Tuesday 30 April 2013

Chapter 23 : Bellpot

It has been three days since Katachi has set off from the Sage Raufid Magus Academy. With a school-sponsored, brand new backpack, Katachi has finally arrived at his first destination - Bellpot.

Bellpot, the City of Hardauten, is a marketplace famous for commerce. Because of its interesting location near a special green sea, it is often best known for its exotic salts. Salt from Oceandrift moss that preserves food, salts from Jjtungi fruits that enhance foods' flavor, aromatic salts said to be good for the body, salts that can heal injuries when applied onto the wounds, many varieties of salts can be found here - And that is no wonder why many traders and merchants have come from far and wide, to exchange resources like lumber, ores, food and information.

There are a lot of magi to be found in this region as well - Magi that have graduated from the Sage Raufid Magus Academy itself, magi that were raised firsthand by families of a lesser known background, magi whom have gambled all their gold away and have settled here to live days by, magi that have come from far and wide to observe, admire and research upon these salts. Some would use the salts to combine them with different foods, some others with different medicine, and then there are those extreme magi that use the salts themselves as a medium for magic, usually to create aroma phantoms or cast some form of fortune telling (which was, more often than not, fake.)

Many magi gather at Bellpot because of its wonderful assortment of materiel and salts available for them.

It is no surprise to see a once-magus beggar on the streets, offering to enchant salts for a small fee, to get by for a living. It was also not alarming to find these very magi curse the salts of rude customers, so there was rarely, if any disrespect towards these beggars.

It is a place favored by merchants and magi alike.

Katachi walked on the stone road, his wooden sabots clicking against the rocks loudly - He did not wish for his brand new leather shoes to be dirtied, or worn out just yet, so he is currently wearing the sabots until they wear out completely.

He had heard from Bertund to search out 'strange' areas around the vicinity. These 'strange' areas that create an unnatural event are often the areas to look out for, because the possibility of there being a 'Sealed Room', or even the Word of Power itself, may be nearby.

The 'Sealed Room's.

They are rooms of citadels, castles and forts decades past, whom were rudely robbed by 292 mighty, great sorcerors - The very ones whom have created these Words of Power. The rooms are special, for it is said that the sorcerors took the rooms of castles all around the world, and transported them into another dimension, one that was uncommon and unknown, unlike Cosmatral Neud, Tlod or Silo, or some of the other more common dimensions. The rooms were apparently required to trap these Words of Power within, but the magic proved too much, even for these great sorcerors.

It was not possible to seal the magic completely.

The magic leaked out, and seeped through the dimensions, sometimes into the Human Dimension, sometimes into other dimensions, and that alone was enough to create a magical change. The space and general vicinity of these affected areas often has a certain interesting characteristic to it, usually relating back to the Word of Power itself.

Katachi remembers one of the tragedies these residual magics have caused, from the rumors spread by the adults in Mielfeud. It was the most severe amongst all the rumors, where one of the Words of Power had its power leaked over an entire village - That caused everybody within the village to become faceless. The very thought shakes up just about anyone from within - The entire incident was resolved when one little, faceless boy, after climbing past countless bodies of the dead that were unfortunate enough to fall victim to the Sealed Room's corridor traps, arrived at the Sealed Room itself, and used the Word of Power within to undo the faceless phenomena.

Though the village regained their faces, the dead did not regain their lives.

That was a really gruesome event that sparked an immediate need for Words of Power hunters.

*** ***

Katachi walked towards the fountain in the town square of Bellpot. Sitting upon it, Katachi lays his backpack down to a side, and pulls out the wooden dagger he received, or more appropriately taken without permission from the Sage Raufid Young Magus Tournament.

On the dagger itself were carvings.

More appropriately, the carving itself was shaped into a single engraving of the character 定.

Recalling the bamboo scrolls at home, Katachi closes his eyes. The Words of Power have a few known methods of raising the precedence level. The first is the most direct method - To understand and know more about the character itself. The second, is to reduce the amount of cloud words used - If a word can create a phrase of a specific meaning, then, most likely, it is possible to rephrase it such that the number of cloud words is lessened while retaining the same meaning.

Another method of increasing the precedence levels is to create a place for the Word of Power to reside in - A chamber, a carving, some place for the Word of Power to fit snugly. By believing that the Word of Power itself is not an extension of an object, but rather a part that makes an object complete, the precedence level is increased through the owner's subconscious belief and image power.

There are other methods as well, but Katachi wanted to focus on this one for now. With the free carving pick gifted by one of the students, he continues to scrape out a slot for the Word of Power. He continues this for about 20 minutes...

... Then.

A little boy, being chased by an older couple, collided headfirst with Katachi.

Tackling Katachi into the fountain, the boy hugged Katachi as tightly as he could. They both formed a large splash in the fountain, and that soaked Katachi, his pick and dagger, and the boy.

"TONQUAT!!! Let go of that kid this instant!"

The male of the couple, a rather brash man with hairy, muscular arms, a collared checkered shirt, rough trousers and a gruff face, barked at the boy Tonquat who was still hugging Katachi in the fountain. The frail, less physically able lady next to him, one in a plain brown dress, was clutching his left arm and panting.

T : "I don't wanna! You'll just spank me again, and again, and again!"

"Come home with us now, child! If I don't fix you today, I will-"

"Sire, please, spare the child! He has had enough!"

"Not yet, love! This child needs it beaten into him before he learns not to steal from our neighbours!"

"Sire, no!-"

Katachi clasped the child between his hands, and stood up. The child, surprised by the action, loosened his grip, which allowed Katachi to put him onto the fountain's rim.

K : "... Ah... My clothes..."

Katachi's old, tattered clothes were soaked. Thankfully, Katachi had already changed out of his school uniform and back to his simple, common wear, which helped the new clothes avoid a watery fate. The lady, upon seeing the child Tonquat safe and unharmed on the fountain rim, heaved a sigh of relief.

"Oh, my! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

The lady hurriedly walked towards the fountain and picked her little boy, Tonquat, up. She apologized to Katachi in a panicky manner, and offered to clean Katachi's clothes for him. Katachi had wanted to refuse at first, but the splash apparently overflowed past the fountain's rim and dampened his nice, clean groundsheet. Without the time to establish a makeshift clothes line, Katachi took up the kind offer, and followed them to Tonquat's house.

With the man pulling Tonquat's ears throughout the entire walk.

*** ***

K : "Th-... Thank you for the hospitality."

"Please, don't mention it. It is the least we can do for having him drench your clothes and groundsheet."

"We would also like to take the opportunity to thank you for helping us catch that child."

The two parents sat on the wooden dining table, with Katachi on the opposite side.

K : "I see, but it's a bit much, to even provide dinner for me..."

"... Young man, you don't look too old yourself. Are you... Uh..."

The couple looked at each other. The man was staring with fierce eyes, while the woman showed a worried expression.

"... Travelling, perhaps?"

The man's eyes drooped a little upon hearing her continuation of the sentence.

K : "Yes ma'am. I am indeed travelling around."

"... I see..."

The lady relaxed a little, and leaned against the chair's backrest comfortably.

"What's your name, child?"

K : "Me? I... I'm Katachi. Kotsuba Katachi."

"That name... Ohdean?... Ohde is a far, far place off from here, young man. Are you okay?"

K : "Yes, I am perfectly fine, ma'am... Uhm... Would it be okay if I addressed you two by your names as well?"

"Most certainly."
"Most definitely."

N : "I would be the head of this household, Nicholas Demanti. Be sure to address me as Mister Demanti."

F : "And I would be his wife, Froile Demanti. You may call me Missus Demanti."

Pointing at them in sequence, Katachi kept the conversation going.

K : "... Okay. Mister Demanti, Missus Demanti... I have a question, Mister Demanti."

N : "Speak."

K : "Are you from Rugnud, by any chance?"

N : "... Yes. Yes I am."

K : "Ah. That would kind-of explain your name - Nicholas is a common name in Rugnud, is it not?"

N : "Yes it is. You are knowledgeable for your age, child- I mean, Mister Katachi."

K : "I see... So, you're from Rugnud, so you wouldn't know too much about this town..."

F : "If you need an aide or a guide through Bellpot's markets, you can come to me instead. My sire mostly provides for the family, while I supplement him in chores and information."

K : "Oh. Okay then... I would like to ask the both of you, a serious question."

Katachi glanced toward Tonquat's bedroom door.

K : "Before that, though... Is the boy asleep?"

F : "Yes. He should be... A 6-year-old shouldn't stay up this late."

K : "... Can we close his door? If I can, I would rather not risk him seeing or knowing this."

N : "... Okay, but what would be so important that requires such privacy?"

Nicholas walked towards Tonquat's door, and closed it gently before returning to his seat.

Katachi withdrew his wooden dagger, the one with the incomplete carving of an Anikan character.

On the dagger, a golden  was formed.

K : "... Do you know what the Words of Power are?"

*** ***

N : "... I see... You are on a mission, to find and 'collect' these... words?"

K : "Yes. Yes I am."

Scratching his head, Nicholas frowned a bit and inquired.

N : "I don't get it then... Why not just trace the words out themselves if you already roughly know what they look like?"

K : "It's not as simple as that, Mister Demanti."

N : "It's not that simple?"

K : "... No. Think of it as two soil patches. The Word of Power here would be a mushroom patch filled full of mushrooms, while the other patch that merely looks like the Word of Power has no mushrooms within - It is but barren land. It is useless without these mushrooms within the patch. I need not a simple tracing of the Word of Power, but rather the Word of Power itself."

Froile, on the other hand, understood the situation much better than her husband did.

F : "... How can we help, then?"

K : "... Are there... Are there any interesting, weird, or unique places around here? Is there anywhere around this area, that has something funny or unnatural happening?"

The couple looked at each other and dived into their minds to search for an answer to such a bizarre, uncommon question.

...

Finally, an appropriate answer surfaced.

F : "Uhm, Mister Katachi, there is indeed one such location."

K : "! Really? What's strange about it?"

F : "... Well, it's not much, but there is supposedly a sacred ground around here, where parents bring their children to serenade them to sleep. At this... This sacred ground, the children become soothed by something. I'm not sure what calms the children effectively, it may be the plants and herbs, it may be a river stream nearby that eases their ears, or it may be something else altogether, but it might be worth checking out."

K : "An area that calms children?"

N : "... It's not just children who are calmed."

F : "Sire?"
K : "Mister Demanti?"

Nicholas looked away in slight embarrassment, his cheeks reddening slightly, but just enough to stand out from his tanned face.

N : "... That place used to be a secret sleeping spot of mine. When I first came to Bellpot at 17 years old, I remember sleeping at that spot often. The moss... It was nice and comfortable, and the place was quite literally overflowing with nature, until some couple brought their child there, and sung her to sleep. Since then, the spot became known as some sort of mythical sacred ground, and I haven't found the time to sleep there all by myself peacefully."

K : "... That IS interesting. An area that calms everything within..."

F : "I hope that was enough assistance for you, Mister Katachi."

K : "... Yes. That is indeed something interesting enough to find out for myself. Thank you, the both of you. I shall set forth tomorrow at daybreak to this 'sacred ground'."

N : "Fancy a map to the area?"

