"Split into groups of six and find your chaperone teacher. C'mon, guys! We're wasting time here!" Mr. Collins the expedition leader shouted to the crowd of assembled students.
Most already had their groups formed with their cliques and the odd one out was Barbara who was the only one from the peasantry who got in because she cheated. I guess that didn't matter anymore as she had a specialty that didn't rely on drawing circles. But as the students went with their predetermined groups, she was left alone in the middle of the courtyard. Flustered, the halfling [Crystallomancer] tried to find any familiar face in the groups that were still sorting people between them but had no such luck.
I pinged {Detection} and counted the students. Eighty-five. Teachers, fourteen if you counted Mr. Collins, who wasn't one of the group chaperones. Barbara wasn't the odd one out just because of her Class but because she was the plus-one in the expression 6N+1.
"Mr. Collins," a guy shouted, and I cringed as I found it was the splendid and [Transcendental] Lord Hamilton. The kid who had one (capstone) Perk. "There are thirteen chaperones, but eighty-five students. Miss Ambrose can never find a group because they're all full."
That hit Barbara like a freighter train. People started to snicker and comment on how she would be left behind. She stared at the dirt underneath her boots and I felt the urge to fire a {Force Javelin} at the smug nobleman to make room for her.
"That's impossible," Mr. Collins retorted. "We shouldn't have eighty-five and Miss Ambrose earned her spot." He rubbed the back of his head, "it can't be helped, let me make a roll call. I think someone who wasn't supposed to be on the expedition snuck in here."
As Mr. Collins started to go through his participant list, the identity of the intruder became obvious. One of the noble kids was fidgeting while his friends of an all-male group covertly egged on him. Finally, the teacher reached his group and called the five friends, leaving the guy exposed.
"Mr. Pembleton, you are not on the list. Why are you here?" The teacher asked.
"I deserve to go on this expedition!" Pembleton protested. "It is not fair that I was kicked out because of a peasant!" He pointed a finger at Barbara.
> > Level 31 male half-gnome-human [Wizard].
"Mr. Pembleton, you did not meet the requirements. We discussed that before. Miss Ambrose didn't take your spot, she earned hers. Now, please remove yourself from the courtyard. You're not going!"
The kid stared challengingly at the teacher. "You do not tell me what to do, Mr. Collins! My father is Baron Pembleton if you are not aware! I am going on this expedition or he'll have you fired!"
Move along, there's nothing to see here. Just your everyday spoiled noble brat. And people wonder why I used to collect crowns and purge kingdoms. The Baron's son and the teacher bickered for a few minutes but I tuned them out. I was too busy making sure Barbara stayed in a single piece and in the expedition group.
I started to hum in her head.
> > Heavenly Performer: Heroism.
She gained +10 in Mind, Willpower, and Magic. The former two helped her keep a level head, sharpen her wits, and steady her emotions.
Then the spoiled brat threw his last-ditch resort.
"I challenge this halfling commoner to a duel for her spot in the expedition!" He literally spat on the ground in our general direction.
"I--" Barbara opened her mouth but I cut her out.
"Miss Ambrose, you do not have to reply," Mr. Collins said, trying to keep her from doing something stupid.
"Well, did the cat get your tongue, little girl?" The guy mocked.
"Wager something," Barbara wheezed inwards as she tried to speak.
"What? I can't hear you, you moron! Speak like people!" Pembleton Junior shouted.
Her legs quivered like reeds in a storm. Barbara was hunched with her forearms held close to her chest. Then she shouted, "If you want my spot so badly, you have to wager something of equal value!"
The hubbub of students gossiping quieted down all of a sudden.
"I'll adjudicate this duel," Lord Hamilton said as he walked to stand next to Mr. Collins. "Do you have any objections, Pembleton? Mr. Collins?"
To the teacher, it was a life jacket in a storm. If he let Hamilton adjudicate, he could extricate himself from the delicate situation.
"If you insist, Lord Hamilton," the teacher said and left the impression he was doing the Noble a favor.
"Thank you, teacher. Now, Pembleton, you heard Ambrose. You need to wager something of equal value to the expedition spot. What will it be?"
"A crate of High MP potions!" He boasted.
That was too much, "We don't want your stupid toxic potions, you dullard," I said from Barbara's waist. "You either start taking this seriously, or you can walk back to the dorm."
