had happened to you. Left us alone. To face a world seemingly without you in it.¡± ¡°Ah. That¡¯s the one thing I will not apologize for. I knew the danger of facing the mad Titan. I knew anyone going to fight him would not be coming back. I also knew I would live again, whereas you would not. While it sounds noble that you''d throw your lives away just to die along with me, it was unnecessary. I knew I would win, and I''d rather you live. Even faced with grief, being alive is preferable to being dead." She would brook no argument on that subject. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you at least tell us?¡± Edirah demanded heatedly. ¡°I did. From the very beginning, I told you I would not be around forever. I told everyone that my time was limited. You just didn¡¯t believe me until it happened. I didn¡¯t go into detail, because if I had, you would¡¯ve tried to stop me from fighting Sargeras, not understanding that I would¡¯ve been gone either way. I didn¡¯t tell you that I would survive, because I had no reason to think I¡¯d ever see you again. I¡¯d rather you spend your efforts moving on rather than futilely searching for a way to find me.¡± She stepped closer to Edirah, effectively dragging Yrel along as she was still grabbing on to the hammer. ¡°It was far from a perfect solution, but no solution that includes one of your loved ones going away forever really can be called perfect. There¡¯s always going to be loss involved.¡± ¡°What about not letting us know you were here in this universe once you arrived?¡± Yrel asked, not willing to admit Seraphiel was right, but not really prepared to argue at the moment either. Coming up with fancy arguments had never been her forte. Smashing things was. In that, she was very, very good. She could think up further arguments later. ¡°Ah. I suppose you wouldn¡¯t believe me if I told you I just arrived.¡± Seraphiel muttered. ¡°After what just happened? Not a chance.¡± The edge of Edirah¡¯s mouth rose in a slight smirk. ¡°There were certain complicating factors on that end.¡± She prevaricated. Yoruichi suddenly lifted her hand with a grin. ¡°Hi! Complicating factor number one.¡± Shepard smirked and raised her own hand. ¡°Complicating factor number two.¡± Tali very carefully lifted a hand. ¡°Complicating factor number three. Sort of.¡± She said hesitantly, understanding what doing it meant. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Shepard looked at her with slight disbelief. ¡°Wait. Really? When did that happen?¡± Tali very obviously cleared her throat. ¡°Perhaps not the time for that discussion.¡± Wrex just gave a very deep chuckle at that. ¡°Doesn¡¯t surprise me even a bit. If Liara was here, she¡¯d have her hand up too.¡± Rangiku grinned and lifted her hand. ¡°Complicating factor number four.¡± ¡°What are they talking about?¡± Naidam leaned towards Teclis to ask, which was completely unnecessary, considering his voice was entirely psionic. ¡°Definitely not the time for that conversation.¡± Teclis just shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m just wondering if I should be raising my hand.¡± Naidam clarified innocently. ¡°Oh, gods, I hope not.¡± Teclis covered his face with a hand. ¡°I¡¯m not aware of your private life, but I¡¯m almost certain you should not.¡± Yrel was slightly shocked and blushed a little at the raised hands, while Edirah was just shaking her head in disappointment. ¡°I don¡¯t consider that to be a sufficient excuse for not letting us know you were alive, at the very least.¡± ¡°I knew you were wild, but this is a bit¡­¡± Yrel muttered as well. "Well, look. As much as they''re joking around, I am serious when I said things are complicated. I was planning on letting you know I''m back, just when the time was right. And when I interfered with the battle earlier, I knew my cover would be blown, which is also part of why I didn''t say anything before. Now my presence is known to not only you but everyone else too." Seraphiel said, finally letting go of Yrel''s hammer. Yrel tried to smack her again, just on pure principle, but there was no real heat or strength behind the blow, and she easily dodged it. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Edirah asked with a frown. ¡°Well, my crew just destroyed a rather sizeable Chaos fleet in orbit with a single ship, along with a Demon Primarch, after which I destroyed a Demonic invasion force, including another Demon Primarch. And when I say we killed Demons and two Primarchs, I mean we destroyed them for good, and not just sending them back to the Warp. We injured both Nurgle and Khorne, both rather powerful gods. That¡¯s going to draw some attention from many sources.¡± Seraphiel explained, noticing with satisfaction that this wasn¡¯t actually news to Edirah. The older Draenei had asked for Yrel¡¯s sake. "Indeed," Chachamaru interjected. "This battle makes us, and Seraphiel in particular, a strategic-level war asset. She basically stopped an entire war single-handedly." Shepard added her two cents. ¡°She was already that before, after destroying a Tyranid Hive fleet tendril with a single ritual, but almost no one was aware of it before now.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Seraphiel nodded. ¡°I wanted certain things to be in place before word about me got out. Hence why I didn¡¯t really tell anyone. Those here mostly found out on their own.¡± "We aren''t just anyone though," Yrel grumbled and made another swipe with her hammer, once again without any real force behind it. "To be fair, I didn''t even know you were still alive. Or that you wanted to hear from me. It''s been thousands of years. Draenei live for almost forever, but a lot can happen in that time. I had all the reasons in the world to assume you two had moved on. For all I knew, it could''ve been awkward for me to suddenly show up. I notice Maraad is not with you, for instance." Seraphiel pointed out while dodging the blow. "That sounds dangerously like an excuse." Edirah shot the idea down. "I''m fairly sure you know better than to make excuses to me. You could''ve easily found out. And Maraad isn''t here because he knows better than to spoil our little reunion. He''s around." ¡°You didn¡¯t kill him, did you?¡± Seraphiel looked at Yrel with slight concern. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Yrel hedged a bit, fiddling with her hammer, not really dispelling the worry. ¡°The fact that you¡¯re not sure isn¡¯t exactly comforting.¡± Seraphiel shook her head in good-natured exasperation. "As much as we all enjoy the two of you torturing my daughter, there''s still a war going on," Ophiel interjected with a slightly apologetic smile. ¡°Daughter?¡± Edirah noted the word and looked between Seraphiel and Ophiel. ¡°I see. At least you got a proper family this time around.¡± Seraphiel cleared her throat. ¡°As if you didn¡¯t fulfill that duty as much as it was needed last time. Still beats being woken up from stasis by a rampaging Annihilan.¡± Her start in the life she¡¯d been a Draenei had been an explosive one. Edirah had taken her in when it had become obvious that she had no discernible family. Edirah and Ophiel looked at each other with new respect and sympathy in their eyes. Yrel paid that no heed. ¡°On that note, your¡­sire has also made a comeback.¡± ¡°My¡­oh. I really hoped I had finished him off the last time. I certainly blasted him with enough power to make it last.¡± Seraphiel was not happy about that bit of news. ¡°Indeed. We all knew Demons have to be killed in the Twisting Nether for it to really stick, but we thought you¡¯d done the impossible as well. Archimonde isn¡¯t leading the current invasion, but we know he¡¯s around.¡± Yrel revealed. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard this song before. Why is it that whatever universe you¡¯re in, you seem to have daddy issues?¡± Shepard, the one that perhaps knew more of her past than most asked. She¡¯d even told her about not really having a father in this universe either. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to blame my real Father, the Creator God of all Creation for that one.¡± Seraphiel made an annoyed sound. ¡°I don¡¯t decide the circumstances I¡¯m transplanted into. If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d think He¡¯s doing this on purpose. Wait. Scratch that. I do know better. In fact, it sounds exactly the kind of bullshit He would pull.¡± ¡°Is that why you like to call men daddy during¡­?¡± Yoruichi teased. ¡°Oh hush, I do not. I only do it if they want me to.¡± Seraphiel shot that line of joking down immediately, but she noted that in her haste, she might have given Yoruichi ammo for further teasing. At least judging by the sudden grin on the woman¡¯s face. "Still a war going on." Ophiel reminded everyone, bringing them back to the topic. ¡°Right.¡± Edirah cleared her throat. ¡°So, the good news is that the other two forces haven¡¯t attacked us directly. The other force doesn¡¯t seem to be interested in us in particular, and they¡¯re running wild on the other side of the world. They¡¯ll eventually turn to us, I suppose, but they¡¯re not an immediate problem. The Burning Legion is nearer to us, but they struck our neighbor first instead. They¡¯re using that kingdom as a base to summon more of their number. The good news is that the Legion is attacking hundreds of worlds at the same time, so they don¡¯t have their full focus on us. The bad news is that the fleet in orbit was stopping us from doing anything to strike at them, as that would¡¯ve meant stepping outside the protective shield and getting bombarded to pieces.¡± "It''s only a matter of time before the Legion decides to pick up old grudges and come for us in force." Yrel pointed out. The Legion had chased the Draenei across their old universe for thousands of years. After all, two of their leaders, Archimonde and Kil¡¯jaeden had been part of the same race as the Draenei, known as Eredar before the Draenei changed their name. It was often the modus operandi of the Legion to turn a part of the invaded population against their own, thus also bolstering their own ranks in the process. Many of the races that were the mainstay of the Legion used to be races they invaded in the past. Legion wasn¡¯t just about brute force. ¡°Though I suppose your presence, and what you did to the Chaos Demons might work as a deterrent.¡± Edirah speculated. ¡°On the other hand, once Archimonde finds out you¡¯re here¡­well, it could go either way.¡± "I believe we need to talk with the Angels and the rest of the Draenei leadership on how to proceed," Chachamaru suggested. "We caught everyone by surprise with our arrival, and they''re on the back foot for now, but they will react somehow soon enough." ¡°It also doesn¡¯t sound like a good idea to leave the third locust race to run wild on the other side of the world. While they aren¡¯t immediately dangerous, the damage they could do to the ecosystem of this world isn¡¯t something to be taken lightly.¡± Edirah added. "Well, let''s get to it. Is the old fart Velen still alive and in a leadership position?" Seraphiel asked. "Forget that, there''s something more interesting we need to talk about," Yoruichi interjected. "Why is it that only your old female lovers seem to be gathering around you again? I know better than most that you''ve had more men as partners." Chapter 88 - It comes full circle ------- They could hear the clamor of voices long before they entered their destination. The building they were in was reminiscent of some ancient acropolis, or a temple, only larger. It was made of pure white magical stone that you could use as a mirror thanks to the smooth shine. Perhaps as a concession to the Draenei influence, you could see more modern magical technology at certain places, which somewhat stood out from the otherwise ancient-style ambiance. The voices were clearly arguing, though the echoes of the hallway were distorted enough that details were hard to catch. "You said Velen and the Exarchs are already here?" Seraphiel asked, mostly to pass the time. "Yes," Edirah responded. "They were called in while we were¡­discussing things. And the fact that we spent the entire evening and night just gabbing about things means that the planning for how to defend our world has already started. Or at least should have.¡± Edirah had never been one to spend too much time on gossip or small talk, but even she had wanted to reacquaint herself with Seraphiel and learn more about the rest of her crew. ¡°Why am I not surprised that Akama and Maraad are still Exarchs.¡± Seraphiel made a completely rhetorical question. ¡°Hah! Those two will never stop serving our people.¡± Edirah laughed. ¡°I believe much of that is your influence. They might not have been with us when we came to see you, but they were also devastated when you disappeared. They felt responsible, and this is their way of repaying you.¡± ¡°You¡¯d think a couple thousand years of service would be enough, but I know how Draenei are," Seraphiel grumbled a bit good-naturedly. ¡°They seem to be arguing.¡± Yoruichi suddenly pointed out, as the voices became clearer. "The relationship between the Angels and Draenei can sometimes get a bit¡­heated," Ophiel explained before Edirah had the opportunity to. "We''re allies both out of shared goals and similarity of values, as well as pure strategic need, but that doesn¡¯t mean we always get along.¡± "That''s very true," Edirah confirmed. "The number of snobby Angel officials I''ve had to deal with is staggering." ¡°And I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve always been a perfect paragon of politeness and patience.