K : (了! Understand information : Location of aforementioned 'Bellpot sacred ground'!... It's northwest of the town,  following the small pebble trail and making a right at the Sharyu Zuku statue ... Okay.) "... That won't be necessary - I roughly know where it is. Even if I don't, I'll just ask around for the place, and even if that fails, I can ask you two again- Er, if... If it's not too much to ask."

Katachi blushed slightly at his own lack of tact.

F : "You're welcome to do that, Mister Katachi. I would aid you to the best of my abilities."

N : "... I have no qualms. If you insist that you can do it alone, then I trust that you can. But if you can't, there's no shame in asking for help."

K : "... Thank you... It is late now. I ought to sleep, for tomorrow."

N : "You can use that wooden rocking chair there. It's not much, but that should be comfortable enough."

F : "That rocking chair belonged to my late grandmother. I'm sorry we couldn't provide a proper bed, with how small our house is, but if you're fine with that chair-"

K : "... It's okay. I've often slept on something similar."

Katachi walked towards the rocking chair in the Demanti's living room. He sat on it, laid back, and the creaking of the wooden chair resounded through the house ever so slightly.

N : "... Have a good rest, Mister Katachi."

F : "Good night, Mister Katachi."

K : "Segus bless your dreams."

The couple went to their own rooms, as the slow rocking of the chair and the creaking lulled Katachi to sleep.

*** ***

Nicholas and Froile crawled onto their bed in their nightwear.

F : "... Poor child."

N : "Indeed. I had it rough myself because of how I was raised in Rugnud, but he didn't even get to see his parents..."

F : "And even still, he follows Segus... That's really a rarity amongst poor children. I didn't even know that there was a Segus church in Findel after all this time..."

N : "Yeah. I was a bit taken aback when he mentioned Segus, especially with that black hair and strange Ohdean background of his."

F : "... Do you think his father was Ohdean?"

N : "Most likely. If the two loved each other, then taking up his surname Kotsuba would make sense. If, however, the mother was horribly violated and left to die, she would probably have the child be named after her instead... I don't want to think about that- ..."

Froile tugged at the left sleeve slightly.

F : "... Promise me you wouldn't abandon me like that, sire?"

Nicholas locked eyes with Froile.

N : "... Of course, my love. I wouldn't want a tragedy like Mister Katachi to occur again."

Froile snuggled her head against Nicholas's chest, and felt the warmth of her husband.

F : "... I'm... happy..."

The couple slowly drifted off to slumber in their arms.

Friday 26 April 2013

Chapter 22.5 : Closing_In

Agnes stared at the molweds waving back and forth in the field.

A : (... Why?... Of all the places for them to grow, WHY HERE!? AND WHY SO MANY!?...)

Molweds are a very special type of plant - They are a magical plant with a vibrant yellow, spongy flower that can release a scream-like sound when something is going to step on, or hurt them. Even when removed from the plant, the flowers and stems of the molwed can continually release a scream, which makes handling molweds an advanced trial for florists and herbalists alike. Fire is useless against such a plant, because of the spongy flower protecting it against such magic. The frequency of the screech is dependent on the quality of the soil it grows on, the air's humidity, and many other factors yet researched upon. Progress on them is hard enough as it is, due to the tricky nature of the molweds themselves.

Because of this, when molweds grow in large areas like the field itself, merely crossing the field makes multiple molweds go off, and they can actually cause splitting headaches and the like. This feature has normally been exploited for emulating the effects of an excited, cheering crowd, but strictly speaking they are not to be trifled with. As a defensive mechanism, it is worthy of applause, but it means that the only people who can interact with them without discomfort are deaf people, which makes removing molweds a big problem because they scream when not properly disposed of.

Agnes had wanted to travel towards Rulid, in order to deliver supplies to other, amateur magechanics whom required the training tools in his backpack. However, in his journey towards Rulid, he had come across this startlingly large field that consists almost purely out of molweds, which stand in his path. It would be hard traversing around such a large and troublesome area, while cutting and destroying the plant would only worsen the current situation.

It would be appropriate to say that this is no small obstacle.

A : (Ahh... What do I do?... Do I take care of this immediately, so nobody else would have to handle this field in the future? That would be best, but it would take too long. Or do I just try my best to waddle through this place? I have never seen such a large number of molweds in my life... If I make a wrong move, I might faint in the middle of the field and never wake ever again...)

Agnes is clearly having trouble deciding what to do in a situation like this. He thought about it for a while, and debated over using his tool to cross the field, or to simply walk around it.

A : (Forming a snuffler is probably the most efficient way, but it's going to cost me a few of these Uzab runes, and they probably don't sell any of these high-powered runes there... If I make a glider here, I can probably smooth my way over this field, but that's going to deplete the runes quickly too. If I form a bridge, it's going to be a while before I can cross the field, not to mention if I build it too low, it's going to trigger the molweds anyway... Or maybe I should just walk around these, and save my runes?... Aaahhhh! It's so hard to decide!!...)

Agnes looked around for a better solution or at least some form of inspiration or guidance on what he should choose. Finally, with nothing else but the barren rocks and the trees, Agnes stopped to think about it.

A : (... I'm going to stick with crossing it directly - There's not much time left. I can't think of which to use though - The snuffler, or the bridge? The glider is going to cost the most, so that's a no. The snuffler drains the runes continuously, and I would need to run as fast as I can before they deplete. I'm going to have to save at least 3 for Rulid... The bridge is slow, and it's useless if it's too low, but if I do it right, I only need to burn a single rune...)

Agnes looked at his surroundings once more.

A : (... I guess I'll spin around and around, with my eyes closed, until I no longer know which way is which. The next time I open my eyes, if I see the trees, I'll build a snuffler. If I see the rocks, I'll build a bridge.)

Agnes put his luggage down, closed his eyes, and began to spin. Balancing his weight on his right foot, he kicked his left foot against the ground, forming a circular momentum. He spun and spun, until he no longer knew which direction he was facing. He spun until his ability to balance went awry, and he collapsed onto the floor.

*** ***

Agnes laid down his tools, and placed a Uzab rune written on a wooden tablet, on the center of the circle. With a chant, the pile of rocks in the surroundings floated slightly, and came together to form a straight row of stones. Connecting them to each other was an occasional spark of electricity, to align the stones should they drift too far apart.

On his left hand formed a sort of magic circle composed of tiny, blue transparent stones and a single, small piece of ruby, exact in shape when compared to the bridge. It seemed as though it were a small-scale model of the bridge itself, with the ruby being where Agnes is.

A : (... Okay. The bridge's stabilized.)

Slowly, Agnes stepped onto the small floating stones one by one, testing its stability. As he walked further and further onto the bridge, he shifted the pieces at the far end of his hand toward the front, which in turn the pieces at the beginning of the bridge began floating towards the half-complete end of the bridge, and it slowly formed a bridge suspended purely by the Uzab rune.

A : (... Steady... Slowly now. I don't want to fall and land amongst these molweds...)

Agnes made his way through the field slowly, when suddenly, something whished past his face.

A : "!?" (What... Was that?... It's not safe. Rearrange the stones to form a circle around myself first...)

Agnes shifted the stones on his left hand around, and formed a fanning, circular shape around the ruby. The stones floated about, and formed the same circle around Agnes.

With the platforms now around him, he had a good chance to glance around and observe what was happening. Agnes looked around the field, to find only the rocks, trees, molweds and the wind around him.

A : (... Nothing at all? That was so fast, I couldn't even see the blur. That was probably a galerider... I haven't seen anything fly that fast and silently. What a pity - Galeriders aren't that common in Auser, and I've only seen illustrations of them, so the thought of missing one that flew right by me is kind of depressing. Still, if there are galeriders around, it's not going to be safe forming a bridge. I've already come this far, so I'll have to go the extra mile and use another rune then.)

Agnes felt up a second wooden tablet, and the Uzab rune faded off. He picked up the ruby with his left hand, which caused all the blue stones to float off his hand and in the general position they were before, now suspended around the ruby. With the ruby pinched between his fingers, Agnes mentally arranged a few of the stones such that they formed little platforms before himself.

He simply walked forward normally, with the stones placed at just the right angles.

He was walking with the stones forming up at just beneath his feet, allowing him to walk safely.

He raised a few stones to around his chest level, to grip onto them should the galerider return and throw him off-balance somehow.

With his safety nets in place, Agnes continued walking.

*** ***

Agnes finally made it to the end of the field, in one piece.

He looked around for a new replacement body, and found a funny looking, thorny vine growing on a rather large rock. Walking atop the rock, Agnes slowly and carefully set down the ruby onto the rock, and hopped out of the areas of danger.

With a snap, the blue stones clumped together around the ruby.

With that same snap, the stones floating about attracted and melded themselves onto the large rock, forming an interesting sculpture of sorts. The ruby on the rocks popped loose, and floated back onto his hands.

A : (It was a bit of a waste, because that galerider never came back... Oh well. I might as well make the most out of the rune if I've already used this much.)

Agnes crashed his butt onto the ground for a slight moment of recovery, and took the chance to admire his sculpture while recovering his stamina.

A : (... I'm not sure what to make of the shape... It kind-of looks like a little girl, with twin tails and really stiff hair- ! Who's that?)

Behind his sculpture, was a red-haired young lady of about 16 years, wielding a large, gray greatsword.

She was walking steadily towards him, poised for an attack. With a slash, she sliced the sculpture cleanly in half.

A : (-! Whoa!!! Whoa, whoa, whoa! I better get back!)

Agnes rolled backwards, and planted his feet onto the ground before springing up and backwards, away from the warrior and her ridiculous strength.

A : (Is she a friend or foe?) "Who are you?!"

Wordlessly, the young lady ran forth and smacked Agnes on his left side, with the sword's fuller. It may be an act of mercy to spare the weapon's bladed edges, but the strength of the swing was tremendous, even for her size.

In a single blow, Agnes was knocked out cold from the numbing pain.

*** ***

Cackling sounds filled his ears. Agnes woke up to a campfire, with the red-haired girl sitting on a rotting log and enjoying the warmth of the flames.

A : "... Ugh... My side..."

Agnes clutched his left, still in a sore, slightly swollen state.

"You're awake."

A : "... And you are very rude to attack me like that. If you weren't going to kill me, at least knock me out with less pain, or something!"

"Ahh, I see. I'll keep that in mind for my next target."

A : (Next target? What, is she a traveling berserker looking for people to fight? That's a bit too crazy, isn't it?) "What do you mean, next target?"

The red-haired girl looked away from the flames, and locked eyes with Agnes. Her greenish irises reflected the light from the campfire, making her look like some sort of powerful monster with glowing eyes.

R : "... I am Roberia. Matalpalhallafaelladrapahamo Roberia. Remember that name, will you?"

A : (... She dodged my question... Remember her name? Well, it's not like I want to remember her name, but that blow to the side really is formidable. She didn't use the bladed edges of the sword, and was still able to numb my whole body in a single attack. Her slender image surfaces in my mind whenever I think about this pain... I guess I can respect that and at least remember her name.) "... Okay?"

R : "... Good."

Roberia goes back to staring at the flames silently, enjoying its warmth against the cold field.