> > The Leader. Contested Charisma test Won.
My voice was neither male nor female. If anything, the pitch was rather high and it sounded like a child.
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"What is that?" Pembleton raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "So the rumors are true. The little monster can speak."
"Well, you figured me out, it just took you a week," I mocked, drawing a bout of laughter from the cruel pampered kids assembled. "Now, are you going to wager something more than your table scraps, or are you going to just keep making a fool out of you and drag your father's name through the mud?"
Barbara whimpered, "Nethe, stop!"
"Hear the girl, little book monster," Junior snickered. "Or I won't even need to go to the Labyrinth. I can farm your Exp right here and now."
"Oh, a duel to the death, are we having it? Because if you threaten my or Barbara's life, you won't walk three steps away from here."
"Netherbane, Pembleton," Hamilton called us like he was about to lay down the law. "Nobody is going to die today. You both are with your tempers flaring and I understand you want to defend your master, book mimic. But killing Pembleton would only jeopardize her situation."
"Well, he's the one who gave offense first. Know what? I challenge you to a duel instead, Pembleton Junior. If you win, I'll become YOUR familiar. If I win, you quit school and go back to daddy crying."
> > Royal Geas. Contested Ego test won.
Greed took over his face as he realized he had a chance to steal Barbara's infamous monster familiar. "You're on."
Hamilton stepped forward. He placed an arm between us. "No weapons or direct attacks, only spells. No killing or maiming blows either."
"Does it mean I can't bite him? What if I cast an {Animate Sword} spell?" I asked him.
"So long you don't kill or maim, it's okay," Lord Hamilton explained.
"Then it's fine."
"Miss Ambrose, would you please move?" He asked her.
"Leave her here. She won't be harmed," I said. "Stay where you are, Barbara. This will be over with a single spell."
The girl nodded. Pembleton Junior took a magic wand from his robe sleeve and prepared to cast a spell with it. Hamilton waved his arm up and down. "Ready, Set, Fight!"
Pembleton waved his wand, "{Fireba--"
"{Counter}," I crashed his circle. "Next."
"{Electro--"
"{Counter}."
"{Ice Da--"
"{Counter}. I can do this all day long, you moron. Come on, even my grandma can cast as fast as you, and she was a [Witch]'s cookbook."
The students cackled in mockery.
He tried again. "{Acid Arr-}"
"{Counter}! Hey, Pee-bottle, why don't you let me cast something then you try to do the same? I'll drag the casting for five seconds so you have a chance of drawing the proper diagram."
The guy grumbled and ground his teeth. "Fine! Five seconds? I'm going to finish you in five seconds."
"Is that what you tell your wench every night? Dude, I feel so sorry for her." More laughter. More anger. "Okay, here I go…" I opened up and floated a bit in the air as my pages flapped as if a strong gust was blowing. It stopped on a spell circle and I poured MP into it.
"{Summon…"
He started to cast his counter. "{Counterspell}!"
> > Contested Magic + Proficiency contest won.
I was a bully, no doubt about it.
"...Origami…"
"{Counterspell}! Dammit!"
> > Contested Magic + Proficiency contest won.
"...Stone Troll.}"
The spell cost me 290,000 MP, a bit more than a quarter of my MP pool.
The summoning circle appeared on the ground between us, about five meters across. Its light dim in the sun, the surface became quicksilver as a massive sheet of gray paper sprung up from the diagram. Then it started to fold quickly, becoming a four-meter tall origami troll. The monster had angry eyebrows and a mouth made of folded paper but no eyes or nose. Its hands were triangular blades of paper that looked very sharp. It was rather flat and monochromatic but it was ready to kick some ass.
> > Level 60 Origami Stone Troll.
The troll roared, spitting a few thin paper streamers from his mouth. It was origami spittle, I guess.
"Grab that guy and squeeze him gently until he cries uncle," I ordered the paper troll then started humming, using {Aspect of Protection} from {Heavenly Performer}.
Pembleton Junior wheezed as he forgot how to breathe. The massive stationery monster took a step forward, then two, his meticulously-folded paper legs making faint creaks as he moved them.
"{Fireball}!" He finally recovered his senses and shot a spell at the monster.
