While the platform shook and grew more unstable, the students left, watching the waters below as some of their classmates thrashed around in it, still trying to find their footing or avoiding those whose panic would end up dragging them into the dark depths.
"I'm not surprised Class 1F would act so foolish, though seeing the top classes join in, what has the nobility come to?" They wondered before their impudent words were cut short with the trembling coming to a halt.
"See there was nothing to worry about–"
Bursting out of the waters and slamming atop the platform, enormous armored tentacles gripped and tore the stage asunder, bringing down what was left and tossing the remaining bystanders across the Tuning Lake.
Those who were treading water saw the attack and tried to move out of the way, though the assault quickly changed towards the kids. Descending like tower sized, spear-tipped threads innumerable, forcing those closest to scramble away.
"Everyone, get ready to act." Princess Charlotte peered out of the water, gasping for air before calling for the rest of her class.
"Do not despair Princess Charlotte." Vetmier Raon swam to the surface as he raised his hand towards the coming attack, he whispered a single word.
"Pneuma." Despite the incantation leaving his mouth in a faint voice, the effect sent out a shockwave rippling across the area, while most of them were left unharmed as Raon focused his might while trying to stay afloat.
"Knight of House Strum, please act!" He called out to her companion though he had already moved from out the waters onto the derelict remains of a column.
"Erie, make sure to only focus on what's in front."
"Will do, Herce." Turning back to the now halted assault, almost caught in an evanescent net woven from an unseen thread, the tentacles showed little signs of life after meeting Raon's magic.
So the beasts lurking below cast their tools, tearing away from their lifeless limbs and rising to the surface with the mass of their webbed wings kicking up storm-like winds.
"Well this was unforeseen, I wonder how they got their hands on Snallygasters?" Ketsuiko thought as the frame of the beast came into full view, its slick and feathered form raised it into the air
"How brazen. You've only served to make yourself an easier target. " Vauntuss mocked the sheer size of the beast as it noticed the lone perched figure.
"Hang on, if he's a Knight of the Strum family, he's gonna start tossing lighting about the place. I'd like it if one of your students didn't accidentally char all of mine." Reiss asked his fellow educator as they watched the developments alongside the crowd.
"You're mistaken. Young Vauntuss is a child of the Storms though not in talent only in name." Ulrich bore a confident smirk as he answered.
"Only in name, you say? How strange."
"We have no time for you beast. Ice I: Flash Freeze." His sterling eyes shone with an azure glow, with the air around him chilled at an unnatural rate before the same azure light shot towards the beast, taking barely a moment to reach it and envelop the area in front of him in a sudden blue flash.
Letting out a chilling breath as the glow faded as his eyes.
"See Reiss, he may not carry the favor of the Storms, but as you can see that has hardly stopped him."
"What the hell–" Reiss fell silent for the first time since the Carnival began.
Outstretched from where the young knight stood, laid an enormous tundral path. Formed from the frozen waves creating a tundral valley with beast imprisoned within the frost at its center. The icy path reached past the Snallygaster towards the Resonant Falls pouring out the descending treasures.
"Herce, it's done." He said before leaping off the column and helping her onto the frozen path.
"Good work, Erie. You even kept your word to restrain yourself. " Commending him as they waited for the rest of his class to join them.
"Of course. However since I limited my strength, I fear that we won't be left alone for very long. The waters are still disturbed, most likely the dangers will only continue."
"Well, I couldn't have you freezing the other classes as well. Vaceris might have been caught in the blast. There wouldn't be much of a competition if we did. Anyways, let's get going." Herce assured him before they took off after the treasures.
"She can handle herself, Herce. With this, our class will be the first to reach the Bloodsong Mountains."
While the group of Class 1A students gathered onto the icy glacier, members of Class 1C were still working to reel themselves out of the freezing water. Watching Class 1A leave the banks and take off was enough to get Seleste going. Ordering them to get on their way, she had Iris open a path...who was quick to act on her words.
Thanks to all the training Ms. Yuria put them through, the time it took for her to summon her Prismatic Bouquet was cut down significantly.
Calling upon the jade petals of her SoulArm, the power of the Chartreuse Tempest shielded the group within the eye of swirling storm waters and freezing winds.
Under the cover of the violent stormwinds, they moved after the treasures, so to capture them, Khrysos used the Corinthians Vase to summon his beasts of gold and shade.
Operating as the class's transport, his creatures would carry pairs of his classmates out of the eye and to the safety of the banks and away from the dangers that surrounded the green vortex with various attempts by the gathering beasts to pierce it.