¡± Seraphiel laughed, knowing Edirah wasn¡¯t really known for either quality. "It''s good that you remember." Edirah decided to ignore the sarcasm and puffed her already rather prominent chest in pride. Draenei in general weren¡¯t exactly petite, and Edirah was clearly in the more shapely end of the spectrum, even for her race. They finally reached the large chambers where the matters of state for both Draenei and Angels were decided. The room reminded her of an amphitheater, with the central part being the lowest level, with stone benches placed all around rising higher towards the exits, to allow everyone an unobstructed view of the center. The seating everywhere was identical, likely to keep things equal, but the distribution of people inside was interesting. One quarter of the chamber was filled with just Draenei, while another was filled with just Angels. It was not hard to determine those two sides represented the two extremes in political factions, and they even sat on opposite sides. They''d focus on the benefits and good of their own people. The two other quarters were more mixed, though only one truly had members of the two races sitting seemingly randomly, freely mixing with each other. The other mixed quarter still had a sharp division between the two races, and only an occasional member of the other race was sitting among their counterparts. In the center, a powerful-looking Angel with three pairs of white wings was arguing with Velen. "¡­I''m not disparaging the current holders of the title. They''ve done well. They''ve brought us plenty of glory and resources. I have no issue with their performance. I''m only saying, now there''s a stronger candidate." Edirah spotted Maraad standing on the outer edge of the chamber, leaning against the wall, and guided the group towards him. Maraad noticed them approaching right away. It was hard not to. Their presence wasn''t exactly subtle. "Seraphia. Or I suppose it''s Seraphiel now. It''s good to see you." The tall and broad Draenei wearing plate armor pulled her into a hug. "It''s really good to see you." ¡°You too Maraad, though I suppose we¡¯ll have to postpone the reunion a bit. What¡¯s going on?¡± Seraphiel gestured towards the center, where Velen was responding something. ¡°¡­and we don¡¯t decide these things. Light determines her Champion, not us.¡± The old Draenei was responding calmly and patiently. "Oh, that? The Angels are trying to pull a fast one. They want to make you the Champion of Light, what with you wiping out the Demon invasion almost single-handedly and all.¡± Maraad summarized hours of argument and discussion. ¡°Bastards.¡± Edirah cursed. ¡°Of course they would.¡± ¡°Why, though?¡± Yoruichi asked, a little confused. ¡°It¡¯s because they feel slighted when the Champion of the deity we both worship favors Draenei over the Angels as Champions. Or at least that¡¯s the short version. There¡¯s a lot of internal politics involved as well.¡± Ophiel in turn summarized centuries of politics in a few sentences. ¡°Just because we¡¯re allies, that doesn¡¯t mean there aren¡¯t tensions.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s the current Champion?¡± Seraphiel asked, already suspecting the answer. ¡°It¡¯s actually Yrel and Akama both.¡± Maraad gave half of the expected answer. Seraphiel had expected only Yrel. ¡°Two Champions?¡± Yoruichi asked with a raised eyebrow. The Soul Society wasn¡¯t as experienced with that part of the System either. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. "Yes. It''s rare-ish for a god to pick multiple people, as they still count as a single Champion. Basically, that''s only possible when the god is particularly strong, and having only a single member of the group would be too weak, so they have the power to include more than one person as a group. Groups like that tend to be individually weaker by necessity as they can only rival a singular Champion when working together, and when one of the members of the group gets taken out, they eventually lose. The thing is, they can grow. And when the same group has served as the Champion for thousands of years like in our case¡­¡± Maraad shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s just say it¡¯s a long-term investment.¡± ¡°So, the Angels are trying to oust either Yrel or Akama, or both, and slot me in instead. That about the gist of it?¡± Seraphiel asked. ¡°They¡¯re not aware that both of them are actually my old¡­let¡¯s say friends for now?¡± "That about sums it, yeah," Maraad smirked a bit. Draenei rarely smirked. They were generally too kind for that. Maraad was a paragon of virtue, but he¡¯d seen more shit than the average Draenei. ¡°And are they aware that I¡¯m already a Champion?¡± Seraphiel asked the next question. Both Maraad and Edirah blinked in surprise. They hadn¡¯t known either, despite her rather obvious display of power earlier. In retrospect, she hadn¡¯t actually been shouting Charlotte¡¯s name or anything, so it might have looked like she was the sole source of all that power when she''d used it. "No, they''re not aware," Maraad stated. ¡°Should we inform them?¡± Yoruichi asked with a teasing tone. ¡°Nah. Let the Angels hang themselves first. I¡¯m happy to keep providing the rope until they do.¡± Seraphiel decided. ¡°Although, this looks like it might take a while.¡± They listened to the argument for a while, but it seemed to be stuck in going around in circles. They kept repeating the same arguments, simply rephrasing them in different ways. Typical politics in other words. It seemed the urgency of an impending invasion was suddenly gone. It felt like both parties were secure in the assumption that Seraphiel and her crew would help defend them, and that it would be enough to defeat the enemy still present, just like the Chaos forces earlier. The bitch of it was, they were right. Even if it annoyed her a bit, she wouldn¡¯t abandon the Angels and especially the Draenei, just because they annoyed her with their presumption. She tapped a communicator that connected her to their ship. ¡°Any news Ashredar? Any new ships in orbit, or movements from the enemy?¡± ¡°No ships in orbit, and the other Locust race is proceeding just like before, but the group designated as Burning Legion seems to be behaving a bit oddly.¡± The AI responded. ¡°Oddly how?¡± Seraphiel asked. "They were launching an all-out assault on several of the neighboring nations, using the one they¡¯d already conquered as a base of operations. Those assaults have all halted. All their forces seem to be pulling back, as quickly as the orders can be spread at least. Their communications don¡¯t seem as fast or efficient as ours and detaching from battle isn¡¯t always simple. The whole thing seems to have started as soon as we appeared, so this is in reaction to us. What their new plan is, I have no idea.¡± Ashredar speculated. ¡°They¡¯re not moving forces off this world though?¡± She clarified an important detail. If they were, then they should be retreating. If not, they had something else in mind. ¡°I can¡¯t be sure. My ability to see into the core of their controlled territory is obscured by some sort of magic. If they are, they don¡¯t seem to be performing a full rout at least. I would speculate that they are instead fortifying their position, though I must admit my tactical knowledge when it comes to Demons is limited.¡± The AI had little to no experience fighting them after all. ¡°Either way, it¡¯s uncharacteristic behavior.¡± She commented. In general, the Legion only knew one mode of operation, full attack. There were exceptions of course. Kil¡¯jaeden, the other Eredar commander of the Legion was somewhat known for his longer-term schemes, and one of the demonic races, the Nathrezim, specialized in working from the shadows and subverting their foes against each other. They were very much believers in the ¡®divide and conquer¡¯ maxim. That said, they usually operated before an invasion and worked as field commanders once the invasion was already underway. She turned towards Edirah. ¡°Any chance you have some sort of seer that can peer into the core of the Legion¡¯s territory?¡± ¡°Peer in, yes. Get truthful information¡­that¡¯s another matter. If they¡¯ve obscured the area, they have to know we¡¯d try piercing the veil. And I have to give the Nathrezim enough credit to assume they are prepared to feed us false visions.¡± The experienced magic user speculated. She looked towards Seraphiel. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m even suggesting this, but couldn¡¯t you just¡­¡± She waved her fingers as if casting a spell and then mimicked an explosion. ¡°Theoretically. Assuming they haven¡¯t figured out a way to counter it. Everything can be countered. There¡¯s also whatever dark force has adopted the Legion. If that god or whatever force it is interferes directly, then things could get a bit dicey. Similarly, I wouldn¡¯t want to pick a direct fight with the Chaos Gods. Those four are just unused to personally taking action. If that deity doesn¡¯t care about the forces on this world, then I¡¯d likely be fine, but if they do intervene¡­well, do you really want this planet to turn into a direct battlefield between me and a dark god? I¡¯d win, but at what cost?¡± She pointed out. There was a reason why gods usually picked Champions instead of fighting directly. Even the highest-ranked Champions usually only fought in specially prepared events. She was already at a similar level of power. ¡°That¡¯s not to say we can¡¯t help of course," Yoruichi added. "There''s also the reason why Seraphiel allowed us to fight as well, instead of just clapping her hands and making all enemies disappear. We won''t get any stronger that way." She could also read between the lines that there was something else bothering Seraphiel. "Let''s get out a bit. This debate isn''t progressing." As the two walked outside, wandering all the way to the doors, guarded by a pair of Seraphim and another pair of Draenei Vindicators, they looked over the city. The place was in many ways similar to the one Seraphiel had been born in. It was built more tall than wide. Even the streets were constructed on multiple levels, not to mention the countless walkways between the sturdy yet beautiful buildings. Half of the inhabitants could also fly without any magical help, which added verticality even more. ¡°Something is eating at you. I rarely say this, so you¡¯d better listen. Instead of swallowing, spit it out.¡± Yoruichi joked. Seraphiel took a deep breath as she looked over the city. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­I feel a certain amount of¡­lack of direction. I mean, we have an immediate goal of dealing with this invasion, and an intermediate goal of building our mercenary group, but I¡­don¡¯t really know what to do with myself anymore. Before my recent change and regaining my old powers, I was driven by the need to get stronger, but now that need is gone. Once, in the past, I might have sought to improve the blight of those mistreated by this universe, but I¡¯ve done my part already in all the other universes. I¡¯m fed up. It¡¯s time to pass that baton to others. I barely care anymore.¡± ¡°Hmm, I see what you mean. I might suggest just enjoying things¡­¡± Yoruichi waggled her eyebrows. ¡°Yeah, as much fun as that might be for a while, I don¡¯t think pure hedonism will do it for me anymore, with the curse being gone and everything. I¡¯d still enjoy it of course, but I need more than just pleasures of flesh and carnal delights.¡± She shot that down. ¡°As I suspected. That¡¯s not what I meant though. Something was bothering you in the meeting.¡± Yoruichi, sharp as ever, detected the misdirection. ¡°Hrrmph. I don¡¯t want to become a crutch. Not even for the Draenei, but especially not for the Angels. For many reasons. The most important reason though, is that just the idea of being used like that annoys me.¡± She revealed. ¡°I¡¯ve been used my whole life, and I suppose I¡¯ve had enough. If this life is supposed to be my cozy retirement, then this is where I draw the line.¡± ¡°Yeah, I could sense it too. They were so certain that you¡¯d help them wipe out the invaders. Your friends in the Draenei have some reason to assume that at least, as I get the sense that you did something similar in the past, but the Angels? Just because you look like you¡¯re one of them? That¡¯s a bold assumption.¡± Yoruichi wasn¡¯t pleased either. ¡°This isn¡¯t even a job we¡¯re being paid for.¡± Seraphiel gave a sigh. ¡°Just because I have the power to just will most of the problems away, I don¡¯t think I want to. It¡¯s not good for anyone involved in the long run, and most of all, it¡¯s boring. I don¡¯t mind helping a friend or saving my allies on occasion, but¡­¡± Yoruichi had a small genuine smile on her face as she ran her hand through Seraphiel¡¯s hair. ¡°I know. And as much as you denied it earlier, you do crave entertainment and excitement. And you solving everyone¡¯s problems wouldn¡¯t be either.¡± Seraphiel gave a small mirthless giggle. ¡°I suppose that makes me somewhat similar to the gods of this universe. I have the power to help, but I don¡¯t.¡± "Well, you do in places. And there''s a difference between almost institutional apathy and the unwillingness to be a tool and a crutch. Yes, the line might be blurry at places, but the line does exist." Yoruichi considered for a moment. "I suppose that comes down to the conundrum that most powerful heroes eventually have to face. If you do everything for them, and protect them from the consequences of their actions, you effectively remove the consequences of free will. And without that, is it really free will, or just the illusion of one?" ¡°Now you sound just like Father.¡± She retorted. "Perhaps. Perhaps your Father knew something you didn''t at that time. That''s not to say all He chose was right, or that you can''t come up with a better solution. It''s not going to be simple though." Yoruichi said while continuing to hold her. Chapter 89 - Of Fel and Void ------ ¡°They finally managed to decide something?¡± Seraphiel asked Edirah, who stepped out of the council chambers. ¡°In a way. They finally managed to come to the conclusion that no, you¡¯re not going to be made Light¡¯s Champion. Mostly because I finally got bored enough to tell them that you¡¯re already a Champion. The Angels didn¡¯t take that well. Or I should correct that at first, they assumed they''d gained the support of another god before one of your friends pointed out that Charlotte has not shown any interest in anyone other than you. That''s the part they didn''t take well. Unsurprisingly.¡± Edirah was clearly letting her dislike of the Angel politics show. "Bloody figures," Yoruichi muttered. ¡°Did they finally manage to get into strategy discussions?¡± Seraphiel followed up with another question, not all that surprised by the previous answer. She wasn¡¯t sure she wanted the answer to this one either. Politicians everywhere were similar, and living eternally didn¡¯t really make that better. Just made them more selfish. ¡°To summarize, they¡¯d like you to deal with it.¡± Edirah was equally unenthused. ¡°You have my official permission to tell them to fuck off.