EPISODE 52:
Laguu, End of Monsters 1
— Edryan Queendom, Year 7291. Season: Central.
Simra Enlar gazed in wonder at the large men fighting against a few two-starred beasts. These men were gladiators and wore little to truly protect them. Only the sharp enchanted steel gave these men a fighting chance.
“Crime slaves,” Lorde said with disgust. Shaking his head as he watches the men fight for their lives. Rapists, murderers, and more were dealt with in a certain fashion. In Edryan, under the Prime Sun, all men are free. But the worst of them…? If they aren’t executed immediately, they become true crime slaves. However, they must be properly represented in a court of law. A class that stemmed from Princess Carina, which fell out of popularity after the death of Her Highness, was now back in use.
[Lawyers] and [Judges] were again on the rise in the Edryan State. A class that specialized in doing battle through documentation, evidence, and dealing with critical hits with their verbiage. The courtroom was a battlefield within itself. The semi-powerful classes that fell out of favor were once again back in use. Specialized teaching schools were available to those who could afford it. In the City of Laguu, these were especially popular.
“They deserve the fate that happens to them,” Simra stated. It was at this moment one of the gladiators tripped and the [Jackal – ★★ ] fell upon him. Quickly tearing them man limb from limb. The audience roared with excitement. Some were even students of Imperius Academy.
A festive atmosphere struck the city of Laguu as a little over twenty thousand new visitors made themselves known to the border city and the Young Master, Ade Oni, returned. Simra quickly grew amazed at the style of architecture and the difference in the Edryan dialect. The mixed density of the population awed her as well. Gnomes, goblins, orcs, and elves were not new to the young woman, but never before had she seen them in this quantity. She would see at least one of the aforementioned races for every four magi-human.
“Plenty of them are merchants, and their various guards, who are here to purchase cheap magical enchanted goods,” Lorde began to explain as he noticed Simra's curiosity.
“Are Edryan goods that popular outside the country,” Simra questioned. A pondering expression on her face as she lightly tapped the hand of a pickpocket near her coin purse.
“Yes, Edryan goods are vastly consumed because every magi-human has access to mana. For the other races, it takes years of pondering to build a connection to what we are naturally born with,” Lorde spoke with pride before he continued.
“Edryan goods focus on quantity rather than quality, which has become a very popular source of goods throughout the continent.”
This was the first time Simra was truly outside the capital. The journey to Laguu brought her new sights and expanded her vision of the world. She had traveled through swamps and watched the mages of the academy carve their way through mountains, yet they were still in the same country!
The young woman fought everything from [Wind Hounds – ★ ] to a [Great Gale Elemental – ★★ ]. The magic of her weapons and class was what expanded her eyes the most. The strength, the Power, it all drove her forward in a fantastic display of might.
She was the first commoner to hit the class advancement, and now Simra could proudly say, she was the first of her family to leave the capital. The show finished and Simra found herself leaving with Lorde and a few others from their friend group. The Romus twins, Karla and her new newspaper sidekick, and strangely enough, Madria Gamal, who was escorted around by a youth named Kal. The young man pledged to serve her ever since she saved his life, so the Gamal family brought his contract from the school. It was expected his class to morph from [Imperius Knight Trainee] to something more suitable for the ones who closely worshiped the Goddess.
Simra made a sign of worship as she walked through the streets. Her eyes constantly roamed and took the sight of Laguu in. The city was primarily built on flat ground, with multiple-story buildings that each seemed to represent a unique archetype. This showed the rich history and culture of the city. If Simra didn’t know better, she’d believe herself to be in a whole new country.
It was mid-even by the time Simra and the other’s found themselves back at the inn in which they were stationed. Lady Ola reserved an entire district area for the school to rest, all upon the Oni’s dime. Simra found herself taking a hot bath while Karla was already putting on some slight makeup to enhance her features. Class One through Ten were invited to the palace grounds tonight. It seems the wife of Akeem Oni wanted to truly put on a show and represent the Oni lifestyle. Thankfully, each student held a spatially expanded storage chest to hold on to their belongings for the semester.
Simra adjusted the nobs of the shower, one blue crystal for cold, the other red for hot. Karla had taken a look at the runic enchantment and found it to be not much different from the ones in the capital. The only difference with the bath here was you had to provide your mana or mana crystal to power the device. Something that proved to be no problem to any magi-human of notable Mind.
“SIMRA, HURRY IT UP, WE HAVE TO LEAVE SOON!”