With little time before his magic would be exhausted, Khrysos summoned his different beast, once again riding the Shade Dragon, and joined by their Captain, Seleste as well as Dirge, while Iris stayed behind with the last of the students being taken away.
"Keep the beast still or I might behead it." Dirge called out to the rider as he summoned his own SoulArm.
"Lament: Forgotten Epitaph. Midnight Harvest." Drawing out the cloaked scythe and casting the smoky veil over the water below, the howling sounds of the wretched souls trapped within, resounded within its touch.
"They'll hold off the beasts, but not for long." He reported as he focused his gaze on them.
The trio chased after the treasures with them quickly swooping down and grabbing three of them in a single motion, narrowly missing the barbed tentacles that reached for the shadow drake before they turned around and flew past the storm.
Out of which Iris could be seen as the last of the shadowy creature's passengers. Leaving the whirlwind to collapse in an imploding shockwave that rippled across the surface of the lake.
The moment all four reached the banks, their Captain urged them to get moving, giving them little chance to rest before they rushed for the mountains, soon following after 1A.
The onlookers watched two classes rush on ahead, prompting them to move into action. Strangely Class 1B shocked the other students by following in Class 1C's example as they took on a similar stance with a single one of their classmates mounting a flaming dragon that sprouted out of nowhere.
Though seemingly leaping out of the waters and onto the beasts with no other students around them, the rider took off after them and grabbed the treasures when suddenly, Ren, who only moments ago was standing beside the rest of his confused class on the banks, was seen alongside the rider atop the fiery dragon.
Popping in and out of thin air as they approached them and leaping into the waters without a second thought, as the rider watched over, and occasionally swatting away any rogue assaults from the surrounding foes before retrieving a treasure and flickering away.
This went on a few times while everyone else continued to battle the unruly waters and lurking dangers. By his third leap into the fray, Ren would retrieve a treasure though this time he would be hoisted up by the dragon rider instead as they made their way back.
Vaceris watched on and decided to act, taking off into the air. While flying between the threaded dangers to reach the remaining treasures, she encountered the threat Stephen warned about. As the latter used his abilities to carry the class in a protective barrier of water.
Torren and Erai couldn't do much with no proper footing, while Tersisa sent out her Galatea Automaton to aid Vaceris. The two of them battled with the Snallygasters in their way as she tried to find an opening while the Automaton distracted it.
Managing to collect one of the treasures, Vaceris aimed for a second one...but was knocked out of the air from a discharged bolt erupting from the treasures.
Seeing her enter the beast-infested water, her classmates reacted without hesitation.
However, their desire to act was quickly overtaken by a sudden golden streak launching from out of the water sphere.
Since Stephen was busy keeping everyone afloat and Tersia was kept occupied with fending off the beasts, the ones closest to act were Torren, Sergei and Ketsu. Though they could only look on as Erai dived in after her.
It wouldn't be long before the golden hue of his armor would light the surface of the lake as he returned to the sphere in a single leap.
Disarming himself as he forced the precious air into his lungs.
Gasping for a few moments before collecting himself.
"It's a lot heavier than it looks."
"...You were saying…" Vaceris asked as she came to.
"...Not you, I meant the treasure. You had a death grip on it so I had to drag along you with it."
"You were probably stunned by the treasures. It could explain why you weren't able to let go after the blast. Some of them might react dangerously if they're too close together."
"I can't believe they would trap them! Agh...since we can't tell which ones are dangerous until we are close to one another, the only option is to have each person carry one, then there shouldn't be any danger of them reacting." Ketsu deduced, after checking on the two of them.
Wondering if Vaceris could still get up, she nodded, a few of them wore a worried expression. Taking a few moments to catch her breath and regain the feeling in her limbs back, she would take off again and head towards the treasures, this time the beasts swarming the area had abandoned it.
With Galatea on standby, she was urged to continue.
Grabbing a second treasure before the mass of water nearby violently rushed against her.
The abrupt appearance of massive columns of water forced her to avoid them as best as she could, looking to head for the skies, craggy and voracious maws trailed behind only just missing her with a push of her magic sending her skywards.
'WHAT THE–'
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT DOING HERE?"
"IT'S A–"
"FUCKING HYDRA!" Reiss exclaimed, almost dropping his treat at the sight of the creature's many heads wriggling and twisting as if to shake off a very displeasing rest.
"Calm down Reiss! Do you really think we'd put that in there for the students to fight? It's obviously meant to act as a deterrent, possibly to incentivize the students to surrender...unless the Headmistress had another plan in mind." Ulrich chastised him.