A : (... Why does she even want me, a traveler, to remember her name? Is she trying to build a reputation for herself in these parts or something?... Well, a girl of her physique landing such a blow really is worthy of praise, I suppose. She said that her name was Matalpal... Matalpal-something. That surname of hers is really troublesome to remember. Is this a joke or something?...)

R : "Hey, stranger."

A : (? What does she want?) "What?"

R : "You don't mind if I, er, take all the coin in your pouch, do you?"

A : (What!? She's taking all my gold!? That's brutal!) "What?!"

R : "Well, you see, stranger, my backpack is much smaller than yours. I don't travel with a lot of things. My goal is to practice and train my stamina by running to the next town and sleeping at the inns there. But, see, you weren't strong enough and fainted on the first hit. I had wanted to simply immobilize you, see? I had just wanted to make you lie on the floor, conscious, take your money as usual, say my name and run to Rulid immediately. But you fainted, so I had to set up for the night here using your stuff, see? So... I'll be taking all your coin."

A : (... Unbelievable... She had been running from town to town, and used that alone as a form of training? Hastily making her way around, fighting and beating up any travelers on her routes, and taking their belongings...)

R : "So, uh, see, stranger... I'm not comfortable with people looking at my sleeping face. So I'm going to have to ask you to leave, see?"

A : "You take and use my stuff without permission, and you expect me to leave in the middle of the freezing night?! Who the hell do you think you are!?"

R : "..."

A : "I mean, come on! I have had the worst luck these few days! Sneaking past an Earthtiger with all my stuff clinking and clanking and almost getting killed, dealing with thieves at night, having to handle the urgency of the problem in Rulid, crossing a field full of molweds nobody's bothered to clear, and all of that, all my effort of trying to cope with the time, wasted by you?! Give me a break, Dardicel!!! Stop throwing all these trials at me when I'm actually busy!!! Why does it have to be me anyway?!"

R : "..."

A : "... Sorry. I overreacted a little bit there. I wasn't quite myself... I really had it bad these past few days."

R : "... If it makes you happy, I've only taken your gold and borrowed your groundsheet. I haven't touched any of those other things in your backpack. I only have a problem sleeping when someone else is nearby, see?"

A : (? She's not going to take all my stuff?... Oh... She's not a marauder or a bandit, she's just a traveling warrior who needs coin. It makes sense, since she did mention that she is going to stay at the inns in the town. She can't possibly have an infinite amount of gold on her to keep staying at those kinds of fancy places. She didn't look like she touched the training tools... That's a relief.) "... Oh. Good, good. Leave those as they are, please. I need them to teach other magechanics how to reconstruct and repair a bridge properly."

R : "... And, well, if you come back tomorrow morning, you'll find your groundsheet to be intact. If you come back early enough and not have it snatched away by some wild animal, I mean."

A : (For a warrior, at least she seems civilized enough to return my belongings. A warrior... Rugnud?) "... Would you happen to be from Rugnud, by any chance?"

R : "... Yes. I am. Please leave soon and allow me to sleep, stranger. I need the energy for tomorrow, see? And I haven't slept well for a long time, since I've come out from Rugnud, see?"

A : (... She means no harm. Her eyes aren't wide open - She simply just wants to rest. I guess I could grant her that as a penalty instead of death, seeing how I did lose to her, after all.) "Okay. Consider this... Consider this as a thank-you, for sparing my life."

Agnes staggered away from the campsite slowly, clutching his side still throbbing in pain.

*** ***

It had been less than an hour.

The sun had already risen in such a short time.

A : (... 'Tomorrow' sure came quickly... I wonder if she's still asleep at the campsite?)

Agnes applied pressure on his swollen left side with his left arm, and slowly walked towards the campsite. Upon reaching, there were only the groundsheet, and the glowing remains of a campfire.

A : (... Did she seriously sleep for less than an hour?... That's not very healthy, is it? I wouldn't mind if she had rested a little bit longer, since she did spare my life. Then again, as a warrior, she's probably afraid of being attacked in her moments of weakness, like when she is sleeping. Even as a victor, it seems that she doesn't trust that I can't overpower her. A cautious type...)

Agnes walked toward his backpack, and reached for a bottle of medicated oil. He applied and rubbed the swollen wound with the medicine, and it slowly relieved his pain, bit by bit.

A : (... It's going to be hard managing without my pouch... I might need to work a little at Rulid before I go back, for some gold to hire a coach.)

Packing his groundsheet back into his bag, Agnes checked his inventory once more.

A : (... She wasn't lying about it - Everything except the gold and the groundhseet's been left untouched. Such blatant honesty... It's as if she came from a noble's family, or something along those lines. Matalpal-something Roberia, huh...)

Agnes prepped up his equipment, and continued his journey towards Rulid.

Thursday 18 April 2013

Chapter 22 : Travel

Be : "Come in, come in!"

Katachi walked into the principal's office, without even bothering to knock on the door. On his hasty entry, he sees Bertund close a flap to his left - The flap which drops down whenever people step on the carpet outside.

K : "Good... Good afternoon."

Bertund was busy doing paperwork, his quill scribbling and scribbling on paper upon paper upon paper while dabbing on an ink fountain occasionally. Seeing that much paper, Katachi wondered how much it all costed - As well as the importance of the documents to actually use paper.

Be : "Ahh, Mister Kotsuba. Are you prepared to leave this school?"

Katachi thought about it a moment...

K : "... Is it fine if I walk around the school, one last time? I'd like to see some things and people before I leave."

Be : "Go ahead. But are you sure you want to carry that huge bag with you all the time?"

K : "... Not really."

Be : "Leave it there in the corner then - I'll keep watch over it until you're back."

Katachi left the bag in the corner of the room, while Bertund used his left hand which was holding down the papers to scoop the slime from his head and toss it at his backpack.

The scene was quite confusing to Katachi, but nevertheless, Bertund's safekeeping can be trusted.

Katachi left the room, while Bertund continued with his work.

*** ***

S : "Ahh, Mister Kotsuba!"

Just leaving the Principal's office for a few steps, Katachi encountered someone else familiar.

K : "Good afternoon, Shelly."

S : "You're pretty early... You really are punctual."

K : (Early? Punctual?... Oh, yeah. The clock in the room is 10 minutes faster than the actual time. That's why I couldn't find her.) "Yeah, I guess the clock in my old room is responsible."

S : "Calling it old already? You sure adapt fast, Mister Kotsuba. That's a splendid trait. Right then, let's begin your second, and probably your only other lecture."

K : "... Right. Please do- Ah, can I move Rekter out of here? I don't want him to hear it."

S : "Okay then."

Katachi walked down the grandeur stairs of the atrium, and looked at the immobile teacher, Rekter. Even though he looks like he's frozen and dead, his position is actually in a 'Constant' state, so he can't move.

K : (设! Set object weight - A thousandth!)

A second  appeared on Rekter's body. He was then lifted up easily by Katachi, and carried to a janitor's closet before being closed upon.

S : "Right. Follow me into the guest room, Mister Kotsuba. There are chairs in there, so it'll ease my legs more."

The teacher and student walked into the guest room, and closed the door gently.

*** ***

S : "Summarize the lecture, Mister Kotsuba."

K : "O... Okay. When using the Words of Power, I have to be specific about what I want to happen, or it will become very vague and give the Word a chance to produce an undesired effect. Al... Also, I have to be careful using 了 because of its potential to grant and reveal any knowledge - If I ask questions with a complex or vague answer, like 'What is the meaning of life', I might faint and even die from having too much in my head at a time."

S : "Good. That about sums it up."

Shelly switches her folded legs around out of discomfort.

S : "Mister Kotsuba, have you no plans as to how you would begin the search for the 292 Words of Power?"

Katachi nodded briefly.

S : "Well, Mister Kotsuba, the Words of Power are tricky, you see. You may have it easier now that you have Rekter's Word of Power, but using that to find other Words of Power is a bit wonky. You need to use specific commands or the answer will always be yourself - You have two now, after all, so do keep that in mind."

K : "I thought about it that far, Shelly."

S : "Well, it's good that you do. I can offer guidance, but you would have to find the methods yourself. All the best, Mister Kotsuba."

Shelly walked out of the guest room, and Bael entered it a few seconds later.

K : "... Bael."

Ba : "Katachi."

Bael quietly sits down on one of the comfortable, velvet seats different from Shelly's warm seat. The two remain silent in the room, wanting to break the ice.

It's an awkward atmosphere.

K : (What would be a good topic to talk about? She's stayed in school for 6 years, while I'm leaving. She might not know much about the outside world besides some general information about the landscape and some things I might find on my journey. It would be useless to talk about school stuff, though...)

Ba : (I want him to have the best, but I also don't want to limit or hold him back... I want to plead him not to go, but he's been expelled, so it's compulsory. I want to go with him if he really does go, but magic is pretty important too, so I'm conflicted between love and passion... I can't decide at all...)

K : (... ! Ah!) "Bael, you mentioned to be careful in Cosmatral Silo about me not getting impaled. What did that mean?"

Bael looked at Katachi in a slight confusion, before understanding what he meant.

Ba : "Huh? Oh, that? You got a different platform. Yours was covered with greenish gas, right?"

K : "Yeah?"

Ba : "That one was affected by some Kafki user casting a metal decaying spell. I remember that on my own platform, I used a Rhodan's trap while the enemy used some sort of spell to make half the arena filled with spiky metal."

K : "Spiky... Metal?"

Ba : "Yeah. The metal bits on the floor all slowly drew out like tiny needles. I didn't step on any of them, nor did I destroy them, so they might still be there even now. If you had that hazard, it would have been very dangerous, especially since you often run through the battlefield to hurt the enemy."

Katachi shuddered at that idea.

K : (Scary...) "So that was just wishing me good luck, if I ever got that platform?"

Ba : "Yeah."

K : "I see. Thanks."

Ba : (Aww, he thanked me... ? It's been so long, but I wonder if he sees me as a big sister?) "Hey, Katachi?"

K : "Hmm?"

Ba : "Do you think I'm good at being your big sister?"

K : (Big sister?... I've never had a big sister, so I don't know for sure. She has been pretty helpful, like a friendly aide, though.) "Well, not really. I can't tell for sure, because I never had a big sister. You're helpful and really friendly though. More so than I'd imagine a big sister would do."

Ba : (More so than a big sister would do- !?! Is that... Is that implying that we're already at that stage?!) "I... I... Ahhh..."

Bael fainted blissfully on the velvet chair, with a big grin on her reddened face.

K : (There she goes again, in dreamland. Well, at least this makes the farewells less painful.)

Katachi stood up, and walked out of the guest room.

*** ***

Katachi walked up the stairs to Bertund's office, while Zirco walked down towards the exit.

They glanced at each other briefly, and continued to walk on.

They are both getting expelled for violation of the school rules - Zirco for using a spell on Katachi when the tournament is over, and Katachi for using a non-healing spell on a teacher.

Katachi had thought that Zirco would at least thank him for healing his hands and carrying him out, but he seem too prideful to apologize and admit it.

He simply walked out of the school, probably back to Mielfeud.

Without minding him, Katachi walked towards the principal's office.

*** ***

Be : "Come in!"

Katachi walked into the room, and sees Bertund reading a book.

Be : "I presume that your presence here means that you are finished?"

K : "... Yeah."

Be : "Good."