The shout came from outside the bath, and Simra rolled her eyes. Not only had Karla taken a fancy to her newspaper sidekick, but the girl also had the hopes of generating an entirely new class with her responsibilities. The small Imperius Weekly had taken the academy by storm, with copies even being acquired outside the academy. If anyone knew how to spin a wild tale and captivate an audience, Karla was surely one of them.
Simra rose from the rose petal water, quickly grabbing a towel to dry herself and begin the process of getting her curls under control. The young woman hummed to herself as she watched her movements in the bronze mirror provided. She studied herself, her blue eyes roaming over her body. Since her attendance at Imperius Academy, the young woman's looks had changed. From a slightly chubby and short physique, Simra grew to a height of 168 cm. While the fatty areas of her body had toned. This was a factor in her intense training with her teacher and the gym facilities available on campus.
The first month of building the RAIL system and putting her body to the test had truly activated something in her. Ever since she became Titled, Simra has grown more confident. Yet, it was much more than that. Her eyes roamed over her curved dimpled hips, sun-kissed beige skin, full breasts, and more. She loved what she saw.
She left the washroom with confidence and more pestering from Karla, the young woman began to apply a small layer of makeup to Simra to enhance her already beautiful features. There was a glint in her eyes that Simra wasn’t certain if she liked, but she rolled her eyes and went along with Karla’s antics. Her best friend was one of her strongest rocks. Her mind wandered as she wondered how her other ‘best friend’ was doing.
Law hadn’t shown his face much in the past few months. His schedule grew increasingly busy, and the Holy Prince had no time to just hang out like the used to. Hopefully, he’s taking care of himself.
The girls finished their preparations within an hour. Simra wore light leather armor that boosted her defense by a set amount. She was saving her IP for the set that held a percentage boost. That was the good stuff, as your defense would rise with your level. It made the need for new armor far less significant.
Ade warned the invited classes that his family was prone to… violence . Although it was assured that nothing too challenging would occur. The Oni were warriors, and they did express plenty of things through challenges and fights. Simra recalled the words Ade said to her after their previous sparing match.
“The best way to communicate is through these,” Ade said.
The young man held up his fist.
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“The best way to communicate, huh,” Simra muttered. Looking down at her gloved fist. Perhaps, she could communicate to Law that he still had people he could rely upon.
THUM, THUM, THUM-THUM!
THUM, THUM, THUM-THUM!
THUM, THUM, THUM-THUM!
Loud drumbeats arose as the top thousands of Imperius Academy made their way into Blue Oni’s Palace. The entire place was shaped like a skull with a wide open mouth. Two sharp cone-like protrusions emerged from this massive skull, while flames and fire were used to vastly strengthen the appearance. If Lady Ola Oni wanted to not only impress the students but cow them…, then it was working.
Simra saw multiple students reach to hold on to their weapons or various trinkets. Some clutched the symbol of the Goddess hanging around their necks, others held a hand on the hilt of their weapons. The crafting students in the top thousand looked around with curiosity rather than fright. Some were even taking notes as they peered around with interest. Many of them were from more common backgrounds and had never been inside a palace before. Simra was included within that number.
Everything was far grander and bigger than she imagined. Even the guards stationed at multiple places were far larger than the guards of Edrya. The red loc hair of the Oni showed who were clan members, while those who weren’t clan members still followed the same hair pattern. Its popularity amongst the populace of Laguu was massive.
At the head of the student process and just steps in front of her was the [Holy Prince of Edryan]. He stood tall and didn’t wear his fancy armor, although he did have a single sword on his back. He wore long traditional clothes, that not only showed his status as a member of the Edryani but showed his status as the crown prince. On his shoulder was an owl that matched his hair and eye color. Minerva turned her head and her eyes met Simra. The owl blinked in one eye that Simra sworn was a wink.
Next to Law was a woman around Simra’s height. If she remembered correctly, that was General Alexandria. The woman who would most likely command her after she graduated and began working for the crown. Simra had no idea what was in store after she won a scholarship and the opportunity to work directly for the crown, but being a professional soldier was not originally one of them.
Goddess Madris had proclaimed, and thus Simra plus every other magi-human had a responsibility to fulfill. She could feel it deep inside her, and her faith status showed it as well.
The second woman next to Law was the vice president of his company. Simra recalled her name to be Bucca. She had seen her a few times, but never interacted with her. The woman was constantly directing men and using skills to get things done. From there it was the Principal Camilla Romus and Vice Principal Femi Gamal. It was clear both women didn’t come to play, as they were dressed far better than everyone else. VP Primus stayed behind to watch over the rest of the school.