"Are you serious? You're not even entirely convinced. Seriously no lady is pretty enough to convince me that having something like that in the Heart of the City is a good idea. I mean it has venom that can melt the flesh off your bones, and those idiots barely survived the Configuration."
"I must say that hearing you show concern for your students is quite pleasing to see."
"You're as much of an idiot as the rest of them. I am only worried about myself. My good looks plus dangerous flesh-melting poison equals no way in hell." Reiss walked by Ulrich and handed him his dessert, before approaching one of the staff that was erecting the Ward.
"Step aside." His annoyance was no longer bound to his voice, now erupting from his magic, it came off in oppressive waves, urging anyone nearby to stay clear out of his way while he called upon his flame sigils.
Speaking in his elven tongue, the sigils fluttered all-around before flying away from him and towards the ward. Passing through in a phantasmal haze, the barrier roared with new vigor as it took on the hue of Reiss' flames.
While the crowd jeered for the spectacle, Urlich could only toss his colleague's dessert in the bin, marking his disappointment in Reiss's cowardice
Ketsu was eventually pushed to act by Sergei and Stephen however he reminded them that Vaceris was too close to the monster and it was far too dangerous, explaining that she should return instead.
"There's no way we can fight that thing, especially in the water. We're as good as dead unless we do something…maybe we can slow it down enough to escape? Though we might not get the treasures if we run."
"No way!" The class answered together. Wanting to do everything they could to succeed, they asked Ketsu what they could do to give him more time.
Tersia summoned her Talos Automaton to join Galatea as they fought off the beast, managing to keep her warriors afloat with the help of a particular blessing.
"I didn't think I would be summoning her so soon, but Belladonna can help. While she can't fight, she can support you." Tersia instructed the Automaton before they began their struggle, with the few strikes that managed to land true, only worsened the situation with the birth of more fiendish heads.
With the scrapes and bruises healing before their eyes and some measure of their strength returning to them, Erai donned his spark filled armor before turning to the Class Captain.
"Ketsu, if I can get Vaceris out of the way can you stop that thing?" Erai asked, seeing Ketsu nodded in agreement.
While Ketsu and Erai stared down the towering beast, the sound of song filled the space. Though they couldn't find the source, they were beginning to relent until…
"The following song is not the defined call for the end of the round. Please continue." The golden spectre announced. Confusing the few students left in the lake.
"Sorry about that, but at least that should help a bit." Tersia pointed above them, with the glare from the sun obscuring a figure floating above their water sphere.
"Belladonna will be able to protect us, though her blessing is draining, I won't be able to move all that much when all three of them are summoned. So if you two have a plan you better get to it." Tersia called to them, as she dropped to one knee.
Erai asked Ketsu if he had a plan to take out the beast, he tried to answer honestly.
"Get Vaceris away from there, and bunker down."
Seeing his Captain's stern expression caused a chilling sensation to run down his back, compelling him to move as quickly as he could. Cloaking himself in the Beowulf Battle Armour, Erai rushed towards Hydra.
Using the glaciers for footholds to get as close as possible, Talos joined him, stepping up and grabbing him before lunging off the icy mass as one of the vicarious maws descended upon them.
"T-thanks." He said to the Automaton before it tossed him to the beast. Streaking towards the monster and breakneck speeds.
Drawing in the attention of the rest of the savage heads, all turned to pursue him, giving up on Vaceris and finally allowing her to pass out of their grasp.
"Good work." Ketsu whispered, before onyx and crimson sparks erupted from his body in a sudden flurry of sparks. Stunning his classmates for a moment and even catching the attention of the other classes.
"Apologies for those who are harmed, but brace yourself."
Among the cloudy veil overlooking the Lake, Vaceris was met by the surprising appearance of thundering booms and electric arcs.
"Thunder? But why–" Not having even a moment to consider the mystery before the sensation of her hair standing on its ends was noted.
Down below, the Hydra met Erai's assault with a head-on collision, wanting to ram the incoming lighting with its many heads, only for Galatea to leap forth from out of the chaos, severing several heads with a series of lightning fast strikes.
Cleaving away enough of an opening for Erai to shoot past and crash into Hydra. Though not much could be seen by the rest of his class as the impact hid the results of the clash behind forceful waves and clashing icebergs.
With that, Ketsu understood it was his time to act.
As the bloodied stumps began forcing out more visceral forms, the same sensation Vaceris had experienced coursed through all of those in the water. The feeling was followed by the appearance of a scarlet sky, marked by a tinge of blood-stained and darkened clouds resembling abstract masses of ash.