¡± Seraphiel retorted. ¡°I may have intimated as much, though in more polite terms. They didn¡¯t trust me, so here I am, confirming what I already knew.¡± Edirah shook her head in disgust. It hadn¡¯t been just the Angels that had tried to rely on Seraphiel, even if the Draenei had been less obtuse about it. "Tell them to fuck off harder," Seraphiel stated firmly. "Both Angels and Draenei have multiple high-level people. Put them to work. I just dealt with an entire front on my own and the southern bastion no longer needs to be manned. Use those forces. You have my permission to also hire the rest of my crew to help, but make it clear to everyone that if you try to endanger my people on purpose, I will have the heads of anyone stupid enough to try.¡± ¡°Yeah, somehow, I could see some of the Angels trying something stupid like that. I¡¯ll make sure we hire them and not the Angels.¡± Edirah nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll relay your message verbatim.¡± She went back inside. ¡°I can see why you¡¯re not willing to be the crutch for everyone. Are they always like that? I mean in the other universes?¡± Yoruichi asked. ¡°Not always, but too often. It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t understand. If the choice is between relying on me or a bloody war that might see thousands, maybe even millions, of your own people killed, which would most choose?¡± Seraphiel shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s the problem with saviors. It allows people to not face the consequences and the price of their own decisions and actions. That it also eliminates the chance for growth and improvement is something people rarely consider.¡± Yoruichi looked thoughtful even if her tone was teasing. ¡°Is that why you always seemed to try and push all the work on others when you were in the Soul Society? I mean, it sort of worked. Your division was always the most well-trained and the strongest. It also had the highest number of exceptional individuals graduate into captains of other divisions." ¡°Part of it. The lives where I didn¡¯t have access to my real body and real powers required me to take a different approach to things, but as you can infer from the Draenei, that didn¡¯t always end with all that different results. The reason my division did so well was the combination of training and hard work giving those under me the right tools, while I then gave them enough responsibilities to allow them to blossom. Also, I am somewhat lazy, so there is no escaping that. I didn¡¯t have to feign that part. Proper delegation is the key to effective leadership! Most of the Shinigami always promoted based on personal power, but they overlooked other qualities as a result. You don¡¯t need power to run an effective system. You don¡¯t need power to do paperwork. You don¡¯t need power to run an investigation. You don¡¯t need power to be effective at logistics and management. That sort of thing.¡± She explained. ¡°All of those duties just fell to seated officers automatically in other divisions, whether they were suited to the job or not.¡± ¡°Fair enough. I suppose the research and development division was the exception with Urahara.¡± Yoruichi speculated. ¡°Not as much as you¡¯d think. They just replaced personal power with the rather abstract notion of scientific brilliance. Otherwise, Mayuri would never have been promoted. I wouldn''t say Hiyori was super effective at her job either, though she at least tried to keep the division focused and on task. She simply had too much of a temper.¡± Seraphiel was reminded of the old days within the Soul Society. ¡°So, what are we going to do with the Burning Legion and the Locusts?¡± Yoruichi decided to switch topics. ¡°Exactly what I said. Let the Angels and Draenei deal with them. You can help if they give a good enough price, and I¡¯ll keep an eye out just in case something goes wrong. I suggest helping the Draenei though, as they¡¯re less likely to just use you. They tend to be noble to a fault. The Legion are old enemies, and no one is more effective at fighting them than the Draenei. There will be lives lost, but I refuse to bear any responsibility for them. If anyone suggests otherwise, you can tell them that they should¡¯ve prepared better if they¡¯re not happy with the results.¡± --------- It was a weird experience for Seraphiel to stand by when others marched for war. It wasn¡¯t the first time, as she¡¯d often been thrown into a universe to act as a support for the ¡®real¡¯ hero. Still, even in those cases, she would usually be ¡®supporting¡¯ right there in the middle of the battle. It was extremely rare for her to completely stand on the sidelines. It had happened before, but extremely rarely, and mostly as a protest to Father¡¯s wishes. He had wanted her to interfere, sometimes it didn¡¯t even matter on which side as long as the war ended, and she had refused. Although the high-level individuals with high mobility among both Angels and Draenei left quickly to harry the Demonic forces and to pick off any stragglers, it took a lot longer to mobilize and transport the main bulk of their fighting forces, partially because the distance between the two forces was rather significant. The first units of regular troops started reaching the front lines after a couple of weeks, and those were mostly in charge of building a base camp and securing supply lines. The real battles took almost a month to truly begin. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Seraphiel¡¯s friends on the other hand were among the first to arrive, and they had no problem making rather daring sorties into the Demon-controlled areas. The Legion were not exactly experts in building fortifications, but they had a race called the Mo¡¯arg among them that were sort of crazed Demonic smiths and engineers that excelled at building weapons and demented contraptions. Turrets that spewed Fel fire and explosives were just some of the tricks they¡¯d erected in preparation. Seraphiel¡¯s friends didn¡¯t really push deep into the kingdom the Demons controlled, but they did push in deep enough to start wrecking those defenses and clearing the way for those that would come after. Seraphiel¡¯s conviction to stay out of the fighting lasted until her friends got into danger. Even when they did, her help was very subtle, buffing her allies and causing misfortune to their enemies. Everything seemed to go right for her friends, while luck really wasn¡¯t on their enemies¡¯ side. It was like she was using a souped-up version of the Skill she¡¯d had earlier, [Doom], which wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. Just that she was no longer limited by the System in the effects it could cause. She could also keep an eye on several battles at the same time, as her Draenei friends eventually also joined the battle. Edirah, Yrel, and Akama were among the first, while Velen and Maraad stayed to secure their home just in case someone tried to take advantage of the Draenei and Angels moving out. It had to be said that the two races were very impressive in battle once they finally did manage to engage the enemy. The power of Light was on their side, and there was no army more secure in their defensive and healing spells than theirs. Almost no one died on their side, and even the few that did could be resurrected almost immediately by the Paladins and Priests adept at battlefield reviving. This was why the two races had been willing to wage an eternal war at the southern bastion against Chaos Demons, and it was a style they¡¯d mastered over countless years. The downside was that their way of fighting was very defensive and grinding in nature, and didn''t exactly make quick progress. The Angel Seraphim forces made lightning strikes at the enemy backlines, but those were not aimed at the heart of the enemy territory, still shrouded by magic. And the Legion wasn''t exactly running out of forces to throw into the grinder to keep the two races busy. Progress was being made, but the lack of losses was countered by the snail''s pace of advancement. What had Seraphiel worried was the fact that the Legion seemed all too happy to engage in such grinding warfare. They were constantly losing forces, even if only until they were revived in the Twisting Nether, and they were constantly losing ground, even if slowly. The only thing they were winning was time. It was rather obvious they were using that time for some sort of nefarious purpose. There was an obvious scheme being hatched, she just didn¡¯t know what. She finally decided that even if she wasn¡¯t participating in the fight itself, she could allow herself to gather information. That would be her contribution to the war effort. She flew directly into the enemy territory, her glowing form piercing through the darkness suffusing the territory. She could see a multitude of green portals spewing forth more Demons to be thrown into the frontlines, which wasn¡¯t great but not exactly unexpected. All those Demons had to come from somewhere. As she flew deeper, she could sense the illusions and charms of the Nathrezim trying to take hold of her mind, but she brushed those attempts aside with ease. That was the one thing she had absolute confidence in now that she had her old self back. Inevitably her flight took her to the center of the kingdom. All signs of civilization were now nothing but ruins, and even the ground itself was turned into blackened ash. The rivers ran green with Fel energies, and nothing natural lived there anymore. At the heart of the kingdom, she could sense a large-scale ritual being conducted. She could sense living beings getting sacrificed, likely civilians that used to live in this kingdom, and those the Demons had captured from the neighboring nations. Those sacrifices weren''t really being used to power something. Instead, they were used to corrupt the natural ley lines of the land. As a sort of a Core World, this planet had plentiful natural energy, and that now tainted energy was being directed towards a large-scale ritual at the heart of the kingdom. That was the thing though. The power was just being gathered. The Demons conducting the ritual had not started forming the ritual circle to direct the energy yet. They were keeping their options open. It could be used for some grand summoning, or it could be used as a devastating attack on the approaching Angels and Draenei. Or at least that¡¯s what it seemed. There were dozens of potential uses for such power. As she flew down to get a better look, a dark and ominous figure suddenly appeared in front of her. ¡°I think that¡¯s close enough.¡± The figure was formless but radiated quiet and dark power. She was rather confident she was facing the avatar of whatever power was now behind the Legion. Or at least one of them. ¡°And you believe you are qualified to stop me?¡± She asked with a confident voice. ¡°By myself? Maybe not. You could probably face any single dark god in direct battle. Even if it might be disastrous to this entire world. But could you fight several at the same time? And even if you could, what do you think would happen to your precious friends and allies?¡± The voice asked insidiously. ¡°Three things. It seems rather bold of you to assume several dark gods could suddenly start interfering in matters so directly without backlash from your counterparts. If you get involved, what¡¯s stopping other gods from supporting me? Secondly, you can¡¯t really threaten me with my friends ending up as collateral damage, when at the same time you¡¯re gathering power for something that would obviously end up with the same result. Thirdly, I would absolutely fuck up any number of dark gods that stood against me. Try me.¡± She wasn¡¯t too intimidated. She brought her hands together to alter reality and disperse the power being gathered. Even better if it also happened to take out a chunk of the Demon forces. However, as she did, nothing happened. ¡°Yeah, incidentally, we¡¯ve seen that trick enough times now that anyone opposing you will spend a considerable amount of power on enforcing the current reality. As it happens, keeping the current reality as is takes a lot less effort than altering it. Imagine that. To your first point, you¡¯re underestimating the threat you suddenly pose to the status quo. You¡¯re right that the light gods may not let us do everything we want, but they¡¯re not going to rush to aid you either. It would be to their benefit if you were taken down a notch. As for your other points, we¡¯ll just have to see, won¡¯t we?¡± The voice got a really malicious undertone. ¡°You ¡®counter¡¯ one of my tricks, and I used the word very liberally, and you think you have me all figured out. For other gods, you forget that I am the Champion of a very particular one, and She''s all I need, should I require support. The others could all burn for all I care. However, I think I should show you the error of your ways personally, just to show how little you actually understand." She wasn''t having any of the dark being''s threats. She reached deep inside herself, touching the spark of true divinity that her Father had given her. She rarely tapped into that power, mostly because she didn¡¯t need to. This time she wanted to make an example though. She had other methods, but she wanted to prove to everyone that was potentially watching that this little ¡®counter¡¯ was less so than they assumed. She didn¡¯t rely on just that power though. The Demons had made a mistake in their preparations. The reason the power was so far undirected was likely at least partially so that the dark being could use it against her. Her alteration was very simple as she seized control of that power. All that power was suddenly sucked into a tall green flame floating above her hand. A wave of energy radiated outwards from the flame, like the beat of a heart, and the tiny little flame almost felt alive. It also felt hungry. The shadowy figure was frozen in place, suddenly confronted with the change in situation. ¡°See, I have very little experience with controlling the Fel. However, you used the blood and lives of innocents to taint the natural power of the land. And blood magic is something I''m very, very familiar with. You really shouldn''t have done that." She gloated a bit before the tiny flame floated towards the dark figure. The darkness shrouding the being was blown away first, revealing the being of pure darkness and void beneath. The being was an amalgamation of what would be called an Old God in the universe the Draenei had come from, and what would be called a Void Lord, the dark counterpart of the Naaru. Critically though, the being was not an embodiment of the Fel, which meant the tiny little flame was more than capable of hurting it. And hurt it, the flame did. The entire being was engulfed in the Fel flame, and it released a horrible screech of unimaginable suffering before it fled. The being had instinctively used all its power to flee the force holding it in place. Seraphiel might have been able to stop it, but as she sensed the being was not fleeing anywhere on this world, she didn¡¯t really care and let it go. As it vanished, it took the Fel energy with it. Idly, Seraphiel wondered what the result would be of a being like that taking such a distilled essence of Fel into its home dimension. Probably nothing good for either party. Not that she cared. She had, for the moment, stymied the plan of the Legion. That was enough for her. The rest was for the Angels and Draenei to deal with. Chapter 90 - Self-reliance ------- "Well, that just happened," Seraphiel muttered to herself after the being had escaped. The Demons below seemed confused and without direction, which wasn''t too odd considering she''d just taken weeks of their effort in seconds and used it for her own purposes. They clearly didn''t know what to do next. So, she decided to give them a little push. ¡°Now would be a very good time for you Demons to start jumping back into your portals and leaving. Unlike everyone else, I can kill you permanently even outside Twisting Nether. And you wouldn¡¯t want that, now would you?