It would be super effective if the spell hadn't veered off-target, grazed the troll, and hit me instead. The fire vanished into my pages as I shut myself like I had eaten his spell, which was exactly what happened. But paper was ridiculously flammable and my troll would perish as he ignited from the 10% of the fireball's damage he took. But the tough crafted bastard had nothing but HP and he reached down and picked the half-gnome up. Now it was Pembleton who was at risk of burning down when the flames inevitably reached the troll's arm.
"Let go of me!" He squirmed. Without a free hand to wave that wand around, he was unable to cast spells. "Hot! Hot!"
"Just forfeit. It'll be easier for you!" I shouted.
> > The Leader. Contested Charisma test won.
"I Yield! Make your monstrosity unhand me! I yield!" Junior shouted.
"Lord Hamilton?" I asked the referee.
"Winner is Netherbane Syllabus. You can make your creation release him."
I dismissed the summoning spell, not too keen on paying 29k Energy a minute to keep a burning piece of paper in this reality. Pembleton fell on his butt as the [Origami Stone Troll] vanished.
"That was impressive," Hamilton said as he approached us. "Miss Ambrose, your familiar is awesome," he beamed her a toothpaste commercial grin.
Unused to male attention, Barbara blushed. "Thank you, milord."
Pembleton stood up. He thought he wasn't done yet but he was. "That's cheating! How did this little book summon such a monster so above his level? I demand a…" The guy gasped, put his hand over his chest, and fell down on his knees.
> > Royal geas dealt 12,150 HP of damage.
He'd lost almost a third of his HP pool. The good thing about the geas was that with the damage came the knowledge of exactly what he was doing wrong. Pembleton stared at us and wheezed. "What did you do to me?"
Mr. Collins approached the nobleman and touched the student's temple, "{Detect Abnormal Status}!" The teacher cast a spell and then took two steps away from Junior, surprised and rather worried.
"What is wrong with Pembleton, professor?" Lord Hamilton asked.
"He is under a {Royal Geas}," Mr. Collins bitterly remarked. "I don't know who placed it on him."
Hamilton spun around, looking at each of the students. "There's no Royalty in our group." Then his eyes fell on the only person he couldn't {Appraise}. "Miss Ambrose, are you…" he asked softly, his brash and expansive demeanor nothing but gone.
"Nooo, I'm not," she denied as she extended the No for a couple of seconds.
He glanced at me then discarded the notion. Who would imagine that monsters could also be Royalty? Instead, he went to his fellow nobleman. "Pembleton, what happened to you? When did you get this geas?"
Another fun thing about Geasa, one did not talk about Geasa. It was implied.
"Sorry, Hamilton. I have to go. I need to visit the registrar's office." He said before he hustled away, the ring of students parting to let him go.
Pembleton didn't come back. He had humiliated himself and his House too much today. I had my doubts whether he would quit or not but we would only find out after we returned from our delve, which would take a few days.
Mr. Collins approached us again. "Then I think you'll stay with Pembleton's group and Mrs. Redgate, Ambrose."
The five groupies of the shamed nobleman were staring daggers at us. I didn't want to let Barbara stay in an all-male group, even if the chaperone was a woman.
"Professor, I have a solution," Hamilton said with his stupid toothpaste grin plastered on his face. "Albert, you go to Pembleton's group since you know the guys there. Miss Ambrose will join my group instead."
Albert, a blonde satyr, scowled as he clopped to join the groupies. Then I looked at Hamilton's group and saw the mean girls who snickered during the first meeting. The bastard had ejected the only other male of his group, forming the infamous harem party. I was almost tempted to push Barbara back to the groupies but she was already being led by the hand to Hamilton's group.
At least I knew she wasn't romantically attracted to him but the mean bitches didn't like the last-minute swap not a single bit. As we boarded the carriage, I kept an eye on them. Hamilton discreetly let them know that he wouldn't tolerate hostilities in the group and they obediently quieted down but their scorn and bigotry still burned deep inside their shriveled blue-blooded hearts.
As the carriage convoy started rolling, Barbara spoke to me.
She declared, full of resolve.
In the clutches of the Colgate poster child, we went to the Labyrinth. What did Hamilton's agenda have in stock for Barbara and me? Don't miss next week's episode!