"Ohohoho!" I let out with quiet eagerness as my hands came together. Something that went completely unnoticed as the room was alive with excitement and awe. We had just witnessed the greatest of Exceptional House go against our greatest. Yet, even in his defeat, Omb had envigorated the audiance with his power.
But, I was not excited because of the fight, at least, not directly. My excitement came from something tangential to it all. How the arena reacted during their fight and the build-up to it. A true marvel of engineering that I would be sure to praise Mechanical House for!
"Now," I started to ask as I brought all the screens to a halt, "can anyone tell me what happened?" I asked them nebulously at first to see if any were paying attention. There was a condition to being an observer after all. One still had to make an attempt to study.
Even if we staff as a whole made a point of being lax in regards to it.
"One of the best fights ever!?" one of the students who had been enthralled in the crowd's energy answered. His ecstatic behaviour continued to show even as I shook my bemused head. And I could not fault that at all. It was an impressive fight, after all.
Even I could admit that especially given how our dear Student Vapooliar used no spells. All of that power she showed, it was entirely her internal-magic. Even her flight capabilities contrasted with Student Omb's need for firey propulsion! She really was fit to wear the badge of her house!
"Is it perhaps something do with the arena?" one student asked with concern and nervousness. Yet, it went away when I snapped towards her with a grin.
"Indeed it is, can you perhaps explain?" I asked her as some of that caution left her.
"I don't think I can, no... But, I was getting confused as to why the arena was so violently destroyed when their magic was not triggering any of the usual reactions...?"
"You are on track, so don't worry. Now, for those who haven't figured it out. What you saw was an arena that replicated all the usual results of a near-zero magic environment without any of the usual problems." I explain to them. Some of them getting just as excited as I was.
"S-So... That is how powerful they both would've been if we were to watch them in the distant lowlands!?" one student asked as they let out a laugh of their own.
"Indeed! Indeed..." I told them as I chuckled some more. I just could not get over how impressive that one room was out of everything. Whoever was directly responsible for it would go far in their life! That might've actually been a technological breakthrough in and of itself!
Even our training chambers, isolated pockets of reality separated from our own! They were created from understandings we gained over the years from our ancient, windless ancestors! But this wasn't like that at all! It was made from the ground up by one of our very own students!
"Head of Oddity House Frihdeicalkbr, come with me, please." someone then asked of me. And it ruined my mood completely as that meant I could not discuss this room any further.
"Is there an issue?" I, however, asked without displaying any mild annoyance or anything similar. If I was suddenly requested to be elsewhere, there would surely be a reason, no?
"I have not been told, I am onl-"
"Here to get me." I finished for them before I took the portal key from them. Soon reappearing in the main council chamber for us staff to discuss things. But, this was the one for the Inter-House Talent Display itself, so, it would be rather unimportant.
"Good, you're here." one of a very small selection of staff we had here said as I arrived. But, I did not take a seat as her gestures suggested I do. If it was here, then it could be over and done with quickly.
"Is there a disproportionately high amount of fatalities this time?" I asked them at first. We did have quite the line-up this time around, after all.
"No, we are actually doing quite well with no deaths so far." someone answered as my expression turned dour.
"This council was actually called because the student collective of Suhurlodst Academy of Arcane Learning and Understanding has reacted very well to the recent battle between Student Vapooliar and Student Omb."
And, with that, some joy came back to my face, "You want to make sure Student Vapooliar can keep showing her strength?"
"Rather, the observing students of Mechanical House, Traditional House and Exceptional House want to see the rest of Student Omb's dorm take his place."
And that made me cock a brow, "None of them are on his level, you know that, yes?" I remind them as I call upon the list we made entirely to stroke egos, really. And I immediately searched up the strongest out of their listed group. Student Larishazza and Student Tiyanat were nowhere near his level.
"It is what the students want." one says with a smirk as their eyes look towards the casualties list. Only injuries and potentially fatal wounds right now...
"You wish to use this as an excuse to get rid of Student Nin?" I asked them as it was obvious as to why this might be the case. His acceptance never went well with many here and I quite remember his return in the data after that wyvern attack. Their disappointment at his persistence to live appalled many who looked at the data.
And each time he reappeared in that data, their rage grew. Its only offset perhaps being Student Liadanann when she first entered the data. But, that reminded me of something terrifying... If they wanted Omb's dorm to fight Student Vapooliar then...