¡± Her voice carried over a vast area, though she made damn sure none of her allies heard a peep. The Demons didn¡¯t all take the hint, but some of them decided now was a very good time to be anywhere else, and the fun part about portals was that they went both ways. What started as a trickle soon turned into a flood. The more Demons escaped, the more of them decided that staying wasn¡¯t a great idea. There was power in numbers, and those numbers were rapidly dwindling. She decided to make herself scarce and return to the ship. It took a couple of days for the Demons to complete a full retreat, and that was about the time her allies noticed something was wrong. They¡¯d been fighting a constant stream of enemies before, and suddenly they were left alone. Even an idiot would get their hackles raised at that point. The combined army didn¡¯t rush in right away, as the whole thing stunk of a trap. Instead, they sent in someone who could scout quietly, and Kaede could be really sneaky when she wanted to be. It didn¡¯t take her long to figure out the Demons were done. So were all the prisoners the Demons had taken. Soon enough she was approached by both Yoruichi and Edirah, the two people that probably knew her better than anyone else present. ¡°How goes the battle?¡± Seraphiel asked innocently while sipping on a fancy drink. She still hadn¡¯t quite managed to replicate the one Lucifer always made her. Even with the right ingredients, she didn¡¯t have her brother¡¯s talent. "Funny you should ask," Edirah replied in an equally innocent tone. "The Demons are gone. Apparently, they all packed their bags and decided to bug off. A rather unique development when it comes to the Legion, as you well know." ¡°Weeeell, I¡¯m not sure if the Legion I knew and the one in this universe are completely the same.¡± She retorted carefully. ¡°Though it certainly doesn¡¯t sound like them.¡± "Yes, it''s really odd. At one moment, they''re attacking us like an endless flood, and we''re making only very slow progress. The next moment they''re gone." Yoruichi positioned herself beside Edirah and opposite Seraphiel. "Very strange behavior for any Demonic race.¡± ¡°Sounds like a trap to me.¡± She pointed out. "Exactly what we thought as well," Edirah replied with a clearly faked pleased tone, as if the idea had just occurred to her. "So, imagine our surprise when the scouts came back confirming zero Demon presence. Not lessened presence with stragglers left behind for maximum damage, but zero Demons instead. Not even an Imp left behind to scout things." "And here''s the best part. Once we pushed deep into the enemy territory, we started finding signs of a huge ritual. Someone went to a lot of trouble to gather a lot of power. We can only guess why, though assuming it was meant to be used against us is one guess. The local ley-lines also show clear signs of Fel taint, and there were traces of blood sacrifices all over the place." Yoruichi reported, her tone playful despite the grotesque description. She had been one of the scouts as well. ¡°Sounds dreadful.¡± She replied lightly, taking another sip, before pouring drinks for the other two women. ¡°It was indeed. Here¡¯s the interesting part. We think the ritual was interrupted by something or someone.¡± Edirah looked directly at Seraphiel at this. "I know you wouldn''t make assumptions like that without basis," Seraphiel suggested. "You''re clearly assuming the Legion did not accomplish whatever they wanted to do with all that power. It occurs to me that they might have gotten what they wanted, and then left." ¡°That¡¯s not a completely unreasonable assumption. Except, there¡¯s a problem. I¡¯ve gotten some Skills of my own since I¡¯ve been in this universe, one of which allows me to read the magic used in an area in the past. Really useful in investigations. And I found no traces of a ritual being completed.¡± Edirah argued. ¡°Maybe they just wanted to gather the power and take it elsewhere for another purpose not available on this world.¡± Seraphiel played the devil¡¯s advocate. ¡°Again, a distinct possibility, but I did find traces of that power being used. Just not by a ritual. Yet, there¡¯s no obvious effect. Instead, there are traces of some dark being having been briefly present, and then getting defeated.¡± Edirah leaned closer, playing with the drink in front of her. In fact, she was leaning close enough that their noses were almost touching. ¡°Sounds intriguing.¡± Seraphiel smiled a bit. ¡°I would suggest the Legion using the power to defeat this dark being, but that doesn¡¯t really sound like them, does it?¡± "No, it doesn''t." Yoruichi moved behind Seraphiel leaning close as well. "However, I do happen to know someone who could be bored and curious enough to fly into the Demon-controlled area. She also happens to be powerful enough to suddenly take over the ritual and use the power for whatever she deems fit." ¡°Interesting theory. Sounds like a nice person.¡± Seraphiel joked. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°She does. I really would¡¯ve wanted to thank her, as that kind of power could¡¯ve been very dangerous to everyone.¡± Edirah whispered. Suddenly both Edirah and Yoruichi moved away and started walking towards the door of the ship¡¯s bar. ¡°Too bad she doesn¡¯t want to come forward and we have no idea who it was. Oh well. Maybe if we ever find out the truth.¡± And they were gone. Seraphiel chuckled a bit. ¡°Those two minxes. How very mean.¡± She finished her drink. The sacrifices she had to make¡­ -------- ¡°They look a lot like the Zerg, don¡¯t they?¡± Seraphiel pointed out while looking at the holographic images of the Locust race occupying one of the continents on the other side of the planet. ¡°Kind of, I suppose. A lot more insectoid-looking. They also don¡¯t seem as organized or efficient.¡± Naidam, their resident Zerg specialist replied. ¡°From what I understand, while they have a hivemind of sorts, they don¡¯t quite have the unified intelligence that guides the Zerg or the Tyranids. They¡¯re more like an actual hive of insects in that sense. Every hive is separate, and while they do work together, they don¡¯t move as a single unified force. Makes them a lot less dangerous.¡± "They''re also a lot more similar to actual locusts in that they just appear randomly to wreak havoc, seemingly without an overriding plan," Chachamaru added. "It''s not entirely clear how and why they appear where they do. They''re fierce opponents, but as Naidam said, they''re less dangerous than the Zerg and Tyranid in that sense. They¡¯re good at what they do, their average fighter likely capable of defeating the average Zerg or Tyranid, but they¡¯re very one-dimensional, and they lack the rapid evolution ability of the others.¡± ¡°They seem to breed just as fast as the other similar races, but they have less of the tiny and almost useless critters, most of their number being bred for war, but they lack the high-quality individual creatures of the Tyranid Carnifexes and Hive Tyrants, or Zerg Ultralisks and Corruptors.¡± Tatsumiya analyzed. ¡°Do the Angels and Draenei have an actual battle plan?¡± Seraphiel asked curiously. ¡°I¡¯m guessing the ¡®just grind it out¡¯ plan that you were trying with the Legion is less useful here.¡± Her words were directed towards Edirah. ¡°Well, at first there were voices calling for leaving the enemy alone. There¡¯s a rather large ocean separating us, and the enemy is on the other side of the world.¡± Edirah grimaced. ¡°They weren¡¯t really all that affected by the argument that it might be an ecological disaster if the Locusts nommed the entire continent. I¡¯m afraid that what finally got them turned around was pure greed.¡± Seraphiel smirked. ¡°They finally noticed the positive side of the recent attacks, didn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°They did.¡± Edirah shook her head in both disappointment and disapproval. ¡°What positive side?¡± Naidam asked, clearly not seeing it. Wrex grunted and decided to explain. ¡°With the other nations on this world fucked by the three enemy forces, and even the surviving rival kingdoms severely weakened, there¡¯s nothing stopping the Draenei and the Angels from taking over the entire world.¡± ¡°With the joined architecture being very vertical in nature, it¡¯s not always immediately obvious, but the population density of the nation controlled by the two races is extremely high," Chachamaru added her analysis. "And it''s not like Draenei in particular have trouble procreating. The Angels are less fertile, but their low numbers have mostly been the result of wanting to keep a low profile and avoid the ire of the other races in the universe who remember their times at the top of the food chain. It''s going to take time for the two races to populate enough to properly utilize the whole world, but the prospects are there." Edirah nodded. "Exactly. And why not conquer that continent while at it? The resources found there are different anyway, and would help immensely. Anyway, they''ve decided on a strategy of surgical magical strikes. The magical defenses of these Locusts are mediocre, and if we can eliminate their queens, then the rest die off rather quickly.¡± Seraphiel tapped her chin in thought. "Huh, not a bad plan in itself. The hives likely have much more powerful defenses than their armies on the field, but a big enough surge of concentrated power would punch through." "And I did mention surgical. We don''t have to destroy the entire hive, just kill the queens. We might not have been able to pierce the veil over the Legion, but our divination spells can pinpoint the queens at least. Even if one of them somehow managed to hide and survives, killing the other queens will still cut off their ability to produce more of their warriors. After that, we can just attrition them to death from range." Edirah outlined the chosen plan. ¡°Not a bad general idea. What about containment?¡± Seraphiel asked. ¡°Containment?¡± Edirah asked. "Yes. When the Queens die, you¡¯re assuming the rest will just lie down and die. What if they decide to all scatter and attack anything they can reach instead?" Seraphiel pointed out. "What if they''re curbing their current aggression to protect the queens, and killing those queens will remove all restraints?" Edirah stared at her in shock for a few moments before suddenly casting a teleportation spell before vanishing. ¡°She was in a bit of a hurry.¡± Wrex joked. ¡°Have I mentioned how much I love the way you think lately?¡± The old Krogan chuckled. ¡°Not for a while no, but it¡¯s always nice to get compliments.¡± Seraphiel smiled at her old friend. "I''m not sure that can be counted as a compliment," Naidam muttered. ------ As it turned out, the containment became quite necessary. At first, when the first queens died, the other creatures just went under another queen. However, once the last queen perished, the Locusts all went berserk. Most of them started attacking anything close by, but some retained enough clarity to try and attack the other continents. They had no coordination though, so they were easy prey while trying to cross the oceans. The Seraphim and the flying fortresses of the Draenei roamed the oceans hunting down any targets they could catch, and seers kept watch for any that managed to make landfall. When they did, the Locusts always found an attack squad waiting. Seraphiel was rather gratified to note that the two races could handle this threat without her assistance. Her friends had been hired to take down one hive, and they¡¯d simply used the ship¡¯s main cannons to remove the entire hive. While the Draenei and Angels were busy securing their new territory, they were still in a celebratory mood and a large festival had been planned for when the aftermath had been taken care of. They''d survived a triple threat from three separate Locust races with minimal losses, so naturally, everyone wanted to blow off steam. ¡°Incidentally, the attacks on the other Core Worlds have intensified. Some of them have not fared as well as us.¡± Chachamaru reported, having been keeping up with the situation at large. ¡°I heard the Soul Society got hired to help on several worlds as well. And not just Souls Society East either.¡± Yoruichi added. ¡°North also got involved. It was a bit weird when the two got hired for the same job, but it didn¡¯t come to blows. The North remembers the last time we fought, and it didn¡¯t go so well for them. I did hear they have a new king now.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Seraphiel got mildly interested. ¡°How did that happen? Did one of the Dukes finally get the courage to challenge the old man?