Vaceris, fearing what would come next, tried to rush back down to the safety of Stephen's water sphere but was too late.
At Ketsu's command, the skies bore shadowed tones, shading the earth, the heavens and even the sun for a moment, in the haze of blackness, illuminated by a single crimson of lightning.
Cracking down within the blink of an eye, the only thing they could react to was the accompanying force from the thunder that shook so violently, those on the banks of the Tuning Lake and behind the protection of the Ward were rocked to their core, knocking them to the ground as for a moment the earth planned to give way.
Showering the scene in a mist, the bystanders quickly received the strong scent of charred flesh. With the waters rippling a calm across it.
Some of the students could be seen washed up in the banks while those that previously occupied it waited for their companions before rushing to aid those that washed up, forgetting to nurse their own wounds.
"All of that and it didn't even die. Almost cooked them too."
"You speak so casually as though you aren't responsible for those kids Reiss?" Ulrich bellowed to him, with the pair arguing as though they were unbothered by the previous blast.
"All that matters right now is that my coat is intact, Gods forbid these brats to burn down my entire wardrobe before the year's end."
Within the hold of Stephen's water sphere, the group came to, greeting an exhausted Ketsu who was relieved to see they were okay.
"Where...are they, Erai and the Princess?" Stephen asked, feeling genuine surprise that his barrier helped up.
"I'm not sure, but they were pretty close to the Hydra when I attacked. I'm just hoping they managed to get away."
"When you said attack I thought you meant them and not us. How many of us do you think that attack took out?" Torren gripped.
Tersia wondered as well, realizing that even her Automatons had their summoning undone by the blast.
'Are people really expected to do this, fight things like that?' Tersia wondered, waiting for some sort of relief from their Captain.
"I did my best to hold back, I do hope that none of the other students were harmed by my actions but if they were I will take responsibility." He said.
"That's great and all, but what about our team? You blew us up along with the freaking thing."
"...Is that your way of counting us out?" A voice in the distance spoke out. Heading towards the group through the mist, everyone readied themselves for a fight as best as possible, only for Erai to come flying through and into the bubble.
"Huh...I could have sworn that voice was..." Sergei thought.
"So that was your brilliant plan?" Vaceris joined them in the watery bounds. Landing beside the unconscious Erai, and placing the treasure down.
"Even with my magic, carrying everything was incredibly annoying. You should have let go..."
"Then—it would have been destroyed." Erai let out in a weak breath.
Ketsu asked that Stephen get them back to the banks before the beasts decided to arise, while he knelt to ask Erai how they managed to survive.
"I thought you'd be in worse shape. Most of the students were probably burned by the blast–" But he was interrupted when Erai pointed to the various students perched on the remnants of the old platform they arrived on and the shattered glaciers littered about.
"The idiot....he did it again. That plan of yours almost killed you the last time." Vaceris scolded Erai, being reminded of the first time he used the golden wall to protect her.
"I knew that everyone would be safe..." He tried to respond though it did not quell her anger.
"Everyone except you?"
Finally reaching the banks, Stephen dropped the watery sphere, and fell to the ground, panting as he tried to take a break,
"L-lets, never do that again."
"Three of our own down and we still need to reach the mountains." Torren wondered, looking at his exhausted team.
"You guys, over here. They made it." A familiar voice on the banks called to them before rushing over to Erai's class.
"Ren?" Erai worked to prop himself up as the group arrived.
"Class 1B, what brings you here? Do you plan on liberating our treasures from us?" Ketsu worked to hide his fatigue behind his unshaken demeanor.
"You can all relax, I don't mean any harm. I just wanted to thank you." Ren came to a stop as more of his class joined him.
"..."
"That blast could have easily taken us out if you let loose, none of us were prepared for it. And yet, we came out unscathed, shaken but still unharmed, all because of him. Your classmate saved us. Lady Illses was saved because of you, Shynerai."
"Erai?" The group wondered in unison.
"I saw it for a moment but it was enough. While I 'jumped' to help Lady Illses retrieve the last of the treasures, we were caught in the blast…but…just as suddenly we were wrapped in a golden orb, shielded by some holy light of sorts."
"The shock knocked us into the water but none of us were any worse for wear."
"I had to do something."
"But you did kind of knock off our dragon, that wasn't exactly a fun ride." Ren added with a brief chuckle.
"We weren't trying to make it fun for anyone, we were trying to take out that thing." Torren answered, clearly annoyed by Ren's appearance.