"Absolutely not!" I told them as I put my foot down. If I was brought in here then it was clearly because they needed my permission. I would not and will never put one of our rarest students in such a harmful setting. Not while I had the power to intervene.
"The choice is not up to you, we brought you here to let you know a vote has been handed out to students seeking a greater thrill."
"Then I will cease this Inter-House Talent Display in its entirety!" I angrily told them as my fist slammed into the table. Denting it and putting a fist-shaped warp in its structure.
"Not without good cause you can't." one scoffed.
"The safety of Student Liadanann is most certainly a good cause. Not one of our founding tenets at all supports putting such a rare specimen in such a dangerous situation!" I told them with increasingly restrained anger. The initial reaction was unprofessional and unbecoming of me, but, the justification remained.
"Then take her out!"
"I HAVE TRIED!" I roared to them in a rare display of unrestrained rage. Something that made many of them lose their smirks as they all knew it relied on the consent of the student. I could not just take them out of the event if I wanted to.
"What about if we only insert the parameters that exclude Student Liadanann?"
"We can't, we set down the condition of Student Omb's dormitory before he even arrived." a woman said as her hand flicked casually at me. So, I slowly walked over to her until I was right behind her.
"Then I suggest you take heed not to do so again." I quietly told her as I made sure my aura was condensed around her. This was completely unacceptable!
"Head of Oddity House Frihdeicalkbr!" one of my seniors spoke loudly just after I made the threatening gesture.
"You best hope for your sakes that Student Liadanann does not meet an undeserved fate because of your reckless hastiness with my students!" I tell them as I slam my palms down once again. Storming off to where I had been prior so I could watch their foolishness play before me. And, in fact, I made it just in time to watch it occur. Because each of the screens meant for my observing students was now saying what was about to happen.
"That can happen?" one asked in confusion as I quietly growled at the message.
"But, why is this happening?" another asked as we all watched the layout of the greater arena warp and twist about. New pathways had suddenly appeared in the arenas where everyone was. But, that was it, they were just pathways. They took no care as to the fact many of them were badly injured right now.
Yet, I was not content to just wait for this to happen, so, I started an illegal process. We were not meant to be doing this as it came with the implication of undermining other students. But, I was not doing this to give aid or advice or tactics. I was here to implore a particular student...
"Student Liadanann?" I asked the magic construct before me once I found a quiet room to sit down in.
"Who's- What do you want!?" the spooked student asked me aggressively as they walked their altered pathway. They had been in one when the change had occurred so it stands to reason that she went through a bumpy experience...
"Press the primary button on your bracelet. Take yourself out of the event." I told her, laying it out as plainly as I could while keeping a sense of severity in my words.
"Are you the one that kept pestering me earlier!?"
"Yes, now please, hit that button. Whatever you felt a moment ago, it's a trap. You have a high chance of death if you carry on, so, please, exit now!"
"What happened a moment ago?" she asked me as it sounded like she came to a stop.
"It has been decided by the rest of Suhurlodst Academy of Arcane Learning and Understanding to put Student Omb's dormitory in direct contact with Student Vapooliar who recently bested him."
"So you want me to leave because they're too strong?"
"Yes."
"And the rest of those going will include Nin?"
"Yes."
"Then I am going to make sure he is safe!" she snapped before I was left sighing as she tried to make me go away.
"Student Liadanann, please, listen. Death is a very likely circumstance for you!" I told her. Putting as much emphasis on death as I could. Surely that very common, very rightfully placed fear would ward her out of this, no!? We could potentially replicate Student Nin's circumstances.
We could not replace her...
"So what!? If a chance of death exists for me, it also exists for him! And I will make sure I pay him back for what he did for me!"
"Then I will..." I began to say before I was left angered by my conclusion. There was no way I could get Student Nin out of something orchestrated to get rid of him.
"You will what? Oh, right, nothing." Student Liadanann snorts before I exit the call of my own volition. There was no way I was going to get to her like this... And I also had no power to alter the arena myself...
"I guess I am a pious man now..." I groan before leaning back into my chair. If I could not get this situation resolved, then it was up to the will of the gods. And, perhaps I could eek a favour out of them. Yet, there was also a chance I would not be able to...
So, I then got up and quickly headed on my way to the nearest portal. The gods might hear me here, but they would hear me in their temples. So, I had to rush as quickly as I could to the area reserved for the religious aspects of our daily lives. If I could just get there quick enough!