¡± "No. Apparently, a spirit from this universe qualified to become a Shinigami in the Soul Society North and didn''t like how things were handled. Led a rebellion and reorganized the whole thing." Yoruichi laughed. ¡°Understandable. North¡¯s methods really were a bit¡­dated.¡± Seraphiel shook her head. ¡°Who¡¯s the lucky new winner?¡± ¡°Someone called Artoria. Apparently used to be King of Britain, and became a Heroic Spirit.¡± Yoruichi. ¡°Who knows how someone like that became a Shinigami.¡± ¡°Wait. Artoria Pendragon? King Arthur? Hah! She was one of the spirits involved in the Grand Grail War I participated in! She was on our team as well. I wonder if I¡¯ll run into any more of my teammates from that war¡­¡± She speculated. ¡°Anyone in particular you¡¯d like to meet?¡± Yoruichi asked teasingly. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t mind meeting Arjuna again. Achilles wasn¡¯t too bad either.¡± She¡¯d likely get summoned again relatively soon, even if she didn¡¯t have to accept it anymore. She wouldn¡¯t necessarily mind participating. Entertainment was entertainment, and it wasn¡¯t like she had too much to do. She just hadn¡¯t liked the idea of being forced to participate. "Funny you should mention that¡­" Edirah suddenly interjected, having returned only a moment before. Seraphiel lifted an eyebrow. ¡°What? You¡¯re participating?¡± "Not me personally, but the Draenei got invited. It seems several races from the old world did. It would be a more non-traditional one in that sense." Edirah explained. "Naturally, Velen''s first thought was to try and summon you. I mean the you from before when we all still assumed you were dead." ¡°When is this supposed to be happening?¡± She asked, frowning a bit. After all, it would be a nice opportunity for another attack with her gone. ¡°Oh, it''s not supposed to be for a few months, and I can only assume the recent mess has delayed things further," Edirah reassured her. ¡°So, what I¡¯m hearing is that there¡¯s plenty of time for something else to go wrong before that.¡± Yoruichi teased. Those two had started getting along worryingly well. ¡°At least we have time to enjoy the celebration.¡± Edirah shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s hope trouble can wait at least that long.¡± Chapter 90,5 - Council is born -------- ¡°So¡­¡± Yoruichi said awkwardly, just to open the conversation. Even if there was a rather large celebration around them, the faces of the women around the table were rather serious. "So..." Shepard added her own intelligent addition. "Of for Light¡¯s sake, it¡¯s not that serious.¡± Yrel was the one to break the stalemate. She¡¯d always been a blunt one. Sometimes that was useful. ¡°Agreed. It¡¯s not like we didn¡¯t see all this coming.¡± Edirah agreed. ¡°Come now. It was such a nice awkward silence.¡± Tali laughed. She was now much calmer and more at ease with herself, as opposed to the rather awkward youngster she¡¯d been in the past. ¡°Thanks!¡± Yoruichi grinned. ¡°I worked real hard to create it.¡± Unsurprisingly, everyone gathered here used to be Seraphiel''s former lover. At least the women. No males were in attendance. Only those in Seraphiel''s crew were involved, plus their two new Draenei friends. Their future participation was still unclear. ¡°Ok, now that we are here, I¡¯m curious. Tali, when did you get involved? I know it wasn¡¯t on the first Normandy.¡± Shepard couldn¡¯t stop her curiosity anymore. "Well, you remember the time you got abducted by Cerberus? Everyone thought you were dead. Well, most everyone at least. A lot happened in those two years. I was a bit adrift after the thing with Saren was done. I did go back to the Migrant Fleet eventually, but for a while, Seraphiel took care of me." Tali explained. ¡°Took care of you.¡± Yoruichi grinned as she made quotation marks with her fingers. ¡°I bet she did. Took real good care of you.¡± ¡°Mmmh, she¡¯s very good at taking care of people.¡± Rangiku made a rather indecent sound. ¡°Agreed.¡± Edirah and Yrel nodded along. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say I wasn¡¯t complaining.¡± Tali agreed, showing off her maturity by not getting embarrassed. ¡°The interesting question is, do you want her to keep ¡®taking care¡¯ of you? Or have you since moved on?¡± Shepard asked a rather poignant question. "I haven''t been chaste since then if that''s what you''re asking. I did my part for the restoration of my people. I even have kids, though they''ve all grown up. That said, now that I''m no longer required to be in a leadership position, I can''t think of a better way to spend the next¡­oh, I don''t know, a couple hundred years?" Tali''s admission was a slight surprise to everyone except Shepard. Shepard had known about Tali''s family, which is why she''d asked. ¡°What about you?¡± Yoruichi asked Shepard. ¡°I¡¯ll always be there for her. Whether that¡¯s as a lover, or just a friend is up to her.¡± Shepard replied simply. ¡°And you? I got the impression that your relationship is a little more complicated.¡± Yoruichi grinned. ¡°It is, and yet at the same time it¡¯s not. We¡¯ve always had fun together. I want to keep that going. I have no intention of hogging her to myself though. I think Rangiku feels similarly.¡± She looked towards the younger Shinigami, who just nodded in agreement. ¡°And what about our Draenei duo?¡± Shepard turned to the Mage and Paladin. The two looked thoughtful and a little awkward. ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. It¡¯s been a long time for us.¡± Edirah was the first to speak. ¡°Even for Draenei, a few thousand years is a long time. I¡¯m only just getting over the fact that she¡¯s alive. I need time to think.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Shepard nodded. ¡°You¡¯re the newest to all this.¡± ¡°I want to be with her again!¡± Yrel declared proudly. ¡°I don''t know about the rest of you, but I don''t care who else she''s with. I never did. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have been able to be with her back then either." ¡°That¡¯s a good view. And it seems there are those among us that would like to see her be with others.¡± Shepard looked at Yoruichi and Rangiku. ¡°And I suspect there will be others that we¡¯ll run into eventually.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s almost a guarantee.¡± Yoruichi vehemently agreed. "I think we''ll need to set down some rules though," Shepard suggested. ¡°Assuming she¡¯ll go by those rules¡­¡± Tali pointed out. "Yes, well, she seems to have calmed down in that regard. I think something happened after the Grail War." Shepard suggested. "The curse is gone," Yoruichi revealed. Most of them were at least somewhat aware of what she was talking about. "I don''t think the curse really pushed her into anything she wasn''t willing to do anyway. It just gave her the push to do it. She simply hasn''t been feeling the push since. She''ll get closer to how she used to be once she''s used to not being affected by the curse." ¡°So, this is like a rebound effect after the curse.¡± Shepard nodded in agreement. ¡°What of the guys?¡± Rangiku asked. ¡°I was under the impression that she was involved with some male Draenei as well.¡± Edirah laughed. "They''re too scared to approach for now. They might gather their courage eventually, but for now, they''re keeping their distance." "Sounds about right." Yoruichi agreed. "It''s a bit similar to the Shinigami. The only guy that looked for her was Zaraki Kenpachi, and that was for fighting not fucking. He''s a battle maniac. Somewhat similar to Wrex, only not as smart or wily." "Or jaded," Shepard added. ¡°That as well.¡± Yoruichi nodded in agreement. ¡°Do we have an issue with any of the guys approaching her?¡± Shepard honed in on the heart of the issue. ¡°Not really, as long as they don¡¯t make it into an issue.¡± Edirah was the one to voice that, tacitly already implying she¡¯d also made up her mind, even if she was still not accepting it fully. "Then we have some tentative agreement. If some guy gets uppity, we can work together. Peace among us will go a long way to keeping the peace overall." Shepard declared. "Let''s work on some ground rules¡­" Chapter 91 - Return ------- Seraphiel watched as her crew boarded the ship after the celebration. She could sense something had changed. She couldn''t tell what, but she''d find out eventually. Interestingly, both Edirah and Yrel were among those who boarded the ship. As they did, she simply lifted a questioning eyebrow at Edirah, who in turn looked at her challengingly. She just grinned in response and nodded in welcome. Interestingly, those two were not the only ones. Without her knowledge, the remaining openings on her crew had been filled with new Draenei crew members. A pair of priests dedicated to all sorts of healing took over her med bay, several artificers took over the engineering jobs, and there were even cleaners and a dedicated bartender. The bridge also now had a dedicated crew, apparently in three shifts. She looked on in slight surprise as the new sensors officer, new communications officer, a new navigator, and several others took their places. Chachamaru confidently took the first officer¡¯s chair next to her. ¡°Someone¡¯s been busy.¡± She commented. ¡°I can¡¯t take credit. There were thousands of volunteers after the celebration. Edirah and Yrel did most of the selection. There were Angel volunteers as well, but they apparently chose to stick with a mostly Draenei crew.¡± Chachamaru explained, just as Edirah sat down on a seat that just appeared on Seraphiel¡¯s other side. ¡°Uh-huh. I can see how that would make things simpler.¡± Seraphiel allowed, turning to look at Edirah. ¡°So, if Chachamaru is the first officer, what rank do you hold?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find out eventually. Incidentally, everyone that holds the rank in question wears this.¡± Edirah displayed a small pin on her collar. The pin had what she assumed to be a halo, and a ring entwined. A quick glance around the bridge allowed Seraphiel to spot two other similar pins, one on Yoruichi''s belt and one hanging from a piercing on Yrel''s horn. Another one entered the bridge moments later as Shepard walked in, and she noted the pin as an earring. Shepard didn''t wear earrings, as they could be risky in combat, which made Seraphiel frown. There was a theme between those with the pin. ¡°Maraad is organizing the Vindicators aboard. Once he¡¯s done, we can go.¡± Shepard reported. ¡°Maraad is also on the ship?¡± Seraphiel asked, somewhat surprised. "Along with Akama," Edirah confirmed with a nod. "The two brought along the best of the Vindicators, and a few of the veteran Rangari as well." ¡°Huh. Is it ok for us to steal the best of the Draenei on our ship?¡± Seraphiel asked, still a bit shocked by the news. "Anyone that wants to complain is welcome to go pound sand," Yrel responded with a wide grin. "Besides, we did just win three wars, and likely won''t be attacked again very soon, considering who we beat and how badly." ¡°And you think say Nurgle or the Legion won¡¯t hold a grudge?¡± Seraphiel asked again. "Seriously?" Yrel asked with a complicated expression. "The Legion has hated us for tens of thousands of years. They took their shot and failed. They''ll come back eventually, but they need a better plan before that. As for Nurgle, you''re the one he''d have a grudge against. We were just there." "Also, even if you''re not all that eager for a rematch, you''re one heck of a deterrent," Edirah added. "Our planet might well be the safest Core World at the moment." "Captain? Ma''am? Commander? I''m not sure which rank is the correct one." The communications officer, a younger Draenei woman with nice purple skin called out. "Anyway, the Angels are trying to contact you. Personally." ¡°Let¡¯s go with Captain for now.¡± Seraphiel decided. ¡°And I¡¯m ignoring them on purpose. Let them try, but if they get too annoying, you¡¯re free to let them know I¡¯m busy.¡± ¡°Doing nothing.¡± Yoruichi finished for her. "It''s hard work, but someone has to do it," Seraphiel stated shamelessly. ¡°Incidentally,¡± Chachamaru suddenly interjected. ¡°We went from a skeleton crew to a full complement and then some. Most of our previous people are now free to focus on ground operations. Or, you know, space pew-pew.¡± ¡°Space pew-pew? Really?¡± Shepard asked with clear amusement. "Well, that felt like the fairest description. We also now have several ground teams. As mentioned before, Vindicators Akama and Maraad brought along a complement. And with the addition of Edirah and Yrel to our former personnel, we already had two full teams. Even three if we want to go smaller teams. I''d say we''re quite ready to take on most missions now." Chachamaru reported. ¡°Which brings up the question. What will we be doing?¡± Shepard asked. Seraphiel tapped the chair in thought. "I''m open to longer-term ideas, but I''m not sure I like how we left things on Coruscant. Maybe they''ve finally settled on who holds that world. We can then finish the sweep of the Monstrum. I feel like we left a job half-done last time." The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Chachamaru nodded. ¡°Even if they¡¯re still fighting for the planet, we now have enough power to not care.¡± "Setting course for Coruscant," Ashredar announced. "Estimated time until arrival, four days." ¡°Are we really gonna just travel for four days when Sephy could just¡­¡± Rangiku made a vague gesture with her hand. ¡°Yes, you lazy dolt. It¡¯s all about the journey and not the destination.¡± Yoruichi declared with a grin. ¡°That¡¯s not how the saying is used!¡± Rangiku complained. -------- ¡°Well¡­¡± Yoruichi said with a hesitant voice, looking out at the view outside the ship. "I don''t think we need to worry about the Monstrum at least," Wrex said somberly. "When I was guessing who owned the world today, this was not on my bingo card," Shepard added darkly. Not just the planet but the entire system was absolutely crawling with Tyranid. There were some wrecked ships in orbit, but the battle had happened days ago. The planet¡¯s surface was covered in different Tyranid bioforms and it was likely the vast majority of the inhabitants were already dead and being processed, as the planet¡¯s atmosphere was also being consumed by enormous capillary towers as they watched. ¡°There must be an entire hive fleet in the system. I wonder if they managed any kind of evacuation.