Listeria Kingdom - Road to Blue Moss Grotto
The Road to Blue Moss Grotto lies on the path to the forest.
Isla had gathered intel from Irauki in the kingdom's infirmary about his caravan being attacked on these paths.
So she's made her way to investigate the cause.
"He said they were ambushed around these paths, didn't he?"
Isla recalled the discussion she had with Irauki
<><> FLASHBACK <><>
"It-it was close to dawn," Irauki, on a hospital bed, narrated to Isla, who sat on a chair beside him.
She had removed her woven hat and set her katana on the floor.
'We were crossing through the fork ahead a few meters after exiting the forest.'
'My colleagues were exhausted, so we pondered taking a short break.'
'That's when it came, a black fog clouded the area around us and-and...'
As he reached this point, he started shivering.
The memories were terrifying to recall, and it felt like he was experiencing their misfortune all over again.
'We couldn't track their predatory movement!'
'Then they appeared, the demons and the black flames they carried.'
'They laughed as they toyed with us. Burning, cutting, they-they laughed mockingly!!!'
'Then, they-they had this black stone with them that weakened us, our wands, our grimoires, our familiars, nothing worked!!!'
Irauki covered his head and cowered, trembling in fright.
<><>END OF FLASHBACK <><>
Isla frowned as she came across the fork he mentioned.
"(He said no more...he had said enough.)"
"(A magician without magic is like a sitting game to a predatory lion. I must commend them for escaping as they did with so few injuries.)"
"(But who's to say their perpetrators didn't let them...as a warning.)"
Isla goes down to investigate the soil around her.
"(In any case, going by his story; I don't think Lucille had anything to do with the attack. What could have been the cause I wonder...)"
Isla focused as she tried to pick up any strange readings.
"...nothing yet."
She looked up ahead and saw a grotto.
"The same can't be said for the area ahead... I sense a foul concoction within that cave," she whispered and stood up, adjusting her katana.
"I should investigate. The sooner I'm done with this trifle, the better. The affairs of these humans concern me not, but I'll do them a favor and get rid of their 'demons'."
She made her way to the grotta, cold and confident.
Back in the Sage Training Hall
Louise was just regaining her consciousness, and it didn't take long for her to piece together everything that had happened.
"...huh, I guess I lost again". She looked around and saw Maya sitting by her side.
"Maya-bae..." she murmured.
"!? oh, Louise, you're awake!" Maya called with a smile. "Feeling better now?"
"...urgh...I guess. I've been through worse," she replied.
"I see. Umm, you're not...mad at me, are you? you know, for...back then?" Maya asked, twiddling her thumbs while avoiding eye contact.
Louise was stunned by her concern at first, then snickered. "Wow, you're so funny! Of course I'm not mad at you, Maya-bae, never have been!!" she assured her.
"Phew, I'm glad. You're my best friend, Louise, I will really hate it if the feeling wasn't mutual," Maya said with a cheerful smile
It was charming, it caused Louise to blush very hard.
"(S-so-so cute!!)" She suppressed her obvious feelings
"Let's have lunch after class, alright? my treat," Louise offered.
"Deal!"
"Oooh, got room for one more hehe" Bisky interrupted from behind
"Nope, BFFs only Bi."
"Aww, a shame. Eh, I don't mind. Teach here is going to show me the best of times later."
Maya frowned, "Bisky, it's uncouth for a lady to spread false information. You are not going on a date with instructor Naruki, I mean, he just got here!"
"Whaa? But I'm bein' like, tots serious, you can like totally ask him after he's done wiping the floor with vips over there"
Bisky pointed to the dome, and to everyone's surprise, Jhun was already prone to the floor, his face stricken with confusion, utterly perplexed.
"Wha...what is happening here?" he whispered and recalled how the previous battle sequences went for him.
<><><>
As soon as their first battle commenced, Naki stretched his hand forward, and a shadow silhouette clone of himself spawned from his shadow and took down Jhun with a heavy dash tackle.
'AGAIN!!' he defied the result.
The second time, he hastened his movement and dashed forward, but as he got close to Naki's shadow, skeletal hands emerged from it and grabbed his feet. Before he could figure out what was going on, Naki slammed him to the floor in a brutal head smash move.
Then he looked up to find Naki's narrow and sharp eyes gazing at him like an insect. It felt like a devil's evil gaze.
But it was mostly his fear for Naki that wasn't nearly as intimidating in reality.
<><><>
"So, are you ready to give up now, Jhun?" Naki asked, a berating smile cut across his face as he interrupted his thought.
"Grrr...ONE MORE!!!"
Jhun screamed and jumped back, teeth grinding.