Bertund's palm glowed yellow, and he approached Katachi slowly. With a gentle tap, the magic circle on Katachi's shoulder was gone.

Be : "Mister Kotsuba, you are hereby expelled for using non-healing magic on a teacher."

Katachi had already prepared for this to happen, so it wasn't a very emotional event in particular.

Be : "Okay then, now that this is settled, I suggest you begin setting up camp immediately. It is getting dark, and the night can be quite unforgiving, even in spring."

K : "Okay. Thank you, Bertund. For everything."

Be : "Don't mention it. Here's your bag."

The slime had already crawled towards Katachi, and held up the bag in an expanded state, ready to hand him the object. Katachi slipped his arm around the strap, and the bag was situated to the bottom of his backbone for stability.

K : "I'll be off."

Be : "May the Gods be with you. I have faith that you will become a wonderful Scholar."

With a brave step, Katachi stepped forth, toward a new light.

The second piece, Kotsuba Katachi, has begun moving.

*** ***

*Cozy's Notes : Katachi is a traveler now! Just like Matalpalhallafaelladrapahamo Roberia! Hoorah.*

*T.W's Notes : Why the fuck did you give her a troublesome name like that?*

*Cozy's Notes : Cuz... ?*

Sunday 14 April 2013

My deepest apologies.

It has come to my attention that this little story of mine is gaining in popularity much faster than I would have believed it to.

I was suffering from a fever on Saturday, and I only managed to recover from this fever just a few hours ago.

During this period of two days, there were 46 views on my little story - A number not to be belittled, because that's the highest number I've ever had. I couldn't even get to 30 - 40 views a week, and suddenly, in two days, I feel like I've disappointed 46 of you readers.

For that, I am truly, sincerely sorry for not posting a new chapter - I was sick, and in no condition to write the story.

I would also like to take this time to apologize in advance - Today, marks the beginning of the last week of my holiday. On April 22nd, I would have to return to school, and focus on a big project with my friends. Some would call this a Major Project. Others would claim it to be a Final Year Project.

This project is going to be big and influential to my future, and if I can successfully score well on this, I can be free to write this story without further worries - If I can maintain my Cumulative Grade Point Average, I would feel more secure to write this story as a hobby since there would be lesser issues on my future.

As such, I would have to sadly say this - WoP Quest is going to take me longer to finish writing completely. It's probably going to change from a weekly to a fortnightly upload, while the content isn't as bountiful as the previous chapters.

I've roughly planned out what to write and all already, but the problem is that even if I were to do it on a weekly basis, it would probably take me around 9 years to finish the entirety of this story. And, that's just one story - I have other stories that I wish to write after WoP Quest, like Tickers, DAN-4K41, Rhaad's Journey : Metronomica, and eventually, Sentinel. Most of these stories will take a long time as well - I'm leaving Sentinel for last, because writing that will most certainly take 20 - 25 years, which should serve enough to entertain me in my old age.

I am sorry for the lack of a new chapter that disappointed 46 viewers, and I am sorry for the noticeable reduction in the number of chapters to come.

Finally, I would like to thank you all for bearing with me thus far - I hope my story is not too confusing. I understand that there are a lot of things in the story that aren't very clear, but I've implemented a method to counteract that.

So, as a thank-you-to-you-all gift, here's an interesting trivia you might have never guessed.

WoP Quest was originally a story that I thought up of to encourage myself to learn more Chinese. Being born in Singapore, the country expects us to speak in English, as its national language. More often than not, I have seen many, many fellow students around me fail in both the national language, and their own mother tongue. As such, they use English to complement what they cannot speak in Chinese or Malay, and they use their mother tongue and dialects to convey what they cannot in English. This marble mixture of language transforms pure, separate languages into a monstrosity they call Singlish.

I grew tired of their incompetence over not being able to speak at least one language in purity, so I did my best to master English first. My English is not quite at the British official standard, but it is good enough right now. Thus, this little story was begun, to help my Chinese catch up on the years it had lost on me focusing on English.

I hope you continue enjoying WoP Quest and what it has to offer.

Warmest, feathery regards
Cozy

Monday 8 April 2013

Chapter 21 : Cards_Up_The_Sleeve

R : "How...!? How did you beat me? I clearly raised my precedence level to a point where you shouldn't have been able to beat me! What did you do to raise your precedence level that fast?"

Rekter stared at Katachi in disbelief. He had clearly been trying his best to improve his precedence level. He had learnt two new terms, 悟 and 愁, which should have been enough in the event that Katachi tried to learn one to boost his Word of Power. So why didn't it work? Rekter's precedence level ought to have surpassed Katachi's by now, so why was the result the exact opposite?

K : "... If you would take off your shirt right now, mister Rekter, that would solve everything."

Take off his shirt, Katachi said.

But, why take off his shirt?

Rekter followed Katachi's instructions blindly and-

"Oh my god!"
"There's a word on his back!"
"That's the word on his chest from before!"
"He used magic on a teacher?!"
"Isn't that an automatic flag to expulsion?"
"He dared to used non-healing magic on a teacher!"

R : "Wha- What is the meaning of this?!"

Surely it should have been enough to learn 2 new terms to raise his precedence level! So why did it not work on Katachi? And why was there a word on his back?

Katachi wriggled his finger, and in an instant, the word on his back faded off.

Rekter turned back to normal.

R : "-!!! You... You conniving manwhore...!!! What did you do to me?!"

Katachi looked at Rekter in the eyes calmly.

K : "..."

R : "WHAT, DID YOU DO TO ME!?"

K : "... Set thought patterns - Gullible." (恒! Constant status - Self!)

R : "-!!!"

It all became clear to Rekter only now.

Katachi had used his Word of Power to make Rekter think in a gullible fashion. By making Rekter a gullible and naive idiot, Katachi was able to limit Rekter's ability to raise his own knowledge on his Word of Power, and gain a huge lead in terms of their precedence levels. While Rekter had believed that Katachi would be a foolish child who thinks that raising his Word of Power by one would have been enough, Rekter had thought he outplayed the 'foolish' Katachi by raising his own with two terms.

Katachi had it all planned out - The trap was sprung without even giving Rekter a chance to react.

R : "When did you pull this off... !?"

K : "To be honest, I was skeptical when I tried the plan. I thought that my trick would never work."

Katachi used his right hand to feel the wooden dagger from the tournament on his chest, in the pretense that he's pressing his fingers against his chest in a bold declaration.

K : "Then, I noticed it - I have yet to see a single teacher at the public bathing space. That's when I realized that teachers most probably had their own bathrooms, because the Teacher's Bathing Space didn't exist on the academy's map. So I was betting on the fact that you would never be able to counter my trap, because there is no one around you when you bathe to check your back for you, and that your room would always be brightly lit so you won't be able to see it. It may be good luck on my part that you don't wear clothes in the dark, or you would have noticed it immediately."

R : (He figured out a trick like that from simple plain observation? Then it WAS a mistake on my part, after all! Have I become too accustomed to the luxury of this academy, that I can't even notice something glowing bright gold?!) "... You made me stupid and gullible...!!!"

R : (溶! Dissolve object - Katachi!)

A  formed on Katachi's arm.

Normally, that would have been suicidal. Katachi's arm ought to have melted right off, but the golden word faded off quickly instead.

K : "Frankly, part of my good luck may have been the Word of Power itself, for making you gullible and easily fooled to the point that you're not as perceptive anymore... Well, no matter what you do, it's useless now. Your words are no longer on par with mine."

Rekter clenched his fist, angry at the truth. He had been too late in stopping Katachi's trap. If only he had taken precautions against Katachi from the very beginning, before he even stepped into the classroom...

... But, it shouldn't matter. Katachi used non-healing magic on a teacher - He's going to get expelled, which means he would not be able to stay in the school any longer, since he is not a student anymore.

R : "... It's fine. I've caught you red-handed anyway. Kotsuba Katachi, for disobeying the rules of using non-healing magic on a teacher, you are thereby expelled under my authority as a teach-"

K : "I figured you would use something like that as a shield." (固! Fixate position - Rekter!)

A golden  formed on Rekter's shirt, and he was frozen on that spot.

K : "... Bertund."

Be : "Yes, Mister Kotsuba?"

K : "I may be expelled now, but am I still the champion of the tournament?"

The students, catching on to what he's doing, began an uproar.

"No, Principal Bertund, you must not give him the champion's prize!"
"He's a cheater, he used a Word of Power!"
"You should give it to Zirco instead, he's the real magus here!"
"This scum doesn't deserve the school's sponsorship!"

Be : "Mister Kotsuba, you- Sorry, let me repeat myse- I am trying to say tha- Stop blocking my vision- Calm down, students. There are two flaws to your complaints."

It's surprisingly how Bertund kept that straight, smiling face while speaking to the tons of students. The smart students hung back, understanding Bertund's meaning, while the foolish ones simmered their rage to listen to Bertund, demanding an explanation.

Be : "First of all, the Words of Power are a form of magic - It's event magic. It may be strongly discouraged in the tournament because of its power and potential to harm its user, but it is magic and it is allowed, nonetheless. It is merely discouraged, not prohibited. None of you may say that he's cheating. Second point, did you not watch the finals? Mister Kotsuba didn't use his Word of Power at all for that match. It was purely a magus-on-magus competition, with Zirco using Aleksei's spell while Katachi used Urdythari's."

"How can you be so confident that he's not cheating?"
"Yeah, how do you know he's not using his Word of Power to imitate water magic?"
"How would you know? You barely do your job, Bertund!"
"You wouldn't be able to know, would you?"
"How would we know he's not cheating his water magic?"

Be : "It's because I- Hey, I DO do my job- Stop pushing and squeezing- You wouldn't want me t- Relax! Let me explain!"

It's still strange how Bertund maintained his cheeky, smiling face as the students retreated a little bit from the slime on his head snarling at them.

Be : "Do you all want to know how I know he didn't cheat during the finals? Simple - I personally taught Mister Kotsuba water magic. Myself."

Everyone was shocked at the answer. Is that a lie? Could it be true? Nobody in the school believed their ears, spare the ones who already know.

Ba : "Is... Is that true?"
*Cozy's Notes : Yes, this is Bael gasping.*
"You're lying-!"
"I've never seen you teach us before!"
"That can't be it-!"

Be : "Yes, I taught him those spells. What need has he to learn from me if he could simply blast his way through the tournament with his Word of Power?"

"But how would you explain Cillian's sword floating?"
"What about the time Chotil Nea pounced on him?"
"What about Deku being defeated?"
"How is he pardonable for the tournament up to the finals?"
"He didn't use water magic at all when he fought the other competitors!"

Be : "Yes, yes, he probably did use the Word of Power for the rest of the tournament. But still, it is a form of magic, and he still fought as a magus. It is his victory, even if you claim it is not."

"Why do you keep defending him?!"
"You should have just expelled him the moment he stepped in here!"
"This is so unfair!"
"I demand equal treatment!"
"Principal Bertund, you're a biased person!"

Be : "..."

Bertund waited patiently as the insults of the students were hurled towards him...

... And ignored.

Seeing Bertund close his eyes to wait for the commotion to die down, the students eventually gave up and stayed silent.