¡± Shepard wondered. ¡°I think the real question is, are we going to do something about it?¡± Wrex asked. "I''m not sure what we can do," Seraphiel stated. "Anything we did to attack the Tyranid would seal the fate of those still on the planet. Not that they aren''t doomed anyway. Evacuation is frankly impossible, as only those on the deeper levels still have any chance of being alive and the entire orbit is suffused with Tyranids. I have a lot of power, but even I can''t bring back all those who''ve died. The only thing would be to fight the Tyranids as a form of revenge, but¡­" ¡°But we¡¯re not even familiar with the inhabitants. We didn¡¯t even like them.¡± Yoruichi finished for her. ¡°These are just about the last people I¡¯d feel the need to avenge.¡± ¡°There would be one benefit. It would help save the other worlds of this galaxy from a similar fate.¡± Shepard pointed out. ¡°The Tyranids are a threat to my home as well, even if not an immediate one.¡± "Yes, but this hive fleet is not going to get to your home for thousands of years if ever." Chachamaru clarified. She wasn''t arguing against fighting, just pointing out the facts. "Not to rush you, but dodging these attacks from their space assets is getting tedious," Ashredar interjected. "I don''t mind either way, but I''d ask for a prompt decision." ¡°Take us away for now. If we want to fight them, I¡¯ll need to prepare a ritual. That¡¯s going to take a while.¡± Seraphiel decided. ¡°In the meantime, we can try and figure out how this happened.¡± ------ The journey to the next world along the hyperlane connecting to what used to be Coruscant didn¡¯t take long. There they found a grand armada gathering. The ships didn''t only belong to a single faction either. It seemed the destruction of Coruscant had managed to unify the Separatists, the Republic, and the Eternal Empire into a single force. ¡°We¡¯re being hailed.¡± The communications officer announced. "Unsurprising," Seraphiel muttered before speaking louder. "Put them through." "I repeat, this is Qui-Gon Jinn of the Grand Unified Fleet to the unknown ship. Identify yourself or be fired upon." The long-haired and bearded man repeated the stock phrase before the connection was formed. Apparently, he''d been broadcasting on an open channel before. It also seemed the ominous looks of their ship worked against them in this case. ¡°Keep your britches on Jedi. Just because we have a different ship now, doesn¡¯t mean you have to get aggressive.¡± Seraphiel responded half-jokingly. ¡°Ah. Seraphiel. You¡¯ve upgraded vessels. Or at least changed to a bigger one. I suppose it makes sense that you¡¯re coming from Coruscant. Though I do have to wonder why you were there.¡± Qui-Gon asked. They¡¯d met before, after the Separatists took over Coruscant. ¡°I felt that I left a job half done with the Monstrum. I wanted to check if you¡¯d settled the ownership of Coruscant and if I could finish the job, but I see the Tyranids happened.¡± She explained. "You actually entered the system and left alive then?" Qui-Gon nodded. "We''d appreciate any scans you took, just to have more up-to-date tactical data." "It''s yours. How did the Tyranids get in the heart of this galaxy by the way?" Seraphiel questioned. "It''s not like them to skip populous worlds. It makes a cruel kind of sense for them to target Coruscant seeing as biomass is their main concern, but they shouldn''t start there." ¡°We can¡¯t be certain either, but we strongly suspect divine involvement. Only a deity of some sort would have the sort of power to do it. There are alternate theories. The Emperor of the Eternals suggested that the Tyranid hive mind might have developed a Skill of some sort that would facilitate such travel, but it would need to be a really odd Skill to move an entire hive fleet.¡± Qui-Gon speculated. ¡°Did you manage to save any of the people?¡± Seraphiel asked grimly. Qui-Gon gave a deep sigh. ¡°Many ships sacrificed themselves to hold the first arriving Tyranids back as long as possible. However, as you can guess, there¡¯s no sort of evacuation that can move trillions of people. We got maybe a tenth of the people out, and I¡¯m ashamed to admit that those were mostly the affluent and the influential ones, as they often had their own ships. Not our proudest moment, but hundreds of billions of people is still better than nothing. Settling them has been another ordeal.¡± ¡°I can imagine the logistical nightmare. I¡¯m assuming this fleet of yours is going to attack the Tyranids, but what exactly are you hoping to accomplish? There¡¯s not much to save or take back.¡± She hated to burst that bubble but it needed to be done. "We know. This is mostly a containment effort. We''re trying to prevent the Tyranids from attacking other worlds. Better to defeat them above what remains of Coruscant than to let them spread out and attack a hundred other worlds." Qui-Gon seemed rather realistic about the whole thing. "Even if we only manage to take down a portion of them, that''s better than nothing. We have¡­some ideas on how to beat them, but they''re experimental." "I might be able to help." She offered. She didn''t want the Tyranids to go on a rampage through this whole galaxy. Even if she disliked the Jedi, and hated being a crutch, she wasn''t quite callous enough to leave everyone here to their deaths. ¡°That would be appreciated. Anything that can help.¡± Qui-Gon accepted gratefully. ¡°We¡¯re striking a balance here, giving enough time to let as many ships arrive as possible, while also risking the Tyranid hive fleet splitting and spreading apart. So, I can¡¯t tell you exactly when we¡¯ll go in. In the next few days.¡± "We''ll stick around for now then," Seraphiel promised, and gave a sign for the comms officer, who cut the signal. ¡°Would it not be beneficial for them to allow the hive fleet to spread?¡± Wrex asked an interesting question. ¡°Yes, they might lose some worlds, but their ships move faster than the bugs. If the hive fleet spreads, then they can defeat it in parts instead of taking it on in a single battle.¡± Chachamaru shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re forgetting something. If this was on the fringe of the galaxy, then that¡¯s what they would do. However, this is the galactic core, and this is where all the important and wealthy core worlds are. They can¡¯t afford to lose any of those.¡± Her analysis was a bit blunt but insightful. "Politics," Wrex grumbled. "Always gets in the way of a good scrum." ¡°The bane of all civilizations.¡± Seraphiel agreed, and most people on the bridge nodded. "Since we''re doing this, I''ll have to make some preparations. On that note, the big room next to the cargo hold is now off-limits to everyone." ¡°Ooh, I wondered what that place was for. It felt different to everything else on the ship.¡± Yoruichi asked, clearly curious. ¡°It¡¯s a ritual room. Most of our ship is shielded from magic, and that room is as well as long as the armor is in place, but the armor around it can be retracted. At that point, the place is great for magic.¡± Seraphiel revealed. ¡°I want to see this.¡± Edirah declared, getting up from her seat. ¡°I imagined you would. I also told Teclis to meet us there. He¡¯d likely want to see it too.¡± Seraphiel responded. The interest of the two mages was rather predictable. Teclis was already waiting for them at the cargo bay and nodded to them as the large sliding doors of the chamber opened. The room beyond looked simple, but the feeling inside was not. This room, unlike all the others, was made to enhance magic, not survive magical attacks. The materials used in its construction were quite different. For some reason, it was also filled with a mix of haphazardly placed boxes. "I see. Someone decided to use it as a storage room." Seraphiel pursed her lips in distaste. There was enough space on the ship, so why use this room for storage? "I suppose people didn''t think it had any other use." Edirah pointed out. With all the new crew, the amount of stuff aboard had increased to a ludicrous degree. ¡°I suppose, but I could¡¯ve extended any room inside the ship if people had just asked.¡± She shook her head. With a single gesture, all the various items gently floated outside the room. ¡°So, what are we doing here?¡± Edirah asked, brimming with barely suppressed curiosity. ¡°What do you know of blood magic?¡± Seraphiel asked with a wicked grin. Chapter 92 - Surely none of this will haunt us again, right? ------ ¡°That still gives me the creeps Sephy.¡± Yoruichi protested as Seraphiel slashed her arm and allowed her blood to flow around the pre-prepared magical circle on the ground. ¡°Then don¡¯t take part silly goose.¡± Seraphiel shot back as the circle was completed and started glowing with eerie crimson power. Her usual team was placed at specific points inside the circle. They¡¯d lend their powers for her to use in the ritual. Not because she needed the additional power, but because that way they got to share in the EXP. She couldn¡¯t gather any after her rejection of the System, but that didn¡¯t mean all that EXP had to go to waste. ¡°Everyone, make sure you¡¯re fully inside your designated circle. When I start pulling the power from you, you¡¯re going to instinctively try to resist the pull. Don¡¯t. The more you resist, the harder it is for me. I won¡¯t overdraw on your powers. You will be spent, but you¡¯re not going to burn out or anything. On my signal, allow a drop of your blood to fall onto the formation. Ashredar, once we enter the system, take us to the largest concentration of enemy forces you can manage, and let me know when we¡¯re in position.¡± She laid out her instructions. ¡°Entering system¡­now! Scanning for where the enemy forces are the thickest¡­target spotted, estimated time of arrival 30 seconds.¡± Ashredar made an excellent report. Just the important details, yet everything necessary. ¡°Add your blood now. A drop will suffice.¡± She ordered, and everyone used either a blade or a nail to make a small cut before their blood mixed with hers. She allowed her senses to extend outwards to spot the perfect target. This time she had a lot more power at her disposal, and her own control was much more precise, so she was more confident in the effect, and in keeping those on the ship but not inside the circle safe. Just like last time, the spell she was casting was very simple. It extracted the vitae of everyone caught in the effect of the spell. Vitae meant both blood and lifeforce, as many organisms in the Tyranid fleet didn¡¯t have blood. This vitae then fueled the spell further, allowing the area of effect to extend further away and to catch more of the Tyranids, in theory causing a chain reaction until all of them were dead. Every creature that dies just fueled the spell further, forcing even the more powerful creatures that might otherwise be able to resist to succumb to the spell. ¡°That¡¯s new.¡± She muttered as the Tyranid fleet reacted to the spell. It was like an invisible line was suddenly drawn. Everyone inside the line started flying closer to the effect of the spell, while those outside started flying away from it. ¡°I used the spell only once before, against a splinter from a different hive fleet, and they¡¯ve already figured out a way to counter the spell. A very crude counter, but rather effective. Or at least it would¡¯ve been if I was the same as the last time I cast the spell. A counter that only a hive mind could implement, throwing away a chunk of the fleet to save the rest.¡± Just as all the Tyranids caught in the spell were devoured, she made a sharp swiping gesture with her hand, and the spell jumped. It crossed the gap that had appeared in the Tyranid fleet, now afflicting a portion of the fleet that had been safe just moments before. ¡°You didn¡¯t think it would be that easy, did you?¡± She mumbled with a wicked grin. As the spell began its work anew, she suddenly felt as if every creature in the fleet with psionic power suddenly cried out and gave their life as the power was violently pulled out from them and used to suppress the effect of her blood magic. Using psionic power like that was horrifically ineffective, as it was clearly used in a way that it was not meant to be used, but sometimes you could replace precision with sheer power. It was as if a god like Nurgle had just reached out to snuff out the blood magic. All that power was spent to do something that anyone familiar with her spell could¡¯ve achieved with just a tiny fraction of the effort, but it was effective. At the cost of the lives of every psionic Tyranid in the hive fleet. Left them nicely vulnerable in other ways the Jedi and their fleet could exploit. "Ashredar, take us out of here, and give me an estimate on the damage we caused.¡± She decided. They¡¯d accomplished what they had set out to do, at least to an extent. And the others were quite exhausted already since she''d been mostly drawing on their strength instead of using her own. ¡°Making a run for it. Tyranid forces in pursuit, though not very enthusiastically. I estimate we wiped out about 37% of the Tyranid bioforms. Hard to give an exact estimate without knowing how much of their forces are still on Coruscant.¡± Ashredar reported. As she released all the power she¡¯d been holding from the others in the circle, it seemed that functioned as a trigger for the System. "By the Light, that''s a lot of levels," Yrel muttered. ¡°I mean, we did just participate in the massacre of trillions of beings, no matter how weak most of them were.¡± Shepard scratched her head a bit unsure about how to feel about what she¡¯d just said herself. She¡¯d always known genocide was a rather effective way to level. ¡°Still, that¡¯s a lot more levels than I expected.¡± Edirah joined in on the sentiment. ¡°At my level, even singular level-ups are hard to come by.¡± "I have news." Ashredar suddenly interjected. "We''re about to leave the system, but the Tyranid hive fleet is showing signs of splintering." "They don''t want to be caught like this again," Naidam commented right away. "They think they have a better chance by splitting up in case we strike again at a later time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not great for the rest of this galaxy.¡± Kaede pointed out the obvious. ¡°Well, it¡¯ll allow the locals to defeat the enemy in detail, but it also means a lot more worlds will come under attack.