Naki shook his head, "I'm all for not giving up, but there comes a time in everyone's life when they just have to accept their shortcomings, Jhun."
"Sh-SHUT IT! I SHALL FIGURE OUT YOUR CHEAT!!! NOW, AGAIN!"
Habiki said nothing to rebuke Jhun, even though he stepped out of line once again.
She didn't because she was concerned; concerned by how powerful Naki's become in such a short time.
"[Mistress Keifa...I'm worried...If he's already so vastly better than Jhun...it's only a matter of time before he no longer require my assistance]" Habiki muttered
"[There's a reason why, despite the power of the divine council, Lucille is yet to be defeated. Habi - his power is no trifle]," responded Keifa.
Habiki stared at Naki's composure and confidence.
"[Still, I should probably stop Jhun soon. We only just repaid the devil's mercy, so accumulating it to satisfy his ego will be inefficient play from our part.]" Habiki said, watching on for the outcome of their last bout.
Jhun and Naki stood ready to begin their latest clash.
"Come at me when you're ready, Jhun." Naki couldn't stop teasing the poor guy.
Jhun's lenses cracked as he gripped his grimoire tightly.
Suddenly, the earth around him vibrated as dark energy particles gravitated around him
Out of the dome
"Whoa whoa whoa! Vips, take it easy! There's no need for Grimoire Transcendence in a sparring match?" Bisky commented
"President Habiki! We have to stop him!!" Maya called out to Habiki, but she didn't make any motion.
Instead, she had brewing thoughts of her own.
"...(Show me the limits of your shadow tricks, Naki)" She was determined to see it through.
"President Habiki!!!" Maya called out once again, but was ignored
"Oh boy...Habi has lost it," Louise commented, chuckling.
"..." Bisky stared bluntly at her, then at Jhun.
In the Dome
Jhun's face was getting twisted into something diabolical, veins were visibly seen on his face and body as crimson blood coursed through them.
His hair turned deep black, and dark wings sprouted from his back
Naki was slightly shaken, his devil sigil throbbing in pain.
"(hm!? ...is this going to be dangerous after all)" he frowned
Then Jhun grew horns, similar to a goat's.
His black wings flapped heavily as a gust formed around him.
He was about to take to the skies, but felt his hand being grabbed by someone behind him.
"Gruh?" he turned around to find the culprit.
Much to everyone's surprise, including Habiki, it was Bisky.
"(Bisky?)" Naki thought, surprised as well.
"Yo, Jhun," she had dropped the 'vips', and her voice was just like last night.
"I think that's far enough for a spar. It wouldn't do for our ever-charismatic and composed vice president to lose face now, would it?" she said coldly.
Her voice and words sounded like concern, but her gaze carried a threat.
Jhun stared at her for a while, the stern frown still prevalent, he didn't want to stop.
"Tsk...CURSES!!!" he cried and closed his grimoire, bringing down the tension as his wings retracted, his face returning to normal, and his dark hair color emerging once again.
Bisky let his hand go, her job was done.
Jhun regained his normal self again and turned to Naki, still annoyed but this time slightly embarrassed.
"...hmph! fine! I'll admit you are qualified to be our overseer instructor."
He smiled and removed his broken lens.
Then grabbed a replacement from a case he retrieved from his pocket, replacing the broken lens with a new one.
"I look forward to our performance in the upcoming competition."
He said to Naki and then turned to leave the dome, but stopped when he got close to Bisky.
"...You have my thanks, Bisky," he showed his appreciation before exiting.
"....." Bisky said nothing and then looked ahead at Naki.
"My apologies for interrupting your entertaining bout, teach. Can you ever forgive me?" she playfully said
Naki sighed, "It's fine, Bisky, no offense taken".
"Sorry again. It was my reflexes, you see, I just can't help keeping people in line, he-he."
She let a sly smile and then directed it to Habiki.
"Or doing other people's job for them," she said, her smile replaced with scorn.
Habiki returned her gaze with an intimidating glare. It was a challenge.
The whole room could feel the tension between these 2, there was a sense of no love lost.
Then it dawned on Naki.
The rivalry between Bisky and Habiki was no secret, and it was certainly no small matter.
Meanwhile - Blue Moss Grotto in Listeria
Isla had reached the entrance and noticed a sinister vapor looming in the vicinity.
She covered her nose with her hand to block out the foul stench.
"This foul stench...there's no mistake, demons lurk within..."
She grabbed a blue handkerchief from her chest and used it as a makeshift face mask, then adjusted her katana once more.
"The very same sensation I got from Irauki's injured party..."
She murmured and then exhaled softly before making her way inside.
"Time to purge some foul demons."