Be : "To be truthful, if I were to make a judgement myself, Katachi is currently, and has always been the most powerful in this entire school. Even if you do tell me to stop, or expel him, is there a use? Would I rather risk him going berserk, tearing the entire academy down just to accept him as a student here? Would I risk fighting a battle like that with him, knowing the outcome of the battle was already pre-determined with his Word of Power? No. I would not."

K : (... Way to make me look like a villain, Bertund.)

Be : "That would most probably be what most of you think I would think. But, should I think like that, as the principal of this school? Should I, as a head figure of the academy, and the direct descendant of Sage Raufid, do something like this out of fear? No! If I had been afraid of every single person out there, I would not be able to raise my head against such honor I've been bestowed upon. If I held fear towards strangers, I might as well not enroll any of you at all. If I had been such a coward, then I might as well go live as a simple, mundane farmer instead of being a sorceror. Would it be fair, if I didn't allow you into the academy, for no reason at all? Would you like that?"

Bertund now dominated the entire ambience - None of the students rebuked.

K : (... What a sudden change. It's as if he read my thoughts.)

Be : " I wouldn't like that. Thinking like that is not me. Rather, encouraging students to unlock their full potential, embodying the vision of the school, and assuring that every student gets a fair chance at magic - THAT is my role as a principal. And it doesn't matter if their magic is powerful, potent, or forbidden - My role is to simply offer you a chance at mastering the fundamentals of magic. If you can grasp that, then surely you can one day become as powerful as he is right now, and maybe even more!"

K : (... I somehow feel grateful for this speech, considering that it's actually aimed at me... Yeah, I think Bertund does have some mind-reading magic within himself or something. But, if that was true, why can't I feel it at all? My senses aren't distorted in any way...)

Be : "And so, I say - Mister Kotsuba is allowed to partake in this chance as much as you all do. He will be expelled and to never return in accordance to the rules of using non-healing magic on a teacher, but he shall be awarded with the 3 school-sponsored items, for his service in the tournament. And let this incident be a note for you all - Never, and I mean NEVER, underestimate your opponent."

It wasn't hard to take it seriously considering his still smiling face, since Bertund's voice and tone were solid and dense enough to puncture through their doubts.

K : (... Phew. That... That played out in my favor, I think.)

Be : "Mister Kotsuba."

K : "? Ahh, yes?"

Be : "As a congratulatory form of encouragement, for your outstanding performance, I hereby officially declare you the champion of our annual Sage Raufid Young Magus Tournament."

K : "..."

Katachi's face warped to one with a troubled look. Every student around him looked like snarling hunting hounds, ready to silently pounce upon and kill him.

Be : "You may request for 3 items or objects that the school is able to afford, and receive them free-of-charge. But, be warned - Should your request be invalid, that would be a chance wasted."

K : "It's fine. I know what I would want for a first item. I would like a really, really big, paper book full of blank pages."

The students were confused. Why would he want a blank paper book when he could have just used bamboo? And why so many pages? Is he going to be an author of a book on medicine, or is he going to record down history?

Be : "Understood. Shelly?"

The principal's wife, Shelly, walked towards Katachi, handing a really thick book with a leathery hard cover and a lot of paper bound together.

Be : "There you are. A thousand blank pages bound into a book."

K : (A- A thousand!? I... I didn't think I'd need a thousand... I thought 500 would have sufficed.) "Th-... Thank you."

Be : "What's next?"

K : (Right, there's that settled, so the next issue would be Mister Rekter.) "I would like permission, for my second item."

Be : "Permission to what, Mister Kotsuba?"

K : "Permission to take Mister Rekter's Word of Power for my own."

"What!?"
"Did he just say take his Word of Power?"
"As if having one wasn't enough, he wants two!?"
"Hah. As if that's possible! No person can possess two Words of Power at any one time!"
"What a greedy coxcomb!"

Be : "I don't think you would need the school's power nor authority to do that. You have wasted your second request, Mister Kotsuba."

The students laughed at him for being silly, but Katachi looked at Rekter, still frozen in that position.

K : "... Very well. I shall take that as a consent."

The laughter died as the students observed Katachi. He walked towards Rekter, with the book in his hand and his mind set on one thing only : .

Katachi hovered his hand over Rekter's, and silently chanted the new power learnt from Bertund.

K : (... 锁! Lock within book - !)

The golden formed inside the book's first page as Katachi opened to check if it worked.

This time, all the students who were jeering at his stupid request a moment ago turned pale white. None of them knew that it was possible for a single person to obtain more than one Word of Power. The foolish ones were frightened at how it was possible, while the smart ones were petrified at how fast it took for Katachi to become that much more powerful, now that he has a second Word of Power.

They finally understood the reason for the first item.

Every blank paper page could be considered a single object. In that case, every page could contain a Word of Power. Theoretically, Katachi could contain all the Words of Power in that one book, and not have to use something like pebbles instead. 292 pages would have been far lighter than 292 wooden tablets.

K : "... 290 more words to go... Bertund?"

Hearing that, the students lost all will to retaliate. 290 more words to go? From what just happened, this student, Katachi, was clearly going to collect that monstrous power repeatedly until he has all of them. Comparing it to their own magic, it was like looking at the beautiful fountain in the middle of town that none are allowed to drink from.

Be : "Yes, Mister Kotsuba?"

K : "For my third request... I would like a full and complete, basic traveler's kit."

Be : "A basic traveler's kit?"

It was settled - Katachi's destination wasn't the school. It was at a place so far away, far beyond the expectations of the students, that only his journey itself can tell where and when the destination will be. That's why he didn't mind being expelled - Rather, expulsion may have hastened his process of leaving the school.

K : "Yes! I need a basic kit that can help me hold this book and some clothes, a water bag and, and... and preferably a ground sheet, too. Probably with a side pouch for me to store some coin as well."

Be : "A full and complete one, inclusive of new clothes and a blanket?"

K : "Ah- Uhm... Yeah, that will suffice."

Be : "Very well. We shall get to that. All right, students, you don't have to stay here the whole day. Go and enjoy yourselves! Today's events have concluded - The lessons start tomorrow! Come on now! Let's go!"

*** ***

Bertund shooed the students away like crows, and the atrium was empty once again - With only two people within. Katachi, the hated, expelled student, and the still-immobile Mister Rekter.

K : (... I'm not sure if it actually managed to lock the Word of Power inside the book. I can probably use the Word of Power within the book, too... Uh, hopefully...)

Walking towards the guest room, Katachi tried to open the door, but it was locked.

K : (... This is a nice opportunity to try it out.)

Holding the thick, 1000-page book in his hands, Katachi focused on the door's lock.

K : (锁! Unlock object - Door!)

A golden word was applied onto the door, and it clicked open miraculously.

K : (... Interesting. Does it stay unlocked when I remove it?)

Removing the Word of Power, the lock snapped shut once again, but this time the door was still ajar, so Katachi could see the locking mechanism as well as the guest room's interior.

The room was a lavishing beautiful mixture of beige and caramel brown, and within were a bed, three comfortable seats with cotton padding, a coffee table, and a small desk with a stool. The bed was made nicely with one of the highest-quality red velvet, and a faint tint of rosemary filled the room.

K : (... This room's almost a direct upgrade from my place...)

Katachi entered the room for three steps, and admired the interior of the guest room before getting back onto the Word of Power that worked on the lock.

K : (...Good, good. It's just like , then - Its effects are persistent only when the Word of Power is on the object.)

Katachi left the guest room, and thought of heading back to his own room. The magical hallway guided him on a familiar path, as Rekter was still left alone, in the atrium, frozen on that very spot.

Nobody tried to free him, because it was futile to begin with.

*** ***

The dormitory room's door was knocked on.

S : "Mister Kotsuba? Are you there?"

Katachi walked towards the door and opened it. Outside the room were Shelly and Bael, with a bag, some nice-looking clothes, a rope, a groundsheet, a blanket, and some other unexpected objects like a tablet with a Kaba rune and a rock with a Skiel rune on it, to list a few.

K : "Good... Good afternoon..."

Ba : "Katachi... You're going to leave?"

Katachi looked at the now-depressed Bael, patting her shoulder.

K : "... Yeah. I am."

Ba : "You're not even going to deny the fact that you're being expelled?"

K : "I'm fine with it. My goal isn't to graduate from this school to begin with - It was this-"

S : "I'm sure you two have a lot to say, but could you please take these into your room first, Mister Kotsuba? These are quite heavy, and the directional magic repels us from your room so take these fast and put them inside so you can sort them at your own leisure."

K : "Oh. Right. Sorry, Shelly."

Grabbing the mass of items, Katachi carried it all into his room in 3 trips.

K : "Thanks for your help, you two- Hey, why isn't Bertund the one bringing these to me?"

S : "Oh, Bertund? He's busy with seeing off Minister Lein. Leave him be, Mister Kotsuba - He did not come here not because he didn't want to. At least he's doing his job as he should."

K : "... I guess."

S : "Right then, I have my own things to do, you two have a nice chat. It would probably be your last, unless you leave with him, Bael."

Bael blushes and snapped back quickly, "Wha- What's that supposed to mean?!" before storming off in embarrassment.

S : "And Katachi, be sure to come to the principal office at 4pm sharp. You have about 3 hours - It should be enough to pack everything. I'll be off doing administrative work."

K : "Okay."

Katachi went back into his own room, and began packing his stuff.

*** ***

K : (Let's see... I really don't need these tiny runes in the pouch, do I? I'll keep the Urdythari pebble as a memento and a water source, and leave the rest, so there's room for the map. Then, there's also the clothes, which I shouldn't be so eager to wear immediately. They're light, traveler's clothes that fit my body well, but I'd like to wear them only when my original clothing is damaged, or when I outgrow my old clothes...)

K : (... There. It's all set.)

Carrying the large bag out of his room, Katachi walked towards the principal's office. The students whom he passed by glared at him with scornful eyes, but Katachi paid no heed to them.

In his mind, a memory of a man was refreshed.

That man was sentenced to be humiliated on the pillory. He had three young girls hugging his legs while he stood there, begging him to give up and return the burden of the sins to the girls. But he insisted on taking the sins and wrongdoings of the girls.

Katachi remembered that man.

He used to visit Mother Rin's church often, in silent prayer for his children and for mourning his wife. He was a silent, few-worded but passionate man, one whom Katachi had always looked up to as an idol.

K : (... I must strive to be like him.)

With that back on the pillory in his mind, Katachi ignored the stares and continued walking towards Bertund's office.

*** ***

*Cozy's Notes : Damn, I'm getting talkative. So, yeah! Last week's chapter ended with a pretty awkward climax, and the reason for that is explained in this week's chapter - Rekter was dumbed down by Katachi! Katachi is actually a great strategist! As if the foreshadowing of this wasn't clear enough in the previous chapters! Also, hurray! He finally got the 1000-paged blank book!*

*Cozy's Notes : So, next week is going to be when Katachi finally sets off from the school! Next week marks the end of the Academy story arc! Next week, is the new beginning of Katachi the traveler! And yes - Rekter is still fixated in position at the atrium! Will Katachi ever free him from his binds? Or will Rekter become a statue, a new ornament for the school? Find out, on next week's episode, of DragonBall Z- I mean, Words of Power Quest!*

*T.W.'s Notes : what the fuck, dragonball z of all things?*

*Cozy's Notes : Just kidding. But, next week heralds the new character briefly seen in chapter 13.5, Matalpalhallafaelladrapahamo Roberia. This girl's an important character in the story! Her actions as well as Katachi's will affect the plot of the story dramatically. Look forward to it!*

Friday 5 April 2013

Chapter 20 : Tournament 11 : Aftermath

Zirco lay on the ground, breathing heavily. His entire body was sluggish, and it felt like his muscles were worn out, even though he had not ran around, or done strenuous exercise.