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°It''s tactically good, but in the sense of minimizing suffering, it''s bad. Are they scattered enough that another use of the ritual would not catch too many of them?¡± Shepard asked. "There''s no large enough gathering that would work as the ideal starting point, and every second that passes, the more scattered they become," Ashredar reported. "It''s going to take them a while to exit the system, but¡­" ¡°Well, start shooting and kill everything you can hit. Tell the comms to send a message to the unified fleet to jump in and start shooting as well. Anyone here who feels like they¡¯re capable of seriously contributing to mass destruction and mayhem stick around. Others try to get some rest. We might need you later.¡± Seraphiel ordered. "Incidentally, they''ve abandoned all those Tyranid bioforms, which are still planetside," Ashredar reported. That was likely to be a significant number of ground forces as they were still in the process of assimilating the planet¡¯s biomass. For them, it was like shooting fish in a barrel, as most of the ¡®Nids weren¡¯t even fighting back, just trying to leave. The combined fleet arrived an hour later and started to wipe out as much as they could, however, the Tyranid bioforms started reaching far enough from any gravity well to start making jumps out of the system, using whatever method they were employing. It wasn¡¯t quite Warp-travel. It was something new the hive mind had developed. By the time the space was empty of Tyranids, and the fleet started wiping out the Tyranids on the planet, Ashredar estimated that about 58% of the hive fleet had been wiped out. ¡°That¡¯s not what we were aiming for, but it¡¯s better than nothing.¡± Shepard pointed out. ¡°If the fleet had jumped here without us, they would¡¯ve likely been destroyed completely., so anything is an improvement when compared to that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure they¡¯re going to see it the same way.¡± Chachamaru cautioned. ¡°They¡¯ll likely look for someone else to blame.¡± ¡°I vote we should not stick around to find out.¡± Wrex boomed with his loud and boisterous voice. ¡°To me, it sounds like a great victory. We had a job when arriving here, and that job is now rendered moot as there are no Monstrum left. Are we supposed to go Tyranid hunting next? This galaxy is not our problem, and the Tyranids are not our problem. We aren¡¯t even getting paid. We¡¯re not the guardians of this galaxy. Let them deal with it. Some of them are going to die. Such is life.¡± Wrex¡¯s view was rather cold, but it was also pragmatic. Probably partially influenced by genophage. His home galaxy had been more than happy to watch his race die due to a sterility plague the Salarians had concocted, and not only had not bothered to help with a cure but actively worked to stop his species from adapting to the disease. Sympathy wasn''t high on his list of priorities. ¡°Crude, but he has a point.¡± Yoruichi concurred. "Well, one thing is for sure. After wiping out a huge portion of the Tyranids, and saving their little fleet, we certainly won''t be pushed into taking any responsibility for the situation. I''m ready to wash my hands of this place." Seraphiel stated firmly. "Chachamaru, do we have other job offers?" "We do. With several Core Worlds under attack, it''s perhaps unsurprising that many of them have put out a general call for assistance to all mercenary forces in the universe. As such, we have several to choose from." Chachamaru confirmed. "Their offers are fairly standardized, although they''re somewhat competing for anyone willing and able to help, so the rewards are higher than normal." "Anyone that we''d be especially interested in for some reason?" Yoruichi asked the important question. ¡°That depends. Do we have any particular leanings towards particular races? There are three Core Worlds dominated by Humans. One by Elves and Dwarves. One by a wide mix of races. One by Demons. One by Giants. There¡¯s also a world that used to be ruled by Vampires, but recently became the designated place for the Aeldari Craftworlds to congregate." Chachamaru listed off. Yoruichi¡¯s suddenly looked more interested. ¡°That last one seems intriguing. Especially considering Sephy¡¯s history with them.¡± ¡°And the recent Grail War.¡± Shepard also added with a grin. ¡°I vote for that one.¡± ¡°That does seem like the most likely to result in shenanigans. I vote for that one as well.¡± Tali quickly agreed. Their words seemed to sway the others into the same opinion as they all quickly agreed, leaving only Seraphiel. ¡°I¡¯m sensing a certain amount of directed mischief in this choice, but I don¡¯t have a particular reason to try and overrule you on this. And I suppose this isn¡¯t a dictatorship anyway. We¡¯ll accept their invitation.¡± She acquiesced. ¡°What are they being attacked by?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s where things get more complicated.¡± Chachamaru had found glasses somewhere and adjusted them in a very particularly stereotypical way before continuing. ¡°They¡¯re not being invaded in the same way as the other Core Worlds. The locals are actually partially looking for help against each other, so I suppose you could say the Vampires are being invaded by the Aeldari, but they are both seeing increased raiding and harassment from a wide variety of sources, including Drukhari and Necrons.¡± "Sounds complicated," Wrex complained a bit. ¡°You¡¯re looking at this the wrong way. Instead of thinking it¡¯s complicated, think of it as having a variety of targets instead.¡± Teclis offered, showing his sense of humor. ¡°Oh. That does feel better, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Wrex seemed to agree. "Ashredar, take us out of here," Seraphiel ordered. "Before the locals start to ask impolite questions. Let them deal with their own issues from now on." ¡°Aye-aye, initiating the ¡®get the fuck out of here¡¯ maneuver.¡± Ashredar had developed some sense of humor watching over the current crew as well. ------- "That''s a whole lot of ship in one place," Wrex muttered, clearly impressed. He''d seen ships larger than the Citadel before. He''d also seen space stations of impressive size, constructed by various races. What he now witnessed in a single system blew all of them out of the water. "That''s a heck of a lot of ship." Shepard concurred as Wrex wasn''t the only one blown away. ¡°Huh. They¡¯re bigger than I remembered.¡± Even Seraphiel nodded, impressed. ¡°I suppose they¡¯ve expanded since coming here and living in relative peace for ten thousand years.¡± Aeldari craftworlds had always been huge vessels. They ranged from planetoid-sized to continent-sized even back when Seraphiel had lived among the Aeldari. They¡¯d only grown much larger since then. The sight was made even more impressive with almost fifty of the ships in one system. Together, they were easily larger than the already large Core World they were all surrounding. "That''s a whole lot of Aeldari as well," Yoruichi stated. "I thought you said they were a dying species?" ¡°Honey, I said they were a dying species before I killed the god predating on their souls. And that was the first universe I visited after being exiled. That was a long time ago. They¡¯ve been in this universe for over ten thousand years and who knows how long between me leaving and them arriving here. Time that they¡¯ve spent in peace, at least by their standards. They were dying while their numbers were being thinned by constant war and struggle, and they were still meeting replacement rate, if barely. Without that war? That¡¯s a long time to procreate and increase your numbers, even for a race not known for its fertility.¡± Seraphiel explained. ¡°Still, even if those ships are only half full, that¡¯s a whole lot of Aeldari.¡± Yoruichi didn¡¯t want to let go of the point. "No wonder the Vampires are having a bit of difficulty holding on to the world," Chachamaru interjected. ¡°Incidentally, we have some options when it comes to picking a contract. As I said before we came here, the Vampires are seeking help against the Aeldari, which I think we won¡¯t be providing. The Aeldari on the other hand are looking for help against the Vampires, and there¡¯s a contract against the raiders.¡± ¡°They have this many ships in the system, and they still need help with raiders?¡± Shepard wondered. ¡°It¡¯s exactly because they have this many ships and people here that they need the help. They can grow many things on those craftworlds of theirs, but if they want anything extra, they¡¯re going to have to go out and get it. If you pay attention to the sensors, there¡¯s almost a constant stream of ships going in and out of the system on various errands. The raiders aren¡¯t attacking the craftworlds, but the trade ships traveling to other systems.¡± Chachamaru pointed out. ¡°Most of their warships are stuck here guarding their entire population that¡¯s on the craftworlds. It¡¯s a bit excessive, but if something like a Tyranid hive world suddenly arrived and they didn¡¯t have enough defenses, then their entire species would be potentially wiped out.¡± Yoruichi was staring at the hologram of the planet, or what was visible from beneath the ships surrounding it. ¡°Hey, is it just me, or is that planet another version of Earth?¡± ¡°Now that you mention it.¡± Shepard also seemed to notice. "Incidentally, that''s the world where I learned my blood magic if I''m not mistaken." Seraphiel suddenly interjected. "So, expect not only Vampires, but Mages, Werewolves, Wraiths, Hunters, and all sorts of fun stuff. Oh, and for those that witnessed my Grail War, Haqim is also most likely there." ¡°Oh, joy. I seem to recall there was some tension there between the two of you.¡± Yoruichi cackled. Chapter 93 - Ponderings ------ ¡°Have I already mentioned how much I dislike escort missions?¡± Yoruichi complained for the umpteenth time. "No, you haven''t. Please tell us more. We''d love to hear you expounding on the issue further." Edirah shot back sarcastically. "I''m glad you asked!" Yoruichi exclaimed with a nasty smile. "Those you''re escorting are invariably stupid. Even if they are supposedly generally intelligent, when it comes to protecting their lives, they suddenly turn into slobbering idiots. When we tell them to stick together, they scatter because they think surely we didn''t mean them specifically. Just the others. They just need to do this one little thing that won¡¯t take long. Except it always takes longer than they think. When we tell them to take the shortest route, they make detours because they heard about this one thing they simply must deal with and/or buy. Surely we didn¡¯t mean to prevent them from making their wife/husband/mistress/child happy? Or stop them from making just a bit of extra profit.¡± "Don''t forget the fact that they always move slowly when we need them to move fast, and then decide to move fast when we need them to move slowly," Yrel added helpfully. "Thank you Yrel. I almost forgot that little nugget of pleasure. And when we tell them to hold position, they invariably bolt, because they¡¯re cowardly chickenshits.¡± Yoruichi continued her tantrum. "I dislike the Drukhari even more," Wrex grunted. "Bloody pyjaks keep appearing and disappearing from out of nowhere. They take a couple of shots and then vanish. They never stick around for a proper battle, and we can''t give chase because then they''d attack the suddenly defenseless and erratic group of ships we''re supposed to be escorting. At least the Necrons have the decency to give a proper fight, even if they aren''t very satisfying to kill." "Sounds like you''re all having a great time," Seraphiel announced as she entered the bridge after her break at the bar. "Sounds like you want to take another shift and allow the rest of us to take a proper rest. I can go back to the bar if you want.¡± They were working in three shifts like most military vessels. "Aww heck no! The only time we get any real peace is when you''re on shift. None of the escorted are stupid enough to get uppity with you, and the Drukhari don''t actually try attacking while you''re willing to take just clap your hands and send them inside the nearest star." Yoruichi practically leaped from the captain''s chair to stop Seraphiel from leaving. "It''s actually rather suspicious how quickly they learned when not to attack," Wrex grumbled some more. "Oh, I assume their spies among the Aeldari traders told them," Seraphiel stated cheerily. "Of course they have spies," Wrex complained loudly while lifting his arms theatrically towards the ceiling. "Why wouldn''t they?! Damn elves and their space counterparts!" Seraphiel just laughed. ¡°Now, now. You should all be happy the rest of you chucklefucks get to fully rest while I¡¯ll maintain the fort by myself. Well, me and Ashredar.¡± ¡°Someone has to stop you from making stupid decisions.¡± The AI joked. "And I''m sure everyone appreciates that," Seraphiel responded good-naturedly. The rest trundled off with some complaints. She wasn¡¯t actually left alone on the bridge, as one of the Draenei stuck around as a communications officer, while another one was maintaining watch on the scanners. There was always a strike team ready to go on the lower decks as well. It was likely people would visit her during her shift, so she wasn¡¯t going to be as lonely as she implied. It still felt a little odd to just be escorting a small flotilla of Aeldari trade vessels as they visited multiple worlds for supplies and all sorts of goods not available on the craftworlds. Some of those goods might have even been somewhat questionable in nature, such as weapons, but that was none of their business. They had not been hired to ask questions. The transition from outright war to babysitting traders was a little jarring though. It was relaxing in comparison, and she certainly didn''t mind a bit of activity and fighting where the fate of nations didn''t hand in the balance, but it wasn''t exactly heart-pounding action when it came to entertainment. That was always the downfall of guard duty. Most of the time it was boring, as nothing happened, and you easily lost focus and got sloppy. Hopefully, they''d be professional enough to avoid that. She closed her eyes for a moment, just extending her senses outwards. She could faintly sense the Drukhari vessels, hidden by their stealth systems, circling them like prey. Yet they kept wisely kept away. As she opened her eyes again, there were two new presences on the bridge. ¡°Mother. Brother.