Principal Camilla wore a dress that matched the pattern of her hair, but a staff with a beating crystal heart was floating next to her. Her shoulders here bare, but two white gloves covered her hands. Her golden brown skin, which held patches of white and different coloration, was on full display.
Vice Principal Femi Gamal wore the complete opposite. She wore an all-black, including a veil that covered the front of her face. Simra thought the woman looked like she was going to a funeral. The only thing that held color was the startlingly white symbol of Goddess Madris on both her front and back. Unlike Principal Gamal, VP Femi's dress covered her shoulders and extended to her wrist. Simra only thought that both women were extraordinarily beautiful.
The group was led deep within the Blue Oni’s Palace. They followed along until they found themselves at a private colosseum. Thousands of seats were already filled with people, a majority Simra could tell were nobles. She felt her heart rate rise as her heart began to beat, agreeing with the drums. She was under no magical effect that she could detect, but felt a hot-blooded passion rise. Simra wanted to FIGHT!
THUM, THUM, THUM-THUM!
THUM, THUM, THUM-THUM!
THUM, THUM, THUM-THUM!
It was clear that Simra wasn’t the only one who felt this effect, as several of the students rose from their seats, blades in hand and a feverish excitement in their eyes. It was only when Simra looked a few seats in front of her at the straight back of Law, did the young woman regain her state of mind.
Intent CHECK!
You have broken the {Touch of Madness}.
Karla cackled with mad glee as she wrote in her notebook. Clearly, this strange buff or de-buff had affected everyone in some shape or form. Simra took a peek at the girl's scribbles. Half was in Common and the other was in Edryanese. Simra rolled her eyes and chuckled, grabbing her friend's shoulder gently. The instant she touched her, the raven-haired girl seemed to be snapped out of whatever compulsion {Touch of Madness} put her under.
Karla took a look at her scribbling and her hand covered her face. “You didn’t read anything!”
“No, I didn’t read anything about that hot scene between two noble boys whose descriptions were strangely similar to the ones we know,” Simra said in a teasing tone.
“Let’s help everyone,” Karla said. Gesturing to the surrounding students in an attempt to divert the conversation.
It was clear some held enough Intent to break out of the effect themselves. While others required the assistance of someone, as Karla did. Simra knew the only reason she was able to break out of the strange effect was because she spotted Law. Without him, she’d still be stuck in that state of mind.
The prince calmly sat, not bothered by the effect the students were under. Simra began to grow angry at the thought, but as she truly looked around, she realized nothing else was happening. Perhaps a few students had their weapons out and ready, but no one was attacking or doing anything that could be harmful to one another.
With one final THUM, the drums halted, and the effect disappeared. This left a few students staring in bewilderment at the weapons in their hands. Others that were Artisans and focused on crafts and such looked at the strange writings they may have done, or half put together runic combinations.
You have leveled up!
Please undergo your class selection in the soulscape to assign this level!
The sharp intakes of breath alerted Simra she wasn’t the only one to gain a level from this strange evening. It was clear almost everyone here gained something. Simra's eyes once again traveled to Law, who sat there without any external movement. She doubted the young prince experienced the same.
It seems the Oni just used a valuable gift to enhance the strength of all the top thousand students by a degree. That was no small feat. Simra grew comfortable and prepared to watch the show.
Shirtless men and women with white straps covering their chests emerged just as the final THUM ended. In the same instance, beasts that also seemed stirred up by the {Touch of Madness} emerged. Snarling with challenge as they ran toward their opposition. Simra quickly spotted Ade Oni amongst several of his clan members as they clashed head-on with the beasts.
She watched in fascination as the Oni clan attacked. It was a dance as much as it was a battle, white war paint decorated their bodies like tattoos. Simra spotted a few runic combinations from the paint, but their formation was far beyond what she currently knew. Perhaps tier five or six, whatever it was, it made the Onis attacks flashier.
Flames of multiple colors erupted from the fighters below, red was the most prominent, but there was also gold, green, oranges, and more. Of these, all, Simra found the Blue flames of Ade Oni to be the most striking.
One by one, the beast fell to the attacks of the flame-wielding warriors. Each of the beasts was a silver ranked beast, but the Oni dealt with them with ease and flexibility. Dancing around each, other as they routed the attacks and slayed each creature one by one. When the performance finally ended. The students of Imperius Academy stood up and applauded in a standing ovation.
Simra didn’t hesitate too as well. Not only to support a man she began to call a friend, but because the performance was beautiful. The display of power was remarkable as the young Oni clansmen performed.
“WHO WOULD LIKE TO FACE ONE OF OUR CLANSMEN ON THE BATTLEFIELD!”