He did it. He saved his trump card for the perfect moment.

He had saved this lava-spewing trick throughout the entire tournament for a last resort, in the event that he was going to fight a tough enemy that was resistant to simple flames. He didn't want to use it until the opponent showed an opening, but that was as good an opening as it gets. Even if the round was over, it didn't matter. Even if he didn't get the prize, it didn't matter.

All that mattered was that Katachi was dead.

A bastard child off the planet was always a good thing, so he thought.

Zirco took deep breaths, and readjusted his blood pressure. He felt the slight bursts of energy returning to his body with every breath taken in.

It was over.

Z : "..."

Zirco stared silently at the azure sky of Cosmatral Silo, a beauty that couldn't normally be seen over the skies of Mielfeud. It was not a scene common to anywhere in the world, perhaps - The only place with such scenic visuals was probably Auser, with their mountains and wide, open areas. But traveling to Auser for this view wasn't really worth it when this dimensional plane was beautiful enough-

Z : (!?)

A sound.

A loud, wooden sound, that was not made from the bubbling lava. A sound of wood dropping onto metal, that was not made by Zirco's wooden sword.

Z : (... That's probably from Katachi's dagger.)

Zirco reassured himself a little bit with the information, and slowly closed his eyes-

K : "A surprise attack, huh."

Z : "!?" (Katachi!?)

Zirco widened his eyes.

Did his attack miss? No, it couldn't have. Lava provided an immensely powerful burst of heat, one that surpassed the flames he used in the tournament. Even if he barely dodged the lava itself, its heat should be strong enough to wound him, its heat should be powerful enough to make him scream in the pain of the burn, or grate and drag himself over the metal floor. It should have at least produced some form of sound should he have dodged it.

But it didn't make sense.

There were no excessive noises. The delay the wooden dagger took to drop was far too long. That means... Something else happened?

With the tiny bit of regained energy, Zirco forced his body up to see what happened.

...

Amidst the lava, was a naked boy.

It was a boy, bending down to pick his dagger up. It was a boy of hair the blackness of charcoal. A boy, with a magic circle on his left shoulder.

It was the bastard child he had looked down upon so.

But, something's wrong. The naked boy is standing on lava, and he's bending down to pick up a dagger. How is he not dead yet? Can anyone actually stand in lava?

As he stood up straight, something even more baffling caught his eye.

Z : (! A golden word... !? What... That thing on his chest is a Word of Power...!)

A Word of Power.

The feared magic that could make anything within its boundary happen. An event magic that can absolutely defy and deny the effects of a curse, a magic, a prayer. An event magic that is said to be so ridiculously powerful, one had to be saintly, or even divine, to even fight on par with those things. An absolute power where even the slightest modicum of its knowledge would have sufficed.

Katachi, has a Word of Power on his chest.

Z : (Where... Where did he get that from? Did he ask for that Word of Power from one of the teachers? That's cheating!)

K : "... Are you happy now, Zirco? I've worked so hard, to hide this power from everybody."

Z : (Hide... The power?)

With a snap of his fingers, Zirco suddenly felt an immense pressure.

The air around him was heavy. It weighed his body down, and he couldn't get up at all. Was the energy he regained that miniscule?...

No. That wasn't it.

It felt like something was pulling and chaining him down.

Zirco tried as he may, but the force was too strong - He gave up after a few seconds of meaningless struggle, and was pinned onto the floor by an unknown force.

Opening his eyes, Zirco saw the huge, golden  on the floor he was sprawled on.

Z : (!!! There's one here, too... So, that scum didn't borrow the power - He HAS the Word of Power itself!!!)

K : "... All the effort I've put into learning water spells..."

Gripping the dagger by its handle with only three fingers, Katachi positioned it above Zirco's immobilized left hand.

He simply let go.

The dagger was forced into the ground at a shocking force - One powerful enough to penetrate Zirco's left hand cleanly in a horizontal.

Z : "GAAAAAAAHHH- AHAHH!?!" (The dagger just went straight right through me!? But, it's made of wood! How is that even possible!?)

The searing pain flowed through his body. Blood was coming out of the hole in his left hand. The middle and ring fingers slowly grew cold, limp and numb. He could feel it. As he clenched his left hand to relieve the pain with pressure, he felt the sticky, crimson liquid over his index and little fingers. It smelled of iron, and it was staining over the wooden blade.

His middle and ring fingers didn't move at all.

They were dead - Their nerves were severed cleanly with that attack.

Stepping on his left wrist, Katachi pulled the dagger out from his hand. Zirco didn't even notice that the word on the floor was gone - He grabbed his left hand with his right to ease the pain as much as he could, but then...

K : "All this time, I had to use my Word of Power in discretion, so nobody will see it..." (设! Set dagger weight - 700 fold!)

The dagger was sent piledriving downwards once again into him - This time, on the right hand clutching the left.

Z : "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!"

His screams were being broadcasted over the coliseum, intensifying the feelings of fear the audience had further. They were all staring at Katachi in horror at his misuse of his Word of Power brutally hurting Zirco over and over again. Katachi plucked the dagger out once again, before wiping and spreading the blood off on Zirco's sleeve like it was butter.

Clutching his hands in pain, Zirco's breathing turned erratic as he tried to relieve the pain on both hands. They were both bleeding - One with a horizontal wound, while the other with a diagonal wound. Both punctured cleanly through his hands, and there was no way to apply pressure on the both of them effectively to stop or lessen the bleeding.

K : ".. All of it, ruined by you and your stupidly large ego."

Katachi grabbed Zirco by his left arm, wrapped it around his neck, and hoisted him up. He then picked up the wooden dagger with his free right, and began walking.

He could have just left Zirco to himself.

He could have returned the abuse even more.

He could have just outright killed him.

But he didn't.

Mother Rin told him that the teachings of Segus were sacred, and ought to be treated at the highest respect.

If Segus forbade killing, he shall not kill.

If Segus encouraged him to feed his body to the needy, he would gladly follow.

If Segus said to resolve situations with the least damage, he would oblige.

And he does.

Because to Katachi, Segus made sense in his teachings.

Katachi slowly staggered with the dazed, hyperventilating Zirco to the obelisk in Cosmatral Silo.

And with a light tap on the crystal with the dagger, they were both out.

*** ***

Ba : "... Katachi..."

Resting Zirco on the bench, Katachi placed his dagger on the bench and headed towards the barrel with a wooden cup. He scooped within, and out comes a cup of healing syrup.

Ba : "Katachi!"

Katachi moved the dagger to a side so he could sit.

K : (... The bench is hot... Then again, I don't have clothes on, so I'm probably feeling the full brunt of its heat raw.)

Resting Zirco in an upright position, Katachi slowly pours the disgusting, viscous fluid into his mouth.

Ba : "KATACHI!! Don't ignore me!"

K : "Just say what's on your mind. I don't care if it's an insult or something."

Ba : "... You had a Word of Power with you? All this time?"

Katachi puts the empty cup down on the bench, and looks at Bael with cold eyes.

K : "Yeah."

Ba : "Why were you trying to hide it?"

Katachi looked away to the side for a bit, before looking Bael in her eyes again.

K : "... Because it wouldn't be fair using such an absurd magic in the tournament."

 formed on Katachi's right palm, and he looked at it, lips curling down with a bitter light.

K : "Because having this meant being ostracized."

Ba : "Why would I ever ostracize you for it?"

K : "... I've read it in bamboo books. I've noticed how the one person who's the oddity is always looked down upon, who's always the target of others. I've had enough of that in Mielfeud. That's why... That's why I wanted to just zip past everything in life, to just move along without making friends. Then you showed up."

Ba : "... Nobody would blame you for having a magic like that."

Katachi stared at Bael, with a fierce expression. His eyebrows loosened, and he closed his eyes while taking a deep breath. Standing up, Katachi walks toward a barrel, and dresses himself in the clothes found within. When he's properly attired, he picked up the dagger, shoved it in the coat, and looked back at Bael.

K : "... This will prove you wrong."

Katachi walked towards the door to the coliseum's spectator area. Opening the door, the students all peered at him. Thousands of eyes pierce the doorway, many mumbles and background chatter were heard, and they were all staring at Katachi.

K : "... Isn't this proof enough?"

Bael, dumbfounded, simply stood there.

It wasn't doing any good trying to confront Katachi in the first place. She too, knew deep down, that the odd one out was always the one isolated. When she experimented with Vithrolu's spells for her traps, she constantly touched the decayed and rotting objects, and she interacted with it so much she began producing a similar odor. It stung the noses of other students who didn't understand her, and they all complained and suggested to Bertund to move her away.

Wherever she went, she was shunned - As much as Katachi was the target of gossip right now.

She knew those feelings well. Yet, in a desperation to stop someone else from feeling the same, she hypocritically spoke up. But something spoken, suggested without actual experience, will never be as solid as something with an actual base.

Her role in this was redundant.

She couldn't do anything to help Katachi be honest, or be relieved.

She couldn't be the 'big sister' role she wanted to be for him.

D : "I figured your magic wasn't so simple."

Deku walked towards them from the outside.

Ba : "!? Deku?"
K : "... I'm surprised you figured it out early on."

D : "I use Dardicel's Reincarnate Art, Golem with Conduit Imbue. Of course I'd notice - You didn't seem to have faith in Soltak at all. Powerful Reincarnate Art users have great faith in the God they borrow power from. You defeating me despite your lack of faith was a dead giveaway."

K : "... I suppose I can't hide anything from a professional."

D : "No. You can't."

K : "..."
Ba : "..."

D : "... Bertund wants to see you. In the atrium."

K : "... Okay. Tell him I'll be there in 10 minutes."

Katachi walked out of the doorway, and towards the atrium, ignoring the spectators and the other contestants. The students were all beginning to follow Katachi, but not in a good, leader-like way.

*** ***

Be : "Ahh, you've come-... With a majority of the school's cohort, I see."

Katachi walked into the atrium, with the huge group of students fearfully following behind him.

K : "... They followed me here. I don't know why, but they did."

Be : "I see no surprise there, mister Kotsuba. The Words of Power are a rare, and powerful magic, after all. Only 292 people could have it in the entire world. They would clearly be afraid and curious at the same time as to what you can do."

K : "... Okay, but how do I get them off my back?"

Be : "Explain it to them."

K : (Ex- Explain?! Is he serious?!) "I- Ex- Explain?!"

Be : "Yes. Explain."

Picking up a plain stick, Bertund 'drew' on one of the curvy pillars the word 解. The stone pillar just eroded off, and formed the word on that section of the pillar immediately.

Be : "Right, then, Katachi, tell me everything you know about this word. To me. Clearly."

A lot of chatter appeared behind Katachi.

