Listeria Forest Road - Entrance
Isla was approaching the forest road that leads to Listeria Academy and saw 2 of the kingdom guard standing by the entrance.
They were securing the premises after word of Irauki's party was assaulted.
"(The kingdom guard...hard to bargain with these lot but might as well take my chances)" Isla thought.
The guards adjusted their spears to bar entry when she was close enough.
"Entry into the forest is not allowed until the ongoing investigation has been completed," one of the guards said.
"An investigation, is this about the instructor's party that was attacked?" Isla feigned ignorance and asked.
"Yes. Going by the reports we've received so far, there've been sightings of demon activity within," the other guard said.
"(Demon activity!? have they truly begun their infiltration?)" Isla frowned at the prospect.
"Until the area is probably scouted and cleared, we can't let unauthorized personnel through. Turn back around, ma'am," he added.
Isla turned back around and gritted her teeth.
"Tsk..." She bit her thumb, thinking about her next move.
"(The more I dally, the more Lucille sinks his teeth into the rogue soul!)"
"(I've only got 1 more year or less! But...I can't cause more trouble for the people here...)"
Isla recalled Irauki's words
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'The...demon...of black flames...on the road...'
'Be...beware...the demon of black flames...'
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"(Demon of black flames. Lucille's flames of Gehenna are always grim and dark, however)"
She recalled the bruises Irauki's party suffered, most were rough and 'unrefined'
"(Now that I think about it; Lucille's way of doing things always come with a certain finesse...that was anything but.)"
She frowned and whispered, "Could it be we have a copycat in our hands?"
She released her thumb from her teeth's clutches and stared back at the Academy in the distance.
"(In my haste to recapture the rogue soul I must have err in my judgment. I shouldn't let that repeat itself)"
She adjusted her katana and straw hat.
"(If I am to make progress I will have to deal with this demon problem myself and unblock the road to the academy. My clues point to the devil child being there so I must do it quickly)"
"(For now I should return to the kingdom and see if I can gather more information from Irauki on this foul demon.)"
She returned to the kingdom town to put her plan into action.
Back at the Sparring Hall
The battle had started and was already in full flow as Undine glided through with a thrust attack that Maya barely escaped, losing a few strands of hair to the spear's sharpness.
She jumped back, her heart beating heavily, "That was close," she muttered, sweat building up on her forehead.
Then she felt the ground beneath her feet quaking, tiles trembling, and water sprouting from the cracks that formed.
"(She's going for a maelstrom!!)" Maya grinned and saw Louise focused, eyes closed, blue lit sigil around her, surrounded by tiny water particles as she chanted.
Maya wanted to react, but Undine, controlling the water currents, propelled herself like a torpedo, arming the spear in a thrust to cut across her path
She put on the brakes to avoid being hit and then jumped back.
Her ephemeral butterflies chased her wherever she went.
"(this is not good...I can't get past her familiar!)" Maya brows furrowed in frustration.
Outside the dome
The rest of the class observed the battle, sharing their opinions.
"Huh, it seems ma is having a hard time out 'dere" Bisky led, blowing her bubble gum.
It'd appear she's over her pairing with Habiki, for now.
Jhun frowned, "A healer who is helpless against such a mundane form of attack is unbecoming of a sage potential," he criticized.
"I beg to differ, Jhun." Naki expressed his disapproval immediately.
"Hm? What do you mean, instructor?" he asked, annoyed.
Bisky and Habiki gave him their attention; they were interested in his answer, too.
"The attack squad can always be healed and re-energized to go again if there is a healer."
"However, if said healer is lost, that boon is voided and the attack squad can't express themselves to the fullest because they must exercise prudence in every decision."
"Which means a healer must always prioritize caution in every situation and ensure their survival for as long as possible if they are to be beneficial to their party."
Habiki stared at Maya, keeping her distance from Undine while trying to close in on Louise, but it was tough.
The tiles were almost all cracked, as the entire area was almost covered with water.
"But, instructor Naruki, what if they're occupied like how Maya currently is? In such a state, the healer can neither heal nor react. This pretty much renders the team healer-less, wouldn't you agree?" Habiki asked curiously.
"My thoughts exactly," Jhun added.
Naki smiled, "In such a scenario, there are 2 things you can do to turn the situation around."
"Hohhhh, two you say?" Bisky commented.
"(Hmph, thanks to my war room & strategy expertise as Nopheal, I can see the way out of this predicament as clear as day. Who would've thought this knowledge would be so useful)"
Naki cleared his throat and started explaining.
"One way is a battle of attrition. Bide your time and wait for the enemy to inevitably run out of moves or lose momentum. Each card the enemy plays is a card learned. So they can't repeat the same trick and expect it to work."