¡± She said simply, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Sephy, darling, you never come to visit anymore," Lucifer complained. ¡°And you only call for me when there¡¯s trouble. Never just to talk.¡± Charlotte Richards added her own protestations. For some reason, the two Draenei officers on the bridge didn¡¯t seem to notice anything. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Well, you gave me the option to not deal with the System anymore.¡± She said to Lucifer, deciding to ignore Mother for now. ¡°And I said you could visit! Don¡¯t forget that part. I said you were welcome to spend time at the penthouse. I¡¯d fix you a drink or five. We could even jump in the jacuzzi or go downstairs into the club. I could play the piano for you. You know I sing, right?¡± Lucifer coaxed her. "Luci, we''re angels. Being able to sing is in the job description." She responded with a deadpan voice. ¡°Never helped with Uriel.¡± Luci¡¯s face got a bit sad. ¡°He always was the most unfortunate of us. He had one great gift and then drew the short stick on everything else.¡± ¡°Father always did say that imperfections are what makes the mortals great. Considering His like for the mortals, maybe Uriel was His favorite.¡± She shrugged, rather disinterested. She¡¯d never been close to Uriel. Lucifer gave a chuckle. ¡°Actually, we discovered some time ago that Amenadiel was His favorite. Don¡¯t ask. His most favored son, or other such trite.¡± ¡°Hey now, don¡¯t mock poor Amenadiel. He¡¯s always been too serious, but he¡¯s a good boy.¡± Mother interjected. "He''s slightly less serious and boring now that he''s a father himself," Lucifer said placatingly. He took a seat at the First Officer''s chair, while Mother sat down on the gunnery station. ¡°And with a mortal of all things?¡± Seraphiel shook her head, somewhat surprised. ¡°Are they a good match at least?¡± ¡°I¡­they¡¯re not actually dating as far as I know. They were just having a bit of fun for a while where he was having a crisis of faith and supposedly mortal. Don¡¯t ask me how his mind works.¡± Lucifer leaned his cheek on his hand, looking almost bored. ¡°What your brother is failing to mention is that he was having fun with that mortal first. She was Lucifer¡¯s therapist. Still is, I think.¡± Charlotte chuckled. ¡°Good for you brother. I¡¯ve never known anyone in more need of a good therapist than you.¡± She nodded approvingly. ¡°Except you.¡± Luci shot back. ¡°Except me, yes, but I don¡¯t tend to stick around long enough for something like that.¡± She didn¡¯t bother arguing the point. He was right after all. ¡°Now why are you two here? I don¡¯t believe for a second you just came to reminisce.¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re duty-bound to inform you of something. Father has now officially retired. The position of God back home is now open. I¡¯m occupying the position for now, mostly to make sure Michael doesn¡¯t get the position, but you¡¯re the one with an actual piece of His divinity. And you have the ability to go home if you so choose. It would be remiss of us if we didn¡¯t make the offer, even if we don¡¯t think you¡¯ll take the job.¡± Lucifer revealed. "Huh. If He''s retired, what is He going to do next? Having Him look over the new God''s shoulder all the time would be kind of a pain." She pointed out. ¡°He¡¯s taking some time off. Maybe He¡¯ll figure out the rest later.¡± Charlotte said vaguely. "Well, I''ll have to think about it, but at this very moment, I''m not all that keen on the idea. I''d like to visit, just to see the family and my new nephew, but I don''t think I''ll stay. Who''s likely to end up with the job if I say no?" She''d rather stay here all things considered. ¡°Amenadiel.¡± Mother stated with confidence. "That''s not a bad pick, but I think you''re ignoring the obvious best option." Seraphiel smiled a bit. "And no, I don''t mean you, Mother. I mean Azrael. She''s a bit on the timid side, but no one can argue that she hasn''t fulfilled her obligations as the Anger of Death, even one isn''t actually necessary. Father foisted the job on her as a punishment, but she has still done her best with possibly the worst job. Yes, even worse than being the ruler of Hell brother." ¡°Huh¡­that¡¯s¡­huh.¡± Lucifer seemed genuinely stumped. ¡°I could get behind that.¡± ¡°You know, that¡¯s not a bad idea. She¡¯ll have to accept the job though.¡± Mother pointed out. ¡°Well, just remind her that it means her current duties are no longer necessary. That should do the trick.¡± She advised them. ¡°Amenadiel isn¡¯t a bad second option though. He¡¯s always been dutiful, even if too serious. Perhaps some of that seriousness has worn off with becoming a father. Or he could¡¯ve become a total manwhore like Luci, I don¡¯t know. You guys don¡¯t visit me enough to keep up to date on these kinds of things. Oh, wait a moment.¡± One of the Drukhari ships had become impatient enough to make a move, and she sent it into the closest star with a gesture. The Drukhari were bloodthirsty and completely brutal, but they were also fundamentally cowardly in the face of a superior power. You just had to remind them why they should keep away on a regular basis. ¡°Well, with Father gone, what are you going to do Mother?¡± She returned her focus to the conversation at hand. "Well, I was making a new creation of my own, before it got swallowed by this abomination of a universe. So, I''m thinking, why not become the Goddess of this realm? You seem to enjoy it here, so I''d have company. Luci seems to be enjoying his time as the System avatar as well." Mother threw out a suggestion. "Your Father will likely hover around like a jilted boy toy, but that''s something I''d have to deal with anyway." ¡°I¡¯m guessing the current deities of this realm wouldn¡¯t be too happy about it. And judging by how you like to do things, you don¡¯t want to just smack them down and force your will on them. Not directly anyway. So let me guess, I¡¯m going to have to do that?¡± Seraphiel speculated based on what she knew and suspected. ¡°You are my Champion and Paladin. Besides, it¡¯s not like you¡¯re too busy. And you¡¯re looking for something to do. This would give you something to entertain yourself with for a while. Don¡¯t say I never do anything for you. Besides, you¡¯re kind of doing it already, just piecemeal and without focus. Just your presence will draw challengers. Might as well face them head-on.¡± Mother said innocently. ¡°Admit it sister, you¡¯re bored. These escort jobs won¡¯t keep you engaged for very long. Soon enough you¡¯re going to start looking for other ways to entertain yourself, and while there¡¯s nothing wrong with a little debauchery, isn¡¯t that how your previous slump started?¡± Lucifer suggested. ¡°You just got rid of the curse, so it would be a bit of a shame if it came back just because you¡¯re bored.¡± "I''ll take it under advisement. For now, I''m busy babysitting. Might as well get me a drink Luci, and then you can bugger off." She taunted, and Lucifer acquiesced with a smile. He summoned her favorite drink out of thin air and just vanished after handing it to her. ¡°Seriously though, darling. Give it a thought. You¡¯re obviously not living your best life now. Either accept my offer, accept becoming God, or settle down somewhere and have babies like Amenadiel. Or do something different but wild. You have options. Just pick one. I know you¡¯re used to being pushed all over by your Father, but that¡¯s not going to happen anymore. Old habits die hard, but you¡¯re going to have to get over this. I can lead you to the water, but I can¡¯t force you to drink.¡± Charlotte smiled at her with motherly warmth. ¡°Do recall that you¡¯re comparing me to a horse at the moment.¡± She joked. ¡°No, I¡¯m not. I left the word out on purpose. If I were to compare you to an equine, I¡¯d be to a mule. You¡¯re stubborn like that.¡± Charlotte shot back, before tactically vanishing. ¡°Bastards, both of them.¡± She smiled. She knew her Mother actually had very little interest in becoming the Goddess of this universe, besides maybe just to rub it in the faces of others. There was a more than even chance that the only reason She''d even throw the idea out there was just to give her something to do. A goal to work towards. That''s just the type of being She was. And of course, She couldn''t be honest about it. That''s the type of people they all were. She did have a point though. She and Luci. She was currently just coasting. The idea of just settling down was likely meant as a joke, but it wasn''t as unlikely as Mother had likely assumed. The only problem being that She was also right about just her presence inviting challenge. On the other hand, she could probably convince a couple of people at least to settle down with her. They''d likely get bored after a few years though. Her included. She might tolerate it longer just because she kind of wished for peace and quiet after everything. But equally, after everything, she didn''t know if she could just settle down. Though, raising a family might be an interesting change of pace. Perhaps that could be the end goal? First, show the universe why fucking with her was a bad idea, get Mother elevated into the position of the superior being, and then try settling down? That could be worth a shot. First, she''d need to deal with the contract though. This escorting business was just her trying to avoid going down to the planet and face some of the ghosts of her past. Wonder how many of those were still around? Creative pause Right, so, negative part first. My current level of inspiration for Journeys of Seraphiel is pretty dried up, as I already hinted at the last chapter. It''s been on a downward spiral for a while, but I''ve been forcing myself to write anyway, with wildly swingy results. Some of the bits that I''ve written were pretty good in my opinion, but generally the quality has gone down. Most of it is just that I don''t know what to do with the story. I have a vague end-state that I''d like to reach eventually in mind, but no inspiration on what happens until then. The story is already getting a bit on the repetitive side and treading water, with chapters with similar content, and I don''t want to continue that. I refuse to keep writing bad to mediocre work just to keep things going. As a result, that story is going on a creative hiatus, effective immediately, until I get some of my mojo back. Now onto the better news. While my inspiration for this story is nil, I have plenty of inspiration in general. I''ve been writing sporadically for three other stories, though none of those have gotten very long yet. At least on the number of chapters. That''s partially because they haven''t been written with a weekly schedule pressing down on me, and as a result are often at least twice the length, sometimes much longer. If the chapters for my weekly releases are around 3k words, the longest chapter for these side projects was somewhere around 10k. What are these side projects? Well, I mentioned some of them before on my Patreon. The one with the most meat on the bones currently is a contemporary corruption story about an investigative journalist. This one has, in my opinion, some of my best writing in it to date. Note, I said best writing, and I mean that in technical terms, so it might not be the best story, but I like my writing in that story personally. The second one with the most work is a system-based fiction in the Warcract universe. It uses the new system I''ve been working on with more defined rules and limits, and follows the Cyberpunk 2077''s system for the most part, only adapted to fantasy of course. If you''ve read the story Ghost in the City: Cyberpunk Gamer SI by Seras, which I recommend by the way, then you''ll have a pretty good idea of the functioning of the system in a story. Obviously there are differences, but the general gist is similar at least. This story originally started as part of Seraphiel''s backstory, so will have some commonalities, but I''ve been changing it and turning it into a separate story. For instance, the main character isn''t a Draenei anymore. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. After those two, I have little side-side projects that I work on when I have a sudden burst of inspiration. For instance, I just wrote three chapters, and counting, for a small fic based on the erotic game Karryn''s Prison, which is fantastic by the way. Just because I felt like doing it. I also have a Mass Effect story in the works. That one''s still in the planning phase, as I feel more inspired for other stories, and because it has similarities to the Warcraft story, but I believe the time for that one will come as well. When might you see any of these? I think I''ll put at least some of them up on Patreon, available for even free members, when they have more stuff written. I just want to see if they''re actually going anywhere before posting them. Besides, they''re all still in a phase where I might need to make large changes, which is easier when I haven''t actually released anything to the public. The Warcraft story is the most likely to end up on Royal Road as well. I don''t know if I can put the contemporary reporter one there, because as a corruption story it by necessity includes quite a bit of sexual content. Or I should say it will include, as so far it has none, but things will start heating up as things are wont to do in stories like that. The Karryn''s Prison one definitely will never be on Royal Road for similar reasons. I mean, it''s based on an erotic game based on a woman running a prison for males. What do you think will happen? So I suppose those on Patreon will finally see some benefits, even as a free member. I''ll drop the link here in case someone is interested. Apparently, some readers weren''t even aware I have a Patreon, which is fine since it''s just for appreciation. Just that if I end up putting these stories on the Patreon in the near future, you should be aware where to find them. Of course, if you keep this story on follow, you''ll get notified when it comes out of hiatus. Apparently, I can''t put the link on a fan fiction, but you know, Patreon+my name should get you there.