"What's that symbol up there?"
"Did you see the principal just draw that effortlessly?!"
"What kind of magic is that?"
"I think that's read as kai in Ohde..."
"Is that in Ohde or Anik?"
"It's probably Ohde, since that guy has black hair."

Ignoring the noisy students, Katachi faced Bertund and spoke softly, but clearly.

K : "The word up there is . In Ohde, it's read as kai, but in Anik it's read as Jiě. The meaning it has in Ohde usually means a solution to a problem, or an unlocking or unsealing power. In Anik, it can have different meanings besides solution and unsealing. For..."

Katachi nervously looks around himself, at the students who were now attentively listening to him.

K : "... For example, 了 means 'understand', and 松 means to release or loosen and free, which is quite different from unsealing. The word can have many, different meanings depending on how it is used. That's... That's pretty much all I know for this word though."

"That word's different from the one on his chest earlier..."
"Does that mean he has two? But, that can't be possible! Nobody's ever had two!"
"His word was glowing yellow... Do all Words of Power glow? And what color do they glow in?"
"So that's a Word of Power..."
"It's different from that Spy Brim skit... Their 'Words of Power' are completely different..."
"That's real, huh..."

Be : (You sneaky little devil. Coming up with common terms in fear of raising Rekter's precedence level by accident? Smart, commendable, but unnecessary.)"... Good. You've done your research. Now then... Rekter, come out here."

A familiar teacher in brown walks out from a room to the side, with a pen in his hand.

R : "Yeah?"

Be : "I'm afraid you're going to be humiliated, Rekter. The child's already won. You just lost thoroughly."

R : "What? He, beat me? Ahahahahaha, no, no, a mere student can't possibly beat a teacher."

K : "Is that so, mister Rekter?"

Rekter's face turned serious when Katachi spoke up.

R : "... What do you want, a test?"

K : "Yes."

R : (... I figured it'd boil down to this sooner or later, but this early?... Oh well. I can beat him. I've improved my precedence level so I'm not the Rekter from before!) "... Very well. But, if you're so insistent on a test this early... You're going to have to take into account the responsibility of failure, child!"

R : (开! Unfasten hook - Chandelier!)

A golden word formed on the chain attached to the ceiling. The hook on the chandelier unfastened, and the chandelier on the ceiling fell.

Falling...

... Onto the other students.

K : (Not good! 固! Fixate object - Chandelier!)

The chandelier froze midfall with a  on its rim, and the students were all shocked.

R : "I got you!" (除! Remove external effects - Chandelier!)

The golden word overlapped the other , and slowly, one faded off.

R : (... The chandelier shall fall, and the students beneath crushed by his failure- !!)

 faded away.

Not , but .

... Which means...

Katachi's precedence level is now higher than Rekter's.

R : "What?! How?! When!? Mine should have dissolved yours! How did you raise your precedence level so quickly?"

Katachi pushed the students beneath the chandelier away first, before undoing his  to let the chandelier crush onto the floor without causing harm.

R : "... What, exactly what, did you do?"

Katachi looked back at Rekter, with fierce eyes this time.

K : "ARE YOU CRAZY!? Why didn't you use 救 to pull the students beneath away first?! What would have happened if the students died by your hand!?"

Katachi's hands were trembling in cold sweat, and his eyes burning vibrantly, reflecting his inner rage.

He's furious. He's glad that he managed to push the students away before they got hurt, but still, he's furious.

K : "I can't believe such an irresponsible teacher even existed! Shelly was right - You really are mad with power. So mad, that you neglect the most important and basic of things, like respect, or even ensuring their safety before the test! You... You asshole!..."

*** ***

*Cozy's Notes : yay he sweared. I didn't want Katachi to be a foul-mouth who would swear at every 2 sentences, but times like this where the person just drives him up the wall, I let him swear.*

*T.W.'s Notes : I thought you said you were making this a friendly, all-ages enjoyable psychological fantasy novel with romance and lulzie moments.*

*Cozy's Notes : Shhhhhhhh. Shh shhhhh shhhhhhhhh shhh. quiet, tiat wee. quiet. silence. shh.*

*Cozy's Notes : In the next chapter, you will see something really pleasant. Something super elaborate. Something my style. Sorry about this week's horrible filler-like chapter without anything exciting going on. Obviously, Rekter isn't just some weak teacher who would only raise his precedence level by that little. He's no fool, that's to be sure. Or is he?

Next week, though, you'd see the real reason why Katachi was able to beat Rekter. I promise. And this promise... It's a Cozy's promise. It's not the shitty kind you see in Naruto. K? Look forward to it.*

Monday 1 April 2013

Chapter 19 : Tournament 10 : Final_Round

Z : "!!!"

Zirco was stunned at the battlefield's layout. Meanwhile, Katachi had merely just stepped through, and entered Cosmatral Silo.

K : "What did she mean by don't get impaled- ... Oh my."

Cosmatral Silo is a nightmare.

Everything looked metallic. The air was full of dust, and it stained the presumably blue sky's azure into something between a sickly green and brown. The platform they are fighting on has already broken into many, many pieces - There were dents and cave-ins all over the floor, there were broken parts of the footing here and there, there were even shards of crystals littered over the ground, acting as a hazard. Strangely enough, there were no 'sharp objects' to 'impale' them with, so Bael's meaning was still unclear.

Z : "Remnants of the previous battles?... Don't they ever take care of this place?"

K : (... This, is the battlefield that Bael prefers?)

The place literally reeked of death, and would offset anyone that needs the natural elements to battle efficiently. Large mounds of metal float peacefully in the background, supposedly also horribly scarred and worn out by the previous students whom have set foot upon this plane. The air was stagnant and smelled like rust - Both from the pieces of corroded metal, and from the bloodstains on the ground. It was completely stale - Cosmatral Silo is a battlefield that restricts one's mobility by the obstacles on the plane, as well as the deprivation of fresh air available to the competitors.

It truly is a battlefield for testing the power of pure magi, not those that relied on finesse or brute strength.

Katachi's at a disadvantage, then.

The judge set the flag down, and the final round began.

*** ***

Katachi faced his opponent who was 7 meters away, dagger in hand, ready to strike.

Zirco reached for his wooden sword's rough position, to ensure that he had a way to fight Katachi close range, should he decide to close the gap like in the previous rounds.

Z : "I had originally wanted to use the sandy plains of Cosmatral Tlod to my advantage, scum... This just means that my spell will lose out in its efficiency, but that can be recovered with a little image power."

Zirco clapped his hands together twice, and began reciting his spell.

Z : "Hear me, students of Sage Raufid Magus Academy. Hear the cries of I, the man, and Katachi, the fool."

K : (He's marking me with a specific name, of the Fool... From what I can gather, there are at least 40 tales that use 'man' and 'fool'. It's a pity I didn't get to see his semifinal match because of Bael... I'd need more clues on his spell if I want to know what tale he's deriving his spells from. He's also using the image power of the students to offset the lack of an advantage... Like sand, perhaps? Is he an elemental type? There are 9 stories related to sand with 'man' and 'fool' within... That's only if he's actually using the sand, and not the pure air. Which is he using? Water? Fire?)

Zirco holds his hands up, towards the green sky.

Z : "The man treads lightly, and is thus protected."

K : (There are 3 stories related to sand, protect, man and fool... More...! I have to dodge whatever he's doing, and derive the spell's tale appropriately, before I properly strike him...)

Z : "While the fool stomps and leaps, happy-go-lucky as he ever will be."

The metal beneath Katachi's feet began to shake.

K : (...!!! Aleksei and the Wiseman!  If that's really what he's using as a spell base, then I have to move right now!-)

Z : "And so the flames spewed forth, beneath the fool's feet!"

Katachi leapt away quickly onto a clearing on the platform. Where he once was, the metal creaked and exploded outward, and fire erupted from that spot. The air above it cleared for a moment, and was consumed by the dust once again. Zirco looked carefully and observed the effects of his actions, while Katachi took the time to reorganize the new information from his spell.

Z : (The metal isn't soft, like earth, so it takes longer to crack open for the flames to spew. The place where the fire gushed out from is still hot, so that's going to be to my advantage, I guess. My attacks are going to be delayed in here, though... The fire seems to be equally strong, even when the air isn't fresh. Perhaps the image power received from the students only intensified the flames, not the spell's speed. I had wanted this to be a swift victory, but this unexpected turn of events screwed it all up. If I had known the battlefield's going to be comprised of metal instead, I would simply have settled with Forze's flame-spewing stave instead... No point in regretting what's done. I'll just use this spell as I just had.)

K : (... The tale of Aleksei and the Wiseman... Aleksei, a happy-go-lucky Auser fool who traveled onto a mountain where he met a wiseman crossing a volcano as well. They landed into deep trouble because of Aleksei's foolishness, but the wiseman helped Aleksei move about without disturbing the volcano. If he's the wiseman, then he needs to shout 'Tread with care, young fool!' or his spell will affect me. It's supposed to be a story that can compose a spell for training magi to dodge, and the safe sentence protects the trainee from being damaged by the spell.)

K : (He's using it offensively, where he, the wiseman would never need to scream that line... I can't use the Water Lob spell Bertund recommended - He can probably surround himself with flames intense enough to evaporate the shot before it even reaches him. I guess the only other option I have is Croxa's spell. That's assuming he doesn't have any other spells up his sleeve.)

Katachi kept his dagger back into its sheathe, to free up his hands for evading Zirco's spell. Seeing him withdraw his wooden dagger, Zirco quickly took up offense. Clapping his hands even tighter than before, he began his incantation.

Z : "And lo, the fool leapt out of the pennsic and into the flames."

K : (!! It's not specifying anything, so it must be a CONTINUOUS SPELL- !! NOT GOOD, NOT GOOD-!!)

Katachi began sprinting around the battlefield quickly, in hopes to avoid the flames erupting from the floor. The flames, however, have begun gushing out in a tracing ripple - Wherever Katachi stepped on, the flames would spew over that piece of metal a moment later for a few seconds. It was forming many, many medium columns of flame, and it was chasing Katachi down. Round and round he went, forming lots of cracks on the ground and dividing the battlefield's border between him and Zirco.

K : "Gh!" (He's going to make me waste my stamina, a main weakness of most magi... Fine then! Let's see how you'd handle this!)

Running and dodging the flames narrowly, Katachi began reciting his own spell.

K : "And when she lifted her face, an unending stream flowed from her hands and eyes!"

Water started pouring out of Katachi's hands and eyes. They flowed and streamed, and covered the metal field with water all over. The flames were still spewing, but the water made the metal platform cool rapidly,  so Katachi wouldn't feel the residual heat on his soles, while the heat dried the water fast enough for Katachi to re-run over the surface without feeling the slippery texture and eliminating the risk of skidding and losing balance.

Z : (!! What the-!!! Urdythari's unending tears!? That requires her rune to cast, but he's simply casting it without any form of guidance!? Did he tattoo her rune onto his skin or something!? Or did he cheat, and bring in a rune prepared beforehand?!) "Are you cheating!?"