Jhun analyzed the battle so far and noticed Maya was growing in confidence.
"Undine's attacks were close shaves before, but now-" he said
"She's learned the maneuvers," Habiki interjected.
Naki nodded in response, "Yes. The advantage of attrition is a great boost in morale. This tactic is especially effective for passive players, like healers."
Bisky whistled, "Niiice!! And what is the second way to pull the rug under Lou?" she asked
"Heh, take a look, she'll be revealing that shortly."
Naki pointed to the battle.
In the Dome
The floor was filled with water, and Louise's chant was completed as high-intensity energy was exuded from her body.
She opened her eyes and put on a maniacal smile that reached her ears.
"HAHAHAAHA YOU'RE TOO LATE MAYA!!!"
Undine sank into the water, and suddenly, waves were forming haphazardly around Maya.
"!? it's started already!" she muttered and wanted to move but found her legs held tightly to the floor by Undine's hands stretching out of the water.
"Wha!" Maya was stunned
"IT'S OVER NOW!"
Louise gathered her chanted energy into both hands and slammed them on the ground.
"SUBMERGE HER! MAELSTROM OF THE DEPTHS!!!"
"KEEEEIIIII"
Undine screamed and made a splash as the entire floor swirled into a gigantic Maelstrom, aimed to swallow everything in its violent whirlpool.
"AAAARHHHH!!!" Maya cried as she was getting swallowed by the turmoil, her feet unsteady
"HAHAHAAHAHAHA!!!" Louise couldn't help reveling in her struggle.
"DON'T WORRY, MAYA-BAE! THE DOME WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU. BUT THIS TIME, I CLAIM VICTORY!! HAAAAHAHAHAHA," she uncharacteristically rejoiced.
The maelstrom whirlpool swallowed every tile, it shattered, every loose furniture around, Maya too.
Then, with a heavy pulse, it splashed everywhere within the dome's circumference, settling into a calm body of water once more.
Louise stood alone in the center of it all, breathing heavily.
"Huh-huh-huh, I-I did it...The cast was long, but it was worth it. Maelstrom is a tier 5 Pshi Gate cast after all."
Outside the dome
The rest of the class was confused.
"Ummm...Instructor? Louise appears to have won the bout." Habiki said.
"Hmph, I should've known better than to think you were actually up to something," Jhun said bluntly.
Naki maintained his cool, a subtle smile on his face.
All along, Bisky was trying to suppress her laughter, but in the end, the bubble burst.
"Pfft, HAHAHAHA No way! I can't believe it!"
"Hm? What's the matter with you, Bisky?" Jhun asked
"Oh, it's nothing. Lou's just lost her bearings, that's all."
"Huh?" Jhun immediately cast his sight back to the battle
"...what just happened?"
In the dome, Louise was asking the same question as her vision blurred.
"What happened? When did ...she..."
She fell flat on the ground, and behind her stood Maya, covered by a mass of butterflies.
Her hand pulled back from landing a chop at the back of Louise's neck.
"Sorry, Louise, but I win again."
"Bu-but...how...I-I saw the Maelstrom..."
"If you must know, someone close to me taught me a little something about attrition tactics and 'pouncing when your enemy's guard is open'."
"With that, all I needed to do was bide my time and wait for when you unleashed your chant. Pulling away, Undine opened the door for me to react, casting your spell left your guard open."
Maya explained her reasoning as Louise's vision completely darkened.
"Blinding you from my familiar, Sherlie's butterfly transmission spell," she concluded.
"I...I see. Heh, I had a feeling...it would end...like this..." her lips curled into a smile, not of joy or sorrow, just contentment and lost consciousness.
Outside, the team saw the machine declare Maya the winner.
Jhun gritted his teeth as his hand twisted into a grip.
Meanwhile, Habiki and Bisky applauded their performance.
Naki smiled, "(She remembered our games as children. I'm glad she's putting them to good use)"
Maya stared at Naki and smiled happily. Naki returned her smile with a nod.
"That was an impressive display from Maya, she's set the bar high, instructor. Are you sure you can beat that?" Habiki teased.
Naki chuckled, "It is a high bar, I'd admit," he joked.
"Eh, you need not worry. Vips here is too rigid, you can probably beat him with the same tactic fufufu" Bisky piled on the pressure.
"Hmph! I shall not fall for the same trick."
Jhun lost his composure, his hand immediately reaching for his grimoire.
"We take the stage as soon as the dome is cleared! I shall be the one in charge of your evaluation, instructor," Jhun frowned.
He had no intentions of making this just a spar, and Naki was fully aware, he needed to be in his A game, otherwise the sharp and witted Jhun might just expose his inadequacies as an overseer instructor.