"That's enough joking around Ren, why did you bring us here?" A fiery-haired girl stepped up as she called out to her friend.
"Ah right, I wanted to repay the favor by jumping all of us to the mountains, or at least close enough." He answered with a coacher tone that was met with angry protests from his classmates, all except for his red-haired friend.
"Huh, if you're offering, then I better not hear you whining about not being at your best because you're too tired."
"You're their class Captain, Ketsuiko correct?"
"Indeed I am. And you are?"
Now that she stood much closer, his companion became something that he was genuinely surprised to have missed until that moment. Her soft facial features, ocean-blue eyes that seemed to swirl with a calm glow that was also shared with her fiery red hair.
Her burning mane was the most familiar trait, reminding him of the only other person he knew that shared it, the thought had Shynerai wondering if both Sarah and Alleiyna were descended from Lynheare. All of this was paired with an impressive physique standing fairly tall compared to him while being considerably lean, none of her physicality took away from her notable grace.
"My name is Alleiyna Illses Ulthern, but Alleiyna is fine. I can assure you we do not have any malicious intent. You were looking out for everyone else, and this is our way of repaying the favor." She responded. Speaking with a sense of assuredness that told him that she was without a doubt, of noble birth.
"Well then it's nice to meet you. From the looks of our current condition, having reservations about accepting charity will not serve my class in any real way." Ketsuiko expressed as he got up to his feet.
"We'll be in your care, however, if something does happen to them, I will not hold back as I did." He prefaced before lifting Erai with Torren's help.
"Well, then it's time to get going. Just make sure you close your eyes in the next few seconds..." Ren said
"Yeah, or what? I really don't think we should trust–" Torren protested, just as his eyes bore witness to the warping surroundings as if pulled to an infinite range, the sights around him twisted and melded into a slurry and light before being pulled apart, waking the stunned Torren with the sensation of a crisp mountain breeze.
"Ah you see, the trip can be a lot to take in on the first time, so it's generally a good idea to close your eyes or you're bound to..."
"Ummm bleeerggghhhh..."
"...lose your lunch. He might need a minute before he is good to go. With our debt repaid we'll be seeing you around. Hopefully next time we will see each other in the finals."
"We look forward to the challenge." Ketsuiko waved off the class with a drop of sweat running down his cheek.
"A friend of yours, Shynerai?" The Class Captain questioned.
"We've only met a few times. But you felt it too, didn't you?" Erai's statement was met with a stern eye from Ketsu.
"It seems there are more monsters among the First-years than just those in Class 1A." The Captain answered as he shook off his concern, with the sight of Deep City behind, he couldn't shake off the thought that they traveled so far.
"No seal or sigil was used to get here...guess that explains why he knew that the Configuration was Spatial Configuration magic. If we do see him in the finals, then our chances have only gotten slimmer."
"Enough moping. Remember what Ketsu said yesterday. This is going to be one hell of a fight, but it's one I intend on winning." Stephen resolved himself.
"Hmph, I don't plan on dragging us behind either." Shynerai wearily expressed as he managed to get to his feet
"Do you think the rest of us are going to sit back and watch you guys have all the fun?" The rest of them joined in.
Heading up the foot of the mountain, they found the other classes waiting with Ms. Yuria and Mr. UIrich standing by. Very soon, the last of the classes would arrive before the blaring trumpet sounded all across the City.
"Hello students, I'm pleased to see you have all made it. I do hope you continue to do your best." Ms. Yuria appeared enveloped in flames alongside Reiss and Ulrich. With the former flicking his wrist and extinguishing them upon his landing.
"Mr. Reiss and Ms. Yuria are here, great..." A few of the battered students sighed at the sight of their educator's arrival.
"Please pay attention. For the next round, three students from each class must be chosen to participate, along with an additional two more students to sit as reserves. The reserves will not be participating during this round while the rest of the class can assist those that are chosen."
"Working together you must race around all of Aria and arrive at the Academy's Arena. Using the treasures you retrieved from the Tuning Lake, you will unlock the Ryokin stables and mount your beasts. The first eight contestants to arrive at the Arena will be permitted entry into the final round."
"However, to mark your progress through the race, you must pass by every checkpoint located at the landmarks all across the city. If you look at your Notebook, you will see that the route has already been marked on your Map."
"While the first eight to reach the finish line will move on to the next round, only two out of the three students will be counted as they pass the finish line, so a class may have only a single winner or two at the most."
"If you understand these rules, please open your treasures and retrieve your reins, they will tell you which of the mounts you will be using." Ms. Yuria ended her announcement as the latches on the treasures magically opened.