Zirco, upon unearthing the seemingly impossible trick, lost his focus. His hands which were clapped together lost their firmness and loosened, and the pillars of flame stopped. But Katachi's palms and eyes were still leaking water like a stream, and it was now submerging the entire battlefield. The water poured and flowed over the metal ground. It flowed into the dents made by the previous students. It flowed into the cracks made from Zirco's spell. It flowed towards wherever Katachi was pointing his palms at - And Katachi was still calmly walking around the battlefield, pouring the water around the battlefield on purpose.

Z : (He wants to wet the entire field so the spell becomes ineffective? That shouldn't be effective normally, because the flames burst through the metal-...)

It took a while for Zirco to make out what Katachi's actually doing. It was vague, but Katachi was indeed drawing the water on the ground in a specific shape.

Z : (... !! The magic circle's shape... Ohde god Sharyu Zuku's rain call!! He wants to douse my spell completely by wetting the entire field in a rainstorm! Well, I'll just increase the sun's intensity to- !!!!!)

Zirco finally realizes what Katachi was planning. Clapping his hands together, Zirco recites a spell quickly in a desperate attempt to stop, or at least slow the process.

Z : "Flames born unto his palms, and took the form of a ball. With a bursting intensity, it expanded!"

A ball of fire was created in the gap between his hands, and it grew larger and larger, until it was about half his body's size. Zirco held it high above his head, and threw the ball down-

Katachi swung his arms wildly toward Zirco, and the streams of water whipped out towards his opponent. It doused his fireball gradually while soaking his clothes with water, and landed onto his area in general - It was merely extinguishing his spell by flailing about randomly, without precision training or proper planning of the sort, but it was enough to interrupt his fireball spell.

Z : (... That was an unglamorous move for a magus, but... Shit. He planned for this!... He's going to turn the field into one where fire spells are unfavorable. If I let him use the rain call as he pleases, then I won't be able to use Aleksei's spell properly. That's the fastest spell I have, and if he smothers it with rain, it will weaken a lot, and I won't be able to cast other flame spells easily because of the rain obstructing the other spells. Not to mention, he's soaked my clothes, so my movements will be sluggish and the spell's effectiveness will drop like a hammer. But if I strengthen the sun, it will strengthen his Child of Sun's powers...)

Z : (... Is he betting on Soltak's Reincarnate Art to guard himself from the flames?... I don't have much choice. I would rather fight him at full power than fight him when I am weakened!)

And so, Zirco began a Clear Sky spell.

*** ***

K : (... is probably what he's thinking. If I guessed it right, then it should play out perfectly.)

*** ***

Z : "Oh, great mighty Soltak, you who guards the holy sun,"
K : (He's begun reciting... I need to play along as well.) "Sharyu Zuku, God of Rain,"

Placing his palms onto his own shirt, Katachi began reciting while the water flows through his uniform. Meanwhile, Zirco raised his hands above his head, in reverence to the sky.

Z : (He's pouring the water onto himself so he doesn't draw anything excessive... Smart move, but you should have kept refreshing the water on the circle.) "Grace us with the glory of the bringer of hope!"
K : (I don't know if he'd notice that Clear Sky needs 2 more verses than the Rain Call spell, so will he speed-read his spell before I finish mine, evaporating the magic circle? Or will he finish later, to receive the dominant weather?... I'll keep playing along.) "Grace us water, Everyday!"

Z : (He's finished his... Now I will finish mine, so my spell takes dominant effect!) "Let the sun purge the foes of the darkness which we fear! Clear the skies, so we may observe your magnanimous love, toward us all!"

The sun in Cosmatral Silo was positioned beneath the platform they are standing on, and so the light poured from beneath the battlefield, and leaked through the cracks made by Zirco's spell. The light, blanketing the base of the mound of steel they were standing and fighting on, was one so pure that it blanketed the entire area they stood in with a giant shadow. That lasted for a few seconds. When the light faded, it blew away and evaporated all the water on the platform, and the green, unhealthy air cleared out, revealing Cosmatral Silo's true appearance.

A vast, beautiful space with many floating mounds of metal, surrounded by a sky of the purest azure. It was a beauty that captivated even Sage Raufid himself, when he was still alive.

Z : (... Beautiful...)

K : (He's not paying attention to me, even when the match isn't over? Well, that deserves a punishment.) "As he touched the river they first met at, the water crept upwards."

Z : (!?)

Zirco turned to face Katachi, who was now being coated with strange, slime-like blobs of water.

K : "It enveloped his limp, dead body, like living armor, the same way his love embraced him."

The water took the form of a full set of body armor, spare the helmet, and Katachi finally withdrew his dagger when it had enveloped him and settled down.

Z : (A combination spell of Diehl and Urdythari... It's well-remembered because it was their most dramatic tragedy scene, but its usefulness is rather limited...)

K : "I was just joking, Zirco."

Z : (? Joking?) "I do not understand this joke you speak of, scum."

K : "I didn't actually learn Sharyu Zuku's Rain Call spell."

Z : "... ! ... You... DIDN'T know the spell." (Shit. He made me tire myself out...)

K : "No. I didn't. Besides, even if I did, haven't you even noticed it in the sky? There are no clouds I could have used."

Zirco felt like he had been slapped on his cheek so hard that the sting would linger for a long time. He just boosted his opponent's power exponentially and fell right into his trap while exhausting himself with Aleksei's and Soltak's spells.

Z : "... So, all that-"

K : "-Was just to throw your breathing off so you couldn't use Aleksei's spell."

Z : *checks his own breathing* "... I figured as much..." (He distorted my breathing on purpose while maintaining his own stamina, forcing my body to tire out... Shit. I predicted this scum playing something underhanded, but something this elaborate... It's scary how well-planned it actually is.)

K : "Seeing as how you're tired right now, how about a story of Croxa's reincarnate, Sigurd?" (This should give him no time to relax and regain his stamina at all.)

Zirco was once again pelted with another problem - Should he listen to Katachi's story?

Usually, listening to a story was a bad idea, because the image power of that story will only serve to empower your opponent's magic even further. That will make it more effective, and the magic will become more powerful, just as how Zirco had used the exact same trick when their match started by declaring Katachi as the fool to fuel his Aleksei's spell.

But, not listening to the story would mean not knowing what the spell is capable of, and not knowing what to expect nor how to counter it. And since everything said in Cosmatral Silo is projected onto the coliseum, it is going to gain strength in the image power from the audience anyway. If there were 250 students at the coliseum, him listening would empower the story's spell with the thoughts of 251 people, while not listening would empower it by 250 while he knows absolutely nothing about it.

Yet another gamble. Katachi's cornering Zirco with all of his traps well in place.

Z : "... Speak then, scum. For this shall be the last time you would ever step into the finals."

K : "... Okay then. Croxa's 3rd reincarnate, Sigurd, was one of the lesser-known reincarnates of his. He didn't fight an epic battle with Sha'koth's reincarnate, but rather he died being kicked in the head by a horse in an accident. His technique wasn't the most powerful amongst Croxa's reincarnates neither. But, he did do something interesting while he was alive."

Z : *breathing deeply to regain stamina* "What 'something' did he do?"

K : "Sigurd had a pastime, which was dabbing his finger onto one drop of water, and pulling it to another drop of water. These two drops then fused to create a bigger drop of water. It was actually a base for one of his most offensive spells of surrounding himself with electrified water and charging at the opponent with frenzy, but this discovery also led to the creation of the water-powered devices we see today. Our bathing area does use Urdythari's unending tears as a water supply, but what makes the water flow out is actually Sigurd's discovery - The showering hole has a small pocket of water right before the pipe leads to the wall, that can merge with other pockets of water to 'pull' the water from the large pocket towards the shower hole."

Z : (... I see. I always wondered how the water system at the bathing spaces worked.) "You may be a bastard child, but you research well. For that and that alone, I give you credit."

K : "Yes, and thank you. But, you see, Zirco..."

Without warning, Katachi leapt forward, and traveled towards him. Fast.

Within half a second, Katachi had already appeared at point-blank range, right before Zirco.

Within half a second, Katachi covered the 4 meter gap between the two contestants at an astonishing speed invisible to the eye.

Within half a second, Katachi punched Zirco's throat with his right hand, still holding the wooden dagger.

Z : "Khaagh-!

Zirco clutched his neck as he fell backwards. He coughed twice, before Katachi placed the wooden blade against his throat, and performed a swiping motion with the dagger.

With that, Katachi became the champion for that year's Sage Raufid Young Magus Tournament.

*** ***

*Cozy's Notes : This chapter is no April Fool's joke, by the way.*

*T.W.'s Notes : My god. I told you to put a twist here and not let Katachi win. But no, you had to let the protagonist win. I thought you didn't want to write a shonen-styled story where the protagonist progressively gets stronger and stronger exponentially at unbelievably, fucking ridiculous rates. What do you have to say for yourself, Cozy? This better be an April Fool's Day joke.*

*Cozy's Notes : You'll see.*

Z : "... Damn it. I should have blown away the water on my clothes."

K : "... It would have been useless anyway. Even if your clothes weren't wet, even if I weren't wearing water armor, the spell would have worked regardless. People drink water, after all. Everyone has water within them."

Z : "...! You don't mean... !"

K : "... Yeah. I could have done the dash attack anytime. The only thing I was concerned with was that you would have defensive measures against such a straightforward attack, so I considered lowering your stamina first."

Z : "But, that speed... I could never catch up to that level! That is way too fast, even for my fastest-casting spell-!

K : "... Then, I suppose you've already lost this battle the moment you stepped in here - You keep focusing on what you can see, and not what you cannot see. In the end, you worry yourself over the effects of my attacks, not the cause."

Z : "Kh-!"

Slamming his right fist into the ground, Zirco expended a good bit of his remaining energy.

Z : (Losing, to the likes of this bastard child? Losing, to this INFERIOR?!)

K : "... I hope this changes your attitude. Please stop calling me scum, or bastard child, or crybaby weepants. No more."

*Cozy's Notes : Okay, crybaby weepants is a joke. Katachi is mentally-wise very, VERY strong, his mental strength was copied and inspired from one of the Mielfeud criminals that hang on the pillory. Refer to Chapter 1 if you don't remember.*

Katachi started walking out of Cosmatral Silo-

Z : (LOSING, TO THIS FOOL, WHO TURNED OUT NOT TO BE A FOOL!? THIS, THIS DESPICABLE LITTLE RUNT DEFEATED ME!?!? ... YOU... BAAASTAAAARRRD...!!!!!) "AND LO, THE LAVA SPEWED FORTH FROM BENEATH THE FOOL!!!"

Expending most of his remaining energy, Zirco cast a spell - One that was cast when the tournament was over. Normally, this would mean expulsion, but that didn't matter.

If Katachi could die, it didn't matter.

If the victory belonged to nobody, but he, Zirco, the sole finalist, it didn't matter.

If he could get rid of this eyesore permanently, it didn't matter.

Lava gurgled, and burst out in Katachi's place. Everyone in the coliseum saw the scene through the receiver. Katachi had clearly been where the lava was erupting from. Molten globs of heated, liquid earth eroded and melted anything it touched.

Katachi had melted.

*Cozy's Notes : This chapter marks the start of our notes because, well, April Fool's. I wanna take a day off sometimes and fool around on holidays or whenever I feel like it, like on the first day of April. Unless you want me to talk like that often, in which case, let me finish my story before I start commentating like Seorin.*